Chapter Two – Vulgar Display of Power
After their 'Orienteering Exercise' in the Old Schoolhouse, Class VII left the building and discovered it was now evening. The students had been down in the basement for almost five hours, even though it didn't feel like it to them.
Once everyone was topside, Instructor Sara showed them where they would be staying during their time at Thors, and it came as a surprise to everyone to learn the campus had a third dormitory established, just for the members of Class VII.
The building had been used as an old storehouse for things the school couldn't keep on the main campus, but with the establishment of Class VII, it was renovated into living quarters for the students. The first floor was a shared space, where the students could all sit and socialise, and have their meals, thanks to the adjacent dining room that had a long wooden table set out, with more than enough space for the ten students and Instructor Sara.
The second floor had rooms all prepared and was the boys' floor. The girls were on the floor above them, along with Instructor Sara. Once the students had gotten settled in their rooms, they all met downstairs and had their first meal together as a class. It certainly wasn't the most pleasant of meals, however.
The atmosphere was still tense, with Machias and Jusis still at odds, and Alisa still mad at Rean for the incident on the Old Schoolhouse. While it didn't necessarily bother him, Cyrus could feel the odd glare from Machias every now and again, and that Laura was just waiting for an opportunity to ask him about what happened during the confrontation with Iglute Garmr, the gargoyle that had attacked them at the end of the basement.
"Laura..." Cyrus muttered, as he put down his knife and fork. "Are you going to speak, or just stare at me all evening?"
Laura swallowed the food she was eating, and started coughing when she didn't swallow it properly. "Ahem... I apologise, but I'm not sure what you're getting at."
"Come now, Laura, you've been staring at me since we sat down, and you've got a look on your face that practically screams 'I need to know', so come on... Out with it," Cyrus looked at Laura, whose face went red, and he started grinning.
"It's nothing important, but if you insist..." Laura muttered, as she cleared her throat. "We all know you are an Expert of the Vander School of Swordsmanship, but after the way you fought today, and how you dealt with that fiend, I think I speak for everyone when I say 'Who exactly taught you'?"
"Ah, I did wonder when this conversation would happen," Cyrus chuckled before he became serious and looked directly at Instructor Sara, remembering their brief chat in the Old Schoolhouse. "Matteus Vander was my Master."
That got everyone talking. Viscount Matteus Vander was the Head of the Vander School, and a General in the Imperial Army. Not only that, but Matteus Vander was also the personal bodyguard for the Emperor of Erebonia; Eugent Reise Arnor III.
"The Thunder God was your teacher?!" Rean cried, obviously shocked by this revelation.
"Indeed. In fact, I spent a year training under him at Valflame Palace once upon a time. Oh, that must have been, what, seven years ago now?" Cyrus tapped his chin, trying to remember when it had happened.
"WHAT?!" Class VII shouted in unison.
"What? Master Matteus saw great potential in me, and wanted to oversee my training more directly than just at the training hall in Heimdallr. At least, that's what he told me," Cyrus shrugged.
"How are you acting like this isn't a big deal?! You were trained by the legendary Thunder God, and visited Valflame Palace for your training!" Alisa exclaimed.
"Visited? No, Alisa, I didn't just visit, I lived there for a year." Cyrus looked at Alisa with a confused look as he spoke.
The entire dining room fell silent after hearing that. It was so quiet, off in the distance, you could hear the children playing in Trista Park. No-one dared speak. In fact, everyone's response was identical, even Instructor Sara's; mouth agape, staring at Cyrus.
"You... You lived at the Imperial Palace?" Jusis asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper.
"Look, guys, can we change the subject, please? All this talk of myself is making me feel a little uncomfortable," Cyrus sighed as he stood up.
Laura realised that she, along with the rest of Class VII were intruding on Cyrus' personal life when they were little more than strangers to him, decided to change the subject.
"Oh, Rean, you're a practitioner of the Eight Leaves One Blade School, are you not? Tell me, what's that like?" Laura asked, looking across the table to Rean.
'Heh... Thank you, Laura...' Cyrus thought as he cleared his plate from the table.
As the members of Class VII started getting to know each other better, Cyrus realised that they were all from different walks of life. While he, Laura, and Rean were swordsmen, they all began their training under different schools. Jusis was trained in the Noble Art of Court Fencing, and Gaius was well versed with a spear, thanks to his upbringing in Nord.
Each student had a different reason for being at Thors too. Alisa's was by far the one that stood out to Cyrus though. She had told the class that she was doing it to 'defy her mother'. Normally, Cyrus would think this was a petty undertaking, but there was something about Alisa that made him curious. To him, it seemed that Alisa was happy that she had defied her mother's wishes to attend Thors, and that in and of itself was something he'd like to know more about.
The following day was the official start of the school year at Thors. Classes had commenced, and with it, Class VII's first year at the prestigious military academy. The days would start and end with Homeroom, which was led by Instructor Sara, who was also the Combat and Practical Skills Instructor. The first day's Homeroom would have been led by Sara, had she not overslept and turned up almost half an hour late.
Aside from Sara, there were several other Instructors at Thors who would be teaching Class VII for the rest of their classes.
History was led by a rather eccentric man by the name of Thomas Lysander. A rather goofy but jolly man who displayed a strong love of both history and literature. His classes were far from mundane and boring, as the man always had something bizarre and exciting to talk about. At least, it was exciting to him.
If Instructor Thomas was the eccentric and 'exciting' teacher at Thors, then the teacher for Political Economics was the complete opposite. Vice Principal Heinrich was the dullest, most boring teacher at Thors. He was also a complete hardarse. He would simply read things from a textbook, in monotone, and then ask a question that was tangential to the topic, only so he could berate the student who got it wrong, and accused them of 'not listening and being indifferent about society'. No student was safe from his scathing tirades; not even Jusis Albarea.
Military Science was taught by Instructor Neithardt; a Major of the Imperial Army's legendary Fourth Armoured Division. Neithardt was everything one would expect from an Imperial Army Major; strict, but fair, extremely punctual, and he would take great pride in his work, no matter what it was.
The Instructor of Orbal Science and Biology was a man simply known as Makarov. He probably had a last name, but he was likely just too lazy to tell anyone what it was. Out of all the Instructors, Makarov was definitely the most laid back, but unlike Instructor Sara, he would actually do his work, instead of slacking off.
For the first day, things had been pretty intense for Class VII. However, they managed to make it through the day without too much trouble. They had just finished their final class of the day and were on the way back to their Homeroom to officially wrap up the first day of school.
"The Instructors here are... Interesting," Elliot chuckled.
"Yeah, who would have thought the Vice Principal would rebuke Jusis like that? I don't think anyone has ever spoken to him that way in his life. The look on his face was priceless," Machias laughed.
"The man is an imbecile. Why the bloody hell was he droning on about Imperial Transportation Act if he was just going to ask a question on the Financial Transactions Act?! But it wouldn't have happened if someone wasn't muttering inane comments under their breath every five minutes," Jusis growled, looking at Machias.
"Ok, let's not get into a fight now, please? The school day is almost over, and once it is, you two lovebirds can argue all you want until bedtime," Cyrus laughed.
"Be silent!" Jusis shouted.
"Shut up!" Machias yelled.
Cyrus merely laughed at the two boys for reacting the same way. "Aww, look! You're even sharing similar thoughts!"
As Class VII walked through the halls of the main building, they found a group of Noble students coming their way. Machias inwardly groaned as he saw the white uniforms.
"Oh, look, more Nobles. Is it time for 'High Tea' in the parlour already?" Machias asked mockingly, using a smarmy posh accent to emphasise his displeasure.
"Dude, seriously? Can you not go five minutes without insulting the Nobility?" Cyrus asked, sighing heavily.
"Hold on, I recognise that voice..." A female student from the group of Nobles spoke, upon hearing Cyrus as the two classes passed in the hall. "Cyrus?"
"Heh, I shouldn't be surprised..." Cyrus stopped the moment he heard the girl speak. He recognised the voice of the girl who had spoken, and started to grin.
When Cyrus turned around, he found himself looking at a young girl with long purple hair. Even with the white uniform, it was obvious to tell she was a Noble. The young girl stood looking at Cyrus for a few seconds before she started smiling widely.
"Cyrus! It really is you!" The girl cried as she ran over to Cyrus.
