After cultural class came lunchtime, which meant a much-needed hour of free time. This was where the boys would split into different groups, going to eat in various places. Some of the noble students would go all the way into High

Town for an expensive meal at a tavern and to try and mingle with the female students, and others would travel the ten minutes into Market Town to buy a cheap meal from one of the many food vendor stands.

Here, Cedric split off from the group, as Mel, Quentle, Farum, Berd, and Kaolo would head for the Market Town stands, while Cedric returned home.

In a hurry, he whipped up a large pot of rice and threw it, along with a bunch of potatoes and onions into a large basket. Wrapping it with a piece of cloth, he headed back out in a light run into Castle Town.

It wasn’t because he didn’t have money, of course. His father did give him a small, obligatory wage to pay for meals and such. Cedric simply saved that money for other purposes.

Passing the school and the well-developed shopping district, he arrived at the castle. Every day, the sight left him in awe. The tall stone walls, carefully crafted into windowed watch towers, were a thing of beauty, matched by the well-groomed grass and trees on every side of the castle walls. Something about the castle’s surroundings always calmed Cedric, partly why he came by every day.

Walking briskly through the castle’s outer yard, Cedric avoided the various stationed guards with ease. Arriving at the back corner of the castle, he hopped over a stone ledge on the right of the pathway leading to the castle’s back courtyard, and snuck down its hilly side.

Upon reaching the side of the small gate leading into the courtyard, Cedric withdrew a silver coin from his pocket. Flicking it in the air in the direction of the guard stationed at the gate, he continued in a crouch.

Behind him, the guard, without turning his head or body an inch, caught the coin in his left hand. Letting his arm drop in a mechanical motion, he then gave a discreet thumb up with his right hand.

With a smirk, Cedric continued to the point where the guard wouldn’t see him if he hadn’t already known about him, and jumped back onto the path.

He’d arrived at the entrance to the courtyard, a beautiful grassy paradise lush with various greenhouses and trees. Despite his rank not being high enough to be allowed in, he felt he didn’t have to worry about being spotted at this point. The only ones who usually visited the back courtyard in the middle of the day were a group of ten low level soldiers whom he knew well. While checking the heat and smell of his pot of food, he waltzed right on through the fascinating greenery to the middle of the courtyard, a large opening decorated by a manmade pond with mesmerizing fountains at four of its edges. At the circular pond’s center lay the courtyard’s greatest feature- a magnificently crafted white stone sculpture of none other than the first Sword Heir, holding up the Great Green Emerald in a victorious pose.

Cedric stared into the bold looking face of Garik, which was partially covered by his parted mid length hair. Water splashed onto the sculpture’s stone feet, coming in an arch from the fountains. As the water splashed, small drops of water bounced onto the face and arms of the fake Garik. Normally, Cedric would gaze admirably at this site. Today, something unexpected flashed before his eyes as he looked on.

For a moment, the sprinkling water appeared scarlet red, as if blood was slowly splattering all over the stone Garik’s body.

This is what it must have been like…

Shaking his head free of the illusion, Cedric trotted over to the fountain’s stone ledge, where the group of around ten soldiers casually lounged about.

“Hoy, Cedo, You made it!”

“Hey there, Captain Ralin.”

“Ah, Cedric. Welcome back.”

“I’m back! Good afternoon, Captain Galgi”

-Their usual greeting, something they’d picked up over the years.

“Haha, I told you to quit calling us Captain, Cedo! It’s embarrassing, we’re only captains of our five man Go.”

This was the harsh truth, after all. The two were named the leaders of their respective Go, a five-man squad of infantryman that stuck together tightly on the battlefield for the sake of keeping formations in order.

“Even then, you’re still captains, so I should be respectful as a student!” Cedric replied cheerfully.

Galgi chuckled, shaking his head.

“Anyway, let’s dig in. Hey Beidin, Peter, Roz, Jean, Filipe, Esca, Brita, Simon, potatoes and onions sound good?”

“Uohhh~!” the men that fought alongside Galgi and Ralin cheered, opening the big basket and dividing the plentiful portions evenly.

Cedric sat down on the fountain’s ledge, and began to eat his own portion of food.

The men sat around leisurely, breaking off into idle chatter amongst themselves, while Galgi and Ralin sat down next to Cedric, grinning.

“Seriously, Cedo, the food from your place is always the best!” The tall and burly Ralin spoke with his mouth full, his wild hair bouncing to and fro.

“Well at the least, it isn’t any surprise that Gadric Cintog has been the castle’s personal vegetable dealer for years,” the smaller but well-built Galgi said in his usual matter-of-fact tone, a way of speaking that had always interested Cedric. He’d always thought it sounded like he would say everything in earnest, which matched his serious demeanor, including his neatly combed hair-always to the right side.

“Yeah, Cedo’s dad is pretty great! Too bad Cedo won’t be taking the family business over, what with being the next Sword Heir and all!”

“Ha? No, that isn’t-”

“Don’t worry, me and Galg will take over for ya when the time comes! We’re only eight years older, so we’ll be around for a while!”

Galgi chuckled with his mouth full of water, waving his hand in disagreement.

“Hah, come on, it isn’t like it’s anywhere close to being decided yet.”

“It may as well be as far as we’re concerned, Cedric,” Galgi warmly put as he patted his chest while he coughed.

Cedric smirked, shaking his head while Galgi continued with an even more serious look.

“Always remember, the Galgi and Ralin squads will always have your back.”

“UuohHH!!” The men all cheered, raising their glasses.

Cedric looked away, his smirk turning into a genuine smile.

“So, uh…anything new happening with the Wolverines?”

“Ah, not really. It’s just one night-time bombardment after another,” Galgi replied, sighing.

