It was a long and painful opening speech for Raza. After the opening speech, the entire class was split into two groups. One group will go and take the entrance exam while the other group will take the physical exam. Raza, Leora, and Drifa were all in the same group. Their group went to the training grounds on campus.
"Raza, you look tired," Leora looked concerned.
"I am. Orientation did not need to be that long," He sighed.
"The orientation at the public school we went to was just as long," Leora said.
"I didn't go to it. I figured it was a waste of time so I stayed home," Raza explained.
"Yeah, I figured as much," Leora sighed.
Drifa was jealous that Raza and Leora had grown up together. In her head, Leora and Raza were the best of friends. She wasn't aware that their parents were trying to get them to marry or the fact that Raza didn't like her at all. They couldn't make out much thought for Drifa either since she always had a stoic face.
Ahem!
Junko glared at Raza's group again. She was beginning to get angry that these three students kept talking during her explanations! She wanted to punish them, but there was nothing that she could do… yet. Junko thought that she could at least humiliate Raza in front of the entire class. This idea brought a smile on her face.
"As I was saying. This is the academy's top student, and he's my brother. Let me introduce you all to Alphonse Karam!" Her face beamed with pride.
"Hello, students!" Alphonse smiled.
Most of the girls in this class squealed when they saw Alphonse smile. He was a tall student with blonde hair and a body to match his looks. The boys were all jealous of him. Even Leora was drawn to him before she shook the idea out of her head.
'No! My heart belongs to Raza!' She said to herself.
Raza on the other hand did not like him at all. He felt familiar in a mysterious way, but Raza knew one thing for sure. He wanted to kill this man.
"I'll be helping Big Sis with the physical exam today! You guys can call me Al!" He continued to woo the ladies.
Even the guys couldn't stay mad for long. This guy was just too charming. Raza was the first one to step up.
"We just have to beat this guy into a pulp, right? Simple enough," Raza yawned as he walked onto the training field.
"Don't get full of yourself… Raza, was it?" Junko smiled. "There is a reason why he is the top student."
"Don't worry Big Sis! Some people learn better with actions instead of words, so I'll take care of it," Alphonse said.
"Very well. Remember, no magic is allowed. Other than that, anything goes," Junko briefly explained the rules.
Raza reached into his inventory and pulled out the pair of gloves Alphen made for him. These were a revamped version of the ones he got as a kid, but they were just as durable. Raza put on the gloves as his expression turned stone cold. This wasn't a simple spar. All of Raza's old habits kicked in as he examined Alphonse more closely.
"It feels like I'm being stared at by a predator," Alphonse gave a weak smile.
He pulled out a claw knife and resumed stance. His nondominant hand was in his front while Alphonse's dominant hand was in the back, holding the knife. Raza understood that Alphonse was a killer.
"Al, why are you using a knife when you have your sword?" Junko was confused.
'I never seen him practice with a knife before, so why is he using it now?'
Alphonse's eyes widened as he realized this. It was as if he pulled out his knife instinctively, but he quickly played it off. He turned to his sister and smiled.
"I wanted to make things fair since it looked like this student didn't have a weapon," She smiled.
"You're so kind Al!"
"We love you~"
"Please, I want to go next!"
The female students were all crushing on Alphonse. To Raza, they were nothing more than a distraction, so he tuned them out. His eyes didn't dare leave Alphonse.
"You can use your sword," Raza said coldly. "It won't make much of a difference anyway."
"Ha ha! Really!? You're too kind, so I won't mind if I do," Alphonse drew his sword. "Can I have your name?"
"Raza Angovo, first son of Alphen Angovo," Raza answered proudly. "I highly suggest you remember that name
"I see. I will properly introduce myself then. I am Alphonse Karam, the third son to the throne. I look forward to our match."
"Good for you."
Raza's response angered all of the students. Even his friends thought his response was uncalled for. Alphonse was the only one who wasn't bothered by it, but instead, he seemed to be… enjoying it?
"Big Sis, if you will," Alphonse smiled.
"R-right," Junko cleared her throat. "On my mark… GO!"
Raza immediately dashed forward and aimed for Alphonse's jaw. Barely reacting in time, Alphonse ducked underneath Raza's fist and swung upwards. Raza was able to easily side and raise his fists.
He rotated his left shoulder, signaling that he was about to throw a left hook, so Alphonse moved to the right. However, instead of a left swing, Alphonse quickly realized that he should've braced for impact coming from the right.
Whoosh!
Alphonse quickly redirected the fist using the flat end of his sword as he reached for his knife again. Suddenly, everything about the prince changed. His fighting style, his mannerisms, and above all the look in his eyes. The glow that was there before was completely gone as if it was never there. Or perhaps it was better to say that the glow was only a mask. Raza was met with a stone-cold killer. And this was something that he was comfortable with.
"I'm done holding back," Raza said as he shifted his weight.
Before he was using his father's technique, but that was only to test the waters. Raza took years to find the perfect balance between Alden's martial arts and the killing techniques that he learned in his past life. This resulted in a completely new form of martial arts.
Now, both students were fighting hand to hand, but it seemed like they were an even match. The keyword "seemed". Raza was waiting for an opening.
Alphonse's breath was getting heavier, and his movement began to slow down. At that very moment, Raza dipped very low to the ground, his back almost parallel to the ground. His fist was coming at an unprecedented speed toward Alphonse's face, and Alphonse's eyes widened in fear.
Raza was throwing a smash punch!
"Stop!" Junko yelled.
Raza's fist stopped right before it made contact with the side of Alphonse's face. Raza took a deep breath before standing straight up and taking his gloves off. He was not interested in the fight at all, instead, he was already reviewing the fight in his mind.
'I was almost consumed by bloodlust. Mother and Father would not approve of me killing a student,' He criticized himself.
Alphonse, on the other hand, gulped. He took a deep breath and gave his sister a thumbs up.
"Nice save Big Sis!" He smiled as his playful mannerisms returned.
Junko ignored him and turned to Raza. Everyone was shocked by how this match played out. No one, not even Leora and Drifa, was expecting Raza to win.
"And where do you think you are going Raza? I haven't even announced whether you passed or not," She frowned.
"It was clear to everyone that I won that match. If you declare me the loser, you would be acting solely out of emotion and risk losing you position. Princess or not, I doubt that even you could banish a talented student without consequences," Raza glared at her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have an entrance exam to take."
Junko wanted to retaliate, but she knew that he was right. The headmaster hated the boy's attitude, but something deep inside her was bugging her. Something that she wanted to discover the truth behind. Why did her brother not only change fighting styles, but looked more comfortable with the knife instead of the sword? And why was Raza holding back during the match?
These questions ran through her head as she walked to Alphonse to check on him.
Meanwhile, Drifa walked up to Raza. She spoke in a low voice so that no one else could hear her.
"Why didn't you used that weird weapon you used to save me earlier?" She asked.
"If I did, Alphonse would not have lived," Raza stated it as a fact. "I don't want to go to jail for murder."
"Then why did you use it earlier?" Drifa's eyes widened.
"Father always told me that I should help people that are in need. Otherwise, I wouldn't have bothered to look in your direction," Raza sighed.
Drifa didn't hear the last part. She was focused on the first part. In her mind, she thought that she was special to Raza since he risked his well being for her. A very small smile spread on her face.
'That proves it. I'm even closer to Raza as a friend than Leora! The two of us are best friends!' She thought to herself.
Raza didn't care about what she was thinking about. He left the training grounds to look for the building that was giving the entrance exam.