Interlude: Cecily – Part 02
“Weapon choice is up to each individual,” Hannibal continued. “There are no restrictions on what you bring. Pick the one you’re best with. The mock battle will be tomorrow morning, outside the second main gate.” He flashed a grin. “Although it’s just a mock battle, I’m sure it’ll be a flashy one. Again, make sure you’re properly equipped if you don’t want to get hurt. That’s all. Dismissed!”
The knights began to scatter, some heading off to their patrols, others using their free time to practice on their own, and a few chatting with each other about the battle the next day.
Meanwhile, Cecily stood still, arms crossed, her mind turning over the challenge.
No Infernal Blade, huh?
Without Aria, she’d have to find something from the Campbell family’s storage. Her recent fighting style relied so heavily on the rapier, focusing on thrusting attacks. Would there even be any thrusting weapons there? She vaguely remembered seeing some spears, but using something that long might be seen as unfair.
I haven’t trained much with slashing weapons.
“Cecily, Cecily.” Aria tugged on her sleeve and pointed. “I think someone wants to talk to you.”
Cecily turned to follow Aria’s finger, and there, standing nearby, was one of the senior knights, Reginald Drummond. For some reason, he was glaring at her, looking very displeased.
“Reginald, is there something you need from me?” Cecily asked.
“Do you want to become vice-captain?”
Cecily blinked, surprised by the sudden question, but quickly realized what he meant. She’d completely forgotten about that.
Do I?
Did she really want to become vice-captain of the Third District Knight Guard?
There were some knights who fought tooth and nail for that position, but Cecily? Honestly, the idea didn’t excite her. It was a position of honor and responsibility, and it seemed like fulfilling work, but… it just didn’t feel right. Judging it solely by how fulfilling it was might not be the best approach either.
While she considered how to respond, her gaze drifted to the other knights still milling around the hall. The mock battle tomorrow was likely going to be a contest between them. Cecily wasn’t particularly drawn to the vice-captain position, but she was definitely looking forward to the competition.
I want to test my skills.
The memory of her defeat at the hands of Hilda Cavendish, an assassin from the Crowd Powers, still stung. She hadn’t forgotten the humiliation she felt at that moment.
This would be her chance to see how far Cecily Campbell could go on her own without Aria. Maybe this was a good opportunity after all.
“I haven’t really given much thought to the vice-captain position,” Cecily finally answered. “But since it’s come up, I plan to give it my all. I want to see how far I can go.”
“Then, could you withdraw?”
Cecily froze, speechless. Aria raised an eyebrow.
“This mock battle is for choosing the vice-captain. That’s why everyone’s fired up,” Reginald said, narrowing his eyes. “If you’re not interested in the position, then frankly, you’re just a distraction. Don’t bother participating.”
With that, he turned on his heel and walked away without another word.
Aria stuck her tongue out at him. “Still a jerk, I see!”
Reginald had always been provocative toward Cecily. She could never quite figure out why he had such a bone to pick with her, but he always seemed to find ways to throw little jabs her way. Even though he was a senior knight, Cecily didn’t have the best opinion of him.
Still fuming, Aria grumbled under her breath. “Why does he always have to be so snide? He even told me not to use you!”
Cecily, in contrast, tilted her head thoughtfully. “Is it really snide, though?”
She wasn’t sure. Rather than being snide, he might actually be serious about the mock battle tomorrow. She had a feeling that was the case.
After the meeting, Cecily and Aria headed out for their daily patrol in the city.
The Independent Trade City, known for its free trade, saw a constant flow of traffic from all over. And more people meant more crimes. As such, it was almost a given that they’d run into some kind of commotion during their patrols.
That day, they broke up a fight between mercenaries at a diner and caught a pickpocket at the shopping street. The former they broke up—with punishment—on the spot. The pickpocket tried to make a run for it, but thanks to her Infernal Blade, Cecily was able to catch them with ease.