“Yeah, and we’re a part of the oh-so-special infantry that gets to battle it out on the beach, in between all the cannon fire,” the bulky Roz added.

“Haha, but lately we’ve been rackin’ up a lot of points!” Ralin hollered merrily. “That northern beach is a popular target, but the Wolverines need to learn to wake up real early to get one over on us.”

“But Captain, you have a harder time waking up then anyone I’ve ever-”

“We’re a brick wall defense force I tell ya! And today we got us some food from Cedric’s farm in our bellies, so we’re gonna be even more unbeatable than usual.”

“UOhhhH!!”

“You’ll never learn how dangerous it is to say things like that out loud, will you Ral?” Galgi put with a smirk.

“HA. The only flag we’ll see tonight is a burnt Wolverine flag …Or a white flag!”

“Uh, Captain, a white flag could be ours too, when you put it like-”

“Brick wall squad, uohhhH!”

“U-uohhhHHH!”

“So, Cedric, how’d morning session go?” Galgi asked, shaking his head at Ralin.

“Ehh..”

Cedric explained the intense discussion of the Heir’s story.

“Haha, sounds just like you and Mel!” Ralin blurted out.

“Hmm, Quentle on the other hand…”

“Huh? What about Quentle?” Cedric had barely caught Galgi’s murmur.

“Ah, just…I’d have expected him to agree with you, as passionate as he is.”

“Quentle is a weird kiddo, isn’t he Cedo?”

“Hahh..I guess I was a bit surprised by it, too. I mean, you two are pretty alike, after all,” Galgi scratched his head in curiosity as he said this.

“We are? I don’t really see it though,” Cedric answered with furrowed brows.

“Yeah, I’ve always thought it was odd that you and Quentle were such good friends, since you’re alike in a lot of ways! Usually people with similar attitudes and goals are enemies, not best friends.”

“Yeah, and you even look like you could be brothers, or cousins,” Ralin added.

“Haha, I never really thought about all that, I guess.”

“But ya know, I wonder if you’ll be able to stay friends once you become the Heir, Cedo.”

“Even though it could be him just as easily as it could be me...” Cedric said as he wore a slightly embarrassed smirk.

“Well then hurry and go pull the Red Sword before that sneak gets to it! Blacksmiths have the special power of wielding things normal people can’t.”

The three of them laughed as they ate, carrying on like this until Cedric had to return to the schooling center.

After attending a rigorous physical training class with Master Feng, who was a fanatic when it came to intense obstacle courses, Cedric made his way into the darkest, most unvisited corner of the building- where his daily personal training class took place.

“Come on in, young Cedric, you don’t have to knock every time, you know?”

Cedric opened the old worn down door slowly, fearing as usual that it might break if he wasn’t careful.

“I’ll presume you’re warmed up?”

“Ah-yes, Master Valblin.”

The old man, whose monstrous frame and tacky robes never seemed to match his long grey hair and beard like that of an official, swung a wooden sword repetitively at the air without looking Cedric’s way.

“Were you adequately pushed to your limits today?”

“Yes sir, Master Feng took much care in throwing ice water on me anytime I’d look to be slacking even a little, so I was able to beat even Geraint and Jorge this time,” Cedric answered with a stone face and thumb up.

“Ohhohoho, what a splendid subordinate young Feng has turned out to be, despite his inexperience as a teacher. It’s thanks to him you’ve gotten to be so scrappy and wildly aggressive.”

“But sir, isn’t Master Feng already in his thirtie-”

“Ohohhh?”

“Yes, sir, a mere baby such as myself hopes to someday be like the young Master Feng.”

“Hmmm, I’m going to have fun knocking that cheeky tone out of your mouth, hoho.”

“But sir, I believe my tone is as respectful as ev-”

“Shut up and grab your weapon already, will ya?”

Not wasting anymore time, Cedric took his vest off and retrieved a wood sword off the rack on the wall, and took a few practice swings.

Stepping out into the middle of the spacious training room where they did battle daily, Cedric waved the sword out in front of himself, his demeanor completely changed.

“Ohoho? A scarier face than usual, eh? I’m afraid your scary face won’t make up for your lack of power, hoho.”

Ignoring his taunt, Cedric shot in on Valblin’s left with a low stance and firm, angled grip on the wood sword. His deliberate lunge looked sure to score an undercutting strike.

A second before contact, the old man twisted away, delivering a deflecting swing with one hand.

Still twisting, the old man shifted his momentum to his right foot and swung his left leg high as Cedric staggered from the counter.

Cedric barely saw the incoming blow, and could only watch as Valblin’s foot struck the middle of his back.

“Gah!”

Flying forward, Cedric managed a sloppy front roll to keep from face planting.

Valblin was deceptively quick despite his overwhelming size and strength, and exceptionally skilled at masking his attacks like this. The man had a very refined, technical precision to go along with his power. He was simply too good at straight counters and overpowered offensive blows, so coming at him head on was out of the question.

Due to this, Cedric’s strategy never changed: dart at the old man from the side, striking at wild angles in search of a blind spot.

He had to work ten times harder than he would against Mel or Quentle to land a strike that merely equaled the output of Valblin’s. Most of those strikes would fail to give him any sort of advantageous position, and even when they did the old man would effortlessly knock his sword away at the last second.

Still, he would press on, with the thought that if he got inside his range of comfort, he could land at least a sidelong blow.

His persistent attacks continued, yielding no result yet again. He began to tire, body throbbing from Valblin’s stinging counter attacks. Sensing that the session would end soon, whether by time constraint or his body giving out, Cedric went on one last wild attack.

