The Small Resistance, that Ms. Florence calls it, has finally begun, with Mr. Garet and Ms. Florence training Allen in an attempt to strengthen his weaknesses to prepare him for the upcoming tournament.
However, the upcoming tournament is a lot closer than he thinks, with only a few weeks to spare before Allen is thrown into his first duel. They will need to do everything they can in order to prepare Allen for those he may face against.
Conveniently, Allen still has access to the training room that they once used for their training club, since Ellen has yet to notice Allen still has the key. They will use this to their full advantage, as it provides the perfect place to train after academy hours, when Ellen is less likely to notice their activity.
But, even with the time they have and the training room they have access to, Mr. Garet still feels that it may not be enough, due to the issues that Allen may face during the tournament.
"You see, how the tournament works, each round a student is randomly paired against another student participating in the tournament," Mr. Garet began to explain. "This means you can be put up against anyone of any rank, any year, and any element. Worse case scenario, you are put up against an third year, A rank"
Allen could see why this would pose a problem. After all, with him needing to win four consecutive rounds in the tournament, getting put up against someone like that could get him out on round one. Sure, he could try his best, but in the end the third year has more experience. If he loses even one duel, not only is he immediately out of the tournament, but he also does not get to move on to his second year.
"Let's also not forget that we wouldn't put it past Ellen to rig the tournament in her favor against Allen," Mr. Garet also brought up. "This, of course, can be done in numerous ways, most notably who Allen is put up against. She may not make the selection random for him"
"Good point," Ms. Florence agreed. "The directors are supposed to remain in good faith and keep the selection random. But with Ellen as the only other director aside from you Walter, and the Triumvirate at her back, things may pose a problem to Allen"
"Couldn't Walter make sure that Ellen is selecting at random?," Allen brought up. "Sure there's only two of you now, but you could make sure, right?"
"It's not that simple," Mr. Garet sighed. "In normal circumstances, the three directors do the selection process together. Ellen however, may find ways that even I cannot intervene in"
There were many things that they needed to discuss regarding the tournament, but the most important thing was using their time to train Allen to his utmost best.They spent the first few days examining Allen's abilities.
While Sarah was also there to "cheer on" Allen in his training, Mr. Garet believed it would do her some good to train too. Sarah would only pout and say the only thing she was interested in watching Allen train, and she wasn't participating in the tournament regardless, so they left it be… least for now.
After one training session, with Ms. Florence and Sarah already gone, only Allen and Mr. Garet were left in the room.
Mr. Garet was wrapping up, putting things away like usual, to minimize the likelihood someone could figure out they were using the room, when Allen had a question he wanted to ask him.
"Mr. Garet, a question if I may," Allen said as he approached him.
"Yes?," he gave him a small look, as if he would amuse him for a moment.
"I know you're wanting William to return as head director, but are you doing that because you want him as head director? Or just because you'd rather have him over Ellen?"
Allen really wanted the answer to this question. After all, from what he's seen or heard about Mr. Garet, he isn't exactly all for William's actions. Especially with his interaction with William right before the training club asked him if they could go on their club trip. Mr. Garet had acted with disdain towards Rose, and indifference towards William.
"Hmph, I knew you'd ask me that," Mr. Garet shook his head. "Nonetheless, yes, I do admit that my goals and views may not exactly align with William. However, I am not completely for Ellen and her ways either, as I am sure you've noticed. If I had to choose between the two of them, William and his newer ways would certainly be the obvious choice"
"Newer ways?," Allen asked. "What do you mean by that?"
"There are, of course, many different 'newer' or 'older' ways you can look at elemental magic," Mr. Garet began to explain. "William's viewpoint is that all mages can be equal, all deserve equal treatment, and to use magic as a tool to continue our progress"
"The old ways have always been mixed up, but the one I have always followed is not to view magic as a weapon, nor a tool," he continued. "To try to control elemental magic is fruitless. While several of us are born with the ability to use it, and far fewer with the talent to grow with it, not many understand the true nature of elemental magic. We should not try to control it, nor try to use it to better our own ends"
"I suppose that makes sense," Allen said out loud, as he tried to process Mr. Garet's words, and apply that to his understanding of what elemental magic is.
"Hmph," Mr. Garet rolled his eyes as he finished cleaning up.
As Allen was just about to leave, Mr. Garet eyed him for a moment before asking a question.
"Fleming, do you mind if I ask you something regarding your sword?"
"Uh, no I do not mind," Allen answered, a little confused.
