As they walked home, Alaric rested a hand behind his head while his sword hung at his side.
He glanced back at the girls behind him.
"By the way, why are you still here with us?"
All eyes turned toward Heidi, who had been quietly laughing at their conversation.
"Eh?" Heidi blinked.
"What do you mean, 'eh'?" Alaric asked. "We're heading back to our residence, you know. The first-year dorms aren't this way, right?"
Heidi laughed.
"Haha, yeah, you're right. I'm actually heading to the market to buy something to eat."
"You seem annoyed she's tagging along," Elara said.
"Nah." Alaric shook his head. "I just noticed she was there because she kept laughing behind me. I was actually thinking about Anna and her siblings."
He looked ahead and continued walking.
"Hmm."
The group walked in silence for a moment.
"How about we go to the market with Heidi?" Lalanat suggested softly. "We might run into Anna and her siblings."
Alaric immediately turned around, his face lighting up.
"That sounds great. I think we should."
Without waiting, he quickened his pace toward the academy gate.
The others followed behind, chatting as they walked.
The sun was sinking between the mountains, and the market was beginning to grow quiet as some of the shops started closing.
As soon as they stepped onto the market road, a strong gust of wind swept through the area.
Sand flew into their eyes, forcing them to cover their faces.
Through the haze, they spotted three small figures holding onto one another as they struggled against the wind.
Alaric rubbed his eyes and looked closer.
It was Anna and her siblings.
"Oh, it's them."
As the wind gradually died down, Alaric walked toward them.
Before he could reach them, Hazel pointed excitedly at him.
"Oh! It's Brother Alaric!"
The boy ran straight toward him.
Alaric smiled.
"Hey, Hazel."
He crouched down and gently patted his head.
Then his gaze shifted past him.
Anna was holding Tiana's hand tightly.
Her head was lowered.
Tiana's eyes were red and teary.
The smile on Alaric's face disappeared.
By then, Elara and Lalanat had caught up.
"Hi, Hazel," they greeted.
Alaric stood and walked past the boy.
"Anna... did something happen?"
His voice was calm, but worry filled his face.
Anna tightened her grip on Tiana's hand.
Tiana looked up at her sister in confusion.
Anna couldn't bring herself to meet Alaric's eyes.
Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out.
Only a shaky breath.
Lalanat immediately stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her.
"It's okay," she whispered. "You don't have to force yourself to say it."
Elara gently lifted Tiana into her arms.
Alaric stood there helplessly.
Behind them, Heidi quietly watched the scene unfold.
She eventually walked toward Hazel and crouched beside him.
"Hi, little one. What's your name?" she asked.
Hazel looked at her curiously.
"I haven't seen you before. You're new."
"Oh, I am." Heidi smiled. "I'm Heidi, a first-year student from Elysium Academy. So, what's your name?"
"I'm Hazel, and those are my sisters."
He pointed toward Anna and Tiana.
"That's a nice name. By the way, did something happen?"
Hazel nodded and began explaining what had happened earlier.
Everyone listened quietly.
When he finally finished, he paused to catch his breath.
Heidi gently brushed his hair.
"Thank you for telling me. And you're very brave for standing up for your sister."
Hazel nodded proudly.
Silence settled over the road.
"This is wrong."
Alaric's voice was low.
Everyone looked at him, but nobody spoke.
"How can the people they're meant to protect be afraid of their own protectors?"
"Don't say it like that," Elara replied as she gently set Tiana back down. "You're asking a question that would take generations of wise people to answer."
"I'm not sure it requires that." Alaric frowned. "Knights follow the king's orders, don't they? If the king dealt with things like this, none of it would happen."
He glanced toward Anna and her siblings.
"If the kingdom had clear laws and the king actually enforced them, there wouldn't be conflicts like this within the same nation."
He continued.
"Aren't knights paid through the people's taxes? Then I think it's fair that there are laws protecting both the people and the knights."
Elara folded her arms.
"So you're saying it's the king's fault?"
