"Mother, what is the usage of a Phoenix Orchid again?"
"Oh, that's a strange question. I suppose it depends on what you use it for. From its nectar to the stem, it can be used to make advanced potions or even just as a flower to show off its rarity since it never wilts. Why do you ask?"
"Lunaria-nee… she just told me telepathically that their school had a Phoenix Orchid as the first prize at her school lottery."
"Ah, I see. It is indeed strange that a Phoenix Orchid out of all things would be the prize."
"A Phoenix Orchid, huh. Tristania must either be too rich, or they were just extremely lucky."
"I wonder if Sir Ethan had anything to do about it?"
"Hmm, Ethan did say that he would be slightly involved in the lottery itself."
"Oh, that makes sense then."
Currently, Lunatea was having a conversation with her father and mother. It was just before their bedtime when she received a telepathic communication from her elder sister. After a bit of silent talking with her, Lunatea knew she had to inform her parents of this.
Since they were staying in two separate rooms from each other in the palace of Tristania, Lunatea only had to walk over to the other room to address the said issue to her parents. Their simple exchange happened, with Reginsleif and Laevia cuddled in bed together while Lunatea stood in front of them.
"Lunaria-nee… she won the Phoenix Orchid." Lunatea gulped, breaking the news to her parents. "She… seems to be a bit hysterical right now. I just told her to get some sleep for the event tomorrow."
"I'm not surprised. Had I known that I won a Phoenix Orchid, I would probably react the same way Lunaria did now," Laevia simply giggled at this, as if she was used to it. "I still would, if we didn't have a garden of it back in the palace."
"M-Mother, you know that is beside the point. This Orchid is probably naturally found, you know?" Lunatea stammered at Laevia's words. "Even Lunaria-nee is freaking out over it."
"Yes, but that doesn't make the one we have back at home any rarer," Reginsleif puckered his lips to kiss Laevia while talking with Lunatea. "So, anything else?"
"N-Nothing… even Lucentia and the others are excitedly discussing this among themselves…" Luantea slumped against the bedframe in front of her, hopeless at her parents' reaction. "How are you two not surprised?"
"We are, but I just have better priorities in front of me," Reginsleif smirked. "Finally on a short holiday together with the family, and that is what you worry about? Lunatea, if you don't mind, your mother and I are going to need some privacy."
"…. Yes father," Lunatea muttered, walking out of the room. "Good night, father, mother."
As soon as she closed the door, she could hear the muffled moans immediately from her mother before it was completely drowned out by the sound barrier's effect around the room.
"I wonder how they would react if I told them that she has to share the prize with Kaze…?" Lunatea mumbled to herself before sighing and shaking her head. "It's alright… I don't need to think about it now…"
Moving back to her room to get some sleep, Lunatea pushed the relentless thoughts to the back of her mind.
- - - - -
Kaze's excitement from the night before had completely washed away on its own as soon as he woke up at 5 sharp.
He was feeling more alert than ever, his body in perfect shape. Dropping to the floor as soon as he hopped out of bed to do 200 push ups, Kaze forced his mind to quickly go through all of his training tactics and moves that he had gained over the past few months.
Today was the day of the performance against the top 10 of the school. Kaze wouldn't allow the events of the previous night to bother him right now.
Pushing away all unnecessary memories and thoughts he had, Kaze switched from the push ups to sit ups by the side of his bed to motivate himself to move. Running through all the shadowboxing he had done by himself in his head now, Kaze was essentially multitasking by warming up his body and fighting at the same time.
Similarly, Albert, Shoko, Yuuji and Lunaria had an early start to the day too. Waking up half an hour after Kaze, each of them went through their own schedule to prepare themselves for the upcoming event.
Even though the Phoenix Orchid still baffled each of them, they also knew it was no use thinking about it right now. All they needed to focus on was the fight against their seniors.
Kaze headed to the bathroom as soon as he was done warming up. Drenching himself in a quick cold shower, he headed back to the room to get prepared. Passing by Yuuji in the small hallway, they exchanged a quick nod before moving pass each other.
