Chapter 3

When he was thinking about the places he was going to take Elle and in which order, part of Ray had hoped that he could be as inconspicuous as possible. Elle's presence at the Academy was after all supposed to be a secret. But he quickly dismissed such notion. His own presence in the first place was something that caught attention wherever he goes even if he isn't exactly novel to the inhabitants of the Academy.

Then there was Elle. However you look at it, and even if you try to deny it, she was one of those rare beauties that just makes eyes turn. She wore a long and loose white kimono with purple flower patterns. It is a common dress in Atlantis and Elle could not be said to be overdressing to catch attention. She also hardly wore any makeup. Even so, she was an eye magnet.  With the two of them walking together like a couple, it was the perfect recipe to light the Academy up with rumours.

By the time they reached the cafeteria which was actually just next to the dormitories, word had already spread that the legendary Hero Ray has a breathtakingly beautiful girlfriend.

The cafeteria complex is quite sizeable. Half of it was within the boundaries of Central Garden within which the dormitories were also built. The other half of the cafeteria was built on the banks of East Lake which was overlooked by the administration building and the academic buildings which make up the bulk of the Academy's build up. This part of the Academy looked like a whole city in itself with multilevel walkways and driveways and intertwining, blue coloured electromagnetic Tubeways. Tubes are one of the commonest public transport in Atlantis being tubular vehicles (hence the name) that travel within the Tubeways and can fit ten people at a time.

Ray and Elle sat at one of the tables that overlooked this awe inspiring view. Although they were only having a simple breakfast at a school cafeteria, the Legendary Hero and the Princess showed well refined table manners. Even their sitting postures appeared somewhat stiff and calculated.

In a sense, this was not surprising. Their somewhat stiff mannerism was not caused by the reason of their meal being a formal event. Even if Elle is indeed a Princess of a foreign nation and Ray is the Legendary Hero who not infrequently is tasked with escorting foreign dignitaries as an envoy of the Academies or of Atlantis, this 'escort mission' that the headmaster tasked him with is undoubtedly an informal affair. In the first place, Elle's presence in the Academy is a secret so she is not considered as being a formal representative of her nation, at least not in the eyes of normal protocols. It could also be said that treating her as a foreign dignitary could endanger her.  

Indeed the reason that the two of them were acting all proper was because of their consciousness of the other party. Although they are conscious of the other it was only of the others presence and possible scrutiny. Neither of them were aware that the other was also in a similar predicament because both were too preoccupied by their own self-consciousness.

"Is the food ok?" Ray was the one to break the silence. He tried – and succeeded quite nicely – to ask the ice breaking first question in a casual manner. He looked at Elle in a non-intrusive way as he asked the question as a matter of manner, and put on a convincingly calm, undisturbed face.

In short, Ray tried to act as if he was not self-conscious and had a complete hold of himself and the situation. He was quite successful. Anyone looking at the pair would see a beautiful, timid, and refined lady who was appropriately shy on her first date, and the other party was a strong, confident gentleman who was leading the lady in a most refined and calm manner, and was not disturbed by the lady's obvious, breath-taking beauty.

In truth however, Ray was anything but calm. However being him, he managed to put on an appearance that was the opposite of how he was feeling. This is one of Ray's special social skills that he has unknowingly developed and has frequently found useful.

The same could be said of Elle who suddenly found her throat dry and almost coughed into her food when she tried to answer but managed to stifle it and cover her anxiousness by taking a sip of her orange juice. This level of skill is to be expected of a princess.

"It is good thank you" she replied with a slight bow but did not raise her eyes to meet Rays. This mannerism which may be considered as leaning too much on the shy side is nevertheless accepted in the more conservative nations of Avalon of which both Atlantis and Lyonesse were among them.

In fact, Princess Elle's mannerisms and bearings were the epitome of a 'Yamato Nadeshiko', the personification of the perfect lady. This was the way in which she was raised and is the rightful description her.

Thus, just as Ray was successful in hiding his anxiousness, Elle was also successful in not showing any unladylike behaviour. This was the result of their education and upbringing, one as a Hero and the other as a princess.

There was only one aspect of their social manners that both of them failed miserably though and that is their internal composure, though as this is not evident in their outward behaviour, one may consider that they did not actually fail here.

However due to their rather turbulent inner composure, neither of them actually noticed that the other was also feeling just as awkward and the initial part of their supposed simple breakfast was carried out with a bit more stiffness than was actually necessary. Nevertheless after a time, Ray noticed that he was supposed to be a gentleman and managed to calm himself enough from the trepidation that Elle's beauty caused to be able to attempt to break the awkwardness.

"How is your negotiation with Headmaster Edward?" Ray tested the waters with a not-so-direct and open ended question. He wasn't sure if Elle wanted to talk about the Demon invasion of her country but at the same time he thought that there was the possibility that she might want to discuss the issue. Another reason was that he himself wanted to know. The information that a whole nation of Avalon was conquered by and is suffering under the rule of Demons is a big surprise to him and is of great concern. It should be something that causes the Academies and all the nations of Avalon to shake but so far, after almost a week since he saved Elle and her Golden Wings Knights from the Labyrinth of Daedalus, Ray has heard anything. He had even thought that the Trials of Valour would be changed to freeing Lyonesse and should the Academy decide to take this course of action, he does not feel that it would be considered overdoing things.  

It transpired that Ray had asked the right question.

"The headmaster is very supportive. He allowed my friends - my knights - to learn your Academy's secret Aura Techniques for fighting the Demons. He is also providing us with weapons that could help us in the war"

Though she was talking about all the help that she was getting, Elle's expression was downcast and her tone did not have the excitement that one would expect and Ray was not surprised at all.

