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To be respected, there was no need to be liked. Sebek took comfort in that truth often.
After all, whether or not his classmates cared to invite him out to town after school had no bearing on how well he could serve Malleus. No matter how often Lilia insisted that making friends could be beneficial, Sebek didn’t buy it. Last he checked, befriending his classmates would not sharpen his blade, nor would it accelerate the pace at which he mastered his signature spell. Respect, on the other hand, would at least deter them from besmirching Malleus’ name in Sebek’s presence.
As such, Sebek had endeavored to earn the respect of each of his classmates, sometimes with his excellent grades, other times with a harsh word or two. By the end of his first semester, he had mostly succeeded. His classmates no longer bothered him with idle chatter, but when Sebek spoke, they listened. When he walked, they moved out of the way. Everyone had come to understand that picking an argument with him wasn’t worth it.
Unless their name was Ace Trappola.
“Are you stupid? They’re avoiding you because they find you annoying.”
Ace, with whom Sebek shared a single elective course, didn’t respect Sebek one bit – a fact he’d made explicitly clear time and time again. Always, he used words like annoying, and nuisance, and earsore. He claimed that Sebek’s version of respect was a poor coping mechanism for being ostracized, “rightfully so.”
Of course, Sebek paid him no mind. Even if Sebek considered taking heed from a human, he would never do so from a boldfaced liar like Ace. If Sebek was really such a nuisance, then why would Ace start so many conversations with him out of the blue? Why would he sit beside him in class, trying to distract him throughout the lecture with a funny face? Someone who truly found Sebek so annoying wouldn’t steal his notes and doodle in the margins before handing them back. Perhaps Ace would never come to respect Sebek, but oddly enough, he seemed to like him just fine.
Which was a shame, because Sebek was deadset on setting the record straight. Magical analysis was by far Ace’s best subject, so he would never care about Sebek’s grades, even if they were technically higher. Ace cared even less about Sebek’s principles. Protesting only seemed to fuel Ace’s antics, so Sebek had to resort to other means to get his point across. He wished he could say he was proud of all of them.
“Wrong again!” Ace teased as he flipped over the card in his hand, the three of hearts.
“Nonsense! That was the nine of clubs three seconds ago!” Sebek’s reply drew the attention of the lingering students nearby. He should have known better than to humor Ace with so many others around. Besides, Sebek had better things to do with his time than watch magic shows after class.
“Dude, I keep telling you it’s sleight of hand. You’re never going to get it right,” Ace explained, drawing the three of hearts from up his sleeve.
“I would have noticed if you switched one of the cards out.”
“Clearly not,” Ace huffed, smug.
Sebek could feel his blood pressure rising. The trick had sounded so simple when Ace explained it at first, but no matter how many times Ace demonstrated, Sebek couldn’t decipher it. At this rate, all Sebek would have gained from this interaction was a bruised ego.
“I’ll notice it next time,” he insisted.
“You’re not supposed to notice it. You’re supposed to ooh and ahh and maybe even clap a couple times and leave it at that.”
“Why would I do such a thing?”
Ace sighed and slipped the cards in his hand back into the box where he held the rest of the deck. “I think we’re done for today.”
“Do it again!” Sebek repeated himself. He was too infuriated to feel embarrassed.
“Chill, it’s just a trick. It’s nothing serious.”
“It will be if a trickster like you ever infiltrates Malleus’ court!” Sebek argued. He would never allow such a thing to happen, but still. Sebek refused to be humiliated like this. Next time, he’d catch the precise moment Ace’s thumb brushed the card up to his palm, and when he did, Ace would be so impressed, he’d have no choice but to submit.
“It sounds to me like you need a new hobby,” Ace replied, stowing the deck of cards into his bag in spite of Sebek’s demands.
“I have hobbies! Useful ones! I’m not like you!”
“I’m not like you,” Ace mocked back, using his best Sebek impression.
Sebek hid his grumbling behind his hands. He would never admit it, but Ace’s impression wasn’t half bad. “Rather than playing around with cards, have you ever considered engaging in more dignified activities?”
“Like?”
“Horse-back riding, reading, swordsmanship–”
“Wait, you know how to use a sword? Like, a real one?” Ace interrupted.