Feinting to his left, he streaked by the old man’s left side once more, leaving space enough to steer clear of any counters. Executing a diagonal slash that slightly deflected Valblin’s sword downward, Cedric continued his flight around the back of the man.

Knowing the old man’s superiority in a standup fight, Cedric then tried something insane. He’d somehow gotten the inch he needed to execute his idea , as Valblin seemed to react a bit late to his circling move by swiveling about with his sword at low guard.

Cedric had been working exceptionally hard at doing one thing: slowly backing the old man into the corner of the room.

Instead of turning around to attempt a futile back stab, Cedric continued toward the wall, and leapt up with all his strength.

Kicking sideways off the right wall, and then making to kick off the left like a distorted stair step, he contorted his body to look down at Valblin, his sword gripped and ready.

As he kicked off the left, however, his left foot slightly slipped, decreasing his outward momentum.

He looked with bared teeth down at the old man, thinking he might still be able to land a glancing blow across his right shoulder.

“Hoho?”

Of course, his expectations betrayed him. The old man simply couldn’t be caught off guard that easily.

Sidestepping the sword, Valblin reached his left arm out, and grasped onto Cedric’s wrist.

“Ah-”

With no time to think, he was pulled out of the air, and thrown directly into the skyward elbow Valblin had just raised.

His stomach felt like it was going to burst, and all the air seemed to escape from his body all at once.

“Kughhh!”

He immediately dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes, where he curled up, gasping for air.

“Ohhohoh, well now, that ought to teach you not to ever do something so stupid again, eh?”

“Kuuuuuughhhhhh, Uuuuughhhhhhh, Kuuckkckkkkkhhh?”

The blow had left him in a pitiful pile. Once he’d finally found some air to take in, he started dry heaving so hard the blood vessels in his face popped one after another.

“You understand, do you? That trying something flashy like that on a real battlefield is the quickest and easiest way to get yourself killed?”

“Hgeeeeessgsshhhh ShiiiIhhhhRrrHhhh-”

“Hoh! Good, now never present yourself so desperately before me again! This isn’t the way your father taught you.”

With that, Valblin hung his sword up, dumped the large basin of water he always prepared over Cedric’s head, and made for the door, shutting it with a very low, indistinct sigh while his eyes remained forward.

After some time, Cedric finally recovered, and drug himself to the wall where he slumped over.

“Hahhh, hahhh, that old bastard…I swear… I’m gonna kick his ass…so hard…one day…seriously... He doesn’t even realize… I resort to stunts like that because… attacking him is… impossible.”

Getting up and kicking the water basin across the room, he trudged out of the dojo grumpily.

Out in the hallway, he carefully slunk along as he neared the main school hall. His current mission: make it to the apothecary’s room upstairs without being seen by anyone. Especially Mel or Quentle. They were likely at the end of their personal sessions as well, so it wouldn’t be a stretch for one of them to pop up.

This was somewhat of a daily routine as well. Cedric would get cuts, lesions, and bruises on his arms and face every day, so regular stops to get treated and receive a tub of medicinal cream became necessary.

Therefore, he climbed several flights of stairs, dripping water all the way, until he reached his destination.

As he opened the door, he heard a loud crash in the stairwell below. Not wanting any part of whatever happened, he hurriedly shut the door and approached the apothecary, who was fast asleep at her desk.

“Umm.. Miss Tess, could I trouble you for a bit?”

Cedric only whispered, but the young bespectacled woman unstuck her face from the page of a book, and looked up with a lively expression.

“Ah, Cedric, what a surprise to see you here today!” The fair skinned twenty-something girl flashed her wonderful smile.

Even if it was usually a sarcastic smile, it was something that made him appreciate his daily beating, if only a little.

“Please don’t mock me, Miss Tess, it makes my wounds hurt worse.”

“Oh, come on, they’re battle scars to be proud of though! Not everybody gets to train with the esteemed eccentric Headmaster!”

“Yes, that seems to be the case. However, I’m starting to question his training strategy, and it’s making sense that I’m his first pupil since Master Feng.”

“Huh? His first?” Tess blinked at him, confused.

“I mean… that’s just what I’ve heard?”

“Hmmm, I guess a non-candidate with lesser expectations is easier to talk about,” She said quietly, looking off to the side.

“Huh?”

“Ah, nothing… anyway, I’ve got potion ready for you here. Let me go and get Selmy from the courtyard to make the cream!”

“Ahh, okay-”

Just as Tess went to open the door, it burst open.

“Tess, it’s an emergency! This idiot fell down the stairs and his nose is pouring blood!”

Mel stood in the doorway, Quentle draped lazily over his shoulder grasping his nose, as Tess stared in shock.

“Noctor, is it bad? I won’t die, will I?”

“Hahhh, no Quentle, you’ll be fine, as usual.”

“I know what you’re thinking, Tess, but this time the idiot didn’t fall on purpose. There were small puddles of water all over the stairwell. You’d have to be an idiot not to see it, but unfortunately for Quentle here...”

“Hoy Mul, if I didn’t slib you would hab..”

“Doubt it...but really, who would leave all that water across the stair well like that?”

-drip-

-drip-

Cedric, who had just gotten done comfortably resting his hands on the back of his head and propping his feet up, quickly looked away while whistling as the three shot their glances at him.

“The culprit is completely unaffected!” Tess and Mel shouted together, while Quentle crumbled.

“I just started sweating a lot since I got here. It’s real foggy out today, and the window’s open, so the humidity-”

“The sky’s always like that!”

“Ehh, well, Tess is gorgeous, so I was nervous?”

“H-mph, you’ll have to do better than that to flatter me, brat.”

