After the fifth round, results were in...
Hero 3-A = 2 students
Hero 3-B = 1 students
Hero 3-C = 0 students
Hero 3-D = 0 students
Hero 2-A = 1 student
Hero 2-B = 0 students
Hero 2-C = 0 students
Hero 2-D = 0 students
Hero 1-A = 5 students
Hero 1-B = 0 students
Hero 1-C = 2 students
Hero 1-D = 4 students
Backup 3-A = 1 student
Backup 3-B = 0 students
Backup 3-C = 2 students
Backup 3-D = 0 students
Backup 2-A = 0 students
Backup 2-B = 1 student
Backup 2-C = 0 students
Backup 2-D = 0 students
Backup 1-A = 1 student
Backup 1-B = 0 students
Backup 1-C = 0 students
Backup 1-D = 0 students
Support 3-A = 2 students
Support 3-B = 1 student
Support 3-C - 1-D = 0 students
Cinder looked at the results. The rest of the tournament basically had those from the hero class and a few strong fighters from other classes. "That last round was tough on a lot of people..."
Ceil had lost her match to the idiot from class 1-D and was avoiding her friends, including her own brother. Still, she would every once in a while go and see the idiot from class 1-D for some reason.
"Just... what did he talk to her about again?"
When the battle had finished, he had walked over to Ceil and talked to her. She seemed happier than in a long time during that moment. "She's never had a smile like that. Not since then..."
An accident had happened in the old village Cinder and Ceil lived in when they were kids. Many people died in that incident, including Ceil and her brothers parents. Ceil lost her right arm and leg while her brother lost his hand and left eye.
Still, things turned around when soon after Cinder's father was named as the long lost prince of Kushida and their family became royalty. Cinder had asked her father to adopt Ceil and her brother, so they too became royals. "And to think I used to tease Ceil's brother..."
"Miss, are you okay?" Cinder looked to her side and saw that someone was standing next to her. He was a handsome male with blonde hair like that idiots, but had a black coat to symbolize him being from class C. He had pretty green eyes and seas smiling at Ceil. "You seem to be troubled, Miss."
Cinder blinked. "Um I am fine, thank you. But... do I know you by chance?"
The boy laughed. "No, you wouldn't know me per se... My name is Lucas Infite and I am a knight of the Stashin kingdom as well as one of princess Ivory's two attendants." He smiled as he said this. The only other person Cinder had seen who was this cheery was the idiot, so it was a bit of an interesting experience...
"Well, Mister Infite, I thank you for your worried but I am alright." Cinder said, politely. "Still, why did you come here to ask me that?" She didn't know why someone from Stashin would be worrying over someone from Kushida, so there had to be some reason...
Lucas pointed to the tournament bulletin behind Cinder. "I was coming to see who I was going up against next and happened to see you here looking saddened...."
Cinder's expression shot up in an instant as he said that. "This guy is still in the tournament?! No wonder he's the personal attendant of one of Stashin's royals..." She nodded and looked at the tournament list. "Your name is under... Lucas Infite vs Leopold Stratus..." Cinder's eyes widened. "He's taking on the idiot!"
Lucas turned to Cinder. "Do you by chance know who Leopold is?" His face had a huge grin across it as he looked at Leopold's name. "Wait! Your blushing! No, don't tell me... Your in love with Leopold!"
Cinders jaw dropped at his statement. Was she blushing? Why was she blushing if she was blushing?! Just what was happening?! "In love with that idiot... Never!" She shook herself and looked at Lucas. "I am most certainly not! That boy is just an acquaintance. Still, how do you know him?"
"He's the other of the two attendants of Miss Ivory besides myself." Lucas explained. "He's been my best friend and partner on the Stashin knights since we were young."
Cinder nodded. "Makes sense. I think that idiot mentioned he was from Stashin. This means that these two will be going at it, huh?" Cinder then had an idea. "Hey, Lucas, could you do me a huge favor?"
===============
"So, you're going up against your knight buddy for this round?" Zion asked.
Leopold nodded. Leopold had bested Ceil Kushida in the previous round and now he would be fighting is best friend from the Stashin Knights, Lucas Infite. "It's been about a week and a half since I saw him or Ivory... Wonder how they're doing."
"So, how do you plan on winning?" Zion asked.
