Book 1 - The Rose-Red Tyrant: Chapter 20; Rookie Frustration

The screen turns on as the chapter title plays "Chapter - 20; Rookie Frustration".

Still in the library they had just finished telling the headmage what happened.

The headmage said "Ah… I believe I understand the situation. You are resistant to the idea of apologizing, but unable to devise any other method to get the housewarden to remove the collar." Ace answered "Yeah, pretty much." The headmage then tells them "I see. If you and the housewarden are truly unable to reconcile, you could always transfer." He then explains further "However, this is the dorm that the Dark Mirror chose for you based on the essence of your being. Any attempt to relocate would necessitate quite a burdensome process, as well as a new ritual." Ace mumbles "A transfer, huh…?"

But then tells the headmage "That'd make me feel like I was running with my tail between my legs."

Crowley then offers the suggestion "Hmm. Then it sounds like you should challenge Mr. Rosehearts for leadership of the dorm."

This causes all of them to scream out "WHAAAAAT?!" The headmage then immediately starts to whisper as he tells them "Lower your voices! This is a library!"

Ace then whispers back "But what you said was…insane!" The headmage now back to normal talking tells Ace "There is nothing remotely 'insane' about it. After all, that's how Mr. Rosehearts got the position."

This makes Deuce ask "What exactly is the process by which housewardens are selected at Night Raven College?" Grim adds on "Trey said that Riddle became housewarden within his first week as a student here."

The headmage explains to them "There are several ways. You could be appointed by the previous housewarden, for example, or duel the current warden and win. A duel is certainly one of the simpler methods."

But this makes Ace ask "But isn't fighting with magic against the rules?" The headmage explains "In general, yes. A duel initiated through a formal procedure and conducted in the presence of the headmage is another matter entirely." Trey comments "I'm pretty sure the duel rules don't allow for preemptively handicapping your opponent… So this could be a way to force Riddle to remove your collar without apologizing. That said…" Crowley cuts Trey off by telling them "The right to challenge a housewarden is bestowed upon all students when enrolling at Night Raven."

Then with a bit of a sly smile he asks them "So what do say, Mr. Trappola? Will you challenge Mr. Rosehearts?" Ace tells him "Sure, I'll give it a shot!" Deuce follows up by saying "Then I will too." Grim shouts out "Me three!"

But the headmage tells Grim "I'm afraid not, Mr. Grim. You cannot challenge a housewarden of a dorm to which you do not belong."

Grim exclaims that "Myah?! Then how'm I supposed to get this buzzkill collar off?!" Ace tells Grim with a smile "If I become housewarden, I'll just order Riddle to remove it! Easy-peasy!" But Grim counters "How will everyone know how tough I am if you do that?"

But Trey is more worried about the whole duel thing than anything else as he asks them "Are you sure about this? I certainly didn't expect you to throw your hat in the ring, Deuce." Deuce tells him "You didn't? I think every man's gotta make a grab for glory at least once in his lifetime. And if we're teaming up to take him down, ya better believe I'm running the show!"

Ace then leans on Deuce's shoulder as he says "Oh man, here we go again." Deuce is surprised as he asks "Huh? What'd you say?" The headmage smiles as he tells them "Then I'll get started on the paperwork."

Yuu thinks to herself 'Is this really a good idea?' But knows that now there is no way out of this so she tells them "We need to come up with some sort of plan." Ace nods as he asks "For sure. Anyone got any good ideas?" Deuce says "Hmm. Hard to imagine we can beat Riddle with straightforward magic…"

He paused before smirking and saying "A solid left hook, on the other hand…" Grim agrees "Yeah, that guy looks like a pushover!"

But this makes Crowley remember something as he tells them "Ah, did I forget to mention that detail? These duels are to be fought solely with magic." Deuce then exclaims "What?!" But Crowley had already started to walk away as they heard him laughing away while saying "Nothing beats a good, civilized duel!" But it seemed he had forgotten something else as he pops his head over a bookcase and tells them "Now, the paperwork should be prepared and filed on the morrow, and the duel scheduled accordingly."

Ace, now slightly nervous, says trying to act brave "Aight, let's do this! I may not be the world's greatest mage, but…I'll figure something out!" Deuce, also nervous, now continues on Ace's willpower shouting "That's the spirit!" Grim tells them "My head's on the line here, so don't mess this up!"

Trey is surprised by their will, even after being told the duel was solely magic, says "You guys…"

As Ace proves his spirit by declaring "When I'm housewarden, I'm gonna make Riddle fess up to bein' wrong. I'll make him apologize, too! And no one in the dorm is gonna have to live by any crazy rules again!"

The screen then fades to black with "To be continued" showing before fully turning off.