"Hey, Ferrie! It's so good to see you again!" Cyrus laughed as the girl hugged him.
"Wait, what's going on here?" Rean asked, blinking in shock.
"It seems they know each other... I wonder how?" Gaius muttered.
"It's not uncommon for Noble families to arrange marriages between other Noble families when their children are still young. This is probably Cyrus' fiancée, given how close they are," Jusis concluded, as he looked at the two who were sharing a hug, nodding as he did so.
"F-f-f-f-f-fiancée?!" Alisa and Emma cried simultaneously.
"Whoa, hold on to your horses there, Little Duke," Cyrus responded as he attempted to clear up the confusion Jusis had inadvertently caused. "This isn't my fiancée. This is Ferris!"
"Ferris? You mean, Ferris Florald?!" Machias exclaimed. "Daughter of Count Florald?!"
Upon hearing the blatantly obvious statement, Cyrus rolled his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "No, Machias, Ferris Florald of the Hyarms Family... Yes, Ferris Florald of the Florald Family... Dumbarse."
"Ok, I get it... No need to be such a dick about it..." Machias muttered.
"Hey! I'm not just Ferris Florald, you know!" Ferris scowled, looking at Cyrus.
"Of course not. Ferrie here is also my cousin," Cyrus stated, which stunned everyone.
"WHAT?!"
"Ok, you guys need to stop doing that every time I reveal something about me, because it's gonna get to the point where you're gonna have a goddamn aneurysm when you learn other stuff about me," Cyrus shook his head.
"How are you two cousins?!" Alisa cried, still trying to process everything.
"Uhh, we're related?" Ferris responded in a sarcastic, condescending manner.
"We understand that much, but since you don't share the same surnames, I would imagine your related through someone's mother?" Laura asked.
"Actually, we're related through both our mothers. They're sisters, so that means Ferrie and I are first cousins," Cyrus explained.
"Oh, does Vincent know you're here?! I'm sure he would be delighted to see you again, Cyrus!" Ferris smiled, and somehow managing to completely ignore the rest of Class VII, much to the annoyance of Alisa.
"Oh, that's right... Vinnie is a Second Year here. Has he changed at all since I last saw him?" Cyrus asked.
"Hmph, no. He's still the same narcissistic arse he's always been." Ferris scowled and shook her head.
"Of course... I would imagine Sariffa has her hands full with him then, trying to find a bride, only to be harshly shut down by the girl he tried to 'tempt'?" Cyrus laughed, but he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Do you think you can talk to him? I'm sure Vincent would take on board what you say, more than he would me or Sariffa," Ferris asked.
"I can't make any promises, but I'll at least have a chat with Vinnie the next time I see him," Cyrus nodded, patting Ferris' head softly.
"Thank you. I know it'd mean a lot to Mother and Father if you did," Ferris smiled.
"Eh, well, family is family. It's one of the most important things you have in life... Too bad someone in my family doesn't seem to agree," Cyrus shrugged, shaking his head slightly.
"As lovely as this little 'family reunion' is, we should probably be going, don't you think so, Cyrus?" Alisa spoke up, causing Cyrus to turn around.
"Oh, yeah, right. I'll see you later, ok Ferrie?" Cyrus smiled, as he gave his cousin a farewell hug.
"Hmph, fine... I'll see you later, Cyrus," Ferris sighed as she wrapped her arms around Cyrus' waist.
"Wow, I didn't know you were related to the Floralds!" Elliot whispered as Class VII left to return to their homeroom class.
"Yeah, well, like I said, our mothers are sisters, so... In fact, you'd be forgiven for thinking Ferrie and Vinnie were actually my mother's children instead, as they look so much like her," Cyrus laughed.
"Hmm, I get the feeling she doesn't like me much..." Alisa muttered, thinking back to how Ferris had spoken to her.
"No, that's just how she is with people she doesn't know; especially other girls. Don't ask me why, but she's just like that. The only one who she isn't like that to is my sister. She definitely holds her in high regard, despite her rather blunt attitude and nature." Cyrus sighed as he shook his head.
"Who, Ferris or your sister?" Gaius asked.
"Both, actually," Cyrus chuckled.
The conversation came to an abrupt end when they entered their homeroom class and found Sara there, already waiting for them. When she saw Class VII, she smiled and waved.
"Hello, everyone! How was your first day?" Sara asked, as the class took their seats.
The class responded with their own replies of 'fine', 'ok', and 'alright, I guess'. As they all sat down, they noticed Sara's smile hadn't vanished, and it was starting to worry them.
"Umm, why are you smiling like that for, Instructor?" Emma asked.
"What? Can't an Instructor just be happy her students are having a good time?" Sara asked.
"No, because none of us said we were having 'a good time'," Jusis scoffed.
"Yeah, and a smile like that means you have something you want to tell us," Rean added.
"Huh, nothing gets past you guys, does it?" Sara laughed. "Very well, I do have something exciting to share with you."
The moment Sara said she had something 'exciting' for them, all of Class VII tensed up. If her little 'surprise' from yesterday was anything to go by, then the students were right to be on edge.
"Please don't let it be another 'orienteering exercise'..." Elliot mumbled, praying to Aidios.
"Huh, well this should be good," Fie shrugged. She had apparently already accepted Sara and her bizarre surprises.
"Starting from tomorrow, everyone gets to choose which school club to join!" Sara declared jovially.
"Huh?!" Class VII responded in unison after spending a few seconds processing what they heard.
"Oh, school clubs are great! It's a chance for you guys to get to know the other students at Thors, both First and Second Years!" Sara explained.
Everyone looked around, almost as if they were silently deciding who was going to ask the next question. After a few seconds, Laura stood up.
"Do you know what kind of clubs are offered here, and if participation is mandatory?" Laura looked at Sara expectantly.
"There's plenty of clubs for you guys to join; Cooking, Music, Art, Riding, Fencing, Swimming... And there's also Chess and Literature for those of you who don't enjoy physical things, or using your hands!" Sara smiled widely.
"Really? Is that how you really want to phrase that last bit?" Cyrus asked, narrowing his eyes at Sara.
"Oh, sure! There's nothing wrong with people who don't like that stuff!" Sara giggled.
"Is she ok?" Alisa leaned over to Laura and whispered.
Laura could only shrug. She didn't know Sara well enough to know if behaviour like this was out of the ordinary for her. Cyrus, on the other hand, stood up and walked up to Sara.
"Hey, what are you–?" Machias began, but was silenced when Cyrus approached Sara, who backed up into the chalkboard.
Cyrus pressed a hand against the chalkboard and leaned in to Sara, which made it look like he was whispering something in her ear. The scene looked incredibly intimate, which caused an uproar in the room.
"Wh-what the hell are you doing?!" Alisa cried.
"Whoa... He's really bold... I mean, that's our teacher!" Elliot gasped.
"Is this some kind of Erebonian custom I am unfamiliar with?" Gaius asked.
"It most certainly isn't!" Machias shouted. "Just what the hell are you playing at?!"
"Hmph, just as I suspected... You're drunk," Cyrus scoffed and stood back, putting some distance in between himself and Sara.
"What?!" Emma cried.
"You cannot be serious," Jusis muttered.
"No, she's definitely drunk," Cyrus stated as he turned to the class and looked at them with a serious face.
Upon closer inspection, Class VII realised Cyrus was right; Instructor Sara was drunk. Her eyes were glazed, her arms were hanging limply at her sides, and she still had that stupid grin on her face that only a drunkard would have.
"Pssh, no I'm not! I only had... Uh, let's see... One, two, three..." Sara muttered, staggering as she walked forward. "Seven! Seven beers!"
"Seven beers?! Have you completely lost your mind?!" Machias shouted, slamming his fists on the table as he shot out of his seat.
"Whoo... I totally forgot you guys do Homeroom before and after your classes start for the day. That's wild," Sara giggled as she ignored Machias' outburst and sat down at her desk and started slouching in her chair.
"I... I don't even know what to say..." Laura mumbled, still reeling from the events that had transpired.
"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm not staying in a class with a teacher who is heavily inebriated. I'm going back to the dorms," Jusis shrugged, stood up, and made his way over to the door.
"Jusis, wait a – aaaaaannnnnd, he's gone," Alisa groaned as she stood up to try and stop Jusis. "Oh, now what do we do?"
