Chapter 46: Her Royal Highness the Princess Challenges! The Selection Competition Takes a Sudden Turn!
The next day, as the first rays of dawn appeared, a cool breeze began to blow.
Arthur, dressed in his brand-new uniform, lightly patted the still-sleeping Kurogane Ikki on the upper bunk.
"Hey, Ikki. If you're late for the first class of the new semester, you'll be held back a year!"
"Ha~ Give me a break, talking about such terrifying things first thing in the morning."
With obvious panda eyes, Kurogane Ikki groggily sat up, reaching out to haphazardly comb his bird's nest-like hair.
The two had debated the principles of a secret technique until late last night, which directly led to him, who usually woke up early for morning exercises, almost oversleeping.
In contrast, Arthur was still full of energy, showing no signs of fatigue.
Indeed, one cannot generalize about the physiques of different people.
Kurogane Ikki then quickly got out of bed, rushed to the bathroom, washed up, and changed clothes. The entire process was smooth and efficient, and he was ready within five minutes.
"I still have some questions about a few details of the Third Form of Sun Breathing."
Arthur pulled out his mobile terminal and shook it: "Let's talk on the way, otherwise we'll really be late."
"Fwoo~"
Fou shook her pure white fur, lightly leaped, and landed steadily on Arthur's shoulder, waving her small paw, signaling to depart.
As the two people and one beast hurried down the dormitory building, they saw a figure standing at the main entrance—Stella.
She stood with her arms crossed, seemingly waiting specifically for someone to arrive.
Kurogane Ikki's tone carried a hint of playfulness: "A Rank A Knight, the Princess of Vermillion, could she be here specifically for you?"
Arthur shrugged indifferently: "Who knows, maybe she's still upset that I rejected her request for a sparring match yesterday."
Kurogane Ikki feigned surprise and whispered: "You did something like that?"
A vein throbbed on Arthur's forehead: "Please clarify what you mean by 'something like that'? I didn't do anything that needed to be censored."
Kurogane Ikki winked: "You can't say for sure, after all, you can know a person's face, but not their heart."
Arthur was too lazy to bicker with him any further, and suddenly sped up, intending to bypass Stella directly and head to the classroom.
However, the moment they left the dormitory building, Stella, who had been standing still and waiting, also moved, taking long strides and following leisurely behind the two.
Kurogane Ikki: (￢_￢) Gaze.
Arthur: (°ー°)
Fou: (◊ω◊)
…
"Look, that's the famous Crimson Princess!"
"Not only is she a princess, but she's also a Magic Knight genius, a rarity in a hundred years!"
"Tsk tsk, she's really a winner in life, starting in easy mode."
"Hey, look, isn't the one walking in front the legendary Radiant Dragon Holy Sword?"
"Silver hair and silver eyes, no mistake, it's him!"
"Another Rank A Knight, the freshmen this year are too terrifying!"
"But why are those two prodigies hanging out with the 'Fallen Knight'?"
"Who knows, the ways of geniuses are always so unpredictable."
Arthur and his two companions walked with their heads down along the corridor leading to the first-year classrooms, with constant whispers from busybodies, muffled but still clear.
Kurogane Ikki quietly leaned closer to Arthur, lowering his voice to ask.
"Radiant Dragon Holy Sword?"
"Just a prank by a certain petty Chairwoman, no need to pay attention."
Arthur didn't even bother to think of a second suspect and immediately came to a conclusion.
Ignoring the scrutinizing gazes and Stella, who followed closely like a spirit, Arthur and Kurogane Ikki entered the classroom side by side.
The classmates had obviously heard that two Rank A Knights would be joining their class, and at this moment, they only cast cautious, curious glances, but no one dared to approach and speak.
Arthur found a window seat and sat down. Only then did he turn his head to look at Stella, who was still following him step by step, a playful smirk on his lips.
"Vermillion, does your country have a special custom of tailing strange men?"
"What!?"
Stella's beautiful eyes, which had originally burned with fighting spirit, instantly filled with shame and anger. Then she gritted her silver teeth and glared fiercely at Arthur.
