Seeing the smile on her face, the Special Division member scowled, clearly not appreciating the response. The woman undoubtedly wanted to say something but managed to hold her tongue.
Sighing, Valessandria turned towards William, "Dismiss everyone and have them rest for the day. They still have classes tomorrow, so suspend training for a few days so they can catch up with their assignments. I also want you to supervise the delivery of the young lord's money to the Academy."
While William gave the orders, she motioned for her horse to move forward around the Special Division members. She watched as the groups began turning around to follow after her as though half expecting her to try and escape, causing her to scoff at the thought. Though she knew they were just doing their job and clearly didn't appreciate her disobeying the President's orders, seeing their fanatical attitude toward her was tiresome. But at the same time, she did understand. They were essential to Illumin's security as part of the Academy Guards and took their duties seriously.
Valessandria breathed deeply and slowly let it out. Even if she wasn't looking forward to the scolding she'd receive from the Student Council, she had to admit that, ultimately, it was better than traversing a hostile environment. As she passed by the tents and children excited to take part in the examinations, she couldn't help but smile. It always made her proud to be part of the Academy. She wanted to help create an environment that would allow children all over the nearby area to receive an education that would enable them to improve their lives in addition to the societal benefits they could provide. Despite the flaws of the Student Council, she knew that it was far better than what was out in the world. Illumin was one of the few places where humans and non-humans were able to peacefully coexist, her mind thinking of the other nations that primarily focused on their own people.
The closer she approached the walls of Illumin, the more she couldn't help but admire them. They were so tall that when a person was close to them, it would seem as though the walls stretched out to the sky and were as impregnable as mountains. Illumin was a city that had survived numerous Overflows and helped to provide a sense of security for its inhabitants.
"I get emotional every time I see the walls from the outside. They are majestic."
Valessandria turned to the voice, "It does give a sense that everything will be fine as long as Illumin stands." She reached for the strap of her helmet and removed the oven from her head, enjoying the cool morning breeze, which was refreshing and didn't feel cold despite the sweat in her hair. Taking a moment to attach her helmet to her side, she turned her head to look at the woman.
"The Council was not happy that you took such a risk," The Special Division woman said.
Valessandria merely looked at her.
"Apologies, Lady Knight. I am Samantha, a member of the Special Division." Samantha bowed her head.
"I imagine someone from your position has a certain disdain for how I behave and act out my duties?" Valessandria chuckled at seeing how the woman was behaving compared to before.
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"I apologize for the disrespect I have shown to you. Despite my personal feelings on the matter, I still should show deference to someone of your status as part of the Student Council." Samantha took in a deep breath, clearly not happy to say such things.
Raising a hand to Samantha, Valessandria shook her head. "It is understandable that you would feel that way, considering how you are part of the Special Division. Though you may serve the Council, you would be receiving orders primarily from the President. And how I behaved would not be something anyone in the Special Division would enjoy seeing, even if it was another Council member."
Samantha lightly smiled, "Thank you for your understanding, My Lady."
Seeing that Samantha was still interested in receiving an answer to her behavior, "Though I was reckless in how I moved to protect Leaf Village against the Lunar Empire, I had no desire in a direct confrontation."
"Then why?"
"Based on reports I received and the current situation, I knew that the Kingdom would not send aid despite knowing that their own people were in trouble. I could not bear to stand by and not try to do something when they were relatively close to us." Valessandria sighed, feeling like she was back in front of Nathanial and arguing about sending aid to the village. Before Samantha could dispute, she added, "It ended up being a good thing that I did go to Leaf Village."
Raising an eyebrow, Samantha waited.
"Though the actions committed by the Empire are beyond excusable, I was also able to witness things that I still struggle to grasp." She moved a slightly trembling hand to brush back her sweat-soaked hair. Glancing at Samantha, "The only reason I mention this to you is that you are a member of the Special Division, so I know your loyalty to the Academy is without question."
Samantha furrowed her brow.
Images of what she had witnessed beyond the pyramid flashed through her mind, escaping her attempts to keep them locked away deep in her subconscious. "The forces the Empire had sent faced something unspeakable that night. This is on top of an unusual structure that appeared, something that had never existed before." Staring directly into the woman's eyes and keeping her voice low, "I suspect something even more dangerous and sinister than the Empire has appeared, and every power, including us, needs to be cautious about not attracting its attention."
The previous contempt directed to her on Samantha's face dissolved. Samantha looked away from her and stared ahead of them, stunned by the raw emotion displayed but unsure of what to say.
Valessandria knew that it would be difficult for anyone to believe her, considering they hadn't been there to see what she had seen. What made her worry was how that night coincided with her encounter with the young lord. There seemed to be too many things coincidentally aligning together, the Empire's sudden increase in aggression toward all their neighbors, the Overflow approaching them soon, and the arrival of the person she met with that night.
Reaching the gate into Illumin, her eyes looked at the long line of wagons waiting to be inspected before being allowed entry. Compared to usual, there was an entire platoon of guards from the City Wall Company dealing with those entering through the gate. On top of checking each wagon and group entering, a few seemed to keep an eye on the camp outside the wall. Though they were letting the Peacekeeper Company handle security outside the wall, it showed how much they tried to pay attention to matters related to the City's defense.
Instead of going to the back of the line and waiting her turn to enter, she navigated her horse toward the gate. Though Valessandria didn't enjoy how she was able to cut past all the people patiently waiting to enter the City, she did acknowledge that the information she had needed to be delivered to the Council due to its urgent nature.