"You think it's just alright for us to leave? What would we say if another teacher sees us? We can't just say our Instructor is drunk; she'll get fired for sure!" Elliot exclaimed.
Cyrus turned back to Sara, who was slumped in her chair, giggling at something she thought she could see on the ceiling, and starting rifling through the drawers in her desk.
"The fact she's here means she never left the room since her last class, which means... Found it," Cyrus smirked, as he found what he was looking for.
As Cyrus opened the last drawer, he saw a few beer bottles roll towards the front. They were unopened, and among them were seven opened and empty bottles, which he took out and lined up on the desk.
"Heh, looks like she wasn't kidding after all... And the fact she was able to hide them so quickly in that state is impressive." Fie muttered, grinning ever so slightly.
"What do you mean?" Machias asked.
"She said she forgot we had Homeroom at the end of the school day, which means she was likely in here, drinking by herself. She wasn't expecting us, so when we opened the door to the classroom, she would have had literal seconds to put those away and act like she was expecting us," Rean explained, looking at the empty bottles, and the drunken lump that was his Instructor.
Everyone sat there for a few seconds, trying to process all the information they had just heard. After a while, Machias managed to finally speak.
"Wow, that is impressive – hey, now just hold on a second! Our Instructor is drunk while class is still in session! This is a serious issue!" Machias yelled, knocking his chair over as he stood up.
"Looks like we're not gonna be getting anything more out of her today. Look," Cyrus sighed as he pointed at Sara; she had fallen asleep and was now snoring in her chair.
Elliot grimaced at the sight of Sara sleeping off her drunkenness. Alisa sighed loudly, Laura shook her head, and Gaius simply remained passive.
"This is bad, you guys... What do we do?" Elliot asked, looking around him, hoping someone would answer his question.
"Maybe we should just wait in here and let her sleep it off?" Gaius suggested.
"I know what to do, but I need you all to leave the classroom immediately, and if you can, try and get the Vice Principal to come here," Cyrus stated as he opened one of the bottles and beer and consumed it.
"Now what are you doing?! You're a minor; you aren't allowed to drink!" Alisa cried.
"No, I'm not, I'm eighteen. I can drink if I want to, and this is all part of my plan, now hurry up and get the hell out of here!" Cyrus snapped as he put the empty beer bottle on the table next to the others.
"I like this guy. He knows how to have fun," Fie smirked as she watched Cyrus open the next bottle.
"C'mon you guys, I think we should do as Cyrus says..." Rean mumbled as he stood up and left the classroom. "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"
"Nah, yeah, nah, I got it. Just leave it to me!" Cyrus grinned, giving Rean a thumbs up, which swayed a little. "Whoa, how strong are these things...? 'Tactical Nuclear Penguin Beer'…? Thirty-two percent?! For a beer?! By Aidios, this woman is a damn alcoholic!"
The rest of Class VII quickly got up and left, all of them with mixed feelings about the whole situation. Machias, of course, was furious. Laura was disappointed, and Emma was just trying to keep the situation from escalating.
"You there! What are you students doing out of class?!" Vice Principal Heinrich snapped as he saw the members of Class VII walking down the hall.
"Uhh... Umm..." everyone mumbled, not really sure what to say, without making the situation worse.
"I have no idea what you eight are playing at, but you had better march yourselves back to your – hold on... Aren't there supposed to be ten of you?" Heinrich asked.
"Well, 'Mr. I'm A Noble So I Can Do What I Like' left class about five minutes ago, and as for 'Mr. I'm A Badarse Noble'... Go see for yourself," Machias grumbled, referring to both Jusis and Cyrus respectively.
Vice Principal Heinrich narrowed his eyes at Machias. He didn't like when people spoke ill of other Nobles, especially Commoners, but instead of reprimanding the young man, he simply ignored his comments and walked over to Class VII's Homeroom.
"What in Aidios' name...?" Heinrich whispered; shock and horror etched over his face. "You eight, go back to your dormitory immediately."
"Y-yes, sir..." Rean nodded. "Let's go, everyone..."
Rean and the others left, and as they reached the doors to the main building, they heard the voice of Vice Principal Heinrich explode from their classroom.
"WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! BOY, COME WITH ME, THIS INSTANT!"
"Oh, crap... The Vice Principal's not just mad, he's absolutely steamed..." Machias muttered. "Hmph, serves him right."
Rean and the others, however, started to understand what Cyrus had done. Without another word, the eight of them left the main building and slowly returned to the dormitory in three groups; Rean, Elliot, and Gaius in one group, the four girls in the other, and Machias all on his own.
After the incident, the school was rife with rumours about what had happened. Everyone had heard the Vice Principal roaring when he saw what happened in the Class VII Homeroom, so naturally, people left their own classes to see what the commotion was all about.
The sight that greeted them was a furious Vice Principal escorting Cyrus to Vandyck's Office, then a half-drunk Sara popping her head out of the classroom, giggling at how funny it was to see such a small man dragging a boy who was almost a whole foot taller than him down the hallway.
Of course, everyone knew Sara was drunk, and when they heard Cyrus protesting about having 'only a couple', they immediately knew the two of them had been drinking together. That was how the rumours started. The rumours themselves ranged from the basic 'it was a dare' to 'Nobles once again forcing their power and position on others in order to get what they want'. The latter, unsurprisingly, had been from Machias but aside from him, the rest of Class VII remained mute on the subject.
When Principal Vandyck heard what had happened, he wasn't angry, but he was concerned. It was uncommon for a student to act so juvenile at Thors, especially a Noble. After a quick discussion, in which Vice Principal Heinrich wanted Cyrus to be expelled immediately, Vandyck decided it was more prudent to contact his family, and have a meeting with them to see what could have caused Cyrus to act the way he did.
Cyrus wasn't exactly thrilled to hear that, but if he knew his father, he'd probably send an attendant in his place, most likely Reginald. If that were the case, Cyrus could easily rely on Reginald to keep the matter under wraps. Unfortunately for Cyrus, his father didn't send Reginald in his place. He sent someone much worse... Cyrus' sister.
Cyrus' sister had arrived on the school campus a week after the incident had occurred, and the moment a student saw her, they realised just who Cyrus was.
"What the...? Isn't that...?" A male student whispered.
"Surely not... I mean, isn't she supposed to be in Lamare? Why would she be here?" A female student responded.
"Well, she is a Thors Alumnus. Maybe it's just a social call?" The male student shrugged weakly.
"Really? That's your suggestion? Don't be stupid," The female student scoffed.
After the meeting with the Principal, Cyrus and his sister left his office and began to walk down the hallway. The meeting hadn't been too exciting; just Vandyck and Cyrus' sister discussing what had happened, and how she would speak to him and sort him out. Being who she was, Vandyck knew her reputation proceeded her, and trusted her to speak to Cyrus and straighten him out. As they walked down the hall, Cyrus's sister wasted no time admonishing him.
"Foolish little brother... What were you thinking?" Cyrus' sister snapped, looking over at him.
"I was thinking that I didn't want Sara getting in trouble for being so damn stupid. I mean, what the hell kind of teacher forgets about a class and decides to start drinking at three in the afternoon?!" Cyrus growled.
"That doesn't excuse your foolish actions. You know who your Instructor is, don't you?" Cyrus' sister snapped.
"I know she's an idiot and an alcoholic..." Cyrus muttered.
"She's known throughout Erebonia as the 'Purple Lighting'... The youngest person ever to reach A-Rank within the Bracer Guild," Cyrus' sister explained, noticing students were staring at her in shock and awe.
Cyrus noticed too, and wasted no time trying to manoeuvre the conversation towards her. "Look at that... Seems your reputation proceeds you, sister..."
A couple students overheard Cyrus' deliberate inclusion of 'sister' and looked at the two with noticeable horror.
"What...? She is his sister?!" a Noble girl whispered.
"No wonder he acts the way he does; she's a legend all across Erebonia. Even most of the Nobility fear her, and her power..." a Noble boy gasped.
"Don't think you can use me to get out of this, Cyrus. What would Mother and Father say about this?" Cyrus' sister asked.
"Well, father would probably be too busy with work to care. Mother, on the other hand... Yeah, ok, she'd be disappointed," Cyrus responded.
