I took a deep breath as I stood out in the courtyard of the orphanage, other kids who had recently joined our number lining up as they watched as I swung my sword in steady movements. Movements I had practised dozens of times.
Three long years had passed since the day I had reincarnated into this world. True to what I had told Edmund and Beatrice; I had thrown everything I had into my training to become a knight. I was extremely harsh with myself, doing push ups whenever I made the smallest mistake, running laps around the town and pushing myself to do even more.
Even when others pleaded with me to stop, I didn't. I only rested when my own instincts started to scream at me. Only when they were telling me that if I pushed myself any harder at that moment, it would be bad for me.
It was a painful and gruelling three years... But the results? They could not be denied.
With a body of one from the age of the gods, my stamina, strength, and abilities had shot up immensely. Even at only thirteen years old, I was in better shape than most professional athletes from my world.
And yet, this was only the starting point for this era. I had a long way to go.
And despite my talk of creating my own sword style... Such a thing wasn't exactly easy to do. I wasn't someone like Sasaki Kojiro who could swing his sword purely for the sake of killing a swallow. That innovative spark and determination purely dedicated towards swinging a sword was something I was lacking.
All I could do was see what others did and then copy their movements.
I just let out a sigh as I stopped swinging my sword, "Faker, huh..." I murmured to myself. I supposed, in that way, Emiya Shiro and I were cut from the same cloth.
"Are you taking a break?" Beatrice's voice cut in, and I looked over to her as she made her way over to me- smiling as she walked towards me with an apple.
"Yeah, I'm taking a break," I confirmed as I took the apple and bit into it, my eyes focusing on her as I marvelled at how she'd changed over the last 3 years.
Beatrice and Edmund- much like me- were also thirteen and had started working to help support the orphanage.
Edmund had decided to take up work as a carpenter. It was a job that was rough on the body, but he had trained alongside me sometimes and thus had developed a good body for his age. Carpenters were paid decently as well given Nobles liked to build extensions to their homes all the time in order to show off.
Beatrice, on the other hand, had found a job working at the local tavern- working as a barmaid. She was very good at it. Being a bright and open person, it was easy for her to get others to open up to her which made her a perfect fit for her job.
She and Edmund had even pooled money together in order to get me a well-forged sword for my thirteenth birthday- something I would be forever grateful for.
"Are you okay?" She asked, her yellow eyes piercing into me as she noticed I'd fallen silent. Her black hair- tied back in a ponytail- swayed faintly in the breeze as a gust of wind rolled through.
"I'm fine," I promised as I took another bite of the apple, chewing slowly before I swallowed. "... Thank you again for helping buy this sword for me. I know it must have taken you and Edmund some time to pool the money together."
"Oh, don't worry about that," she waved it off with a smile. "We're friends, you know? And besides that..." Her smile became sad. "You're leaving soon, right?"
I remained silent for a moment before I finally nodded.
I was going to be leaving soon to start working as a bounty hunter. I couldn't stay at the orphanage much longer now that I was thirteen; I needed to start working to earn my place in this word
"It's going to be lonely without you," she admitted. "It's hard to believe that three years went by so quickly... It feels like just yesterday you came back after that storm, and you suddenly said that you wanted to be a knight."
I chuckled softly. "Yeah, it does," I agreed. "I remember you and Edmund kept telling me it was okay to stop and find something else I wanted to do."
"But you never gave up and you never quit," she remembered fondly. "Not even once. It wasn't like we were trying to talk you out of it, but... You just wouldn't give up no matter what."
"Because I know becoming a knight is what I need to do," I told her with a shrug. I still steadfastly believed that becoming a knight was the best chance for me to get into the Throne of Heroes.
She just smiled wider. "Just like that. That steadfast determination. You never gave up, no matter what. Even when we told you to stop, you just kept pushing yourself... And now look at you!" Her smile turned into a perverted grin. "You've got some nice muscles under that tunic~"
"Don't be crass, Beatrice," I scolded her, though my lips quirked up in a smile. "You know that Sister Aria has ears everywhere, right?"
"Don't remind me," she grimaced, looking pale. "I remember one time Edmund swore by accident, and an hour later he was getting one heck of a tongue lashing from Sister Aria... She wasn't even there when he swore."
I just chuckled at the memory... I had a theory that a bounded field existed around the orphanage, given it was managed by the church.
They may call magic blasphemous, but they would hoard its powers and use it for themselves. It wouldn't surprise me if Sister Aria had a bounded field up around the church so she could know what was going on inside of it at all times- more for our protection than anything else.
"So, what are your plans for after you become a bounty hunter?" She asked, shifting the topic. "Got any plans for your first target?"
