But it was far from over with just Senior Henry and Senior Osric. The entire fate of the Emblem Knights was in my hands.
“Who was it again that drank too much at my coming-of-age party, spilled wine on my mom’s precious painting, smashed the angel statue in the banquet hall, and plucked every petal from the freshly planted flowers in the garden?”
“Heeeeekk!”
Who were the culprits in those incidents? There was no need to say; it was the entire Emblem Knights.
Everyone, from seniors to peers and juniors, had caused trouble.
“For the sake of my dear seniors and precious peers, I took the blame for everything, signed a vow to abstain from alcohol for five years, and even…”
For the beloved Emblem Knights, I gladly sacrificed myself.
With tears in my eyes, I threw myself in front of my mom, who was so furious she was practically a demon incarnate.
Pleading, I said I didn’t know my drinking limits or my drinking habits because it was my first time.
After that day, all the knights knew how much I tiptoed around my mom.
“I love you!!!!”
“Cherrya! I love you! Let’s be together forever!!!”
“I love you too!!!!!!”
“Dame Cherrya is our light, our *salt, our glory, our pride!”
In unison, they confessed their love for me, vying to spar with me.
“Step aside, I’ll go first!”
“No, Senior, please step aside! Dame Cherrya asked me first!”
“What’s this, no respect for your seniors?”
“Everyone is equal in front of Dame Cherrya!”
Amused, I watched as they bickered over me.
Finally, it felt like the order among the knights was restored.
This was all I had asked for—a simple sparring session when I requested it.
“Shall we start with four at a time, then?”
“Yes, ma’am!!!!!!”
Watching the Emblem Knights lining up eagerly in front of me, I lifted my chin.
It was time to make my choice.
***
Clang!
Despite only being wooden practice swords, they made a sound like metal clashing in the training grounds, followed by a loud crack as the sword snapped.
“………”
“………”
That was the final sound.
All activity in the Emblem training grounds ceased, as everyone, except my sparring partner, was watching the duel.
The outcome was already decided. Osric Balmore, who was acting as the referee, announced the winner with a dumbfounded expression.
“L-Lucas… wins…”
Lucas, the last of the four sparring partners I had chosen, won the match.
“Cherrya… four consecutive losses…”
I, who was reputed to be beyond match due to my talents (albeit overshadowed by Enoch Gray), had lost four times in a row, including to the three previous opponents.
“Wow.”
Lucas, who took victory from me, stared blankly at his own palm and said.
“Is this… how it felt?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like when Dame Cherrya scolded us for holding back.”
“……..?”
Lucas’s face contorted as if he was about to cry. Then he collapsed to the ground and started sobbing.
“I wanted to beat Dame Cherrya so badly!”
“But you did! You won!”
“To win like this… with this feeling for my first victory…!!!!”
“Wait, why are you crying? Calm down, please.”
With a despairing wail, Lucas started banging his head against the ground.
“This is a disgrace, an absolute disgrace!!!!”
“Hey! You lunatic, you’ll hurt yourself!”
I rushed over and pressed my hand against his forehead.
Lucas, unable to bear banging his head on the ground, looked at me with eyes full of resentment and shouted.
“My heart’s already hurt!!”
“…….…”
Wow. He’s really lost it.
As I looked around, everyone was staring at me, not Lucas, with intense disapproval.
“How cruel.”
“I can’t bear to watch.”
“…That was too much.”
“Do you think sparring is a joke?!”
Everyone took turns criticizing me, even the three who sparred with me before Lucas, including Senior Henry, Senior Osric, and Luke. They looked as if they felt defeated, even though they technically won.
Senior Henry held Lucas, helping him up and said,
“No matter how much we avoided sparring, how could you humiliate us like this? A mock duel is a grave insult to a knight, don’t you know that?”
“What? What did I even do…”
Feeling wronged, I stammered, while Lucas, still in Henry’s embrace, wailed,
“You said if we held back, we’d lose! You said you’d make us pay if we did!”
“…I didn’t hold back.”
“You kept messing around with that strange sword technique! This was sparring! Sparring!!!”
“It’s not some weird technique; it’s my new—”
“I’m going to report this to the Commander! I’ll tell to the Commander everything, including your fault or not!”
Lucas ignored me completely, stubbornly continuing. Even the other three who had sparred with me nodded in agreement with Lucas. Senior Henry clenched his fist and raised his voice,
“I will too! I’ll tell the Commander too! And you don’t even have to deliver that letter to Jessia! I can give it to her myself!”
“Right! I’ve apologized to Olivia a few times—wait, Senior Henry, do you like Jessia?”
Senior Osric, shocked by Henry’s declaration, interrupted with a question.
“Wait, how did you know?! Was it you, Cherrya?”
“You just said it yourself, Senior.”
“That can’t be!”
“You did, though.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“……Aaaaagh!”
Senior Henry stormed out across the training ground. Only Jack remained, crossing his arms with a ‘do as you please’ look, although he was left speechless.
“Go on.”
“……Are you sure you didn’t hold back?”
“How many times do I have to say no?”
With a sigh, I began explaining slowly, now that they seemed willing to listen.
“I analyzed the reason why I keep losing to Enoch Gray.”
“……Analysis. That really doesn’t suit you.”
“Quiet.”
“Yes.”
After silencing Jack, who couldn’t keep his mouth shut, I took a deep breath and continued, trying to quell the vein that was starting to pulse on my forehead.
“I thought Emblem’s swordsmanship had to unleash explosive power, charging like a storm, crashing down like a tidal wave. But dancing with Enoch made me realize that’s not what I need.”
“………”
“I’m practicing the art of letting things flow. I thought countering head-on was the proper way, but I’ve changed my mind.”
The faces of those who knew my usual swordsmanship grew serious at once. Perhaps they, too, had recognized my weakness to some extent from our previous encounters.
When strength alone wasn’t enough, I’d try even harder, relentlessly wielding my sword without letting my guard down. The Emblem Knights knew this habit of mine better than anyone.
“I know my current swordsmanship is at a high level. If I keep refining it, I know I’ll eventually reach the skill befitting the Commander of the Emblem Knights. But that’s just not enough for me.”
🍓; *’our salt’ is a metaphor that refers to someone who is essential and adds value or meaning to a community or group. It draws from the Biblical phrase ‘salt of the earth,’ where salt is seen as a preservative and something that enhances flavor, symbolizing importance and influence. So, calling Cherrya ‘our salt’ means she’s vital, bringing character, integrity, or perhaps wisdom to the community, just as salt enhances food. The phrase emphasizes her role as someone precious and foundational to the people praising her.
