Chapter 83: The Third Day of the Festival (XII).
"Alarie! Alarie! Alarie!" The cheers of the crowd was deafening, they all raised their hands in support of the young lady and her talent for magic dueling. Indeed, no wonder she's the current heir for the main branch of the family.
The villainess looks up in the crowd, still searching for a certain blonde haired girl who was nowhere to be seen.
"..."
But perhaps if things were in a much better state the villainess would be in a good mood.
"Now for our next challengers from the lower section! Please welcome our duelists from the lower section-! Mr. Fedrix Carter and Ms. Penelope Thatcher!" (Mr. Wazinki) welcomes the new duelists entering the stage, the two students from the lower section are going to be battling out and the winner would be the one fighting Lady Evelyn next round.
But without the person she likes she couldn't watch the match in peace.
"She's… still not here." (Lady Evelyn) scans the crowd, only to see her familiar- the small sparrow Losimer looking like he's about to cry. He waited and waited on that lonely bench, a few humans have even noticed a small bird taking watch of an empty seat.
"Oh- a bird! Shoo, excuse me we need to take a seat!" And when they tried shooting Losimer he tweets angrily that the other students decided to leave an angry bird alone.
"Tweet!" He was committed to protecting their seat, the blonde girl was going to get their popcorn he was sure of it- he… trusts Analissa after all. She wouldn't break a promise!
The villainess turns her hands into a fist, her concern further growing- does it take more than thirty minutes to buy caramel popcorn? Her first match has already finished, annihilating Lord Owen Makedon like he was nothing.
"..."
Waiting is dreadful.
Duke Vernon, her father won't approve of her feelings regarding Miss Blanchet.
Lady Evelyn couldn't think properly, 'To hell with my father. I'm quitting the magic duel.'
"I have to find her." The villainess darted a glance around the arena. Everyone's attention was fixed on the clash between the lower-section volunteers, their cheers and gasps echoing through the hall.
Seizing the distraction, she slipped from her seat and moved swiftly toward the exit, her steps as light as whispers. Just as her hand brushed the door, two imposing guards stepped forward, blocking her path with crossed spears and stony glares.
"What are you-?! I suggest you let me through." She froze, her eyes narrowing as she recognized the insignia on their armor. The crest of her own household gleamed beneath the torchlight. Knights of the Alarie military- her father's soldiers.
So, he had anticipated her move. They were sent to keep her in line.
They explained to Lady Evelyn that it won't be easy escaping her father's sight. "As per orders of Grand Duke Alarie, we have been tasked to monitor the young miss in making sure you're unharmed until the following matches conclude."
Lady Evelyn's eyes sharpened, her tone laced with indignation. "Unharmed? You can tell father that I can handle myself or does he not trust me? He has seen me handle myself."
The knights did not rise to her challenge. They merely delivered their message, like shadows bound to duty. "The bright golden crown is always tailing the crow. You can never predict his next move. If I were you, my lady… I would watch my back and follow orders."
Lady Evelyn's lips pressed into a thin line.
The bright golden crown. It could only mean one thing.
"Tch."
Lady Evelyn's gaze snapped toward the royal stands, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the crown prince lounging lazily in his seat. His expression was one of utter disinterest, as if the duel below were nothing more than a dull distraction.
The crown prince didn't think much of the commoner's skills and techniques. Their footwork, their strikes- clumsy, uninspired. It's all mediocre and thought watching ants move a pebble is more entertaining than whatever this is.
Lady Evelyn groaned softly, dragging her eyes away from him and back to where she stood.
"Father…" She muttered under her breath.
If her father's order was to keep her sidelined, then she would answer it in her own way. Her fists tightened. "If this is the cage you've built for me… then I'll shatter it. If he wants me to stay out, then fine. I'll just crush every opponent in my path and win this event outright. Then, and only then, he'll have no choice but to let me go."