Leopold shrugged. "Lucas' power level is on about the same level as mine, so it should be a pretty tough battle. Still, I think that a few surprise tricks should do it... How about you, Zion?" Zion had also won his battle and was still going with Leopold into the next round. "Just how powerful is Zion really? I should watch his match for once..."
Zion laughed. "I have to go up against a support class student, so I should pull out with a win on this one."
"I guess I don't need to watch then... Hope I can at least once."
"By the way, Leopold..." Zion started, "...Have you made up with Breeze or Nix yet?"
Leopold shook his head. "Not yet. I planned to after this round, so hopefully..."
Zion clicked his tongue. "You'd better do it this time if ever, because one of those two have to be knocked out sooner or later..."
"Attention! Round 6 is about to commence! Please head to the arena everyone!"
"Guess that's our cue..." Leopold and Zion headed out onto the field for the battles. Walking down the halls, they still chatted about what was to come next. "So, Zion, when are you fighting?"
Zion scratched his head. "The fourth battle I think. How about you?"
"Eighth match..." Leopold yawned. "Gives me a little time to see how other battles go before mine I guess..."
Zion put his hand on Leopold's back and smiled. "Just give it your best, buddy!" He took his hand off and ran down a different path to where he'd be fighting. "See ya!"
Leopold smiled at his energetic friend. "I didn't know how we'd get along at first, but Zion is a pretty nice guy." He looked down the hall to his section and stretched. "Now I've got to go..."
============
Breeze watched as the sixth round of the tournament was about to start. She still hadn't been able to see Leopold all match besides when he was fighting, so expressing herself had been hard. "How am I supposed to confess my love for him if I can't even talk to him?!" She sighed. "Just wait for your time, Breeze..."
Breeze had never been good with talking to boys. The only three boys she could even speak to without stuttering were her brother, Peter, Ceil's brother, and one of her childhood friends, Jack. Still, out of all three of them, only one of them had she ever had a crush on...
It was when she was back in a village in the forsaken realm, before her family had become royals... She had always been shy and hid behind people when scared.
"J-Just leave me alone!" On one of the days in the third month of the year, she was being bullied by some of the older kids in the village.
"Little baby! Why don't you fight back?" One of them asked, mockingly.
"Yeah, you're such a wimp!" a second commented.
"J-Just leave me alone, please!" Breeze cried. She was about to start screaming again before someone jumped in front of her.
"Leave her alone, jerks!" It was a blonde haired boy, around her age, and who was standing in the way of the bullies, stick in hand. "Who bullies a girl for no reason anyway? You should be ashamed!"
"And just who are you, kid?" the first bully asked, annoyed.
"I'm Leopold and I'm here to stop you jerks!" the boy yelled. He swung his stick at them and the older boys jumped back.
"Brat!" one of them yelled. "Come on, guys, let's get out of here. This isn't worth our time..." the bullies left in annoyance and for the first time, Breeze felt a feeling of warmth.
The boy named Leopold turned around to face Breeze and smiled. "Are you okay, miss?"
Leopold was the first crush Breeze had ever had and for along time he remained as her one crush. He inspired her to come out with her siblings and their friends, who included Leopold.
But then, something terrible happened...
A fire broke out in the village. Multiple people died, including Leopold and Ceil's parents, as well as burning the whole place to the ground. The only survivors were Breeze's family, Jackand Emeralds family, Ceil, and Leopold. However, Ceil lost her arm and leg while Leopold lost his hand and left eye. After that, Leopold became tough and less warm toward everyone. Soon after Breeze lost her crush on Leopold and the two became distant...
"But now I've found someone else I like and I'm determined to make him mine before something bad happens again!" Breeze thought.
"Oh, Breeze!" Nix called as she ran to Breeze. "I've been looking for you everywhere! Where have you been?!"
Breeze shrugged. "Just thinking..."
Nix nodded. "It's about Leopold, isn't it? You too like him?"
Breeze blushed at Nix's statement. "W-What?! H-how did you know?!"
Nix laughed. "It was pretty obvious." She sighed and looked at the sky. "Still, he seems to far out of reach, don't you think? Getting close to someone like that has to be hard..."
Breeze nodded. "I just wish I could do it..."
===============
After many battles in the current round, it was finally time for Lucas to fight in his. This time he would be going up against his best friend and partner in the Stashin Knights, Leopold Stratus
Lucas Infite was a strange person... He was always super cheery, even when bad times hit. At the age of five years old, his horrid parents abandoned him outside a church. There, Lucas was raised by believers of the Verian faith and established in the Stashin Knights to protect the kingdom.
