Shadowless Night

“My former apprentices, Sir Leticia and Sir Eberhard, decided to take over your education in their spare time. Since you decided to start today, study hard. Frankly, more than half of the work assigned to me was done by Sir Leticia and Sir Eberhard. Not because I ask them to do it in particular, but because we’re close. I have high hopes for Hessa as well.”

She obviously couldn’t handle her job, but still proudly encouraged him to study hard so she could entrust him with everything. However, Hessa didn’t mind her sloppiness.

[I have high hopes for Hessa as well.]

‘She said she has high hopes!’ He didn’t know how wonderful the apprentice knights were, but it was he who was with Rosaline now. ‘I’ll be such a perfect apprentice that no one can forget!’

Hessa met with Eberhard, one of the previous apprentice knights, in the afternoon. As soon as Eberhard saw Hessa, he giggled and extended his hand to his head. Hessa stiffened with his eyes wide open. His approaching hand seemed as if he was going to hurt him, but…

He just ruffled his hair in a subtle way. Eberhard was so excited that he did not notice the reaction of the boy, whose body had temporarily stiffened because of the contact. He was busy stroking and petting the little boy’s hair, who was much younger than him. Hessa’s expression darkened.

“I’m Lesser Knight Eberhard, kid! Feel free to call me Big Brother!”

‘This is that Eberhard…’ Hessa’s eyes were filled with venom. Eberhard, unaware of the fact, only hummed and guffawed. 

“As a senior, I will teach you everything from one to ten. Sir Rosaline asked me specifically. You… Don’t you know how to do anything right? Aiya, I’m going to have some trouble. Let’s work hard, alright kid?” 

Hessa rolled his eyes.

***

“Damn kid!”

Eberhard appeared in a huff. Leticia continued her push-ups with a sullen look. ‘Perhaps Hessa Roots, who has become a new apprentice knight for Rosaline, has something to do with Eberhard.’ In any case, she wasn’t really curious.

Rosaline only said, ‘Ummm. Hessa is… very cute. Like a newborn cat.’ And looking at Eberhard’s reaction now, it’s hard to be sure if they were even related.

“Gwooooooah! That cocky bastard!”

Eberhard couldn’t calm down and kept huffing. Leticia sighed and got up slowly from her position. Even in the midst of his anger, Eberhard still brought a dry towel and handed it to her.

‘We came from the same Roots and are of the same gender, so I was hoping to get along well, but he was so condescending…!’

Leticia chuckled and wiped her sweat with the towel. Eberhard was next to her and talked about Hessa’s atrocities.

He said that Hessa suddenly requested a duel under the pretense of asking for instruction. He asked for it so politely, and Eberhard, who had been thinking about nurturing the growing sprout… was defeated.

The kid barely won the battle, but then he grabbed Eberhard’s, who had fallen to the ground, still moaning, chin. What does it mean when an apprentice is looking down at his superior like that?

“Even the look one gives to a bug they see in the food they chewed is softer than that! What a rat-like thing! Scold him, Leticia!”

Eberhard was just this kind of guy, and for him to play with a child at the same level… Leticia, who had to control not only Hessa but also Eberhard, was in trouble. She buried her face in the towel and… let out a sigh that came up from deep inside.

Even if Eberhard was twitchy and a bit stupid, his strenght couldn’t be ignored. Whether Eberhard was caught off guard or not, the new apprentice must also have a decent level of skill.

“When Sir Rosaline arrived, he changed his expression and wagged his tail like a dog on fire! He must have a double personality! Avenge me, Leticia!”

Leticia kicked Eberhard’s ass. ‘I’m still busy, but this kid isn’t going to be of any help. Who told you to fight? I told you to teach him how to work.’

After doing their duty, Leticia and Eberhard went to see the apprentice in question. Eberhard had his shoulders soaring high in the sky, like a little kid who brings his big brother after losing a fight.

“Take care of those ugly shoulders, lest I don’t know what I’d do to you.”

Eberhard’s shoulders dropped at Leticia’s cool threat.

“Glory of Idelavhim who parts the black moon.”

It was a small boy. A boy with red hair mixed with pink was looking up at Leticia curiously. It didn’t seem like someone who’d show hostility at the first meeting. Leticia had a gut feeling that idiot Eberhard must have lit some candles.

“Glory of Idelavhim to you, Apprentice Hessa. I’m Leticia Frosthornfal, a lesser knight under Sir Rosaline.” 

“I’m Hessa.”

