Chapter 303: Nobleman

"...Can I just ask something..." The boy requested, as he'd try to charge forward and lunge a strike into the mirror's face, prompting Griffos to cast another ritual on the golden land, a Mirror that quickly transports the four into a different area, a change in setting. The crashing waves and warm sun before them was enough to let them know their new destination, landing themselves in the sand. The Mirror would peak such interest with a small hum, as he'd try to cast another spell, a wave of knives sent towards the Card Magician in an attempt to skewer him. Harvard would be quick on catching one of them, before casting a spell to cut the distance between himself and Griffos, inches away from one another, adjusting the knife in his mouth to try and slash at one of his eyes, yet Griffos was smart in saving at least one of them to block the blade from tasting flesh. The Card Magician would spit out his blade as he'd continue. "Are you...SERIOUSLY me in an alternative universe? It feels...wrong, seeing something that's supposed to be me act like some sort of villain. What gives?"

Griffos would chuckle at such words as he'd send his Fusion towards the child, letting the flies form into multiple arms, trying to reach and grapple the child, drinking his energy. Harvard's fusion would be quick on reacting against such hands, heat radiating off from its center, burning away at the insects, allowing Harvard to close the gap once more. "Have you ever gotten into Heraldry, my lesser?" Griffos began, turning his knife to parry an incoming stab, with Harvard tilting his own to slide across the blade and land an elbow straight across his jaw, followed by a roundhouse kick and a slash against his cheek. The Mirror still remained unfazed by such strikes, even when blood dribbled down to stain his royal clothes. "They act as Emblems, symbols of ourselves that others would understand upon a certain interpretation. Such emblems usually are symbolized by an animal, much like how I reside in kingdom with its symbol of a Lion. For instance...If you were to have an animal that best represents you, it would be something like a Cockroach: Ugly, Repulsive, a Pest that exists for nothing else than to consume and ruin whatever its grubby, little appendages can reach... Yet you are vital. Useful. You are a beast that cannot die, a beast with such sturdiness that not even the end is enough to bring you down, and thus you have more experience and strength just by being such an insect. I, on the other hand, would be best represented by, say, a Monarch Butterfly. Beautiful, Majestic, a beast only deserving of riches and praise...Yet I am as frail as paper in a fireplace. A mere poke and prod is enough to damage my wings, making me suffer a quick death. Perfect, but Fragile. This is the beauty of symbolism, my inferior half..."

"Really? You couldn't have came up with anything nicer than 'Cockroach'?" Harvard would ask, feeling a bit demeaned as he'd try to cast out Lemegeton to fire some bullets, prompting Griffos to try and parry them, striking them back to sender, further causing the child to react by swapping such weapons and parry them as well, turning such bullets into effective ping pong balls to bob, weave, and strike when possible.

"There really isn't any other substitute. Besides, you shouldn't be hung up on such a comparison. Some people can even see beauty in cockroaches if one tries hard enough." Griffos replied, creating a sigil to catch the bullets once they repel back to him, letting him gather his own energy, causing Harvard to get close and cast his Multiply spell on the sigil, making his own. Such a cast would be followed up by another card, one that depicts the Earth itself, allowing Harvard access for one of the three elements that makes up the world. In his case, he would choose water, letting the sea rise and try to flood the shoreline, having him use the Sigil as a personal umbrella. Griffos, however, would respond in tandem, doing the same move to protect himself, both of their markings now becoming full. "My point is, I came from a line of Royalty, a marginal distinction compared to your more humble origins. As expected of being Royalty, I shouldn't try to commune myself with commonfolk. It's just simply logic!"

"Logic how??"

"Well, how would you feel if one of your family members ditched such a responsibility of watching over the small whelps, ensuring their protection, providing them food, giving them such attention and love, all to elope with a random farmgirl off a small village? It would be devastating, wouldn't it? To know you abandoned the commonfolk for one's needs."

"...Ok, I get it now, I guess? You worded it so weirdly, though."

"Well, obviously! As the superior to all, I must guide the inferior! If I cannot, I am not a proper Noble, now am I? I must be the one to be saddled with its burden, the one to watch out and help the pathetic and depressed. That is what being Royalty really means, at the end of the day. I believe that's what it means to be what you wish, as well. A Hero, was it not?"

"HOW DID YOU-"

"A gamble. Let's be honest, you're making it too easy to read." The Noble can't help but laugh towards Harvard's reactions, the latter being a bit embarrassed, wondering if it really was that obvious. "...But, t'is in it of itself a noble act on its own! It's a selfish act, after all, as we are selfish monsters that demand upmost attention, and yet such an act makes us more human than you'd ever realize it. Such humanity is what makes us still hold on to that thread of consciousness, the thread that keeps us sane. You're very lucky yours is thicker than mines, at least. Enough talk though, shall we prepare another mass?" The Noble would ask, with Harvard nodding as a response.

"Weirdly enough....I'm actually starting to like you. You feel like....what's the word....It's like one of those adults that tries to spoil their child for all that it's worth."

"Endearing?"

"Nah, more like mushy! Hehehehe!" A cheeky smile was on the boy's face, before the both of them chose their respective monster, with Harvard utilizing the oceans to serve as an additional catalyst for it.

"One....Two...."

"ARAWAREU!!!" The both shouted, as the wicked beam of green light pierced through the shores, their respective monster brought forth to act as the second round.