"Oh, Cyrus? Is that you?" a voice called out from across the hall as Cyrus and his sister turned the corner and entered the main foyer.
"Hey, Emma... What are you doing?" Cyrus asked.
"Well, classes have finished for the day, so everyone was on their way to the Student Union to sign up for clubs. Have... Have you decided on a club yet?" Emma asked.
"No, not really, all this bullshit that's been going on has kinda kept me busy..." Cyrus sighed.
"Excuse me? 'Bullshit'? This is all because you acted without thinking. What would Matteus Vander say if he saw you act so brashly?" Cyrus' sister asked.
"Gee, sis, that's interesting coming from you, considering Master Matteus wasn't your teacher," Cyrus commented before he turned to his sister and scowled.
"What's your point? One-Eye Zechs is just as formidable and reliable as his brother, or did you forget that I am a Master of the Vander Style too?" Cyrus' sister growled, glaring at her brother.
Emma had been watching the entire exchange, and even before that, had noticed Cyrus's sister, as she walked across the hall with him. She was a tall, beautiful woman, with long silver hair and sharp purple eyes. Her outfit consisted of a white jacket that was synonymous with the Lamare Provincial Army, and she wore a purple cape, that matched the colour of her eyes. She wore a short, white skirt, black stockings, and thigh high boots.
To Emma, this woman was as young and beautiful as she was powerful and dangerous. She carried herself like a soldier, but also had an air of dignity about her, which proved she was a Noble. At her waist was an empty scabbard, and judging by the size of it, the sword the woman used must have been incredible.
As Emma was about to respond, when she heard the sound of voices from the direction of Class VII's Homeroom.
"Hey, shut up! I didn't ask for your opinion!" Machias yelled.
"Uhh, technically, you didn't specify who you were talking to, so Jusis had every right to respond," Alisa stated.
"Well, I'm asking anyone but him!" Machias shouted.
The rest of Class VII collectively groaned. They knew trying to get Machias and Jusis to co-operate was going to be an uphill struggle. The eight of them turned a corner and saw Emma stood talking to Cyrus, and a woman they hadn't seen before.
Laura, however, had seen her before, and stood there, frozen in shock. A quick glance between her and Cyrus made Laura understand everything Cyrus had told her on their first day at Thors.
"Oh, hey, it's Cyrus. I take it you just finished meeting with the Principal?" Gaius asked, as he waved to Cyrus.
"Yeah, it was no big deal, but someone is trying to make it one," Cyrus scowled.
"Oh, are these your classmates? Hmph, they don't look like much..." Cyrus' sister scoffed after sizing up the rest of Class VII, before her eyes fell on Laura. "You there... You look familiar. Where have I seen you before?"
Laura stood there, simply staring at the imposing woman. It was clear Laura was rattled, and the rest of the class knew it.
"What's got Laura so shocked... You don't think...?" Elliot muttered.
"It's obvious these two know each other... But how...?" Rean muttered as he looked at the woman standing next to Cyrus.
"Really? You don't recognise the daughter of the Radiant Blademaster?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow at his sister.
"Oh, that's who she is... It's been a while since I've seen the Viscount, and his daughter..." Cyrus' sister shrugged.
"Goddamn it, Aurelia..." Cyrus muttered. "Guys, I'd like you all to meet my older sister; General of the Lamare Provincial Army and the legendary 'Golden Rakshasa', Aurelia Le Guin."
"Y-your sister?!" Class VII shouted in unison.
"Ok, really, you have to stop doing that every time I tell you something about me, or my family," Cyrus muttered, shaking his head to his classmates.
"Your sister is the Golden Rakshasa?! More importantly, you're a Le Guin?!" Jusis asked. Even he sounded shocked and awestruck.
At Jusis' questions, and the look of shock on Class VII's faces, Cyrus rolled his eyes. "And this is exactly why I told you my family's reputation proceeds me. Anyone with half a brain knows and fears the Golden Rakshasa. Something tells me that if you knew she was my sister, you'd be too afraid to intervene if I was doing something that was wrong, for fear that I'd use her to put you in your place, or whatever."
"Hmph, bold of you to assume my time is so invaluable that I'd help you with such menial things," Aurelia laughed.
"It was a hypothetical situation; you honestly think I'd do something like that? How long have you known me?" Cyrus asked, scowling at his sister.
"True enough. You aren't the 'Thunder Emperor' because you use other people to fight your battles for you," Aurelia nodded.
"I'm sorry, 'Thunder Emperor'?" Laura perked up, sounding interested in Aurelia's words.
"Oh, didn't he tell you? That was the title Matteus Vander gave him, once he finished his training under him. Take a good look, children, it's not every day you stand in the presence of a Master of the Vander School, and even less so a Master who was tutored under the Thunder God himself, and been granted their own epithet by the man," Aurelia declared, sounding rather arrogant.
At this point, a large crowd had gathered in the foyer. Originally, it had been because everyone wanted to get a glimpse of the famed Golden Rakshasa, both Noble and Commoner alike. Now, however, people were gathered because they had heard who Cyrus really was, and what he could do with a sword.
"He's a Master of the Vander School?" a commoner whispered.
"How foolish. He's just a child," a noble scoffed in contempt.
"Hmph, the 'Thunder Emperor'? How arrogant," a boy spoke from behind the Le Guin siblings.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Cyrus squinted, looking at the boy closely.
The boy in question was a Noble. He was wearing the white uniform of the Nobility, and the way he spoke had a condescending tone, which was part and parcel of the 'stuck-up Noble' Machias had frequently spoke of. He had short orange hair and blue eyes.
"No way... Isn't that Patrick Hyarms?" Elliot whispered.
"Indeed, even you common-born fools know of me and the Great Noble House of Hyarms," Patrick smirked, flicking away a stray strand of hair that had fallen into his face.
"I know who you are, Patrick. What I want to know is what you meant by your previous comment," Cyrus retorted.
"You, thinking yourself to be so mighty that you call yourself an 'Emperor', as if you stand on par with His Majesty himself," Patrick responded, not taking kindly to Cyrus' lack of respect.
"Young Master Hyarms, I would strongly recommend caution as you proceed with this conversation," Aurelia added, showing respect to the Hyarms' boy.
"Ah, General Le Guin... I think I need not take your advice here, but perhaps you should offer such words to your disrespectful whelp of a brother," Patrick replied, bowing to Aurelia out of respect.
"I do not think myself to be on the same standing as our illustrious Emperor, Patrick," Cyrus explained. "No, Master Matteus chose this epithet, and His Majesty seconded it. If anything, our Emperor himself deems me worthy to carry the epithet of 'Thunder Emperor'."
That got the crowd talking. It was mainly hushed whispers, but the general consensus was how the Emperor of Erebonia himself had acknowledged Cyrus' combat prowess. Even Cyrus' classmates were at a loss for words. They had known he had no doubt met Emperor Eugent III in person, but even they couldn't have guessed he'd be the one to acknowledge Cyrus as an 'Emperor' too.
"Patrick, please, stop this at once!" Ferris whispered, noticing the tension in the foyer was starting to rise dramatically.
"Silence, girl! How dare someone like you address me in such a manner!" Patrick snapped, turning to glare at Ferris.
"Hey, that's my cousin, you arsehole. Talk to her like that again, and I'll break your fucking jaw," Cyrus stepped forward and was now stood face to face with Patrick.
"Oh, no..." Alisa groaned. She knew where this was going.
"Y-You dare address me in such a manner?!" Patrick shouted, back-handing Cyrus across the face.
The slap echoed around the foyer, and everything went silent. Even Aurelia was left feeling shocked. Cyrus stood there, motionless staring at the ground.
"Think you could do that in a real fight?" Cyrus hissed.
"Excuse me?" Patrick scoffed.
"I said, do you think you could do that in a real fight?!" Cyrus growled, looking up and staring Patrick in the eyes, his own blazing with rage.
"Heh... There's that fire..." Aurelia grinned.
"You think you could defeat me in a fight?! Balderdash! I'll have you know; I was trained by the best court fencers in Sutherland Province. In fact, I even had tuition from the famed 'Black Whirlwind' himself!" Patrick shouted.
"Oh? You were trained by Wallace?" Aurelia perked up, taking interest at the mention of the name 'Black Whirlwind'.
