Amy looked at Clair. She was as beautiful as ever, with her blazing red hair that wasn't in a ponytail like usual but let down, waving freely as the wind blew. Her dainty face was so pretty that even Amy felt jealous of it. Suddenly, her eyes met with Clair's emerald green eyes.
"Hey, why are you looking at me silently?"
"Oh! Why don't you sit down? Do you need to go somewhere?"
Clair shook her head and sat down next to Amy.
"I was admiring your beauty. Your face is so pretty, even I lose confidence against your face, you know?"
"Honestly, I do have a better face than you-"
"So modest, I see..."
"-but, you win against me in other areas... pretty crushingly at that...", said Clair as her eyes wondered below Amy's head with slight jealousy.
"Oh, by the way Clair, do you want some of these?", said Amy and started to search for something in her bag. She pulled out seven thin vials as long as her hand, all filled with a different liquid with colors ranging from black to yellow.
"What are these?"
Amy picked up the jar next to her. "These are the stuff inside the stone oil. I figured you might want them because you are better at analytical chemistry."
Clair's eyes glowed for a moment and she quickly snatched the vials. "I knew you would do this but what took you so long. I was waiting for it!"
"Why didn't you do it yourself then? Are you a cuckoo?"
"Hey! I am not lazy like a cuckoo, I just had so many other things to work on."
"Like what?"
"Engines and stuff."
"Sigh~ All we do is work and more work. Why are we like this?"
"Hmm... I just like working on them. Even if I get tired physically, I am not bored."
"Very lucky... aren't we?"
"Yeah. Because my family stands on others, I can choose to work on whatever I want like this. That's why, I also want to work hard and make life easier for them."
Amy grinned. "How noble."
"Well, I am a noble, after all."
*****
Rumble~~~ Pop! Pshhhh~~
The wheel of the engine turned and turned again, until something that couldn't handle the pressure popped and the engine failed as it leaked gas. A very faint smell of rotten eggs reached the two boy's noses as they stared at the failing engine.
"...."
"URGH!!!! AGAIN! SOMETHI-"
"Calm down Corvin!"
"Man! It's so annoying!"
"I know dude but calm down! Even if you don't have another day before classes start again, I can work on this because this is a school project. You don't have to finish it here right now."
"Huff~ I don't want to burden you with any-"
"Aren't you going to employ me and my friends? What kind of employer does all the work while the workers just watch?"
"...Uhm.."
"I know you prefer getting things done on your own, but you need to get used to this, man."
Corvin smiled. " Right. Sorry about that. Let's start checking what's wrong, then?"
"Sure."
They picked up some tools and started tinkering with the engine. While Corvin was checking the metallic mess in front of him while repeatedly knocking his finger on his chin, Matt spoke.
"Your speech has changed slightly, Corvin."
"Oh, that? I realized that as well. Must have rubbed off on me from the nobles at the school."
"It's not bad since you are a noble as well now, right?"
"Even though I said I didn't want a noble title, that Emperor went ahead and made me one."
"What can you do? He is the Emperor, he can do pretty much anything he wants."
"...Hey Matt."
"Hm?"
"What do you think about the recent stuff?"
"What stuff?"
"You know. The protests in the capitol and that stuff."
"Oh..." Matt thought for a second and grinned. "What? Is the knight trying to catch a traitor?"
"You know that's not why I am asking."
"I know."
"So? Do you have any opinions about it?"
"Honestly... I do kind of resent them, nobles I mean."
"Oh."
"Because, my father had to die, fighting a colossus' army while they mostly sat behind a wall of soldiers and waited for the perfect opportunity to attack that monster and gain as much reward as possible."
"..."
"I know that was probably the best way to reduce harm to civilians but I still don't like how soldiers are considered expendable. So, I don't have a clear opinion about everything. Mine is just the small grudge of a child who lost his father."
"I see..."
"You are going to be a leader on the battlefield, aren't you Corvin?"
"!! Wh-Why would you say that?"
"Why? Because you are a knight, aren't you?"
"O-Oh... I could also be the Emperor's guard, you know?"
"Nah... I don't think you would do that. I know how you are like. You like to be in control and responsible for everything."
"That makes me sound like a crazy person..."
"It may. I exaggerated a little bit but you get what I mean, right?"
"Sure."
The clanking coming from Matt stopped. Curious, Corvin also stopped. When he turned towards Matt, he was looking at him straight, right into his eyes. There was an unusual seriousness embedded into his deep dark blue eyes. Surprised to see such a serious face from his friend who usually acted like an easygoing guy, he was surprised.
"So, can I ask for something from you, Corvin?"
"Yes?"
"You said you could give me anything if I worked for you, right?"
"Yes."
"What I want from you is, when you become a military leader, or get a similar position, promise me you will not use the soldiers as pawns on a battlefield."
"...I promise."
"Promise me, you will always see them as humans that are tragically, at a place where no human should ever be, at the battlefield."
"I promise."
"And promise me, you will make sure the lives they lost are never in vain."
"...How do I do that?"
"Be successful every single time."
"That's quite the request, isn't it?"
"It's not a request, it's a promise."
Corvin snorted with laughter and smiled.
"Then, I promise."
"Thank you.", said Matt while he pulled himself out from under the engine and got up.
"We are done?"
"Yeah, I found the issue. I don't want you wasting the last day of your holiday working on this mess here. Go spend some time with everyone at the village. You never leave that workshop even during the small time you are here every few weeks. People missed you."
Corvin said okay and got up. After cleaning himself and getting rid of the olive oil smell stuck to him, he got outside and walked around the village and spent some time here and there.