4.10.

"Have you fought her before? Is she strong?" Risa asked.

"I never got to fight her properly, so I'm not sure. But she should be at least above average."

"Root for me."

"I hope you lose."

"You dip shit.."

"Just kidding."

The group soon arrived at the dueling field on the upper floors, the exact same one which Sequencee used to fight Risa just yesterday evening.. or would it be better to say very early in the morning?

Activating the emergency protocol, the battle began. Risa used her trusty tungsten-alloy sword, beginning strong with just ceaseless bombardments of light shards.

[Fire Magic: Rebirthed Flames]

Nearl's body blazed up in fire, her clothes unaffected. It seemed that the dress she wore had been designed for battle. She wasn't hindered in the slightest, sliding past the light shards leaving trails of fire.

Any light projectiles that got close would be gobbled up by the flames– a forceful conversion of one form of mana into another.

A firestorm broke out, the heat could be felt from even the spectator's seat.

They entered close combat.

"Who do you think would win?" Leticia asked.

"I still think Risa."

"Because she's the hero."

"Yeah."

Everyone watched intently at the clashing of the swords striking at the speed of pulling a manual trigger of a gun at the fastest speed.

A fire phoenix rushed forth.

KKKIIIIIii—

The sounds of screaming metal.

Risa was forced backwards.

Holy shields manifested before her, a magic circle appeared above Nearl–

DDOOON–

A flame dome shielded her just in time, providing her just enough coverage to escape– just as Risa was about to make her next move, a flame sword flew forward from an awkward angle, forcing her to tilt her entire body.

The flame sword returned to Nearl's side. Five floating blades acting as if they were individual entities, she sent them forward. They circled around Risa like wolves. And when the right moment came, they struck at once.

"She's in trouble," Leticia said.

"Yeah."

Risa's short dress was accumulating damage, some parts could be seen beginning to burn up.

'Let's hope the worst case scenario doesn't happen here..'

Sequencee remembered how his own clothes were torn. In that case, if things don't go well, the chances of Risa's clothes burning up in its entirety was there. Should that happen, Sequencee will be the first to turn away.

[Blessing: Holy Severance]

A strong light severed the flames, Nearl sidestepped to dodge. Risa, smiling to herself, used light's edge. Taking Nearl by surprise, her arm was cut, causing a long wound to stretch sound her left arm.

Flames thickened around her, the wound on her arm closed up to the effect of the fire– it was recovering. This was the true ability of the gift.

'I did not expect that.. that's inhuman.'

Risa was pressured into a defensive position. Her momentum was quickly squelched, Nearl pointed her sword at her.

With a sigh, Risa conceded.

A small gallery of applause rang out.

'As expected of the princess' personal guard. There's a lot of strong people out there.'

Evelyn tended to the light wounds then had. Risa and Nearl shook hands to conclude their battle.

'Rika held back, I wonder why..'

Sequencee's thought was interrupted when he noticed how there were two Eluive students who had been watching the match from afar. Titania beckoned someone over from a distance.

Leticia turned around.

"Huh?" she tilted her head.

Hm?

"That shorter Eluive student. I feel like I've seen him somewhere before.." Leticia couldn't tear her eyes off him.

"Hm.."

'He certainly does look familiar. I can't quite put a tongue to it..'

"What did you think?" Titania asked.

"That was an amazing fight, something that's certainly beyond my capabilities," Seketh said, approaching while scratching the back of his head.

"It's amazing how there's a persona capable of going head on against Her Grace Nearl," Lancet praised, looking at the pair coming off from the battlefield.

Titania chuckled.

"Please don't be disappointed, the esteemed individual you had just witnessed in battle is actually the hero."

"The hero?" Lancet questioned.

"Yes. The hero is in disguise. Treat her with utmost respect, she has not only granted this opportunity to allow us the spectacle of the duel, but have also agreed to grant an audience to all our students."

"S-She's the hero in disguise?" Seketh exclaimed. He compared Rika's image on stage to the girl that kept talking with Nearl.

"Isn't that Her Highness?" Lancet said, noticing the silver haired woman with amethyst eyes, also talking with Nearl.

"Seems that it was a good idea we came here," Seketh said, nudging Lancet.

Lancet then turned to Judy and Din, showing them a nod before shifting his attention to the other pair. One of them was the mage whom Titania talked to earlier in the morning, the other was a girl with bright green hair with heterochromia– a rare constitution, yet somehow he kept finding her familiar, like he had seen her somewhere before.

Likewise, Leticia too kept looking at Lancet in wonder.

Having been apart for the past three years, a lot about them had changed. More so, Leticia had already buried the moments of the past in the deep recesses of her memory…

"Her Highness, as for the students.. the girl is?"

