A Righteous Female Knight Never Compromises!-Chapter 23 : Everyone was shocked
{Chapter 23} Everyone was shocked
Vensae, the name of the royal capital.
The history of the royal capital is long, dating back to the early days of the Carrick Empire.
Built along the longest river in the kingdom, the Seri River, Vensae has grown over thousands of years into a city that is considered "large" on a global scale.
Due to population growth, the city walls have been expanded or rebuilt multiple times, enveloping the royal city in layers upon layers of walls, though in reality, it's just three layers.
These three layers of walls mirror the class divisions of the kingdom. While class differences are intangible, the royal city has tangible, massive walls that physically separate people of different classes.
Whether it's the mansions of the great nobles or the Adventurers' Guild, they are all located in the "middle layer" of the royal city. The Knight Academy, however, is situated in the "inner layer."
The inner city of the capital is largely occupied by embassies, princes' residences, and various administrative institutions. Training bases for the kingdom's core military forces, such as the Mage Tower and the Knight Academy, are also located within the inner city.
Riding on horseback with Atala, it takes about an hour or two to reach the inner city. After presenting my knight's credentials at the inner city gate, we were allowed entry.
The Knight Academy isn't far from the gate, in fact, it's built right next to the city wall.
The reason for its proximity to the wall is likely the same as why knight garrisons are typically built near city gates: in case of emergencies, knights and knight apprentices can quickly arm themselves and rush to the walls or gates to prepare for battle.
In other words, the Knight Academy is like a super-sized, pro-max-plus version of a knight garrison.
Its size dwarfs that of ordinary knight garrisons by several streets, literally several streets.
The Knight Academy is so vast that it could easily accommodate a small town. In fact, it could be considered a village within the royal city.
"Still the same as ever…"
Standing in front of the school where I spent four years, Anna was filled with nostalgia.
"It's so big…" Atala, standing beside her, could only express her amazement in such simple terms.
After showing my knight's credentials to the guards, I stepped back onto the familiar grounds of the Knight Academy.
For example, the stone monument is visible as soon as you enter the gate.
Carved in the shape of a sword, it bears the words of the founding emperor of the Carrick Empire and the first headmaster of the Knight Academy, Kaos Rian Balleria.
As you approach, you can see the ancient Carrick language inscribed on it, unchanged for thousands of years:
"Those who inherit royal blood must prioritize their mission."
"To forge a path is to honor the name of royal blood."
Seeing these words now, Anna felt something different.
She had inherited the blood of both the Celestials and the Elves… Wasn’t Celestial blood considered the most noble of all royal lineages?
Initially influenced by these words, she had thought about finding a suitable lord, paving the way for their dreams, and following their mission ideally, directly serving the king.
That's why, when assigned to the border knight garrison and initially tasked with various chores, Anna worked diligently for half a year.
But after half a year of work and being harshly disillusioned by society, Anna's thoughts naturally faded.
However, after learning about her family's bloodline and seeing these words again…
"Maybe I could be a lord myself?"
After all, she had inherited Celestial blood, her ancestors might have been prosperous, and now she was a young knight about to be promoted to E-rank and granted a fief.
She could be a ruler of resurgence!
…Of course, Anna was just thinking out loud, she hadn't been promoted to E-rank yet…
…Speaking of which, where was the room for the E-rank promotion?
Anna, leading Atala, looked around in confusion before spotting a woman dressed in faculty attire.
"Excuse me, could you tell me how to get to the knight promotion area?"
"Knight promotion? Go straight and turn right… Anna?"
Hearing her name, Anna was momentarily stunned. She then took a closer look at the woman in front of her.
"…Scarlet?"
She phrased it as a question because the woman before her was so different from the roommate she remembered that Anna could hardly recognize her.
This woman, whom Anna called Scarlet, was her bunkmate at the Knight Academy and one of her closest friends.
Back in the dorm, Scarlet always dressed beautifully and loved using magic to dye her hair, almost changing her hairstyle daily. Her fashion sense made her the most glamorous person in the dorm.
Now, Scarlet looked like an ordinary teacher, less eye-catching than before but with a quiet beauty.
"It's me, me. Have I changed so much that you can't recognize me?"
Seeing Anna, Scarlet was thrilled and immediately grabbed her hand:
"Ever since you were transferred to the border knight garrison, our dorm couldn't get in touch with you. Little Anna even said you might have died on the border."
"That girl never watches her words," Anna complained.
Little Anna wasn't Anna; she was another roommate. There were two Anna's in her room so she was called Anna while the other one was Little Anna.
Little Anna was always sharp-tongued but kind-hearted, which Anna found endearing. Unfortunately, she made it clear she preferred men.
"Sister Anna also said she misses you. She said once she gets promoted to E-rank, she'd apply for a transfer to the border to bring you back," Scarlet reminisced. "I told her you might be the first to get promoted, and sure enough, you're the first from our dorm to come back for a promotion."
After a brief exchange, Scarlet's gaze shifted to Atala beside Anna.
"And this elf lady is?"
"My name is Atala," Atala still avoided mentioning her surname, suggesting there was something significant about it. "I'm Anna's adventurer companion. I'm just accompanying her to the Knight Academy today."
"Adventurer companion… Oh, Anna, you left the knight garrison."
"You already know about that?" Anna suddenly felt something was off.
"Of course, and not just that," Scarlet's face showed a knowing smile. "Anna, so you like girls? No wonder your face always turned red when we changed clothes together."
"…I heard you managed to win over the young ladies from the Latimir and Bartham families and even publicly juggle both relationships. Our dorm was shocked!”
Chapter 23 : Everyone was shocked
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