Sebek smirked. “Naturally.”
“But why use a sword when you have magic?”
“You can’t always depend on your magic. I thought you would know better than most, considering how often Riddle-senpai has used his signature spell on you.”
Ace smiled. “I guess we’re kindred spirits, in that sense.”
“Hm?”
“I’ve heard he’s used it on you a few times too, during equestrian club.”
Sebek bit his tongue to stop himself from arguing further. Ace fed off pushing others’ buttons. If Sebek reacted now, Ace would never take him seriously.
“Say, why don’t you show me what you’re talking about?” Ace asked, unprompted.
Sebek blinked. “You want me to demonstrate my swordsmanship?”
“Sure.”
Sebek cleared his throat. This was the chance he’d been waiting for!
“Very well,” he accepted. “I’ll show you firsthand what it takes to be Malleus’ guard!”
By the time Sebek reached the field they’d agreed to meet at after classes the next day, Ace was already waiting by the fence.
“You’re here early?” Sebek asked. Ace typically showed up to class seconds before the final bell rang, so Sebek wouldn’t have expected him to be punctual otherwise.
“I had nothing better to do,” Ace replied with a shrug. Then, he pointed at Sebek’s waist. “What are those?”
“The swords?” Sebek brandished the heavy wooden swords he and Silver used to practice. Last night, he’d pressured Silver into practice match after practice match. Though he had no doubts his performance would impress Ace, it never hurt to brush up on his skills.
“I thought you’d bring a real one.”
“That wouldn’t be safe.”
“It’s not like I was planning on standing right in front of you while you swing it around.”
Sebek smirked. Perhaps he hadn’t made himself clear. Before he could explain, the sound of footsteps had them both looking over their shoulders. Epel, Jack, and Deuce were all sprinting across the field to join them.
“I hope we didn’t miss anythin’!” Epel yelled.
“Why are they here?” Ace asked as the other first-years gathered on the other side of the fence.
“I ran into Epel in the cafeteria earlier and mentioned I was putting on a demonstration. I suppose he invited the rest,” Sebek explained. For once, he didn’t mind the extra company. In hindsight, he should have invited Malleus to watch as well.
Ace’s face fell. “Great…”
“What? Embarrassed to have so many eyes on you when Sebek beats your ass?” Deuce teased.
Ace turned back to Sebek. “What are they talking about? I thought I was just here to watch!”
“You won’t fully appreciate what it takes unless you experience it yourself!” Sebek insisted. He tossed one of the swords at Ace.
Ace attempted to catch it by the hilt, but the handle fell through his fingers as soon as it made contact. “That’s wayyyy heavier than I thought it’d be,” he chuckled nervously. It seemed it had finally dawned on him what he’d signed up for.
Sebek took the other sword and positioned himself a few feet in front of Ace. “Shall we?”
“Are you kidding? This is stupid. I’m not doing this,” Ace objected.
At that, the other first-years began booing. Sebek basked in the moment as he watched Ace’s shoulders slump and his eyebrows tighten. If only Ace looked like this all the time.
“Fine, fine!” Ace shouted, picking up the sword. “Let’s just get this over with.”
Sebek didn’t have to be told twice. Raising the sword over his head, he swung down so hard, it made a dent in the floor right where Ace had been standing only a second before. He’d managed to swerve out of the way, but not without stepping back into a divet and tripping over himself. Without any further action on Sebek’s part, Ace fell to the floor. How disappointing.
The other freshmen offered their applause while Ace spat out a tuft of grass. “You’re brutal.”
Fair enough. Sebek wasn’t known for being the most elegant swordsman, but as long as he maintained proper posture and stance, Lilia had little to complain about. Sebek hoped to one day do with his sword what Lilia had been known to do with a magearm.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Sebek taunted.
“Yup, I’m good,” Ace replied flatly as he got to his feet and dusted off his knees.
Sebek frowned. Ace couldn’t be serious. “That’s it?”
Ace raised an eyebrow. “What did you expect? Can’t you just be happy you won?”
“You lost. There’s a difference. No one would consider that a triumph,” Sebek argued. As it stood, he’d proved little. How was he supposed to impress, er, subdue, Ace with such a paltry display?
