Chapter 108: Chapter 106
I was chasing Vivienne—yes, chasing, what a character development—when I swung for her leg again when suddenly—
CLANG!
Ravian parried me so hard I felt my ancestors vibrate.
I stumbled back, boots scraping against the ground.
"Get behind me," Ravian said, stepping in front of Vivienne like a loyal guard dog. "Summon your weapon and support me."
My ear twitched. ’Nice try but that’s not gonna happen.’
Vivienne was a long-range fighter. If I let her breathe for even a second, I’d be turned into decorative pincushion art.
No, thank you.
"Sebastian," I whispered quickly, eyes never leaving them, "let’s separate them."
He didn’t even question it.
Good.
I like teammates who commit to chaos.
Sebastian immediately hurled his combat axe straight at Ravian.
"Shit!" Ravian cursed as he was forced to parry.
While he was distracted, I closed the gap and kicked him away from Vivienne with everything I had.
Swoosh!
An arrow suddenly zipped past my face.
I froze for half a second. "...Okay, that was personal."
I turned around to see that she was already repositioning, trying to widen the gap between us.
Denied.
I closed in before she could get proper distance. If she got space, I was done for so I didn’t give her that chance.
With one clean strike, she was down.
Now, most people—with dignity, sportsmanship, and basic moral alignment—would step back and let the remaining fighters settle things one-on-one.
I am not most people.
I turned around to see Sebastian was still dealing with Ravian, and while he wasn’t losing, he also wasn’t exactly having a relaxing afternoon.
So naturally I joined them.
"Surprise!" I announced cheerfully, sliding in like an uninvited third wheel on their problematic relationship.
Ravian glanced at me mid-fight. "...Of course you would," he muttered as he parried my attack next.
"Teamwork," I corrected.
"Anyone can see that’s an ambush."
"Details."
Sebastian smirked. "Took you long enough."
"I was busy securing our win," I replied. "You’re welcome."
Ravian exhaled, rolling his shoulders like he had just accepted his fate. "So it’s two against one now."
"Yes," I said brightly.
"Unfair."
"Instructor’s rules, not mine," I shrugged, smiling like I absolutely had something to do with it.
He clicked his tongue. "You’re enjoying this too much."
"Very much."
Sebastian attacked first, forcing Ravian to block high as I followed immediately attacking him low but he managed to evade both our attacks perfectly.
I paused mid-step, genuinely impressed. "...Okay, that was hot— I mean— good. That was good."
"Focus!" Sebastian snapped.
"I’m appreciating skill!" I shot back.
"Left!" Sebastian called.
"I see it!" I snapped back, already moving—only to switch directions last second.
Ravian caught the feint and countered, pushing Sebastian back.
"Okay," I said between movements, "new plan—he’s too composed. We make him not composed."
Sebastian intercepted him, their weapons clashing hard.
"Stop talking and hit him!" Sebastian barked.
"I am hitting him, he just keeps not being there!"
Ravian blocked Sebastian’s strike again, then pivoted towards me.
I immediately stepped back. "Nope!"
"Fight me properly."
"I am fighting! Strategically!"
"Running in circles isn’t strategy."
"It is if you’re alive at the end!"
Sebastian lunged again, forcing Ravian back into defense.
I flicked my whip sword just enough to limit his movement or perhaps just to annoy him.
"Wow," Ravian muttered, deflecting smoothly. "You’re actually good at this."
"What? Attacking?" I shot back.
"Annoying me."
"...I’ll take it."
Ravian charged straight at me but before he could even get close, Sebastian stepped in and blocked, their weapons crashing again.
"Missed! Hah!" I cheered from a safe, respectable distance.
Ravian exhaled slowly, still smiling, but there was very small satisfying twitch.
"If I could just defeat this guy..." he muttered under his breath as their weapons locked. "I’ll have fun with you all by myself..."
The rest got drowned out by the clash.
I frowned. "What did you say? I didn’t hear that clearly."
Sebastian didn’t even hesitate. "He said we look great together."
I turned to him. "Aww, really?"
Ravian stared at him. "...That is not what I said."
"Don’t be shy," Sebastian added, smirking. "We support you."
"I do not need your support."
"Too late," I chimed in. "We already accepted your feelings."
"I don’t have feelings."
"That sounds like denial."
Ravian clicked his tongue, attacking harder this time.
"Okay, now he’s definitely mad," I said, hopping back.
Even with both of us, Ravian was still holding his ground steadily.
"Why are you still strong?" I complained.
"Because I train," he replied.
"Disgusting."
Sebastian laughed under his breath. "Now."
We moved at the same time, front and back.
Pressure.
Control.
Limit his options.
I could see that Ravian’s movements were getting slower and that’s where I saw my opening.
I snapped my whip sword forward, coiling around Ravian’s leg. Sebastian followed immediately, closing the gap, as he delivered a final kick finally pinning him down.
"Winner of this round are Blanca Frostine and Sebastian Grimm," Dmitri announced.
I exhaled, stepping back slightly. "...Okay," I said, brushing imaginary dust off myself. "We won!"
Ravian looked up at us, breathing steady despite everything before laughing. "That was good," he said.
I blinked. "...Have you gone crazy? Why are you laughing?"
"No," he said easily. "I’m simply impressed."
I frowned slightly. "...By what exactly?"
"Impressed by how dirty you play."
I immediately pointed at Sebastian. "He taught me."