"Do they mean Sutherland's Brigadier General Wallace Bardias?" Elliot whispered to Laura, assuming she'd know who he was. Instead of Laura responding, Gaius took the opportunity to speak up.
"Yes. The man is a legend when it comes to the Way of the Spear. It's even said that his family roots can be traced all the way back to the original warriors from Nord, who fought alongside Emperor Dreichels during the War of the Lions," Gaius explained.
"Incredible..." Laura muttered, watching the scene before her develop.
"Ok, 'Mr. I Was Trained By The Black Whirlwind', I take it that means you're willing to show me just how good of a fighter you really are?" Cyrus grinned.
"Pfft, and sully the reputation of the Fencing Club by partaking in such a farcical display? I think not," Patrick scoffed.
"Aurelia, didn't you take over the Fencing Club the first week you arrived at Thors when you were a student?" Cyrus asked, never breaking the gaze he had on Patrick.
"Quite right! I even challenged Wallace, who was Head of the Riding Club, to a jousting match. It ended in a draw, but it was the most fun I had as a student!" Aurelia laughed at the mention of her exploits as a Thors student.
"Like sister, like brother then, hmm?" a girl spoke from the crowd.
"Heh, you goddamn Nobles can't be in the same space for more than a minute before you're trying to kill each other," a boy growled.
Patrick turned around, upon hearing the familiar voices and saw two people walk towards him. The girl was also a Noble, with thick blonde hair, and a gentle smile and a calm, almost serene air to her. The boy was a Commoner, and had short brown hair. Despite the fact he was grinning, he looked like he was in a state of perpetual anger.
"Friedel, Loggins... What are you two doing here?" Patrick asked.
"What do you think we're doing, you dumbarse?! Alan told us you were causing trouble, so we came to see what the hell you're playing at!" Loggins shouted.
"Loggins, that's enough. It's not like you weren't the same when you were a First Year," Friedel chuckled, which made Loggins turn red at the comment, and he started muttering under his breath.
"I take it you two are the ones in charge of the Fencing Club?" Cyrus asked.
"Got it in one. How could you tell?" Friedel smiled.
"There's no way Patrick would let a Commoner speak to him like this guy did and get away with it, unless he was Patrick's superior," Cyrus stated, pointing at Loggins.
"Sharp kid... Can't say I'd expect anything less from the brother of the Golden Rakshasa, mind you," Loggins smirked.
"So, you're the two Captains of my Fencing Club, are you?" Aurelia asked, her empty gaze crushing down on both Loggins and Friedel. "Then perhaps this is an opportunity to see if you're worthy of the title..."
"What are you planning, dear sister of mine?" Cyrus asked, looking at Aurelia with a raised eyebrow.
"An exhibition match; my little brother against the entire Fencing Club!" Aurelia declared.
Aurelia's declaration sent the crowd gathered into an uproar. No-one thought Cyrus was good enough to take on the two strongest Second Years' at Thors; even if he was a Master of the Vander Style. Both Friedel and Loggins were Masters of Court Fencing.
"Aurelia, you must be out of your damn mind! That's not a fight..." Cyrus snapped, before turning to the Fencing Club Members with a dark grin. "It's an execution."
"Alright, then how about we make the fight more favourable. Why don't we make it a three-on-one fight? You three against Cyrus," Aurelia declared.
"That's hardly the whole Fencing Club..." Cyrus muttered.
"Quite right; you forgot about Alan. He's a member too." Patrick nodded in agreement.
"HUH?! N-No way! I can't!" Alan cried from within the crowd.
"Found him..." Patrick muttered. It was obvious to everyone that Patrick had included Alan as a form of punishment for telling Friedel and Loggins about the trouble he was causing.
"Fine. Anyone else?" Aurelia asked.
"No, that should be fine; otherwise, it would hardly be fair on your brother, now would it?" Patrick scoffed, flicking his hair once again.
"Four-on-one, and with two of the strongest Second Years at Thors? Is this really such a good idea?" Emma asked, trying to be a voice of reason in a sea of madness.
"Hmph, I think this would be a good opportunity to see if Cyrus is actually telling the truth. I mean, anyone can say they were a student of the Thunder God, and despite her standing, General Le Guin is his sister. I wouldn't be too much a stretch to assume they're making it up for the sake of their status as part of the Nobility,"Jusis stated.
"I haven't seen what a Vander School Master is capable of. It seems he was holding back significantly in our exercise we did on our first day here," Laura pondered.
"Very well, it's settled! Since I have many important things to do, we'll do this right now," Aurelia demanded, taking everyone but Cyrus by surprise.
"WHAT?!" Everyone shouted, whilst Cyrus merely shook his head.
"Patience never was your strong suit, was it, sister?" Cyrus sighed.
"As a General of the Lamare Provincial Army, I have more important things to do, but I'm not going to let an opportunity to watch a fight pass me by," Aurelia shrugged, not really caring what anyone else thought.
"As you wish, General. We shall convene in the Gymnasium, where our contest shall take place," Friedel bowed as she left the foyer with Loggins. Patrick followed closely, and Alan hesitantly followed on.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, General?" Laura asked, approaching Aurelia.
"Don't," Cyrus interrupted. "Once Aurelia has made up her mind, neither Aidios nor even Thanatos could make her change it."
Without another word, Cyrus left the foyer of the Main Building and made his way over to the Gymnasium. Slowly, the rest of Class VII, Aurelia, Ferris, and many other students followed. They were dying to see if the famed Golden Rakshasa's brother could stand on the same level as her.
"Are we sure this is a good idea? What if someone gets hurt?" Machias asked as the Fencing Club's Practice Room started to fill up with students.
"Sounds like you're concerned about the Nobles too. How interesting for someone who claims to hate the Nobility," Jusis scoffed.
"Shut up!" Machias snapped.
"I wouldn't worry too much about it, Machias; this is a Military Academy after all. Combat is all part and parcel of being here," Rean explained.
"Alright, listen up; this is a very straightforward fight; a four-on-one contest where the only way to win is to completely incapacitate your opponents," Aurelia stated, her commanding voice silencing everyone in the room.
"Hmm, so already the odds are stacked against Cyrus," Fie muttered.
"Perhaps, but this is the perfect opportunity for him to prove he's not just blowing smoke out of his arse," Machias shrugged.
"Do you honestly think Cyrus would lie about being trained by Matteus Vander himself? Wouldn't it be very easy to verify those claims, and whether or not he is a Master of the Vander School?" Elliot asked.
"That is true, but this way is indeed faster. Being the bodyguard of His Imperial Majesty, and a General of the Erebonian Army, I doubt he'd be free to answer any inquiries from students," Laura explained.
"How exactly did we even get here to begin with?!" Alisa cried.
"You can thank Aurelia for that. She's always expected me to be just like her; always spoiling for a fight, in an attempt to prove how strong she is," Cyrus sighed as he lifted his Claymore up.
"Lady Laura, would you like to be the referee for this match? I can't imagine a better person for the job than the daughter of the Radiant Blademaster," Aurelia commented, showing great respect the daughter of her old Master.
"O-oh... I, well, I don't see why not?" Laura blinked in surprise at Aurelia's words; she had been completely caught off-guard.
"Very good. This is shaping up to be a lot of fun. Hmm, perhaps I should have scheduled this fight for another day, so Wallace could come watch. He's always on the lookout for people to recruit for the Sutherland Provincial Army..." Aurelia muttered. "To the middle!"
Upon Aurelia's command, the four members of the Fencing Club and Cyrus made their way to the centre of the training floor. From there, Laura walked around to the side opposite Aurelia, so the fight could start.
With the fight inching ever closer to its commencement, Cyrus now took up a combat stance, ready to face his opponents. Both his feet were planted firmly on the ground, spread shoulder width apart, to allow a low centre of gravity. His right arm remained lowered at his side, while his left arm was raised, bringing the Claymore up to bear.
"Hmph, show-off..." Aurelia smirked as she saw what her little brother was doing.
"How can he lift such a large weapon with a single hand?!" Machias whispered.
"His form is absolutely flawless too; even I can't spot an opening," Jusis muttered.
"That stance..." Rean mumbled.
"Hey, are you ok, Rean?" Gaius asked, looking at his friend with concern.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just amazed at how easily Cyrus can shift into a battle stance that leaves no openings." Rean shook his head before looking at Gaius and giving him a reassuring smile.