"It's not the people's job to tolerate whatever knights do just because they're protectors of the nation." Alaric's voice grew firmer. "Without people, there is no nation. Knights shouldn't have the right to do whatever they want to the very people they're supposed to protect."
Elara stared at him.
Everyone else watched in silence.
"Would the people you're so worried about be the ones fighting if a war broke out between nations?" she asked.
"Obviously not."
Elara nodded.
"Exactly. You're only looking at the relationship between the people and the knights within the same kingdom. You're forgetting that the biggest threats usually come from outside."
She pointed toward the distant walls of the city.
"When war happens, it's the knights who fight. They're trained to protect the nation, not to bully the people they're sworn to defend."
"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Alaric interrupted. "If they're trained for that, then why are some of them acting like this?"
Elara took a few steps closer.
"Because they're human."
The answer came immediately.
Alaric frowned.
"Knight is just a title. A position. Underneath that title is still a person."
She glanced toward Anna and her siblings.
"Most knights don't harass people. The ones who do aren't doing it because they're knights. They're doing it because they're flawed people who happen to have power."
Alaric remained silent.
"The argument you're making is based on rules and logic." Elara continued. "And those rules were written long before either of us were born."
She paused.
"But those rules were written for humans."
Her voice softened slightly.
"And humans aren't that simple. We're not made entirely of logic or entirely of emotion."
She looked directly into his eyes.
"We feel emotions, and we use logic. Just like how knowing something doesn't automatically mean accepting it."
The road fell quiet.
"If humans were purely logical creatures who always followed rules, there wouldn't be any need for prisons or punishment."
Elara finally stopped speaking and took a breath.
Alaric clenched his jaw and looked away.
Before either of them could continue, Lalanat stepped between them with a nervous smile.
"Guys, let's calm down. We're in the middle of something important, and it's getting late. We should head back soon."
"She's right," Heidi added. "We should walk these kids home and head back before the academy gates close."
Alaric remained silent.
Lalanat took Anna's hand and gently held Tiana's as well.
Hazel moved beside Heidi.
Elara stood with her arms folded, watching Alaric.
"I know you're thinking about them," she said quietly. "So am I."
Alaric slowly looked at her.
"But things are usually more complicated than they seem. They always are."
She sighed.
"So trust me on this. It's better to do what we can than stand here arguing about what should have happened."
Alaric stared at her for a moment.
"What do you mean, 'what we can do'?"
Elara turned away, then glanced back over her shoulder with a small smirk.
"You really do forget who I am sometimes, idiot."
Alaric froze.
A moment later, realization hit him.
Then he let out a small laugh.
"Right."
"Good." Elara nodded. "Then Heidi and I will head back first. You and Lalanat can walk Anna and her siblings home."
"Ehhh? Why me?" Heidi complained immediately.
Elara glanced at her.
"...Fine," Heidi grumbled.
Alaric and Lalanat exchanged amused looks.
A few moments later, Elara and Heidi said goodbye and started heading back toward the academy, waving to Anna and her siblings before disappearing down the road.
After Elara and Heidi left, Lalanat quietly glanced at Alaric.
"You okay?" she asked.
Alaric smiled faintly.
"Yeah, I am. She may sound harsh sometimes, but..." A small grin appeared on his face. "Elara reminds me of my mom. Just a little harsher."
"I see."
Lalanat lowered her gaze.
Alaric noticed.
"You okay?"
She immediately looked up and forced a small smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
Alaric studied her for a moment before turning toward Anna and her siblings.
"Alright. Let's get you guys home."
Hazel looked up at him.
"Brother Alaric, are you scared of Big Sister Elara?"
Alaric laughed.
"Haha, you think I am?"
As they walked, the two continued arguing back and forth.
Behind them, Anna walked beside Tiana while Lalanat stayed close.
The three watched Alaric and Hazel bicker ahead of them.
After a while, Anna looked at Lalanat.
"Are Big Sister Elara and Brother Alaric dating?"
Lalanat nearly stumbled.
"Huh? No. Why would you think that?"
Anna tilted her head.
