The carriage rumbled and creaked, the gravel road taking its toll on the wheels. These roads didn't see much use, and little to no effort was made to maintain them. In fact, the horses pulling this carriage were the first ones to cross the path in several months, and even their slow, unbothered pace was a bit too fast to avoid turbulence.

The passengers inside were, apparently, not bothered by this. While it wasn't pleasant, and they would certainly prefer a more calm trip, the truth is it had been their unanimous decision to come to this isolated village, and so none of them felt that they had the right to voice their complaints out loud.

With that said, it really is nerve-wracking… Noel sighed, changing her sitting position for the third time in the last five minutes.

Shirogane Noel, captain of the Shirogane Knights. That is how she was to be introduced officially to the village chief as soon as they arrived, but she couldn't help but feel that was a bit too serious.

I wish I could have left the formalities in the capital… I hope they won't be afraid to talk to me.

The knight's wish was not ill-founded. Her status as a knight captain already put her in a difficult social position, above peasants and other knights but below all of nobility. Added on top of that, while women knights and even commanders were not unheard of, the fact she had managed to maintain her womanly looks while strengthening her body made her the object of jealous stares, and both men and women usually kept their distance. As such, Noel's life up until that point had contained very few social relationships outside of her job as a knight.

Another sigh escaped her lips.

"Is everything alright, Lady Shirogane? We should be arriving momentarily." a muffled voice made its way into Noel's ears.

"Yes, do not worry."

Sitting in the carriage with Noel were four other knights, fully clad in white armor in such a way that even their genders would not be clear to an average passerby. These were the elite Shirogane Knights, whose skill with a sword was only inferior to that of Noel. They were also the closest thing Noel had to friends, and although they still treated her as a superior and functioned almost as personal guards, she knew she could count on them whenever she needed something to be done or simply someone to lend an ear to her worries. They were also the only ones that chose to accompany her to the secluded town that was their destination, even while knowing they would be giving up on not only many of the luxuries they were accustomed to in the capital, but also their chances of getting promoted to a higher rank in the future.

I honestly can't thank them enough. Those were Noel's honest feelings towards her knights. She hadn't expected anyone to follow her when what she was doing was paramount to running away. In the first place, she hadn't even expected the higher ups to approve of her strange, selfish request to become the guard at such a remote town. Someone of her skill could easily have become the personal knight of a highly socially positioned noble, or even recruit more knights to her order and accumulate power and money, and yet she had asked for a position usually given to soldiers who are being punished for misdeeds. She suspected that if it hadn't been for the impeccable record she had kept through all her career, her wish would not have been granted. The capital didn't like to waste talent, after all.

"We have arrived, Lady Shirogane. I shall head on first and warn the village head."

The voice of one of her knights pulled Noel out of her thoughts. Arranging her light armor, she slowly stepped off the carriage, her eyes blinking in order to adjust to the sudden bright light. In front of her was the village that was to become her post for a long time.

It really is small, huh. she thought.

Having lived in the capital her whole life, Noel had grown accustomed to houses many stories tall and so many buildings one couldn't count them all. She had previously gone to villages on missions as part of her duties as a knight of course, but this one was probably the tiniest she had ever seen in person.

"You can almost see it all from here." she mumbled to herself.

Indeed, despite having stopped close to the entrance, Noel could see the village in almost its entirety. A fair amount of wooden houses, some rock-made ones, possibly inns or stores, camps made for agriculture running along a river, and little else. After that it was just forest, and Noel knew that it extended for hours and hours until it stopped short of the next kingdom. She could see a few human figures in the camps, and some others walking around to and from them. It was the definition of a rural village.

Can I really live here… No, I shouldn't think like that. This was my decision, and I'm already running away. If I turn away from this too, I'll really have nowhere to go.

After a series of incidents, which made her reflect on her position as knight and on the decisions that had led her life to that point, Noel had decided she needed to escape from it all. Even now thinking about that bothered her, and she averted her mind from those thoughts as she saw her knight return, accompanied by an elderly man dressed in simple attire. His hair was gray, and his wrinkled skin showed his old age.

"Lady Shirogane. I have brought the village chief."

"Greetings. I am most pleased to make your acquaintance, Knight Captain Shirogane. I am the elder of this town, also acting as its chief. We have been informed of your arrival and have prepared lodgings for you and your knights. Humble as they may be, we sincerely hope you like, er, are pleased with them." The man spoke carefully, bowing in a clumsy way.

He's not used to polite speech. Noel giggled to herself.

"Please raise your head. I am most obliged. Although you seem to know my name, please allow me to introduce myself personally. I am Shirogane Noel, captain of the Shirogane Knights. Accompanying me are the best of these knights, and we have come here with the mission of protecting this village. Rest assured that no threat will fall to this place or its people while we are here." Noel proudly held her fist to her chest and recited the speech she had prepared beforehand.

