Oran Knight is out (2/3 chapters for today)
Rita and Slar
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(This chapter is connected to Chapter 170)
Slar was not quite among the five great noble families, but she was a daughter of a house with a high status that was easy to count among the top in the eastern region of Rozan. The reason she enrolled in the Oran Knight Military Academy was for one thing only, to find a husband. However, this was not something Slar desired. It was based on the strong wishes of her parents, meaning her family. During Slar’s school years, there were often large-scale battles occurring in northern Rozan, and the situation was precarious.
In such circumstances, knights who graduated from the Oran Knight Military Academy with excellent results were obviously seen as promising young men, so many nobles thought to secure a connection while they were still enrolled. However, since it was a military academy, there were no exemptions from training just because they were children of nobility. Because of this, many female candidates for Knight (Ritter) specialty would drop out shortly after enrollment, leading to the establishment of minimum entrance examinations for aspiring knights.
Slar, following her parents’ intentions, successfully passed the examination and enrolled in the academy. However, shortly after her enrollment, her parents’ plans went awry.
Once enrolled at the Oran Knight Military Academy, Slar quickly established a newspaper club by herself and energetically moved around the academy. Furthermore, she began to show her talents as a Knight (Ritter) and did not take long to be regarded as the best in her grade.
Slar, who stood out prominently, was admired from afar by her female peers as an object of admiration, while her male peers either viewed her as unattainable or saw her as a rival. She was not disliked, but for better or worse, she tended to maintain a distance from others.
The fact that Slar managed the newspaper club alone also influenced this dynamic. While many students were willing to assist as interview partners, none expressed a desire to join in.
As for the underclassmen, there were certainly some interested, but they felt a mix of admiration and an inability to approach Slar, who was quietly making the newspaper by herself, leading them to refrain from stepping forward.
Thus, Slar graduated from the academy with outstanding achievements as a Knight (Ritter), ultimately failing to capture a good partner as her parents had hoped, and instead, to their surprise, she threw herself into the battlefield, achieving numerous accomplishments, which led to her being summoned to the royal capital.
In the royal capital, Slar became part of the command of the royal guards, but she was not under the umbrella of military nobility, and being young, she was often regarded with suspicion. As a result, she frequently found herself tasked with menial chores and security for dull events.
Consequently, being similarly resented by military nobles, Slar frequently ended up being dispatched to inconspicuous events, where she became acquainted with Follet, the younger brother of a noble lady who, despite his high status, was also often assigned to such tasks.
Now, regarding the meeting between Slar and Rita, it did not occur within the Oran Knight Military Academy.
Rita was two years younger than Slar but was four grades above her. It seemed she was thrown into this school at a young age. By the time Slar enrolled, Rita had already graduated, and they had no direct contact within the academy. Most importantly, Slar had often heard tales of the legendary scout, Zalard Rita, in various contexts.
Slar and Rita would meet when Slar was deployed to the northern front.
At first, Slar did not realize. However, it felt strange to say “Nice to meet you”. The realization of that strangeness, or rather the recollection, came during the third battle when she fought alongside Rita. Slar and Rita had, in fact, met once a long time ago.
—
In a room that was too large for a single child, Slar was sleeping soundly on a bed that could accommodate three adults. Normally, she would never wake up at such a late hour. However, for some reason that day, she was lightly sleeping and slowly woke up, feeling as if she had heard a noise.
Rubbing her eyes and sitting up, Slar shifted her gaze towards the direction of the sound. But it was pitch dark, and she could see nothing. Although she shouldn’t be able to see, she felt a peculiar curiosity. So Slar stared intently in that direction.
Then, she noticed a shadowy figure moving slightly. Startled, but seeing that the size of the shadow was not much different from her own, Slar decided to call out bravely.
“Is anyone there?” (Slar)
At that, the shadow clearly flinched and then approached her as if giving up after a moment. Looking back, Slar was unsure why she hadn’t screamed at that moment. Even now, she couldn’t quite understand, but she clearly remembered that it wasn’t scary.
“I’ve been found for the first time. Not bad.” (Rita)
As she said this, the shadow illuminated by the moonlight streaming through the window turned out to be a girl roughly the same age as Slar.
Slar had many questions, such as why a girl was here, where she had come from, and what she was doing, but the girl’s bold demeanor made her smile a little; it was as if she were in her own room, exuding a kind of audacity.
“Why don’t you sit here for a bit? If you tell me a story, I won’t call anyone.” (Slar)
When Slar said this, the girl thought for a moment and then sat down next to Slar.
“What’s your name?” (Slar)
“That’s a secret.” (Rita)
“What were you doing?” (Slar)
“I came to take something valuable.” (Rita)
“Are you a thief?” (Slar)
“One could say that.” (Rita)
“Did you come alone?” (Slar)
“Of course.” (Rita)
“What are you going to do with the valuables?” (Slar)
“I’m going to eat something delicious. Then, I’ll sleep at an inn.” (Rita)
“Don’t you have a home?” (Slar)
“I don’t.” (Rita)
“What about your father and mother?” (Slar)
“They’re not around.” (Rita)
“Where did you come from?” (Slar)
“From that window over there.” (Rita)
What Slar wanted to ask was not about the method of entry but about her origin, but the girl said, “I have to go soon”, and leaped off the bed, starting to walk toward the window.
Slar thought about calling out to her and, recognizing how strange her own words sounded.
“Will we meet again?” (Slar)
The girl turned back slightly, smiled for the first time.
“Who knows?” (Rita)
With that, she disappeared out of the window.
—
Afterward, Rita, who had been living freely while casually rummaging through noble houses, would sneak into a certain northern fortress, get caught by a general named Isaiah, and ultimately, due to Isaiah’s recognition of her talent, she would be forcefully taken under his protection and thrown into the Oran Knight Military Academy, but that was another story.
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