Today was a good day.
People were cheering. There were bouts of uproarious laughter. Feasts were prepared and wine was unveiled. The cause for this celebration must have been great.
And great it was. The civil war that had plagued Vollachia for many hellish months has finally come to an end. With the emperor back in power, there was no need for fighting or war. So everyone was happy, and things returned back to peace. And even better, Priscilla seemed happy too! With a confident smile and prideful stride, Priscilla took her victory with earnest. She had been a vital ally in the emperor's ploy to regain power, as was a certain raven-haired boy and his friends. All seeming to celebrate their victory.
Despite the happy sight, this only made Schult feel worse about himself. In truth, he wanted to do more for their cause. He knew he wasn't strong, so he barely fought. Instead, Al and Priscilla take the charge. But that only made the boy curse himself for being so weak. He saw how everyone else fought and how cool they looked. He wished he could have done something to help them.
Because of his insecurity, Schult left the celebration, not feeling as though he belonged there. He hadn't done anything to deserve to participate in his mind. He didn't fight against any Divine Generals. He didn't raid any Imperial Camps. He didn't defeat any traitors or save any allies. All he did was just…be there. In the background. Not unlike that raven-haired man who practically saved the nation.
So he walked. He walked away from everyone. The pink-haired boy trudged through the Vollachian forests, staring down at the ground.
Eventually, he found a nice tree stump to sit on, and sat down with a thoughtful expression. He gave a heavy sigh, lamenting his weaknesses. If only he could be strong like Priscilla and Al. Then he would have no problem joining the celebration like everyone else!
The boy's thoughts were interrupted when he heard a faint sound in the distance. It was coming from in front of him, and it sounded like…crying? Worried, Schult stood up unexpectedly and hurried deeper into the woods. After walking a bit more, he saw a figure hunched over with her face buried in her knees. But it wasn't just any random person, this was someone Schult recognized.
A pang of fear struck the boy's heart. He froze instantly as his teeth began to chatter and his legs trembled. What he saw was a young girl with light cyan hair and two horns on her head. The girl in question was a Divine General, one who came very close to almost killing Schult. But by luck, he somehow survived. She had been on the enemy's team, serving one of the corrupt nobles. However, now she was defeated. Sulking in her failure.
A part of Schult felt glad to see her wallowing in her misery. She did almost kill him after all, so seeing her in such a pathetic state gave a sense of satisfaction to the boy. But on the other hand, he also couldn't help but feel pity for her. Priscilla had said that Schult's sympathy was both a blessing and a curse. He was confused as to what she meant, but now he thinks he understands. It meant that Schult would always try to reach his hand out to others, even those that would attempt to hurt him.
Steeling his nerves and sucking in a brave breath, Schult took a step forward. That step coincidentally collided with a small twig, which snapped under the pressure. The dragonkin Madelyn was alerted to this and drew her weapon, but after seeing it was just Schult, she lowered her defenses.
"Oh," she said, voice hoarse. She must have been crying for a while. "It's you." Her voice spat at Schult with vitriol and hatred. Rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve, she turned her back to him. "What do you want?"
Pouting, Madelyn sat back down, trying to put on a brave face. Schult hesitantly took another step forward, tapping his index fingers together. "I uh…I saw that…you were crying."
Madelyn snarled as she picked up her weapon, before aiming it right at Schult's neck. "I wasn't!" she shouted. "I was not crying! The dragon does not cry!" she said, almost trying to convince herself. Schult raised his hands up in the air, head pulled back. He gulped nervously, knowing that one wrong move could mean it would be his last.
A few tense seconds later, Madelyn exclaimed in frustration before turning her weapon around and throwing it at a tree. The weapon effortlessly cleaved through the thick wood, causing the tree to slowly creak and break before falling to the ground in a loud crash.
Schult stood amazed, while Madelyn went back to sulking. "Admit it," she grumbled. "You came to gloat, didn't you?"
Schult was baffled by the accusation. "W-What?! No! I would never do such a thing, indeed!" he promised. "I…I was just going for a walk."
"Tch!" Madelyn sneered. "Shouldn't you be off celebrating with the others? Go on ahead. You earned it. Your side won after all."
"That—That is true, but…" Schult gulped again, choosing his words carefully. "I don't think I have…earned the right to attend something like that, oh no, indeed."
Even though that was meant to cheer Madelyn up, it only seemed to make her angrier. The dragon girl stood up in a fury before grabbing onto Schult's collar. "What do you mean by that!?" Madelyn shouted at him. She began to shake the poor boy back and forth. "Winners are supposed to bathe in their victory! While the losers bask in shame! If you do not believe you have 'earned' your victory, then you are no warrior at all! You are just a weak coward! You hear me?! Coward coward coward!"
