Chapter Text
“......u……p……”
“....Yuu……. Up……”
“WAKE UP YUU!!!” “GAAH-!?” Yuu jerked up, as he was shaken violently from his slumber. Wait…. Did he fall asleep? “Finally you’re awake!” Grimm glared at him, putting his paws on his hips. “The last team just finished up. We need to get to the stage for the winner announcement,” Deuce said, tapping on Yuu’s shoulder gently.
“Oh….” Yuu let out weakly, as he rubbed his eyes carefully. Had he been asleep for that long time? No wonder Grimm was there, he was probably checking on him and the team. “Come on! Or we’ll be late for our victory announcement nandazo~!” Or that…
“Yuu-kun, can you stand up well?” Epel asked, reaching his hand out. Yuu took it gratefully, and stood up, a little bit wobbling, “Thanks,” he smiled. “If you’re still feeling tired, I suggest you take a rest, Yuu,” Vil stated, “An unsightly figure isn’t a good sign on stage,” the senior added firmly. The boy nodded, “I understand. Don’t worry about me.”
Walking through the hall, the announcer was on once again, “The National Wizarding Boarding School Culture Festival in Night Raven College! This concludes all teams’ performances for the musical contest, Vocal and Dance Championship! Everyone, let us welcome our contestants back to the stage!!” The audience cheered and clapped their hands, as each team filled the stage once again.
Yuu walked beside Epel, and the petite boy helped him walk for a little bit. Neige and his friends came up to the stage in orderly fashion, followed by other teams, and Noble Sanctuary’s team. Adrastus was on the front, and when they were at their spots, Yuu glanced at Adrastus warily. The young prince however noticed, and gave him a small smile. Yuu flinched, clicking his tongue as he turned away in annoyance.
“The winner of this competition shall be decided by the total number of votes of everyone in attendance!” the host stated. “Judging from their singing, their dancing. And how well did they express the meanings of their songs to the whole world… Every team has shown us high level performances. Please vote for the team who shined the brightest!”
“Now then! You may vote for your team by scanning the QR code from entering the venue with your smartphone!” the announcer declared, letting everyone within the Colosseum to cast their votes. Throughout the audience seats, there were rings and rings, indicating they’ve casted their votes. The Night Raven College’s students of course voted for their own, the same goes for Royal Sword Academy’s students and Noble Sanctuary Campus’ students.
The performers casted their votes as well, and Adrastus looked at his phone, then smiled to himself, quickly hid his phone in his pocket. “The tool for recording real-time voting over here,” the host gestured to the tool for the vote right next to the stage, “Was provided to us by the ‘Olympus’ company in their effort to support the students and their activities!”
“Select Night Raven College, and vote…. There,” Epel murmured, voting for the NRC team on his phone. “M-My heart’s ‘bout to jum’ out from ma’ mouth…..” the lilac haired boy muttered, feeling his drumming heart. “Schoenheit-senpai mentioned this before… But to vote for our own team really requires courage, huh…” Deuce commented, as he casted his vote for the team. “The other schools were amazing too….” he added, glancing at the other team. “I guess so,” Kalim smiled, “Each and every school is amazing in their ways…”
“But… I’m still voting for our NRC Tribe!” Kalim declared, as he pressed the vote button. “Ob~vious~ly~!” Ace grinned, voting for the team as well, “We went through such a hellish training afterall, so giving us that prize money is the least they could do~” he hummed. “Good grief, you’re getting full of yourself,” Jamil sighed. “But in terms of popularity and ability, there’s no doubt we're in a winning position. Cast your vote with confidence,” he added.
“True,” Vil said, and pressed the vote button, “We’ve shown them with our last drop of strength….. This time,” the senior looked at Neige who was voting in glee, “I will be the top of the world…” he swore. Rook noticed Vil’s look, smiling to himself, the hat wearing senior casted his vote. Yuu pressed the vote button, and right that-
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“!?” Yuu’s eyes shot wide. His vision started to go blurry, everything was spinning… ‘Wha-.... What is this….feeling…..’ Yuu panickedly thought in his heart. Something bad, terrible was there! Dread filled Yuu’s head, as if he was a little prey for some predator more dangerous than a monster. Yuu could feel his body go wobbly again, and his fingers trembled on their ends. His grip on his phone was a little loosened due to the cold sweat…
Within the VIP seats, the headmasters were hoping that their schools would be the winner. But the blue pot in Ingrom’s hands seemed to be… alive? The yellow markings were pulsating, enthusiastically, longingly, and ominously.
Yuu’s breath hinced, his mouth was shivering. The boy slowly put his phone to his pocket, as his pupils were shaking… Malleus watched as Lilia voted for the NRC team, as he didn’t possess a smartphone of his own. His eyes shifted from the phone, to the stage, “!?” and he stood up a bit, as Malleus noticed Yuu’s fearful look.
“....Yuu….?” he let out, catching the attention of his companions. They looked at the boy, who was seemingly having a hard time breathing. “Just 30 more seconds until the vote is close!” the host announced. “.....10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1….. TIME’S UP!!!” he declared excitedly, his arms were up making a big X.
RING~ RING~ RING~
Yuu flinched, but kept his mouth shut when the loud ringing was heard. “We’ll be counting the votes!” the announcer stated, and a little while later, he said, “......All votes have been counted!!” Yuu suddenly felt nausea, but he kept it in, as he gulped down his nervousness. Even though he was anxious for the winner's announcement, the sickening feeling was still there. Lingering all over his body…
“Th-This is….!” They could hear the host’s voice stuttering, what was the result? “Is something like this…. Okay to be possible!? It seems that we have a TIE between two teams!!” he declared, causing murmuring among the audience and the teams. “A-A Tie!?” Grimm screamed in his audience seat, “Is that even possible to begin with!?” he questioned, and everyone was wondering, from these many people, who would’ve guessed there would be a tie…
“The students gathered here from across the nation are all very skilled. Their singing and their dancing prowess shined just as gre-…. as a-….. -wel….” ‘....What……’ Yuu’s vision started to get more blurry. His ears could catch a little bit of what the host was saying, the noises were fading, and there was an ear-piercing noise!
“I wou-.... -ove nothi-....-to giv-..... -team… firs-..... -ophy….. But al-.... winners are…..” ‘....Oh no…….’ Yuu couldn’t hold it any longer. “ROYAL SWORD ACADEMY!! AAAAAND!! NIGHT RAVEN COLLEGE!!!” ‘......I’m going to… pass out-......’ Yuu instinctively grabbed onto whoever's sleeve, as his eyes rolled back, his knees fell altogether…..
“!!!” Epel turned, only to be a bit too late to notice that Yuu had fallen unconscious. “Yuu!” he tried to catch the boy, but, *Ting* someone had caught Yuu first. Right on the stage, a hundred or more gasps could be heard.
