Chapter 7
"Come on, Rufa-chan! Let's sleep together in my room tonight!"
Rufa, the girl Father Zackhart had brought with him, quickly became friends with Zambard's children.
Zambard's daughter Livya was especially attached to her, saying, "It's like I've gained a wonderful little sister!" The two of them happily discussed where they would sleep that night.
More than anything, it was Father's expression whenever he looked at Rufa. That stern man, known for showing no mercy even to his own sons, looked like some doting old grandfather.
Zambard secretly felt a slight fear of Rufa's innate ability to win people over.
So she really was someone capable of winning Father's affection. There was no way she was merely cute.
"So, what will Rufa do from now on? Will she live here? We'd be happy to have her, but Grandfather won't tell us a thing."
Zambard's son Dekuriad asked Rufa as he sipped his tea. Zambard had wondered about that too. Apparently, she was currently staying in the barracks of the Tenth Knight Order in the royal capital.
Rufa vigorously shook her head and puffed out her chest. "It's all right! I'm a member of the Tenth Knight Order, you know!"
"A member? Rufa?"
Dekuriad repeated the question, sounding a little surprised. Zambard had assumed she was merely staying in the barracks of the Tenth Knight Order. When he shifted his gaze to Zackhart, the older man nodded with satisfaction.
"What Rufa says is true. She was formally accepted as a member of the Tenth Knight Order just recently."
"A little girl like this is in the Tenth Knight Order!? I thought only the cream of the crop were permitted to join..."
"Dekuriad, do not judge a book by its cover. It is true that Rufa cannot fight, but she accompanies us to the battlefield as a war shrine maiden. She is a fine member of the Knight Order."
"A war shrine maiden?"
"Indeed. The custom fell out of use long ago, so you would not know about it. A war shrine maiden is a girl who serves on the battlefield, inspiring the soldiers."
"You mean you send a girl to the battlefield? Isn't that a little reckless?"
"It fell out of use because more people began thinking as you do, Dekuriad. But the Tenth Knight Order had someone who had served as one before, and she strongly recommended Rufa."
"Who was this former war shrine maiden?" Livya asked, apparently intrigued, joining the conversation.
"Rapilia."
"War Princess Rapilia-sama was a war shrine maiden!? I've never heard of such a thing!"
"Apparently, her grandfather, Bildzal, used to take her along unofficially."
Hearing this conversation, Zambard let out a weary sigh. Every time he heard Father speak, he was reminded that he could never have made a career in the Knight Order. Its upper ranks were filled with nothing but complete outliers.
"Well, at least try not to get hurt. We only just met, but you are my younger sister now. Everyone in this household is your family. So take care not to make anyone in the family worry."
"Yes!"
Rufa cheerfully answered Zambard in turn.
And so, the Rodel family's first meeting with Rufa concluded without incident, and Rufa returned to the royal capital, where the Tenth Knight Order was based.
Some time later, word reached Zambard that a major battle had broken out on the Zetta Plain and that the Tenth Knight Order had taken part.
"Huh? What did you just say?"
Zambard asked the servant who had delivered the report to repeat himself, wondering if he had misheard.
"It was War Shrine Maiden Rufa-Rodel-sama who rallied our Rudek soldiers, who had been at a disadvantage at Kitsal Fortress, and sustained their morale all the way to a glorious victory. This is a feat recognized by the king!"
"..."
Zambard chastised himself for still being so naive. Hadn't he realized it already? She was a girl Father had recognized. Of course she was no ordinary girl.
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After that, Father would occasionally bring Rufa to the Rodel estate.
Everyone in the household welcomed her wholeheartedly, but each time Zambard met her, he found himself marveling inwardly.
Rufa's fame grew by the day. Some even called her an apostle of the Goddess of Fate, and she was especially popular within the Knight Order, particularly in the Fourth and Third Knight Orders.
"Come to think of it, the prince seems to have taken quite a liking to Rufa."
The children were absorbed in a card game in another room. Zambard, his wife, and Father were drinking together when Father suddenly brought this up.
"Which prince?"
"Prince Zelando."
Prince Zelando... He had once had a reputation for being unreliable, but his standing had risen rapidly of late. The prevailing rumor among the nobles was that the king had chosen Prince Zelando as his successor.
"Isn't this just childish play? Besides, although I hear her birth family was noble, it was foreign—and apparently the sort of family that sells its children..."
Zambard stopped short and then realized: no, it wasn't impossible. She was a Rodel now, bearing the noble family name granted to Zackhart, the king's favored guardian of Gadeland and famed general.
Originally, the Rodel family had been one of the prestigious houses close to the king. Its roots ran deep. The family name was one the king had allowed Father to bear as the highest possible mark of respect for his achievements.
As far as family rank went, there was nothing lacking. Nothing at all...
"However, they are both still young..." Zambard repeated it as though trying to convince himself.
"Indeed. They are both still young. Rufa seems to regard him as little more than a younger brother who needs looking after."
Was that really all right?
"Still, keep that possibility in the back of your mind, just in case."
Father let out a booming laugh as he drained his cup.
Zambard gave a slightly dry laugh and slowly shook his head. No... surely not.