'I must find Miss Analissa Blanchet. My heart cannot rest easily if she's not in that crowd.' It was unlike her to feel so restless. Patience was one of her sharper blades- tempered, honed, unshaken. Yet when it came to the heroine… all that control unraveled into something messy, desperate, and uncharacteristically human.
Perhaps with good reason.
The memory still haunted her: Analissa, drenched and shivering, trapped and humiliated within that locked bathroom. Lady Evelyn had been the one to find her that day, and the image had etched itself deep into her mind.
She clenched her jaw.
She could not bear to see her in that state ever again.
'I worry… that she's in danger.'
…
The duel between the two lower section students continued, the villainess had no choice but to watch- perhaps study their moves and think of a way to eliminate the winner in the fastest way so she can use it in her later matches.
"Prepare yourselves for a duel of the ages! In the west corner, commanding the endless tides- Mr. Fedrix Carter!" The crowd erupted as Fedrix stepped forward, his cloak shimmering like a river under the sun. Water gathered at his feet, rippling outward in concentric circles. He raised his wand, and the ground trembled as streams of liquid rose like serpents waiting for command.
"And in the east corner," (Mr. Wazinki) continued, "swift as the gale and sharp as the storm- Ms. Penelope Thatcher!"
Cheers thundered again as Penelope leapt gracefully onto the stage, her long coat fluttering with an unnatural wind. Her hair whipped around her face as she lifted both hands, summoning currents that coiled about her like invisible wings. The air crackled, fresh and biting, as if a storm itself had entered the arena.
"Water against wind, tide against storm!" (Mr. Wazinki) shouted, drawing his ceremonial flag high. "May the duel begin!"
"[Water Magic: Flood Wave]!" (Fedrix) struck first, raising his wand. A surge of water erupted from the arena floor, forming a massive wave that barreled toward his opponent. The crowd gasped at its sheer size, a wall of liquid power.
But Penelope did not falter.
She twirled her wand in a swift motion, and a cyclone burst to life around her.
"[Wind Magic: Cyclone]!" The wave collided with the spinning winds, exploding into a rain of glittering droplets that cascaded over the audience.
Children squealed with delight as the mist cooled their flushed faces.
"Whoo! Look mommy!"
"Oh dear, the matches are quite intense."
"An explosive start!" (Mr. Wazinki) cried, pacing along the edge of the stands like a conductor of chaos. "Carter commands the waves with force, but Thatcher dances with the winds- who will reign supreme?"
Fedrix pressed on.
He conjured twin spears of water, hurling them with a snap of his wrist. They darted like arrows, slicing through the mist toward Penelope. She spun on her heel, snapping her fingers, and the wind wrapped around her in a shield, diverting the watery projectiles into the sky.
"Hah! [Wind Magic: Tempest Barrier]! Is that the best you've got, Carter?" She called, her voice carrying over the gale.
Fedrix grinned, the water around him swelling into a ring of rippling spheres.
"You'll regret saying that." With a single gesture, the spheres launched like cannon fire, dozens of globes hurtling at her from every angle. "[Water Magic: Water Cannon]!"
The crowd gasped- surely too many to block.
"Hmph!" But Penelope leapt high, her body carried aloft by a burst of wind.
"[Wind Magic: Tempest Waltz]!" She spun mid-air, her hands sweeping wide, and the spheres shattered into harmless mist before they could strike. Landing lightly on her feet, she thrust out her palm.
The arena groaned as a powerful gust tore across it, sharp enough to cut grooves into the stone. Fedrix staggered under its pressure, water shields rising just in time to keep him from being thrown against the wall.
"And there it is!" (Mr. Wazinki) roared, his voice almost drowned by the storm. "Thatcher's winds are merciless! Carter holds steady, but how long before the tide is swept away?"
Fedrix's eyes gleamed. "Not long enough."
He thrust both arms downward, and the ground beneath Penelope cracked. From the fissures burst towering pillars of water, surrounding her in a prison of liquid walls.