Throwing Schult to the ground, Madelyn grit her teeth in fury. "I lost. I brought shame to my kin. I brought shame to the dragon. Even though you are a filthy coward, you are still deserving of more respect," she said begrudgingly. "Because there's nothing lower than a loser."
Schult's lips pulled into a fine line. "Y-You're not a loser—"
"Yes. I. Am!" Madelyn had to punch a tree to rid herself of her anger. "Anyone who fails their objective, anyone who loses a battle, anyone who doesn't complete a mission, is a loser! And I am a loser!" After having her tantrum, the girl collapsed onto the ground as bitter tears began to form in her eyes. "Now no one will respect me."
Schult was in disbelief. He knew that the victor mentality was strong in Vollachia, but he had no idea it was like this. How a soldier would become so disheartened after a failure, that they would behave like this. He felt sorry for the dragonkin. She must probably equate her own self-worth with how successful she is as a Divine General. And she is not taking her recent loss lightly.
"Well, I respect you," Schult said innocently. Madelyn only scoffed at him.
"Tch! Big deal," she sneered. "One person, a coward no less."
"That's not all," Schult said. "The emperor, Vincent Vollachia, he respects you."
"As if," Madelyn said. "Why would a victor ever respect their loser?"
"But it's true!" Schult yelled. "I heard it, oh yes, indeed! The emperor still wants you to be a Divine General. He believes you to be a valuable asset, oh yes, indeed!"
Madelyn perked up after hearing that. "R-Really?" she asked. "H-He really said that?"
Schult nodded with a bright smile. "Yes! It's true! And that's not all. Priscilla-sama, she says you were a tough opponent, indeed! She applauds your fighting style and says you were rather strong for your age. And another girl, the one with shiny silver hair! She said, 'That girl was sooo strong! She must be a really hard worker!' Don't you see? Lots of people still respect you!"
Madelyn pondered Schult's words for a bit. "Well…they may respect me, but it's not like I can ever face them. They probably hate me…"
"Nonsense!" Schult interrupted. "I'd say they actually want to meet you! The war is over, there is no need for fighting. We can leave our previous fights and disagreements in the past."
"But…I literally almost killed you," Madelyn pointed out. "Don't you want to get your revenge? Don't you want to see me suffer?"
"Why would I?" Schult blinked. "That wouldn't solve anything. It would only cause more hurt and pain. And…" Schult thought back to his earlier days. Filled with famine, disease, and death. "I don't want to see anymore of that."
Madelyn was silent for a few moments. Her amber eyes showed that she was thinking deeply. "You…" she pointed. "What is your name?"
"Schult!" he said enthusiastically. "Just Schult."
"I see…" Madelyn furrowed her brows in thought again. "I am Madelyn Eschart. The ninth Divine General."
"Actually…I think you may move up a spot…" Schult chuckled nervously.
"Huh? Oh yeah." That old man who was the third Divine General died during the war. Not to mention Chisha Gold's imprisonment. So a couple spots were left open. "I guess that means Kafma will finally get his wish…"
"Hm? What was that?" Schult cupped his ear.
"Oh. Nothing." Madelyn shook her head. "Anyways, I appreciate your conversation, Schult. I apologize for almost killing you."
Schult gave a nervous laugh. "Ehehe, no problem. I hope we can become friends!"
"F-Friends?" Madelyn sounded out the word, as if she's never heard it before. "Why would you want to be my friend?"
"Umm…so you have someone to talk to? Do you not want to be friends?" Schult asked sadly.
"W-Well, I suppose you could be worthy of being a companion of a dragon. But I'll have to think about it," Madelyn huffed. "You'll have to prove your worth as well."
Schult excitedly pumped his fists. "Right! I'll prove that I can be a great friend, indeed! And a great warrior!"
"Perhaps I can train you. A dragon is much stronger than a normal human after all. With my help, you'd surpass all your peers in no time," she said smugly.
"Really? You'd do that?!" Schult's red eyes widened in joy. "Thank you!"
"It is not a guarantee!" Madelyn immediately followed after. "Just…a possibility."
Schult was a bit disappointed at first, but eventually gave an understanding nod. "Very well then. Why don't we go back, then?" Schult suggested. "I'm sure Vincent-sama and Priscilla-sama would like to talk with you."
Although Madelyn was a bit frightened at first, worried she'd be met with scorn and disgust by everyone there, she at the very least knew that this peculiar boy would think otherwise.
"Very well then!" she shouted, before she began to march forward. "I will give you special permission to accompany the dragon to her destination."
Schult followed the dragonkin girl and joined her in marching. Excited to share with everyone that he's gained a new friend.
Today was a good day.