Heading down for breakfast, Kaze noted that Lunaria was already dressed in her formal attire and preparing breakfast for herself. When her gaze met Kaze's, he could tell that she also showed signs of determination despite the events of the night before. There was zero hesitation in Lunaria's actions, from the way she moved around the kitchen. Usually, she would act a little more casual but now she was in a concentrated mode.
"Mornin'," Shoko greeted the two, hopping down the stairs while typing her hair into a neat ponytail.
"You seem ready," Kaze smiled at the kitsune. "Feeling confident?"
"You bet," Shoko smiled back and gave Lunaria her greeting. "I want to put on a good show, after all."
"Don't we all?" Yuuji, also dressed and ready for action, jogged a step at a time to the dining hall. "Everyone's awake."
"Mm hm," Lunaria simply nodded and used magic to wash the rest of the cooking equipment so she could have her breakfast. "Nervous?"
"Of course," Yuuji gave a light chuckle, downing his glass of milk. "Father told me he would be attending."
"Oh, great… I bet my family's going to show up too," Lunaria sighed. "Kaze, please don't stare at the crowd, no matter what."
With a quick humour around the breakfast table, the four finished up their meal and headed off to school before the others were awake.
"Yooo~~~" Frey waved her hands at the four who were approaching from behind her. "Fancy meeting you all here."
"Frey-san, good morning," Lunaria politely bowed. "You are up early."
"Hehe, it is sort of a habit," Frey grinned, patting the huge weapon wrapped in cloth behind her such that it wouldn't show the outline. "Are you all wondering what my weapon is?"
"I have no idea," Kaze shook his head, glancing up and down at it. "I would hate to have to go up against you, Frey-san."
"Frey will do, or shall I call you two the Phoenix Orchid couple?" Frey giggled as Lunaria and Kaze felt invisible arrows piercing through their hearts. "Just giving you a taste of your own medicine. Being informal is fine~"
"K-Kuh… why do I already feel like I have lost before the fight even started…?" Kaze grunted, stumbling a little while walking. "Frey-senpai, please don't mention that anymore…"
"Kaze, Lunaria, do you both know what you two caused yesterday?" Yuuji asked the two while sweatdropping. "Everyone went batshit crazy when it was announced that you two would be sharing the flower."
"It was the principal's decision, so I can't say much."
Turning around at the voice, they saw it was Albert. He seemed to have left home at the same time and came up from behind them to join the conversation. Dressed in his fighting attire with his sword by his hip, he also looked ready for the performance.
"Ah, Albert," Yuuji smiled and greeted their friend. "Morning."
"I remember you from the selection," Frey pointed at Albert, walking backwards while speaking to them. "I look forward to seeing your performance too~
With their group noisily making their way into the school grounds, they headed to the gathering area where they were supposedly to wait before the event started. Since they were early, there was practically no one at the school grounds yet, leaving them with nothing to do but talk.
"You all seem acquainted with each other already, so maybe I should introduce myself," Frey gestured to her juniors before striking a pose. "I am the cute and adorable senpai that everyone loves, Frey de Mistledream. Pleased to meet all of you~"
"… What's up with that pose?" Surprisingly, the one who reacted first was Kaze, as if Frey had done something so hilarious with her posing that Kaze was about to burst into laughter.
"W-What do you mean?!" Frey, embarrassed as everyone else except Kaze remained deadpanned silent, stomped over to Kaze and grabbed his shirt. "Are you mocking me?!"
"N-No, Frey-senpai, I just…" Unable to hold back his laughter anymore, Kaze exploded into a bunch of howling as Frey pouted at him.
"So, what if I acted a little childish? Hmph!" Frey shrugged Kaze off and turned to Albert. "You! What do you think of my posing?"
"Um… it is good…?" Albert gulped, not wanting to disrespect Frey. "It could be a little bit better though… like maybe not so much spreading but more emphasis on your looks?"
"… Ohh!! You appreciate the art of posing too!" Frey took his word literally and grinned widely at Albert. "Show me your pose! I want to get some inspiration from it!"
