Chivalry of a Dark Knight [Batman x Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry]

CH14: Accept Fate (prt 2)

Bit by bit, Stella felt the ticking minutes bite into her nerves as Bruce sat quietly waiting for the water on him to evaporate. What made the whole thing worse was that she was awkwardly aware that a topless Bruce was sitting just a few feet away from her. She glanced up towards the skylight to see the heavy rain continuing to drum against the glass.

"Damn this rain." she said. "We get a lot of rainy days in my country but not like this."

What she said caused Bruce's brows to raise and then turn his attention towards her.

"Your country...what's it like?" he asked.

"Hm?" Stella looked towards him.

"I've read a lot about the Vermillion Empire but I'm genuinely curious to hear a first hand account."

Bruce meant it. Since first hearing about the Vermilion Empire, he did enough research to find that the historical presence of Blazers had changed much of eastern Europe compared to what he already knew.

For starters, what should have been modern day Germany ended up being three separate countries.

After the age of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Empire found itself being pushed back by a stronger and more ruthless nation, conquering, absorbing and allying with several kingdoms in the east. This "Prussian-Bohemian Empire" would eventually become a country that was today called Kradelland.

But in the 1500s, there was an uprising within the empire. The Duke of Vermillion, at odds with their tyranny, fought for his people's independence and the end result of a long bloody war was northwestern Kradelland splitting to form the Vermillion Empire.

The location of Vermillion was also something Bruce found interesting. Apparently, it originally started out as a viking trading settlement in the Jutland peninsula, allowing for a mix of various European cultures. The country itself was nestled between Denmark, Germany and Kradelland, comprising of the Schleswig-Holstein area and stretching all the way down to the Altmark.

Both Vermillion and Kradelland are only two countries in Europe that had retained absolute monarchy.

Stella blinked in surprise, completely not expecting him to actually have an interest in her opinion.

"What's it like? Well,..." she pursed her lips, trying to come up with a response.

Then her lips curled up as the answer came to her naturally.

"It's the best." she said.

The red haired princess spoke with enthusiasm about the natural beauty as well as the man-made sights. Bruce felt satisfied that at least he got her mood to brighten up a little.

"Sure, it's not a that modern of a country but you know what really makes it the best? It has the most loyal people you'll ever know. Even after all these years, my people remembers the kindness from my ancestors and the support we have for each other."

Stella continued to speak while smiling proudly.

"You see, they're not just my people, they're my family; 'We are one nation, We are one family', that's our creed."

"That's why you want to be a Mage-knight?" Bruce asked.

She nodded with a 'Mm-hm'.

"Well, it's not just that. The thing is..." Stella trailed off, frowned and then pulled her face away with a sigh. "Forget it, you'll laugh."

"Princess..."

She returned her gaze to him to see the corner of his lips tilt upwards slightly.

"Do I look like the laughing kind to you?"