"Once again, pleased to meet you. We are most fortunate to have you here as our guards. If you would like, I can show you to your accommodations right now. I am sure you must be tired from your long trip."

That would be the standard procedure. Guards only really had to stand on guard at the entrance during parts of the day, and while they could be called to solve problems inside the village, more often than not the villagers chose to solve their quarrels between themselves. Noel was aware of this, but she also wished for things to be different. Developing a good relationship with the villagers was one of the goals she had decided for herself when she decided to come here, after all.

"Actually, could you please show us around the village first? We would like to get more acquainted with it before we officially start our duties here." the knight stated.

The village head was surprised at first, but agreed with a smile. Despite having only known him for a few minutes, Noel already had a positive picture of the man; he seemed like a simple, reliable and trustful person. This impression was only solidified as he showed them around the village, presenting its scarce buildings. Every villager they came across greeted him with waves and smiles, and some even called out to him, as if they had something to say. However, grins and words all died as soon as the villagers noticed the knights, and were quickly replaced with frowns and looks of fearful curiosity. Some young adults even did a half-hearted bow, likely afraid of disrespecting a knight from the capital but unsure of how to proceed.

She couldn't blame them. All of knights were carrying weapons, and Noel aside, the other four knights were in full armor. It must have been intimidating for peasants, some of which had likely never seen a soldier in their lives.

They could at least take off the helmets… I will never understand how they don't die of heat.

In any case, that followed more or less her expectations. In any village, and even more so in one as small as this, the villagers were distrustful of outsiders, and especially ones from the capital. After all, most village's connection with the center of the kingdom would be the knights who protected it or the tax collectors, both of which tended to not have very pleasant personalities. From what Noel knew, this village hadn't had any guards for years due to the kingdom not wanting to spare resources to such a remote location, which surely added to their xenophobia.

"And that is mostly it. All that's left is to show you your alodgements." The village elder stopped, hesitating for a moment. "I apologize for having them be so far from the main entrance, but these were the only houses we had available… I hope this does not bother you."

The houses that were reserved for Noel and the knights were typical rural houses, just slightly bigger and sturdier-looking than the average villagers' home. They were located almost on the opposite end of the place where they were supposed to be standing guard during the day, which definitely made it a bit of a nuisance. However, Noel smiled to herself upon seeing this. Their houses were close to the fields made for agriculture, which meant she likely would pass through various villagers on the way to her post everyday. She had hope that, even if only slightly, seeing her everyday would lower the villagers' guards, who would eventually come to accept and trust her. This was, of course, overly positive thinking and she was aware of that, but Noel had always been an optimist.

"No, there is no problem. Thank you very much for abiding by my request. We shall retire for today and start our duties tomorrow."

And so, Noel's new beginning started.

As expected, days were uneventful, and the villagers mostly ignored her and the Shirogane Knights. Despite that, Noel wasn't discouraged and worked hard both to protect the village and to earn the trust of the villagers. She volunteered to do any necessary heavy labour, despite that not being strictly part of her duties. When a middle-aged woman passed out due to overworking in the heat, Noel happened to be close by and carried her to her home, even going as far as to assign a knight to take care of her for the rest of the day. The turning point in most villagers' opinions was likely when Noel found two children who had gone too far while playing and gotten lost in the forest. Various village members had been looking for them for hours to no avail when Noel came back carrying both of the little ones in her arms. The parent's tears as they repeatedly thanked Noel moved even the more obstinate inhabitants, who stopped turning the other face when they sighted the knight captain. Soon, she started being greeted every time she passed through someone, and some even went as far as asking her for favors. Although most still maintained a fair distance and it couldn't be said that she made any friends, Noel was happy with her situation.

And on a certain morning, a couple months after the knights first arrived…

Noel had woken up earlier than usual. It was getting to be winter, and she wasn't used to how cold it got in the village.

I have to ask the village chief if they have blankets they can spare… No, I guess that might look pretty bad for a supposed knight…

Noel yawned, groggily stretching. Not having much to do and not wanting to go back to sleep this close to morning, she decided to take a walk around the village. The sun had yet to fully rise, and the village was bathed in an almost melancholic twilight.

It's beautiful…

As Noel walked, she admired the silent village. There was a strange, almost alien beauty in seeing it at this time of the day. The normally busy villagers were all resting in their homes. The tavern, usually filled with idle chatter at the beginning and end of the day, was similarly empty, its doors not having opened yet. It was peaceful, she thought.