"She's a student from Riestallia Academy. We became acquaintances just recently."

"Taken a fancy to her?" Seketh asked.

"No, she's just.. familiar."

"Can I ask for their names?" Seketh asked Titania.

"Student Sequencee, and Leticia."

"Leticia?" The puzzle finally began fitting themselves together in his mind, but there were many missing pieces.

Lancet closed the distance between them. They stood before each other silently, observing each other.

"Nice to meet you, Leticia, I'm a student from Eluive Academy, Lancet," Lancet introduced himself.

"Nice to meet.." The familiar name struck a chord, Leticia's eyes widened.

"Leticia. This is you, isn't it..?" seeing her reaction, Lancet was convinced at once. The feelings of guilt, those many nights of turmoil that plagued him since her disappearance– it all came rushing to him.

He took a step forward.

– A hail swept against the seedling in her heart, tearing holes into leaves, stems crushed.

Leticia staggered backwards.

"No.. you can't be my brother.. get away."

Lancet's expression warped in internal pain.

"Leticia, I.."

"S-Shut up.." Leticia turned around and ran off.

"Leticia!" Lancet shouted, wanting to rush off when Sequencee naturally stood between them; he also came to understand the situation when the name leaked from his mouth, "Let go," Lancet bellowed.

"Risa, you go look after Leticia for a bit," Sequencee disregarded his words and turned to Risa.

"On it–" Risa chased after Leticia's fleeting figure.

The commotion caused everyone's attention to be directed towards Sequencee's direction.

"She's my sister, let go."

"I know. Give her some time. It probably comes as a shock to both of you that you happened to cross paths."

With emotion overpowering reason Lancet pushed Sequencee away and bolted to where Leticia fled– except that he slammed into an invisible barrier.

"What is this.." Lancet couldn't make it past the barrier.

"Both parties please calm down," Evelyn commanded, her words did more to hold Lancet down in place than did Sequencee's magic.

Lancet gritted his teeth.

"I've heard the gist, so can we settle it in this manner? Arrange a proper meeting between both parties. Sequencee, could you ask for Leticia's cooperation in this?" Evelyn said firmly.

"That depends on her. I know nothing about what happened between her and her siblings,"

"If that's what it takes to talk to her, I.. don't care," Lancet gripped his fist hard into a ball.

"Lady Titania, is his schedule tomorrow free in the afternoon?"

"I shall notify his instructor on the matter," Titania said in a serious demeanor.

"Sorry.. " Lancet lowered his head.

'Lancet Estia. I've seen him a couple times– it's rare that we ever talk. I thought he died.'

Sequencee thought perhaps this was the reason why fate allowed Leticia to stay at Riestallia Academy. There had to have been some conflict between them after they lost their home– just, how was it that Leticia ended up as a slave?

While Sequencee wished to know the answer to these questions, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to butt in on family matters.

"Facilitate this between them Sequencee," Evelyn whispered to him, purposely placing her hands on his shoulders.

"Got it."

===

"Leticia– don't be stupid!" Risa restrained the girl by hugging her from behind.

"Let go! Let go! Let go!!" the half elf squirmed, trying to tear away.

"Let's go back. If it's your brother, you have to face him head on!"

"I-I can't!" Leticia yelled back.

She was both terrified and furious. Her past should've been buried dead, why did it come back alive? It hadn't crossed her mind that she'd meet her brother here, ever.

"I'll go with you."

Risa didn't want Leticia's relationship to turn sour like her's with her brother. Part of her actions stemmed from self-guilt.

"Just let go! I'm not going! I don't want to talk to him!"

"Go, go–"

"Risa, let go," Sequencee's voice boomed.

"Sequencee. But you know we can't just let things be between them."

"No, no. Let her calm down first. I've already talked to him about it, we've arranged a proper chat tomorrow afternoon, it's a free period."

"Oh, nice."

"Sequencee, I'm not going. I don't want to meet him. It's all in the past, I don't want to think about any of that anymore. Just tell him to fuck off," Leticia denied, her tear-ridden eyes stared into his.

"They've already arranged.."

"Tell him to fuck off!" Leticia shouted.

'What in the world happened between them..'

"Tell him to go away. Tell him to go back home. I don't want to see him! I won't go back. I don't.. I don't want to die.. don't let me go.." tears overflowed from her eyes–

Sequencee reached over and stroked her shoulders. Silently, she began to sob, tightly clinging to him.

Risa and Sequencee's eyes met, the hero had a troubled-pensive look. Sequencee merely shook his head to tell her that he would handle it.

Unbeknownst to them, from after, Evelyn and Lancet watched them, secretly gritting their teeth– each with different reasoning.