Preservation

“This is beyond blasphemous, Lady Castellia. We must burn it all.”

“W-What!? No! You can’t!” Viviane protested loudly as she desperately pushed back against the soldiers who were attempting to force themselves into the shield tower. “This is precious history! It’s what we’ve lost throughout the ages, Captain Vale!”

“Please stand aside, Lady Castellia.” Captain Vale said. Though he kept his sword sheathed out of respect, his hand rested on its hilt, ready to draw the weapon at any second should his suspicions of Viviane’s heresy grow intolerable. “I do not wish to denounce you. You have done much for us.”

“Then can you not see the merit in preserving this knowledge!?” Viviane shouted, shoving away the closest soldier. With her enhanced strength that could be compared to an incredibly weak knight, but a knight nonetheless, the soldier had no chance of fighting back. “Do not approach me!”

“Lady Castellia, if you choose to fight against my men and prevent them from doing their duty, then I will have no choice but to proclaim you a heretic. Please do not make me do this, your Grace.” The captain grit his teeth, the sound of steel scraping against leather ringing in the air as his sword came half-drawn out of its scabbard.

“...You would dare turn your sword against me, the acting duchess of House Castellia?” Viviane admonished. Although her heartbeat accelerated from seeing steel, she did her best to keep her expression neutral. “You overstep your bounds, Captain Vale.”

“...Perhaps so, but the contents of that tower still remain blasphemous. Even our cursory inspection of it made that more than apparent.” The captain said. “We cannot afford to be fighting amongst ourselves, Lady Castellia. I beg of you, please step aside. This is the last time I will ask.”

Viviane bit her lip, her eyes darting around as she considered her options. Meanwhile, the ring of soldiers closed in on her once more, albeit hesitantly. ...Just how the hell did it come to this?

Just ten minutes ago, Viviane had finished catching up with Scarlet, concluding their conversation over a cup of hastily brewed tea before going their separate ways. Viviane had made a beeline toward the tacticians’ tent, intent on helping out the newly arrived soldiers after her chat with Scarlet. Although she felt like she had done quite a lot over the past few weeks, Scarlet’s achievements made her feel inadequate as usual, lighting a burning desire in her heart to contribute towards the upcoming battles.

Although Captain Vale had been ecstatic to see her at first, things had quickly taken a turn for the worse. With the shield tower freed from Amelia’s control, the strange black substance coating its exterior had disappeared along with the destruction of the witch’s black sphere, causing the structure to be easily accessible once Viviane and Scarlet had exited the tower at its base along with their knights. It was this ease of access which quickly spelled trouble for Viviane.

When the soldiers first arrived, they had busied themselves with setting up camp, procuring the night’s rations, and ensuring that a proper perimeter was formed around the tower. After that, the officers occupied themselves and the troops under their command with new patrol routes, even sending out several scouting units to determine just how far away the witchspawn were now that the front line had been moved.

Unfortunately, that time had already passed soon after Viviane concluded her conversation with Scarlet. Even as she spoke with Captain Vale about the upcoming battle, soldiers and officers alike allowed their curiosity to get the better of them and began inspecting the shield tower. With its entrance wide open, the troops made their way inside the building, availing themselves to the contents of its vast library. While most of the troops failed to read the books therein, there were a few officers amongst their ranks who were well-versed in the ancient script.

Of course, the alternative history contained within the shield tower’s books quickly alerted the officers to the heretical nature of this knowledge. Worse yet, there was even a supposed history book which depicted Soleil as a woman who had spared the Witch Queen instead of slaying her, as the first emperor was supposed to do.

Such things were more than simple heresy but stood as an affront to the church and perhaps even Aluvsha himself. There was simply no way such a library would be allowed to remain after the war, leading to a rather embarrassing situation when one of the soldiers barged into the tacticians’ tent, determined to report their findings to Captain Vale before they could be branded a heretic for possessing forbidden knowledge.

Viviane had accompanied the captain to the tower, failing to dissuade him from inspecting the structure’s library personally. Although she knew that the books within were no doubt antithetical to the church’s teachings, there was absolutely no way she would simply allow such a wealth of knowledge and history be burned away as the captain intended. She would protect it at all costs, and it was that very adamant desire of hers which had placed her in this current quandary.

