Arcadia's Ignoble Knight: The Sorceress' Knights Tournament

Chapter 32

In the end, Caspian ended up eating the stale danishes.

Sitting at the table, a plate of stale food in front of him, Caspian absently picked at his meal with the enthusiasm of a man who'd been told to drink poison. Cassidy sat beside him. She'd stopped crying, thank the spirits, but her hair was still a mess and her dress was still ruined.

Christo had also finally deigned to join them. He looked different. No longer wearing the standard militaristic academy uniform, he was decked out in dark clothes that made Caspian think of an assassin. Strapped horizontally across his lower back were his two dirks.

"Heh-he, what do you think of my new outfit? Awesome, right? Right? Don't I look just like an assassin? Isn't it cool?" Christo said in a fast-paced voice.

Caspian could barely follow him. "Yeah. Sure. Cool."

"You don't sound very excited," Christo muttered before turning to Adesh. "What about you, foreign kid? You think my outfit is cool, right?"

"It is very stylish," Adesh admitted.

Naagendra pulled out a sheet of paper from somewhere, wrote on it, and then presented it to Christo. Even Caspian looked at the paper to see what was written on here.

"Nice... outfit..." Caspian muttered, blinking several times. He then shook his head.

As breakfast progressed, the doors opened and several people walked in. The headmaster and Sylvia de Floresca led the procession of sorceresses and instructors. Chatter ceased as the students turned their heads to watch the group walk by. Caspian stared into the group, seeking out the person that he'd been thinking about for the past two weeks.

Elincia walked on Sylvia's right. Her hands were clasped in front of her, and she held her head high, but he noticed the way she twiddled her fingers. She was nervous. As she walked past his position, her eyes caught his, and for just a moment, a look of relief washed over them. Then she was walking past him, and Caspian could only stare at her back.

"Bet you're excited to see your girlfriend again after so long," Christo said, grinning as he nudged Caspian with his elbow.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Caspian muttered as he took a bite out of his danish. It tasted kind of funny, but he chalked that up to the food's staleness.

"Ooh, denial. That's so cute."

"It is not stylish to deny oneself their love for another."

"Shut up, both of you," Caspian growled.

"Girlfriend..."

Upon hearing Cassidy's distant voice, Caspian turned to look at the young woman—only to pause when he saw how defeated she appeared. Her shoulders were slumped and there was a strange smile on her face. It looked kind of psychotic.

"Cassidy?Is everything all right?"

"Girlfriend... he he he he he..."

"Um..."

Caspian decided to ignore Cassidy for the moment. He didn't know what she was thinking, but he also knew that he didn't want to know.

"Thank you all for gathering here this morning," Headmaster Stratello said, and his voice ecoed across the room like booming thunder. "Today is a most auspicious occasion. People from all over the continent have gathered here to witness the events that will be recorded this day. Today, twelve talented students will compete for the title of sorceress's knight. I hope that all of you will show your support to these upstanding young men."

Headmaster Stratello took a step back, and Sylvia stepped forward with Elincia trailing behind her.

"For many years, you all, who shoulder the pride of your families, have trained here to become the best. On this day, we shall see who among you has what it takes to become a sorceress knight. I expect to see a good showing from each and every one of you."