I absolutely despise carriages. No matter how comfortable they become and how well paved the roads are, I will always despise carriages.
Carriages were not fast. You could not feel the wind blowing on your face. You could not stand up straight. You could not appreciate the view from a high point.
This is why I despise carriages but absolutely adore swords. They are a near perfect form of transportation. Just hop onto your sword and fly across the sky like an unfettered bird.
You could see the ground below you and admire the view. You could admire the great cities and the scenic views of nature. You could feel the cool wind smothering your face with its gentleness.
You could maneuver a sword however you wanted and didn't have to follow roads. You even looked cool while flying a sword.
Swords were also fast, very fast. I could fly from one end of the empire to the other in under 7 hours of nonstop flight. I was one the best users of the flying sword in the school and I would often race with the seniors there. I almost always won.
Now, why would I be riding a carriage if I could fly on a sword? That's not something I want to really think about right now, but it's often hard to disassociate from those thoughts.
Good thing there was a perfect distraction in front of me.
"How long until we get to Sofenia?" asked Celes as she put her chin on a fist and pouted in boredom.
I glanced at the red and black sword on her side and at the black hair that was swaying along the carriage. Her red eyes which were not shining at all made me sure that she was utterly bored.
"It should be right over the hill we're going up right now. So give or take 5 minutes." I said excitedly. It had been 3 years since I saw my family. 3 whole years that I had not seen Elina. The only reason I was able to hold myself from running away from school was the... never mind. I said I wouldn't think about that.
"Finally! Ahhhhh...." Celes stretched her slender and tall body across the wide room of the carriage. Her bountiful chest shook slightly but I respectfully looked away. I was not interested in her body. I was not affected by her curves at all as I had seen them plenty in the last 2 years.
I will say this again just to reassure myself. I am NOT interested in any romantic or sexual way. My body and mind are devoted to only a single person. I shall not stray from my devotion.
Once my mind was clear of temptations I turned towards Celes who had a wicked grin on her enchanting face. As soon as I saw that grin, I felt like throwing her off the carriage and going back home by myself but that wasn't going to work. She could easily leave the carriage in the dust and even find my home by asking any random person on the street.
Sometimes it's a curse to be famous.
"Why do always avoid looking at my body senior? Could it be, that you still can't resist my devilish charm? Even after seeing me naked so many times. You are a hopeless senior. " Her sultry voice sent shivers down my spine. I wished to run away from her but I couldn't. She's faster than me by miles.
"Why can't you ever have some more shame? You are the most shameless wench of a junior that I have ever talked to." I say. I can't just stay quiet against this irritating demoness.
"Fufufu...you didn't talk to any of those thirsty bitches anyways. You would always leave them to me. I was the only reason that you didn't lose your precious virginity to any of those sluts."
Celes never leaves any room for argument. She is as honest about things as one logically can be.
"Even though they are as thirsty as a fish on land, you can't scold them like that Cel. They are still your seniors."
That's right, I'm not part of the Supreme Sword School anymore but she still was. I could talk all the shit I want about them but she still had to maintain some sort of fake respect for them.
"Not anymore."
What did she say?
"What do you mean?" I questioned.
"I already handed in my dropout letter to the principal before we left," she revealed.
"Huuuu..." I sucked in a deep breath of air as I processed it. It was surprising but it was definitely the truth if she said so. She doesn't joke about things like this lightly.
"Why?" I ask even though I could tell why.
"The moment I go back there, I will be hounded by men. Men who only care for my strength and body. You won't be there to deter them from me. I thought you knew this well."
"I do. I know this but there was so much more you could have learned." I sighed in regret. I shouldn't have believed that trash and made such a decisive move. Celes wouldn't have left the SSS and neither would I.
Now we are here together, heading to my house as she has nowhere else to go. She was an orphan who was allowed access to the academy only due to her scarily high talent for swordsmanship.
She has no family or home and was just a wandering mercenary/adventurer before one of the school's professors scouted her. Sure she could go back to adventuring or being a mercenary but she was tired of that life.
She had spent 2 years in the luxury of the school and didn't want to go back to the life of a wanderer. I don't want that for her either. I thought she was coming with me to my hometown as a sort of vacation as the school was on break for the summer.
Unlike my permanent relocation to the city, I thought she was just here to visit her best friend's home. I thought she could go back but it seems that she was here to stay.
"Are you okay with staying with me? You know what comes with this luxury right?" I had to ask her this. I need to make sure her conviction is in the right place.
"I know and I'm okay with it. I don't care for the politics of the rich. As long as you give me good meals and a soft bed, my skills are at your service." She smiled brightly. A smile that was not the least bit sinister. A sincere smile.
That was all I needed. That was all that I needed back when she asked me to protect her.
"Now it's my turn to protect you senior." I smiled at her dedication and it made me feel light. It has been a couple of months since I smiled like this.
I owe it to Celes. I owe it to the memories of Elina that kept me going. I owe it to the view of the city walls that just rose from the top of the hill.
The city that I, Ryan Vornix, have not wrecked havoc in for the last 3 years. It was time to do as I wish once again.