"So, this is the stance taken by a Master of the Vander School. It's absolutely perfect," Friedel smiled as she and the rest of the Fencing club took up their own stance; feet placed close together, back straight, one arm behind their back, and their Rapier pointed upwards.
Aurelia could see all combatants were ready, and so she looked across the room to Laura, and nodded.
"Begin!" Laura commanded.
For the first few moments, no-one moved. All five fighters were sizing each other up, trying to read one another. Cyrus could see Friedel and Loggins were both exceptionally skilled at Court Fencing. Patrick, being the son of Marquis Hyarms, was also an expert, but this came as no surprise to Cyrus. The one he was focused on was Alan.
Alan was a First Year Student too, but he was also a Commoner. He would have grown up without being taught how to use a sword, and even if he was, it would be the most basic of knowledge. Cyrus could see this in his stance. To the untrained eye, it looked fine. It looked solid. Cyrus was not untrained.
Just a quick glance, and Cyrus could tell Alan's defence was shaky and full of openings. Now, it was just a matter of deciding which opening to exploit first. Cyrus took a step forward before stopping, and letting out a calm sigh.
"Hey, Aurelia... Is anything off-limits in this battle?" Cyrus asked.
"Hmph, I was wondering when you were going to ask that; Arts are prohibited, but Crafts and Unarmed Combat are fair game. The use of tools are permitted as well," Aurelia snorted, giving her little brother a small smirk.
Cyrus grinned darkly at Aurelia's words, and as he spoke, the atmosphere became very hot and humid. "Alright then... Here we go."
Anyone who blinked the second Cyrus stopped speaking would have missed what happened. Cyrus took a step forward and vanished in a flash of white light. Barely a heartbeat later, he appeared in front of Friedel, and slammed his sword down on her. A clap of thunder echoed around the Gymnasium as the blow landed.
Friedel was the best Fencer at Thors, so her reactions were much sharper than most others; this allowed her to turn her Rapier on its side to block the strike, which was nothing she had ever felt before in her life.
"Holy shit! Did you see that?!" Machias cried in shock.
"No! I literally blinked and I missed it!" Alisa responded, rubbing her eyes to see if they were working properly.
"He's so fast. What the fuck?" Loggins breathed, stunned by what he had seen.
Both Patrick and Alan watched in shock as Friedel collapsed to the ground from the sheer power of the attack she had blocked. Cyrus wasted no time, using the first strike as a means of taking his opponents by surprise, and dropped his sword from his left hand into his right hand before driving a hard punch into Alan's solar plexus, sending Alan flying backwards, and another clap of thunder around the Gymnasium.
Loggins gritted his teeth in anger. In less than ten seconds, some little punk had already torn through the Fencing Club, and disposed of its strongest and weakest members without any effort at all, and now this same punk was turning his attention to Patrick; victim number three.
Growling in ire, Loggins attempted to intercept Cyrus and stop him from taking out Patrick, but as soon as he got within three feet of him, Loggins stopped as he felt all the air leave his lungs. Without even looking back, Cyrus had kicked out, slamming his foot into Loggins' stomach, causing him to drop to the ground, gasping for air.
Loggins had been careless, and he had fallen right into Cyrus' trap. It was then, as he was struggling to breathe, Loggins realised Patrick was never the third target; he was. Upon realising this revelation, what was truly frightening to Loggins wasn't how instinctive Cyrus was, but how insightful he was.
From a brief interaction with Loggins, Cyrus already knew everything he needed to know about the Fencing Club's second in command. He was blunt and direct to the point, but he cared deeply about his comrades, both things he had openly displayed to Cyrus without even considering those traits would be used against him.
Cyrus deliberately targeted Friedel and Alan first, as he knew it would provoke Loggins into attacking out of anger, leaving him wide open to an attack if he believed Patrick was going to be the next to fall.
"Damn... You..." Loggins hissed, causing Cyrus to stop and turn to him.
"Is that it?" Cyrus muttered. "Is that all the Fencing Club has to offer? Disgraceful."
"H-hey! I'm still... I'm still standing, you know!" Patrick shouted, still in awe at what he had seen.
"Aurelia, it looks like your old club has turned to shit," Cyrus scoffed as he ignored Patrick and walked away towards his sister, throwing his sword over to her.
"Perhaps I expected too much of them, to be able to stand up to a Master of the Vander Style," Aurelia muttered, looking completely disinterested by the situation as she held out a hand and caught Cyrus' Claymore.
"He... He's a monster!" Elliot gasped.
"How can he do something so frightening, then act like it's not a big deal?!" Alisa cried.
"Heh, that wasn't half bad," Fie smirked.
"Damn it! Don't you walk away from me! Know your place, trash!" Patrick screamed as he charged at Cyrus and thrust his rapier at Cyrus' back.
"Patrick, stop!" Ferris yelled, trying to stop the young Hyarms boy from attacking an unarmed man.
Patrick didn't stop and the tip of his rapier ended up being plunged right through Cyrus' shoulder. Almost a whole thirty rege of the blade pierced Cyrus, and when it exited out the other side of his shoulder, it was red with blood.
Cyrus stood, frozen on the spot, looking at the blood dripping of the rapier; his blood. The entire Gymnasium was thrust into a cacophony of shouting and yelling, all shocked by Patrick's extreme actions.
"Patrick, you damn fool! What have you done?!" Jusis shouted, more angered by how dishonourable Patrick's actions were than by how he had stabbed one of Jusis' classmates.
Letting out a low growl, Cyrus grabbed the end of the rapier that had been thrust through his shoulder and snapped it clean in half. As he turned to look at Patrick, he flipped the broken rapier around and stabbed it through Patrick's leg.
With a scream, Patrick dropped to the ground, clutching his wounded leg as blood started to stain his uniform. As Patrick was on the ground, crying in agony, Cyrus grabbed Patrick by the throat and picked him up.
"You dare act in such a cowardly way, you little rat?" Cyrus hissed, his eyes blazing with rage.
"Cyrus! Let the fool go. You got your payback!" Aurelia shouted, taking a step towards Cyrus and Patrick.
"Payback? I'm just getting started," Cyrus muttered, turning to look at his sister with a wicked look in his eye.
Before anyone could react, Cyrus let go of Patrick and turned around, seemingly to walk away from the young Noble. However, what Cyrus did was take three steps away from Patrick, then delivered a powerful back-heeled kick to his jaw, knocking the boy to the floor with a sickening crunch. The kick had been powerful enough to break Patrick's jaw.
"What the hell was that for, you prick?!" Loggins shouted.
"You want some too, motherfucker?!" Cyrus shouted as he leapt at Loggins, slamming his knees into Loggins' chest.
The impact dropped Loggins, who had all the wind knocked out of him, and before he could even orientate himself, he felt a strong force on his head as his head was lifted up and then pounded into the ground several times.
"THAT IS ENOUGH!" Aurelia roared as she stomped towards her brother in an attempt to stop him.
As Aurelia grabbed her brother, Cyrus quickly countered with a fluid like motion, swatting away Aurelia's hand and countering with a powerful punch aimed at his sister's face. Aurelia had the wherewithal to tilt her head to the side, but the strike packed so much force that the change in air pressure left Aurelia with a small cut on her cheek.
"Stay out of this, Aurelia! The Hyarms bitch is going to pay for his cowardice!" Cyrus snapped.
"It seems that temper of yours hasn't changed. Ever since the ambush, you've been quick to anger and your temper knows no bounds. I thought that was the reason Grandmother sent you away?!" Aurelia snapped, grabbing Cyrus by his wrist as he turned to strike Patrick again.
"Grandmother sent me away in order to help me get stronger so I could decimate those who tried to harm our mother. The teacher I had showed me just how powerful I could become. Here, let me show you…" Cyrus smirked darkly as he balled his hand into a fist, releasing a small amount of lightning as he prepared to strike.
"What in Aidios' name is going on here?!" Neithardt exploded as he entered the room.
"Oh, no… Instructor Neithardt. Cyrus is in big trouble now," Elliot gasped, trying to hide from the Major.
"Major Neithardt, forgive me. It seems my foolish little brother hasn't learned to control his temper," Aurelia remarked, using Neithardt's entrance as an opening to stop Cyrus.
