Arthur sent him flying through the air, Captain Callum scored a hit within five seconds of their battle beginning, Vice Captain Eric knocked his sword out of his hands and shoved him to the ground, and Captain Alan kicked him right off his feet. Yet each time, Cedric panted out, “Please do that one more time!” Frankly, it was a little bit frightening. Still, the more they battled, the more Cedric learned to predict the knights’ attacks and evade them, so at least it wasn’t the thrill of defeat motivating him to continue.
The more talented a person is, the scarier they are.
The knights probably felt guilty for beating up on the royal prince of Cercis, so Captain Alan instructed Cedric how to attack in midair, Captain Callum taught him chokeholds—both how to use them against a stronger opponent and how to avoid them himself—and Vice Captain Eric demonstrated how to make the most of subtle moves and weak points that could knock an enemy unconscious.
It’s great that the captains and vice captain are so thoughtful, but still!
After the sparring matches were over and Cedric changed back into his normal clothes, he went straight to Mother and received permission to observe this morning’s training sessions at the royal order along with the kings of Hanazuo. It was so like the man who’d come to Freesia all on his own to negotiate an alliance; he took the initiative in everything. He would certainly acquire even more skills by watching the knights fight each other.
“I’m looking forward to the next session!” Captain Alan said. As someone who also knew about Cedric being “God’s Child,” he probably expected the prince to show up with new moves in his arsenal. “He’s been getting harder and harder to beat! I wonder if he could already beat a rookie knight!”
“Alan, this is the royal prince of Cercis you’re sparring with. Don’t forget that.”
Yesterday, Captain Alan had swiped Cedric’s feet out from under him and kicked him in midair before he hit the floor. It was a bold move, but Captain Callum had cut in to remind him who he was smacking around.
“I know that,” Captain Alan replied, and then something struck him. “But…we should probably refuse if he wants to spar tomorrow morning.” He scratched his head, smile faltering.
Captain Callum tapped his lips in thought, gaze focused on the ground. “You’re right,” he said seriously.
“We have a captains’ meeting tomorrow morning…so Harrison will be taking over our shift.”
Tiara and I exchanged glances. Oh no…
Captain Harrison used to be Arthur’s superior officer, but now he worked underneath him as the vice captain. Arthur’s promotion meant that only one of my imperial knights ranked lower than a captain.
Until recently, three other knights had accompanied Vice Captain Eric for his shifts while the captains were busy with their meetings, but we’d finally reached the point where I needed a new imperial knight to cover the gap. Stale insisted the imperial knights’ shift schedule remain consistent while they protected me as much as possible, and as a result, Vice Captain Harrison had been assigned to take over whenever the others were absent. He was going to guard me during captains’ meetings and when the others had the day off, so I would always have two imperial knights at my side.
When we first determined we needed another imperial knight, Arthur was the first to suggest Vice Captain Harrison. I agreed, as I knew the vice captain was extremely strong. According to Stale, Vice Captain Harrison idolized me, so he trusted Arthur’s recommendation and the vice captain’s ability to keep me safe. Vice Captain Eric supported the choice too, although he tensed when he realized that meant pairing up with Vice Captain Harrison during every single captains’ meeting. Evidently, he found him as frightening as most others did.
I’d asked Captain Alan and Captain Callum for their opinions when they arrived for their shift after that. They mostly agreed with Stale; their only hang-up was whether Vice Captain Harrison would accept the job. They said that his past misdeeds, the ones that had prevented him from joining the main forces, still burdened him, and that he believed he had nothing to offer except his combat prowess. Though he’d surely accept the job if it came as an order from Commander Roderick or Vice Commander Clark, Stale didn’t want Vice Captain Harrison taking on the role unless he genuinely wanted it.
In the end, they went with Captain Alan’s suggestion: “He’ll definitely agree if Arthur asks him, won’t he?”
Vice Captain Harrison adored Arthur, so we left him in charge of scouting my fifth imperial knight. He got Vice Captain Harrison’s approval by the very next morning. Not that it came as a surprise.
Arthur told me the vice captain was taken aback at first, but he readily agreed once he heard the full explanation. He even burst into laughter by the end, though I felt that had to be the effect Arthur had on him and nothing to do with the job.
When I next met with the vice captain, he eagerly informed me he was ready to put his life on the line for my safety. Of course, as soon as those words left his mouth, he broke eye contact and said no more than the bare minimum, as usual.
Unfortunately, I doubted he “idolized” me as Stale claimed. He scarcely said a word even while on duty with his beloved Arthur. I was starting to fear he actually hated the job and only accepted because Arthur asked.
“I think Harrison will go easy on Prince Cedric if we order it,” Captain Callum was saying, “but if His Highness asks him not to hold back, like he did with us, then Harrison will take it literally and try to kill the guy.”
Captain Alan nodded his agreement. In Vice Captain Harrison’s case, “holding back” meant anything short of killing his opponent. I shivered. Vice Captain Harrison had wiped out every last foe trying to break through the southern Chinensian border during the war. Captain Alan and Captain Callum’s stories painted a vivid and terrifying picture of Vice Captain Harrison in battle.
I was starting to get pretty scared. I just hoped Cedric would spend the next day in the library, enjoying an entirely peaceful time with his books.