Chapter 118 - A Saint's Anger

"This... This..." Some of Solda's cronies muttered in utter disbelief as they watched their leader with his feet on the ground, completely out of the arena, marking him as the loser of the test. This meant that Solda was no longer a student of the Inner Class but of the Outer Class from here on out.

"How did this happen? It's impossible. What the hell is this farce?" said some of the other students from the Inner Class from all groups and years present at the amphitheatre. There were even some that ventured to believe that it had been a staged fight to allow Nerun to stay in the Inner Class, otherwise, how was it possible for both the best student of the Outer Class and one of the top students from the Inner Section to be defeated in a matter of seconds. So they found themselves conjuring up cabals in their minds to try to explain something that was completely incomprehensible to them.

Actually, there were four students that were sure that Nerun would be victorious. Reina and Karles were a given, as they had been training non-stop with Nerun and had gotten much closer during the last three weeks. They understood that Nerun's bottom line was difficult to fathom. That is not to say that they weren't surprised by the apparent ease of Nerun's victory. Another student was Julieth who was smiling radiantly when she saw Nerun's gallant disposition as the lone figure standing on the Arena. Her heart was pounding rapidly for reasons unknown even to herself. Such glimmer in her eyes went unnoticed for most, except, of course for the one who was always at her side and who watched over every gesture that came out of her beautiful face. Who could it be but Hernani, whose jealousy was on the verge of overwhelming his senses?

The fourth student was another teenager, a slim boy with short and spiky purple hair, a high nose and thin lips. He was quite similar to Reno and Cynthia Dai Morena, however, there wasn't derision nor outward pride in his eyes. He was Gonzo Dai Morena, a student from the Inner Class, Group A, and the current top-ranked student among the First Year's pupils.

Both Julian and Solda didn't understand what had happened. How could they lose? How did they fail so quickly?

Once Solda saw that he was standing outside the arena he couldn't help trembling. When he heard some of the comments being made by the students he felt like vomiting blood. For one second he even thought he was dreaming, but he was quickly taken out of his reverie when he heard the impassible voice of Director Samuel:

"The victory goes to Nerun. Julian and Solda will go to the Outer Class, and Nerun will stay in the Inner Class."

Nerun smiled towards the faculty, and then clasping his fist with his hand, he bowed reverentially to Solda and Julian while saying: "Thank you so much for letting me win."

Nerun understood that such words, which were common courtesy in duels, could be misinterpreted in light of his unexpected victory, but he didn't care. He was a wise teenager, but a teenager nonetheless, and he simply wanted to slight Solda for what he had tried to do. It was the perfect representation of going out for wool and coming home shorn. Or trying to steal a chicken, only to end up losing the rice.

There was no cure for regret, and that feeling had taken over Julian completely. Even if he couldn't understand the reason behind his loss, he could accept it, however, the choices he had made, had only made him look like a fool, and worse even, a sellout. Seeing Gilfred's look of disappointment made him understand that everything was lost for him. He had thoroughly offended Nerun, and thus his brother. He knew he had lost due to his lack of knowledge of his enemy, but had he fought normally, he could have shown his true skill, and not lost in such a disgraceful manner. Moreover, had he chosen another student besides Solda, and the round-robin competition, he could have won one of the fights and showcased his power, skill and resolution, things that would allow him to keep moving forward. He had heard from good sources that Director Gilfred was even considering taking him as his disciple. But now, he understood it was all over. All lost. A single decision had made him jump into the abyss.

Perhaps... he could make up for it. Perhaps he could still fix things with Director Gilbert, and even apologize to Nerun. Perhaps... A scream, however, took him out of his elucubrations.

"You... You... YOU CHEATER. YOU CHEATED. I demand the test be retaken. We'll fight again, I didn't lose. He wasn't in the arena, I attacked him and he wasn't there, it was a phantom. I demand a re-match," Solda shouted incoherently, having lost his usual prideful demeanour.

Everybody was looking at Solda as if they had never known the teenager. His behaviour was quite ugly and very ungentlemanly. Even in defeat, the rules of nobility taught that one should be graceful and be able to accept defeat. In fact, those who thought that Nerun had somehow made a deal with him started to reconsider their opinion upon seeing Solda's burst. Nerun, for his part, was looking at Solda as if he were a clown.

Such a stare only made Solda angrier. He was about to keep screaming when the voice of Samuel stopped him right in his tracks.

"Nerun won fair and square. You were simply inferior. My decision is final and there will be no rematch. Please mind your manners and make your way to the stands. I'll make an announcement shortly." Samuel said in a tone that did not allow for dissent. Even if he was also surprised by the result, that was all. Surprise. Most of the students had no idea what had happened, but he'd had a clear view of it. When Solda and Julian had attacked Nerun, the latter had quietly prepared, and the moment both had closed the distance, Nerun had used some brilliant footwork and movement technique to step right between the two attackers. His speed was such that both could only catch a glimpse of an afterimage and then Nerun put his hands behind him and simply pushed both of his rivals out of the arena, taking advantage of the momentum that both had used in attacking him. It was a brilliant manoeuvre, one that both Julian and Solda could have avoided, but their underestimation of Nerun's skill left them both tasting defeat and the obvious target of ridicule. He could only hope that this loss would help them understand that such mistakes were unforgivable on the battlefield.

