Curse 7: A challenger!

We all entered the stadium after explaining ourselves to the guards that were assigned to it.

We followed the path the guards had instructed us to take.

After following the path, we all entered a room that was full of people. Well, people and others who had animal features.

"Whoa..." I looked around in amazement.

The stadium was very big. Luckily, there wasn't a crowd, since I would've been extremely nervous.

Indeed.

Just empty seats, a giant floating mirror hovering in the center of the stadium, two boards that were floating with magic, I assumed, and finally, there were two seats that were covered in gold and jewels. Also, they were covered by two royal robes as well.

The king and the queen, maybe?

So were they coming to watch those that wanted to be knights?

In that case, I better give it my all.

I looked at my palms, opening and closing them a couple of times. My body had improved over the years. Unfortunately, I didn't have any magic to show since all I could do was die and come back to life. And I didn't want everyone to know that I was the cursed child. It might make things a bit more difficult than they should be.

"Heeeyyy!!!" I heard a voice from behind us.

"Ah! Hey, it's Peritia!" Laetus said excitedly.

And when I looked back, I saw Peri running towards us while waving.

"Tristis! Sedatus and Laetus, too!" Peri laughed.

"Still nosey..." Sedatus grumbled and closed his eyes, hands in his pockets as usual.

"Hey, now..." I laughed at Sedatus's reaction to seeing Peri. That's so Sedatus...

Peri jogged a couple more times before reaching our side—

Ah!

I felt something strong and powerful. Was that magic?

Huh? What's that intense magic?

"Move it!" I saw a guy with long brown hair, pale skin, and noble clothing grab hold of Peri and throw him to the floor. He also had some dark red aura around his body as well.

"Whoa!" Peri screamed.

Dash!

My legs moved swiftly, and I managed to catch Peri in time before he fell on his face. I used my upper body to make sure that he didn't fall any further.

"Oof!" Peri grunted.

"Are you okay?" I asked with a hint of fright in my tone.

Peri rested his head on my chest and breathed out. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for the catch, Tristis—"

Peri opened his eyes in shock. "... Huh?"

He looked at me in shock. "... Tristis?"

"Hey! It's been a while, I see!" I giggled.

"Y-yeah. But then, what's the..." Peri slowly looked at my chest. It wasn't long before he turned red and stood up straight. "I am so SO sorry!" Peri looked away.

"No need to worry! I'm just glad that you're safe!" I waved my hand at Peri.

"S-still! I didn't mean to s-s-s-stare!" Peri closed his eyes and then bowed to me. "I am so sorry! I didn't have any intention to do anything to you!"

"Huh?" I blinked.

"Honestly, Peritia! What would you think would happen if you did that to any other girls?" Laetus shook her head at Peri.

"Not cool, bro." Sedatus shook his head at Peri.

"I didn't do it on purpose! A guy pushed me!" Peri barked at Laetus and Sedatus.

Huh. I see.

From an outside perspective, you would think he fell on my body on purpose.

I placed my hand under my chin.

Didn't they see the guy push him?

"I'm telling you the truth! I wouldn't do anything like that to Tristis!" Peri frowned.

"Hmm... well..." Laetus scratched her head.

"I didn't see the guy push you. He bumped into you, and you fell on Tristis's chest like a pervert." Sedatus stated bluntly, without holding back his opinion.

"Yeah! Cool your head, hero. I know you wanted to see Tristis, but sheesh!" Laetus closed her eyes, arms crossed.

"I'm telling you it wasn't on purpose..." Peri sighed and lowered his head in shame.

I slowly walked towards him and bent my knees to see his eyes. Since he was facing the floor, I went up real close and went below him. There, our eyes finally met.

"Huh?" Peri blinked.

"..." I stared at him with determination.

We both stared at each other. It was almost as if time had stopped itself.

After some time observing him, I came to a conclusion.

I rested my arms on my legs and rested my head on my palms.