"Your sword… it reminds me of a student who once attended this academy…," Mr. Garet spoke, as he stared at the sword sheathed away at Allen's hip.
Wait, my sword?, Allen thought to himself. He used to know someone who had a sword like me?
This could be very important to Allen, as one of the very few details he knows about his sword is that it used to be owned by his birth mother, given to Allen by William at the end of his training with him.
In addition, it is very rare that a mage uses a sword in general. The only other students in the academy that Allen is aware of that use a weapon of any kind would be Rose, their Student Council President, and August Lionheart, First Prince of England. They both use swords due to their families, but regardless they use weapons.
"Do you happen to know where you got your sword from, Fleming?," Mr. Garet finally asked. "It is rare already that a mage uses a sword, nonetheless one that has an ability to absorb the magic it comes into contact with"
Allen does his best to fill in Mr. Garet about the backstory behind his sword, of how it used to be his mothers. He also explains that he doesn't have many details when it comes to who his real parents were, so his sword is his only current connection and lead.
"I'm- I'm sorry to hear about that," Mr. Garet cleared his throat.
Allen could tell that Mr. Garet wasn't really the type to involve himself with others unless needed, and wasn't someone who empathized with others often. So the fact that Mr. Garet went out of his way to try to empathize with Allen meant something.
"I am willing to give you the small details that I know of regarding the student I mentioned, since we are now working together," Mr. Garet offered. "It really may not help you, but perhaps point you in the direction you need?"
"I'm listening," Allen answered, as he turned his full attention towards Mr. Garet.
"Hmm, where should I start," Mr. Garet said out loud, as he racked his brain. "Ah"
"I suppose let's go back fifteen something years, back when I was still a teacher at this academy," Mr. Garet began. "There was this one particular student that stood out from the rest, whom I have mentioned before, Christina Windblade"
Mr. Garet refreshed Allen a little about what he had already told him in the past. Christina was of course the eldest sibling to William and Solomon Windblade, with William being the youngest.
Even before Christina attended the academy, she already had immense expectations placed on her, including that she would be the next head to the Windblade family, her father's successor. She would then be expected to be the next to claim the Spear of Air, and lead her family from there.
"She was indeed the very same individual whom I compared you to when you were in my office for the first time," Mr. Garet explained. "Everything about her was an outlier. Not only did she possess immense talent with her air magic and a natural born leader, but she also had talent when it came to physical abilities, such as the sword she used to wield"
"So, she too was a mage that wielded a sword, like me?," Allen asked for clarification.
"Indeed. A sword similar to yours in fact. While it did not absorb and release magic like yours does, she used it against her opponents in many of the duels that she was challenged to"
Hmm, so not quite like my sword, Allen thought to himself. Perhaps a sword like Rose's? Her sword, or rather her rapier, cannot do what my sword can, but instead she uses it alongside her elemental magic.
"She bested every mage that challenged her, and accomplished something that no other mage has ever done before - winning the Annual Magical Knights Tournament all three years in a row she attended the academy"
"But why compare her to me?," Allen asked. "You call us both these 'outliers', but I am so completely different from her. I still don't understand how you can compare someone like me at the very bottom to someone who was always at the top"
"Hmph," Mr. Garet rolled his eyes, as if he was annoyed to explain this again. "Yes, you two are by far very different in many noticeable ways, as I have said before. But the one major thing that marks both her and you as the outliers I have called you two is your end goal - to leave your mark, whether for good or for bad"
To leave my mark, Allen thought to himself. I both understand it and don't. In Mr. Garet's eyes, he means that I make an impression at the tournament, to which the Triumvirate cannot ignore. But it's not as grand as it seems, as it's only a plausible method to get William back. Christina however, was someone who accomplished way more feats than I.
"Other than that, there's something else I cannot seem to shake off…," Mr. Garet said out loud, as he looked at Allen and at the floor several times, as if he was comparing Allen to his own thoughts.
"Huh?"
"Both you and Christina… while different in many ways… are both very similar"
"Wait, what do you mean by similar?"
"I cannot say. It's not as if I don't want to, but it's more like I cannot put it into words. Every time I look at you, I am reminded of her…"
As Allen stood there confused at what Mr. Garet was trying to point out, Mr. Garet seemed to be eyeing Allen suspiciously.
"Ah, no matter. Regardless, as you may already know, Christina then went on to become head of the Windblade family after her father stepped down. She then took leadership of the Council of Magic, to which she then brought about many changes to England, most notably to counter the bad reputation that had been placed on fire mages throughout the years"
"Wait, you mean that Christina, William's oldest sibling, tried to turn things around for fire mages?," Allen asked, as he couldn't help but be interested. But he also worried about what effect his question may have, as most talk about fire mages is considered taboo, and depending on what he said could get him into major trouble.