Suddenly standing on the Purple Stage, holding the closed eyed young boy, was none other than Malleus Draconia. “Malleus!?” Lilia exclaimed, shocked as he just noticed Malleus had teleported to catch Yuu! ‘Oh gosh… he’s on the stage with these cameras on….’ Lilia thought, looking around the cameras now was focusing on the prince of the Briar Valley.
“Wh-What the-!? …I-Is that one of the top five wizards, Malleus Draconia!?” the announcer exclaimed, equally shocked, “What is he doing on the stage!? What happened!?” Malleus heard all of the questions and murmurs, a noisy distraction, but his only focus now was Yuu. The dragon fae checked Yuu’s temperature, and the boy was cold.
Pursing his lips, Malleus just carefully carried Yuu in his arms. Vil came over, “Malleus! What is wrong-...” “The human boy is sick, Schoenheit,” Malleus simply stated, “I shall bring him to the infirmary.” “O-Okay….. Take care of him,” Vil asked him with a glare. But needless to say, the dragon fae would do just so.
Watching the horned figure leaving the stage with a seemingly sleeping boy in his arms, Adrastus narrowed his eyes, trying to read the mood over there. “Huh, interesting,” he let out with a huff, and just shrugged, smiling while minding his own business. However, his father wasn’t amused in the slightest from the VIP seat. Ingrom’s eyes twitched, but stayed silent. Crowley watched Malleus go to the back stage, and hummed, “.....Hm, now that’s something…..” he mumbled.
Lilia sighed, as he rubbed his temple, “Hah… good grief. Sebek, Silver, let’s go,” he said, hopping off of his seat, and the three walked toward the exit, following their young lord to the infirmary. Along the way, most people would avoid Malleus. Though, there were some who were watching the dragon fae carrying an unconscious human boy, like Azul and the Leech brothers.
Soon enough, Malleus arrived at the school infirmary. The ghosts there were busy attending to some students and customers who were injured or sick, but seeing Malleus was there, they spared a bed at the back corner. The horned man laid Yuu on the bed gently, and when he checked his temperature again, his forehead was warmer, not cold anymore, and not feverish as well. A ghost nurse came over, and asked Malleus what happened.
The man explained briefly to the ghost, then the nurse checked Yuu up. “Hmm… Hm hm…. It seems he just exhausted himself,” the nurse concluded. “There seem to be some bruises here and there too, what on Twisted Wonderland happened to him…” the ghost murmured as he went to take the necessary bandages, antiseptic, and healing potion.
While the ghost nurse was gone, Malleus checked Yuu’s magic flow once again. ‘...It wasn’t as chaotic as earlier,’ Malleus thought, his hand on Yuu’s chest. The man noticed Yuu’s blot-filled pendant, his eyes caught a weird marking on Yuu’s chest. The ghost nurse did unbutton Yuu’s shirt so the boy could breathe easier.
He wanted to see what the marking was about, there was a possibility that the human child got it while fighting Schoenheit earlier. So, Malleus lifted his shirt just a little bit. But, as the old saying goes, curiosity killed the cat, Malleus’ eyes shot wide.
It was a strange burn scar… A triangle shaped one….
His eyes softened, as he closed his eyes the man closed the shirt a little, and decided to leave when the ghost nurse attended to Yuu. On the outside of the infirmary, Lilia, Silver, and Sebek were waiting for him. “......Malleus,” Lilia called out to him, “You……” the short man sighed, “....You’ll be getting an earful from Her Highness later on, boy.” “.....I know,” Malleus answered, as he walked through the hall.
“Malleus-sama!” Sebek hurriedly followed his master, frantically asking, “Is there something wrong, my lord? Is that human being rude toward you-!? Ah! Then, let this Sebek-” “No need,” Malleus immediately rejected Sebek’s offer, to which the junior flinched and cried a little. “Rushing forward just to rescue a human boy,” Lilia started, “I may support your relationship with Yuu, but do remember your position as the next in line to be the ruler of Briar Valley.” “......I know, Lilia,” Malleus insisted, “But…. Seeing the human child getting hurt like that….”
Malleus recalled when he first entered the special stage, barely noticing the poisonous mist. The first thing his eyes caught on the stage was that Yuu was weakly rushing toward the debris, and was about to get crushed by a wall piece. Without any thinking, Malleus casted a spell to destroy that wall piece, and he protected Yuu with a little magic shield as well. Perhaps, the thought of the human child laying dead before him, scared Malleus to the core.
And when Yuu fallen unconscious like that, made his hands trembled. Malleus felt his cheek where Yuu had slapped on, and the pain came back to him, reminding the fae that Yuu was a strong one, not a weak human. But oh so, humans were more fragile than faes, and the fact that Yuu was a human kept Malleus on edge. ‘....Please be well….’ he wished deeply, ‘....Yuu….’
Back at the stage, after the ruckus with Malleus had died down, the host and the headmaster, along with VDC’s event producers, decided that the tie winners shall go to another round of voting. And this time, people who’ve watched the VDC online could vote as well. Grimm was still with the Heartslabyul’s seniors, as he couldn’t get out of this big crowd of people on his own. There were some technical issues along the way, but in the end the votes were in. And the result was….
“The winner of this year’s Vocal & Dance Championship is!!!!.............” The host waited for the drum rolls to end, and declared, “ROYAL SWORD ACADEMY~!! With their song that brought a warm atmosphere, ‘Everyone Go Yahoo!’ They’ve invited everyone watching to spend a moment in a land of fairy tales. And because of who they are, they were able to give us such a peaceful performance!” Confettis shot out here and there, celebrating the victory of the host school’s rival school.
“The second place goes to Night Raven College! I’m sure that losing by two votes is frustrating, however, the team has shown us a superb show that featured high level vocals and overall technique!!” When their defeat was announced, NRC Tribe was shocked, and Grimm was even more so, as he cried out loud in the seat, “FGNAAAAA~!!!! My tuna-cans-treasure-trove dream…….!!”
“Please give a round of applause for all schools! They have shown us such spectacular performances!!” The host invited the audience, and along with them, he clapped his hands, and the cheers lived up once again. “Well then, winners~! Please come to the front!” the host gestured to the RSA team to step forward, and nervously they walked toward where he pointed at.
“Again………” Crowley mumbled in his seat, “We lost….again…” he mumbled more, burying his face to his face. “I was so sure that we could take this victory from ‘that side’ this time…!” he cried silently. “Just what….did we have less……” Ambrose the 63rd laughed, “Ah hah hah. The youngins are cultivating their talents, truly something so beautiful, is it not?” he grinned to himself. “This time too, Royal Sword Academy has taken the victory.” “....Yes, that is indeed what happens,” Crowley glared at the old man, but soon smiled again, “Well, it was two votes in difference. There has to be some miscount, for sure, a miscount.” “Even though you said that, a competition is a competition. The winner is, us! Oh hoh hoh!” the elder headmaster just laughed to the heartest.