Ace rolled his eyes as the other freshmen recommenced their goading. He stuffed his fingers into his ears and turned his back to them, though that only made them louder.
In an attempt to get Ace to acquiesce, Sebek picked up Ace’s sword and held it out to him. “One more bout! I’m sure you can do better next time. I’ll even put you in the proper position to start.”
Ace narrowed his eyes and observed Sebek with suspicion. “You’re offering to teach me?” he asked, one eyebrow raised.
Hesitantly, Sebek nodded. It wasn’t like he risked losing by providing a few pointers.
Ace smiled, the suspicion in his eyes quickly replaced with something far more mischievous. “Okay.” Ace took the sword and rolled his shoulders. “Lead the way.”
As promised, Sebek helped Ace into position, showing him just how to angle his elbows, how far apart his feet should be, and how his shoulders should be parallel to each other. The whole while, as Sebek’s hands adjusted limbs, Ace didn’t complain once. In fact, he was oddly pleased, humming a tune under his breath.
Sebek would never understand him.
Once Ace was all set, Sebek took his own sword back and mirrored Ace. “Ready?” he asked.
“Bring it,” Ace replied, cueing cheers from the onlookers.
Sebek lowered his chest and charged, aiming for Ace’s legs. To Ace’s credit, he didn’t fall for the same trick twice. When he dodged this time, he maintained his balance. Perfect. Now Sebek could really show off.
Sebek shifted his weight to one side and swerved on the balls of his feet, the end of his sword reaching towards Ace’s. Ace raised his sword to meet Sebek’s, successfully blocking. Judging by the way his arms strained, however, it wouldn’t be long before Sebek overpowered him.
“Hey, wanna see a trick?” Ace asked.
“Only magic could get you out of this,” Sebek teased.
“Aw, man. Don’t spoil the surprise!” In a risky move, Ace removed one hand from the sword’s handle and held it up. From his sleeve, his magical pen slid out.
Before Sebek could react, a powerful gust of wind pushed him back.
“That’s cheating!” Sebek reprimanded as Ace cocooned himself within a perpetual gale. The wind was so powerful, the hair by Sebek’s forehead began falling into his face, the gel no longer strong enough to hold it back.
“You’re the one with the moral code, not me,” Ace retorted. Now holding the sword in one hand and his magical pen in the other, he pushed forward.
As scummy as it was for Ace to disregard the rules so blatantly, Sebek couldn’t help but welcome the challenge. One of the first things one learned when handling a sword was that one must always have both hands available to them. Since Sebek hadn’t covered that, Ace would just have to learn the hard way.
Sebek held his sword closer to his body to keep his weight centered, then retreated much further back where the wind was weak enough to let him advance. Pushing directly through the wind would get him nowhere, so instead, he began to zigzag his way horizontally towards Ace. It didn’t take much for Ace to adjust and aim his magic in Sebek’s new direction, but the more stamina he used up, the better.
For several minutes, Sebek pushed at the edges of Ace’s wind magic, which only weakened in intensity the longer it went on. Ah, if only Ace were as powerful as Malleus. Malleus would have been able to maintain the same intensity for days on end.
“Just get ‘im already! This is boring!” he heard Epel shout from the sidelines.
“Hey! Give me some credit!” Ace shouted back.
There! A crack in Ace’s magic. Taking advantage of the distraction, Sebek did something he would only consider doing to someone like Ace. Just like swinging a baseball bat, Sebek swung his sword and let it go at the end. It pierced through the dying winds and hit Ace squarely in the chest, causing him to drop both his pen and his sword.
“Agh!” Ace croaked, doubling over.
Sebek didn’t give him a chance to recover. As fast as he could, he rushed at Ace, leaning down to retrieve his sword along the way. With a little too much force, he tackled a bewildered Ace to the floor. The moment Ace landed on his back, Sebek pressed the wooden blade’s edge into Ace’s throat. If the sword were real, he would have drawn blood.
“I think this means I win,” Sebek sneered, leaning down so his nose was inches away from Ace’s. A drop of sweat fell from Sebek’s brow to Ace’s cheek. After such a humiliating defeat, Ace would think twice before questioning Sebek again.
