"Upholding chivalry. Knowing honor, practicing frugality, protecting the weak, revering the sword - as Dame Theresa von Franz Almair does."
Alice's eyes lit up when she said the name. Echi caught it and carefully kept her reaction from her face.
Theresa - the name of a Giosa owner she had killed.
She pressed on without missing a beat.
"There's no rule in chivalry that prohibits adornment."
"That goes without saying - no one has ever needed to say it."
"Then why does it go without saying?"
"Because it's vanity!"
"I didn't go into debt to acquire these things - they're items I use in my daily life. If anything, it would be more wasteful to purchase an entirely separate set of 'knightly' clothes."
"You could just wear the cadet uniform."
"You're suggesting I discard perfectly good clothing because it offends you, and replace it with a uniform instead?"
Echi's argument bordered on sophistry, but Alice found herself unable to land a refutation. She kept being blocked on things that should have been obvious. Her tightly pressed lips trembled with frustration, and she shifted to something more practical.
"...In the first place, you can't possibly wield a sword properly in that."
"I don't find it limiting."
It was, in fact, limiting — she had been raised in these clothes and was accustomed to them, but the swirling skirt and puffed petticoat and tightened corset were undeniably awkward. Only years of technique that could work around such things made it viable.
Of course, Alice didn't believe her.
"That's absurd—"
"You've seen my exam scores, Miss Winterbell. If you'd like to test it, we could always spar - in this outfit."
Alice gritted her teeth. "Are you saying you could beat me in a dress?"
"Oh, I wouldn't phrase it that rudely. I simply have confidence that I could."
[Isn't that the same thing?]
The cursed sword chattered in her head. Echi thought back at it, still smiling: I know, shut up.
She had been reckless, and now Alice was about to explode. Alice's face had gone red with humiliation.
She pulled a pair of gloves from her breast pocket and flung them at Echi.
"I am formally challenging you to a duel, Echinacea Roaz. If I win, you apologize for the insult and wear nothing so extravagant again."
"Accepted, Alice Winterbell. If I win, you stop interfering with me."
"Agreed. Name the time and place. We'll need a witness."
Even with her face flushed and ready to draw on the spot, Alice followed the proper protocols of a formal challenge - she observed the code even in anger. Echi felt something unfamiliar and oddly pleasant about that.
Before her return, she had never participated in anything resembling a formal duel. She had lived on the edge of illegal activity and outright crime for years. Mercenaries threw punches after a challenge. Street fighters stabbed you in the back when you turned away. Aspiring knights, it turned out, were quite different.
"The training ground behind the dormitory, at sunset today. As for a witness - I don't know anyone in Azenka yet, so perhaps you could suggest someone, Miss Winterbell?"
"I'm in the same position. I'll ask the cadet representative. Do you agree?"
"Of course."
"Understood."
Alice threw one last withering look and left. Echi watched her go, then quietly reached back into her open bag.
"I thought a direct confrontation was the cleaner approach. I wonder how things will look after the duel."
[Why aren't you going to kill her? A duel is a legal opportunity! It's been so long since I've had blood. Let's use it! She'll only bother you more if she's alive!]
"Quiet."
Echi ignored the sword and continued unpacking.
She stopped when lunch was nearly over - not because she had finished, but because she was hungry. During her years hunting Giosa, skipping meals had been routine. She had no intention of living that way again.
Cadets were fed in the communal dining hall of the main building.
Given that most cadets were nobles, the menu was varied and of decent quality.
The walk from the dormitory attracted a continuous stream of stares. She had anticipated them.
Among cadets in training uniforms or the standard dark blue cadet wear, Echinacea stood out like a lit lamp.
Today she wore a light dress, translucent fabric layered over a pale sky-blue lining, with a flower-trimmed hat that offered some shade against the sun, complemented by full makeup. The hat's mesh covered her face somewhat. With Giosa owners in the vicinity, she'd felt the caution was warranted.
Among noble ladies, the outfit would be unremarkable. In a military academy where not a single cadet wore a skirt, it was unavoidable.
Being watched during a meal was tiresome. The cadets whispered, "Is she out of her mind?" in lowered voices that she could hear clearly regardless.
'Seeds I sowed myself.'
She ate her stew quietly. No one sat near her.
If reaching Master by twenty-three was her benchmark, she had three more years of this. Not a comfortable thought. She had barely wiped herself clean of her past and started over - she didn't want another three years of hard living.
'…Should I compress it to one? Reaching Master at twenty-two is still within the range of genius, perhaps.'
It was at that moment that a brown-haired man appeared at her table.
"Are you Echinacea Roaz? Found you easily - just as described."
He smiled pleasantly. Late twenties, with an armband embroidered in blue on black - the cadet representative's mark. Must have come about the duel. But the face was familiar. Who was he?
Echi smoothed over her hesitation and replied.
"…Yes. I'm Echinacea Roaz."
"Ian Pelletro. Third-year, cadet representative."
"Pleased to meet you, Senior."
She set down her spoon and bowed. Ian waved her off.
"No formalities needed. Sorry to interrupt your meal."
"It's fine. What brings you here?"
Contrary to her expectation, he didn't bring up the duel immediately. He looked her over with assessing eyes. When she unconsciously frowned, he raised a hand in apology.
"Forgive me. I was curious. Have you chosen a club?"
"… A club?"
"Ah! You really didn't know. I thought as much."
Most cadets had researched clubs before even entering the academy. Echi's blank expression confirmed it, and Ian explained readily.
"There are no separate lessons or exams at the academy, as you know. But there are rankings. You can challenge someone at any time by issuing a formal duel, and every three months there's an all-cadet ranking competition to re-establish the order."
"Yes, I know that part."
Rankings were central to the academy. Echi had known this much. Cadets served knights and junior knights on rotation, in order of rank. The closer the knight, the better the chance to learn from them. Of course competition for the highest spots was fierce.
"Everyone's working hard for the ranking matches, but it's difficult to improve without a training partner. So cadets group together and sometimes find masters willing to teach. The gatherings solidified into clubs over time. Most students decide before they even arrive."
"…Is it compulsory?"
Joining a group was the last thing she needed. Collective activity would only create complications. And she intended to avoid placing too high in the rankings, a higher rank meant more likelihood of encountering the Giosa owners, and she wanted to delay that as long as possible.
Ian shook his head. "Not compulsory. You'll just miss out. It's hard to make friends without a club, and without senior cadets to learn from, it's easy to fall behind. At least hear what's available?"
"Thank you, but I'm fine on my own."
Ian's expression changed slightly. He rubbed his chin and lowered his voice.
"Usually the competition to recruit top new students is fierce. This year, that competition may become… more fraught than usual. I'm concerned it could escalate to something problematic. That's part of why I came to find you specifically."
Before Echi could ask what he meant, he continued.
"If you're certain you won't join any club, I can't force you. But not belonging to one means all of them will pester you. At least with one, you're shielded from the rest."
She considered it briefly and came to the same conclusion. She had no intention of joining any collective. She said so directly.
"I won't be joining a club."
"…Then I'll leave it there. If recruitment pressure from any of the clubs becomes excessive, come find me. I'll mediate as representative."