“Grrrggghhh~!!! Next time, we will surely take the victory!” Crowley promised, though it didn’t scare the RSA headmaster. “Oh well, I’ll be looking forward to the Interhigh Magift Tournament in May~ After all, it may mark our 100th victory,” Ambrose smirked proudly. “....On another note, Mister Crowley,” Ambrose dropped his joking aura, and put up a much serious look, “I see vestiges of great magic here and there around this Colosseum.” Ambrose looked here and there, inspecting the traces of magic around them. “Your point being?” Crowley asked, seemingly not understanding what the old man meant.
“It is not the amount of magic you would expect from a practical magic exam,” Ambrose stated. “Before the VDC commenced, what exactly happened here?” he asked, putting his hands on his hips. “Now now, I wonder what are you talking about,” Crowley shook his head, shrugging slightly, “As the headmaster of the host school for the joint culture festival, I can assure you there is no cause for concern. There may have been some students that got too worked up during rehearsal, though I’m sure that's ‘all’ it was,” he explained.
“Each of our students have their own quirks, but that’s precisely what makes them so capable,” Crowley smiled, giving a reassurement toward the other headmaster. “....Hmmm, if that’s what you claim to be, Mister Crowley,” Ambrose nodded, accepting the masked teacher’s reasoning. “I will make sure to keep a closer eye over the students tomorrow,” Ambrose stated, not wanting his students or others to get into some kind of trouble.
“Well well, that is very thoughtful of you,” Crowley smiled, accepting Ambrose’s offer, “I hope you can enjoy our culture festival to the fullest too, Mister Ambrose. Well then…” Crowley raised from his seat, and went off somewhere. Ambrose was still unsure about Crowley’s reasons, and so he asked another headmaster right beside him for an opinion, “What do you think of that, Mister Ingrom?”
Ingrom glanced at the old headmaster, and scoffed, “True there are some traces of powerful magic. However, if the bird mask headmaster stated so himself, it must be nothing worth your concern, Mister Ambrose.” Ingrom held onto the pot, as he looked at the NRC Tribe silently, “There might be some students who got too worked up during rehearsal, that is for sure not too far off….”
“Eh… F-For real…” Neige murmured, watching the cheering crowds before him, “We’ve… we’ve become the no. 1 in the world…?” he asked with a disbelieving tone. “Neige! What’s that zoned-out face for!?” Gran patted Neige’s leg, “Hurry and let’s get that winner trophy!” “Hooray~!! Happy~ ppy~~!!” Hop shouted out. “.........Hm,” Shelpy nodded awake, “Eh? Did I…fall asleep?” “N-No….1….. I’m so happy but….” Timmy murmured, rubbing his red cheeks, then quickly hid behind Shelpy, “I’m so embarrassed! Oh gosh…!” “Yaaay~! Thank you! …Ha-... HachOOOO!!” Snick sneezed out.
Dominic was crying though, even needed to wipe his eyes and glasses multiple times, “Hu-Huuuu…. I-I’m so *hic happy!... I’m so glad we-... practiced so hard- Huuu…..” “Dominic, why are you crying?” Toby asked, then patted Dominic on the head, “Look, everyone’s having fun~ Yahoo~!” (I’m tempted to give Toby uwu voice…)
“Here is your winner trophy,” the host handed Neige a crystal like trophy, with VDC stamped on it cleanly, “Congratulations!” Neige took it, with a small smile and teary eyes, “Thank you….” Neige sniffed, tears flowing down his eyes, “Thank you very much! I’m so happy!” he shouted out, thanking the audience.
“Now, prepare the stage for an encore of our winners! From the Royal Sword Academy team, ‘Everyone Go Yahoo!’!!” While the RSA was celebrating to the brim with their nursery song playing in the background, the NRC Tribe on the other hand was stuttered. “......That’s….no way……” Deuce said, eyes twitching, wide and filled with denial. “Just……two, votes away…..” Ace too let out, equally in the same state as Deuce’s.
“.......Uu……. uuughh…….!” Epel’s teeth gritted tightly, his trembling hands tried to silent his mouth. But alas, he let out, “Daaaamn iiittt!! So… annoyiiiing….!!” Epel wailed. Kalim came closer to Epel, patting his back gently, “Epel, come on don’t cry like that,” he smiled, “....If you’re crying like that…. I’m gonna cry too~~!!!!” Kalim also cried out, as he and Epel hugged each other, crying and their snot running out of their nose, “UUUWAAAAHHHHH!!!”
Jamil tried to pry the two away, as he firmly stated, “Oi Kalim! You should remember that you have dignity to keep as the heir of the Asim family!” he sighed, “What will you do if there are words of you showing such an unsightly form, crying like a baby?” Kalim looked at Jamil with tearful eyes, “Because!.....” Kalim sniffed his snot back, “...This is so…. Frustrating….. Jamil’s not frustrated, are ya!?” he questioned his servant, while still crying. “I’m so frustrated, to the point I can’t cry or utter a word. My mind is completely blank for now,” Jamil answered with a melancholic look.
“All of you,” Vil called out to them, giving them a slight glare, “We’re still on stage here. Quit showing off your sorry looks!” he scolded them, as he kept a straight face, while watching the RSA team waved their hands to the audience. “Stand up straight, and don’t forget to give applause for our rivals’ victory,” Vil said, as he gave a weak hand clapping. The others too followed along.
“As expected of Vil-senpai,” Jamil glanced at Vil, “You look calm. Are you perhaps used to this kind of situation?” he asked, bluntly. “....Calm? Used to this? …..Hmph,” Vil smiled bitterly, “OBVIOUSLY NOT!” he shouted, although it was muted due to the music. “Right now, I want to kick every single of those Royal Sword Academy students Off of the stage! Would someone Please knock me out before I run my mouth with swears and curses!!?” Vil yelled, pointing his finger at Neige and his friends.
Soon enough, Vil’s eyes flowed with tears, his mouth was covered with his gloved hand, as he quivered, “.......I want to curse….everyone that voted for Neige’s group…..” he sobbed silently. Rook held his breath, and then sighed out a sad breath, “Ah… O fairest Vil. Our Roi de Poison. I am terribly sorry that my choice seemingly has made you suffer like thus. However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lie to what my heart had decided,” he said, closing his eyes feeling sorry for Vil. “.......Huh?” Vil looked at Rook, “That… What do you mean by that?” he asked, having some suspicion toward his vice dorm head.
“The sole person you should curse, is just me, Vil,” Rook answered. “Eh……?” the members looked at the hat wearing man with confused looks. “....Huh? The person I should curse is you…. What do you mean by that?” Vil asked again. “By that, I meant….” Rook smiled a little, and gave Vil and the group a look of his smartphone, “Look here.”
Rook’s screen showed the voting website, and on it was the RSA school’s logo, instead of NRC’s logo. Seeing this, Vil just let out, “.............Hah….” as he wobbled backward, feeling his legs numbed. Vil quickly was caught by Deuce, “Whoa-!! Vil!! Hang in there!!” Kalim exclaimed, as the others grouped around the almost passed out Vil. “S-Senior, get a hold of yourself! Please lean on my shoulder!” Deuce offered, holding Vil firmly and steadily.
