[Legend of Lineage] Episode 1: The Mud-Stained Knight and the Girl of Violet Lightning (Chapter 1)

Chapter 1: The End of Daily Life and the "Fabricated" Chivalry

Episode 1: The Mud-Stained Knight and the Girl of Violet Lightning

[Character and Terminology Guide]

For first-time readers or those who wish to review the overview, please see the [Introduction] below.

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1. The Grumpy Girl

A melody carried on the wind can be heard from afar. I don't know where it's flowing from or who is playing it. But the sunset of Windamere, dyed in golden hues, was beautiful and peaceful again today.

Amidst that beauty, a girl was walking with a grumpy gait.

"What is it with everyone? 'Because you're a woman'—they judge me without even looking at anything."

Elise said, as if spitting out the words. The humiliation of being turned away from the knight order's investigation team selection in the royal capital of Azelroad earlier was still smoldering deep in her chest. Searching for a target for her anger at not having her documents properly reviewed and not even being allowed to proceed to the practical exam, her sharp gaze landed on a giant rock sitting by the side of the road.

"You rock over there, you're in my way too... In my hands, something like you!"

As she clenched her right hand forcefully, beautiful violet magical power swirled around her small fist. The next moment, a shockwave echoed that one would never imagine coming from the physique of a lovely girl.

BOOM!!

As the fist of violet lightning struck, a vortex of air gathered at that single point, and the giant rock shattered into pieces in an instant with a roar. Staring at the rising dust, Elise snorted. Feeling a slightly lighter tone in her heart, which had been filled with dissonance until just a moment ago, she felt as if her mood had cleared up just a little.

(Now, how should I sneak into that stubborn investigation team...)

Joining the investigation team. That was supposed to be a small but significant step for her to test her own strength and find out who she was.

2. The Mud-Stained "Material"

Her vision, which had been clouded by her plotting, gradually cleared. As she looked on casually, "something" emerged from beyond the dust. While the rock fragments scattered by the wind pressure fell with a patter, lying in the bushes by the side of the road was a young man, covered in mud yet wrapped in an unmistakable elegance.

Elise's heart began to beat like a fast-ringing bell.

“Huh? You’re kidding, right? You’re dead...? Don’t tell me, is this my fault!?”

The color drained from her face in an instant. Trembling, she knelt down and brought her shaking fingertips to the young man’s nose.

(Please, don’t be dead. If you die here, my glorious life will be over before it even begins!)

A few seconds of silence felt like an eternity. But then, she felt a faint, yet certain, warm breath touch her fingertips.

“...Ah. You’re alive.”

A deep sense of relief escaped her, as if she had exhaled all the toxins that had been building up in her lungs.

“Thank goodness...! It’s not my fault.”

The moment she was certain of her innocence, Elise’s eyes shifted from those of a “benefactor” to those of a corrupt merchant appraising “prey.”

“This guy was sleeping on the side of the road on his own, and I just happened to break a rock. It was completely unavoidable. An accidental mishap. If anything, I’m the victim here.”

The moment she finished crafting the perfect excuse for herself, her brain cells began to spin at a tremendous speed. Observing the young man again, the quality of the “material” was obvious at a glance. Despite being covered in mud, he wore expensive-looking, silver-shining attire. And above all, there was the magnificently decorated sword lying by his side.

(Wait a minute. This face, this attire, this extraordinary aura... Isn’t this guy some kind of incredible young master?)

The face of the gatekeeper who had bitterly turned her away earlier and the young man before her clicked together with a loud sound.

(On my own, I’m just a village girl with ‘no track record.’ But what if I brought this ‘obviously impressive-looking knight’ along as my attendant? What if I insisted that I was his master?—Even that gatekeeper would have no choice but to kneel before this noble aura.)

Her relief had turned, before she knew it, into the smirk of a hunter who had just caught her prey.

“Be grateful, handsome. I’ll make good use of your life for the sake of my dreams.”

As dusk approached on the road to Windermere, the girl carrying her prey marched forward triumphantly, dreaming of her future glory.

3. Echoes of Destiny

On the outskirts of Windermere village. The retirement home of former Chief Mage Gallet was filled, as always, with the scent of herbs and old books. That silence was shattered by a violent, crashing sound.

“Grandpa, it’s an emergency! It’s an emergency!”

