“You put on quite a show out there, you three.”
“Yeah, not everyone’s tenacious enough to survive a match against Princess Sasha.”
“And that ending—whew! I was nearly convinced you’d actually win against her!”
We were in the Academy’s dining hall, a building with such high rafters, anyone would’ve mistaken it for a chapel.
Long, massive tables filled the large space in neat rows, and though I’d never bothered to count, I knew it was big enough to seat at least three hundred, if not more. Everyone in the Academy could gather in the space, so it was usually used for ceremonies, like commencement and graduations.
“Huh?”
The students who’d come to chat as we ate in front of the wall sporting the Saint Marianne’s Affection for the Young Dragon mural were three of the strongest first-years. They were all neatly dressed in the black summoner’s robes mandated by the Academy.
Cyril paused just as he’d been about to slice into his thick serving of steak. “What a pleasant surprise,” he replied as he dabbed at his mouth with a paper napkin on the table.
He delivered his usual aristocratic smile at the brown-haired girl who seemed to be leading the group.
“It’s an honor, Lulua. I’m pleased to hear a team of your caliber was watching our match.”
Though Myfila and I glanced over at them, we left the conversation and visitors to Cyril and turned our attention back to our meals. It was already past three in the afternoon, and we couldn’t help being famished.
“How couldn’t we watch it? There’s no way we would have missed it for the world. You’re full of surprises every match you enter. Since we never know what to expect, it’s always a learning experience. Why, even today was several times more shocking than normal.”
“Our leader is quite enthusiastic about improvising, after all,” Cyril said.
“Ah-ha-ha! Well, he did seem dead set on disrobing the princess and even managed to use the giant in a surprise attack. You’re the first group ever to have held out for a whole hour against her. Why shouldn’t you be proud of that?”
“Should we be? I think some less sympathetic people might tease us for an hour of disgraceful behavior.”
“I’m not so sure. If anyone thinks that was disgraceful, I don’t think we’ll ever have a team at the Academy who could win against the princess. Right, everyone? Don’t you agree, Feil Fonaf?”
When they started to suddenly address me, I didn’t even bother swallowing the food in my mouth as I replied, “Dunno. We just fought the way we could.
“I think we can each decide for ourselves what counts as embarrassin’ or not,” I said.
A short-haired, large-built guy next to the brunette slapped me on the back. “My buddy Feil’s got a different take from everyone else! Guess that’s the wisdom you get being an eighteen-year-old.”
“What—? Gh-Ghol, what’s gotten into you? His age isn’t relevant…”
“Oh, sorry. My bad, Feil,” Ghol said.
“Don’t sweat it,” I said. “Doesn’t bother me at all. It’s the truth. I got into the Academy two years later than everybody else.”