“You will not give me orders, captain.” Viviane spat, attempting to assume the haughty airs of a noblewoman who was in control. Although the troops around her hesitated, Captain Vale looked unfazed. Ugh... Had it been Lady Scarlet in my place, the captain would be cowering already. I may not be Lady Scarlet, but I’m no pushover!

“I wouldn’t dare order you around, Lady Castellia. The law-abiding heiress of House Castellia outranks me by a longshot.” Captain Vale replied evenly, advancing even as he spoke. “However, I must carry out my duty as a servant of this empire.”

“...Then take your hand away from your weapon.” Viviane paused. In the past, she would have simply stopped there, but she had realized something in that very moment. She was not Lady Scarlet. She did not command the raven-haired noblewoman’s charisma or elegance, but she had something else. Something much more tangible and forceful.

Something that a man like Captain Vale wouldn’t be able to oppose even in a hundred years.

“Or will I be forced to make you?” Viviane finished, an edge in her voice. Her eyes flickered upwards to meet the captain’s, causing him to flinch and stop in place.

Although the captain’s combat experience far exceeded that of Viviane’s, he was more than aware of his own abilities. His rank came not from his skill at arms, but from his tenacity and the swiftness of his wit. He was a man who prioritized the safety of himself and his troops first and foremost, a philosophy that he prided himself on and also the very tenets that had allowed him to survive for so long against the incessant waves of witchspawn.

It was for this very reason that he had come to a stop before Viviane’s searing glare. Based on the noblewoman’s posture, he was very sure that Viviane would be able to unsling the bow on her shoulder faster than he could finish drawing his sword and loose at least four arrows at him and his men before they even had a chance to get close.

Captain Vale shivered. At first, he had found Scarlet scarily inhuman. Her actions, diction, and bearing had been so unnaturally perfect that the noblewoman had seemed more like the idea of a person rather than a real person herself. It was a strange and admittedly silly thing to fear and he had pushed it from his mind without much difficulty. However, the deadliness that Viviane exuded before him was very tangible and real. She possessed strength and dexterity that no noblewoman should have, yet there she stood, ready to shoot him and his men down in seconds.

Captain Vale fully sheathed his sword once more, releasing a sigh. Honestly, it was a miracle that he was still alive given how many times he had implicitly threatened Viviane, but now that he still drew breath, he understood how futile of a pursuit this whole inspection had been. Ever since the start, Viviane was always the one showing mercy to him, not the other way around.

...Denounce her? ‘I won’t ask again’? The captain let out a short bark of laughter that was devoid of humor. What the hell was I even thinking? She could’ve just shot me then and there, and I wouldn’t have even seen it coming.

The moment he faltered under her gaze, he had already lost the initiative. And Viviane knew this.

“Captain.” Viviane’s voice had returned to its gentle tone, though there was a definite firmness that hadn’t been present before. “You must be tired and unable to think properly. Perhaps you should take your men and rest before making such significant decisions.”

Captain Vale nodded, slowly digesting Viviane’s words. He didn’t like it, but he grabbed onto the peace offering that Viviane handed out. “Yes, I’m ashamed to admit that you’re right, Lady Castellia. My men and I will retire to our tents now. If there’s anything you need, please don’t hesitate to call us.”

“Of course,” Viviane smiled. She remained standing still, continuing to bar the way into the tower despite the slowly dispersing troops. “Have a wonderful night.”

As the sound of the soldiers’ steel-shod boots faded gradually into the night, they were replaced by an almost identical sound, albeit slightly louder. Medrauta’s heavy sabatons were easy for Viviane to make out as they crushed countless blades of grass beneath them. The knight made no effort to hide her approach or presence.

“What the hell was going on, Vivi?” Medrauta asked, stopping beside her lady. She had arrived with her sword already drawn, her blue eyes fixed on the backs of the retreating soldiers.

Viviane shook her head, a smile still on her face as she looped an arm around Medrauta’s. “Oh, nothing much. I was just bidding Captain Vale and his soldiers good night.”

“...Right.” Although Medrauta was curious, she thought it would be a tale better told in the coming morning.