“Ahh Cedrig, why are you trying to gill be? Is it battlefield bragtice? I didn’t know you were that zeriouz.”

“Why would I use slippery stairs to booby trap a real enemy? Ah-that actually looks pretty bad, sorry Quentle. I didn’t think anyone stupid enough to slip would be left in the building.”

“No real remorse seems to be felt from the culprit.”

“Indeed, maybe I shouldn’t treat either of them today…”

“I don’t eben care about the baghanded comments, so blease just treat be at leazt.”

“Mm, okay then, I needed to go see Selmy either way, so I suppose I’ll prepare medicine for both of you.”

With that, Tess left the room, leaving the boys alone.

Quentle slumped over a stack of books, holding his nose back, and quickly seemed to doze off.

“It doesn’t seem like you have any injuries Mel, so why are you waiting?”

“Me? Well, I just wanted to stick around to see if we’ll plan on going to the ruins tonight?”

“Ohh..I don’t see why not?”

“Ha, as anxious as ever, I see. Even with both of you this beat up? Are you sure you can handle me at full strength?

It’ll be boring for me to go easy on you, you know?”

“Gah shut up, you’re annoying. We’ll both be fine, and I’ll win just like I usually do.”

“Six out of ten matches, I’d say.”

“Yeah, matches where I’m by myself against you two. You two rarely win when you’re the lonely man, right?”

“Yeah, yeah…hmm, ‘lonely man’, huh…maybe we should start calling it ‘lonely heir’ from now on.”

Cedric ignored his taunt, not wanting to get into that topic.

“Say, Cedric…how do you think we determine who the Heir is?”

Cedric’s ears perked up at this.

“I've never gotten a straight answer from an adult on this. Is it simply determined by our combat ability and capacity to grow? You would be the obvious answer in that case, for now at least, but should it really be that simple?”

Mel paused, as if waiting for an answer, but Cedric silently waited for him to continue.

“Or is it up to the people, the ever-evolving Group Will? I hate to say it but, the ruffian probably takes it in that case. His fiery attitude and relation with the commoners outweighs both of us put together. Even without Quentle, your popularity with the elders and priests ever since you recovered from the war sickness is a big factor, along with the fact that Valblin is training you. And I’ve also heard from Selmy that you’re quite popular with some of the soldiers. You both beat me, who’s only backing is the noble class, which unfortunately holds little influence over the people these days.”

“Yeah…” Cedric replied with a brow raised.

“Or…Is it all in how strong our Will is? Then, is there someone to read that? The elders or priests? That would favor you, wouldn’t it? Unless they had the dignity to remain unbiased, maybe…that’s probably the only real chance I have, then.”

“Oh?”

“Mm. My Will as a Teuton is undoubtedly the strongest here. I don’t care about the past, the future, other states, or the dome itself, none of it matters. We have a duty to protect and cherish this land right now, and whatever needs to be done to keep that duty, I’m certain I will do.”

Cedric could only let out a breath of air as he frowned.

They both remained silent for a moment.

“Yeah, I’d say you’re pretty strong in that regard. I don’t really know about myself, but Quentle might not be far behind you, though.”

“You don’t know about yourself?”

“…Uhh, yeah, I mean, of course my desire is to become a respected Teuton and to be able to protect the people, but I feel like I can’t exactly make that desire into a solidified Will the way you can, at least not yet. And I certainly don’t have the resolve to say that I’ll do anything necessary to uphold the Group Will. I can’t explain it, but that somehow makes me feel really weighed down… and kind of scared for the people, and our future.”

“Hmph..what an enigma you are.” Mel turned away haughtily, looking no longer interested.

“Wha-"

The door burst open once more, cutting off their conversation. Finally, Tess returned with a much smaller girl, whose extravagant chestnut hair reached all the way to her hips. She wore a radiant smile on her face, one that beat even Tess’ charismatic smirk.

“Hello there, Cedric and Mel! And-oh, he’s asleep.” Selmy whispered the last part, slapping her hands to her cheeks.

The cute, slender girl was several years older than the boys and therefore out of school, but looked to be their age or slightly younger. Cedric knew her fairly well, as they would often run into each other in the courtyard while she was working.

“I missed the potatoes today, since Tess kept me up here,” Selmy whined with an overdone frown.

“Ahh, I’ll let you know the day before next time, so no worries!”

“Hmm? Potatoes? Selmy, should the daughter of the esteemed Cillavier household really be taking potatoes from a commoner?”

“Ah! But Meeeel, you know how good their vegetables are, riight?”

“And hey, you haven’t forgotten that the castle itself gets its vegetables directly from my house, have you?” Cedric quipped with a frown.

“That’s neither here nor there,” Mel scoffed with his signature brush off motion.

“The son hasn’t been officially made apprentice yet, now has he?”

“Ah-damn..”

“Hmmph, so then, is it really acceptable to be accepting something so potentially hazardous?”

Mel proceeded to flick Selmy’s forehead, with a smirk that showed he was clearly enjoying himself.

“Oouch…come ooon Meeelll, that’s not fair!”

“On the other hand, it is important for Selmy to experience different tastes and textures, as the court herbalist,” Tess casually put as she knelt next to the unconscious Quentle.

“Ah! That’s right! Nice save, Tess! Oh, and that’s especially the case with vegetables!”

Her radiant smile returned like it had never gone anywhere to begin with.

“Whatever. Anyway, you going to treat these idiots?”

“Oh! Yes, let’s start!”

Selmy noticed Tess had already started treating Quentle, and began frantically searching through her bag.

“Hahh, well then..” As Mel began opening the door, Selmy stopped what she was doing.

“Ah, Mel, wait! Are you…will you be home tonight in time for midnight tea?”