“Wait a sec Rook-senpai!!” Ace suddenly shouted out, looking at Rook with an angry look, “Why did you vote for Royal Sword Academy!?” he questioned his senior’s decision. “Tha’s right! Can’t believe ya!! How could’ ya do this ta us!?” Epel let out his accent, demanding answers from Rook. “Just as I said, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t lie to what my heart had decided. Neige-kun and his friends danced and sang with their hearts and their own powers, and with the power of believing in their team. When I looked at their figures, I thought them… to be ‘strong’. At that moment, I thought them to be ‘The fairest one of all’,” Rook explained with a smirk in a daydream state.
“N-No way……” Vil let out weakly. “Vil,” Rook kneeled down, “The one who needs to believe in your power the most, is yourself. The way you remain stoic and push yourself to greater heights in order to claim over your rivals, is what makes you more beautiful than anyone else,” he declared with a smile, but that mouth didn’t curve up for too long, “Then again… As long as you doubt yourself, even if you’re admired by the whole world, you will never be satisfied with yourself from the depth of your own heart, right…”
“But, if one day, you fall into the ground, become covered in mud, and wither away with age, as long as you could state ‘Even now, I am the fairest one of all’ with your chest up high, even the legendary magic mirror shan’t deny your claim,” Rook said, holding onto Vil’s hands, with a charming smile, saying what he needed to say to Vil. “The pride and strength of believing in yourself, are what make you the world’s powerful one. Roi de Poison, our fairest Vil. Please do believe in yourself more than anybody else. For beauty is always be with you,” Rook declared, as he kissed Vil’s knuckles, like how he first pledged his loyalty toward the Pomefiore’s dorm head.
“At this moment, you are the fairest one of all!” Rook smiled, and Vil just looked at him with his still tearing eyes, as his lips trembled, letting out a few sniffs and sobs. But the moment was rui- interrupted by a cheerful shout, “VI-KUN~!!!!” Came a running Neige, waving his hand toward the group.
Neige however paused, as he saw that Vil was crying. “.....Sniff…. Neige…?” Vil looked over, wiping his own nose, and trying to hide his pitiful form from his rival. “!.... Vi-kun’s crying… This is my first time seeing you like this outside of a play…” Neige murmured, feeling a little surprised to see it. Vil quickly tried to wipe his tears next, “It seems I’ve shown you such a pathetic form, huh.” Vil then huffed, leaving his red nose and red eyes alone for a bit, “Hmph…I always lose to you….” he said, looking up to prevent more tears from flowing out.
“Always lose to me-.... It might seem like it from the number of votes… But,” Neige kneeled beside Vil, “You all have put up a wonderful performance that only your team can make it too! True that we came out as number one for this competition, for the people who voted for Vi-kun’s team always see you as the world’s number one too!” Neige smiled, showing Vil the great numbers that the team had required, even though it was fewer than Neige’s votes, it was still a big number. “Neige…..” Vil looked at him, and Neige smiled, “That’s why, Vi-kun. No need to cry more, okay,” he smiled innocently.
Rook chuckled, “Roi du Neige’s right. Vil is more beautiful with a smile rather than a crying visage,” he said. Rook pulled out a clean and pretty white handkerchief from his pocket, and gently wiped Vil’s tears, “Here. Handkerchief for you.” Vil sighed, and took it, “....Thanks….”
“Oh, you were the one who called for me in the hallway…. Rook-kun, right?” Neige looked at Rook with a smile. “Oui. My apologies for rushing you away earlier,” Rook said, bowing his head a little toward Neige. “Rook-kun, are you the one who never missed my meet-and-greet events and the one who sent me letters by the name ‘R’-san, right?” Neige asked, tilting his head a little. “EEEHH!!!??” the rest let out.
“Meet-and-greet event!?” Vil questioned. “Letters!?” Epel questioned. “Eh…..” Rook looked at Neige with nervous and shocked eyes, “....How….did you…..?” “You’re the only one who addressed me with such a lovely nickname as ‘Roi du Neige’ among my fan letters. When you called me by that nickname, it just came to me,” Neige smiled, pointing his finger up as he solved the little mystery.
“On every one of my meet-and-greet events, R-san, who always bought all of my bromides and sent back poems of each photo. Who would’ve thought that R-san’s a boy, I’m so surprised,” Neige smiled a little bit shocked but also clapped his hands ecstatically.
“Eh… Hunt-senpai is Neige LeBlanche’s fan!!?” Deuce gasped. “And buying all of his photos and sending back poems of each photo….. He’s the hardest among the hardcore fans!” Ace exclaimed, looking at his senior with a shocked look. Jamil then gasped, remembering a thing from the training camp, “....Could it be! That thick album that Rook-senpai brought was….. Filled with all of Neige LeBlanche’s bromides!?” he let out, equally shocked.
“EEEEEEHHHHH!!!?????” the others let out, but Kalim just grinned at Rook, “Heeh~ If you’re that big of fan toward Neige, aren’t you glad with meeting him eye to eye, Rook!” Kalim then pushed Rook toward Neige a little bit, “You should shake hands to commemorate this moment.” “Aa- Y-Yea…. I suppose- so……” it was the first time, we saw Rook stutter his words out.
Rook reached his hand out, as the others didn’t group on the ground now. His hand was shaking a bit, but Neige took it, and shook Rook;s hand happily. “.........................” Rook closed his eyes, didn’t make any noises. “Rook-san….he’s so quiet. Is there something wrong… I guess?” Epel looked at him confusingly. “Hmph, as expected, isn't he feeling awkward?” Vil smirked, now eyes were dried.
“........................................Huu……..” Rook let out silently, as his tears flowed down from his eyes.
“H-He’s silently crying……!” Vil exclaimed, looking at Rook with a dumbfounded face. “Roi du Neige….” Rook sobbed, as he tried to compose himself. “This is the first time to call myself by this name. I’m a part of the Neige LeBlanche’s fan club, ‘Eternal Snow’. My fan ID is 0000002…. Rook Hunt!” he stated, shaking Neige’s hand back with both of his hands. “You’re even in the fanclub!!?” Deuce gasped, “Even his fan ID is heckin’ early!” Ace gasped too.
“I am one of many lives that has been illuminated by your beauty and live with hope in my heart! I am truly honored to be able to speak with you like this. Thank you so much for the chance you gave me now!” Rook smiled, still shaking Neige’s hand excitedly. Neige just smiled back, receiving the handshake happily, “Since your vibe during the meet-and-greet events is so different, I’m very sorry for not recognizing you quickly. Thank you for always supporting me!”
“I’ll be sure to send another letter about all of my thoughts of today’s performance,” Rook promised, “Ehehe, please make sure you send it not by your initial, but by ‘Rook’, okay?” Neige giggled.
“Neige LeBlanche….. As expected he can handle this kind of situation. I’m starting to understand why he’s so loved,” Jamil stated, but despite his words he didn’t look amused nor happy. “He’s a world renowned talent, but his reactions are individualized. A type of power for sure,” the senior added. “Well…. The fact that Rook-senpai is his fan still leaves an impact on me…” Ace said, scratching his head awkwardly.
