Chapter 29: The Rank X
After her wounds were healed, she was escorted back to the balcony. Her head is pounding from people cheering her name. The professor stopped at the door, and the servant girl, Rene, opened it.
"Xiao!" Yin squeezed her cousin with a hug, and the young witch patted her back.
The twins gave their share of hugs by clamping on the two girls, so they effectively blocked the doorway. Alexander hovered above them, and he has a grin on his own.
"I need to breathe!" Xiao gasped, and the twins let go before Yin.
Then, a chuckle was heard behind her, so the young witch whipped her head around to see Raxith.
Raxithak. Chuckling.
Her beady black eyes blinked at him, and the other Devinskies were just as confused.
"You did it." The three words was barely a whisper, and Xiao's eyes became teary as she launched herself at her male cousin.
Until Yin and the twins, Raxithak's hug was gentle and secure instead of squeezing. After they let go, the twins and Yin moved to give Raxith his own experience of suffocation.
"You beat his ass." Alexander stood next to Xiao, his green eyes squinted in amusement from his grin.
"Yes." She wiped the tears off her face, but that only made her tear up more when she remembered the state of her sword.
The young witch unsheathed her sword, which caught the attention of everyone on the balcony. She placed the blade on her hand like a person would hold an unsheathed sword.
Beady black eyes were wet when she presented the sword to her cousins. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep it clean! I'll fix the dents so you don't have to go back to the blacksmith."
"Holy..." Jacob's finger traced the blade of the short sword, and his twin brother even put his nails in between the tiny dents caused by Harvey's sword.
"Raxith," Jin Qiu called out to his cousin. "This is as bad as yours last season."
Without giving a verbal reply, Raxithak simply unsheathed his own sword and presented it the same way Xiao did. His blade was just as traumatized as Xiao's, probably even more.
"I'll take yours to the blacksmith, too." Raxith's lips lifted up into a smile, and everyone chooed.
"He's not even sad that he fell to third place." Jacob commented with a chuckle. "He's just happy that Harvey was defeated."
Xiao caught Gillian looking at them from his seat, but as soon as she turned to see him, the second-year quickly averted his blue eyes.
"Children, get back to your seats." The professor who escorted Xiao cut into their conversation. "The Abbot is about to make an announcement."
The victors scrambled to their respective seats, but the seat next to the young witch was empty. Harvey Cassius didn't return...
The display board was updated:
_______
Top Ten Overall Rank:
Name, Year-Section, Weapon
1. Xiao Lan Devinsky, 2-1, Sword
2. Harvey Cassius, 5-1, Sword
3. Raxithak Silvester, 3-1, Sword
4. Rosemary Ophell, 4-2, Sword
5. Alexander Mistichestor, 3-1, Sword
6. Jin Qiu Devinsky, 5-5, Sword
7. Jacob Devinsky, 5-3, Sword
8. Yin Hong Devinsky, 3-5, Sword
9. Gillian Cassius, 2-3, Sword
10. Blake Quinton, 2-6, Sword
_______
"Before I begin the closing speech..." Abbot Everson's voice rang throughout the colosseum. "I would like to address an issue brought up by the Cassius. Harvey Cassius accused Xiao Lan Devinsky of cheating, thus she is undeserving of first place on account that she cheated in any form."
What?
The young witch almost shot up from her seat to protest, but thousands of eyes from all across the colosseum were holding her down.
"Oh, man..." Jin Qiu chuckled from his seat next to her, but his reaction didn't display any amusement, merely statement. "He really went after you."
"Under my watchful eyes," The Abbot turned around to address the Royal Court behind him. "Xiao Lan Devinsky did not cheat. All of the rules were followed accordingly. She did, however, found a hole inside of your mana restriction spell and took full advantage of it, Harvey Cassius. You should expect your opponents to learn and adapt if you use the same spell more than once."
Oh, so that's where he went...
The bastard went all the way to the Abbot just to accuse her of cheating. Now that he's cleaned of blood, she no longer felt anything but malice towards him again.
Anyways, the Abbot made Xiao's victory sounded like she knew what she's doing the entire time instead of working out of desperation and anxiety.
"She implanted needles inside of me!" The blond boy said, his face was neutral, but his voice betrayed his anger. "Only one weapon per person, no more. So, she broke the rule of having more than one type of weapon!"
"Xiao Lan Devinsky came inside the arena with only one weapon, her sword." The Abbot replied back as if he's dealt with this situation too many times. "The needles were created inside the arena, thus the rule of bringing only one type of weapon into the arena was not broken."
"But..." Harvey's voice was dropped into a snarl.
"Do you doubt my ability to overlook the match, Harvey Cassius?" Abbot Everson averted his eyes towards the blond's family. "Again, there was a flaw in your spell that you were careless enough to not considered. Xiao Lan Devinsky happened to find it, and she took full advantage. The needles were just one way of her countering your superior swordsmanship."
The Abbot turned away from the teen. "If you wish to know what that flaw is, you should ask her yourself. I am sure Xiao Lan Devinsky is willing to explain."
Even though the Abbot is about a hundred feet away, Xiao could still feel the pressure on her shoulders. Willing to explain or not, the Abbot's words forced her to explain whenever the blond boy decides to hunt her down and ask her. She internally groaned as the Abbot began the closing speech.
After the ceremony was done, Xiao was ready to crash in bed.
Her family has other ideas.