Walking My Second Path in Life, Volume 2, page 18
(S-Soft...! Also, she smells good...!)
Beleaguered from his match, Queen was desperately trying not to fall over, swaying this way and that for various reasons. Fie, however, did not notice this and continued ruffling Queen’s hair.
It did not take long for the other squires of the northern dormitory to rush down from the stands, surrounding the pair.
“Queen! You were awesome!”
“You did so well maaaan! Queeeeen!!!”
“You’re the hero of the day, Queen!”
One by one, Queen’s fellow squires piled onto him, their weight adding onto his burden.
Queen, unable to bear the weight any longer, promptly fell over with the other squires piling up over him. It was worth noting, however, that Fie had made a hasty retreat, narrowly escaping from the dogpile of squires on the arena grounds.
The squires, emotionally worn out from witnessing the match, hugged him, shook his hand, and slapped him on the back — but throughout all this, Queen looked very much content and happy.
Watching from the sidelines, Persil adjusted his glasses as he always did.
“I see. The strength of the bond between you and your comrades... Indeed, I did not calculate or plan for that.”
As he spoke, the formerly emotionless Persil allowed the corner of his lips to curl up, smiling quietly as he left the arena.
Back at the eastern dormitory’s spectator stands, however, Carnegis could only gape, staring at the match results in disbelief.
“No...! This is impossible... How can it come to this...!”
Due to the fact that a previous match had ended in a draw, Queen’s victory translated into the northern dormitory’s win.
In the end, the eastern dormitory had lost... even with the elite members at its disposal. Even with the harsh, specifically-tailored training regimen that was designed to perfectly defeat the northern dormitory’s contestants.
Carnegis could only look on in a daze, his eyes moving from the overjoyed squires of the northern dormitory to the silhouette of the returning Persil.
“I was going to win here... Win thrice in a row and win back my youth...! Ugh...!”
“Did you really think such selfish thoughts and actions would make your dream come true? There was never any way that could have worked. Actually, even if it did work out, there would be much left to be desired.”
The voice that Carnegis heard as he was holding his head in despair seemed to be one of an older woman — but one that was oddly familiar.
Turning around in surprise, Carnegis could only stare at the sight of Trokko and the woman standing before him. Upon recognizing her, however, Carnegis exclaimed loudly once more, unable to contain his bewilderment.
“E-Elizabetta!!”
The woman in question seemed to be in her late thirties, with a head full of long, flaxen hair. Although Elizabetta’s age did show on her features, she was still very much a beautiful woman, and was no doubt dazzling in her younger days. She was dressed in all-white clothing — a rare style for a woman.
Standing absolutely still, she stared at Carnegis, her cold gaze carrying a slight tinge of anger.
“Wh-What are you doing here? Why are you here?!”
“I divorced my husband last year and returned to Orstoll about half a year ago. I now work for His Majesty the King as a member of Orstoll’s medical institution, having received a personal invitation.”
Carnegis, upon witnessing Elizabetta’s casually delivered statement, immediately turned to Trokko.
“Trokko! Y-You knew?! Why didn’t you say anything to me?!”
“Oh, but I did. I tried to, quite a few times. But then, this year, all you could tell me was, ‘I will not speak to any members of the northern dormitory until the duel is over!’ Don’t you remember?”
Carnegis could only stand still, rooted to the spot. He had, in fact, said those words. Those very exact words.
Abruptly turning to Carnegis, Elizabetta spoke, her voice loud and clear.
“After I had returned, you said nothing to me — not even bothering to contact me. If anything, I thought you had long forgotten about me. And yet, here I am, discovering that you still hold such a grudge about what happened decades ago, and now you are involving children in your schemes...”
“N-No! It’s not like that, Elizabetta!”
“What do you mean by ‘no’? That’s exactly what it is!”
“It... It’s true...”
Elizabetta wasn’t wrong. In fact, it was exactly as she described.
Carnegis’ face began turning a slow shade of pale as Elizabetta’s exasperated stare drilled into him, beads of sweat beginning to flow down his back. Slowly, Carnegis’ shoulders slumped.
Trokko, who had been silent all this time, continued his explanation, his voice carrying a slight hint of pity.
“The trouble began when you split up with Elizabetta, didn’t it? It was since then that you started undertaking actions that were plainly driven by hatred towards the northern dormitory. I thought you would eventually recover, but year after year, you just seemed to get worse. Although those around you, and even myself, advised you of the error of your ways, you found some way to justify your actions. I’m sorry, but Elizabetta wasn’t the only one I reported this to. The knight-captains have been informed as well.”
“I-Is that so...”
Although Carnegis had become even paler from the revelations, he slowly nodded.
As if to deal the finishing blow, Elizabetta spoke once more.
“Sir Carnegis. It seems like you have become quite the pathetic knight, after all this time. What happened this time was truly disappointing. It seems like I have misjudged you. I hope you find it in yourself to apologize to all those that you have inconvenienced. As for me, I do not even wish to see your face — I will be taking my leave.”
