Rebellion (I)

"Are you lame? Why are you carrying a crutch?" Wesley asked with a mischievous grin.

"It's a Magic Staff. It's really powerful," Donald replied.

"Yeah, right." Wesley snatched it from him and examined it. "Well, it's pretty fancy. What's it made of?"

"It's expensive. The price would make your jaw drop." Donald snatched the Magic Staff back from Wesley.

"Hmph. All looks, no substance. It doesn't even have a Magic Array engraved on it. Tell me, you're not planning to use that stick to take on a Squire, are you? I've always suspected you've got a Dwarf's heart—you like fighting hand to hand." Wesley clearly didn't approve of Donald's fighting style. Or maybe he was just being stubborn.

Donald smiled and said nothing more.

On the second day of the tournament, the sixty-four remaining contestants drew lots to determine their matchups, just as before. This time, Donald was drawn for the sixth match. His opponent was another familiar face: Roger, eldest son of the Celtic Duke.

Before the matches began, Marquis of Eli, the city lord, arrived at the Magic Academy's seating area with Derrick.

"Captain Kaz, I never expected you to come watch our city's Martial Magic Tournament. I'm truly honored," Marquis of Eli said, smiling with such sincerity that he seemed a different person from the cold, sinister man he usually was.

"Marquis of Eli, I came to visit an old friend." As he spoke, Captain Kaz affectionately draped an arm around Dean Devis's shoulders. Judging by Devis's natural expression, the two were indeed old acquaintances.

"Oh, look at you sitting here. It was a serious failure on my part to leave you without a proper seat. I insist that you—and Dean Devis, too—join me in my private box. You must say yes, or I'll be anxious all day."

"You're too kind. Devis and I haven't seen each other in ages. We finally have a chance to catch up, so I'd rather not intrude."

"Haha, you can catch up anywhere. I'll give you my private box."

Marquis of Eli persisted, then gave his son Derrick a meaningful glance. Derrick immediately stepped forward and gently took Captain Kaz by the arm. Kaz frowned slightly. The young man was being a little too friendly.

"Come along, Dean Devis. If you don't go, Captain Kaz will be too embarrassed to leave without you."

Marquis of Eli also stepped forward, reaching as if to take Devis by the arm.

The moment his hand was halfway there, Dean Devis sensed danger. He was just about to cry out a warning, but it was already too late.

A powerful gale erupted from the spot where Eli's hand had reached. It swept up Lucia, who sat between Devis and Kaz, and carried her straight into the air.

Captain Kaz roared, "You dare!" and reached for Lucia, but Derrick clamped both arms around him, preventing him from breaking free. No one knew that Derrick had just advanced to Level 4 Knight. He might not have been a match for Kaz, who had reached that level long ago, but holding him back for a while was no trouble.

Dean Devis was mere inches from Marquis of Eli. In desperation, he cast a Level 2 Stone Spike Spell straight at Eli's chest. A gale suddenly sprang up around Eli, encircling him completely. The moment the sturdy, arm-thick stone spike approached, the gale tore it to pieces.

Earth Spike, Earth Spirit Entangle, Petrification Technique... In the blink of an eye, Devis had cast four or five attack spells, but Eli's Level 3 Defensive Magic, Gale Vortex, countered every one.

By the time the other Magic Academy professors reacted, the Level 3 Wind Blade Eli had cast had already pierced Devis's Earth Shield and struck him in the chest.

"Protect Lucia! He's a Level 3 Magician!" Devis had collapsed among the crowd, badly wounded, but he still summoned all his strength to warn them.

The Magic Academy professors immediately scattered, while the students fell into chaos.

A dozen or more different attack spells rained down on Eli, but every one was blocked by his Level 3 Defensive Magic, Gale Vortex. Standing at the center of the vortex, Marquis of Eli remained composed, still able to control the Hurricane Bind in the air and keep Lucia tightly wrapped in its coils.

"The city lord has rebelled," Donald whispered to Wesley. It seemed the army under the city lord's control must have been the one that had disguised itself as bandits and kidnapped him and Lucia.

"No way. Has he gone mad?" Wesley had always been cold toward his father, but seeing him badly wounded, he still looked anxious.

The ordinary spectators and students didn't know Captain Kaz. In their eyes, both the Magic Academy and Marquis of Eli were supposed to be on the side of justice. No one knew why the two sides were fighting.

Even most of the Magic Academy professors had no idea why Marquis of Eli had suddenly attacked. But their respect for Dean Devis and sense of belonging to the Magic Academy made them oppose Eli without a second thought. And the fact that he had concealed his true strength all this time gave them a hint of conspiracy.

In an instant, fury and gales surged together, sand and stones flew alongside leaves and vines, and everything was swept into the roaring wind, torn to shreds and scattered. A Level 3 Magician fighting more than a dozen Level 1 and Level 2 Magicians—the scene was practically the stuff of legends.

The battle between the two Level 4 Knights on the other side was just as spectacular.

Kaz had broken free of Derrick's hold, but Derrick still stood between him and Marquis of Eli. They fought barehanded, yet every blow landed with a thunderous crash, making the air tremble. The seats near them were smashed to pieces, and students who were too slow to dodge had already been injured by the shockwaves.