The government office had holding cells for situations like this. After returning to the office, Cecily and Aria handed over the pickpocket to the guards and submitted the required report. Unless another task was assigned, their work for the day was over.
As they returned to the hallway, Aria kept glancing around restlessly. “He’s not here, is he?”
“Who? Ewen? You don’t have to be so cautious.”
“I just don’t want to see him,” Aria said.
Along the hallway, they bumped into their colleague, Patty Baldwin.
“Oh, Cecily, Aria!” Patty exclaimed, hurrying over. “I heard about the mock battle for the vice-captain position.”
“I think it’s more than just that.”
Like Cecily, Patty was a civil servant, though she was assigned to non-combat roles, like clerical work and healing duties. A chestnut-haired woman with neat features and thick glasses. Even though she was five years older than Cecily, she always spoke in a friendly, informal way.
“Are you sure you’ll be all okay?” Patty asked, a hand resting thoughtfully on her cheek. “You can’t use Aria, right?”
“Yeah, but I think it’ll be a good test for me, so I’m kind of looking forward to it,” Cecily answered.
“That’s not something a girl should say,” Patty sighed. “That’s so you, though. Either way, you can’t just treat this like a simple test. If you do, you’ll get hurt. You might even get killed. I’m really worried.”
“I appreciate the concern, but could you have a little more faith in my ability?” Cecily’s tone carried a hint of frustration. “Even without Aria, I’ve been training hard. I won’t fall behind the others.”
She tried to sound confident, but Patty didn’t seem reassured. Instead she frowned.
“I think you’re getting the wrong idea.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Cecily asked.
“Do you have any work left after this?”
“Not really, no.”
Patty immediately took her hand. “Then we’re going.”
“Going where?”
“To your place, of course. The mock battle lets you choose your own equipment, right? We’re going to carefully pick out what you’re bringing,” she said firmly.
Cecily and Aria exchanged a glance.
Apparently, Patty had already wrapped up most of her regular duties. Within moments, they were leaving the government office, heading straight for the Campbell residence. Patty greeted Cecily’s mother, Lucy Campbell, and the housekeeper, Fio Atkins, before promptly leading them to the storage room.
The storage room was where the Campbell family kept its collection of weapons, armor, and antiques. When Patty flicked on the jewel-steel light mounted on the ceiling, it illuminated old swords, bows and arrows, spears, rusted full suits of armor, and other relics of the family’s history.
“Ugh, there’s dust collecting already. Are you even taking care of this stuff?” Patty remarked.
After the major cleaning session with Charlotte Firobisher and her attendants, the storage hadn’t been touched much. Patty gave a small frown at the lack of upkeep, then rolled up her sleeves and began digging through the piles of equipment.
Cecily and Aria exchanged confused glances. For some reason, they both felt hesitant about their overly enthusiastic colleague.
“Wh-Why are you doing this, Patty?”
“Cecily, you’ve got the wrong idea,” Patty said without turning around.
“Wrong idea about what?”
“You’re not fighting the other members of the Guard.”
“Huh?”
Not the other members? That caught Cecily completely off guard. But then she thought back to the captain’s announcement.
I don’t think he talked about it.
Cecily remembered. Hannibal had clearly mentioned the time and place, but he didn’t specify the format of the mock battle.
Which meant…
“Who am I supposed to fight, then?”
“Don’t you get it by now?” Patty said, sounding genuinely exasperated. “Use your head a little. Keep that up, and you’ll get taken out in no time. Aria, you’ve figured it out, haven’t you?”
Aria gave a small nod. Her face was pale, and it wasn’t just from the dim lighting in the storage room.
“Think about what Captain Quasar would do.”
“What the Captain would do…”
What exactly would Hannibal Quasar be planning? And then it hit her.
“No way.”
“That’s exactly it.” Patty nodded. “Frankly, I can’t imagine that battle maniac sitting quietly and watching from the sidelines.”
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