“Ppppttttttt!!!!”

Unable to control himself, Cedric spat out the potion he’d received from Tess.

As he continued laughing so hard he couldn’t verbally make fun of Mel, Selmy looked back and forth between the two, puckering her lips confusedly.

“Hahhh. I’ll meet you at your place. Don’t go out until I get there, okay?”

“Huh? But that late, my place is...”

“Do not leave without me, Selmy.”

Cedric’s brow raised as he watched him walk boldly out the door like some sort of official.

As he looked back at Selmy, her troubled look quickly flipped back into her usual radiance.

What was that all about?

After getting the necessary treatment, Quentle finally woke up.

“Ah? Ah! Lady Selmy! How does my fair lady do today?”

“Hehe, she does better than you, it seems!”

“Ohh not to worry, some ill-thought booby trap shall not put a damper on my day, for you are always there to brighten it! Like the loveliest sunflower!”

“Huhuu, oh stop it!”

“Yes, do.”

Cedric and Tess both whacked Quentle across the top of his head.

“Why is it you’re only like this when Mel isn’t around?” Cedric asked, annoyed.

“Well my friend, that’s because Lord Mel is quite protective of his lovely childhood friend.”

“Hehe, he sure is!”

“My condolences, Selmy.”

“You said it, Cedric..”

“Huh? But I’m thankful for him being that way! I couldn’t have grown up properly without him there!”

“Ohh? Might you say, then, that Lord Mel is something of a brother to you, Lady Selmy?”

“Quentle, your nose started bleeding again.”

“Oh! Thanks, Cedric! Ah-beg your pardon, ladies.”

“Hehehe, he is kind of like a brother, I guess! Buuut, I think I really see him more like my best friend, and maybe, my own personal knight!”

“Quentle, your brain and heart are bleeding now.”

“How did you know, Cedriiiiic?” Quentle whined, reeling.

“Huuuh? Quentle? Are you okay? Is your head dizzy?”

“Mm, his brain is undergoing some shock at the moment, so he might have some dizziness. Well, better to go rest it off at your own home!”

Tess began pushing Quentle and Cedric toward the door.

“Ah! My deepest thanks for the treatment, Lady Selmy and Lady Tess!”

“Geh, don’t address me that way.”

“The fairest of days to you both, oh wonderful ladies,” Cedric followed exaggeratedly.

“Ugh, get out if you’re going to say it sarcastically, Cedric.”

“Ohh noooo-"

-slam-

As Cedric and Quentle descended through the stairwell, Quentle quickly returned to his usual self.

“Hoo boy, Selmy was as cute as ever today, don’t ya think?”

“Yeah, normally so, I suppose.”

“Hmm, you just don’t get her appeal. You’re probably more into the type that demeans you, like Tess.”

“No..I mean, Tess is gorgeous, but I’m not really into any types. And isn’t she just mature, rather than demeaning?”

“Ah, you’re such a bore. And screw maturity, I’ll be this way all my life, and so will Selmy! So even when rich boy ends up marrying her, I’ll still be her fan!”

“Rich boy might have something to say about that, though.”

“Eh, we’ll just fight it out, then! Ooh! Speaking of, we fighting tonight?”

You make it sound like we’re fighting in the actual war…but yeah, it seems we’ll go as usual. I might be a little late though, I need a nap after today.”

“Oh come on, what are you a kid? We can’t fight properly without all three of us there!”

“Oy, didn’t you just wake up from a nap yourself?”

“Ah, that’s because of your silly booby trap though! You won’t be able to get one over on me like that on the real battlefield, ya wannabe assassin!”

As he said this, he began skipping down the stairs, turning his body to stick his tongue out at Cedric while posing a rather crude hand gesture.

“Uhh, hey..”

“Hu-Oh, Uwaaaaaa!”

He’d tried to point in warning, but Quentle still slipped in a lingering spot of water and tumbled violently the rest of the way down the stairs.

Smirking contentedly, Cedric helped him up, and ended up dragging him back to his slum in Market Town.

It was getting dark out, and the setting sun’s diluted colors peeked just inside the dome’s western wall. Most of the town’s vendors were shutting down for the day, and the remaining occupants of the cobblestone street consisted of citizens returning to their homes in the slums.

Passing through all the vendor stands and shops, they took a back alley till they arrived at a series of hole-in-the-wall brick shacks. These were the slums of Market Town. Though slums they were, Cedric thought they weren’t all that bad. The living was indeed cheap, which allowed its inhabitants financial and professional freedom. However, the conditions of living were not particularly of concern, as the people were all in some way involved in the market economy, which allowed them access to the minimum medicines the university had to offer.

Though, it remained a fact that this was the Teuton people’s lowest standard of living, and therefore its inhabitants were the most likely to fall to disease, even if it didn’t happen often.

As much was evident when the boys passed several shacks that carried a somber silence and fewer lit torches, one person tending to another seemingly unconscious bedridden citizen.

The sight delivered a morose expression to Cedric’s face, his troubling memories rising to the surface like hot nausea.

As the two got farther into the alley, the shacks grew livelier, and rough looking men from various shacks began shouting casual greetings at Quentle, occasionally including Cedric. However, as he did not know any of them, his responses were limited to shy bows or waves, a conditioned behavior.

Finally, they arrived at Quentle’s shack, a particularly colorful landing decorated with wall art and various hangings, including a circular knife throwing board and hooked shelves full of accessories ranging from sheaths and utility belts, to high grade chain mail vests and plating.

The shack’s owner, a large coarse looking thirty-something man, was in the middle of a sale when the two staggered into the shack. The other three inhabitants were too busy drinking ale and taking turns throwing knives at the hanging board to notice them enter.

