"..."
"...!"
This time, that action earned Rotsard's glare…
The bleached-blond-haired youth first glanced at the wooden sword, only to look up at Justin's face, which caused the future hero to grip the handle tighter as beads of cold sweat ran down his back,
The future hero looked around, but amongst the onlookers there were no teachers or Academy staff whatsoever.
No other student looked eager to help either…
It was all up to him.
"Aww… having a little moral dilemma? Don't worry…"
Rotsard chuckled, raising his arms and clenching his fists.
"I'll swing first~!"
"!!!"
He then laughed as he rushed past the sword's tip and his fist flew right at Justin's face, forcing him to dodge... And as he dodged, the future hero's training kicked in, and he took advantage of the gap in his opponent's defense and countered the attack!
As the fight started in full, the students cheered, but the person the fight was about, or rather in defense of, the third princess of Nordenthale, was standing there frozen in place, watching in horror.
At first, both sides seemed equal, but soon enough the scales began to tip in Justin's favor.
The commoner student's moves were agile and refined, bringing the wild and almost frenzied attacks of the bleached-blond-haired youth under control.
Within the first minute, it was obvious that the heroic defender would be victorious, and the crowd started cheering while some began laughing at Rotsard. Some even claimed that what they saw was the definite proof of all of his Rotsard's wins in official duels being the result of blatant cheating.
"..."
Demi-Leigh had to bite her lips and clench her fists to not intervene, but it was getting to the point where she started looking around for even one person who would show favor towards her childhood friend, as even that one person being present would help her to keep out of it and not attempt to step between the two.
But there were none…
Not one person to her left.
No one to her right.
About to bring the wrath of thunder on the future hero's head, Demi-Leigh even looked up, too…
"...!?"
And her eyes widened, as what she saw was…
Rotsard Vallhall, watching the whole ordeal from the balcony of the headmaster's office overseeing the main gate and the courtyard of the Academy's main building.
He was leaning out slightly, with his elbows on the balcony as he was resting his chin on one of his hands...!
"...~"
Rotsard, observing the scene from above, noticed that Demi-Leigh spotted him and smiled, slightly raising his head and then showing the palm of the hand he was resting his chin on in a singular wave before leaning away from the balcony and walking back to the office…
"!!!"
…utterly stunning the third princess…!
"???"
As it became clear that Rotsard wasn't going to return to the balcony, Demi-Leigh looked back down at the other Rotsard, losing badly to the future hero to the cheers of the adoring audience.
It took her a moment, but she realized one thing.
Her Rotsard wasn't the one fighting.
He wasn't the one getting beaten up.
And while watching someone or something with the appearance of her beloved childhood friend getting harmed was still infuriating, it became easier for her to keep her anger in check until the fight was over and the fake Rotsard scampered away while yelping words of revenge in shame and embarrassment.
...but now what was left was to praise and thank the boy who fought with Rotsard without knowing that it was a fake…
Ugh…
Disgusting…!
….
At the same time, in the headmaster's office, the actual Rotsard was closing the balcony door behind his back.
"I am fairly certain that you mentioned that you won't be using the Desolation of the Frosted Field and the Dance of the Frozen Lake together…"
The headmaster himself, sitting behind his desk, pointed out while looking at the youth from over a paper he was reading.
"Lord Lazalarius, I only ever said that the combination will not be joining my usual skillset. This situation is far removed from the usual, though… Wouldn't you say that too?"
"Fair point."
Rotsard smirked and shrugged with only one shoulder, making the headmaster nod back with an amused smile.
"Although, I must admit that I wouldn't be as eager to aid you if not for Syon's assurance… and I also admit that I would be wrong if I didn't believe you. The third princess needs to work on her acting. She was so worried about your puppet that she was about to stab student Justin in the back at any moment."
The headmaster said, leaning back into his chair, accidentally admitting that he was watching despite never leaving his desk.
"Something's brewing within the royal family once again…"
"Indeed… so it appears."
The headmaster dropped the subject and ended up sighing, prompting Rotsard to sigh too as he nodded back.