"NO!" cried Solda, losing his temper. His anger had gotten the best of him. The humiliation he currently felt was something none could understand. This was a request from senior brother Roman. Even more, he had used his family's resources to bribe Julian and had even given him a Martial Technique in advance. Had he been victorious, he was sure that senior brother Roman would have paid him back manifold, but now... But now he would be lucky if he wasn't treated as an outcast. A great part of the reason he was treated with respect by the other students wasn't only his family and talent, but the support from the youngest son of the Alaria Family, a support that he would lose once his usefulness was over. And when his family found out he had been demoted to the Outer Class, he could even lose the right of inheritance. In many noble families, inner fighting was considered par for the course and he had many rivals among his brothers and cousins.

"Excuse me?" said Samuel in a low voice while arching a brow, that sounded even more menacing than if he had yelled back.

"I said I demand a rematch. Otherwise, my father will hear about this, and you will know that you can't simply ignore the rules and help a beggar from who knows where to trample a noble family just because you want to suck up to his Dragon General brother..."

When the students heard this, many of them, especially the upperclassmen gasped in dismay and fear. Some of Solda's cronies were about to shout as well to support him, but their friends stopped them and put their hands in their mouths quickly to prevent them from saying anything.

"Good, good, good." said Samuel three times in a row. Those who were familiar with him knew he was truly angry.

"I will personally call your father and let him know about today, don't you worry. For not even he would dare talk to me like that, not before grovelling at my feet and having his poor life snuffed out." Each word was slowly said but Samuel's momentum was growing with each syllable. His power was increasing little by little, and the majesty of his office was being made clear. Cracks could be seen under the ground he was standing on, and a glorious tempest was forming around him, as well as a translucent image of a mighty winged creature.

Solda felt as if he was losing his breath, and he quickly fell on his knees, terror filling his eyes, and a liquid spot appearing on his pants. Such was the price of insulting the sovereignty of a Saint.

"I, I..." Solda's words were stuck in his throat. Never had he felt so much fear in his short life. Never had he been scolded by his parents or elders. He had lived with a silver spoon his whole life and had never been subjected to setbacks. Once he sobered up a little he understood he had been screaming at someone much more powerful than even the head of his family. He was sure that the minute they heard about what had happened, they would make sure to punish him severely and try to make amends with the school as swiftly as possible.

Samuel simply waved his hand and Solda was thrown flying over a hundred meters away from the arena. His life was still his, but the stain on his reputation would hunt him from here on out, and moreover, a true wound on his mind had even begun to take shape. A wound that if not healed properly would forever hamper his future.

All of the students recoiled before the power of Samuel, a power that thankfully was not directed at them. Still, those that were closer to him felt it the most, Julian for instance was also on his knees trembling, but he had managed to not embarrass himself. But there were a couple of students that managed to somehow withstand being in Samuel's presence, and one of those was Nerun, who simply wobbled a bit on the Arena, but who was otherwise completely composed.

Samuel and some of the teachers took notice of these students, and both Gilfred and Samuel said at the same time: "Good". A good completely different to the one directed at Solda. "Stand down from the arena Nerun, and go sit with your companions. As I was saying before being so rudely interrupted, I'll notify you about the changes to the Class Ranking that will take place in a week."

Nerun bowed to Samuel and rejoined Reina and Karles, who greeted him enthusiastically. Nerun was about to sit down when he suddenly remembered something and shouted at some of the upperclassmen: "Senior brother! Senior brother! Don't forget my contribution points. Please, I was almost out of them." The senior brother in charge of the bets also changed colour a little. What he had to pay Nerun and those who had bet on him was a huge amount of contribution points. Luckily, a lot of people had bet on Julian and Solda, otherwise, his losses would have been disastrous.

The comment, completely out of place due to the serious environment from Samuel's anger made everyone, both teachers and students try hard to stifle a laugh. Samuel's eyebrow was beginning to twitch but simply took a deep breath and continued, ignoring Nerun's previous statement.

"The ranking of the Inner and Outer Classes will take place in a week's time, as you are well aware. I trust I don't have to emphasize the importance of this Ranking, especially since it will be one of the main deciding factors to select the students that will take part in a Special Class, designed for the pupils that are candidates to be contestants for the Grand Tournament. We are doing things differently from previous years since the Headmaster himself wants to watch over you all, and along with several members of the faculty, we'll guide those picked students for the next months prior to choosing the very best that will take part in the Tournament. I think you are all aware of the importance of this Ranking without me having to tell you."

All of the students nodded and were deeply excited. Even though they knew that most of them had no chance at all to be selected, since the second and third-year students would probably be the ones that occupied most of the positions, they were more than willing to do their best. After all, if they showed enough potential there was a small chance they could also be selected for the Special Course, or be chosen by some of the elders and teachers to be direct disciples, which would also be a great thing for them. Samuel's next words, therefore, were of the utmost importance to all of them.

Meanwhile, Solda's sad visage was still on the floor as if he was nothing more than a dead dog, ignored and forgotten by everybody.