"Indeed," Mr. Garet slowly nodded his head, as his eyes remained on the floor. "Things were going so well too, until poor Christina allegedly committed suicide. The once Council of Magic then delved into utter chaos as many grieved of her passing throughout England, until the next eldest child, Solomon Windblade took over, and created the Triumvirate we now have…"
Wait, so even after the ban of fire magic, it sounds like this Christina was trying to actually turn things around, Allen thought to himself. But what went wrong?
"The views of fire mages once again plummeted, and the once ban that fire magic had turned into almost a witch-hunt, as the Triumvirate began to kill any fire mage they could get their hands on," Mr. Garet explained as he sighed. "Such a shame…"
As Mr. Garet seemed to be wrapped into his own thoughts, Allen re-evaluated what he knew about the fire situation. First, there was the fire outbreaks, where allegedly a large group of fire mages burnt down many towns, killing any within their path. This then led to the Anti-Fire Order, which essentially was a ban on all fire magic use. As long as no one used fire magic, no one was indiscriminately executed.
But things changed once the Triumvirate was created, with Solomon as its leader. It then turned into a fire mage hunt, in which they killed any fire mage they could find, and any associated with them.
So, this could mean that whatever took place between the events of the fire outbreaks, and the Triumvirate forming could have caused it, Allen thought, as he tried to piece the dots together. Or perhaps, it came out of nowhere, and the newly formed Triumvirate deemed it appropriate.
"You know, things weren't always like this," Mr. Garet seemed to chuckle, but the pain in his eyes was evident. "Solomon- he was a good student once. Just why would he feel the need to turn things in the direction he did, only perhaps he would know. The Fire Outbreaks…"
As Mr. Garet seemed to get lost in thought once again, there was something that bothered Allen. A question formed in his mind.
"I don't mean to be disrespectful, but by the way you are explaining things, I would assume you were around during the time of the fire outbreaks?"
"Hmph, indeed I was," Mr. Garet shrugged as he put his hand to his chin in thought. "I may be old, but I am not that old, I assure you. I was just a young lad when they happened, in the middle of attending the academy in fact"
"So you were a student of this academy before the ban was placed?," Allen asked. "Do you know what happened?"
"Hah, I am no expert, I assure you, but I paid attention to what happened around me," he chuckled for a moment. "From my understanding, air mages had the belief that elemental magic should be controlled, and used as a benefit. While fire mages, knowing the dire consequences magic can have when not used properly, believed the opposite - they should try to devote themselves to its study and try to understand it better, instead of doing as they see fit with it"
"What started off as mere tensions between the air mages and fire mages turned into what we know of - the fire outbreaks. This seemed to be the turning point. No one may truly know why they felt the need to murder innocent lives, but it certainly did not help their reputation"
"Their reputation?," Allen asked for clarification.
"Well, you could say that the citizens, the non-mages, already began to form a bad opinion of fire mages due to the accidents that took place here and there," Mr. Garet elaborated. "A store or home burning down, a student accidentally letting his fire magic go haywire, accidental injuries or burns, that kind of stuff"
"So, this may be a stupid question, but fire mages once attended this academy, correct?," Allen asked. He knew the answer would probably be obvious, but it would make him feel better knowing there were others once like him, attempting to study magic, without the fear of death on the table.
"Indeed," Mr. Garet nodded. "You know, the academy even once had a spot for a fire director. A director for each element, this allowed a clear balance and representation for the students of the academy. However, after their removal, the head directors became primarily air mages, with vice directors of water and earth elements, like how it is today. It truly wasn't long before the fire mages that I once knew were gone faster than I expected…"
Mr. Garet seemed to actually be upset, as if recalling the memories pained him. For someone who rarely showed emotion like Ms. Florence, this was unexpected for Allen. But, in the end, Mr. Garet was a human like him, who surely had to feel emotions too.
After a few moments of silence within the room, Mr. Garet finally spoke. "I would recommend you should keep extreme caution as time passes, Fleming. Especially if you continue to attend this academy"
As Mr. Garet gave him a strange look, Allen couldn't help but feel worried and confused. Just what could he mean by 'caution'? In Mr. Garet's eyes, what should Allen need to worry about? Could he know something Allen didn't?
