“Excuse me, have you seen a girl with long, ash-gray hair? Yes, very pretty. Did she go that way? Thank you.”
El went along asking passersby, following the traces of Vita’s departure.
Finally, he arrived downstairs at Vita’s dormitory.
He took out the communication stone, and soon, with a slight vibration, it was connected on the other end.
“Hello? Senior El, I’m sorry for troubling you again. Wait a moment, I’ll come down right away.”
Vita’s soft, gentle voice sounded in El’s ear, but before he could say anything, the communication stone was hung up.
After a short while, Vita appeared, a warm smile blooming on her delicate face. She wore a frost-white dress, the hem revealing smooth, slender legs, as she walked up to El and waved her small hand.
Was it over?
She wasn’t very tall, so she had to look up to meet El’s eyes. Her ash-gray hair bounced with every step, looking quite adorable.
“Sorry about this, Senior El. You’ve always taken such good care of me, but because of my little tantrum, I made you come all this way.”
“That’s nothing. What matters is—Vita, are you here to talk to me about transferring to the Knight Department?”
Vita softly replied, “Mm,” reaching out her small hand to tug lightly at El’s sleeve.
“Senior El, will you walk with me for a while? It might take some time.”
“Of course.”
El agreed readily. He had already skipped class because of the monitoring crystal business, and besides, Vita’s matter was important too.
It was already autumn, and the two strolled along the academy path. The leaves of the juelin trees on both sides had turned golden. A gust of wind lifted Vita’s long hair.
Vita stayed close to him—seen from a distance, the two looked just like a couple walking hand in hand.
On the way, some students noticed them and began to whisper.
“Who’s that woman next to El? I don’t think I’ve seen her before. Is she a commoner? Don’t tell me he really broke things off with the Goldfield girl—”
“You missed the freshman party, no wonder you don’t know. But that’s not important anymore. The one beside him is called Vita. I heard she’s already become Sword Saint Wald’s personal disciple. They might not be a couple, you know. Personally, I’m still on Aurelia’s side.”
News that Vita had caught Sword Saint Wald’s eye was already spreading like wildfire.
Soon, the whole academy would know about it, and within a day, all of the upper circles of the Capital would know who Vita was.
“Senior El, do you find it strange why I’m hesitating about transferring to the Knight Department? Someone like me, being recognized by the Sword Saint is already such luck. Even just to fulfill my own potential, I should choose the Knight Department, shouldn’t I?”
“Hmm… I did think about that.” El admitted, “But, to me, Vita, you can choose to refuse. You don’t need any reason—you have the right to choose. Still, I’d like to know, why don’t you want to transfer?”
“That’s not fair, Senior El. This is the first time someone’s ever told me, ‘Vita, you have the right to choose.’”
Vita laughed, folding her hands behind her back.
“Actually, I really like magic. I really, really like it. When I was a child, my parents abandoned me. But it was okay—the church gave us aid, and there were many kids like me, and we all lived healthy lives.
“In the orphanage, Granny Aisha often told us stories. We’d all gather around the fireplace, eating her baked cookies. I loved all the witches, knights, and mages in those stories.”
“But I hated the priests back then, because Granny Aisha was a strict nun. I was naughty and never took her rules seriously.”
At this point, Vita’s face was especially gentle, while El played the part of a perfect listener.
“But one day, Granny Aisha fell ill. Everyone was worried, and I was sad too. The priest said the goddess had seen Granny Aisha and was going to take her to heaven.”
“Hmph, at that time, I thought: if the goddess could take people to heaven, why didn’t she save Granny Aisha? The goddess was awful. But then I thought, if I could learn magic and become a Swordswoman, I could make a Golden Apple for Granny Aisha to eat, and then she’d get better.”
“Later, I realized the priest was right. Granny Aisha wasn’t sick—her time was simply up, and the goddess had truly taken her to heaven.”
“But I still wanted to learn magic. Maybe it was because of Granny Aisha’s stories, or maybe… who knows? Anyway, I studied day and night and worked so hard to get into the Royal Academy’s Magic Department, just so I could be a mage.”
“But fate played a joke on me. My talent for magic turned out average, but my skills in swordsmanship were extraordinary. I know being a knight is cool, but… but it’s as if everything I did before means nothing now.”
Vita’s mood turned gloomy; her once-clear eyes now seemed clouded.
El recalled that in the original story, Vita chose to transfer to the Knight Department because of the bullying by “Evil El” and others in the Magic Department.
In comparison, the atmosphere in the Knight Department was better, and, coupled with Vita’s talent, that was why she transferred.
But in reality, Vita was doing well. Though her magical aptitude was average, she was willing to work hard, and learning magic made her much happier than swordsmanship.
She had no real reason to transfer to the Knight Department, because she was satisfied with her life.
Sure, if she chose swordsmanship, she’d become incredibly strong and gain a status above most people.
But Vita didn’t need that. She was simple and pure; if she didn’t like something, she simply wouldn’t do it.
Unless someone disrupted her life, she would only pursue something else until she was able to live as she wished.
El looked at the beautiful girl beside him, and he could see so clearly Vita’s love for magic. He never intended to drag her into this whirlpool, so he decided to support her choice.
“I understand, Vita. I’ll support whatever decision you make—even if you decide not to transfer. If you ever have trouble with your magic studies, then…”
“But, Senior El, I still want to learn swordsmanship.”
Vita lifted her head, her gaze burning brightly at El.
“I think… I’ve already found my Golden Apple. What I truly want might not be magic after all.
“I want to become Senior El’s sword, to help you cut down the dangers ahead. As for my hopes in magic—I’ll leave those for you to fulfill, Senior El.”
Well done, Vita, you finally said it.
El felt a little flustered. Things had changed so quickly—weren’t they just talking about learning magic? And “becoming my sword”—wasn’t that a bit too heavy?
“Ah, wait, Vita. You don’t have to ‘become my sword.’ You should do it for your own will…”
“Senior El means you’re unwilling to bear my ‘magic’? Well, I already knew—someone like me…”
“Wait, wait. I understand, Vita. If your magical talent isn’t enough, then I’ll make up for it. As for…”
“I want to become Senior El’s sword.”
Vita added firmly.
El gave in after all.
Vita stretched out her fair little hand. “Then, I’ll be in your care from now on, Senior El.”
He took Vita’s hand—smooth and cool to the touch. The two of them had formally confirmed their bond.
As expected, Senior El really is the best, Vita thought sweetly to herself.