The decorations were readied by the second week, and by the time the third week rolled in, the school was covered in bright colorful banners.

Excitement was palpable, but it wasn’t until the stalls were being setup during the following that it swept over the school like a storm. Most of the stalls were present last year, and there were many new ones as well.

Of course, Estella gushed about her favorite honey-custard pies even while she was preparing the lessons for next week.

There was another thing the students were looking forward to: The exhibition duels. Since it was only limited to fifty slots, a lot of the first years were disappointed when most were filled by the second and third years. Still, the exhibition had some of the teachers signing up, including Estella.

“It goes both ways, really,” Polima said during breakfast on those rare occasions when she would eat with Nox and Erian. “We’d learn from our teachers, and they could join the festival and have fun.”

“Technically, they aren’t prohibited from interacting,” Erian pointed out.

“No, they aren’t. But all they did last year was buy a few stuffs from the stalls and go on patrols.” She munched a bite of her pork liver pie, then added, “So, you two signed up already?”

“I did,” Nox said. He glanced at Erian, who simply nodded and focused his attention on his fried eggs. Nox had seen the participants, and Reina was one of them. Did he know?

Polima smirked. She turned to Ireela. “And you?”

Nox’s squire looked up from her food in surprise. “Oh, um, no, I didn’t.”

“I told her to sign up, but she’s too scared,” Nox said dryly.

“Master!” Ireela’s face reddened in embarrassment. “It’s not that I’m scared,” she mumbled. “I’m just not sure if my skills are enough. Most of the participants are third years.”

“It’s just for fun.”

“I know. But I don’t think I can have fun if I get defeated in seconds.”

The girl is right. What fun will you have if you can’t defeat your opponents?

Nox grunted. “So be it. But you’ll join the inter-school competition.”

Ireela smiled. “As you wish, Master.”

***

The day of the school festival dawned bright and clear, as if even nature was eager to celebrate.

All the preparations were completed the day before, and once breakfast was over, the bell tolled at eight in the morning and the Academy’s gates fully opened, welcoming visitors from nearby villages and towns.

Nox’s heart soared as he took Ireela on a tour of the stalls. Her eyes shone like a child’s entering a toy shop for the first time, darting at everything that caught her interest; the meat pies being served to a group of students, the stuffed animal toys hanging in racks and swaying from a gentle breeze, a boy selling colorful balloons shaped into birds and fishes.

“Is this your first time in a school festival?” he asked as they strolled between the pastry lane. She glanced at him for a moment and nodded.

“The village school doesn’t have a spacious courtyard as this,” she answered softly. “Oh, but I went to a lot of local festivals. They are lively too, in their own ways. How about you, Master?”

“I have.” He looked away, focusing his attention on a family striding past them, the children’s arms laden with toys from the Velan region. Laughter drifted from the little boy and girl, while their parents’ faces shone with pure happiness.

A pang of longing struck Nox’s heart. He shifted his gaze away, looking at a familiar stall. He smiled. “Let’s go. I want you to try something.”

He led the way to the woman serving a fresh batch of honey-custard pies. The sweet aroma wafted in the air, and he could already taste the rich filling in his mouth. “Pies for two, please. And a bag of six,” he told the server.

The woman smiled. “You got a new girl with you today,” she noted as she scooped pies into a box, lacing them with syrup. “You broke up with the princess?”

The question startled Nox. “No, of course not. You know Ella?”

“I was hired by the King and Queen last year. She often requested these most of the time.” The woman chuckled. “I was starting to think she wouldn’t eat anything else.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“She can be a glutton when it comes to your pies,” Nox said. “She always look forward to them.”

“I can tell. She orders by the dozen every year.” The woman handed him the pies, then scooped another batch. “So you’re still together?”

Nox accepted the two pies, giving the other to Ireela. “Yes. She’s actually a teacher in here now. Ireela is my Squire.”

Ireela was staring at her food intently, as if she was contemplating where to bite first. At the mention of her name, she looked up and smiled politely at the woman, then she watched Nox taking a bite out of his pie.

“Go on,” he said after swallowing the filling. It was just as sweet and savory as the first time he had tasted it. Before he knew it, he had already consumed half of it. “I won’t blame Ella for eating this all the time,” he told the woman.

She laughed, a sonorous voice that filled the air. “Why, thank you for that compliment. I don’t hear that from my customers often. And it seems your squire shares the same opinion as her master.”

Nox glanced at Ireela, whose fingers were dripping with cream and syrup, and who looked hopeful and still very much hungry. “Can I have more?” she asked.

With a sigh, Nox flashed a quick smile to the woman and said, “Another two, please.”

***

The exhibition duels began two hours before noon. Just like last year, the western training grounds was transformed into a small arena, packed with hundreds of spectators.