"What do you mean by caution, Mr. Garet?," Allen asked him, as he gave him a look. "I think I need you to elaborate"
Mr. Garet stared at him for a moment, then took a look throughout the room before continuing. "I may be old, but I am not that old. As time passes, a mage tends to pick up on things, especially for one who has seen many events happen in such a little time. Maybe not obvious for others, to me I can tell. You're a fire mage, aren't you?"
Out of anything that Allen could have expected from Mr. Garet's mouth, that was the last thing he expected. He could have mentioned anything, just anything related to Ellen or to the discrimination he receives for being once again F ranked. Or even how weak his air magic is. But knowing he's a fire mage?
"Mr. Garet, I don't think I heard you right " Allen stated, starting to get a little worried. "Surely, surely you must be joking. You really don't think I am a fire mage, right?"
"First," Mr. Garet began, as he inched closer to Allen so he could be more quiet. "Let me make it rather clear that it makes no difference to me whether you are a fire mage or not. While both of us can get into immense trouble from the conversation we just had originally, I hold no hatred nor disdain for the fire mages. Rather, it's very unfortunate and unreasonable for the actions taken against them thus far"
Wait, he can't be serious, right?, Allen thought to himself as he tried to process what Mr. Garet was explaining.
But in the end, it at least made somewhat sense. After all, there are others Allen knows that not only know of his secret, but hold no hatred for fire magic. His adoptive family, William, and Rose.
"But, assuming I am one, how would you even know?," Allen asked, confused how he could even remotely draw that conclusion. He's been really careful about it, hasn't he?
"Do I need to spell it out for you?," Mr. Garet sighed. "Well, firstly your abilities with your air magic make absolutely no sense if you really think about it. Your air magic is surprisingly so weak, it's the weakest I have ever seen. Even the lowest of air mages with absolutely no talent aren't as bad as you are"
"Gee, well thanks," Allen gave him an annoyed stare.
"Your capabilities with air magic should be so much better, it's actually surprising it isn't. I would've taken you to be a decent air mage if not for what I saw during the entrance exams"
"Right…," Allen gave him a blank stare, in disbelief.
"As I am sure you are aware, there is a natural balancing system with elemental magic. air is strong against earth, earth against water, water against fire, and get this… fire against air…"
Mr. Garet said that last part as if that was the exact point he was trying to make.
"While very minimal, you can use air magic. If you also possessed fire magic, which in my opinion you do, it would make a lot more sense in the long run. This would make you a dual-elemental mage, already rare enough as is, but such an annoyance that you cannot use your fire magic for obvious reasons, and you can't use your air magic because your fire magic conflicts with it, doesn't it?"
While Mr. Garet asked that as a question, Allen could tell he already knew the answer, and asked it more as a point.
"I suppose that would make sense, but what other giveaways would tell you?"
"Your glove"
"My- my glove?," Allen asked, immediately looking at the singular glove he wore on his right hand, as his fire magic comes out of his right, and air magic on his left hand.
"Others, may see it as normal, if not maybe a little strange, that you wear a singular glove. After all, many other mages, even at this very academy, wear gloves if they are not using their magic. Others may draw the conclusion you wear it because of your sword. But in truth, I can tell - it's made of fire resistant material, is it not?"
As Allen stood there in shock, there was one evident point that he took from this - Mr. Garet was a lot more perceptive than he seemed to be.
"You don't have to answer me, I already know," Mr. Garet had a small smirk, as if drawing the conclusions he made satisfied him when right. "But don't worry, I do not plan on telling anyone Fleming. I promise on both my word and as vice director of this academy, that I will not expose you, and I will continue to work with you as intended"
Allen could still not believe what he had explained so far, but something else became very apparent to him: despite Mr. Garet's strange and rude demeanor, he was someone that Allen could trust.
Perhaps this is what William meant when he told us that Mr. Garet could be trusted, Allen thought, as he couldn't help but laugh at himself. He didn't believe William at first.
"Well, it's getting rather late, and even an old man needs his rest, doesn't he?," Mr. Garet said, as he put Allen out of his thoughts. He had a small, playful grin on his mouth, something Allen rarely saw from him. "I shall take my leave, and I highly suggest you do the same. Academy rules, after all"
He gave him a quick, yet unexpected wink, before quickly turning around and exiting the training room, leaving Allen alone in there by himself.
"Hah, what a week this has been," Allen said out loud, as he processed everything that has happened so far.
Just before Allen finally left the training room as well, he was left with one last thought - despite appearing to be the old grumpy man he appeared to be, Mr. Garet was actually a good person deep down. And from then on, Allen was left with an unexpected, yet newfound respect for both his vice director, and his partner in their small resistance.