Not that it normally isn't… But this is still different from the usual. It sure is a sight I wouldn't see in the capital. The city where Noel had lived her entire life was large and populated enough that the bustling never really stopped. Even in the darkest hours of the night, you could still hear the occasional carriage passing by, or some drunkard hiccuping his way back home. Here, however…

There's almost no sound at all. I can even hear the river flowing.

A small river exited the forest and flowed parallel to the village and its fields, disappearing into the trees once again shortly after. The calm waters made it so one would not notice its sounds naturally, but the morning was just silent enough for the knight to hear them. In this relaxing environment, Noel closed her eyes and allowed herself to get lost in her thoughts for a moment.

It really is pleasant here. I had doubts at first, but I'm glad everything ended up working out. Everyone was nice and accepting as soon as they saw me as a person like them instead of another knight from the big town. Though I know they still have some reservations towards the knights. Well, that's partially their fault as well… They really should make an effort to speak more. It's much nicer to be greeted with warm smiles everyday.

Noel looked upwards at the dawn sky, reflecting on her life in this middle-of-nowhere village.

With that said, the bonds the villagers have between them really cannot be taken lightly. Even though they have accepted me as a knight, I have a feeling they still would rather rely on each other's strength than on mine. Maybe I can't really be considered a member of the village quite yet…

Noel was momentarily saddened by these thoughts, before bringing her hands to her cheeks and lightly slapping them.

No, I won't think like that. I must continue to work hard to gain their trust, just as I've been doing.

Looking at the horizon, she noticed how the sky seemed to be getting brighter.

I guess I should be heading back no- hm?

Out of the corner of her eye, Noel spotted something moving.

It's still too early to be starting the day… Was someone else unable to sleep?

Her curiosity piqued, she silently walked to where she thought she had seen movement. Noel turned a corner, but all it led to was more houses, all of them equally silent and dark.

I guess it was just a stray cat?

As she was about to leave, she noticed it. A hooded individual was at the entrance of one of the houses. They were holding some kind of bag in their hand, its contents hidden from Noel's view.

Who is this? They look suspicious.

At this distance, Noel couldn't make any guesses about the identity of the person, so she slowly approached them. Despite the robe covering most of their features, Noel guessed the figure belonged to a woman, or maybe a child.

And then it happened. Maybe Noel had accidentally made some noise, or perhaps they were simply checking the street before they got in. Whatever it was, the stranger's head turned and their eyes met. It was only for a moment, but Noel was able to catch a glimpse of their ruby-colored eyes, reflecting the emerging sun.

Pretty… She thought to herself, almost unconsciously. After a moment that seemed to last minutes, the figure entered her house and closed the door, putting the knight out of her trance.

Who was that? I don't think I've ever seen them around… I'm not familiar with the face of everyone here, but I would definitely remember such unique eyes. Noel pondered.

Identity aside, they can't have been from outside the village since they entered a house from the front door… Which means that they either wanted to take a walk before sunrise, or went to do something that can't be done during daylight.

Noel felt a bit uneasy at the situation. She thought about knocking on the door. However, while she technically had the authority to do that, if it got out she had questioned an innocent resident during early morning the people might go back to distrusting her. Worse, if this person really was doing something wrong, knowing that the village knight was onto it might make them more careful.

For now, I guess I'll ask the village chief if he knows something about a red-eyed villager, and I'll come here a bit earlier tomorrow and check if I see them again. The knights stand out too much, so I won't involve them in this.

Decisions made, Noel started heading back. However, the ruby-colored eyes of the enigmatic stranger did not leave her mind as she walked through the village's dirt streets.

As soon as she got inside, the girl dropped the bag she had been carrying, the freshly-picked mushrooms and assorted berries spilling onto the ground.

What was she doing here?!

Putting a hand over her racing heart, the half-elf who went by the name of Flare attempted to calm herself down. A small black and white figure came out of her robe.

"Oh, Kintsuba. Sorry, I just wasn't expecting that. Why was the knight here…"

She had been going to the forest to forage for food every other day early in the morning for the past month. Winter approached fast, and she didn't want to simply rely on the other villagers' kindness to pass through it. She was exceedingly careful, making sure to move quickly and concealing her identity with a robe and hoodie. She even took her fairy companion with her, in case something happened and she had to resort to using magic. The only real danger were the knights that had recently moved in, and they should be sleeping by the time she went out, but Flare took no risks. Her life in the village was in jeopardy if she was found out, after all.

But she had been careless. She didn't expect one of them, especially not the captain, to be right at her door.

No matter how much the others praise her now, I just can't bring myself to trust a knight from the capital. Our eyes met for a moment, but at least I don't think she saw my face clearly. Flare took a deep breath and hugged the panda-like fairy that had been her familiar for as long as she remembered.

"We'll have to be more careful from now on, Kintsuba. We can't be captured after all this time."

The fairy's slit eyes simply stared back at her.