Book 3 Extra 5: Duels are serious business (1/2)
”I can't believe you did this…”
The deadpan yet at the same time scathing words practically echoed in the mostly empty grand hall inside the former headquarters of the Knightly Order of Knightily Knighting Knights. As for why it was demoted to its current, borderline desolate state, it had something to do with the building getting infiltrated by an enigmatic and rather unwelcome guest not too long ago. Since its security was obviously compromised, the Entitled Knights unanimously agreed to vacate the newly established base of operations without even bothering to take the set dressings, such as the flags and the huge round table, with them. As for how they managed to get it into the room in the first place when none of the entrances were even remotely wide enough… that was a mystery for the ages.
That said, it didn't fall completely out of use, as attested by the duo currently in the room. Both of them were wearing their full gear, as usual, including the helmets. Honestly speaking, at this point it would've been stranger if they didn't. They didn't take their seat around the table but stood by the large double doors, and the taller one in the griffon-themed armor was doing his best to facepalm through his visor.
”I panicked, okay?” the girl in the unicorn-helmet sulked with a voice that was once again considerably lower than her natural tone. Why she bothered with the charade even in the company of his fellow Knights was yet another mystery, especially considering she talked normally while in school. Or maybe she was lowering her voice precisely because she was talking to her peers, and was trying to sound more mature and serious? I had no idea, as I couldn't see into her head, but if she was trying to do that, I'd say that sulkily admitting that she messed up wasn't made any more authoritative just by dropping an octave.
”This isn't a trivial matter.” Mr. Griffon spoke with a mixture of disapproval and exasperation that reminded me of an overworked elementary school teacher trying to have a serious discussion with a kid he already knew wouldn't listen. ”Entering into the heart of the Magi's territory was already a questionable decision, but this? An Arbitration is not a tool for resolving sibling quarrels.”
”It's not a simple quarrel. Also, I already told you, but I had to go to the school. It was necessary to inform brother about the threat this Bel of the Abyss represents.”
”Necessary? There are numerous other ways you could've made contact. Insisting on getting directly involved with Leonard's mission was nothing short of foolish.”
”No, it wasn't,” she insisted, all but stomping her feet in the process. ”I enrolled without any complications or raising suspicion, and we talked without anyone else's notice.”
She sounded really earnest, so much so that if someone didn't personally experience her escapades in the school, they would've been inclined to believe her. Luckily for her, Mr. Griffon was one such person, and after a moment of silence that stretched further than the average reader's suspension of disbelief, he exhaled a long, tired breath.
”So you've already warned him?” She nodded, so Mr. Griffon emphasized the question, ”When?”
”On the day I infiltrated the school,” she answered, her choice of words making her enrollment sound considerably more grandiose than it actually was.
”And yet you continued to attend the lessons despite the threat your presence posed to his operation?”
”I… I concluded that retreating right away would've been too suspicious.”
”Is that so?”
”Yes. Since nobody investigated me, it means my cover is still intact, and it was important to keep it so. For Leo's sake.”
Sir Griffon let out an ambivalent grunt and pondered the issue, though it was hard to fathom why. She already taunted Snowy a couple of times, and even without the rest of the group already knowing about her affiliations, she didn't even bother hiding her animosity, so it was incredibly obvious who she was. The only way the man could buy her excuse was if he was completely ignorant of her conduct up to this point. Which he apparently was.
”Your presence is still a liability, but so long as you make sure you wouldn't be connected to him, I suppose his cover would remain intact even if your identity were to be uncovered.”
”Yes. Certainly,” Miss Unicorn agreed with a suspiciously nervous chuckle, and if this was a manga, she'd most likely have one of those oversized sweat drops on her head, even though she was wearing a helmet. It was one of the more baffling artistic shorthands of the medium.
”But back to the original issue,” the man with the griffon helmet changed the topic at once, making the knightess twitch in apprehension. ”Why did you challenge your brother to Arbitration?”
”I... can't tell you the details, but it's very important. Brother made a terrible decision, and this was the only way I could think of for stopping him in the heat of the moment.”
”You can't tell me,” Mr. Griffon echoed her but got no reaction. Since the girl remained silent, he slowly, very deliberately crossed his arms in front of his chest and let out a thoughtful hum. ”It has to be a disagreement that cannot be resolved by words alone, and also something that came about during the time you observed him in the school environment.” He looked the armor-clad girl over from head to toe, and she subtly shrunk back from his furtive gaze. ”Is this related to the Abyssal he's sheltering at his base?”
”Wha... What makes you think that?”
She was as transparent as sheet glass, and the man didn't deem her awkward question worthy of an answer either. Maybe for the better, as he also ceased trying to get more details out of her.
”In any case, your timing is terrible. Between the appearance of this dangerous new element and the coming gathering of the wyrmbloods, we cannot afford either of you getting injured, or worse.”
”I'll… try not to injure him?” she proposed a little weakly, but the man remained completely stoic.
”This is not up to your discretion,” Mr. Griffon practically hissed in response to her comment. ”The rules of Arbitration are clear and concise. So long as both of you have accepted it, unbefitting conduct during combat would risk breaking your Oath.”
”I know…”
Unicorn Girl sounded especially sulky by this point, and after a long silence, the man let out a shallow sigh in resignation.
”Are you sure you want to go through with it? The sixth clause allows the cancellation of Arbitration so long as one side admits their mistake and the other acknowledges their admission in front of at least one witness.”
”I can't back down!” the girl suddenly burst out with an intensity that made her previous sullenness seem like an illusion. ”I can't let brother…! I mean, I have to open his eyes to the truth before he makes a huge, no, enormous mistake that cannot be undone!”
”Is the eye-opening part still in regards to the Abyssal girl?”
”Yes! I mean, no! I mean… among other things?”
”You're making very little sense right now, Penelope.”
Mr. Griffon's comment (presumably) made the girl puff her cheeks in indignation. It was impossible to say for sure due to the helmet, but her body language definitely gave off that impression.
”I'm not making sense!? Tell that to my brother! There are so many perfectly normal girls in that school, so why did he have to pick someone like her?!”
”… Are we still talking about the Abyssal girl?”