With that, Elizabetta turned, motioning to leave.
Carnegis, panicking, tried to stop her.
“W-Wait! Elizabetta!”
As if forgetting something, Elizabetta turned, facing Carnegis once more.
“Which reminds me... There is something I intended to say after returning to Orstoll. Seventeen years ago, you suffered three consecutive losses. However, your spirit and efforts were admirable. I was a fool back then — young and childish. I reprimanded you for losing, and I apologize for that.”
“E-Elizabetta...” Carnegis’ eyes opened wide, disbelief written all over his face.
However, Elizabetta’s eyes were cold.
“But look at you now. What have you been doing? Your actions are pathetic. Truly. Goodbye.”
And with that, Elizabetta turned, walking away from the stands rapidly.
“E-ELIZABETTAAAAAAAAAAA!”
Carnegis’ wail echoed throughout the tournament grounds, his outstretched hand grasping nothing but thin air.
“For unfairly modifying dormitory assignments due to personal grudges... For manipulating and creating a scenario in which the eastern dormitory would be at an advantage during the inter-dormitory duel... I have caused all of you much suffering. I apologize with all of my being!”
Carnegis genuflected in front of Fie and the others, who had been preparing to leave after the tournament. His heavily gelled hair touched the ground as he lowered his head. Although a fair amount of gel had been applied to his hair, it was now somewhat messy.
“I have to apologize too. I did not take the situation seriously because Carnegis was a friend. I am responsible for what led to this unreasonable escalation and state of affairs. Carnegis and I have caused all of you much trouble. We apologize.”
Trokko joined his friend, adopting a similar pose with his head touching the ground.
Fie and the other squires could not help but panic at the sight of this.
“W-We’re not in trouble at all! Right! Right?!”
“Y-Yeah! I mean, those eastern dormitory guys sure pissed us off when they came and said all that, but it was just a spat!”
“It is pretty common, isn’t it? Trash-talking your opponent and all that.”
“I am completely satisfied with my dormitory assignment.”
To be honest, the squires were not fond of the likes of Rigel or Luka at all, but could not bring themselves to say anything at the sight of the apologetic Carnegis and Trokko. They kept their complaints to themselves.
“I’m sorry... all of you... I am so, so sorry...” Upon hearing the squires’ gentle words, Carnegis, unable to keep his feelings in check any longer, began crying with his forehead still on the arena grounds.
From a distance, the group looked like they were having fun and celebrating, but the current mood was heavy — whatever had possessed and driven Carnegis in his schemes had clearly left him.
Although Carnegis was responsible for the entire chain of events, Fie and the rest did not feel like it was severe enough to be apologized for in this fashion.
They had fun at the event, and did not really know how to respond to the scene laid out before them.
In their confusion, the squires of the northern dormitory looked at each other, then eventually nodded collectively.
“Please raise your head, Sir Carnegis.”
“We really enjoy our time at the northern dormitory!”
“I’ve made friends, and I enjoy every single day!”
“That’s why we’re grateful to Sir Trokko for recruiting us... and we don’t bear any grudges against you either, Sir Carnegis.”
“So... you haven’t really done anything bad at all.”
At those words, Carnegis finally raised his head.
His face, tear-streaked, seemed to compliment his now intensely messy hair.
“Y-You guys...”
Carnegis, apparently too moved to say any more, could only listen as Trokko calmly spoke in his stead.
“Although I do not show my face often due to my workload, I am very glad that all of you have decided to join the Royal Knights, and subsequently the northern dormitory. Thank you. As for Carnegis and myself... we will be punished for our actions and inactions. While I do know what will become of us, we hope that we can one day accompany you and enrich your lives as squires once more. Well then, let’s get going, Carnegis.”
“Yes... Let us go.”
With those words, Trokko and Carnegis were gone, fading into the crowds.
As Fie and her group left the arena grounds, they were confronted by the squires of the eastern dormitory, albeit without Carnegis in tow. They all had somewhat relaxed, good-natured expressions — perhaps this was how they had originally been, without the incitements and misguided directions of Sir Carnegis.
Running a hand through his hair, Luka adopted yet another condescending pose.
“I won’t deny that we lost to you all this time. But, who would have known? It was a big learning experience for me. I’m glad we fought. I’ll be back for our revenge match next year, though.”
Although Luka’s condescending and somewhat annoying tone of voice was still present, he no longer invaded the personal spaces of those he spoke with, nor did he put his hands on anyone’s chin.
In particular, Luka seemed to avoid Fie, apparently having been traumatized from his experience.
“Well, I AM a genius either way. But I guess I’ve been working in the wrong direction. I’ll be back next year after some hard work... And I’ll show you the true power of a genius!”
Rigel was confident, as usual, still touting himself as a genius.
However, neither of them carried ridicule in their words, a stark contrast to their earlier attitudes.
The squires of both dormitories, no longer feeling the rivalry they felt during the tournament, started to mingle, speaking with each other about various topics.
Although they were rivals over the course of the tournament, many of them hailed from the same dojos, or were from similar levels of aristocracy.
