Chapter 11 - Graduation

Lunette set her cup down on the table and smiled to herself.

“It seems that knight had good reason to put his faith in you.”

“You mean Alon?”

“Well, yes. Whatever his name was,” Lunette quickly replies. She adjusts her head, then her hands, in an exaggerated manner, attempting to find comfort in the seat to no avail. She glanced quickly from the side of her eyes before quickly looking back to the fire. She covered her mouth and let out a small cough.

“You know…” Tetsuo did his best to restrain his smile. “Alon already told me you had dated.”

“Yes well… I had figured…” Her ears reddened and her stoicism was broken by a certain vulnerability she now presented. To an extent, it made Tetsuo feel nostalgic, reminding him of what he had been like before him and Bianca had started dating. While the memory was fond, Tetsuo could feel the air growing colder again, emanating from Lunette. This familiar chill reminded Tetsuo of the danger she possessed.

“Hmm, well…” He racked his brain for a solution, something that would appease her and keep him from being frozen alive.

With pleading eyes Lunette softly asked a question. “Did he say… anything? …about us?” She spoke quietly, her frosty breaths emphasizing each word she spoke. Tetsuo tried to remember what Alon had described.

“She’s terrifying.”

“No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t ever get a read on her, tell what she was thinking.”

“Every date felt like I was being sentenced, like if I made one wrong move she’d execute me right then and there.”

“Ehem, nothing besides your name really. Captain of the Western ranks. Alvania’s renown blizzard knight. That’s pretty much it.”

“I see.” Tetsuo’s lie seemed to satisfy her as she slumped back into her chair, the frost retreating within her. “Well, I’ve held you long enough. And it’s unprofessional for a knight to involve her personal matters. You are free to leave if you would like.”

“...Thank you, captain.”

“Please drop the honorifics, I need not give more reason for him to think of me as some unfeeling monster.” Her words rang with an air of heartache.

“Alright then…” Tetsuo stood up and gave a small bow before heading to the door. Despite Alon’s misgivings, she seemed to be the same as any other fool in love. As he opened the door to leave he heard her clear her voice.

“Ahem.” she closed her eyes and covered her mouth. “One last thing, if I may trouble you.” She furrowed her brow. “If you’d be so willing, please tell him I’m still waiting for a proper answer.”

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“An answer…” Alon repeated to himself as he parried Tetsuo’s spear downwards. The spear swung into the ground kicking up clumps of dirt. He lightly tapped Tetsuo’s side with the flat of his blade before disengaging. “My days seem to be numbered.”

Tetsuo wriggled his spear out from the ground, dusting off the tip. “You know, she’s really not as bad as you seem to think.” Tetsuo re-adjusted his grip of the lance, pointing it towards Alon. In response he took a step back and pressed the blade to the side of the lance.

“You must have passed out and imagined the rest.” Alon thrust forwards, the blade gliding against the head of the lance. Tetsuo pivoted onto his back foot, dodging the thrust, and moved the lance to his dominant hand. With the lance, he attempted to spin to restore his stance, but Along swiftly kicked him in the back mid-spin. He toppled forwards dropping the lance to the ground again. “You’re doing too many unnecessary movements. A lance is nice because it’s safe and you can poke from a distance. You don’t have the speed or talent to afford to be sloppy.”

Alon reached out and helped Tetsuo up from the ground. “Maybe we should have you try the axe again…” Alon sheathed his sword.

“What if I used your sword?”

“This thing? You haven’t even trained with a sword before. You wouldn’t stand a chance.”

“Yeah? How sure are you?”

“Completely.”

“Let’s say if I land a hit, you have to give Lunette an answer.”

Alon paused. “...why are you so invested in this?”

“Call it intuition.”

Alon sighed and drew his sword again, tossing it over to Tetsuo. “Fine, if you can land a hit, I’ll go give her answer and get myself killed.”

“What are you going to use?”

“Nothing.”

Tetsuo weighed the blade in his hand, surprised by how light it felt, and pointed it at him. “Ready.”

Alon dashed forwards with incredible agility. Tetsuo focused his Ars into his hands, attempting to push it through the hilt of the blade. Despite his efforts the blade wouldn’t illuminate, nor could he feel any warmth coming from it. Desperately he swung the blade in a horizontal arc in front of him, but Alon leapt over the swipe, landing behind him. He swiftly kicked him in the back, knocking him down as the sword clattered to the ground. Alon walked beside him and picked up the blade.

“In case you’ve forgotten, only Ficium works for Earthens. This is just a sword I hollowed out, and use Ars to push fire through”

Tetsuo groaned in pain. “...Why?

Alon became a bit sheepish. “Well… I just thought it would look cool is all.” Alon cleared his throat. “Well it seems like I live to see another day,” he said as he helped Tetsuo back to his feet. “Let's call it there for today.”

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“You pack everything?”

Tetsuo nodded. Inside a chest he had stored all his possessions.

“Good, the carriage is waiting downstairs.”

“Thanks again.”

“It’s no problem.”

Tetsuo paused. “You're a good friend.”

Alon got flustered for a moment. “Ah well… Is-is that what we are?”

Tetsuo began to grasp what may have been a contributing factor to his dilemma with Lunette.

Alon helped Tetsuo load his trunk onto the carriage. He looked fondly towards the crude drawing of Earth on the sign. It was missing the Americas but the innkeeper would always ignore Tetsuo’s mentions of it. He knew he would be leaving after the month had passed since his arrival, but it felt oddly bittersweet. Regardless he felt that given the time he’s been here, he had made good progress familiarizing himself with the world he was stuck with. With the freedoms of being a proper citizen, and the privileges that came with becoming a knight, Tetsuo felt that he had a solid foundation as he began his search for a way home.