"Don't be so conceited! I just want to find an opportunity to have a fair fight with both of you!"
"Both?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, his smile carrying a hint of wanting to stir up trouble, and turned his head to look at Kurogane Ikki beside him.
"Ikki, it seems Vermillion also highly recognizes your strength. How about a friendly simulated match during lunch break?"
"No simulated match!"
Before Kurogane Ikki could speak, Stella had already flatly refused.
She straightened her back, raised her head, and proudly declared.
"I came to Hagun Academy to become stronger! The improvement from actual combat is far beyond what simulation can offer, and I will never back down again!"
Stella's answer was resolute, clearly aimed at Arthur's refusal yesterday.
Kurogane Ikki, who knew the inside story, could only cast a helpless look, silently pulled out a textbook from his desk, and pretended to study it intently.
Hey! Don't you say!
This textbook is really a textbook!
…
The other students naturally heard Stella's fiery declaration, but before they could start whispering, the first-year homeroom teacher gracefully walked into the classroom.
"Ahem~ Good morning, everyone. Congratulations on successfully enrolling. I am your homeroom teacher, Oregi Yuri."
"Because this is my first time as a homeroom teacher, and I'm also a lively and super-energetic new teacher, please kindly call me Yuri-chan ♦."
Oregi Yuri, who made this energetic declaration, actually seemed listless.
Her panda eyes were even darker than Kurogane Ikki's, and her entire being exuded a kind of decadent aura unique to severely ill patients.
Arthur and Stella both watched Oregi Yuri on the podium with a complicated expression, almost in unison, they complained.
"Where do you look lively at all?"
"Ahahaha, actually, Teacher Oregi is really nice, although she…"
"Alright, I really can't make it up anymore."
Kurogane Ikki gave up struggling, because he himself felt that Oregi Yuri's words and her actual state were incredibly contradictory!
On the podium, Oregi Yuri was still trying hard to liven up the atmosphere. She slowly wrote the five big characters [Seven Star Sword Art Festival] on the electronic blackboard and began to explain.
"Actually, what I want to talk about most with everyone now is about the Seven Star Sword Art Festival representative selection battle."
"Everyone should still remember what the Chairwoman said at the opening ceremony, right? Yuri-chan is here to inform everyone of something very regrettable."
"The campus selection battle, originally scheduled to start next week, has been officially canceled. The latest selection system will be re-announced at an explanatory meeting as soon as possible."
"The campus selection battle has been canceled!?"
Hearing this news, Kurogane Ikki suddenly stood up from his seat, his face filled with disbelief.
Before this, he had always been unfairly ostracized by the school's high-ranking officials, unable to participate in the representative battle, which primarily used inherent ability values as the selection criterion.
He had thought that this year, under the vigorous reforms of Chairwoman Shinguuji Kurono, he would finally be able to carve out his own path through actual combat selection.
But now, something like this has happened again?
Oregi Yuri naturally understood Kurogane Ikki's situation. She raised her hand, signaling him to calm down, and then continued to explain to all the students below the stage.
"I know everyone is very concerned about the selection battle, but considering the complex issues from various aspects, the Chairwoman still needs some time to handle them properly. Please be patient and wait."
Arthur maintained his steady posture, as if everything happening around him had nothing to do with him.
He just slowly flipped through the first-year textbook, and without looking up, said to Kurogane Ikki beside him.
"Relax, Ikki, you'll definitely make it as a regular."
Kurogane Ikki slowly sat down, his expression complex, with a hint of an almost imperceptible low tone in his voice.
"Mm, thank you for your comfort."
Sitting behind the two, Stella's eyes flickered subtly, looking as if she wanted to speak but hesitated, then wanted to speak again.
She was well aware of the changes in the representative selection battle; after all, she had witnessed the entire process, hadn't she?
Then, Stella's gaze fell on Arthur, who was quietly flipping through a book, as if everything was under his control, and she whispered to herself.
"What a dark-bellied guy."
She narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking to herself.
No matter how the selection battle changed, she had to qualify as a regular representative!
After class, I'll talk to this guy!