6 Chapter 3: Arias Ella Edinburgh (2)

The opening ceremony of the director has ended, leaving Regis a nostalgic feeling.

'That last line— I think I heard that before…'

Robert turns on his microphone.

"Thank you very much, Director. ...Now let's proceed with the greeting of the freshmen representative–"

"Look, she's coming out! The beautiful princess!"

'I see. She's the representative who does the greeting since she's also the top student.'

It's started to interest even me, so I look around in order to find her.

"The representative of the freshmen– Arias Ella Edinburgh."

"Yes."

She mounts the platform with more elegance than anyone else. She already has a great presence, being the sole princess of the royal family. The students get noisy just by her looking at her.

Arias let her glance wander about, standing at the platform. Her glance meets mine. And this wandering gaze stops on Regis for some reason.

Then she sends him a piercing look.

Regis got easily and completely paralyzed by this.

Arias begins her speech without releasing him from her gaze. Even the noisy students got silent upon hearing her imposing voice.

'Maybe she noticed me now?'

"Isn't she somehow constantly looking over here? Maybe she's looking at my handsome face?"

Erick cracks jokes, but Regis was so absorbed by Arias' gaze that he can't even respond.

Regis is only looking at Arias.

Arias is only looking at Regis.

"–I conclude the greeting of the freshmen. This was the representative of the freshmen, Arias Ella Edinburgh."

Arias alights the platform.

And right after doing so, the students became noisy again. No, not only the students, even the professors are in confusion.

But Regis, without a doubt, the only one who's knows the current situation.

Because Arias doesn't return to her original place, but heads towards him.

The students automatically make room in the direction of her movement, impressed by her authority.

Arias takes advantage of this and heads to Regis, straight ahead.

The path from her leading to him

'Aah, geez. Has she still not gotten over with that? It might be okay to have no reservation in your own castle, but it doesn't work like that here, does it?'

He already realized that his simple student life, which is already destroyed because of the issue from his school admission, is going to get destroyed– No, it will become more interesting.

"Haha–"

But he laughed, nevertheless.

'It's a real bother.'

'It's a real bother, but no... It just doesn't feel like one.'

At last, the students in front of Regis move aside. Erick moves away from him, too. They are surrounded by empty room almost like the eye of the cyclone.

In the midst of the gaping wide space, Arias is standing in front of him. He never doubted that she will do this.

'Thinking about it, there's no way she would let this slide.'

'After all, she said that she will tell me something when we meet again. I wonder what she's planning.'

Arias smiles.

She opens her mouth easily.

"Good day to you…"

After having said so, she introduced herself once again.

"I am Arias Ella Edinburgh. Pleased to meet you."

The princess bows very deeply to him. Therefore, Regis introduced himself in return.

"Seig Falna."

Then Erick starts to applaud without knowing the situation. Pulled in by him, someone else starts applauding. Although nobody knows what happens, the applause grows louder.

In the middle of this magnificent applause, Arias raises her face.

But she's not smiling anymore.

She's clenching her fist strongly and looking straight at him in an imposing manner.

"—In the name of the Royal Family of Edinburgh, I, Arias Ella Edinburgh hereby challenged you, Regis Falna, to a duel!"

"Duel?!"

Despite knowing that it will come into that, Regis can't help but be surprised.

When petitioning for a duel, the decision whether to accept or reject it must be requested.

"If you win, I'll tell you what I wanted to tell you ten years ago. But if I win, you'll do whatever I want you to do."

Saying so as if it was natural, Arias grinned and laughed.

"Since you have transferred here, no matter what, you do know at least of the duel, right?"

"Kukuhahahaha!"

Regis suddenly falls into a fit of laughter. His shoulder is shaking hard and tears unknowingly formed in the edge of his eyes.

He was peremptorily asked by Arias. The surrounding students looked at him weirdly. The princess asked him for a duel and here he was laughing like a fool.

Arias focused her stare at Regis as she waited for him to regain his composure from laughing.

"He~h... Although I'm already expecting something like this, it's still very amusing to experience it personally." Regis said as he finally calmed down. He put on a teasing smile and added:

"I wouldn't mind. Either way, the result will be favorable for me whether I win or lose."

Thinking it through completely, one might say that all the students who lived in this school were gathered here in order to fight.

The world's largest magic battle entertainment Magic Festival. Here was the stage, since the students of each Academy were all, player candidates.

But here was Arias, using the pretense of a duel to play this little game with him.

"Then, hurry up and formally accept it. The crowd is cheering for us."

As Regis looked around after being said so, the two of them had certainly the center of attention.

"Hey, hey, just accept the challenge!"

"The 'White Princess Knight ' wants a duel with him."

"So, who is the opponent and where does he come from?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen his face before..."

"Isn't he the rumored special admitted student?"

"Eh? Then, he really deserves to have this duel. Just treat this as his entrance exam"

"How long will he last? That 'Princess' isn't of nature to go easy at all on her opponents."

"Not more than three minutes."

"One minute."

While listening to the voices of such outfield, Regis frowned and was troubled.

'A minute? Even ten Arias wouldn't last a second if I really get serious.'

He disliked being in the center of attention, but there's nothing he can do with Arias being the mischievous princess herself.

"Why do you need to attract this much of attention...?"

"There are two reasons. The first one is to show them all that you're someone who deserves to be here at this academy."

'I see…' Regis mentally answered as he nodded his head.

"And the second?"

"The second reason is simple and clear; as much as I missed you, I'm still angry at you for not writing a letter to me for the whole eight years so this is your punishment!" Arias gritted her beautiful rows of teeth and looked at Regis in annoyance.

(—So that's the true reason…)

Regis looked at Arias meaningful eyes for a few seconds before saying getting down on one knee and say,

"I, Seig Falna, am honored to have a duel with you. "