Veronika sighs, "Seem a bit unnecessary, but I accept nonetheless." The lava that was emanating from the blade of the ax slowly fades out. Professor Izkall summons his own weapon, a war scythe.
"This seems a bit dangerous. That's a war ax, she might chop our professor's head off!" Antonietta looks at Patricia, "Keep calm, Patricia. These professors don't go to a battle unsure if anyone could get injuries or meet an unfortunate fate. We are in this stadium for a reason, I am sure somehow it will prevent them from injuring each other."
They watched intensely as the two were walking in circles, waiting for each other to attack. Veronika became impatient and charges at Professor Izkall. Their professor immediately evades and hits her on the back as she brushes past through. Veronika flips and used her ax to stop her from falling down on the ground. "Not bad so far."
Veronika helps herself and swings her ax again, this time it was blocked by the shaft on the war scythe that her professor is holding. Before he could execute his countermeasure, Veronika hooks his scythe on the joint of the blade and the shaft. She quickly spins and propels the war scythe on the air. Her classmates that were near the battlefield evades and even rushes off their chairs, but their professor was quick enough to retrieve it.
While he's on his back, Veronika immediately charges at him. Her professor's senses were quick enough to evade and uses his scythe to push her away. She feels nothing but a small sharp pain in her stomach. In battle, she could have been gravely injured. She uses her war ax again to keep her standing.
"Quite the charger, I see. Let's see if you're on the defense side." Professor Izkall immediately bolted towards her. He swings his scythe at her which was blocked by her own ax. Before she could swing her ax towards his neck, her professor immediately turned and attacked her back. She can feel a small piercing pain on it but nothing serious.
She persists, spinning her ax and trying to swing it at their professor. He was quite the professional dodger. "Such a rash lady, let's cool it up a bit." He started attacking again, all of which was blocked by Veronika with the shaft of her ax. Every angle he tried to attack her, she seems to dodge and block mostly well. There are times she loses at the rhythm of it, but she seemingly recovers quickly.
Patricia's mouth was agape the whole time. Every move she executes was smooth. She clearly knows a lot judging by the moves, but she wonders, why she stopped when she seems excellent at fighting? Patricia looks at the ground, "Even she's not that smart to pass the other three subjects, she would have still been a gem of the school." She whispers to herself. She looks back at the fight, "She must be an excellent fighter on her first-hand experience of the first year in Pristine Academy."
"Yeah, it shows. That's why she didn't hesitate to even accept Professor Izkall's offer." Gabriel chuckles, "I will do my best to be in her expertise, even surpass it. Besides, I have been training for quite a while. I just don't want to boast and fight the professor for some unknown reason."
They continued to watch as Veronika seems winning. The professor did his part on attacking again, which Veronika smoothly blocked. In the end, she hooked his weapon again and throws it up in the air. She points the blade of her war ax on her professor's neck. Professor Izkall didn't persist in attacking anymore as he sees the blade worryingly close to a vital part of his body. Veronika raises her hand in the air and catches her professor's war scythe. Every student claps in the room.
Veronika politely returns the war scythe to her professor. "You have shown a very good performance right there, Miss Gilmartin." She just nods, still maintaining a straight face despite the victory and recognition she won.
In Patricia's peripheral, she could see a familiar ginger girl just on the far corner with another familiar dark green-haired girl beside her. She doesn't seem happy with the recognition of the student in front of her. Vivian didn't resist standing, garnering attention in the crowd. "If you are going and offering duels at random students, Professor Izkall, maybe I could show you the strength I have as well."
The professor turns to her, "Oh, Miss Bethel-Craith. I am sorry, that's just a duel that I thought out of nowhere. It's a great example of what will be the duels that will be having in the next months that we will be training. As a new student, most of you probably don't know the main rules of dueling yet."
"My mother is an alumna of this very school. She has taught me everything before I even enrolled here. I am sure I could take you, and even if I lose, I will take it as a lesson for further improvements." The professor insisted, "It's best to show your very best performance in our next lessons. We don't want to overwhelm the others here by showing a lot of fighting. I just want to test Miss Gilmartin's skill here if she still needs any refreshing of the lessons she took before."
"You don't need to make a special case out of me, Professor Izkall." The professor looks at Veronika, who seems unbothered by all the fuss. "It's been years since the last time I went back to this very classroom to have my Physical Valiantry. I am willing to retake everything from scratch, it could clear my memories and go along with the other students here." She walks towards her seat, where the students that were near her clapped and cheered for her.
