"Chirp! Chirp chirp chirp chirp!"
Ignis fluttered around Arthur's face, chirping nonstop as if she had a lot to say.
Arthur, in turn, nodded along, responding as if he understood her every word.
To Akira, this scene was nothing short of comical—
A fat, fluffy chick flapping around, desperately trying to communicate—
And Arthur, completely serious, playing along as if holding an actual conversation.
"If you found her, you should have brought her to . Why did you co by yourself?" Arthur reprimanded the tiny bird.
"Chirp chirp!"
"What do you an, 'that thought didn't even cross your mind'? You're getting dumber by the day."
"Chirp… chirp."
Ignis' tone dampened, her chirps sounding less enthusiastic.
Arthur sighed, relenting.
"Alright, alright. No need to make that face. Just guide to them."
As he spoke, he caught sight of Akira, standing frozen with her mouth agape.
He raised an eyebrow.
"What's with you?"
Akira blinked, her shock still evident.
"Y-You… can actually understand her?"
"Of course."
"How? I've never heard of soone being able to talk with their familiar like that!"
Arthur shrugged casually.
"Maybe I'm just special."
Akira narrowed her eyes. "That's not an answer."
But Arthur just smirked, refusing to elaborate.
Seeing she wasn't going to get an explanation, Akira gave up and changed the topic.
"So… where are we going now? What did she even tell you?"
Arthur grinned.
"Oh, she found my other friend. Alicia. You know her, right? She sits just ahead of you in class."
Akira nodded. "Yeah, I know her."
"Great. We're heading to her now."
Akira tilted her head slightly.
"Are you close with her?"
Arthur's grin widened.
He leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper right next to her ear.
"Very, very close."
Then, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, he added—
"I know her inside and out."
Akira froze.
The underlying aning hit her instantly.
Her face turned bright red.
For the next few minutes, a thick silence settled between them.
Arthur, clearly amused, walked ahead in a good mood.
anwhile, Akira, still flustered, stayed quiet—her mind running wild with the implications.
Ignis perched atop Arthur's head, flapping her tiny wings to point the way forward.
They effortlessly cut down any monsters they encountered along the way.
Even when ambushed by students attempting to steal their points, Arthur subdued them with ease—but he chose not to eliminate them from the expedition.
This puzzled Akira, and she couldn't hold back her question.
"Why aren't you knocking them out of the competition? We could give them a taste of their own dicine and take their points. It's way easier than hunting down monsters."
Arthur laughed.
"Wow. And here I thought you were smart when I first saw you in class—cold, dignified, the 'pride of the Frost family.'"
He sighed dramatically.
"Turns out, you're just a weirdly talkative idiot."
Akira's face turned red with anger.
"Who are you calling an idiot?! I ranked seventh in the intelligence assessnt!"
Arthur snorted.
"Book smarts don't an real intelligence. The real test is applying your brain in the real world."
Akira crossed her arms. "Hmph. Then explain, genius."
Arthur smirked.
"Right now, we're being trained to be future warriors, right?"
"...Yeah?"
"Then shouldn't a warrior understand their role? A warrior's first duty is to protect their own. Our true enemies are the demons."
Akira frowned slightly. "So… what are you getting at?"
Arthur sighed again, shaking his head.
"You still don't get it? If warriors aren't supposed to harm their own, why would we get more points for eliminating fellow students?"
Akira's eyes widened slightly.
Arthur grinned, seeing her confusion.
"Think about it. If eliminating others was really encouraged, we'd be rewarded for it. Instead, we'd actually get penalized."
Realization dawned on Akira's face.
"Then why did the instructor make it seem like we could?"
Arthur chuckled.
"It was a trap, obviously. A test to see who's dumb enough to turn on their own allies."
Then, with a playful smirk, he added—
"Otherwise, with how annoying you were at the start, I would've eliminated you the mont we t."
Akira huffed, ignoring the last comnt—
But deep down, she couldn't deny that his reasoning made sense.
Arthur, who had been walking in silence, suddenly grabbed Akira's wrist.
"Huh?! What are you—"
Before she could finish, he yanked her toward him.
Hweek-! Hweek-!
Two arrows whizzed past, embedding themselves into the ground where she had just been standing.
Akira's eyes widened in shock.
"Uh? Uh—?"
STAGGER—! THUD!
"Kya!"
She lost her balance and fell straight onto her butt.
Akira winced, rubbing her sore backside, her eyes watering slightly.
She glared up at Arthur.
"If you're gonna pull soone, at least hold them properly so they don't fall!"
Arthur chuckled.
"My bad. I figured you'd yell at if I hugged you without permission."
Akira huffed, cheeks puffing up in frustration.
"Falling like this makes even angrier!"
Arthur grinned.
"Noted. Next ti, I'll be sure to catch you properly."
"Hmph! No need! I could've just blocked it with a shield spell!" she muttered, sulking.
Then, in a softer voice, she added—
"...Well, thanks anyway."