“Ah, thank you as always Dagan, the service you do for us commoners here is so wonderful, I sincerely hope we can repay you someday.”

“Oh git on, us ruffians gotta stick t’gether! If anything, I overcharge villagers and nobles at the shop all day, so this is only right, gehahaha-ehhe!”

Despite letting a rough cough out in the middle of his laugh, Dagan took another deep puff from his long pipe.

“It’s more import’nt fer us to stay safe, aft’r all, there bein’ no guards out ‘ere at night!”

“Yes, you are most correct. These streets have been especially frequented by those bandits recently, so it’s scarier than ever. It’s the last thing we need at a time like this, with the Wolverines cutting off our trade routes and fishing activities more every day. Those despicable people have no shred of Teuton Will in them..though I suppose it’s this long war itself that is driving people to commit such acts.. ”

“Well those damned bandits be’er ‘ope they don’t come ‘cross my guys, ‘cause at’ll be the end of’m! So keep yer eye out an lemme know if ya see anyth’n funny!”

After shaking hands with Dagan, the man left, and the haggard shopkeeper turned to see Cedric standing next to Quentle, who had collapsed onto a table.

“Hoyy, Quentle’s home! An Cedr’c too?! What a treat, boys!”

“haha, hey there, Dagan. How is everyone?”

“We’re all hang’n tough, ain’t we boys?”

The three young men, all in their mid-twenties, gave Cedric casual greetings before returning their focus to their game.

“Hey Elem, Thom, Graham, who’s winning today?”

“Thom’s getting some lucky throws in so far, but I’m on my way to catching him.”

“Oy Graham, we all know those ten pointers weren’t lucky throws as much as my dagger totals today weren’t lucky sales.”

“hahaha he’s got us both there, Graham. So, what’s up with our boy Quentle today, Cedric?”The oldest of the group, Elem, swept his long, half-tied hair back to give Quentle a concerned look.

“Hmm, well, today was actually not entirely his fault. It was about half his, half mine, so I decided to pay my debt by bringing him back,” Cedric replied with a grimace.

“Hahh? Just where are you pulling those numbers from, Cedric? It was at least ninety percent your fault!”

“Oh, you were conscious?”

Quentle turned his head, still planked on top of the table, and frowned at Cedric’s smirk.

“Hoyoyy Quentle, getcher ass steady, boy!”

With one hand, Dagan lifted Quentle off the table by his collar, and tossed him onto a sofa while he whined in protest.

“Ahh, Master please, I’ve had a long-”

“What a ‘andful the brat is, eh Cedr’c?”

“Quite so, Dagan sir. Though, I really was partially-”

“Gehahahah! You boys’r just like these three when they grew up!”

“Huh? No way, Master, none of us were as dumb as Quentle.” The dirt-matted Graham disputed.

“Yeah...” The raggedy-haired Thom nodded in agreement.

“Not even close...” Elem followed, turning his attention back to the game.

“Alright, you guys suck, I’m going to my room. Cedric, I’ll get you back tonight! Don’t be late!” Quentle pointed at Cedric as he drudged through a rather worn, but colorful, tapestry, wearing some sort of half-grin, half-frown.

Cedric gave him a facetious nod in return, and turned to face Dagan once more.

“Hey, Dagan, has the crime around here really been that bad lately?”

“Mmm, it ‘as. I s’pose it’s been a while since you last been by, huh?”

“Yeah..so what’s this about bandits?”

“Ah, there’s other good fer nothin’s round ‘ere than just ‘em, but this’n bandit group been makin’ a name fer ‘emselves, lately.”

“The Blonde Bandits.”

“Blonde…Bandits..” Cedric repeated Elem’s words as he turned back toward him.

“Sounds cute, doesn’t it? Especially strange considering the nobility are primarily blonde headed. But these thugs have been kidnapping people for ransom for over a month now. From what I’ve heard, they investigate their targets so thoroughly they know their schedule to the tee, picking them up whenever and wherever is most convenient for them to disappear with the victim. Then a day or two later, the victim’s family gets a letter threatening them for ransom, always signed ‘The Blonde Bandits’. They choose a safe place for exchange, execute, rinse and repeat.”

“…wow. I never would have imagined something like that...”

“The worst part is that other criminal groups have begun popping up, copying the Blonde Bandits and using their name. Problem is, they’re sloppy with their jobs, and people have died because of it. The castle is very aware of the problem, but they’ve tried hard to keep it hushed up, since public opinion on the government would go south if everyone knew the amount of intra-city guards are dwindling due to the Wolverines’ constant night assaults that are forcing us to spread sentry forces across the entire border wall. The tensions caused by this is limiting our commerce and causing these criminals to rise up the way they are.”

“...What the hell? So, we’re being stretched all over the island with the night assaults, and stretched from within trying to protect citizens from our own people? What the hell is that...Ralin and Galgi said it was bad, but I didn’t realize the night attacks were causing so much trouble...”

“Indeed. From what we’ve heard from a client connected to the army, each and every night assault is flawlessly executed, with top tier siege equipment to boot. We’re having to send troops running from battlefield to battlefield, in large numbers. It seems like the Wolverines finally decided to stop dragging this thing out and brought out their big guns.”

“Their big guns, huh..”

“Mm. It seems likely their commander in chief himself is involved, as well as his top generals. These attacks seem to be very calculated, so it makes sense.”

“I see…I wonder if we have the power to withstand their best…”

“Geha! Don’t seem ‘at way right now,” Dagan lamented, shaking his head. “‘xactly why this state needs one thing and one thing only- fer one o’ you two brats to go grab ‘at red sword and b’come the Heir! Or ‘ell, if I’d my pick it’d be both o’ ya! Jus’ not ‘at spoilt rich brat!”

