At the Northern Fort

Tina is the only female knight at the Northern Fort.

To begin with, there aren't many female knights, and this is the frontier.

However, Tina was not demoted here, but volunteered to come here.

She came out of the thought that if she can survive the harsh life of the Northern Fort surrounded by snow, her willpower will grow as well as her confidence as a knight.

In the knightly orders, women are scorned, but it would be different if she survives the Northern Fort. Everyone will acknowledge her.

That's just how hard life here is.

Which is why Tina is about the only one who came here by her own will.

Other people came here because they caused accidents at the Capital or at other branches. "Go grow some backbone!" Or so they were chased out to this place.

There is only Mother Nature around the fort, in winter there's the endless snow-clearing work to do, and one has to survive the terrifying training of the 'Iron Man Vice-Captain'. Thus, some young knights even look grimly resolute on their first day here.

*imouto*

After tidying herself, Tina slowly exited her room.

Though she is a female knight, it wasn't as though a separate building will be prepared for just one rookie knight. Like the male knights, Tina too is assigned a room to sleep in. However, while other young knights share a room among two to four people, Tina uses hers alone.

Furthermore, the 'Icy Branch Captain' lives in the room next door, and the 'Iron Man Vice-Captain' lives across her room. It may be thanks to the the Branch Captain and the Vice-Captain that Tina never felt danger to her person even as she lived in a building full of men.

Tina suddenly looked at the door across from her room. The room of the admired Vice-Captain Grail.

Grail did not come here because he was demoted like other knights, but came here from the request of the Knight Captain in the Capital to fix things up here. He has been the Vice-Captain here for some years here.

There aren't that many superiors that are this trustworthy, Tina thought. The same went for the other knights as well. Even though they feared him, they also respected him.

It was still early in the morning, but there was no presence of anyone sleeping inside. It seems that the rumour that he trains before the sun rises every day is true. Today, the weather is clear but the temperature has dropped a lot.

Tina puffed out white breaths as she shivered.

To have breakfast at the dining hall, she locked her doors and passed in front of the room of the 'Icy Branch Captain'. It seems that the Branch Captain also wakes up early, but he isn't training outside like the Vice-Captain. Maybe he's reading inside.

As for the Branch Captain…… Tina thought that she was the only one who came here by her own will, but she recently learned that it was not.

She didn't hear it directly from him, but it seemed that Branch Captain also volunteered for the Northern Fort. Though Tina did not know the reason because she was not that friendly with the Branch Captain.

As Tina quietly proceeded through the hallways, a door suddenly opened in front of her.

A blond knight who still had a boyishness came out. His name was Kix, and he joined the knights in the same year as Tina did — though he was two years her senior when it comes to living here.

In this fort, there are only about eighty knights, so most people know each other.

"Oh, it's Tina. Morning."

"Morning, Kix."

She greeted the young man in front of her, even as she felt that something was off at meeting him so early.

"What is it? You still have time to sleep. You woke up quite early today."

She doesn't wake as early as Grail, but Tina also wakes up quite early. Around thirty minutes afterwards, everyone else wakes up and the quarters become noisy, so she wakes up early to prepare.

However, Kix was weak in the mornings…… To Tina's words, Kix replied with a yawn.

"Night shift. I'm going to have food then sleep."

"Ah, I see. Border patrol last night?"

"Right. Boring as always."

One the main duties given to the knights of the Northern Fort is border patrol. However, there wasn't any recent war with the neighbouring country, nor were there any illegal immigrants.

It's because there is a mountain range between this country and the neighbouring country. With Mt. Snowlea as the centre, the mountain range is hard to cross.

These mountains are snowy mountains with high altitude, that there's even snow in summer that people get lost or die of cold. Long time ago, there may have been people trying to sneak into the country, but they would have all lost their lives before the knights at the fort found them.

Thus, border patrol duty is hard because one does not need to do anything.

One of the other duties is the patrolling of the nearby towns and villages. Not only do the knights just observe the people's lives, they hunt down stray beast that wandered into villages and also help with clearing the snow.

Also, patrolling the foot of Mt. Snowlea is also an important duty.

Having immense power, the spirit would be an attractive target to greedy people.

There are people who come to Mt. Snowlea to pray to the spirit, but there are also those who visit with wicked intentions to make the spirit's power their own.

Of course, even if someone did try, they would exhaust themselves from the cold before they reach the top, but we still can't let our guard down.

Because the Snow Spirit Snowlea is a thankful spirit that protects the country. Even the king himself ordered that we knights should pay more attention to protecting Mt. Snowlea than the borders.

Indeed, if a spirit is captured by an individual or by another country, that in itself is a great loss to the country. There aren't many spirits that are cooperative to humans like Snowlea.

For good or for bad, spirits are cold-hearted. Fundamentally, they do not intervene in human affairs, but Snowlea is different.

Tina has never seen the spirit, but according to the rumours she is a breathtaking beauty.

It's not just Tina wants meet such an existence that transcended humanity. Her colleague knights also joke, "I want to see for myself how beautiful she is."

"If you're going to the dining hall, let's go together."

To Tina's words, Kix cheerfully said "Yes," and nodded his head.

*imouto*

When they arrived at the dining hall, there weren't many people. For Tina, it was the usual scenery, but Kix murmured, "Looks easy to find a seat."

Kix suddenly stopped and looked puzzled. Since Tina knew that he had surprisingly good observation skills, she also looked around.