Before he could react, Cyrus was flung through the air by Aurelia, who held nothing back. A loud thud echoed around the room as Cyrus impacted with the floor, knocking the wind out of him this time. Staring up at the ceiling, Cyrus gasped for breath as Aurelia stood over him and looked at him with a disappointed look.
"Wow… the General held nothing back there," Alisa gasped.
"Cyrus… The fact that you have not gotten a hold on your violent temper since you've been gone from home is concerning. I shall be writing to your Master and explain the situation to him," Aurelia stated indifferently.
"Fine," Cyrus whispered as he kicked his legs into the air and landed back on them with little effort. "Apologies, Instructor Neithardt."
Before anyone could respond, Cyrus grabbed his sword and left the building, and returned to the Third Dormitory.
The resulting aftermath of Cyrus' outburst quickly became the hot topic amongst the students of Thors. The most talked about point was how Cyrus had lashed out at Patrick for stabbing him and broke his jaw as recompense. Most of the Commoners would have been fine with Cyrus if he left it at that, but since he chose to attack Loggins as well, his actions didn't leave a good impression on many people.
After Cyrus had left the Gymnasium, Ferris had tried talking down some of the Nobles, which wasn't especially hard to do, since a large majority of them had taken an immediate dislike towards Patrick the moment he arrived at Thors. The problem the Nobles had with Cyrus was that he took things too far, and should have simply walked away after breaking Patrick's rapier with his bare hand, though some Nobles believed Patrick deserved to be stabbed in the leg with it; an 'eye for an eye' as they had put it.
As for Cyrus, he had returned to his room as soon as he had gotten back to the dorm, and remained there for several hours. Eventually, he heard a knock at his door, but knew who it was that was standing outside.
"Come in, Sara," Cyrus sighed. He had been waiting for this to happen.
"So… I heard about what happened at the Gymnasium. Do you… wanna talk about it?" Sara asked, sitting down in a nearby chair.
"What's there to talk about? Patrick was a cowardly piece of shit, and he paid the price for it. I'm not going to apologise to the little prick, if that's what you came here for," Cyrus snorted.
"No, that wasn't what I came here for. I just came to check on you, because it's not every day you get told one of your students has broken the jaw of another student," Sara chuckled. "I heard you and your sister got into it as well. Sounds like she got the better of you once Neithardt entered the room."
"You could say that… Though, I suppose the truth of the matter is, is that I let her get the better of me," Cyrus muttered.
"You let her? Let's just say that I believe you for a second; why would you do that?" Sara asked.
"Well, the long and short of it is, is when I was young, an event occurred that put me in a dangerous spot, and as a result, I developed a short, volatile temper, born by my own weakness and inability to protect those I care about. Anything minor would be enough to set me off in an explosive rage, where I would indiscriminately attack anyone who got in my way. Aurelia used to pull me into line, but as her role within the Provincial Army grew, she was unable to be there less and less to keep me in check. As a result, my grandmother decided it was best that I go on a journey, and find someone who can help me keep my fiery temper under wraps, and I thought it had worked, but apparently not," Cyrus explained.
"Where did you go on this journey of yours?" Sara asked.
"All over the continent. Calvard, Crossbell, Liberl, Remiferia… I came and went from the Empire a few times during that time as well. Wherever my teacher would take me, I would follow," Cyrus responded.
"So, not trying to sound negative here, Cyrus, but if your journey didn't help you, then what was the point of it?" Sara frowned.
"Well, no, it did help. One of the reasons being is that had you said that to me six years ago, I'd have probably tried to kick your teeth in," Cyrus laughed dryly. "No, but it helped me gain a new perspective; an understanding on who I really am and what my place in the world is meant to be."
"Then is that the reason you came to Thors? To cement your legacy and solidify your place in this world?" Sara inquired.
"Hmm, yes and no. I'm here because I need to be here. I have a purpose I need to fulfil, and I can only do that by attending Thors. Of course, I am almost a year older than everyone else in Class VII, and should, by all rights, have started attending the academy last year, but I had other business that I needed to attend to, so I had to put it off. So, here I am now, and aren't you glad I am?" Cyrus said, smirking as he looked at Sara.
"Well, yes. I mean, you saved my arse from getting fired on the first official day of school. You had known me barely twenty-four hours, and you risked getting kicked out of school, because I was an idiot and didn't pay attention to the class schedule," Sara said quietly.
"I'm not going to argue with you on that point. I mean, what kind of teacher doesn't even know her class schedule?" Cyrus laughed. "I guess it was a good thing that I decided to stay behind and drink some of your beer too."
"There you go, that's the spirit; how could you possibly benefit from downing a few bottles of beer and making it look like you were the one who convinced me it was alright to do the same?" Sara asked, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
"At the time, I couldn't… But now I can at least rely on you to be a drinking buddy when class isn't in session," Cyrus responded, letting out a half laugh, which caused Sara to laugh too. "Seriously though, I wasn't thinking about how it could benefit me, I just didn't want to see someone get into trouble over a minor indiscretion."
Cyrus' words resonated with Sara. Helping someone in need because it was the right thing to do instead of doing it for gain was exactly the sort of thing a Bracer did.
"Say, have you ever–" Sara began before Cyrus immediately stopped Sara from talking and provided her with an answer.
"No, I haven't, and I don't plan on it either," Cyrus stated.
"How did you know what I was going to ask?" Sara asked, raising an eyebrow.
"C'mon, Sara, you were a Bracer. Don't think me so inept that I didn't even know that much about you. Sara Valestine; AKA the 'Purple Lightning'. Youngest person to ever reach A-Rank in the Bracer Guild, and all before the age of twenty-four. It's most impressive," Cyrus stated, looking at Sara.
"So then, 'Thunder Emperor', if not a Bracer, what is it you want to do with your life?" Sara asked as Cyrus stood up and walked over to the window of his room. It was dark outside now, but Trista was still showing signs of life.
"I already have several routes planned out for myself, depending on how my time here pans out, so don't you worry about trying to recruit me. Besides, Bracers aren't exactly on the top of my Christmas Card list," Cyrus stated.
"Hm? Why's that?" Sara asked.
"Oh, just something that happened a couple of years ago that the Bracers tried to take credit for. It's not really that big of a deal, since no-one knows the truth, aside from me and one other person," Cyrus muttered.
"Ok, well, I can see this is going to go down a path I'm probably not going to like, so let me change the subject; the rest of the class were talking about this 'ambush' your sister was talking to you about in the gymnasium. Is that the event you were referring to before when you said it put you in a dangerous spot?" Sara queried.
"I think… Yeah, I think this is something that should be done with everyone present," Cyrus muttered as he stared out his window. "Go let them know I'll be coming to tell them all about what happened to me six years ago. I figure it's easier being honest about these things rather than trying to bury it, especially after what they all saw today."
Five minutes later, everyone in Class VII was gathered downstairs in the main foyer of the Third Dormitory. All nine members of Class VII were sat down on the couches, along with Sara, as Cyrus stood before them, in the middle of the couches.
"I believe I owe you an explanation as to what you saw in the Gymnasium today. After that, I'll be more than happy to answer any questions you might have..." Cyrus began, as he closely watched his fellow classmates. "I'm sure you're wondering what my sister was talking about when she spoke of an ambush and my grandmother sending me away?"
"Yeah, we, umm…" Alisa trailed off, not feeling all too confident to finish her sentence.
"It'll make it very simple for you guys then; six years ago, my mother and I were almost killed in an unprovoked attack," Cyrus stated.
"Whoa, seriously? You and your mother were almost killed?" Elliot gasped.
"Yes, that's right. It happened shortly after my ascension to Master of the Vander Style of swordsmanship. My mother asked me if I'd like to accompany her on a trip to Liberl, as she had been extended an invite to attend an audience with Queen Alicia II at Grancel Castle," Cyrus began, but was, unsurprisingly, interrupted.
"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled.
"Really? Is this what we're back to doing again?" Cyrus deadpanned.
"Sorry, but it's just surprising that you've not only met the Emperor of Erebonia, but you've also met the Queen of Liberl. I don't think even Jusis can say he's done that," Laura explained, sheepishly scratching the back of her head.
"Much as I hate to admit it, Laura is right; I've never had the honour of meeting the Emperor, let alone being invited to Valflame Palace," Jusis stated.