"[Water Magic: Tidal Cage]!" They surged inward, ready to collapse and crush her with their weight.
The crowd gasped in unison- this could be the end.
But Penelope closed her eyes, calm amidst the chaos. She whispered something under her breath, and the air around her bent unnaturally. Then-
Boom!
The water exploded outward as a tornado ripped skyward from the center of the ring.
"[Wind Magic: Tempest Tornado]!" The vortex roared, flinging droplets like shards of glass. Fedrix was forced back, shielding his face from the gale. The two opponents stood across from each other once more, chests heaving, magic thrumming in the air between them.
The clash of water and wind shook the arena, a storm of mist and spray hanging in the air. Fedrix stood tall, and gripped tightly in his hand, though sweat trickled down his brow. Every surge of water he summoned drained more of his strength.
Penelope danced lightly on her toes, her wand gleaming as currents swirled about her. Though her breathing quickened, her eyes burned with resolve.
Mr. Wazinki's voice carried above the roar. "Carter's tides rise higher and higher, but Thatcher's gale refuses to bow! Whose magic will falter first- wave or storm?!"
Fedrix raised his wand, tracing a sigil in the air. A torrent erupted, shaping into a lion's maw of water that lunged at Penelope with a deafening roar.
"[Water Magic: Water Lion]!" The audience gasped. But Penelope spun mid-air, wand flashing.
"[Wind Magic: Spin Veil!]" A cyclone burst outward from her, shredding the watery lion into harmless mist. She landed gracefully, pressing her palm against the arena floor before snapping her wand up.
"[Wind Magic: Tempest Barrier!]" A dome of twisting air shimmered around her just as Fedrix unleashed another volley. His water spears slammed into the barrier- but broke apart, scattering into puddles.
Fedrix staggered, vision dimming.
His hand trembled on his wand. The mana in his core felt dangerously thin.
Penelope tilted her head, smirking. She knew that conjuring water into a shape takes a lot on a person, she twirls around giving a cocky smile. "You're running dry, Fedrix. You know it would be way better if you surrender than fight with no rhythm in your body."
Fredrix rolled his eyes at her words.
"I can still- fight!" He shouted, forcing one last wave to rise with a desperate slash of his wand. But the water faltered, collapsing into a weak splash. The crowd gasped- and then roared.
Penelope seized the moment.
She spun once more, and gently took the wand off his hands before doing one final move.
"[Wind Magic: Tempest Waltz]!" A cyclone burst forth, ripping across the arena. Fedrix was swept off his feet, he crashed to the ground. He groaned, struggling to rise, but his mana was gone- spent completely.
Penelope chuckles, giving back the wand. "Erm I know wands are expensive so I didn't break them, here you can have it back."
"Ugh… I give up." (Fedrix) gave up and sighed, seeing that this girl completely won and she still had a few mana to spare- he raised his hand to surrender.
Mr. Wazinki raised both arms to the sky seeing the young man surrendering. The match went on for about half an hour and it was a good match! "Mr. Fedrix Carter can no longer continue! Victory goes to Ms. Penelope Thatcher from the lower section!"
The stadium erupted in thunderous applause.
"Go Penelope!"
"You were amazing!"
"I love you, Penelope!"
Penelope stood tall, wand lowered at her side, wind curling around her like a crown. She exhaled slowly, and waved to her fans and even used magic to show off.
"Thank you, thank you! Oh- yes, I love you too!" She was using her magic to blow a gust of wind toward the audience using a bit of mana. "Hahaha!"
Fedrix pushed himself upright, watching her silhouette framed by the cheers. For all his effort, the tide had been swept away by the storm. He took his wand back and congratulated his opponent with grace.
Meanwhile…
"..."
Lady Evelyn's eyes followed Penelope as she raised her wand in victory, the crowd chanting her name. She said nothing, only resting her chin against her hand as though deep in thought.
She watched Penelope celebrating, already planning on her downfall.
Penelope Thatcher is her next opponent.
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