In response, Ace kept opening his mouth as if he were about to say something, only to splutter and end up saying nothing at all. Sebek could feel the heat emanating from Ace’s face, now so red he rivaled Riddle when he was angry.
As much as Sebek enjoyed it, though, it wouldn’t be proper of him to choke out his opponent. Sebek eased up and tossed the sword aside before getting back to his feet.
“I understand. Anyone would be embarrassed by that display,” he continued, offering his hand to pull Ace back up.
“This isn’t because I lost!” Ace finally blurted.
“What then?”
“You… well, just look at–” Ace sat up and gestured at Sebek with both his arms as if that explained anything.
Sebek tilted his head to the side, confused. “What?”
“No, I think I understand,” Jack said. His cheeks were dusted pink.
“Sebek’s pretty strong, huh?” Epel mused. Deuce silently nodded beside him.
“What are you all talking about?” Sebek asked again. Were they all in on a joke? If so, what could possibly be the punchline?
Ace sighed, took off his blazer, and threw himself back onto the grass. Slinging his arm over his eyes to shield them from the sun, he muttered. “I’m done for.”
Done… for?
“Hey, Sebek!” Deuce called out. “Can I try?”
“Me next!” Epel chimed afterwards with that mischievous grin he gave when he was up to no good.
Sebek blinked back at them. They wanted to challenge him as well? He couldn’t recall the last time a classmate wanted to do anything with him. Still, he saw no reason why he shouldn’t indulge them. “As long as you don’t expect me to go easy on you!”
Deuce cracked his knuckles. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Sebek fought the others the rest of the afternoon. Though none proved a great challenge, he admitted that it was fun adapting his style to best beat his opponents. Deuce, who was a decent blocker, ultimately fell victim to his clumsiness. Epel could dodge well, but struggled to parry blows. Even Jack, who was convinced into giving it a try himself, fell victim to his lack of technique, though his speed and strength were perhaps on par with Sebek’s.
Throughout all this, Ace watched from where he’d leaned up against the fence. For the most part, he was silent, only offering a clap or two whenever Sebek inevitably claimed his victory over each opponent. Whenever Sebek glanced in his direction, Ace would abruptly look away and cover his cheeks with his palms. What the hell did that mean?
It wasn’t until the other three called it a night that Sebek went back to check on Ace, who had declined Deuce’s offer to walk back to Heartslabyul together. For what reason, Sebek couldn’t begin to guess.
“I take it you learned your lesson?” Sebek teased.
“Yeah, yeah.” Ace shuffled to his feet, slinging his blazer off one shoulder.
“Being a sore loser won’t change the outcome, you know.”
“Hey!” Ace objected, pressing his index finger into Sebek’s chest. “I don’t ever want to hear that from you, of all people. You’re such a big baby when you lose.”
“Am not!”
“Are too!”
“Ugh!” Had Ace learned nothing after all? Sebek hadn’t made any progress at all! “To think I was having fun!” he lamented. He would have to apologize to Malleus later for wasting his time fighting clueless humans rather than worthy opponents.
Red returned to Ace’s cheeks. “You had fun?”
Sebek was loath to admit it, but he nodded nevertheless.
Ace scratched at the back of his neck. “For what it’s worth, I guess, I… I guess it was fun for me too. In a way.”
Well, it made sense that Ace would find enjoyment in breaking the rules and causing chaos. Sebek left it at that, retrieving the swords and intending to return to Diasomnia.
“But hey, maybe next time, just the two of us?” Ace asked him before he got too far, his voice uncharacteristically nervous.
“Because you don’t want an audience?”
“No!” Ace dragged his palm over his face. “Look, I’m not doing that again. Ever. Next time, we’re going into town. I heard they opened this new seafood spot by the port.”
Against Sebek’s wishes, his mouth salivated at the idea of salmon. Since when was Ace aware of his love of fish? What sort of scheme was he planning this time?
“I have no interest in making new friends,” Sebek blurted, hoping that would straighten everything out.
Ace laughed. “Duh, me neither. What do you think this is? Sebek, I like you.”
That wasn’t news to Sebek, but what sort of weirdo liked him, yet didn’t want to be his friend? Even so… “I suppose I don’t mind being liked by you.”