Ferrancy

"I heard you sparred with the Warden."
The Young Girl nodded slightly at her superior's words.
"What are your impressions after sparring?"
"They were strong. Stronger than I expected."
After a brief pause, the Young Girl carefully formed the question lingering on her tongue and asked her superior.
"Are all Wardens that strong? If so... how can one become as strong as a Warden?"
"The secret to strength isn't what's important. What's important is the reason you need to become strong."
"A reason to become strong... you say?"
The Young Girl tilted her head, not quite understanding her superior's words.
"Wardens are those who fight Witches. Most choose the path of a Warden out of a sense of duty to protect humanity, but some had no choice but to become Wardens. For example... revenge."
Revenge. The unexpected word sent a chill down her spine like a blue blade slicing through.
"Perhaps that Warden..."
"In their eyes was the anger of losing something precious. For someone like that to become a Warden, it must mean that family or someone equivalent fell victim to a Witch."
Such a secret about that person.
What surprised the Young Girl most was that her superior knew such a secret.
"Did you investigate that Warden beforehand?"
"Not at all. It was just a feeling I got."
The Young Girl sighed at her superior's words. This person was always like that. Someone who could see through anything at a glance. Someone who could pierce through hidden truths. Always someone to be respected and feared.
"Those who can become stronger than anyone are those who are desperate. Those who have a reason to become strong. Those who have something they must achieve. However, many have been consumed by that desperation and never returned. Have desperation, but be wary of it."

"Hey, have you heard the rumors about Ferrancy?"
"There are always so many rumors about Ferrancy. What's the latest?"
"You know the Warden who's been meeting with Ferrancy frequently lately?"
"Oh, you mean the one with black hair? What's up with them?"
"Apparently, there's something unusual between that Warden and Ferrancy. They had a private meeting in the office last time, didn't they?"
"So what? A Warden can have a private meeting with the captain of Pereus. People find the strangest things fascinating."
"No, listen till the end. Last time, a sharp-eared guy from the neighboring unit happened to pass by the office and overheard their conversation..."
"How could he overhear anything with the office's soundproofing? He must have listened on purpose."
"No, just listen! They were... speaking informally to each other!"
"Speaking informally? You mean they were using casual language?"
"Yes! The Warden was heard calling Ferrancy 'you'!"
"That's... unusual."
"It's more than unusual! Even the Queen addresses the captain formally, so who would speak informally to Ferrancy? There must be something between them!"
"Like what...?"
"A romantic relationship... seems unlikely. A lost sibling? But they don't look alike..."
"There definitely seems to be something, but I can't figure out what kind of relationship it is."
"The whole order is buzzing about a star that might melt Ferrancy's frozen heart. They're even betting on what kind of relationship they have. Want to join in?"
"No thanks. I don't want to get involved and end up in trouble later."
"You're no fun. Don't be jealous when I win the bet and make a fortune!"

The reason for sparing the talking Voidspawn? Because that's what I was taught. To understand others' emotions and be compassionate. An emotionless monster—that was my nickname. A genius who excelled at everything, but at the cost of being the demon's child robbed of emotions. Eventually, the villagers, fearing me, drove me out into the cold winter.

With frozen limbs, I barely made it to a cabin halfway up the mountain. There, I met an old man. Upon hearing my story, he took me in as his adopted daughter and taught me what I needed to survive in the world. But even he couldn't awaken my emotions.

So he imparted emotions to me as knowledge. He taught me what makes humans happy, what anger is, and why they despair. Over a long time, he slowly educated me about emotions, so I could understand others' feelings and act accordingly.

Not killing the talking Voidspawn that day was also following his teachings. The child considered the Voidspawn a friend, and killing it would have saddened the child. He always taught me not to make children sad. I still don't understand what a friend is or why it's sad when a friend dies.

In the end, he told me to go out into the world. To spread my wings and fly high to see the vast world. I decided to follow his words, to reach the highest place I could. To see the broader world, as he said. That's why I became the captain of the royal knights of Pereus. It was the highest position I could reach with my abilities.

Many years have passed, but I still don't understand human emotions. It's such a foreign story to me. That's why I'm grateful to him, the man who was like a father to me. Without him, I wouldn't have come this far.