Nox hadn’t seen Estella for much of the morning, but her excitement flowed through the Resonance, magnified by his own. The last time they fought, she had purposely lose to give way for him.

Today, though, I won’t hold back, she told him before the matches began.

What’s our deal? he asked. It had become a tradition for them after their second duel, when they both realized that they were destined to be Knight and Squire. Which one of them wins deserved a reward of some kind.

Simple. If I win, you’ll do whatever I want for a day. If you win—

You’ll do whatever I want for one night.

Her desire nearly scorched his mind, and he almost ran to her at the image she sent him; of how she would do whatever he would ask. The past few weeks had been hectic for both of them, and their nights had been cold. So cold.

Later, Estella murmured in his mind before withdrawing. It was time for the first round of exhibition duels.

The initial matches involved the second years, which provided some entertainment for everyone. From his seat in the first tier of spectators, Nox watched with mild interest. Polima’s fiery glaive burned through her opponent’s defenses as usual, and Esmeir was barely scratched from his match against a Water user even if his element was countered.

It was over in under an hour. As the next batch of participants walked to their respective stages, Nox looked around. Ireela was nowhere in sight. He expected her to watch, but she was probably eating honey-custard pies in a hidden corner.

“Reina Stormcloud, Erian Dauros, please proceed to Stage D.”

The announcement brought his attention back to the duels. Nox saw Erian with an impassive face, gazing at Ireela. The girl stared back, her expression determined.

There were fourteen other pairs for this round, but most eyes were focused on the two Knight and Squire. This was not simply an exhibition duel; this was Reina’s way of proving her worth to her master.

Erian summoned his bow in a gust of wind, while Reina’s axe materialized by her side in a fiery pillar.

As soon as the overseer’s hand cut the air, signaling the start of the fight, Erian fired a blast of wind. Reina’s axe crackled with lightning in response, searing the air as she lunged, swinging it to parry the shot. She swung again, tendrils of lightning reaching out to Erian like grasping fingers.

Erian dashed to the left, pulling back invisible bowstrings. His wind arrow sped toward Reina’s exposed left flank, but the girl was already swinging again. She cut it, the arrow dissipating with a sharp his and the smell of ozone. Her right hand thrust forward, fingers splayed wide.

“Burst!”

Lightning blasted from her palm, striking the floor. Nox watched as Erian raised his free arm to shield his eyes, a mistake that cost him as Reina leapt, covering the distance in one mighty bound.

Not a mistake.

With a cry, Reina brought her flaming axe down. Erian deflected it with the wings of his bow, then pirouetted to the right. The axe bounced back, exposing Reina’s torso. A compressed ball of wind slammed to her, sending her flying nearly all the way to the edge.

The crowd cheered even though the battle wasn’t over yet. Nox shook his head. She was admirable, but Reina was still inexperienced to fight against a third year like Erian.

She landed on her back, then quickly rose using the haft of her axe, her expression so fearsome that Erian’s brows knitted and he gripped Aelos tighter.

The girl is tenacious.

And it is that tenacity that would win her the duel, Nox thought. Reina charged, her axe writhed in flames. It was a mad dash, a frontal assault filled with sheer determination. If Nox had been at the receiving end of it, he would have leapt to the side.

But Erian didn’t move. He raised Aelos, and thevstage was engulfed by wind, buffeting Reina. Her momentum stymied, she slammed her axe to the ground and cried, “Mjolnir!”

Her axe crackled. Nox raised his arm to shield his eyes as a bolt lanced toward Erian, bright as the sun. The air trembled, and his ear drums thrummed from an earth-shattering boom. The size of that bolt. Erian had a slim chance of blocking that.

Nox lowered his arms, he couldn’t see anything. The stage was blanketed by dust. Tendrils of lightning curved and weaved around the center, like writhing snakes.

The spectators murmured. Even the teachers watched in concern, Headmaster Garion gripping his staff. It couldn’t be a fatal blow; Reina didn’t seem the kind of girl who would disgrace herself and kill her own master.

“Nox!”

He twisted around, hearing his name in his mind seconds before he heard Estella. She was almost flying between the seats as she dashed toward him.

“Are you hurt?” she asked breathlessly upon reaching him. He could feel her concern and fear in waves through the Resonance.

He shook his head. “I’m alright.” She breathed a sigh of relief. They both turned to the stage. The dust was starting to clear. It was still hard to discern what was happening, but Nox thought he saw someone moving on the stage.

Then a passing breeze revealed everything, and silence descended upon the western training grounds.

A green bubble encased Erian, his bow raised in front of him like a shield. Soot masked his face, and he knelt on one knee, his other leg charred and ruined.

And on the opposite side of the stage, Reina lay on her back, motionless.Y