“........Hah… What a cruel man you are,” Vil sighed, holding his temple steadily, “To think you would betray at the very end.” Rook immediately turned to Vil, eyes still crying a lot, as he snorted and hiccuped slightly, “....My decision to vote for Royal Sword Academy- hic…. Has nothing to do with me being Neige-kun’s fan- sob-.... I’m…..” Rook couldn’t finish his words, as he continued to sob more.
“Stop,” Vil put his hand up, stopping Rook from explaining his reason, “Even when you don’t say you’re not that kind of type, I know that already. Don’t make a fool out of me.” Vil then sighed, looking at Rook, perhaps this was also his first time seeing the hunter cry like this, “...Even though we’ve known each other for almost two years, to think that I didn’t notice that you would be Neige’s fan…. What a deceitful man truly….”
Vil walked toward Rook, and in turn he wiped Rook’s tears with his handkerchief, “Now wipe those tears away. Here, take your handkerchief back.” “Merci, Roi de Poison….” Rook took it back, and just sobbed away within the white fabric. Vil just huffed, and smiled a little, causing Neige to giggled, “Vi-kun, now your usual smile is back!”
“Oh, and where is your other member?” Neige asked, as he looked around the group. “...You mean Yuu?” Ace asked back, then Neige nodded, “Yuu-kun is his name? What a unique name!” he praised happily. “Yuu is currently off the stage, the one that was taken by Malleus was him,” Vil answered, “Aah, is that so…. What a shame, I was hoping that we could sing together. But, hey Vi-kun,” Neige looked at Vil, tilting his head a little. “Let’s sing together! I’m sure if we sing all together it will put more smiles on your faces!” Neige grinned.
“Eh?” Vil was taken aback, but when Neige lurched forward and grabbed Vil’s arm, he couldn’t say anything back, “Come on, let’s go!” Neige invited him. “Wa-Wait a minute, Neige-!” Vil was pulled toward the spotlight.
And when the audience, especially the girls saw them together walking forward, they shrieked and yelped with giddiness and ecstatic, “Look! Neige and Vil are….holding hands together!!” And not even girls, the male fans too were getting worked up as well, “Two world’s famous talents are coming together, praising each other’s efforts…! What a beautiful sight to behold!!” They were crying, happy, excited for the two to go on stage together.
Neige turned, and waved his hand up toward the NRC Tribe members, “All of you Night Raven College’s students, let’s sing together too~!” he said. “E-E-......EEEEHHH!!!???” they all let out, except for Rook obviously. Since they had no choice but to entertain the audience, the NRC Tribe went forward, faces looking down, as they tried to hide their embarrassment.
“Here we go~!” Neige pulled Vil closer, waving his hand toward the audience as well, seemingly not noticing that the NRC students were pretty much too shy(too embarrassed) to sing along with their rivals, even more so if they were to sing a nursery rhyme. “Ready, go~!” Neige started the music. There was no turning back…
Gulping their embarrassment down, they just went along. “Yahoo~... yahoo~... What a-~ fun song~~... Let’s all- spin around- and dance~~ Come on~ come on~ Now then~~ let’s hold hands~~! Let’s all- laugh-~ and dance~~~....” Deuce and Ace danced whatever the moves were, and they spun together, trying to hold their chests up, as high as possible….
“La~ la~ lu~ la~ le~ la~ la~ (La la lu la le la la…) Oh! La~ la~ lu~ la~ le~ la~ ooh! (Oh. La la lu la le la ooh…)” Kalim and Jamil paired together, however, only Kalim was able to sing with an enjoyable look and tone. While on the other hand, Jamil just wore a really stoic expression, as his tone became flatter and flatter with each beat.
“Ya- hoo~.... ya- hoo~.... Ya- hoo~.... ya- hoo~.... Ya- hoo~....” As for Rook and Epel, they were doing decent singing and dancing. However, Epel was back to try singing with a much more cutesy voice, and struggled to keep up with the notes. After the interlude, Vil was with Neige, and he too was…. “Yahoo~... yahoo~... I am-~ so hungry~~... It is- almost- time-~ Let’s all~ bake~ bake~ bake~~ Some-~ delicious bread~~~”
“Come on~~ the birds are-~ singing too~~~! Every~ day is-~ so wonderful-~ It’s so~~~~.... much fun~~~~~~!!” As they finished the song, Neige raised his hand that intertwined with Vil’s up in the air, waving his other arm toward the audience, “Thank you~~!!!!”
The crowd went wild, clapping their hands, as they jumped a little with excitement. “Everyone~!! Thank you~~!!!” Neige smiled widely. “Come on, Vi-kun too!” Neige nudged on Vil, urging him to thank the audience as well, “Everyone, let’s meet again!” Vil chuckled. Kalim looked at the two, and nodded to himself, feeling proud with Vil, “Those two are getting along again now! Good good!!” Rook sniffed, his tears flowed out again, “What a beautiful sight to behold…. Beaute, 100….points….. Uhuh!!” he cried out.
“A-As expected, Vil-san……” Epel looked at Vil, looking unbothered and not embarrassed, truly like a pro idol. “He was saying that he wanted to kick them off of the stage earlier… And now he’s smiling and laughing next to that same rival he wanted to kick….” Jamil murmured, and smiled, surprised to see how Vil could hold that look easily, “So this is a pro, huh…”
“............................” Vil kept the smile on, but it wasn't long before- “AAAAAAAAAAGH!! SOMEONE REALLY NEEDS TO KNOCK ME OUT NOOOOW!!!!!” he screamed loudly, now that was the Vil that they knew…
“...And that's what happened,” Ace finished relying the event after Yuu passed out toward the boy. Yuu had woken up right after the VDC was over, and the first year members decided to give Yuu a visit in the infirmary. Yuu let out an awkward chuckle, “G-Good work, you guys….” ‘I’m so glad that I passed out…….’ he added in his mind, relieved that he didn’t have to do the sing-along encore.
‘Then again……’ Yuu dropped his smile, turning them into a frown, ‘What was that feeling….. It was so…. Sickening, I hate it…….’ Yuu then let out a sigh, “So…. Tsu-... Malleus-senpai brought me here…?” he asked softly, and the three human students nodded. Yuu pursed his lips, right after he had hurt Malleus, why did he still care for him? And now, it caused many media outlets to milk some information about him and the horned senior.
“Hah….” Grimm flopped exhaustedly on top of Yuu, “This past month until today has been so troublesome dazo… and in the end, my tuna-cans-throve is just a dream now. And we even worked our butts off as managers, and we did it for nothing dazo! Nyan’ it! My mind’s still spinning that stupid ‘Yahoo! Yahoo!’ Remembering that still frustrates me!!” he complained like always. Yuu chuckled, and petted Grimm’s head a little, “Good work to you too, Grimm.”
