Chapter 18: Chapter 14: Lunch Talk and the Royal Pudding (2)
"WHAT? A Wish? Granted by the Magic King?!"
"Why are you so surprised? Of course, it does. The academy director also vouched that this rumor is true. There's no other being who can grant any wish better aside from the Magic King. Don't you think so?"
"That's the first time I heard about that! Tsk! Damn that old Manaria, saying something like that!" Regis gnashes his teeth and complains silently.
"Hmm? Did you say something?" Arias wondered what happened to him. She saw Regis' face was full of annoyance.
"Ah, no. How about you, Arias? What do you want to compete for at the festival?" Regis quickly change the topic and asked Arias this question.
"Me? The reason why I want to compete at the festival is... Eh—" Arias suddenly froze in the middle of the sentence when she thinks her reason for joining the festival.
"Why did you stop?" Regis asked in wonder.
"N-No! Forget I said that. I won't say it." she stammered as a slight blush blossomed on her face.
'There's no way I can say 'it was to meet Regis again' is the reason I'm participating in the festival.'
* badump** badump*
"There's no way I'll forget about that—because I am your partner."
"Eh? Whaa.. !! Don't say it like that! Others will misunderstand it otherwise!"
—'Don't worry Arias, I will become your most important friend.'
'Why?! Why did my memory of the young Regis overlap with him of all times?! This can't be happening!' thought by Arias as her face increasingly turns red.
"Oh? So you're saying that you refuse to be with me?" Regis asked with a feigned hurt expression.
"Hey! Don't make it sound like that which may cause misunderstanding! " Arias exclaimed as she feels like grabbing a full cup of pudding and stuff it in Regis' mouth.
'Why are you saying things like that? Aren't you the one who told me that it's better to hide our relationship for the meantime?!' Arias fumed inside her mind. She really can't predict what Regis was thinking sometimes.
"Haha, sorry… I guess I should stop teasing you or your friend here will attack me." Regis told her with a wry smile.
"H-Huh? What do you mean?" Arias turned to glance at Elizabeth.
Elizabeth already finished the food she has including the pudding Regis gave her as a bribe for remaining silent. She was looking at Regis with a dangerous glint in her eyes.
'You've been talking and flirting with the princess since earlier. For that I really will punish you severely, just wait.' Elizabeth declares with a voice full of promise.
"I mean we should have a duel. That way, I can go overboard with the punishment in the pretense of a duel. What do you think?" suggested Elizabeth with a blank look on her face. Those kinds of look will definitely bring nightmares to others.
"Nope. Not interested." Regis instantly rejects it.
"Then, let's have the rematch two days fro— Wh-what? Why are you refusing?"
"It's a waste of time. And I'm not really interested." he said nonchalantly.
"But how can I punish you from all those act of insolence you've done to the princess yesterday and the things you said today?!"
"That will be your own problem. Besides, why do you even care when my cute little princess didn't even minds it?" Regis asked in slight annoyance.
"I"m Princess Arias' best friend and her loyal companion!" Eliza raised her sharp, pointed chin arrogantly answered in pride.
"It's pointless to speak with an arrogant idiot." he muttered quietly. A defeated sigh escaped Regis lips as he shakes his head.
Arias quickly interjected lest Elizabeth continues this conversation and it leads to the duel Elizabeth wants or Regis losing his patience.
"Regis, let's talk again later—Come on Eliza, let's go now. It's almost time." said Arias as she stands up and prepares to leave.
"Y-Yes, Princess." Elizabeth politely answered and decided to let the matter drop for now.
Regis continues to eat his remaining stack of puddings as he watches them leave.
Arias, who walks continuously, seems to be lost in thought and on her back, Elizabeth, who silently follows, suddenly speaks up her feelings…
"Princess…"
"Hmm? Is there something you want to say?"
"Well, I think I want more pudding…"
"…. You'll get fat, Eliza, so restrain yourself from eating too much."
"Y-Yes princess, thank you for your concern."
******
After the lunch break, class 1 students wearied their black jogging pants and white school shirts, which is most likely their Physical Education uniform, as they gathered on the wide oval field of the academy to have their practical lesson in using magic in combat.
Standing in front of them is Robert, also wearing a Physical Education uniform with a different top, gave out his instructions.
"For the first day of our practical magic lesson, we will have a freestyle, one-on-one battle practice. Form a pair, and that partner of yours will become your opponent. Warm up first and proceed to battle after it."
Some students wondered why they are having a battle practice on the first day of school but other students knew the reason for this—to evaluate the improvement they have since the day if the admission test.
With that being said, his students formed ten pairs and positioned themselves on the vast oval field. The immediately started to do some stretching and a short meditation. Of course, having twenty-one students in class 1, someone will be left out.
Expecting that he will be left out, Regis quietly sat on the bench, planning to just watch his classmates, but their homeroom professor, Robert, had already anticipated the current situation where Regis will be left out.
"As expected, you were left out, Regis." said Robert as he sat on the same bench with Regis.
"Hmm… I'm expecting this so I'm not really disappointed." he replied.
Since this is a battle practice, the other students of class one will surely pick a partner they trust. And on Arias side, she didn't pick Regis because she wants to have a practice battle with Elizabeth to avoid another feeling of defeat with Regis. Who wanted to lose against the same person twice in a row on two consecutive days?
"Ohooooh~… Master Manaria's favorite disciple is being bullied by his classmates, this is a very funny situation you're in, don't you think so too, Regis?" a teasing smiled floated on Robert's face as he glanced at Regis.
"Haha! Me? Being bullied? Don't joke with me, Robert. They should be the one who's glad that I don't bully them. These students of yours are a thousand years too early to bully someone like me. But, I can't deny what you said... Tch! Now that you said it, I'm feeling a bit irritated." a frown formed on Regis' face as he watches the students in the field.
"Ha Ha Ha! That look on your face! It's very funny! You really haven't changed that much, huh?" a burst of laughter resounded on the side of the bench. Robert looks very pleased with the moment whereas Regis emits a cold aura with his face darkened.
"It's the same for you, four-eyes. You're still like that, always there to easily provoke me." said Regis as he sends a glare at Robert's direction.
"Well, I just thought that you'll get bored right now. What do you think? Aren't you envious of them, enjoying their selves fighting under that filtered sunlight?"
In front of Regis, his classmates are seriously fighting with each other under the early afternoon sunlight. They are not bothered by the heat because of the barrier erected around the whole academy that protects the people inside the academy grounds, so anytime is good for them to use the wide-open oval field.
"No, but I think there's none of them who can match me in magic combat, also no one is available for me to paired to."
"Hmm…Then why don't you paired up with me?"
"….—I never thought about that. Yes, someone who's available and one who can match me. That's right, yes, you should do." a look of understanding dawned on Regis' face.
'I can even vent my irritation from that embarrassment earlier...' he mentally added with smirk inside his mind.
"Well then... Shall we begin?" said Robert as he adjusts his glasses and a serious expression revealed on his face.
The two men who are sitting on the bench suddenly vanished, and some sparks flew everywhere. Just like that, the two entered the battlefield.
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