Indeed, it is strange. Their colleague knights' gazes were pointed at one direction.

While they ate bread and soup, their facial muscles were all loose.

"What the, how unpleasant."

Kix bluntly exclaimed. Tina felt the same.

However, when she turned toward where their gazes pointed at, she too understood.

"Ah! Yesterday… Mil-chan!"

At one end of the dining hall, Vice-Captain Grail was eating after his morning training, but there was also white fur by his feet.

On closer examination, that furball had proper ears and tails. It was the baby fox.

Tina felt relaxed and comfortable. Just by seeing that lovely animal, she was healed. She couldn't possibly criticise the other knights.

"Mil? …Aa, the rumoured baby fox? But why is it here? And why is it following Vice-Captain?"

As she explained what happened last night — How it was attacked by a wild dog, and how it came to be placed under the protection of Vice-Captain, who had already been feeding it — Tina approached Grail and the baby fox.

It seemed that the baby fox had just finished eating, since it was dejectedly licking the empty dish. However, it became alarmed by Tina's approach and hid in the shade of Grail's long legs.

"Mil-chan, it's me~ Remember me from yesterday?"

Tina made the kindest voice possible.

Then, the baby fox twitched its ears, and cautiously peaked out from behind Grail's legs.

From that, Tina almost got a nose bleed. The same probably went for the other people in the dining hall.

How the baby fox was so naturally stepping on Grail's boot was irresistible. The baby fox had its attention focused here, that it did not realise it either.

"You named it?"

Tina, who was breathing hard in front of the baby fox, came to her senses from Grail's cool words.

He had finished his meal and was looking here.

"G-Good morning, Vice-Captain! Sorry for making a fuss."

"Good morning, Vice-Captain."

Tina greeted him in panic, while Kix greeted him as usually.

"Ah! The name…… well, I just named it in my mind after I saw it in the base."

While she was breaking out in cold sweat, she gave an excuse. It was not as though she was trying to be a godmother.

Kix asked interestedly.

"Why Mil?"

"It's embarrassing since it's so simple…… because it's white like milk."

When Tina explained while blushing,

"Come to think of it, I forgot to name it. It's easy to remember, so Mil is good, don't you think? Right, Mil?"

Grail briskly gave an okay. The baby fox also wagged its tail in approval. Though it might just have been their imagination, its eyes looked to be gleaming, looking happy.

"Is it okay? The name I thought up…… I-I'm happy."

"Anyway, Vice-Captain, you never told us that you were feeding it. Why were feeding it in secret for. Unfair."

"I just didn't tell you because you never asked."

"That kid is the idol of the Northern Fort, you're monopolising it. Unfair. Low."

Kix's good point is that he is friendly to anyone. That is also his bad point.

When Vice-Captain said, "How about training after a night shift," he finally shut up. However, he did not seem dejected. With an energetic voice, he called out to the baby fox.

"Come here, Mil~!"

Seeing Kix approaching it without hesitation, the baby fox hid behind Grail's legs again.

"Stop. Don't scare it."

"Don't raise your voice like that."

Tina and Grail simultaneously warned Kix.

"Sorry…… but I still want to touch it. It looks so fluffy."

Kix crouched down and stared at the baby fox with a boyish expression.

Feeling that gaze, the baby fox curled up even more. It was almost as though its heartbeats could be heard where Tina was.

"It takes time to get close to Mil. She didn't open up to me yet either."

When Tina said that a little sadly, the baby fox peeked out and let out a cry -kyunkyun- as if she was making an excuse.

She didn't know what the baby fox was trying to say. But she knew that its cries are cute. That was a fact.

Then, Tina and others talked for some more time, but when the baby fox started getting tense because there were more people started coming into the dining hall, Grail stood up.

"Now, I'll get it… get Mil back to the room. It still doesn't seem used to having people around her."

When Grail went to return the food trays, the baby fox followed in panic. Maybe it was afraid if it wasn't near Grail, since it was moving its short legs desperately, which was also lovely.

At the counter, the chef asked, "Was the food nice?" The baby fox flinched a bit from the low voice, but she quickly let about a cry,

"Kyun."

"It's as if it's replying."

"How does it know that it's being talked to?"

Observing that, Tina and Kix gave their impressions. The two of them were still here for breakfast, but Grail quickly left after returning the trays and having a short conversation with the chef.

The knights stared as they left the dining hall. Since they knew the circumstances well unlike Kix, they were quietly observing.

The baby fox became a source of joy for the Northern Fort which did not have much in terms of entertainment. Tina thought so as she saw the men whose expressions had melted as they watched the baby fox.

In this land trapped by snow, it was always somehow depressing, but it was different this winter.

Just from seeing the baby fox chase after Grail, everyone softened. From seeing it move busily, the mood brightened.

However, seeing Grail only slow down not pick the baby fox up even when he saw it chasing after him desperately, Tina smiled wryly because it was so like Grail.

If it was me, I would have gladly hugged it, but that wouldn't help the baby fox, Tina thought.

Grail was being both strict and kind because he knew that it had to return to nature some time.

"By the way, does the Branch Captain know?"

While seeing Grail and the baby fox off, Kix asked.

"Vice-Captain must have made a report, no? Even if he didn't, I think he would within the day."

"I see. I want to see how 'The Icy Branch Captain' would react when he sees that baby fox."

Kix said with a grin.

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