"I knew it! You're the same as always despite being a little different!" I gave a teasing smile.

Peri backed up, covering his face to hide his blush.

"W-what's the meaning of this?!" Peri shouted at me.

I chuckled, satisfied with both his reaction and the conclusion I had about Peri.

"See, guys?"

I slowly stood up, dusting my dress in case I got any dirt.

"Peri wouldn't do that on purpose! He's too shy to pull something like that on me!" I placed my hands on my waist, chest pushed out.

"Always taking his side, huh?" Sedatus chuckled.

"I'm serious! Peri was the same person that's willing to say that he'd be there for me! 'I'll protect you, no matter what!', he said. I honestly find that very sweet!" I raised my index finger.

"I see," Laetus and Sedatus looked at Peri, all smug like.

"W-what's with that look?!" Peri panicked, his shyness never fading.

I covered my mouth with both hands and chuckled some more.

How can someone be so sweet yet so funny!?

But wait.

I stopped laughing and placed my hand under my chin.

"But if you two didn't see that, then that guy's magic has to do with that."

"How could you tell?" Peri stared at me curiously.

Hmm? For some reason, seeing that expression on Peri's face kind of amused me...

But I kept that to myself and smiled normally.

"You and I are one of the rarest to learn and understand magic in our village, Peri. So maybe his magic type was something only we could see."

"Huh? I see," Peri nodded to me.

"But we should keep that mental note. Either one of us could run into him someday without us even knowing it." I tapped my head to the side.

"Right," Peri smiled at me.

But if that's the case, then why didn't anyone say anything?

I glanced around the stadium once more. And, just like that, I understood.

From my viewpoint, everyone was keeping to either themselves or their own group. So it was like a competition, I supposed.

And while I could understand their reasoning, I still didn't like the idea of them not helping Peri when I could tell from where I stood that they, too, could sense magic.

Part of me wanted to scream and protect Peri's pride as a man, but I held myself back and deeply sighed.

We'll show them our awesome strength on the battlefield!

I was feeling more pumped and excited than expected. Maybe I did change from before.

"Hmm. But strange, the Knights' selection should've started moments ago." I stroked my chin.

"In that case, we should get some seats on the bench!" Laetus grabbed hold of Sedatus's hand. "Let's go watch them from the front seats, Sedatus!"

"Why are you holding my hand?" Sedatus furrowed his brows at Laetus.

"Aw, quiet your worrying! Let's go!"

"J-just a minute!" Sedatus panicked as Laetus practically ran towards the section where you could sit and watch the stadium from afar.

I looked at Peri with a small smile.

"I guess it's just you and me, Peri!" I giggled.

"Y-yeah! Cool, cool... yeah," Peri put his hands behind his back. "Sooo! About the question—"

"Ah, right!" I leaned closer to Peri and held his hands. "So you do know the reason why the Knights' selection is running late, right?!"

"Huh?!... R-right! I totally was going to tell you that!" Peri's eyes turned into swirls for some reason.

Hmm? His hands suddenly got warm. Feels nice...

But Peri took his hand away and put it behind his back.

Awe...

"Well, the king and the prince are having a meeting with the other rulers from many kingdoms." Peri raised his index finger. "But they should be here at any moment. One of the official knights had let us know a few minutes ago."

"A prince?" I lowered my brows at Peri, feeling both confused and intrigued.

"Yep!" Peri laughed with his hands behind his head.

Interesting. A meeting for many Kingdoms besides Credentes...

But I could always think in more depth some other time.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" I heard a deep, manly voice from the other side of the stadium.

We all looked back and saw someone who barely looked like a knight. But from what I could sense, he was powerful enough to take any of us down. Though I was basing that on analysis alone.

Wait.

The knight had dark braided hair, brown skin, had customized armor that was mostly like a royal robe, white and red in color, and, finally, knight-like armor shoes. I couldn't really describe his look from his clothing. It must've been new.