"I feel like Brother Alaric was holding himself back just now. It seemed like he wanted to argue more, but for some reason he chose to listen to what Big Sister Elara was saying."
"You think so?"
Lalanat leaned closer, trying to hide her smile.
Anna nodded.
"Yeah."
She thought for a moment.
"And if they're not dating, I think at least one of them likes the other."
Lalanat blinked.
"What makes you think that?"
Anna spoke casually.
"One of them went out of her way to explain things to him."
She counted on her fingers.
"And the other stepped back from his own opinion and tried to understand hers."
She tilted her head.
"People don't usually do that."
Lalanat was left speechless.
Then Anna suddenly turned toward her.
"What about you?"
Lalanat froze.
"Huh?"
"Do you like Brother Alaric?"
"Ehhh..."
Lalanat desperately searched for an answer.
"Well... not like that. Maybe as a friend."
She leaned closer to Anna, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself.
Anna stopped walking and stared at her.
"...Okay, if you say so."
Lalanat immediately looked away.
The two resumed walking.
After a few moments, Anna spoke again.
"But I think Brother Alaric is lucky."
Lalanat looked at her.
"Lucky?"
Anna nodded.
"To have you and Big Sister Elara."
Her eyes drifted toward Alaric and Hazel, who were still arguing about something meaningless up ahead.
"Unlike Big Brother Caelin."
Lalanat fell silent.
Anna continued walking.
"You know... Big Brother Caelin and us are actually very similar."
Lalanat listened quietly.
"He seems like he has everything."
Anna lowered her eyes.
"But people don't accept him for who he is. They accept him because of what he has."
Her grip tightened around Tiana's hand.
"And for us, it's the opposite."
She smiled bitterly.
"We don't have anything, so nobody accepts us."
Lalanat gently patted her head.
"Don't say that."
Anna looked up.
"You have us."
Lalanat smiled softly.
"And Caelin worries about you too. More than you think."
Anna lowered her gaze.
"Maybe."
The group continued down the road.
A few moments later, Anna spoke again.
"But one day, when all of you finish studying and go back home..."
She looked up at Lalanat.
"We won't see each other anymore, right?"
Lalanat stopped for a moment.
No words came.
Anna noticed.
"But it's okay."
She smiled.
"I know it won't be because you want to leave."
She looked ahead at Alaric and Hazel.
"It's just how life is."
Her voice grew quieter.
"Just like how my mom and dad left us, even though they loved us."
The road fell silent.
Only the sound of their footsteps remained as they continued walking home.
As they walked back toward the academy, Heidi leaned slightly toward Elara.
"Do you mind if I ask something?"
She clasped her hands behind her back as she spoke.
Elara glanced at her.
"Sure."
Heidi tilted her head.
"You could've just told him directly. Why were you so harsh on him earlier?"
Elara kept her eyes forward.
"Yes, I could have."
For a moment, only their footsteps filled the road.
"But when it comes to emotions, Alaric is stubborn."
Heidi listened quietly.
"He tends to focus on what happened rather than why it happened. If I just tell him the answer, he won't bother listening."
A small sigh escaped her.
"So I use examples. Ideas. Anything that helps him understand."
Heidi leaned back slightly.
"Hmm..."
Then a smile slowly appeared on her face.
"You know him pretty well, huh?"
Elara's expression didn't change.
"He isn't that complicated."
"Oh?"
Heidi immediately leaned closer.
"Is something going on between you two?"
Elara stopped walking.
"Aight. That's enough questions."
She resumed walking.
Heidi blinked.
Then she grinned.
"Hmm. I'll take that as a no."
She placed both hands behind her head.
"Besides, he looks like a better match for Lalanat anyway."
Elara stopped again.
This time, her response came immediately.
"Why?"
Heidi's grin widened.
"Oh? You're interested now?"
"...Never mind."
Elara started walking again.
Heidi laughed and hurried after her.
"Haha, I just think she's quiet and supportive of him."
"Aight. Enough."
Elara quickened her pace.
"Heeey, don't run away from the question!"
Heidi followed after her, still demanding answers as the two disappeared down the road.