"What took you so long?" Frann was waiting at the gates of the academy, sporting an outfit perfect for what we were doing today.
"I arrived in time though..."
"No. You clearly told me that after I finished with my special classes we'd meet up to train on the arena" she pouts as she angrily starts poking my chest with her fingers.
I complained about the, exagerated, pain I felt as she continued poking me
"This is your punishment for making me wait"
"Maybe you arrived earlier than everyone" a male voice coming from the third prince of the Raychmen kingdom objected Fran as he arrived with his bodyguard.
"Tch" she crossed her arms and stared daggers at the two guys that just arrived "I told you that only me and Alen were enough"
Theo flinched at her meanacingly tone "I-I was against it remember? It was Cecil that wanted to train with you both" he quickly made his way behind his trusted bodyguard.
"After mr. Alen proposed princess Von Themys to train to make up for the lost days, I just couldn't hold myself from also wanting to be a part of it" he explained as he calmly crossed his arms.
"Whatever, at least you can be of use to us" she was the first to start walking to the arena.
"Let's go to the sixth arena. No one goes there so we won't be bothered while we train" that is if Crowbell isn't having his alone time there.
"Wasn't that the place that made you end up getting hurt?" The prince asked knowing the bad reputation that arena holds.
"I got hurt not because of the arena, but from my class with teacher Crowbell"
"I told you that class is for weird people" Fran scoffed as she kept walking ahead of us.
"It definetely is for weirdoes, I'm the only one who took that class after all"
"Well... you're no weirdo..." I could see her eard becoming a faint shade of pink as she lowered her tone with every next word.
"That class must be only for masochists that like being tortured" the blonde prince joked with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Wh-what!? Don't say that!" She finally turned around, her cheeks red as she pointed at Theo.
"I mean... he's not wrong though" attending that class is only for people that can withstand suffering.
"Heek!" She quickly turned back around and started covering her face with her long fluffy hair "I didn't know you liked that..."
"What happened there anyways mr. Alen?"
"Well..." I'd prefer it if we avoided this topic "Training got too intense" that vague answer is probably enough for now.
"And are you leaving that class?"
"No. I personally think that it's a class that fits me the best"
"As I said, it's a class for masochists"
As soon as the prince said that I could see how Fran flinched a bit.
I simply just laughed as I noticed the entrance to the arena, next to it there was a sign with a big number six on it.
I heard all three of my parters for today let out surprised exclamations like "This place is so clean" and "There're a nice variety of weapon's here"
Since we were all already changed into our sports uniforms, we wasted no time and quickly began to grab our preferred weapons.
I chose small wooden knives, Cecil chose a wooden sword. But I was intrigued by what weapon will Fran take.
Since you couldn't recruit her and she ended up becoming a monster by the time you fight her near the end of the game, her weapon remained a mistery for the community.
A wooden lance was the weapon she picked, she started warming up with it and I could see from her elegant and refined movements just how much she must have trained with that weapon type.
"And you, crybaby prince. What weapon are you using?" Fran asked to a Theo that was sitting on the stands with his arms crossed.
"Do you seriously think I'll participate on this feral activity? This is why I call you a barbarian" he answered to Fran's question with sarcasm while he got comfortable where he is sitting right now.
At his sarcastic way of answering, Fran threw her wooden lance at him, piercing the seat that was next to his.
"Tch, I aimed closer... Alen, you'll help me train my aiming skills" she grabbed another lance.
"Wh-what are you doing, you troglodyte!? You almost killed me!!" The scared prince was trembling and sweating from his near death experience.
"Be greatful that I missed" she huffed as she walked towards me.
"Hahaha. You should see your face right now my liege" te ever so calm Cecil was taking all of this as a joke.
"Why are you not defending me against that uncivilized princess, Cecil?" With an angry expression but still scared, he pointed at his carefree bodyguard with a fonger that wouln't stop shaking.
"Despite what she said, she wasn't intending on actually harming you my liege"
"And what makes you think I wouldn't?" Fran looked at the calm swordsman with a cold, defiant tone.
"If you actually aimed at my lord, I would've stopped it with no problems" Cecil uncharacteristically smirked, also clhallenging the princess.
An electrifying stare contest between the two started, the cold, deadly stare of the villainess and the calm smirk of the strongest first year challenged eachother.