“The red sword?”

“Oh, Gambell ain’t tol’ ya ‘at part yet, ‘uh? Long story short, either one o’ ya might be able to pull the red sword an’ use it as the Heir, some’n bout it bein’ a Takanova relic ‘at we can use since it’s been ‘ere on our side so long.”

“...ohh. Ralin mentioned that too, but I didn't really take it seriously. So that’s why Quentle was so excited about the forest earlier. I just assumed since Gambell said it was sealed that that was it. And after that story, I never would have thought of a Teuton using that sword anyway...” Cedric muttered, looking down.

“Eh? Yeah...-Gehem! - nothin’ on you, Cedric, but I think ‘at’s some’n ‘at makes our Quentle more suited, be’n ‘onest.”

Cedric’s eyes burst wide with shock, though his gaze remained downward.

“But, like I said, it could be either o’ ya brats… might jus’ come down to who gets to it first, gehahahaha!”

Cedric stayed fixed and silent for a moment, before finally composing himself and looking up with a grimace.

“Hah, well, lucky for me I know a few ways to slow Quentle down!”

After their conversation ended, Cedric decided to take advantage of being here before heading out, and bought several things: A utility belt with several sheaths strapped to it, one of Thom’s finely made daggers, and a very thin chainmail vest. Buying combat accessories had become a hobby of his, so when going through Market Town at night while equipped, he’d always dawdle around in the hopes that some trouble would come his way, for the sake of testing his skills.

Upon leaving the sketchier part of town, Cedric decided to take it easy and do some last-minute shopping, finally catching a street vendor in the middle of packing up.

Satisfied with his haul of meats and fruits, he made his way back to the village. It was getting dark out, but he wasn’t concerned with being in a part of town he considered to be potentially dangerous, so he carelessly maneuvered the winding Market Town roads.

Passing by a dark alleyway that would generally not catch his attention, he noticed three figures standing within the old beaten brick.

One of them, with the build of a tall boy around his age, leaned against the wall, a grey hood covering the top half of his clean-shaven face. He could just see light colored curls seeping out from the hood, matching the brown and gray robes draped loosely around him, winding diagonally down to his feet.

The man’s appearance made him come across lax, but his mien was intimidating enough to make Cedric stop walking momentarily, as if he’d actually been standing in his way rather than to his side. It almost felt as if he’d walked into some thick fog that kept him from moving further.

“Huuuh, what’s this? A little deer fallen into the lion’s den? How fun~”

Speechless, Cedric redirected his glance toward the other two silhouettes, two much smaller hooded figures leaning against the opposite wall, too deep into the shadows to even make out much of an appearance, though they were clearly slender enough to be female. The two stood menacingly still, not even bothering to uncross their arms.

“Umm, hello? Buddy? What’s a good natured little student like you doing out this late?”

Sensing that any further hesitation he showed would bring him danger, Cedric put on a loose, smug face.

“It’s only just gotten dark recently, if anything I’d say it’s far too early to be so obviously evil seeming in an alleyway...”

“Aaha-ha! How interesting, huh girls? You see, deer boy, it’s exactly that frame of mind that brings us to scout out the carefree Market Town night-goers who would never expect to be eaten up~”

“Geh…deer boy... really...”

“And look how beat up you are! Aren’t you aware, these days there are vultures eyeing this area for little wounded animals, waiting hastily for a nice meal?”

“That so? Well, it’s a good thing my little school teaches me how to hunt weak things like a bird that waits till its prey is injured.”

“Aaaha-ha-ha! You’re a seriously interesting little rabbit, aren’t you?”

“How did I suddenly change species so drastically?”

“Mm interesting indeed, I think we might be able to get along. What’ya think girls? Think we can add one more to the gang?”

“Uh, if it’s okay for me to have a say here, then you should know, I’m gonna pass for now.”

“Ahhh? Really? I thought for sure you’d fit right in with us..maybe another time?”

“Yeah, not likely.”

“Hmmm, I’ll take that as a solid maybe. Looking forward to it, partner~”

Frustrated, Cedric finally walked away without replying. He began walking briskly, gripping his new knife while staying wary of any sudden movement behind him.

After some time, nothing came, so he let his tensed arms relax.

Could that have been…

Coming to a fork in the road, Cedric wearily thought about which route to take before remembering the left-hand route was a quicker way home, though it required turning down a steep alley before coming back out to the shopping center buildings.

Not thinking anything of it, Cedric started down the curved path, when it happened.

Just as he turned the corner, he saw it.

Something was in front of him, just meters away.

It wasn’t a person, nor was it standing on solid ground.

The figure, appearing as a gray and black shadow, swiveled around like a flickering flame, blending meticulously with the darkness. What floated before him was certainly not human, even if it had the general appearance of one. Its large frame, its distorted arms and legs, its neck and shoulder line, its flowing hair-

When Cedric noticed its wavy hair, flowing gently out from a blurred, shadowy face, he understood he had seen this thing before.

That…. specter…from then….

He did not hesitate for more than a second.

In that split second, something told him he could not hesitate, nor could he be near this thing for another second if he wanted to live.

His legs sprang into action almost like gears, and he took off running in the opposite direction. Not daring to look back, he sprinted down the right-hand path, accelerating with every step.

He thought the villainous man in the alleyway would laugh if he saw him, thinking he was running away from him, but that didn’t matter. As prideful as he might be, whatever that specter was shook him to his core, and his body and mind instinctively knew to flee.

He sprinted on, until he had passed through Castle Town, finally entering the village before he slowed down to catch his breath.

