Chapter 45 Ready !

Edited By Mjornir77

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I stopped at a stand and smiled like an idiot. My phone was still beeping so i took the call and sure enough it was Cecilia.
And she didn’t sound very good.

– Huh why didn’t  you take my first call ? Yet again ?

– I was talking with someone and wanted to finish the conversation really fast.

– Wait who ? Was it the same person that last time ? Forget it, just come to the training ground behind the academy, the teachers already agreed to make the match for some reason even thought you aren’t a mage.

– Nor is he.

I countered.

That guy was really strange. His overall expression was blank, even hollow. It was as if he didn’t even think he was alive but he still had human like action on his own… or were those just reflexes ?

– I’ll be there, don’t worry.

– You’d better be ! I don’t wanna stand here all day nor do i want to back out !

She hung up on me and i started walking towards the academy in a jogging rhythm. I was still holding the handle Sera gave me as a sign of our friendship. It was really damaged but i knew i could repair it by rewinding its time. I considered giving her back when it’s repaired but then i remembered the look in her eyes… Haha, she’s  a really stubborn person and would most likely not accept it back… so what should i do with this ?

For the time being, i put it in my breast pocket and continued my jogging. Tthe clouds above were a bit grey, i could also feel a slight breeze coming through the streets and hitting my face;  i shivered for a moment…  rain would come soon.

I started running a bit faster and soon arrived at the academy.

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The students in the hallways were walking in groups, making ruckus among themselves, talking about the event that was about to happen in the training field behind the academy. I was still wearing my mask by the way.

It wasn’t hard to find the training field but to get there i had to push through lots of other students : i more than once just stopped time and went through them until i finally reached the training hall.

– So you’re gonna fight the personal attendant from the house of Sylva ?

The voice was familiar. I looked to my right and saw a woman with brown long hair and brown eyes. Her uniform was that of a teacher. I knew her, she was the mage woman who wanted to test my capabilities and she also was Steward’s apprentice. The problem was that i didn’t know her name since we didn’t introduce ourselves at that time because i was in a hurry.

– My name is Kelly if you’re a bit lost, boy.

She smiled, knowing the cause of my discomfort.

– I am dawn…

– I know, master Steward told me.

I nodded and looked toward the field. There were a lot of people waiting for the show to begin; there were also many other teachers like Kelly, erecting something in the middle of the field… some kind of barrier maybe?

The students were circling the barrier and inside, i could see Cecilia, Loren and her attendant that was as emotionless as ever. Cecilia didn’t seem to be in a very good mood; she was actually arguing with Loren while her servant was just standing there.

To their left, i could see a group of teachers but what really caught my eyes was the female teacher in a grey robe… She was a tier 9 mage. She was talking with the other teachers really pleasantly but suddenly she stopped and looked up… Wait, was she looking at me ? Our eyes linked. We were really far away from each other but i could feel her stare locking me, her overall appearance was norma;l she wasn’t that beautiful but you could say she had cool look, always tranquil with her black hair and hazel brown eyes… Who was she ?

– Who is she ?

I pointed at the grey robed woman; she even waved at me when i pointed at her.

Kelly looked at her, paled for a bit and quickly pushed my hand down.

– You idiot ! She is the current headmaster of the school ! If she notices you being this rude who knows what’s going to happen.

I was a bit surprised but nonetheless i understood. I looked back at the headmaster who was still smiling while waving at me. I had the feeling that i didn’t need to worry about being rude in front of her.

I started walking down the stairs to the training field. I could still feel the stare of the headmaster while i was walking down.

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I pushed through the crowd and observed the place for a bit. I knew where Stella was since the ring i gave her, also known as Leraje, was giving me is location through signals that i could trace and to my surprised she was actually standing about 50-60 meters away from me, talking with her friends. She seemed to have a lot of fun.  She was laughing, kidding around with her friends and made a happy face… Maybe it was the right choice after all.

I got near the barrier and noticed that no one could go in there; it was like an invisible wall for anyone other than a few people. When i touched it, i was able to go through, making the people around me a bit surprised. I pushed myself into the barrier. It was a bit hard and when i finished i had a slight nauseating feeling in my head.

– You took your time didn’t you !

Cecilia growled a bit when she saw my approach.
Loren was also there and smiled maliciously, her servant was unaffected whatsoever.

– I had things to do, i am sorry

Cecilia sighed a bit and looked toward Loren and her servant. I personally ignored them and looked toward the headmistress that was seated on something like a judge’s chair. She was once again smiling and waving at me, her eyes seemed to hold expectations for some reason.

– You know her ?

Cecilia asked; i wasn’t sure what she meant by that.

– I heard about her but i only saw her today.

Cecilia gave me an inspecting look as if daring me to lie, which i actually wasn’t. She looked back at Loren and her servant.

– I actually asked the dean to cancel the competition because you weren’t a mage. She agreed at first but when i told her that you were participating she insisted on making this duel. Do you know anything about this ?

I shook my head, quite confused. Why would she do that ?

I turned my head toward the duo. Now we weren’t really going at each other or talking; the distance between us was 20 or so meters and it seemed like we were just waiting for the judge to start start so that we could go at each other but….

– Dawn, can i ask you something ?

I looked at Cecilia, she seemed a bit grumpy for some reason.

– Yes ?

– Do you trust me ? Be honest !

I raised an eyebrow. I was a bit speechless for her being so straightforward, she even asked me to be honest. Did she think i was always dishonest ? But at the same time she was a bit right… Eeven Stella could always tell if i was lying or not : i would need good wordplays to confuse her sometimes. Women’s intuition was really something fearful.

I looked into her eyes, i could see hesitation and uncertainty in it. The people around us were talking and bustling around, it was really loud but i could understand her perfectly. Did i trust this miss ? If i had to say it, she gave me my job and got me where i was now. I wouldn’t hesitate if she told me to do something, even if it was to kill someone because it was my job to protect her… But did i trust her as friend ? Did she mean that ?

– No. (Edit : Oh the killer !)

I answered flatly.

It was a fact i couldn’t deny. The only reason i was here was because i was working for her. Of course she would talk to me and Stella very friendly and without restraint but in the end i couldn’t certainly say she was my friend.

-I… i see…

She turned her face and sniffed for a bit. She was actually avoiding my face. I kinda felt bad about this but i didn’t regret it. After all, I was gonna duel a strange guy because of her.