"But that would hardly help your people will it" Ray said. It was a fact, not a guess or a question. Ray knew that just teaching the Lyonesse knights some of their Aura Techniques would hardly be sufficient to fight off the Demons.

Elle shook her head sadly.

Matron Rina, the cafe owner who was also one of the Academy's nurses came to give them their appetizer at this point.

"Ah... so... cute little Ray has finally found his match, has he?" Matron Rina said with a twinkle in her eyes as she gave each of them a slice of her special carrot cake.

Matron Rina was sixty-three years old and despite her age was one of the elder Masters of the Academy.

"But why the forlorn look child?" She said sweetly to Elle. "I hope that Ray hasn't been treating you poorly" and she gave Ray a severe look.

Ray sighed to calm his nerves before answering. "She is the headmaster's guest matron"

Matron Rina made a surprised look. "Oh..."

But added before leaving: "Still... you two look really good together" And she went off laughing softly.

"I'm sorry. Matron Rina is always like that" Ray said, barely managing to keep his face straight.

A length of silence fell on the two of them after this.

"Could you help us? You are the Legendary Hero of the War of Escanor. If you came, you could help us. You can free us from the Demons" Elle blurted out. It appeared like this was something that she had wanted to say so much.

In truth, there was nothing more that Ray wanted to do. He knew of course that it was unlikely that he alone would be able to drive a whole Demon army away. And from what little he and the headmaster could glean from Elle and her knights' information, the Demons that have occupied Lyonesse were one of the Nine Clans Demons. This meant that they potentially have an almost endless army. Ray was not too humble to the point of silliness that he wouldn't acknowledge his own abilities and admit that even he alone could affect a war with the Nine Clans Demons. However, he could not actually win a war against them. As powerful as was, he was just a single person. There is only so much that a single person can achieve.   He would still need the help of the Academies and the Avalonian governments. Plus, Ray would prefer having the Academy's blessing before embarking on such an endeavour although he did not actually need it. Even if people say that he is naturally talented, he was still raised and trained by the Academy and has a strong attachment to it even if he doesn't agree with some of the things they do.

Ray conveyed this to Elle thus:

"I would be able to help you, but I won't be able to end the occupation for you" Ray said. "I am just a single person. No matter the amount of power that any one person possesses, no one can change the world alone. We would still need the backing of the Academy. And even the governments of Avalon. The whole world will have to come together in order for us to truly push the Demons back. This is one of the lessons that we gained from the War of Escanor and the previous wars with the Demons"

A surprised look crossed Elle's face. She sat down and apologised to Ray for her abruptness. "I apologise. I've made an improper request of you" Elle said, her head lowered.

However, Ray replied "It is I who should apologise to you. For all the power that I have and that the Academies possess, we are unable to ease your peoples suffering. No… even worse, we did not even know of your predicament until you and your knights came. We have failed you"

The two of them fell silent, though this time not because of a consciousness of the other party. Next to the thought about an issue as important as fighting against the Demons, their shyness for a person of the opposite sex that each found interesting was temporarily diminished. Their silence was due to their deep pondering about the question at hand.

"We should finish dessert" Ray said, breaking the silence.

Elle scooped a spoonful of the carrot cake and her eyes widened in delight. "This is very good"

"Matron Rina's carrot cake is the best in Atlantis" Ray said with confidence.

After breakfast, Ray took Elle inside Central Garden. The mood became more joyful then. Elle it appeared loved flowers and plants. Of course, this can be said of many girls, but Elle really did love the garden and she was apparently quite knowledgeable in herbology, floriculture and botany.  

"Five Leaved Clover" Elle exclaimed, half running to a clearing. She knelt on the ground and scooped up a handful of the green leaves that covered the ground.

"They're exceedingly rare" Elle said in a hushed tone.

Ray simply smiled at the sight of her excitement. Seeing her look happy made his heart feel light. It also gave him the chance to look at her and not be accused of staring at a maiden. However, Ray was a gentleman at heart and thus did not misuse this opportunity.

"We have quite a few trees around the Academy" Ray said, thinking of the giant clover trees. He was never really aware of them because the Academy was surrounded by forests full of a wide variety of flora but now that Elle mentioned them, he began to recall a few titbits about the five leaved clover tree. Botany was a compulsory study area for Apprentices but it was not one that Ray particularly put much effort in.

"Truly the five leaved clover and not just the normal clover tree?" Elle asked, though no one could actually mistake between the two. The five leaved clover was not actually clover, but was named after the later because their leaf looked like the mythical five petal clover. The five leaved clover tree is actually a huge tree that feeds off of certain rare types of Aura, thus their rarity.

"You must have very skilled gardeners" Elle said. "And Silver Aura. Our Royal Palace once had three. They can't fend off Demons, but the five leaved clover, or the Nythrein as the Night Elves call them can weaken the effects of magic"

Elle scooped up two handfuls of the leaves and threw them into the air. "And every Blue Moon the leaves will shine silver and float in the air like little stars" Elle's eyes glistened as she reminisced her past. "We used to play under our tree when the leaves turned silver, my family and I. But the Demons had them all cut down" Elle ended her reminiscing in a sad tone.

Her sadness quickly turned to surprise and then delight when the five leaved clover leaves began to turn silver and float around her.

Ray was holding his right hand out and threads of Silver Aura were coming out from the tips of his fingers.

"You have Silver Aura" Elle mouthed.

"I'm not nearly as good as our gardeners but I can naturally use Silver Aura" Ray said. And then he added. "With a bit of practice, maybe I can help restore your precious trees"

Elle beamed at Rays words which was in essence a promise that he will help her fight the Demons. She twirled, causing the silver leaves to swirl around her.

It was the most beautiful sight that Ray has ever beheld.