He realized he had, in his shaking hands, held onto everything he’d just bought.

What in the world..is that thing?

What in the world..is happening on this island?

He returned home, where he was forced to put those thoughts aside while he helped his father prepare dinner in silence.

Then, after eating (also in silence), he attempted to take a nap. However, with what he’d just witnessed, there was no way he could fall asleep. Despite that, he eventually found himself quite relaxed due to exhaustion.

“You should fix that sleeping schedule of yours. It’s a bother for those living with you to tiptoe around your abnormal routine.”

His father said this as he walked by his open door.

Cedric’s eyes widened once he comprehended what he’d said, realizing he hadn’t thought about that. He would often take naps after evening sessions before going out for several hours of the night. However, he would always return in time to get a few hours of real sleep in, before routinely waking up before dawn.

Even though I’ve been diligent in waking up for years…sleeping a bit early creates a burden?

So…I guess I either stop going out…or I stay awake until I go out…then I get hardly any sleep, but that’s better than being a bu-

-Wait…tip toe around me? Why would he even do that for me? What does that even mean?

Thinking about this kept him occupied until it was time to head out for the ruins.

Naturally, he’d decided to keep this routine, and sacrifice sleep going forward.

He crept quietly out the door and through the village, and proceeded to sneak through Castle Town, strategically avoiding the patterned patrol of the sparsely stationed guards.

He could avoid this trouble by taking the streets of Market Town around the outside of Castle Town and into the outskirts leading to the ruins, but doing this had become part of the nightly game for him, continuously improving on his elusiveness. On top of that, he had a certain other reason for not wanting to go back into Market Town.

Well…I’m sure Quentle will be fine though...

Silently praying for his clumsy friend, he continued sneaking by the buildings of Castle Town.

_______

In the middle of a forest, a small lake reflected the distorted moonlight into a thin mist. On the tiny slab of land laying at the center of the lake, a lanky boy with blond hair struggled with all his might, attempting to pull a sword up from where it lodged deep into the earth. The boy’s hands were as red as the blade of the sword that shined a bright scarlet in the moonlight, as he threw every bit of his strength into his attempt to thrust the hilt of the sword skyward.

Finally, he gave up, and fell back into the small patch of grass the slab of land had to offer, breathing deep, frustrated breaths with a face wrought in anguish.

“DammIIITT…”

*pant*

*pant*

“Cedric….”

*pant*

“Quentle….”

*pant*

“…I must beat…both of you…soon…”

“…for all our sakes….

“….if not…I’ll have…no other choice...”

___________

In the silent, shadowed backstreets of Market Town, a dark-haired boy scurried past a certain alleyway, whistling as he went without a care. From within the alleyway, a hooded figure stood up, and stepped out into the road, turning toward the passerby.

A thin mist emerged from the figure like steam, surrounding him. As he looked up, showing his youthful face full of freckles, sharp green eyes, and dirty blonde locks, a cunning smile slowly formed.

“And, found the second~”

___________

Several miles out to sea, a fleet of warships rowed swiftly toward Takanova Island. Its flagship, a large warship adorned with red and gold flags and exquisite golden archways, traveled at its center. Within the inner compartments of the ship, two men engaged in hand to hand sparring in a dark room. Their hands opened flat, they struck each other’s forearms at varying angles, trying to open the other’s defenses and land a body strike.

At first, the two seemed to be even in their skill, their build even close to the same. However, not long into the match did one man gain the upper hand, luring his opponent into overextending, and proceeding to twist his body, grabbing the man’s wrist and slinging him over his torso and into the fine wood floor.

Having half-jumped to allow for the throw, the man untwisted his body and landed with perfect balance.

“Pursia, it seems your sense of balance remains your weak point, even now.”

The man, shrouded in darkness, bore a voice as stern and daunting as his stature.

“Yes, General…”

“After all these years, even though it’s what cost you defeat at the hands of a sapling Teutonic Knight.”

“This is so… General.”

The man sat up, gripping his shoulder. What little bit of torchlight there was in the room flickered over his face, revealing a ghastly scar across his jawbone, just above a bitter grimace.

“You should know…night battles are won and lost by the general’s sense of balance. His ability to perceive the flow of battle when his sight is at its most vulnerable, and knack for adjusting to the enemy’s tactics with a calculated defense and his own plan to take advantage of the enemy’s vulnerabilities, are what make a general dangerous at night.”

The man had turned his back to his downed opponent, basking himself even further in shadow.

“Yes, sir. I understand, and you will see this applied to this very battle. This will be the night, the first time since six years ago…”

“Yes, I have faith you’ll see to it, while I play the decoy. We only need the siege to be successful enough to get one Wolf in, but if you have the chance to do further damage, take it. Either way, our contact will be ready to receive the Wolf, and then…

“…the Red Sword will finally be in our hands.”

“Indeed it will, General Shuant.”

_________

On the northwestern shores of Takanova Island, a garrison unit of five hundred men rested carelessly after setting up their siege defense equipment.

“Ah, all that hard work and we don’t even know if we’ll get hit tonight!”

“Well, we’ve had our number called every night in the last week, so I wouldn’t be all that surprised to see it happen again.”

“Guess that’s true! But it doesn’t matter, because the brick wall squad is here!”

“UuwoooHHH!!!”

“Oy you dunderheads, keep it down will ya? I’m trying to listen to the sea’s voice!”

“Ahh, sorry Commander, just trying to stay energized, ehe.”

The tall, scraggly man walked by their small campfire, ignoring Ralin.

As he looked out to sea, his eyes slowly grew wide.

“Ah? Commander? Something wrong?”

“You can’t hear it?”

“Hear what?”

“Something…. big…is headed this way.”