Chapter 66: Regular Tuesday
Cleru Neos
Two hours after our class has dismissed, I'm now here in my dormitory room. I sulked on my bed and kissed my pillow. It's Tuesday, five more days to go until the finals of the Dragon Knights Tournament. Five more days. I haven't figured out any tactic that would work against my next enemy, who is supposed to be a hero or something. That Amphere Harrison always has a trick on his sleeve. The reason that he eliminated the biggest obstacle (Mark Anthony Octavius) means that he's more than a General-level Dragon Knight.
All the people in the academy, the archdukes and dukes, governors and Pentagram Knights are also in that man's favor. And for me? Exact opposite. Everyone hates a plebeian standing in front of a prestigious royal tournament like this. The only support I get is from the princess herself.
"Shall we go?" Princess Seris lend out her hand to me.
As I said, it is Tuesday in the afternoon. Seris must've sneaked out again with her white hooded disguise, ditching her temporary royal bodyguards in suits. At this rate, her father; the Emperor would be furious at her when we get home.
"Where?" I turned to her with apathy.
"To the Food Street, of course!" She had this evil smile on her face. "I told you I'll treat you for dinner, right?"
Food Street is a street which is well, filled with street food stalls. Seris seriously loves street foods. The Food Street is for the celebration for the coming awarding ceremony of the next Princess's Guard which happens after the final battle. It will be a celebration for both of us, if ever I win in the next fight. But the more I think of it, the more I see that it's hopeless. Sigh.
"You have forsaken your bodyguards again just to treat me dinner?"
"It's just a regular Tuesday for us! C'mon, let's go already!" Then the princess grabbed me out of my bed. Seris is surely a brute royalty.
Five minutes' walk from the dormitory, and we're already here in the Food Street. Because it's a school day, there aren't much people here. I don't have to worry much for the princess since she's wearing a shady white cloak, making it hard to distinguish her from the rest of the townspeople. She would often remove her hood to take a look at the surroundings and appreciate their beauty.
There are banderitas on the skies. A few seconds walk from here, and we'll reach the Central Square. Unlike the other parts of the Food Street, the banderitas are replaced by magically floating umbrellas that is supposed to protect the people on sunlight in a hot afternoon. On the far north, is the floating continent Guardian's Haven. It looks like a floating eagle from here. On the far east side, is the Alterra's Castle where Seris resides.
Seris focused on the stalls which she drools over. She bought four fish taiyakis, two strawberry crepes, a bucket of roasted crickets that taste like black chocolate, and unborn chicken offspring trapped in an egg which is called "balut". I do question the princess's tastes in food, but I'm not complaining about the snacks she bought. It was a good choice, actually. They all taste great (except the cricket one.) You would never see any noble eat one of those.
We sat on a nearby bench when the night became dark and the streetlamps finally gets on.
"Twhe fwood wup in the castwle is rweally messed up. They don't knwow how to cwook good fwood." She talked while chewing the taiyaki on her mouth. She really looks nothing like a princess whenever we have a secret date like this.
"Don't worry." I made an innocent smile at her. "Next week, you wouldn't have to sneak out of your room again. We would do this together every day when I become ordained as your knight."
"I would not be so sure."
That voice…was neither the princess nor mine's. It was from the old man in front of us, wearing a fedora and a gray suit. He has this white beard and green eyes, and from the looks of it, he's certainly a duke. I have seen him somewhere before.
"D-Duke Dragunov!" I stood up on alert.
"I'm no longer a duke." Dragunov laughed. "I'm now the Freedom Commander Dragunov of the Neo Arcadia."
Behind Yuri Dragunov is a man with long blonde hair paired with a fair skin. He's wearing a blue tattered knight's uniform like those Pentagram Knights. There is a huge hole on this man's chest. His lifeless eyes stared at the princess's soul that made her slightly tremble. Don't tell me… it is a resurrected knight again?
I pushed the princess gently on my back and withdrew my scimitar. My sword glowed with rainbow light, ready for battle! I couldn't believe what he just brought here!
"Why wouldn't you stop playing with corpses?" I smug at the so called Freedom Commander. "First was Alder's. Now you're using Estoff Wraith's corpse as a puppet."
"I'm not here for you. I am here to negotiate with the princess." Dragunov said.
"W-What do you want!?" There is a hint of aggressiveness on the princess's voice, but her hands are trembling with horror as she held her chest.
"There are two things, actually." Dragunov waved his v-signed hand in front of our faces. "One is that you shall never support nor vote for the Corasell's Dragonoid Rights Bill. And the second one…is to make Amphere Harrison your Royal Knight."
"B-But I can't do that!" Seris wanted to protest more but I took the words out of her mouth.
"I will become the Princess's Knight. Not even you, nor that Amphere Harrison can stop me!" I shouted with all my heart.
Dragunov laughed once again, shaking his head. "You haven't finished me yet. You have to do that in exchange of both of your lives and future."
Suddenly, there was a sharp dive from above! I pushed the princess out of the impact point, and blocked the sharp object by my blade in order to shield myself! There was a small shockwave when the 'thing' made a full clash with my scimitar. That thing is the corpse of the Black Phantom; Alder Windstrafe. He used his rapier to make a meteor-fall attack that is supposed to hurt the princess, but not on my watch!
Estoff Wraith's corpse started dashing and made an uppercut smash with his broadsword, leaving my white uniform torn out. I managed to make a back step to slightly evade the zombie's attack!
I would like to dash and hack against these two, but a scream echoed throughout the area.
"Cleru!" It was the princess's voice!
When I turned around, a silver haired woman dragonoid was already pointing a sharp ice shard to the princess's neck! I gripped my scimitar tight and raised my other hand to cast a spell but then the silver woman commanded. "Don't move!"
How cowardly! They kept me occupied to hostage the princess!
I unhesitatingly dropped my sword and raised my hands. I can't afford my childhood friend hurt.
"Cleru Neos." Dragunov spoke once again. "I treated you as a son, just like how I cared for Alder and Zac. I know you're the rebellious type of kid, but if it concerns the princess's safety, you would do anything I ordered…right?"
Grrr… I just wanted to punch this old man's jaws off! Whatever this guy is planning…Is completely no good!
"So promise me." He pushed his face towards mine. "Lose the tournament. Let Amphere Harrison win."
"I…I will…" I muttered. "Just let Seris go."
"Good~" Dragunov smiled as he pulled away and patted my head like a kid.
They did what they promised to do. The silver dragonoid withdrew her ice dagger, and had the Black Phantom corpse activate the Vesryn Pulse. The silver woman became an Ice Dragon, and it became their ride out of the place.
I clenched my hand out of anger as I watch them fly in the dark skies.