A bright red light appeared, illuminating the small clearing. "Oh my!" The Headmaster exclaimed in shock with a hand over his lips, his golden eyes were round. "No one is hurt, are they?" He asked as he took in the four students, two of which were still unconscious.
Standing behind the Headmaster were a group of knights and mages. The mages dispersed to each of the students to check on them, their cloaks billowing behind them like the wings of a bat.
The knights made their way to the decapitated wyvern. Their uniforms were form-fitting and pristine, a stark contrast against the mages, though both were garbed in white.
Demian helped Remi to a stand just as two mages came over to them, casting healing and recovery spells. Their casting speed was quick and precise, showing why they were mages instead of knights. Both knights and mages could use elemental magic but mages were far quicker in casting and could perform a wider range of spells than most knights.
The Headmaster strode over to Remi and Demian. "It looks like the four of you had it rough." He placed a hand on each of their shoulders. "You two accomplished an amazing feat, though I hope that the two of you will never do something like this again."
"Definitely not," Remi and Demian spoke at the same time. The two of them shared a look. Remi's lips turned up into a smirk which caused Demian to laugh.
The mages finally stopped treating them. "None of them had any major injuries," one of them informed the Headmaster.
The Headmaster looked down at the two, and his thin lips turned up into a scary-looking smile that sent shivers down Demian's spine. "That's good to hear."
The mages that had been treating Lady Shana and Dane came over while carrying the two of them with wind magic. "Their injuries have been treated. Now they just need some rest," an older-looking mage informed the Headmaster.
The Headmaster's golden eyes softened as they looked down at the two sleeping students. "That certainly is good to hear," he spoke softly. Demian noticed the man's gaze lingered on Dane's prone form.
Something bumped into his arm. Demian looked down into the beautiful orbs that were Remi's eyes. He really was such a beautiful creature, even more so like this.
"Thanks," Remi told him. "I owe you one."
"How about a date," he said, half-jokingly and half-serious.
Remi's eyes rounded and a pleased smile graced his lips. "I can do that."
Thump!
Demian's heart somersaulted and butterflies filled his stomach. It was a confirmation that he hadn't been expecting. Fighting a wyvern had been worth it, even if it did scare the crap out of him.
He inhaled to calm his racing heart. "We have a three-day weekend," he was able to say slowly, his voice even.
Remi's smile widened. "We did win this competition, huh?" He leaned in closer, their faces were just inches apart. "Just let me know if you want an indoor date or an outdoor one," he emphasized with a wink.
Weren't all proper dates outside, or at least in a tea room? It took him a moment to realize what Remi meant by his words and when he did, his face exploded into a brilliant shade of red.
How could someone so boldly offer to do that? But Remi was a beta and a male so it wasn't completely unacceptable as it would have been if he were an omega or a girl.
Demian glanced over at the decapitated wyvern. That stupid thing should have shown up a lot sooner if he knew this was to be the outcome.
He turned his attention back to that alluring beta who was still looking at him. "Whatever you want to do, I'll leave it up to you," he said, trying to play it cool.
Remi's lips quirked into a smirk and he leaned in closer, his reddened ears hidden by his hair. "I know which one I prefer."
Demian's blood boiled, heat pooling down low. This was clearly flirting!
Before Demian could reply or act on his instincts, he wasn't sure which side was winning, the Headmaster gathered everyone together. The red light of the Warping Orb surrounded all of them but two knights. Those two knights were staying behind to look after the wyvern's body, which would most likely be used for magic tools and ingredients.
When the light dispersed, the group was standing in the large field outside the forest. The rest of their class was already there. Most of them were huddled into groups, looking excited. There were quite a few students that looked scared and some were even crying.
The staff who had been left behind to protect the students came running over when they saw the Headmaster.
"Is it already over?" Mr. Ortish asked in disappointed disbelief. If one had to guess, the ex-mercenary was upset at being left behind.
A professor with piercing yellow eyes and long green hair glared at Mr. Ortish. The professor then proceeded to push his glasses up his nose with one finger. "We should be more worried about the health of the students," he chided.
A plump woman with short curly brown hair shook her head. "No. Ortish is right. We need to worry about the dragon." The other staff members chimed in with their own opinions.
The Headmaster cleared his throat, effectively obtaining their full attention. "The monster spotted was not a dragon but a wyvern and it had already been taken care of by the time we arrived," he swept a hand out to include Demian, Remi, and the unconscious Dane, "by these three brave and reckless students." Demian wasn't sure how the Headmaster had known that Lady Shana hadn't participated.
Gasps and startled cries resound through the gathered staff, and knights who hadn't accompanied the Headmaster. All eyes turned toward him and Remi.
Mr. Ortish broke free from the crowd and took Remi by the shoulders, spinning him around. "You're not hurt are you?"
A chuckle escaped from the poor beta who was still being checked for injuries by Mr. Ortish. "No, I am not. A mage even checked me out."
A hot flash of rage filled Demian at seeing Remi handled in that manner but luckily he was able to clamp down on the rising urges within him before he did something stupid, like attack a teacher.
Mr. Ortish's shoulders relaxed and he visibly released his breath in a long exhale. "Good. That's good."
The green-haired teacher looked between Remi and Mr. Ortish with suspicion. "You seem quite close with Young Master Sato," came his austere comment. A lot of teachers nodded along, agreeing with the statement to some extent.
Demian also felt a little weird about their interaction. A teacher should hold worry for their pupil but not to the point where they feel comfortable to be handy with them. He was jealous of how natural Mr. Ortish was making it look when he touched Remi so casually.
Mr. Ortish rubbed the back of his head. "I did a job for his parents before, so I met him when he was a little tyke."
Demian became jealous once again but for a whole other reason. He wanted to see what Remi was like as a kid.
Before anyone could say anything else, the Headmaster cleared his throat once again. "We should let these four head back to rest. And we still need to address the rest of the students." He pointed his chin toward the rest of the first years who were looking in their direction with curious gazes.