It still didn’t seem real.

Avalyne Academy, or what was left of it, was in dire straits. Many students had already returned to their homes mere hours after the attack, and the few who stayed had little else to do but drown themselves in worry and fear.

Surprisingly, there hadn’t been many casualties despite the magnitude of the incident, but that was only thanks to the quick thinking of the senior knights who were inside the main building at the time of its collapse.

Nonetheless, there still remained a long list of missing students who were yet to be found. Among that list was Isabella Rosenhall, Bastiche Revelo, Ritya Einharn, and Kaitlyn Ophius. To make matters worse, Galahad had escaped during the pandemonium and his guards were found dead.

Leticia had been absolutely devastated upon hearing of her childhood friend Kaitlyn’s disappearance, but when she heard that the witch’s true identity was actually Amelia, she was rendered speechless.

Like many other knights, Leticia had admired Amelia as the top-ranked knight in the academy, and now that her childhood friend was gone and the expectations of her idol shattered, she withdrew into her shell and spoke to no one other than Rosaline.

But it didn’t end there. On the same day of the witch’s catastrophic appearance, Kaslavna had launched a brutal offensive unlike any other before, and their attack had only been halted thanks to the knights that had been stationed there in advance. Everything had happened so quickly that the empire barely had any time to respond, and even now, the fighting was ferocious on the front lines.

Viviane’s father was recalled to the front lines immediately without so much as a chance to bid his daughter farewell, and both Sakura and Riku had departed immediately to inform Higashi of the witch and the prophecy’s possible progression.

Even in the midst of all this chaos, there was still another massive crisis yet to be resolved. Namely, the princess’ kidnapping. Amelia had retreated quickly after being unmasked, flying south to the Avimorne duchy with the princess in tow, but other than that, no one had a clue as to where the princess might be kept.

“It still doesn’t feel real...” Viviane repeated for what was the fifth time that night.

“Yeah...” Medrauta agreed absentmindedly.

The two had spent the past several hours helping the senior knights organize the students, recover belongings, and clear as much debris as possible. It was only well after the sun set and the moon had risen that the aftermath of the incident had finally been dealt with, and even then only partially.

While the two weren’t exactly obligated to help, they’d requested to do so on reflex, instinctively seeking any task to keep their minds busy and away from the countless questions that wracked their heads. Any distraction had been helpful at the time, especially for Medrauta.

Though Viviane only had her parents’ safety to worry about in regards to the rapid developments that were occurring all across the empire, she could tell that it was a different matter for Medrauta.

Although it didn’t look like they had a great relationship on the surface, Medrauta had considered Amelia a friend, and the black-haired knight’s betrayal had left a nasty wound in the knight’s heart.

Perhaps Medrauta would’ve had an easier time coping with the whole situation had Amelia’s sudden treachery only affected herself, but seeing Leticia and countless other knights that she had befriended experience a torrent of serious grief—or even having gone into self-isolation in Leticia’s case—had genuinely upset the silver-haired knight.

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The only person close to Medrauta who hadn’t been affected was Brigitte. The red-haired knight had tossed her hair almost contemptuously after hearing the news. “I always knew that stuck-up bitch was up to no good,” she’d said.

Brigitte’s flippant attitude in response to the gloomy atmosphere had managed to make Medrauta laugh, but it hadn’t been enough to dispel the curse of listlessness that had settled on the knight’s shoulders. After all, it wasn’t just Amelia’s betrayal that had shaken Medrauta to the core. There was still the matter of Trista’s death.

Snap out of it, Viviane! The noblewoman slapped her own cheeks. It’s times like these that you gotta be someone she can lean on!

Of course, Viviane had tried her best to lift up Medrauta’s mood over the past few hours as they helped out around the ruined academy, but she wasn’t exactly free from worries herself. Despite that, Medrauta had been there to protect her every time she landed herself into trouble, so this time, Viviane wanted to be the one who supported her beloved.

I did say that I wished to be the one who guarded her heart... Viviane thought as she approached her knight. The two had just finished helping the senior knights clear out several enormous chunks of stone originating from one of the main building’s support pillars, allowing the staff to finally access the records room that had previously been blocked.

She laid her hand on Medrauta’s, holding it tenderly. She didn’t say a word as she sat next to Medrauta, the two leaning against one another for a while.

Medrauta squeezed Viviane’s hand silently, her eyes staring into the distance. “...They’re going to hold a funeral for Trista tomorrow.”

Viviane nodded.

“Her family’s coming. I heard they’ll be here by midnight,” Medrauta paused, her voice trailing off as she retreated into her thoughts. “...You helped sort out the nobles, yeah?”

“Mhm.”

“...How’s Lord Edward holding up? He was Trista’s lord, wasn’t he?”

“Yes... He went back to his dorm and hasn’t left since then.”

“...I see.”

A silence fell over the two again as they took solace in each other’s presence. Viviane kept her hand on Medrauta’s, but it was only after several minutes that she realized her knight’s hand was shaking ever so slightly.

Is she... afraid...? The mere thought of Medrauta being afraid was so bizarre to Viviane that she hadn’t even considered it possible. From Viviane’s perspective, the knight had brazenly leapt in front of her even in the face of certain death, and she hadn’t even hesitated to engage a witch in direct combat.

The idea of Medrauta—a knight who didn’t even flinch when confronted with the terrifying magic that a witch wielded—fearing something would normally shake someone to the core. After all, there would be little hope for anyone else if even someone so courageous as her succumbed to fear.

But Viviane was not shaken. Rather, she felt her conviction rise. Far from enjoying the sight of her trembling knight, Viviane knew that Medrauta’s fear meant that she couldn’t allow herself to yield to that dismal feeling of unease. For her beloved Medrauta’s sake, Viviane had to be strong.

“Medrauta...?” Viviane asked tentatively. “Is there something wrong?”

The knight’s blue eyes flickered away from Viviane temporarily, their usually clear color now clouded with a mixture of emotions. “...Vivi. Will there come a day that I lose you too?”

Viviane blinked. Medrauta had always put on a strong front, but now the knight’s misted eyes gazed into her own. She couldn’t remember seeing Medrauta anywhere close to crying, not even when they had been separated. In fact, the Medrauta before her seemed so fragile and delicate that a mere gust of wind might shatter her.

Instinctively, Viviane reached up and cradled Medrauta’s cheeks, gently lowering her knight’s head against her bosom.

“Of course not. Don’t you remember, Medrauta? No matter where I am, I’ll always be in your heart, and you in mine.”

“...Yeah. That’s right.”

Viviane’s golden hair fluttered in the moonlit wind, resplendent and majestic like the aurum leaves of the osmanthus tree where they had met. Her back was erect and poised as she held Medrauta close, the knight’s face buried in her chest.

Once, there had been only a single place where Medrauta could let her tears fall freely.

But now there were two.