“Well, we’ll be returning to our own dorms now,” Deuce waved his hand. “We’ve got our belongings already, so no need to rush, okay,” Epel said, smiling reassuringly. “Be careful on your way back, you two. G’night~!” Ace bid them, and the three left.
Since the nurse ghost told Yuu that he was good to go, the Ramshackle duo decided to return back to their home in school. “Fgna…. Now that VDC’s over and everyone’s left, Ramshackle dorm will be back to an empty big dorm again, huh,” Grimm commented, as he laid on Yuu’s shoulders. “Right,” Yuu muttered, “Well, if we’re feeling too lonely next time, we can just invite the others for a sleepover,” the boy smiled, offering a nice idea. “Guh-... I dunno about that,” Grimm flinched, not looking forward to that day.
“Let’s hurry back, take a shower, and eat something… I’m so tired…” Grimm mumbled. And soon enough, they were back at the Ramshackle dorm, peacefully standing there. Entering the dorm was also silent, they were back to the day before the Training Camp.
“I’ll change my clothes for shower first, okay,” Yuu said, as Grimm walked on his own. “You can go ahead and take a shower first. Or if you’re too hungry, go grab something from the fridge, okay,” the boy added, before going into their own bedroom. “Gngh….. I’m still traumatized when Vil put a curse on our food dazo….” Grimm shivered.
Yuu had taken off his school jacket, and when he was about to take off his shirt, came a knock near him. Knock knock… “...? Is someone knocking…?” Yuu muttered, and turned toward where the sound came from. It came from the mirror?
“......ey.” “....!!” Yuu saw the mirror glow once again, as he walked closer to it, a voice could be heard so clearly, “Hey! Yuu, are you there?” a bubbly voice could be heard. This voice was…! Yuu was practically running toward the mirror, and his eyes adjusted from the bright light. Soon, Yuu could see the round mouse mascot, clear as day, but the mist surrounding him was still around.
“Mickey!” Yuu smiled, waving his hand at him. “Heya! Good evening,” Mickey smiled, and returned the wave, “It’s been a while! Are you doing well?” the mouse asked, to which Yuu nodded a little. “How long was it since we last met?” Mickey wondered, “Since we can only meet within this dream world, it feels strange to say ‘we last met’. Ever since then, I’ve tried a bunch of things to try to get back to this dream world. Like wearing the same pajamas, or reading the same book before I go to sleep,” Mickey listed a few ways he had tried.
“I’ve tried a lot of things, but none of them did the trick,” the mouse stated. “So, how was I able to get back in here this time? I didn’t do anything in particular though…” Mickey asked, and to be honest, Yuu was expecting the mascot to know more about it, ‘.....So that means that this connection wasn’t Mickey’s doing… Is there another force that opened up this connection?’ he wondered silently.
“I was expecting you to know more about it, Mickey. Since I also think that I don’t have any power to control this kind of connection,” Yuu shrugged. The overblot patterns came to mind, but Yuu didn’t notice anything strange after Riddle’s overblot… “Ah right,” Mickey suddenly said, “Last time we saw each other, we were talking about that mysterious camera of yours right?”
“I’ve been really curious about it ever since then,” Mickey stated. “Camera…? Oh, you mean my Ghost Camera?” Yuu asked, and went to take the Ghost Camera. Yuu then showed the camera to Mickey, “Now that I think about it, this Ghost Camera looks a bit like you, Mickey,” Yuu muttered, while holding the camera up. “Oh, can I take a picture of you? I wanna show what you look like to my friend,” Yuu asked, now getting excited like a toddler.
“Sure. Go for it!” Mickey agreed, and made a friendly pose. Yuu put the camera up, “Say, cheese~” He then took Mickey’s picture, steadily, Yuu had gotten a hang of the camera. “How is it? Did you get a cool one?” Mickey asked. And when Yuu fanned the picture for a bit, then the photo was clear crystal. “Yup,” Yuu replied, showing the mouse mascot his picture, “Now I have something to prove your existence to everyone!”
“Hah hah, it looks good,” Mickey chuckled, “I’d love to have that picture too… Ah right, since I’m in this dream world, I probably can’t take something back, huh,” he commented. “Probably,” Yuu replied. “But, I feel like I’m getting closer to you every time we talk,” Mickey commented, catching Yuu’s attention. Now that he mentioned it, now it felt like Mickey was much closer than before, huh wonder why…
“I can hear your voice clearer, and I can see your figure more,” Mickey said. “Almost like there’s nothing between us, except for a single panel of this glass.” ‘Huh, that’s kinda romantic in a way….’ Yuu thought, and the mascot came closer, as he knocked on the mirror glass. “And it seems like the time we have to talk has become longer, right?” Mickey smiled.
“Maybe one day, we can even watch a movie together,” the mouse suggested, “Do they have movies in Twisted Wonderland? I want to watch what your recommendations are,” he said, hopingly. “Hmm, I dunno about that…” Yuu smiled awkwardly, “Much that I can do, maybe give you a tour around my school, the Night Raven College.”
Mickey chuckled, “I wish Donald and Goofy can enter this dream world too,” he said. “If they know that I’ve made a friend within this dream world, I bet they’ll be shocked!” “Hmph, same goes for me,” Yuu grinned. “Wait, speaking of friends…. Ah!” Yuu blinked, remembered that there was one that he could ask to join his conversation with his world’s renowned mascot.
“Mickey, right now I have a friend that I wanna introduce to you!” Yuu stated, smiling excitedly, “Oh really?” “Yep! Wait here, okay?” Yuu left the mirror for a bit, as he rushed to get out of the room. “Grimm! Come here for a sec!” Yuu called out to his cat roommate. However… “Eh? Where is he…..” Yuu looked around to see the empty dorm before him. Yuu went to check the bathroom, it was empty. The lounge room, was empty too. Even he couldn’t see the small raccoon furball near the kitchen.
“That’s weird……” Yuu mumbled, and was trying to figure out where Grimm could’ve been. Then, a small creak could be heard… Yuu turned to see the main door was slightly open. “....What the….” Yuu frowned, as he walked toward it. Yuu held the handle carefully, inspecting the door suspiciously, ‘.....Didn’t I close the door….? Furthermore, Grimm isn’t here….?’ he thought, now growing worried.
Yuu quickly went back to his room, maybe he missed a spot in the bedroom? But when he turned on the lights, the room was completely empty… “Grimm….?”
B̷̡̧̤͕̰̼̬͎̭̮̦̻̮̼̠̜͕̫̀̍̍A̵͔͈̹̳̓͜ͅ-̷̨̛̱̩̤͖̩͓̻͚̺̫̘͉͉̦̮́͒̈́̑͒͋̏́̓̅͐̂̐͌͗̇͗ͅT̵̥̱͇̤͕̻͎͔̏́̌̆͂͠Ḩ̶͖̩͖͋̍̒̇̈̔̆͑͒̌́̇̄͝U̸̻͎̫͇͉͉̪̻͕͍̝̟͔͓̜̱͋͗͒̀͊̉͝M̴̨͔͉̫̪̼͇͒̀̆̈̚͜P̷̟̝̥͙̦̳͗̇́̾͛̐̈̇͊͜͠͝͝
Suddenly the image of the ebony carriage came to Yuu’s mind. Then, the huge monster was there, burning everything down. Eerily looking like-!!