This time, Yuuji and Shoko began snickering at their failed attempt to hide their laughter. It was hilarious to think that the usually serious Albert would have to strike a pose like he was some sort of childish person, which didn't fit his own seriousness. They knew that Albert had no room for negotiation, especially when facing against Frey who was acting like a little child instead.
Swallowing his pride, Albert valued his life more in case Frey got mad at him and began posing randomly. He had no idea what posing was even about since only children would care that much, but he tried his best to elaborate on posing and eventually striking one himself. That became the last straw for his friends, all three holding their stomach with literally tears leaking from their eyes at the hilarious scene before them. Only Lunaria tried her hardest to look away from the absurdity before them, something she never though would happen with Frey.
After the antic that happened between them and Frey, the small group talked a little to pass the time.
One by one, people started to show up to the waiting room but none of them were the school's existing top 10s. In fact, those who weren't acquainted with Frey were all shocked when they saw her in the room fooling around and scooted aside immediately when she greeted them. Despite returning the greeting, they were only able to watch as Frey continued chitchatting with Kaze and the others.
"What time is it? We have been talking for quite a bit now," Frey asked, taking a sip of water from her bottle. "Ah! I have to leave. See you all later~"
As if suddenly remembering she wasn't supposed to be here, Frey gave them a quick wave before dashing out of the door. The lack of Frey's presence caused the tense mood in the room to soften, all of them heaving a sigh. They had never thought that dealing with someone like Frey was going to be so tiring.
"I like her," Kaze smiled as he thought of Frey. "As much as I hate to admit it."
"No… she's a devil…" Albert, on all fours on the floor with his head slumped, groaned in pain. "I swear to never get acquainted with her again…"
"I'm surprise you found Frey favourable," Lunaria asked Kaze, sitting next to him. "I suppose she did take out the stress of all of us."
"Now that you put it that way, you are right?" Yuuji widened his eyes. "Was she being surprisingly considerate…?"
"I'm pretty sure most of it was unintended, but it's good to know you all feel much better~" Shoko purred. "I can't say the same for the other 5 here though."
They knew that the next time they met Frey would be in the fighting grounds, where she wouldn't be so kind anymore.
- - - - -
A steady flow of crowd began to build up as the sun welcomed the arrival of the second day of the Moon Festival. Ironically, the much-anticipated event would be held in the morning when the festival was supposed to be regarded at night more.
Mages had already begun fortification of the surrounding fighting arena in the event of there being an over-usage of power by the students. Since the area itself was so large, such that it was made to accommodate roughly 10,000 people, one could tell by looks alone that it was impressive job to be able to hold that many people. Students and outsiders alike were all permitted to enter and watch, specifically for this event only since it took place outside of the school, but still within school grounds.
With the event itself garnering a rather large crowd, stalls were set alongside the road leading up to the school. The advertising that led up to this event was particularly successful from the reaction that the school got. This was a given, with part of the contribution being that most of the other schools didn't go out of the way to make an event like the performance battle.
"Ho~ So this is the school that Lunaria-nee studies in? It's not bad."
"I wonder about that. I feel like a few schools in Aravel are comparable."
"Now, now, girls. Remember that we are only able to see the performance because of Sir Ethan."
Right outside of the school, the dragonkin royalty family were admiring the environment of Czech First Institute. They were accompanied with a huge quantity of guards, both dragonkin and human alike. This caught the attention of everyone around them, for they were easily stood out from appearance alone.
Behind the Rentaria family was none other than the ruler of Czech himself, Ethan, his wife and Yuuji's fiancé Mia.
"Shall we head to our seats? The event is probably going to start pretty soon," Ethan smiled at the family's first-hand reaction. "I have already informed the principal about our situation so I'm sure we will be properly accommodated."
Just as Ethan spoke, they could see 3 people walking towards them. Of them, the man in the middle exerted an aura that no ordinary civilian had. What's more, he had the emblem of the school pinned next to his chest, exhibiting his authority.
"Your Majesty, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to our humble school," Aldwolf got on one knee along with the other two following behind him. "This must be… Sir Reginsleif and family?"