Hey—!" Sebastian protested.
"Help me will you?" Ravian cut him off.
I reached out my hand to help him up but the second I tried to pull him, I was the one who got tugged down instead.
In one humiliating, horrifying instant, our faces were way too close for comfort.
"This is for playing dirty," Ravian said calmly before flicking my forehead.
"...Ow." I glared at him, offended. "How is that dirty? I followed the rules!"
Sebastian immediately grabbed me by the back of my collar and yanked me away. "Alright, that’s enough of whatever that was."
I pointed at Ravian accusingly. "He started it!"
"I know," Sebastian said, already turning away like a man who refuses to get involved in nonsense he absolutely contributed to, "that’s why we should leave."
I stared at him in betrayal. "Aren’t you even going to avenge me?"
"For what?" he said lazily. "He’s mister goody-two-shoes. No one’s going to side with us anyway."
I huffed, crossing my arms like I hadn’t just participated in a two-versus-one tactical bullying session.
Sebastian found this hilarious. "Don’t forget our deal."
I groaned dramatically. "Just say it now! I hate the feeling of being indebted. It’s like a curse. A financial one, but emotional."
"Alright, let’s officially be friends," he said, clearly enjoying this too much. "Call me Seb, and I’ll call you Bella."
I blinked. "...That’s it?"
"That’s it."
"Okay, deal!" I said immediately, then squinted at him. "Wait—who is this Bella anyway? Do I look like her? Is she pretty? Is she problematic? Should I be concerned?"
Sebastian grinned. "It’s a secret."
I narrowed my eyes. "I don’t like secrets."
When we stepped down from the ring, the murmurs started again.
"Wow... that was the dirtiest sparring I’ve seen."
"What a cheater..."
"Well... she was weird from the start..."
"I was just following the rules!" I snapped finally turning towards them.
"Rules my ass—"
"But admit it," another one cut in, "we’d always win if we had someone like her."
Sebastian glanced at them, voice calm but with just enough edge to make people rethink their life choices. "Anyone got a problem with her?"
Silence.
"Good," he said, grabbing my arm and dragging me away before I could escalate into a full debate titled ’Why I’m Right and You’re Wrong.’
We walked back to our team like nothing happened.
"That was amazing!" Diana said, practically vibrating with excitement.
"Nice save," Julienne added with a nod.
Stephano, however, clicked his tongue. "She just admitted she’s a troll by playing dirty like that."
"At least I’m not a lovesick fool," I shot back.
"At least I’m not a lovesick fool," I shot back instantly.
He inhaled, preparing to talk back but I already grabbed Diana, Julienne, and Sebastian by the arms and started jumping in circles.
"WE WON!" I shouted.
"WE WON!" Diana echoed.
Julienne—somehow—joined in.
Sebastian didn’t even resist.
Stephano just stood there, watching us like we were annoying kids.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
It was already five in the afternoon when all the sparring finally ended, and the moment freedom was declared, I made a direct, unwavering beeline towards Gawain like a starving predator.
"Let’s go eat!" I announced. "I’m starving!"
He looked at me. "At the cafeteria?"
I gasped. "Do I look like I survived that battle just to eat cafeteria food?"
"...Yes."
"Unbelievable. We’re going to a restaurant."
I glanced at his teammates, who were all staring at me like I might challenge them to another fight if they blinked wrong.
"You’re free to join us if you want to," I added.
They all shook their heads so fast I was concerned for their necks.
"Ah—no, we have... things."
"Very important things."
"Extremely urgent."
"Bye Gawain!"
Before I could insist, they vanished one by one.
I blinked. "...What’s wrong with them?"
Gawain looked at me like I was the problem. "Your face."
I paused.
"...Is it because I’m too pretty?" I said, suddenly covering my mouth in fake shyness.
"You look like you were threatening them," he said flatly. "Not inviting them."
I frowned. "Weird. The professors here have more threatening faces than me."
Gawain just sighed, already used to this level of delusion. "My Lady, there’s a restaurant I’ve been—"
"You’re also going to eat?"
I flinched to see Sebastian suddenly beside me.
"We’re going too!" Diana also popped out of nowhere.
"Food," Julienne said, which honestly was the most honest response so far.
They were smiling but it was the kind of smile people have when they’re about to enter a haunted house willingly.
"...You don’t have to force yourselves," I narrowed my eyes at them.
"We’re not," Diana said too quickly.
Julienne nodded again.
Before I could think too deeply about it—
"I know a good restaurant," Sebastian casually slung his arm over my shoulder. "Let me lead the way."
"Your arm," I said flatly.
"Aren’t we friends already, Bella?"
Right.
The deal.
The cursed deal.
I sighed and looked at Gawain who looked one second away from committing violence.
"It’s fine," I said quickly.
Gawain’s eye twitched. "It does not look fine."
"It’s temporary," I whispered.
"It does not look temporary."
Meanwhile, Sebastian was already walking like he owned both the road and my personal space.
"Come on," he said casually. "Try to keep up."
"I was already walking before you existed," I muttered.
Diana happily followed.
Julienne followed because of food.
Gawain followed because he didn’t trust anyone within a five-meter radius of me.
And me?
I got dragged along.
"...If this restaurant is bad," I said, narrowing my eyes at Sebastian, "I’m revoking our friendship."
"You can’t," he replied easily. "We had a deal."
"I hate that I agreed to that."
"I can see that."