Vivian was visibly pissed but tried to keep her composure professionally, "I understand, Professor Izkall. I just thought this was a random dueling session you have put in. I will be glad to participate in your class and even someone you could do demonstrations with. I may not know everything, but I am a fast learner. You could count on me."
"Thank you for your participation and initiative, Miss Bethel-Craith. I will take note of it." Vivian sits on her chair, successfully maintaining her proper composure and attitude. Patricia's eye wanders to Veronika who was still unbothered by everything. Some students started to sit beside or near her. She was not that pissed, she was rather apathetic about it. They are starting to ask her about things but were shut off by their professor.
Their professor continues babbling until he finally dismissed them, and Veronika was flooded by the students. Even with her straight face, Veronika seems to get pissed about them. She ignores most of their questions and wanted to just go out of the class and have her lunch.
It was the perfect opportunity for Patricia to help her. She approaches them and intervenes with the crowd of people that were approaching her. She clears her throat, "I think it's best to leave Veronika alone, no? She's getting overwhelmed by all of you. What are you guys even asking?"
"We are asking how did she do such amazing maneuvers in the duel!" "Also about who was her mentor before, and how did she become this amazing!" "And even why she quit school before, she seems great and up to the school's standard of great warriors." Patricia sighs, "I am sure some of those are rather personal for her. She might have trained herself for the most part and was taught by the teachers here in the academy. I am sure Professor Izkall could help you achieve what she already has. It's just… you are already invading her personal space."
The students started whispering among themselves. Some were polite enough to just leave her be, some were even entitled and started being rude. "We were just asking her things! Is that too much to ask?" Patricia glances over Veronika whose eyes are shut, avoiding witnessing all of this. "It's too much if you are crowding her. Just say that you are also in her position, especially for someone who's quite uneasy with these plentiful people around her. Will you feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed?"
Some of them still persisted, "She better be thankful that her works are recognized by us." "I am sure I will be thankful and gladly accommodate to people's questions." They started being rude toward her and to Veronika. The short-haired girl takes a deep breath and pulls Patricia out of the situation. They left the building, leaving the others behind.
Antonietta and Gabriel watched them leave, who in turn put the snobby students at their rightful places. "How hypocrite of you, you were just praising her earlier. Now that she just ignored you, you are now like that?" One of the students was going to answer back but Gabriel shuts him, "If I were you, I should be the one who's sorry. Those actions of you are an act of invading personal space and bullying. Be glad that I am not a whiny person, or your misconduct shall be reported to the guidance counselor. Anne, let's go leave these two-faced people." Both of them left the building, on the search for the two who ran away.
The two went far from the building. They stopped at a small park in the school. Patricia pants as she looks at Veronika whose back is facing against her. "You shouldn't defend me like that."
Patricia was shocked, "Why shouldn't I? Those people are pestering you. They are even feeling entitled to do so. You are still a human, someone who doesn't seem to like people crowding on you." Veronika insisted, "I could have fixed it myself."
"How? By ignoring them and letting them pester and speak on your ear? I can see written in your face the distress you were in." Veronika sighs, "If that's what I can do then I shall do it. Now you have made an enemy of some students. I have heard that you are making friends, you did the opposite when you defended me. Now your plan is foiled."
"A few rude and uninteresting students will not be a loss for me. Besides, I will not go along with them in the first place. If they are brave enough to annoy a student and call it popularity when called out, then they are out of my list of future acquaintances. You are my roommate as well, I feel some kind of responsibility for protecting you."
"You don't have to." Veronika kept her word, "The only connection on us both is we live in the same dorm and study in the same school. That connection isn't enough for you to feel burdened to protect me. If you are feeling like that, shrug it off. I don't need any help."
Patricia sighs, "You are saying that even you do. Your eyes say otherwise when you were in that situation." She massages her temple, "If you don't want that, think it like this, I did that because we are both students. I could feel empathy for you, I could feel that you need help. I only did what a responsible and empathetic student would do in the situation. If you are feeling that you are already indebted to me, don't think it like that. I only did what I know is the right thing, and I am not regretting it."
"You are just saying that to my face, but deep inside you are regretting you lost most of the class' future liking towards you." Veronika sighs, "Just avoid me if you want to avoid these things from happening. Is it worth it to have a penny for a million cash? No, it's not." She looks at her for the first time in their whole conversation, "Before I forgot, thank you."