Derrick was visibly losing ground, but Kaz still couldn't break through his defenses. Seeing Lucia in the air, he grew frantic and leaped up, trying to grab her.

Derrick leaped up at nearly the same moment, seized Kaz by the ankle in midair, and yanked him back down. As Kaz fell, he twisted and kicked hard. Derrick ducked beneath the blow, but Kaz still caught him in the back. Derrick spat out a mouthful of blood, clearly injured, yet his hands continued to clutch Kaz's leg like a madman.

Unable to break free, Kaz shouted toward the Knight Academy instructors, who still stood frozen in the distance, "I'm Kaz of the Crimson Knights! Protect Princess Lucia!"

The instructors remained skeptical. Not one of them recognized Captain Kaz. Just then, Roger leaped out from among the Knight Academy students and pointed at the girl wrapped in the gale overhead, shouting, "Lucia is a princess! Lucia is a princess!"

By the time the instructors realized what was happening and tried to help, all the Magic Academy professors had already fallen. Aside from those hit by Marquis of Eli's Wind Blades, several had been ambushed from behind by Judy, including Victor.

After successfully ambushing them, Judy joined the fight between Derrick and Kaz. The Level 1 Flying Leaves that came whistling in and the vines that suddenly sprang from the air caused Kaz no small amount of trouble. At last, Derrick got a chance to catch his breath.

"Stop! Anyone who moves, and I'll kill your princess!"

Eli had dispelled the Gale Vortex around himself and lowered Lucia from the air. He hadn't released the Hurricane Bind. Instead, he pointed at the unconscious Lucia and threatened them.

No one dared move—not even Captain Kaz. Being targeted at close range by a Level 3 Magician was more effective than having a blade held to one's throat.

"Eli, you're rebelling?" Kaz shouted furiously.

"Rebelling? Hahahaha..." Eli burst into loud laughter. "Who's rebelling? My Tris Family were the rulers of this land six hundred years ago!"

"Tris Family?" Judging by the crowd's reaction, no one seemed to have heard of them.

"Haha, the Fermont Family didn't just usurp our land. They erased every trace our family left behind. There was a Tris Dukedom six hundred years ago—how could there not have been a Tris Family? But who remembers us now? Who's really the rebel?" Eli shouted, his hair and beard bristling as he raved like a madman.

Kaz stared at him coldly without a word.

"The Cyril Family is the Tris Family! For six hundred years, we've lived in hiding, keeping our identities secret, all for this day! Today, we'll take back what belongs to us! The Thorn Empire's army is crossing the border as we speak, and the Fermont Kingdom will soon be finished! The flames of war will engulf every inch of this country... except this place."

Marquis of Eli turned toward the ordinary spectators in the stands and shouted, "You're all lucky, because the Thorn Empire has already agreed to keep this war from reaching the Tris Dukedom!"

"What a pitiful madman," Kaz finally said slowly. "You'd have to be a fool to believe a wolf's promise."

"Shut up! My men have taken control of the entire province's army. The Tris Dukedom has always been the toughest opponent to deal with. The people of the Thorn Empire will know whether they want an enemy or an ally. Besides, now I have an important gift in my hands, making the choice even easier." Eli glanced at Lucia, then turned to Derrick and Judy. "Take them all into custody."

Too much had happened that morning. After six hundred years in hiding, the Tris Family—the former rulers of the Tris Dukedom—had finally rebelled. The Thorn Empire was invading in force, and war had returned to the Hells Continent after eighteen years of peace. Any one of these events was hard to believe.

And yet there was no denying that Princess Lucia had fallen into Eli's hands. Given the strength he had shown, no one was confident they could escape his magic, let alone rescue the princess right under his nose.

The ordinary spectators seated high above had panicked earlier. When the magical battle below reached its fiercest, the crowd had stampeded in terror, likely causing many casualties. Only now were they gradually calming down as officials under the city lord began evacuating them in an orderly fashion.

Derrick bound Kaz tightly with the Fine Steel chains he had prepared beforehand and handed him over to his subordinates to guard.

Judy bent down and searched the Magic Academy professors who lay on the ground, barely clinging to life, one by one, making sure they had no Potions or scrolls hidden on them.

The Knight Academy instructors were rounded up and made to wait for their fate to be decided.

The students from both academies gathered around their own professors or instructors. No one dared make a rash move.

Donald carefully helped Professor Victor sit up. While no one was watching, he secretly gave him a little less than half a bottle of Orange Healing Potion. Adarua had given it to him before he left that morning. When he was done, he quietly passed the bottle to Wesley beside him and glanced toward Dean Devis.

Wesley naturally followed the flow of people, slowly making his way toward his father.

Afraid someone might notice something was wrong, Donald lowered his head and stopped watching Wesley.

About half an hour later, all the unrelated spectators had been evacuated. Everyone from the Magic Academy and the Knight Academy was herded to one side of the venue. Students helped or carried the injured who couldn't walk.

"Those willing to swear loyalty to the Tris Family, step forward. Everyone else will be executed in an hour!" Eli announced loudly.

The crowd stirred.

Soon, one student stepped forward, then more and more, until they formed a line...

A gentle breeze drifted through the somewhat empty arena. The sky was blue, the clouds white, and the spring sunshine bright.