Even though all of this happened and it put him in a good position, it was never what Lucas wanted. Still, he never complained and always worked his hardest to make things seem good.
That was, until one day at the age of thirteen years old, when Lucas and Leopold's lived changed for the better...
"I can't believe that we're supposed to go slay more monsters again..." Lucas complained. "I mean we're only teenagers and barely that. What do think we are anyway?"
Leopold laughed. "You can't defy the orders of the ones at the top unfortunately... Still, maybe it won't be so bad."
Lucas too laughed. "Maybe. Still, we've been doing this since you first came here at eight years old! Eight! Just why are you sending kids out into battle I want to ask."
Leopold nodded and looked down at his sword. "Who knows. Still, all we have to do is slay a few monsters, right? Let's just get it over with and get some food!"
Lucas smiled. "Okay." The two of them would do things like this often. Chat up a conversation about how bad the knights system was and then go defeat a few monsters that had crawled their way up to the surface.
"I got this one!" Leopold charged at one of the monsters and slashed its stomach wide open. The monsters groaned and fell to the ground, dead. "Phew. That was tiring."
Of the two, Lucas and Leopold, Lucas always saw Leopold as the more talented one. He had insanely high magic, combat skills that were off the charts, and could easily bring everyone together in crucial moments.
Yet... Leopold never once thought of himself that way. In fact, the boy had pretty much always acted as if he was the bottom of the bunch.
When Leopold had first joined the Stashin Knights at only eight years old, Lucas had thought that he wouldn't be someone crucial in his life or in the way things worked. Yet, if it weren't for Leopold, he did know where he would be...
"I got this one!" Lucas called as he slashed at another monster.
"We're making pretty good time today, Lucas." Leopold observed. "A few more of these guys and we can have some steak!"
"Good idea!" Lucas agreed. "I was just thinking-" He was cut off short by something off in the distance. A faint cry of sorts...
"Help me!"
"What was that?" Leopold asked.
Lucas shook his head in unknowingness. "Not sure. Let's check it out!" The two rushed from their location to the call of the cry. Someone had to be in trouble, but from what? Monsters? Traps? What could be the cause. "Guess we'll find out when we arrive..."
As he thought about it, they did indeed arrive at the sign of the call. A girl in a green dress was being attacked by a group of Minotaurs. There was a carriage at the side of the scene, destroyed, with injured knights around it. "An escort? Must be someone important than..."
"Lucas, you're up." Leopold observed.
Lucas nodded. "Right." He took his sword and flew at the Minotaurs. One by one he slew all of them with his weapon and in only a few moments all of the monsters had fled the scene. "Well that was way easier than expected." Lucas turned to look at the girl and smiled. "Are you alright, miss."
The girl looked around Lucas and Leopold's age. Her dress was made out of fine material and he had a dagger of to the side of her, most likely for self defense. "Y-Yeah. Thanks for your assistance."
Lucas looked back and saw that Leopold was examining the knights who had been defeated by the Minotaurs. "They're all knocked out, but not in critical condition." Leopold said.
"Good." Lucas replied. "But if they're knocked out then how should we take care of them?"
Leopold was quite for a moment. "I'm not entirely sure... The carriage is unusable so we can't load them in that, but... Maybe we could leave a message."
"A message?" Lucas asked.
Leopold nodded. "Let them know that we're taking their mistress to their location and they can head there when they awake."
"Seems a little but suspicious for a letter..." Lucas complained.
"If it's from Stashin Knights then it's fine." Leopold assured.
Lucas sighed but agreed with Leopold's plan as he saw there wasn't any other option. "Alright." He turned back to the girl. "Miss, what is your name and where should we take you?"
The girl was quiet for a minute, but then decided to tell the two boys. "My name is Ivory Stashin and I am the Second Princess of Stashin."
"Right Second Princess Ivory Sta- HUH?" Lucas exclaimed out of surprise. "So you're saying you're a royal?!"
The girl nodded. "Yes and I would be grateful if you would take me to my father, sirs." Ivory requested.
"I guess we have no choice since she is a royal, Lucas." Leopold examined. He sighed and looked at the castle in the distance. "Let's go."
After arriving at the castle...