Arthur smirked lightly.
"No problem."
But before they could continue, an irritated voice rang out—
"Shit!"
A group of five students erged from the bushes, their faces twisted in frustration.
"Tch! We missed our chance to take down Akira Frost!"
Akira's expression darkened as she stepped forward.
The examinees flinched, suddenly nervous.
But instead of attacking, she crossed her arms and spoke coldly—
"If you don't want to fight… then cooperate."
The students blinked in confusion.
"...What?"
They exchanged bewildered glances—completely caught off guard by her unexpected proposal.
"Nah, we're fine. We don't need won in our party. They're just a burden! Hahaha!"
"What?"
Akira's expression darkened at the mocking words.
The one who seed to be the leader grinned smugly.
"There's only two of you, right? That ans we've got the advantage."
"Yeah! Even if you're from so fancy Hero family, you're still the sa age as us!"
"You're just scared! That's why you're trying to negotiate."
Seeing Akira stumble earlier had boosted their confidence.
"You must've racked up a ton of points by now. If we take you out, they'll all be ours!"
"That's right! Let's do this!"
The group stepped forward, preparing for battle.
Akira gritted her teeth, ready to respond—
But before she could, Arthur interrupted.
"No need for this bullshit. Talking won't change anything."
His voice was calm but laced with annoyance.
Akira glanced at him, frustration flashing in her eyes.
Arthur simply drew his sword.
"If they want a fight, let's give them one. I'm only tolerant when it cos to girls."
Akira snorted.
"The way you put that sounds so weird."
Arthur grinned.
"But it can't be helped." Akira sighed, raising her wand.
As she prepared for battle, Arthur turned to her.
"I'll handle them myself."
"What?" Akira blinked.
"It'd be a waste to use mana on trash like this."
"Are you serious? They're not brainless monsters."
"Trust . Just sit back and watch."
Akira crossed her arms, unimpressed.
"Heh. If you get caught, don't expect to save you."
Despite her cold words, deep down, she knew she'd step in if things got dangerous.
"Because I have to pay off the debt of being saved."
Akira clenched her wand tightly, watching as Arthur faced off against the arrogant students.
anwhile, their expressions twisted in anger.
"Are you looking down on us?"
"You think you can take us all on by yourself?"
Arthur simply smirked. "Yeah. Nice eting you guys."
"You bastard!"
One of the students, unable to tolerate the insult, imdiately pulled his bowstring.
PHEW—!
An arrow shot toward Arthur, but it lacked aura.
The archer must've thought conserving energy was the smart move.
'If he dodges, there'll be an opening. That's when we'll end this—'
SNAP—!
"!?"
Arthur caught the arrow mid-flight and casually snapped it in half.
"This isn't the ti to hold back." His tone was calm, almost mocking.
The archer froze in disbelief.
"T-That's impossible! He caught it with his bare hands?!"
But before the shock could settle—
WHOOSH!
Arthur rushed forward.
"Damn it! Stop him!"
The remaining students swung their weapons from all directions, trying to cut off his movent.
Arthur weaved through their attacks with ease, his body moving with a fluidity that made it seem as though he had eyes in the back of his head.
"Surround him!"
Their formation shifted, but their focus wasn't entirely on Arthur anymore.
'Perfect.'
CLANG—! CRACK—!
A sword shattered. A pained grunt followed.
Arthur, moving lightning-fast, delivered a precise punch to an opponent's face.
BAM—!
The student aiming for Arthur's blind spot stumbled back, wide-eyed.
"H-He dodged my attack?!"
Arthur didn't hesitate.
WHOOSH—!
THUD—!
"Guaaak!"
A powerful kick to the ribs sent another one tumbling to the ground.
"Damn it! Use aura!"
But it was already too late.
Arthur systematically dismantled their entire group.
From the sidelines, Akira watched in awe.
Her breath hitched, her grip tightening on her wand.
"How the hell is he moving like that without mana?"
Although she was primarily a mage, Akira trained in physical combat to pursue her goal of becoming a Battle Mage.
She could recognize true skill when she saw it.
Arthur wasn't just strong. His movents were calculated, precise—dangerous.
Her heart pounded in her chest.
'C-Cool—'
Akira's eyes widened.
Then realization struck, and her face flushed red.
'No! He's soone else's man! Wake up, Akira! You're better than this!'
She quickly shook her head, trying to snap herself out of it.
But despite her efforts, she couldn't take her eyes off him.
anwhile, Arthur finished his business.
He didn't eliminate the students—just beat them to a pulp.
A storm of punches and kicks rained down on them before they collapsed, groaning in pain.
After ensuring they wouldn't be getting up anyti soon, Arthur turned back to Akira.
He smirked.
"What? Were you entranced by my strength?"
Akira choked on her own breath.
"C-Cough! It's nothing like that!" she snapped, turning away.
Arthur chuckled.
"Let's just go!" Akira hurried ahead, desperate to escape the situation.
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