Fie, who did not have any connections with the Orstoll-born squires, decided to approach her previous opponent instead.
“W-Wait! Y-You there... Could you p-please keep your distance...?” Luka waved his arms comically, trying to illustrate a two-meter distance between him and Fie.
Fie however, disregarded his gestures, moving closer with each step. Although Luka attempted to intimidate Fie with his condescending-as-usual laughter, sweat was dripping down the back of his neck.
Fie chasing Luka around in circles would eventually become a highlight of the day.
Kerio and Remie, standing a considerable distance away from the crowds, faced each other as they spoke.
“You’ve won this time. If I am selected as a duel member next year, let’s settle our fight then and there.”
“Yes! I’ll train hard to face you head on next year!”
The two squires nodded.
In another corner were Persil and Queen.
“Queen. You have showed your strength, and the power of the bonds between you and your friends. I will account for this with revised strategies and a new training regimen. Let us fight again sometime in the future.”
“Y-Yeah...”
Upon hearing Persil speak of bonds, Queen blushed once more, nodding as he acknowledged Persil’s words.
For a while, the squires of both dormitories spoke — barring two, who seemed to be running in circles. Eventually, the two groups went their separate ways, and Fie and her friends walked back to their dormitory.
They were in high spirits — the tournament was won, and it seemed like the squires of the eastern dormitory were not so bad after all. Although Fie was filled with satisfaction, she seemed to recall a particularly unsatisfying detail as she recalled the events of the day.
“Come to think of it... I didn’t really see your matches! I wanted to spectate everyone’s matches...”
Fie had, after all, been listening to yet another lecture from Heslow, and by the time she had returned, Queen and Persil were already well into their match. She had decided to cheer where she stood, and was disappointed that the match immediately ended after that.
“I’ve heard that both Gormus and Remie’s matches were cool! If only I had seen them...”
“Well, my match was too straightforward. There was no need to watch.”
“I’m happy you would say that even though my match was a draw!”
Gormus spoke with confidence evident in his hard features, while Remie simply smiled.
“Oh, but I saw Queen’s final attack, too! That was so cool, Queen! Did you hear my cheering?” asked Fie, raising her head to look at Queen, who had been walking next to her all this time.
“Ah... uh... well... yeah.”
Fie, however, did not seem bothered.
“It’s fine if you didn’t hear it! Everyone else was cheering for you too.”
“No... I heard it! I definitely heard it!”
“Really?”
“Yeah...”
Fie could not help but smile at Queen’s furious nodding.
“Well. That’s good, then!”
Although Fie was unable to spectate most of her friend’s matches, it would appear that she had managed to cheer one of them on — and that was enough for her.
However, Fie could not help but take note of how easily embarrassed Queen was. After all, he had performed very well — Fie felt that Queen should be proud of that fact.
With that thought in mind, Fie continued walking, only to see a familiar figure in the distance.
Fie wasted no time running towards the figure.
“Captain Yore! Did you see my match?”
Although Yore had been in the stands all this time, Fie did not think much of her question, running towards her platoon captain in joy.
“Yes, of course. Although you lost in a duel setting, it was an admirable effort at breaking your opponent’s defenses. It would be wise to fully understand the rules before coming up with a strategy next time, however,” Yore said as he placed a single hand on Fie’s head, ruffling her hair in praise.
Surprised, Fie opened her eyes wide, but quickly allowed the praise to wash over her being.
“Heh heh!”
Announcing that he still had work to do, Fie parted ways with Yore, returning to her group with a light jog.
“Ah. You should have met Captain Yore too, Queen! Sorry, I didn’t think about that...”
“No, it’s fine.” Queen shook his head at Fie’s words.
Although Queen had been obsessed with meeting Yore some time ago, this no longer appeared to be the case. Even so, Fie made a mental note to arrange a meeting between the two.
However, Fie did not understand the rambunctious atmosphere that was currently in the air — although they were happy from winning the tournament, this appeared to be something else altogether.
Apparently, Sir Trokko had given Gormus a small sum of money so that the squires could all celebrate.
“Wah! I’m looking forward to it! Queen, you’re coming too, right?”
“Yes.”
It had been more than half a year since Queen had transferred in — he was more or less already an irreplaceable member of the northern dormitory.
The dormitory canteen’s staff had apparently been informed that the squires were going out, so there were no issues with that night’s culinary arrangements. And so, Fie and the squires of the northern dormitory enjoyed a fun-filled night at the downtown district.
Carnegis and Trokko, for their punishment, were assigned to a six-month long expedition, along with having their salary reduced. However, upon the petition and overall opinion of the other knights and squires, their punishment was reduced to a four-month expedition instead.
Amongst the members who organized the petition were also those who had graduated from the northern dormitory in the past. It would seem like the two were well-respected amongst the squires, now knights, who had graduated from their dormitories.
It was perhaps worth noting that amongst the other names in the petition were some familiar entries — specifically, the names of Fie and the rest of her friends.
Side Story: Studying for the Test