And also, why did he look... familiar?

"Welcome, knights of the future!" He saluted us. "I am Clarus Luna. Prince of King Luna the Second and the middle child behind Prince Matthew Luna! It is a great pleasure to see you all!"

"... Huh?"

My blood ran cold.

That expression.

The way he spoke.

I clenched both of my fists.

My memories of being inside the cave flooded my mind all at once.

My food from this morning wanted to come up so I could spill it on the battlefield. But I gulped it back down.

It's him!

It's gotta be him! My mom never forgets a feeling about anything. From kindness to terror, despite my mind being in and out whenever I do something, my body will always remember.

My hands. They wouldn't stop shaking.

"Hey, are you okay, Tristis—"

I quickly grabbed hold of Peri's red shirt. Both hands. I didn't mean to interrupt him, but I didn't feel right around that knight.

I couldn't stop shaking.

"Hey, it'll be fine. I'm here." Peri gently patted my white hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry..." I apologized to Peri.

"Tristis..." Peri whispered my name.

"HEY!" I heard a voice that made me flinch.

I glanced at the person who shouted. It turned out to be the same guy who had pushed Peri before.

Wait, no. I couldn't be. 

Now that he'd shown himself more clearly, it seemed like he had a build that was far better than anyone around here. Muscles that seemed very detailed and were stretched out of his tight shirt, long pants that seemed very expensive, brown boots, and he had a weird mohawk style hair.

The person I saw earlier had brown hair.

"IT'S THE GUY WHO COULDN'T SEE HIS OWN FEET!" The mohawk guy laughed at Peri.

*So he saw the guy that did it, too...*

Yet, he didn't say anything either. 

"Good afternoon to you, too, mister. What seems to be the problem?" The knight with braids asked curiously.

"DON'T YOU SEE THAT THESE TWO IDIOTS ARE MOCKING US! WE DIDN'T COME HERE FOR GAMES!" The mohawk guy kept shouting.

"There's no need to shout. Proceed with your complaint." The braided knight gestured to the mohawk guy.

The mohawk guy coughed on his fist.

"... Excuse me. Ahem. Those scary cats are hugging in front of your speech, Your Highness. May I suggest executing both for showing such disrespect to you and your kingdom?"

"That's full of crap!" Peri shouted.

I can't let Peri get killed! I could die for all I care, but not him!

I then looked at the prince.

"Hmm?" The braided knight looked at me curiously.

He then chuckled and looked back at the mohawk guy.

"Surely, you jest! A young man protecting someone precious to him is very important, and what we're looking for in knights! Verily, I say unto you, forgive those two, and ye shall be rewarded for entering the selection!"

"With all due respect, Your Highness—!"

"Mister! I shall say it again! Won't thou forgive those two? Verily, I shall reward thee for trying to look out for thy fellow knights!"

The mohawk guy gritted his teeth. He then looked at me in anger.

However, he then smiled, followed by looking back at the prince.

"I am sorry, Your Highness! You are right! Knights who are willing to protect those they hold dear should be able to become knights! However!"

The mohawk pointed at me.

"I want this beauty to be my bride! A woman who catches my eye like this deserves to be mine!"

"What?!" Peri narrowed his eyes in anger.

Huh?

That comment stopped my shaking. I was currently confused.

"What are you implying, mister?" The braided knight raised his left brow.

The mohawk guy chuckled and rested his hand on his chest.

"You said it yourself, Your Highness! You'll reward me if I forgive them! And, like you wanted, I do!"

He then looked at me in a smug way.

"I apologize for such rude behavior, beautiful! Won't you accept being my bride? The prince promised me a reward, and I want you, sexy!"

Hmm? Why would he want me as a reward?

The mohawk took a step closer.

"Come on! What say you, cutie! I'm sorry for what I said! I'll take care of you! In both out... and inside of our room!"