“Hah-!!” Yuu gasped, holding his head, as he lowered his gaze with shock and adrenaline. “W-What’s wrong?” Mickey asked, worried when he saw Yuu suddenly acting strangely, “You’re looking pale there….”
“.........I….” Yuu was struggling to find a word, but he could only let out, “I….have a bad feeling….. I couldn’t find Grimm anywhere….” “Eh!? What could’ve happened!?” Mickey gasped, he too became panicked. “Since I can’t go over there, I can’t be much of a help… but you should hurry and find your roommate! I’ll see you again, Yuu!” Mickey said, wishing Yuu a luck. The boy nodded, and left the mirror, the room, the dorm.
Ignoring the chilling late winter night, Yuu was running out of the dorm yard, shouting out, “GRIMM!! WHERE ARE YOU!!??” The vision he saw was random, but it made his heart sink. That monster… that monster really was Grimm! If that happened before…. Yuu didn’t want that to become reality!
Yuu had texted SOS to both Deuce and Ace, as he continued to run, he even stopped at the Mirrors Halls for a while, “GRIMM!!!!” but his shout wasn’t answered. “Hah….. hah…. Grimm…” Yuu panted, he was too tired…. “.....Where are you…..” he quietly asked, but nothing could give him a hint…
“....Grimm…..” Yuu held his pendant tightly, wishing that maybe by some miracle he could find his friend…. And, the pendant glowed gently. “Hah! …..My pendant….” Yuu gasped lightly, as he stared at the glow with hopeful eyes. “.....Can you….show me where Grimm went…?” Yuu asked with a low tone, thinking it was a bit stupid of him… Asking an object…
But, despite the odds, the pendant raised up, and pointed at the Main Street. Yuu looked at the path, and decided to trust this mysterious pendant of his. Yuu ran toward the Main Street, then the pendant pointed at the Colosseum. The eerie building glowed with the school’s green fires, and Yuu’s stomach curled up. This was where Vil overblotted… That could only mean one thing….!
Yuu rushed in, looking around the dark area. Nothing but silence. Yuu wanted to scream Grimm’s name, but his guts told him to be quiet! Yuu descended through the stairs, making sure he made a little to no noise. As he approached the stage, something….. Was there….
Thud Thud Thwack
“!?” Yuu flinched, as the sharp digging noise reached his ears. Yuu tiptoed his way toward the stage, and there he found a little shadow, digging through the stage, ruining the ground. “There…. There it is….. Heh- he he he he…..” the shadow jerked, giggling to themselves…. No, that voice was-....!
Yuu could make out the fire ears, Grimm’s back was facing him. The human was a little afraid to go near the cat monster, but he continued to listen in, “It must’ve been buried…. When the stage was fixed….” Grimm’s voice was flat, dull, and cold. His little paw raised up to his face, and Yuu could hear crunching and chomping noises. Is he….eating another black rock….?
Munching on the rock in his hands, Grimm turned a little, “..........Delicious……..” he breathed out, under his breath. “....G-Grimm……?” Yuu let out, but when he wanted to go near the furball, Grimm growled lowly, “Grrrr……. Grrrhh……..”
“WHO’S THERE!!?? GRRRRR…….” Grimm jumped, standing on all four, as his now blank eyes glared at Yuu soullessly. “!?” Yuu stood up, backing away a little, his instinct telling him to- “This….. IS MY ROCK!!!!!” Grimm snarled, as he charged toward Yuu! “!!” Yuu dodged him easily, and when Grimm was about to pounce on him again, Yuu managed to grab the cat by his bow collar with his left hand.
“Grimm! Get a hold of yourself!!” Yuu shouted. His right hand was balancing his fallen stature, as Grimm continued to struggle from his grip, “Grimm! Wake up!! Please!!!” Yuu continued to shout, but alas, Grimm’s claws were out and sharp. And with those, “AAAGHH-!!!” Yuu shouted, as Grimm dug his claws into Yuu’s left arm, leaving a pair of three bloody lines. It hurts! Grimm pushed his body away, making Yuu rip his protective charm, spilling the pebbles and the wish card to the ground.
Yuu then was tackled to the wall, causing him to fall down, as his head was crushed into a hard surface. “Agh-...... Gri-......” Yuu was struggling to call his companion’s name out. Within his blurred vision, Yuu saw Grimm, being a feral, and was on four legs, growling at him. His bow collar was crooked, and the monster ran off out of the Colosseum.
“Gri…..mm……….” Yuu reached his injured hand out, trying to call Grimm back. But in the end, everything went dark in a second.
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“Hmm hmm~ hmm hmm hmm~~.....” Adrastus was humming to himself, the song of ‘Absolutely Beautiful’, as he scrolled through his phone’s screen. The voting website came up, and it was showing the Night Raven College logo. The young prince was walking with his three guards, as they strolled the road of the Sage’s Island.
“Hmm~ It’s a good thing that father let us stroll past our usual curfew,” Adrastus commented, as he put his phone back in his shirt pocket. Welker looked at him with a stoic look, but he voiced his worries, “My lord, are you certain that His Highness will not punish us for being incapable to fulfill our part?” Adrastus looked at him, “I’m sure father isn’t that mad about us losing. Besides, earlier, father looked somewhat pleased, so I’m sure we’re pretty much off the hook,” he explained.
“Even if he’s going to flip the table onto us, I am the one responsible for this team, so no need to worry much there,” Adrastus smiled, giving them a reassuring look. “Oh~! Young prince Adrastus, how kind of you,” guard B praised him, smiling with pride. “......” guard A on the other hand just stayed silent, glancing away from the prince.
“By the way….” Adrastus said, as he paused the stroll, and everything became quiet. He could hear the softest…. Tingling noises. “Whose phone is that? The one that keeps ‘tingling’?” Adrastus turned around, smiling steadily toward his guards. Welker flinched, as he gazed downward. Guard B looked at his prince confusedly, but guard A was frozen still.
“Hey….” Adrastus looked directly at guard A, with his eyelids slightly lower, giving him a deep look, “Tell me, is it your phone, newbie?” the prince asked, his tone was eerily flat. “.........” guard A just stayed silent, unwilling to answer his lord. Adrastus sighed, “You’re the one who’s always making ruckus right after father hired you as my new guard, right? I’m asking you again, is it your phone…. Or are you carrying something else?” the prince didn’t wear his charming smile anymore, as he narrowed his eyes more.
“...........” Welker sighed, and looked at guard A with a stern look, “Answer our lord, guard!” Guard B and A flinched, they had never witnessed the personal guard raise his voice toward them. “.....Not answering, are you?” Welker glared at guard A, disappointed that the new guard didn’t give an answer back.