He was polite, but his eyes were disrespectful. Leticia could feel Eberhard shivering with rage from behind. That child must not be sent to war. He’s too simple. Leticia was sure that Eberhard would be triggered with small provocations. This, she was clear about.

“Apprentice knights work together according to the routine of their superiors. Apprentices are the limbs of superiors, so you need to know at what time Sir Rosaline wakes up, at what time you should do what assignments, and basically everything you need to do. As for daily routines…”

Hessa raised his hand lightly. Leticia gave permission to speak with a chin gesture.

“May I ask for a match?”

Eberhard ran from behind and whimpers. ‘That! that! That guy did that to me too! Leticiaaa!’ All his unspoken grievances could be heard.

Leticia glanced at the boy again, ignoring Eberhard. ‘His arms are slender. Although he’s training, he’s still in his growth phase, his body is in an underdeveloped state. He looked far too short to be able to bring Eberhard down.’

‘It’s not that he’s strong.’

If so, isn’t there only one more?

‘He’s a mage.’

She thought it was strange how Sir Rosaline accepted him, but if the boy was a mage, it made sense. Leticia looked down at him and opened her mouth.

“Did you not hear me? I said you’re learning what an apprentice knight is supposed to do today.”

When she didn’t fall for his provocation, Hessa bit his lip. Meanwhile, the monkey at her back also… felt a bit embarrassed.

“… Are you avoiding it?”

Eberhard pretended to collapse holding the back of his own neck, but Leticia just looked down at the boy. It wasn’t even funny because it was too obvious.

“Do you know the motto of Frosthornfal, Apprentice?”

Hessa raised his eyebrows and looked up to her.

“It’s a small estate in a remote rural area, so you probably don’t know. Frosthornfal’s motto is, ‘Frosthornfal’s women never loses.’ What do you think this is talking about?”

“Doesn’t that mean they’re strong?”

“There is no one in the world who never loses. If it’s Sir Rosaline, I don’t know. No, wait, if Sir Rosaline plays chess against me… It doesn’t mean she will never lose either.”

Hessa’s eyebrows furrowed. Up until now, he had pretended to hide it quite a bit, but one could still easily read a child’s feelings.

“It means that I don’t care about winning or losing in one small fight. I’d either laugh at one win or cry over one loss. Now, Apprentice, what if I win, and what if I lose? Even if I lose, it will become the foundation for me to become stronger in the future. My defeat is not important at all.”

‘You only said that because it sounds good…’ He tried to say something, but Leticia was quicker.

“The Frosthornfal has a saying: Don’t back down when the time to truly fight has come. That’s the way to victory. Don’t lose your strength unnecessarily. My job is to assist Sir Rosaline, and today is the time to prepare for it. But now, Apprentice is wasting the time needed to learn. It’s like going to war without a sergeant. No matter how great it is, this is a defeat. Know the kind of fight and know when to fight.”

Hessa’s face flushed red. The boy clenched his hand, avoiding Leticia’s gaze. Leticia smiled like a breeze. ‘How much sorrow must the native of Roots endured in this Imperial city that he couldn’t even lay down his thorns? The cheeky thought of forgetting one’s duty and fighting with magic versus raw strength must be scolded. At least there are signs of reflecting. He didn’t seem like a bad boy.’

Leticia put her hands on her knees and lowered her body, bringing her to eye level with Hessa. He looked at her with a boyish blush. After she grinned at him, she tapped the boy on the shoulder.

“The guts are so good, I like it. Don’t back down from the fight you must win, Sir Hessa.”

Hessa shook his head as he fiddled with the calluses of his hands.

“I’m sorry.”

From behind, Eberhard watched the scene with his mouth wide open.

After that, Hessa was still sharp towards others, but was docile only to Rosaline, Leticia, and Raymond. His brain is not bad, and he is hard-working himself, so he learns his job quickly. Leticia was satisfied with the result.

As usual, while learning the job, Hessa asked out of the blue.

“… Does the man of Frosthornfal ever lose?”

He wondered if only the ‘women’ of the Frosthornfal wouldn’t lose. Leticia smiled slightly.

“Frosthornfal takes in son-in-law from generation to generation. They have no influence on the estate, and there are many idiots who’d get worked up over a rock-paper-scissors game. However, they normally have a good time just wandering around. Does this satisfy your curiosity?”

One didn’t know exactly what’s so funny, but Hessa sat down on the table and laughed until he ran out of breath. The sound of isr young laughter was as clear as the sound of glass.

Later, Leticia and Rosaline chatted and talked about Hessa as ‘cute’ or ‘sweet and kind,’ and Eberhard was the only one who couldn’t agree with them.