If He Had the Resolve

Weissenburg City's main street was always more crowded on holidays than on ordinary days. Pedestrians jostled shoulder to shoulder on the sidewalks, while the vehicle lanes were unusually congested, horns blaring one after another.

Pavel had just come out of the bookstore on the corner that Metzger had recommended. His trendy crossbody bag held several newly purchased poetry and essay collections.

He was looking down, carefully studying a flyer in his hand to decide where to get lunch.

Just then, a familiar voice pierced the clamor of the street, calling his name clearly. "Pavel?"

Pavel looked up at the sound. His gaze passed over the bustling crowd, and he spotted Ratt standing across the street.

The knight from the Rhine Alliance's Royal Knight Order wasn't wearing his conspicuous uniform today, but an ordinary dark brown coat.

Even so, he still stood straight as a pine, his shoulders relaxed and his steps steady. The distinctively military bearing that came from rigorous training showed in every gesture.

Pavel immediately waved back, then nimbly dodged a slowly passing tricycle and hurried across the street toward him.

"Out buying books?" Ratt's gaze naturally fell on his crossbody bag. "Another math workbook? You really never take a moment off."

The most fearsome course at Wessen Military Academy was mathematics; advanced mathematics was enough to make anyone feel their guts were being torn out.

Ratt had fought in the Battle of Red Waterwheel Village. That spring, he had been selected to attend Wessen Military Academy for further training. He'd started out full of himself, but after one math lesson, he'd learned to behave.

The academy didn't charge tuition, but retaking a course cost money, and the fee for retaking math was particularly steep. The Royal Knight Order had made it clear that it wouldn't cover their