They actually gripped their weapons, ready to jump at eachother at any moment.
"Snowfall of the north that covers both land and the tallest mountiains, envelop my weapon with your body and allow me to taint you in the blood-red color of my enemies"
They both chanted a strong spell
"[Snow Infusion]"
They both yelled at the same time, enveloping their weapons on a sharp ice, strong enough to easily break stone.
They both jumped at eachother and began a flurry of quick and strong attacks.
Fran's fighting style seemed more like an elegant dance, waiting for a chance to land counterattacks and sneaky hits where her opponent wouldn't expect them.
In contrast, Cecil's style was a much more orthodox way of fighting, he almost looked like a robot.
Cecil's biggest affinity is with ice magic, also having really good water and an okay electric affinity.
Meanwhile, I only know of Fran's ice affinity as she ended up turning herself into an ice monster that could freeze the entire world.
Because of the lack of a designated ring to fight in and restrict fighter's movements, they started to run all around the arena.
"Surging electricity, strike the enemies that surround me"
"[Jolt]"
A tier two electric spell!
It caused a small expansive wave to extend around Cecil.
"Akh" since Fran was close enough when he casted that spell, she got hit by it, paralyzing her for an instant.
But in that small instant, Cecil slashed in front of him with enough force to send Fran flying back.
She pierced her lance to the ground to stop herself.
"Iceborn soldiers, attack from below" using the fact that she got sent flying back, creating a distance between her and the swordsman, she chanted her spell.
"[Ice Stalagmite]"
Sharp ice peaks started forming under our feet. That spell works on a radius, a radius of wich the quick incantation doesn't reach Cecil.
There was a moment of silence, that was being constantly interrupted by the sound of the frigid peaks spreading it's icy wind around them.
"[Iceball]"
The noise caused by those ice stalagmites made it so we couldn't hear Fran who casted a spell.
The iceball was catapulted into the air, curving as it started to fall where Cecil was standing. But that wasn't the main attack.
That iceball was only a distraction. I stopped looking upwards, lowering my view to find that the ice stalagmites that surrounded Fran where broken on the side that pointed at Cecil. And moving my head sideways I saw Fran, charging with her lance in front of her.
Cecil noticed too late what his opponent's plan was, getting hit on his chest by Fran's charge.
Cecil, now on his knees, holding himself with his sword and struggling to stand up, looked at Fran who was slowly approaching him.
He got up with difficulty, as recieving that surprised attack damaged him more than he expected.
"I concede this round" he admitted deafeat, respectfully bowing to the winner.
"Hmph" she crossed her arms, looking to the side while pridefully smiling.
"Impossible! Cecil couldn't have lost to you" a surprised Theo made his way down to where we all are.
"A lowly noble such as you wouldn't understand the difference between our strength" she coldly replied to a very important prince of a very important kingdom
"I'm not a lowly noble! I'm the third prince of the Raychmen kingdom" the important prince of the important kingdom angrily replied.
"Hahaha, doesn't this disrespect make you want to fight for your honor my liege"
"Wha-no, that's your mission..." he got red thanks to his bodyguard's remark.
"One that I'm happy to be a part of" he calmly said as the prince helped him from falling down.
"If you can't even win against that barbarian of a princess, then you should try harder" he huffed once he didn't need to hold Cecil.
"That was a nice plan" I complimented Fran with a smile.
She got red and her prideful stance quickly became a more shy one "Ahah... yes... th-that's what you'd expect from me, keep praising me peasant"
"Casting two tier two spells is crazy, no wonder you are second on our class" I did as she told me "And those movements were incredibly smooth and elegant"
"A-aha" she kept getting redder with each praise I said "Th-that's right" she laughed and turned around "Th-that's enough, I-I've had my fill of..." she paused for a second "N-nothing, you can stop now"
"It's a shame I didn't get to join in on the fight though. I was too entertained to interfere"
"You should've just entered mr. Alen, that fight would've been even better with you in it"
"Yes, I also wanted to test myself on you"
"What do you mean by that?" Theo added.
"A..." she paused and thought for a second. Then she got red and threw a deadly glare at the blonde guy that caused this "It's none of your bussiness"
Theo flinched and hid behind Cecil.
Cecil began clapping "Why don't we go for a round two?"
"So quick!"
"See what I had to train with" I told Fran, remembering my frist day in Zagressa's class.
___________