"Nothing like that," I told her. "I'm gonna set a goal for myself first- to live in the wild for a month. If I can survive in the wild for a month, then I'll be ready for any situations where I can't make money and stay at an inn when I travel."
"Huh, that's really smart," she smiled. "It'll be lonely though."
"Loneliness is going to have to become a friend as a bounty hunter..."
There was just no two ways about it. Bounty Hunters had too poor of a reputation compared to knights, so I was just going to have to endure it.
"When are you going to leave?" Beatrice asked, finally asking the question she'd started the conversation for.
"Tomorrow," I told her. Delaying further wouldn't help anyone. Without a teacher, the only thing I could rely on was real world experience to guide me and teach me the painful lessons of what did work and what didn't.
"Then... Today...?"
"I'm going to say my goodbyes to everyone," I confirmed Beatrice's thoughts. "I don't want any sort of big send off, it will make things feel too big. Like I'll never come back. I don't want that, so I'll say goodbye to everyone today and then head off in the early hours of the morning."
"That is so you," she sighed with a fond smile. "Ever since you got back three years ago, you've wanted to do things quietly and go at your own pace rather than getting swept up in the pace of others... Honestly, with how hard you worked I was surprised that none of the knights took you on as an apprentice."
"It's not that much of a surprise," I shook my head.
She blinked and tilted her head. "Really? Why not?"
"Because I'm an orphan," I told her. "Knights are expected to swear their fealty to the crown, or a lord or lady. The thing is that people want to know your background before they take you on as a squire to become a knight. Orphans don't have a known background given we lost our parents. For all they know, I could have Saxon blood flowing through my veins. For that reason, it is better to not take that risk and instead take on a lord's son or something like that as a squire."
"And there's no way around that?"
"There is, of course there is," I smiled. "Talent. Absolute skill or ability in what you can do, or a unique skill. Something like having a slightly inhuman bloodline that gives you extra benefits, or a blessing from the fae. Those are the kinds of things that will make people ignore your bloodline and take you on as a squire."
She frowned. "So, it comes back to bloodline again?"
I just sighed and nodded. "While you can obviously be successful without a bloodline... People will prioritise those with a strong bloodline over a no-name orphan. It sucks, but that is just how it is. That's why I have to work hard and hope to one day be noticed by a knight."
That brought up the mood and she giggled softly, giving me an amused look. "Do you think the great wizard Merlin would teach there?"
My smile twitched. "Don't say that name."
She blinked in confusion. "Huh?"
"Beatrice, listen to me carefully," I told her. "I heard from some knights talking that the Great Wizard Merlin... Is a pervert."
She gasped. "A pervert?"
"Yes," I nodded. "He goes around stealing the undergarments of women he likes the look of them keeps them in his personal collection- like he is gathering trophies."
I didn't know if this was actually true or not, and I was lying to her... Truthfully, I had nothing against Merlin. But I was going to make sure this spread and shoot his reputation to hell, the damn troll.
"That's disgusting," she looked revolted. "Thank you for telling me that, I'll make sure every woman in town knows!"
I just smiled at her, hoping it didn't look too malevolent... As long as the outcome was the same, I could trash Merlin's reputation a little bit, right?
"So," she changed the subject quickly back to what we were talking about, "You survive in the wilds for a month... And then you start your official work as a Bounty Hunter?"
"That's right," I nodded. "It won't be easy to find work though; the knights can be pretty on top of things... Well, depending on the region at least."
She tilted her head in curiosity.
"Not every land is peaceful," I told her. "The knights in our town, from what I've seen, are certainly just. But..." I closed my eyes. "That isn't the case for every knight. Some are greedy, selfish, abusing their positions and taking credit for the work of others. Just like how there are some good nobles and some bad ones, it's the same with knights."
"Of course it is," she sighed. "Why can't people just be good? Why do they have to be mean?"
"If only things were so simple," I sighed as I slowly sheathed my sword. "Thank you for coming to check on me, Bea. It means a lot to me that you've been my friend all these years."
"Woah now," she frowned. "Don't talk like that, you're making it sound like we'll never see each other again!"
I blinked... Come to think of it, did sound like I was setting up some sort of tragedy flag. "You know what I mean," I flicked her nose. "... Thank you for being by my side, Beatrice."
A faint blush rose to her cheeks, and she smiled. "Thank you for letting me be here, Arthur," she turned. "I should get back to work, good luck!" She ran off, waving her hand at me as she left.
I let out a sigh as I watched her run off, cracking my neck slowly before I turned my eyes up to look at the sky... Despite the fact we were in the early part of January, the sky was surprisingly clear on this Winter day.
Really... Three years had passed by almost too quickly...
I slowly made my way towards the orphanage, a tired smile growing on my face.
I had to pack... And to say goodbye to everyone. It was finally time to truly begin my journey to knighthood.