Elise returned home with enough force to kick down the front door. Behind her, the seed of her ambition, the mud-covered young man, was floating in the air, buoyed by Elise’s magic.

“I found a knight collapsed on the side of the road! I couldn't just leave him there, so I brought him home!”

　As she raised her voice in desperation, she made sure her preparations for the perfect performance of the calculation she had just made were flawless.

“...Ho, well now, that is quite a remarkable thing to do.”

　Gallet, who had been sipping tea on the side, slowly stood up. He chose not to address his granddaughter's obvious acting, and his sharp gaze was drawn to one point: the scabbard of the “sword” strapped to the young man's waist.

　At that moment, Gallet set his teacup down on the table with a clatter. The unique crest engraved on the old scabbard. The lion ornament on the armor. It was the very echo of the “fate” he had once cast aside and never expected to encounter again.

(...So, it has come, has it?)

　For a brief moment, Gallet's expression changed. It was the face of the “Chief Mage” that Elise did not know. The fate he had discarded and hidden away to protect Elise from the vortex of destiny had been brought back by his own granddaughter.

(I cannot resist it, then? ...If so, perhaps following that guidance is also a bit of fun.)

　In just a few seconds, Gallet hid his “fangs” and returned to his usual carefree, good-natured old man persona.

“Oh, Elise, you did well to save him. That is admirable. Now, go boil some water. ...It seems that fate always arrives with a mud-stained face.”

4. Squire Artorius

　There was vegetable soup steaming on the table. Elise leaned forward, her voice brimming with excitement.

“Hey, Grandpa, I’ve decided. When this man wakes up, I’m going to make him my ‘squire.’ If I become the ‘master’ of someone like that, even the gatekeepers of the royal capital will surely bow down to me!”

　Gallet smiled bitterly at his granddaughter’s selfish and innocent ambition, choosing to say nothing and enjoying the “calm before the storm.” At that moment, a faint sound of rustling fabric came from the bed.

“...Where am I?”

　The atmosphere at the table shifted instantly. A perfect “benefactor’s smile” was plastered on Elise’s face as she stood up.

“Oh, you’re awake! Thank goodness. This is Windamere. You were about to die on the side of the road, and I saved you.”

　Elise rattled off her words in quick succession. However, the young man who had sat up was staring at his own hands and the sword at his side as if they were objects he was seeing for the first time.

“...Why am I...? No, who on earth am I...?”

　Elise asked the unfocused young man.

"What is your name?"
"Name? ...Name. ...No, I... I can't remember anything..."

(...Oh my. Could it be that he has no memory?)

　A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. ...An opportunity? Yes, that's right, an opportunity. Elise leaned forward.

"Um, what are you talking about? You are my... yes, my loyal 'squire'! You fought to protect me, and that's how you hit your head. Come on, try to remember!"
"Ugh. ...Is that so... By the way, what is my name?"
"Name!? Um, well... Ah, Artorius! You are Artorius."
"Artorius..."

　The young man stared intently at his own hands. He suddenly looked at Elise's face, then dropped his gaze back to his hands. Then, he quietly closed his eyes.

　Although Elise felt a cold sweat from the awkwardness, she sat down in the chair and waited for his reply. Elise was amazed at herself for coming up with such nonsense, but the young man's reaction was unexpected.

"...I certainly feel like you are someone I should protect. ...I see. I am Artorius, then. I was your squire."

　He felt a vague sense of nostalgia for the girl in front of him. As he gazed into her eyes, the depths of his heart felt strangely warm. It was a conviction beyond logic, as if the "something" he had once been willing to risk his life to protect had now taken shape right before his eyes.

　Elise looked into his eyes. Those eyes were so clear, knowing no doubt. He had accepted Elise's lie as "truth," unaware that it was a name she had just made up on the spot.

"That's right! I'm Elise. You can just call me by my name."
"Understood, Elise. If I lost my memory fighting to protect you, then I am a lucky man. To have had such a... such a bright and energetic master."

　Artorius nodded with an expression so refreshing it was disarming.

　An ambitious, calculating girl and a knight who believes her lies like holy scripture. No one knows yet that this distorted dissonance will eventually lead to a grand symphony that saves the world.

▶Read Episode 2 "The Fabricated Master-Servant Bond and the Proof of the Roar"

▶Click here for the prologue

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