Let The Tournament Begin

A short while after the bully squad disappeared into the amphitheatre, I spotted Lucy, dressed in her academy uniform.

She carefully marched towards the arena, arms folded, keeping her distance from everyone else around her

I made my way toward her, trying not to collide with anyone in the crowd.

Then, I noticed something strange.

Everyone who walked past her cast weird glances her way, like she was some kind of unwanted pest. The closer I got to her, the more it became apparent, and soon enough, I began to hear whispers.

"Isn't that the darkblood girl?"

"That's her alright."

"What is she doing here?"

"She doesn't belong here."

"Should've died with the rest of her house..."

Their words began to infuriate me, and I swore to hit the next person who mentioned something bad about her.

"Where have you been?"

I flinched for a moment, then turned towards the voice.

Lucy was right in front of me.

She wore a slight frown, but I noticed a hint of worry in her voice.

"Uh... I..."

For a moment, I was lost for words. It was hard to concentrate when I could still hear the horrible rumors around us.

"That boy wears the colour of House Stormborn."

"He's the son of Thane Stormborn."

"What is he doing with the darkblood?"

Slowly, I clenched my fist.

"Where have you been?" Lucy repeated.

I wondered how Lucy was able to ignore all the hateful comments around her.

"I've been..." I hesitated. "I was a bit ill."

I immediately noticed the disappointment in her eyes.

Lucy knew I was lying to her, and without another word, she walked past me.

"Wait..." I said.

She stopped in her tracks, without turning back.

"Thank you... For protecting me from Baron."

Lucy maintained her silence, but she didn't walk away.

"I know I've been acting differently toward you, and I'm really sorry. To be honest, I'm not the Rin you remember."

At this point, the entire crowd had disappeared into the arena. We were the only ones left outside.

"Someday," I continued. "I'll be able to explain it to you, but right now, I want you to know, that no matter what happens, I'm always going to be on your side."

The words came out of my mouth before I realised I was saying them. They seemed to be coming from someone else. Someone who deeply cared about her.

I didn't expect Lucy to respond immediately, but I definitely didn't expect her to walk away without saying anything, which she did.

I watched her move a short distance, but then she stopped and tilted her head towards me.

"Good luck," she said, looking over her shoulder.

My heart warmed up with relief, and a smile appeared on my face.

"You, too."

*****

The large bell rang twelve times, and a short, pink-haired lady appeared in the center of the arena.

"It's time for the tournament!!!"

She yelled in a rather low tone, but her voice rang clearly throughout the amphitheatre, with a slight echo following it.

I was impressed by her mastery of the vocal enhancement spell, which was a sub-variation of the body enhancement spell.

"Are you ready?!" She beamed with a wide grin extending from ear to ear.

The crowd erupted in cheers at the sound of her voice. The seating sections for the nobles and tutors were mostly quiet, but it was apparent that they were equally excited.

"My name is Sasha, the third-year class president of the Imperium Academy, and I'll be your humble host for this year's tournament."

The excitement in the crowd seemed to heighten the more she spoke.

"Before we begin, I'd like to clarify the rules of the contest."

On cue, the noise in the crowd gradually died down.

"Just like always, the aim of each battle is to overpower your opponent, so this contest will be magic-only. The use of weapons is strictly forbidden. A winner will be determined only when the enemy is knocked out. No surrenders."

I swallowed. This was going to be more difficult than I thought.

"This tournament is going to last for three days; which is one round of fights for each day. Today, we have four matches, so without further delay, let's get ready to meet the first contestants!"

The crowd cheered once again

"First on the list, coming all the way from the northeastern mountains of Caelthorne... Aldrin Stormborn!"

Ignoring the shaky feeling in my hands, I stood from my seat in the student section and made my way to the centre of the arena, while the crowd cheered and clapped.

For a moment, I glanced at the nobles' section, hoping to see Rin's... my parents.

It was no surprise when I couldn't find them. Caelthorne was quite far from Viridale.

The audience's cheers finally died down, and Sasha cleared her throat.

"Next, from the beautiful island of Brannersport... Please welcome... son of King Victus of Brannersport... Baron Borain."

The applause from the audience was louder than mine, probably because most of the audience were citizens of Viridale and Brannersport.

For a while, Baron failed to appear. I quickly glanced around, but he was nowhere in sight.

"Baron Borain?" Sasha repeated.

Just then, I found him standing in the students' section. All of a sudden, he bent his knees, and leapt all the way from the stands, to the very center of the arena, landing on his feet with a loud boom.

The dust from the impact went into my nose, and I let out a little cough.

Showoff.

The audience seemed to be impressed by the odd feat, and their roars intensified.

Once again, I locked eyes with Borain. With a slight smirk, he lifted one of his huge arms and flexed it to intimidate me.

It worked, for a moment.

At this point, Sasha had left the battle arena. She stood on a floating platform that hovered above the amphitheatre, powered by a magic spell.

"And now," she announced. "Let the tournament begin!"