Welker then turned toward Adrastus, as he kneeled down, and his head bowed low, “My deepest apologies, my lord. It is terribly unsightly of me for not training both of them to your liking-...” “Right,” Adrastus looked down at Welker, “That’s why I’ve told you to be stricter to them, Welker. I will decide your punishment later, as of right now….” Adrastus raised his eyes, staring deeply into guard A’s eyes, “I have much more pressing matter….”
“You,” Adrastus stepped closer toward guard A, “Open your bag, now.” “...!!” guard A started to sweat, and only now, he dared himself to look at the prince, “M-My lord-! There’s no need to invade my-....” “I order you, to open your bag,” Adrastus repeated, now his pupils shrunk, his face darkened dangerously.
“Which part of my order you possibly can not understand?” Adrastus asked, his flat tone became more uncanny. “I-I……… U-Understood……” “Understood what?” guard A flinched, as he trembled in fear, “....Understood, my prince…..” Guard A obeyed his order, and opened his hip bag, showing the content to Adrastus.
The young prince looked inside, and saw a trembling water fairy inside. “.........” “...I-I was hoping that we could gift this fairy to His Highness….. So I-...” “You kidnapped this little one?” Adrastus asked, giving him an obviously angry look. “.....I order you to let this fairy go,” Adrastus ordered again, and of course, guard A was complaining, “B-But- my prince-!!” “Your only answer is ‘Yes’sir’!” Adrastus spoke firmly, as his chin was up with superiority.
Guard A yelped, and guard B just watched his co-worker getting chewed by their prince. “Listen well, you are My guard. And by that, you obey My order. Which part of that you can not understand, hm? Huh,” Adrastus then smirked, “Don’t tell me that my father had hired a dummy that can’t even follow the simplest order of mine?” he said, obviously mocking the guard. Guard A didn’t like that in the slightest, “Wha-!?”
“If you can’t even grant my little order, I doubt you can survive long as the castle guard,” Adrastus added, “So what says you? You may go complain all you want to my father, in the end, the fact that you failed to obey my order still stands firmly,” the prince continued to mock the new guard of his. Guard A gritted his teeth, his fists were tightened altogether, but in the end, he gripped the fairy out of his bag.
The water fairy was struggling with the harsh treatment, and the guard threw her to the ground, making her yelp in pain. The guard was breathing harshly, hoarding like a wild angry beast. And without any second thought, guard A raised his leg above the fairy! “STOP-!!” Welker tried to stop the guard.
Woosh!
And in the next second, the big guard had turned into a teeny tiny white mouse! The water fairy yelped, as she flew away hurriedly, back to the NRC. “Hah… good grief, why is he so difficult? Is he a child?” Adrastus sighed. His hand was raised up, holding a beautiful wooden staff that has a bluish and pinkish magic stone at the end. Adrastus swung his wand a little, and the little mouse was raised up by its tail.
Adrastus looked at it, with a bored look, “How does it feel being a little mouse?” he then smiled. “Hm he he. I’m really tempted to make you as my ravens’ prey tonight,” Adrastus threatened, and the mouse squeaked and swung panickedly, trying to get away from the prince. “Adrastus-sama!” Welker interrupted his sadistic mind. “Yea yea, I know,” Adrastus stopped his mean jokes.
Adrastus carelessly swung his wand, making the mouse thrown into guard B’s hands, and obviously, he shrieked, but hurriedly, guard B held the mouse by its tail. “Th-This mouse is….” guard B stuttered, terrified to the core. “This what will happen to each of you, if you dare disobey my order in the future,” Adrastus smiled at them with his dulled eyes, threatening them ever so maliciously, “There won’t be a second chance in the future. Remember that.”
“Now then,” Adrastus smiled, with his charming look once again, “Let us return~” Welker nodded, and the guards just followed Adrastus silently. Guard B walked right behind Welker, and whispered quietly, “G-General Samson…. W-Why did the young prince…” “Shhh…” Welker shushed him, shaking his head as bringing the prince’s temper into a conversation wasn’t to the prince’s likings.
“Adrastus-sama only shows no mercy toward those who disobeyed him,” Welker dropped his usual stoic tone, and now felt stricter toward the guard. “This is what you’ll get if you ever cross over…..”
“The world’s ranked 15th wizard……”
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“Aaah…. I’ve used all of my one year worth of energy today…” Idia groaned, as he flopped on his chair in his messy nerdy room within the Ignihyde dorm. Beside him was Ortho, who was getting ready to get to his charging station, “Good work, big brother! Your on-stage presentation was amazing!” Ortho complimented him.
“A perfect display of using the synthetic voice to create clean smooth talk~” Idia smirked, “A no-look no-miss typing, perfect combo, this is such a super play for this one~” he chuckled proudly. “I’m sure even the head of the festival planning committee, Riddle Rosehearts-san will be proud of you,” Ortho added, with a set of happy eyes. “If I put a little effort into creating something like this, it’s easy peasy~... Fu hi hi~” Idia cackled.
“...Well, I did make a split second getaway to hole up in my room right after the Q&A section was over~....” Idia added, resting his head on his hand. “Big brother, you should try to enjoy the culture festival too,” Ortho said. “Hmph, it’s just a bunch of high school’s research presentations, a bunch of crafting stuff… All of them are just too low level, not worthy of my attention, y’know….” Idia flopped further into his chair and table.
“Besides….” Idia glanced at his computer screen, then suddenly a notification sound could be heard. “You have a new email” Ortho said, with a very AI-like voice. “It seems like you’re getting internship offers from some people that saw your presentation today, big brother,” the android responded, his eyes filled with flying light blue colors.
“IT, Communication, Magical Engineering Research, Application Development…. Ah!” Ortho gasped, as he spotted an interesting email among the emails raid, “This is amazing, big brother! You even get one from ‘that’ Olympus Corp!” Ortho stated, with excitement. “Do you want me to put the email up on your screen? Or do you want me to read it out loud?” Ortho asked, seemingly couldn’t wash the joyness away.
“No need. Just put them all in the Trash,” Idia said, not even turning his eyes toward Ortho. “Eh?” Ortho blinked, and looked at him with a disappointed and sad face, “But….” “It’s fine,” Idia sighed, “.....After all…. I won’t be able to go anywhere else…..”
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“~Wishing to be different…. He shall take the world even…. Ku fu fu….~”
Within the Colosseum’s walls, laid Yuu, unconscious on the ground. Footsteps came closer toward him, a man with white clothes stood before the boy. Ingrom was looking at Yuu with a bored look, all he did at that moment was not to save Yuu.
The man only opened his precious blue pot, came from it, a dark blue tendril. “Aah… my lord…. My master… You have been reunited. This lowly one shall not intervene with your divine plan….” Ingrom mumbled, as he bowed his head, kneeling on four, praying to the entity inside the pot…
The tendril came closer to Yuu, inspecting him. And….
Merged itself with the boy, through the corrupted cuts on his left arm. “~I am home…..~”
“~.......My dear son………..~”