"Well, keep in mind that it wasn't me who the Queen wanted to see; it was my mother," Cyrus reminded.
"Ok, but why did the Queen of another nation specifically request an audience with your mother?" Machias asked.
At this, Cyrus sighed. He knew he'd have to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to start a pointless argument with Machias over something so trivial.
"How do I put this…?" Cyrus sighed. "All of you, with Gaius being the obvious exception, should know who my mother is. Almost everyone in Erebonia knows who she is."
"Hmph, even the most basic of Commoners should know who Mirellia Le Guin is; even if said basic Commoner has been living under a rock their entire life," Jusis scoffed, looking directly over at Machias as he spoke.
"What are you trying to say?!" Machias yelled.
"Hey, don't make me put you two in separate corners," Sara warned, scowling at the two boys.
"Holy crap, are you serious?! Your mother is Mirellia Le Guin; one of Erebonia's most famous composers?!" Alisa cried, as she realised who Cyrus' mother was.
"Oh, that's right! My mother adored Lady Mirellia! It was because of her, my mother became so well known around Heimdallr as a pianist!" Elliot cried, his eyes shining with adoration.
"Wait, I know your mother, Elliot! Liana Craig, right? Yeah, I remember mother collaborating with Liana on multiple occasions when she was in Heimdallr. Wow, that was a long time ago..." Cyrus muttered. "I can't believe it took me so long to connect the dots..."
"So, I take it Queen Alicia II wanted to see your mother because of her musical talents?" Gaius asked.
"Oh, yes, that's right. Queen Alicia heard Mother's talents when she visited the Empire the year beforehand, and requested her to go to Grancel Castle and perform for her granddaughter, Princess Klaudia," Cyrus responded, getting back to the topic at hand.
"Did she accept the invitation?" Machias asked, and received strange looks from everyone present.
"No, Machias, she told the Queen to kindly shove it, and instead went to Remiferia," Cyrus responded, rolling his eyes. "Of course she accepted the invitation, that's literally the reason why we're having this conversation… To think you managed to place second on the entrance exams..."
Machias simply growled at Cyrus and said nothing more. Jusis managed to let out a subtle scoff, which wasn't missed by Cyrus, who simply raised an eyebrow at the young Albarea.
"Ok, so what happened after your mother accepted the invitation?" Rean asked.
"She left almost immediately; far be it from anyone to keep a Queen waiting, especially my mother. I myself had just finished my training under Master Matteus, and was granted Master Rank of the Vander School, so my mother decided to take me along too. I guess you can say it was her way of showing how proud she was of me," Cyrus explained, smiling slightly at the memory, before the smile dropped and his face turned serious. "That's when everything turned to shit."
Everyone in the room could feel the mood shift and darken slightly, and that made them anxious. They had no idea what to expect, but based on the look Cyrus currently had on his face, they knew it was something terrible.
"Now, as you know, the Nobility was abolished in Liberl around a century ago, so mother and I decided it was best to travel alone; easiest way to draw attention to yourself would be to have an escort, right? Well, that decision is one thing I will always regret. As we approached Titus Gate, we were attacked by a group of Jägers; more specifically, a Jäger Squad from the Red Constellation," Cyrus stated.
At the mention of the Red Constellation, everyone in the room went silent. They all knew the Red Constellation were one of the most powerful Jäger Corps in Zemuria. The simple fact that Cyrus and Mirellia, who were attacked by a squad of them, had managed to survive was nothing short of a miracle.
"Wh-what happened? Why did a squad from the Red Constellation attack you and your mother? Surely it must have been a case of mistaken identity," Laura reasoned.
"No, a Jäger Corps like the Red Constellation would never get something like that wrong; they're one of the best, and even rookies don't get a target's identity wrong… Someone put a bounty on Cyrus and his mother," Sara explained, sounding serious for perhaps the first time as Class VII's instructor.
"Instructor Sara is right; someone definitely paid the Red Constellation to kill us, and it wasn't just a group of nobodies either; they sent their best to kill us," Cyrus added, a heavy scowl starting to form on his face.
"Who did they send?" Emma asked, almost too scared to know the answer.
"There were four of them; 'War Ogre', 'Blitz', 'Red Reaper', and 'Bloody Shirley'. I think the most disturbing thing was the two known as 'Red Reaper' and 'Bloody Shirley' were just kids. Couldn't have been younger than ten and older than fourteen, yet they fought like seasoned killers..." Cyrus responded.
"That's awful..." Emma whispered.
"Who'd you piss off so much that the only course of action was to send the War God's family after you?" Fie asked.
"The 'War God'?" Gaius asked, looking over at Fie, who quickly seized up.
"The former leader of the Red Constellation. With the exception of 'Blitz', the Jägers Cyrus mentioned were his blood relatives," Sara responded, getting a nod from Cyrus.
"Yeah, looks like killing is considered 'family bonding' in the Red Constellation," Cyrus shrugged. "Either way, when it is four against one, even a Vander Style Master has difficulty fighting. I was completely outmatched, and I had to protect Mother, as she is the furthest thing from a swordswoman, or even a violent person."
"So, what exactly happened?" Rean asked.
"I won't go into details, but long story short, I made the foolish mistake of not being aware of my surroundings. While I was protecting Mother, 'Blitz' slipped away and found a safe distance from which to snipe me. I ended up taking a bullet in the shoulder, and being stabbed in the gut by the 'Red Reaper' for good measure.
"Is this the part where you tell us that on the verge of death, you pulled some magic power out of your arse and saved the day?" Machias asked dryly.
"Ha, not likely. Sorry to disappoint you all, but I didn't have some magic 'Trump Card' to use. In fact, as I lay on the ground dying, I was certain that Mother was going to die too, but it seemed that both Aidios and Thanatos were feeling merciful that day. Instead of sending me to the afterlife, they instead sent me aid in the form of a Bracer from Liberl," Cyrus replied, laughing slightly at Machias' comment.
"Wait, you don't mean..." Sara started.
"I do; Cassius Bright saved both me and my Mother." Cyrus confirmed, looking over at Sara and nodding.
"You mean the Cassius Bright?" Rean asked, taking a huge interest.
"Ah, yes… Of course that would interest you. Cassius Bright was one of the first to be given the title of 'Divine Blade', a Master of the Eight Leaves One Blade Style of swordsmanship," Cyrus muttered, tapping his chin in thought.
"He's also a very well-known Bracer; almost everyone in all of Zemuria knows Cassius Bright. One of the few Bracers ever to achieve 'S-Rank'," Elliot stated, his voice filled with admiration and awe.
"Correct. In fact, at the time, he had only just become an S-Rank Bracer. As he told it, saving Mother and I was one of the first things he did as one," Cyrus explained.
"Wait, so Cassius Bright – the Cassius Bright – just so happened to be in the area when the Red Constellation attacked?" Jusis scoffed.
"Well, Bright was a Brigadier General in the Liberlian Army before he joined the Bracer Guild. He still commanded great respect and admiration from the soldiers of the Army. It was likely just happenstance that he was at Liberl's Haken Gate when the Red Constellation attacked us near Titus Gate. Look, I don't really care what he was there for; were it not for him, I wouldn't be standing here now. I owe Cassius my life," Cyrus stated unequivocally.
"So… So what happened to the Red Constellation?" Alisa asked. Cyrus looked over at Alisa, who was visibly uncomfortable.
"Far as I know, they fled. It makes no difference though, as I'll find them, and I'll make them tell me who gave them the order to kill me and my mother; by any means necessary," Cyrus growled causing the mood in the room to darken considerably, and upon noticing this, he knew it was time to change the topic of conversation. "Ok, now, has everyone decided what clubs you're all going to join? I still haven't had the chance to look. Any suggestions?"
With the conversation moving on to something more light-hearted, the students of Class VII all looked to be in a better mood. As everyone was chatting away, and Machias and Jusis started to argue, Sara looked on from the bottom of the staircase.
'He really is quite amazing. It looks like we really do have a natural-born leader in Cyrus. Looks like they made a good choice allowing him to participate in this class. Though, something tells me no-one could refuse the letter of recommendation that was given to the school on his behalf… I wonder if Cyrus knows about that…?' Sara thought as she turned and made her way up the stairs and towards her room. 'It's not every day the school receives a letter of recommendation like the one they got, asking for Cyrus' participation in this class.'