"A pleasure, Aldwolf," Reginsleif shook the principal's hand politely. "This is my wife Laevia."
"You must be the principal," Laevia also gave a polite shake. "Thank you for accommodating my daughter for the past few months."
"No, no, I must thank you for choosing our school," a broad smile appeared on Aldwofl's face as he got addressed. "I am happy to get acquainted with the Emperor and Empress of Aravel themselves. Without further ado, please follow me. My associates and I will guide both of you to your seats we have specially prepared."
Heading into the fighting grounds, Aldwolf guided both royal families over to the private area for sitting. The place they were currently at was a platform built isolated from the spectator stand, obviously for formal reasons like these. It wasn't the most comfortable, but it did provide a spectacular view of the entire ring itself along with the grounds.
Reginsleif and family took the right side of the seats while Ethan took the left. Since Ethan only had 3 people with them, they were okay with sharing private spaces with Reginsleif's. What's more, Mia was happy to be able to talk with four of the dragonkin princesses and make friends with them. It might sound bizarre for Mia to be reliant on them instead of her parents, but arrangements were made.
"Please, can we get you anything? The event will start shortly," one of the attendances approached the two rulers, seemingly suited for high-end jobs like these.
"Yes, please relay our orders to Shiina over there," Reginsleif told his family, gesturing to Shiina who stood by their side.
With the event going underway soon, the crowd that filled that arena soon reached its max capacity as well. Everyone looked forward to what that would come right after, especially with the top 10s that would be exhibiting their strength in public for once. No one could tell what would come to mind, a perfectly enjoyable fight between two opponents for the sake of showing off their skills to the crowd, or a serious fight with the intent of defeating the other.
Whatever the case was, it was bound to be something good.
"Goooood morning everyone!!! It is a beautiful morning we have today, the perfect weather for what I would like to call the 'strength demonstration'," the emcee soon spoke up, addressing the crowd. "Before we go any further, we have two very special guests here with us today, as some of you may have notice. First of all, we have the King of Czech himself, Sir Ethan Dues Bivel. With him is the Queen herself, Kathia Inst Uruquay!"
At the emcee's words, the crowd all got to their feet to either applaud or bow politely towards the King. In response, both Ethan and Kathy got up to give a polite wave to everyone. The reason why Mia was not mentioned was because she was not directly affiliated with the King and Queen yet, so it was not necessary on formal term like these.
"Not only that, we also have a few very, very special guests," the emcee emphasized on the word 'special' itself. "From the far neighbouring country of Aravel, I would like to speak on behalf of the royal family and the nation itself, please welcome the Rentaria royal family!!!!!!!!!"
The entire crowd got thrown into a frenzy at these words, especially the nobles. Rumours had sparked from the day before regarding their mysterious guests, but who would have thought it was royalty instead. It was even more crucial because it was from the ever-mysterious Aravel nation, who had never opened its borders to the public in the past 60 years. Anyone from the newer generation would not have seen Aravel in person before, hence the excitement.
"The Emperor of Aravel, Reginsleif Gerald Rentaria, accompanied by his beloved wife and Empress, Laevia Yllisa Rentaria!" The emcee continued.
Both Reginsleif and Laevia followed Ethan's example, standing up and politely greeting the crowd.
"Along with the four princesses of Aravel. Second Princess of Aravel, Lunatea Arve Rentaria…"
"Third Princess of Aravel, Lucentia Unve Rentaria…."
"Fourth Princess of Aravel, Lunaea Seva Rentaria…."
"And finally, fifth Princess of Aravel, Luniel Seva Rentaria!"
With each introduction and pause in between, the sisters stood up one by one and politely bowed to the crowd.
It was now no secret that Lunaria had four younger siblings, with her being the youngest. Even though most of the crowd were not able to see the siblings up close, they still cheered on for their foreign guests. Most of them were enthusiastic even, that they were able to have a look at the Aravel royalty from afar.
Following a few more words and greetings from the emcee, it was finally time for the first fight.