Esterosa de Chevalier/Counter Case

## Starlight Knight

> *This video contains reconstructed testimonies of the Zodiac Knight's activities.*
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In a CSE Level 2 Corrupted Area, a group of mercenaries on a subjugation mission are hiding from a horde of C.O.s while desperately trying to make contact with outside help. Eventually, Esterosa de Chevalier and the Zodiac Knights arrive and rescue them from the threat. After the mission, two of the mercenaries, a Rifleman and an Adamant Sniper, follow Esterosa and offer them some of the profit they made from the mission as gratitude. Esterosa declines, saying the Zodiac Knights fight according to the code of chivalry and already get sufficient financial support from their families. The Rifleman also says he'll recommend her to one of his colleagues, but Esterosa declines that as well because she believes that, as a knight, she can raise her honor just by doing her duties. As the knight departs, the Rifleman expresses he feels that the world is not as bleak as he previously thought.

## Inherited Oath

> *This contains a Zodiac Knight's opinion about the current Knight Captain's inauguration ceremony.*
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Esterosa is being sworn in as the new captain of the Blue Shift division of the Zodiac Knights. Liv Allen remarks how many of the observers at the ceremony seem angry at Esterosa. Fione Lowell explains that Esterosa is the second person in a row to be chosen by the Virgo Sword from outside the twelve Zodiac families; the previous captain, who was Esterosa's brother, disappeared after setting off to retrieve the lost Star Guide's Armaments.

Esterosa pledges to follow the steps of the former captain and pick up where he left off. Two observing knights, Jeff of House Schrader and David of House Carmichael, declare they won't support the new captain, arguing that the previous captain had tarnished the Virgo Sword's "innocence" and the new captain has yet to prove her skill or leadership. Others in the crowd also shout in concurrence with the dissenters, with Fione and Liv the only ones remaining silent. David and Jeff then challenge Esterosa to a duel when she maintains her position; Esterosa accepts and defeats not just them but also all the other dissenting knights that subsequently charged at her. Afterwards, she takes Fione and Liv under her wing.

Fast forward, Liv Allen recounts Esterosa's inauguration to Yang Hansol and Arius Esquede as they clean out a public swimming pool.

## One-horned Horse

> *This is a daily record consisting of footage from citywide CCTV cameras.*
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Esterosa is looking for something in the laundry room when Liv Allen enters to get her dinosaur tracksuit cleaned. Liv says Fione had scolded her hard for wearing juvenile clothing during training, but Esterosa suggests Fione was actually put off by the tracksuit's potential to hinder Liv's training rather than its childish appearance. When Liv asks what Esterosa is doing in the laundry room, Esterosa feverishly utters she was just making sure the room was clean and leaves in a hurry.

Outside, Esterosa regrets bringing her pony pajamas (the thing she was looking for) and worries she'll demoralize the whole division. She then spots Arius walking by and carrying those pajamas, which had been mistakenly placed in her room by the Knight Bachelors. When Arius tells her she's going to return the pajamas to their rightful owner, Esterosa offers to take them from her hands and "return" them herself.

Later, Fione questions Esterosa about the incident, and Esterosa claims she returned the pajamas as stated but refuses to disclose who the owner is supposedly out of fear of causing a scandal. Fione, satisfied with her answer, agrees and says she won't intervene as long as the owner wears them in private, much to the Esterosa's relief.

## Agony Advice

> *This material contains the external Knight applications that require a reevaluation.*
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After finishing a sword-training session with her, Allen Birmingham invites Esterosa for a walk around the Counter Academy's new courtyard. As they traverse, he notes how her movements with her sword have been more sluggish than usual and asks if something's bothering her. Esterosa confides she has been having the same nightmare every night since she drew the Virgo Sword: she's standing in the middle of a burning city with a broken sword in her hand, helplessly watching people fight some large, evil entity. Allen thinks she may be seeing someone else's memories that is being held within the Virgo Sword; the nightmare she repeatedly sees might be a message of hope from the Star Guide, whom he speculates might have come from a world that was on the brink of destruction. Esterosa wonders if her brother saw the same nightmare, but Allen tells her that no other Zodiac Captain, at least those he knows of, have experienced the same things as her— he posits that either Esterosa is perceived as unique to the stars or the world's end is near. Esterosa decides to interpret the nightmare as a call for help from the Star Guide and vows to continue helping those in distress. She tells Allen not to go easy on her the next time they spar so she can overcome her sense of hopelessness. She then asks to go another round with him, to which Allen, impressed by her words, accepts.