After Lucas and Leopold had made it to the castle and Ivory has gone to meet with her father, the two boys had been requested to stay in the castle for the time being. Leopold has complained the entire time... "Ugh this is the worst! Now I won't get my steak! Why did we have to get involved with this?!" He swished his hair back in annoyance.
"Who knows..." Lucas mumbled. "Nothing we can do about it now though."
Leopold looked over at Lucas and smiled. "Lucas, you're blushing. Do you perhaps have a crush on Princess Ivory?"
Lucas turned an even brighter red and shook his head hard. "N-No! Why would you even say that, Leopold! There is no way I would ever! And besides she is a princess and I'm only an orphan knight!"
Leopold nodded. "That may be the case but who knows... You could come in and be a Prince Charming for her highness like in the books."
Lucas put his head in his hands out of embarrassment. "Man you are the worst, Leo..."
Leopold laughed. "Yeah. I know."
Right then, the door to the throne room opened and someone walked out. He wore a black suit and had an elegant look on his face, so Lucas guessed that he was a servant of the castle. "Right this way, gentlemen."
Lucas and Leopold rose from their seats and walked inside the throne room. Neither of the young boys had ever been in the throne room as only a knight squad captain, which, neither had ever been.
"It's so large..." Leopold observed in awe.
"Agreed. This may be the fanciest room I've ever been in..." Lucas remarked. The room was made of marble and had gold and silver scattered throughout the room. A true kings home...
Inside the room on his throne sat the king of Stashin, Morris Stashin. On his left were his wife and the queen as well as the first and only prince of Stashin. On his right were the first and second princesses of Stashin which included Miss Ivory.
"There she is... What a beauty..."
"Thank you young knights for coming to have this meeting with me." the king started. Both Lucas and Leopold dropped to their knees in respect.
"Of course, your majesty."
The king smiled and called one of his servants over. "Tell me, knights, why did you save my daughter? Was it because she was a princess and you were obligated? Or perhaps because you believe you could get a reward?"
Lucas was the one to respond. "No, sir. Me and my partner heard the cry of someone and decided to investigate. It was only after the battle that we found the person being attacked was Miss Second Princess."
The king nodded. "Very good. I would like to reward you two knights with something." The servant at his side walked to Lucas and Leopold with something in each of his hands. "For the first boy, Leopold Stratus, I would like to reward you with the title of baron as well as two rings to symbolize your deeds." The servant slipped the rings on Leopold's hand as Leopold just looked in awe.
Lucas knew what he was thinking. "Getting a reward from the king for slaying measly monsters isn't an everyday occurrence...
The king continued as his servant walked over to Lucas. "And to the second boy, Lucas Infite, I will also reward you with the title of baron as well as a necklace." The servant grabbed a platinum coated necklace and slipped it on Lucas' neck.
"Wow..."
Both Lucas and Leopold looked at the King of Stashin and bow. "This is an honor, your majesty."
"But I have one more question, young knights..."
Lucas looked back up at the king in confusion. "Ask us something? But we already have our rewards, so what more could he want to give us?"
The king took a deep breath and stared into the boys eyes. "I would like to ask that you two boys be my daughter, Ivory's, personal bodyguards and attendants."
"Huh?!" Lucas gasped. "W-Why us? We're just knight patrol units!"
"Yes, your highness." Leopold chipped in. "We've never even been on the front lines of a battle let alone protected someone of royal status, with all due respect."
The king nodded. "I am fully aware of this. Yet, your skills are much more powerful than that of even a three star class general."
"Is defeating a few Minotaurs really worthy of that kind of praise?!" A three star class general was an average general in the Stashin Kingdom. 1 star meant you had lacking, 2 star meant you were just below average, 3 star was average, 4 stars meant you had extra skills, and 5 star meant you were a master... "But we aren't even close to that of a 1 star general..."
"If it is by your request, then we will fulfill it." Leopold suddenly decided. "Just know that we may not be as skilled as you may think."
The king again smiled. "That will be sufficient."
After that, Lucas and Leopold spent all of their time with the second princess and over time the three became close friends. It would even eventually lead to Lucas and Leopold trying to get Ivory and Lucas together, but that's a story for another time...
"In the present..."
Lucas smiled. "Those were the good old days... But now we have to fight and see who's grown more!" Lucas unsheathed his sword as he faced his best friend.
Leopold smiled. "Let's go, Luke!"
Lucas nodded. "Yeah, Leo..."
"Begin!"