Chapter 607: Sassy

Few in the Rockwell Kingdom would dare call Celestina ’girl’, but while the man across from Christina looked like a handsome, refined, middle-aged gentleman, he was actually a 354-year-old Peak-Rank Spirit Adept, making him one of only a handful of individuals stronger and older than the Balfour Marquess.

Understanding that there were some old grudges between her Master and Uncle Killian, ones that fell outside the normal Balfour and Roth Family feuds, Christina didn’t take direct offense at this abrupt shift in tone, but that didn’t mean she was going to ignore her duties as a Disciple, "My Master has been nothing but good to me, so I would appreciate if you do not disparage her."

"My presence here was at my own request. I volunteered to join the military to gain real-life combat experience, and since this mission was assigned to my unit, I had no reason or right to refuse."

Christina’s eyes then narrowed ever-so-slightly as she added, "As for the upcoming operation... I have seen first-hand what our enemy has been doing to the citizens of our kingdom, and I would hardly call their actions a ’minor matter’."

Studying the still respectful, yet solemn and determined expression on the face of the young woman before him, Killian Roth internally nodded in approval.

His words just now were meant to probe Christina, rather than actually complain about Celestina’s teaching style.

While on the surface it seemed like they were a bit at odds, in truth, he and Celestina got along just fine.

They weren’t friends, but as fellow Generals who had both been trained by Ariana Rockwell in their youths, the two of them shared a mutual respect for one another. That didn’t mean they didn’t butt heads frequently or argue about military tactics, but it did mean they could share a drink and chat casually with each other without it feeling awkward.

There may have been a bit of jealously laced into Killian’s comments, as a few years ago a younger Christina had firmly and immediately rejected him when he offered to become her Master, saying she only wanted to become Celestina’s Disciple, but Killian wasn’t so petty as to hold a grudge over the innocent words of a child.

No, what Killian really wanted to see was how the kingdom’s youngest princess would react to a sudden, personal provocation. He wanted to know how quick she was on her feet and whether she was mature enough to warrant her current position as a Battalion Commander.

Would she be able to maintain her composure and respond rationally?

Would she attempt to side-step the criticism by either feigning agreement or pretending to be ignorant?

Would she lash out like so many privileged, noble youths her age tended to do?

Needless to say, Christina’s staunch defence of her Master, accepting personal responsibility for her own decisions, and polite yet pointed criticism of him making light of the plight of the kingdom’s citizens was pretty much a perfect answer in Killian’s opinion, Seems she not only grew up over the past 8 years, but also matured greatly.

Leaning back into his chair, Killian nodded, "Of course, you’re right. Forgive me for misspeaking just now."

"Not at all, Uncle Killian," Christina shook her head before smiling slightly wryly, "Now, if you’re done testing me, shall we get down to business?"

"Heh, rather than your parent’s personality quirks, I see you’ve picked up Celestina’s sassy attitude instead," Killian snickered before his expression turned serious, "But yes. I believe that is enough pleasantries for now. Let us get to work."

The next few minutes were spent discussing the broad outline of what was supposed to happen over the next few months. It was hardly a comprehensive war council, but it was enough to get the two of them on the same page about what needed to be done going forward.

"Her Majesty and the Ministry of War really came up with a brilliant plan this time," Killian mused as the strategy session between him and Christina concluded.

In response to this comment, however, Christina couldn’t help laughing lightly as she nodded, "En, I will be sure to convey your praise to the mission planners."

General Roth wasn’t sure why Christina found his comment funny, but he figured there must have been some inside joke between her and Marianne.

The truth?

The First Queen was indeed responsible for working out the details of this operation, but the original idea for it actually came from a certain young boy Christina was quite familiar with.

"Good, now then, how about I escort you to your temporary barracks?" Killian offered, getting up from his desk.

Of course, Christina tried to refuse, "There’s no need for that. It hardly makes sense for the army’s General to be handling such trivial tasks."

"Bah, nonsense," Killian snorted, "I could use a break from all these documents anyways."

Seems Uncle Killian and Master share a dislike for paperwork, Christina thought to herself, though she couldn’t exactly blame them for that. She had yet to meet anyone who enjoyed reviewing documents and tabulating expenses.

Even Lucas, whose behaviour bordered, if not crossed over into the realm of obsession when it came to keeping detailed logs, spreadsheets, reports, and records, didn’t ’enjoy’ doing paperwork.

If anything, Lucas hated it just as much as their Master did, a fact Christina was certain of as she had caught her Senior Brother cursing out loud and literally banging his head against piles of papers and thick record books late at night on multiple occasions.

Understanding this, and having had a small taste of what it was like to file such reports herself now, Christina couldn’t help asking Lucas why he was so insistent and meticulous about the administrative and bureaucratic aspects of all his various projects even though it clearly frustrated him.

In response, Lucas simple told her that he would frustrate and irritate him more to not have a proper record of everything.

Christina then remembered him muttering something about wanting a... ’terminal’? Or maybe it was something like a ’computer’, whatever that was.

In any case, all this was to say that to basically everyone, paperwork was unpleasant, and any excuse to avoid it was a good excuse.

Still, even if Killian was something like an old family friend of hers, that was still no reason for the highest-ranking officer in the Piercing Sword Legion to be playing tour-guide to a newly arrived Captain, regardless of whether she was a princess or not.

Before Christina could object again, however, Killian called out to the aide working outside his office and asked, "Where are our guests from the Raging River Legion staying?"

Opening one of the many notebooks on his desk, the aide promptly replied, "They have been assigned to the #13 northern barracks, Sir."

Hearing this, Killian’s casual expression instantly shifted, cramping up noticeably as he grumbled, "Say that again?"

"The #13 northern barracks," the aide replied, his tone and demeanor not shifting in the slightest.