"Is he scared of the outside, too?" I blinked.

"Back off!" Peri went in front of me.

The mohawk guy frowned and shook his head with his eyes closed.

"Prince! This knight doesn't seem to understand."

The mohawk gestured with his thumb at the prince. "What you say goes. Anyone who disobeys shall forfeit and be banned from the kingdom."

The mohawk shook his head.

"Could you explain it to him, please?"

The prince placed his hand under his chin. "What to do, what to do..."

He looked slightly up and then smiled for some reason. The prince looked at the mohawk guy and then nodded.

"Seems like the King has just arrived, sir! I shall ask him for his opinion!"

We all looked back and saw the king sitting on the throne from above. Alongside with who I assumed was the other prince and two guards.

The king had no crown.

He simply was wearing a long red robe that covered all of his body except his arms that rested on the arm of the throne.

The king also had white hair, green eyes, and facial hair.

The other prince was basically the same.

The only difference was that he didn't have any hair on his face. His hair was a bit spiky and white as snow. His eyes were green as well.

"Father!" The prince called out to the king.

I looked back and saw him going on one knee.

"My dear father! King of Credentes! What shall we do?! The man wants to have the lady in the blue dress as his wife! What is your order?! What is your vision?!"

The king slowly stroked his chin, looking at me. His eyes narrowed slightly—as if he recognized something about me.

Then he smiled.

"That lady shall be his wife. As royals, we shall keep our word."

The prince bowed to the king.

"Thank you, father!"

He then faced me and offered his hand. "I'm sorry to ask this, ma'am, but you must be wed! Remove yourself from that man, and we shall get ready!"

"Wed?" I raised my left brow.

Were they serious—?

I looked at Peri.

His expression had changed. He was furious.

"Peri?" I whispered his name.

Peri slowly took a step forward. And, with a strong inhale, he shouted: "THAT'S A LOAD OF SHHHIIIITTTTT!!!!"

'Huh?!'

'What?'

'Is that young lad mad?!'

'He dares go against the word of the king and the prince?!'

One by one, everyone who was taking part in the selection whispered their opinion.

The mohawk man ground his teeth.

"Treason! That man is committing treason! Prince, have him executed!"

I can't let this keep going—!

"You guys done?" Peri said coldly. He then pointed at the prince: "Listen, buddy! What you and your kingdom are doing is none of my business!"

Peri pulled me closer, his brows lowering.

"But including my best friend in such bullshit is where I draw the line!"

Peri patted my head and shouted: "I DEMAND A DUEL! HE'LL MARRY HER OVER MY DEAD BODY!"

I gripped Peri's shoulder tightly.

Are you insane?! Why would you do that?!

"A duel, you say? With whom?" the prince asked, not seeming to be angry or offended.

"I could take you on, princey! Bring it on!" Peri cracked his knuckles.

"H-hey! Calm down, Peri!" I placed my hand on his knuckle.

"How about it?! Unless you're scared!?" Peri smirked at the prince.

The prince simply smiled and clapped his hands at Peri.

"Good show, my boy! I like your guts! However, dueling me will have you executed, and I don't want that to happen to you."

"So you're scared!"

"Think, dear boy! Your lady friend has tears in her eyes!" The prince pointed at me.

"Huh?" I touched the corner of my eye.

I didn't even realize that I was crying.

"Also, you cannot duel me, young lad. You'll be banned for shouting in front of the royal family. However!"

The prince pointed at the mohawk guy. "You can battle your fellow knight during the selection! For showing bravery, I shall set up a one-on-one match just for the two of you!"

"I-I'm honored, Your Highness!" The mohawk guy bowed to the prince.

"Yes, yes. However, that would take a while, so you two will be the last ones to battle it out."

The prince raised his hand into the air.

"And with that said, I SHALL OPEN THIS YEAR'S KNIGHTS' SELECTION! LET THE SELECTION... BEGIN!"