Chapter 51: Chapter 12: Dueling A Noble [2]
"Hey! Lady Guinevere and the Rank 1 First Year will duel!" A boy shouted down the hallway, his face slightly chubby, but his smile and ginger hair made him look charming and cute.
"Really? Sounds exciting—her dragons should destroy the overconfident commoner." A noble student with a smug grin said to his two friends.
"It's as you say, Lord Barrat!"
{Master...}
'Mariomo's voice sounds a little nervous and apologetic...' Lancelot thought when her soft voice sounded, but he couldn't accept her feeling bad when it wasn't her fault.
'Even Meru isn't to blame—I am happy she reacted that way for me.'
Lancelot's hand brushed the tall Marimo and short Meru's heads, enjoying the slight difference in their fur's texture. Soft and silky was Marimo's hair, and sleek and glossy Meru's.
He ignored the stupid gossip of the bored nobles and hopeful commoners wanting to put themselves in his body and teach them a lesson.
'Guinevere...'
The huge academy was split into four sections, one dedicated to the summoning gate for Avalon, which they would enter shortly after this duel. It was filled with a grand garden that surrounded the northwestern area of the academy with a huge black gate, where the portal would form.
In the southwestern area was the arena, where he achieved Rank 1, a massive stone amphitheatre which spanned the entire district with beautiful statues depicting the many headmasters and notable deans and students around the entire thing.
Currently, the classrooms and training facilities are in the east and northeastern area, three floors of a modern building with more than 1,000 students studying here at Lord's alone.
As well as the Lord classes, there were also those of servants, cooks and support roles who helped make the Lord's lives easier so they could focus on Avalon.
Like Sebastian.
In the training areas were several arenas that could create a limited version of Avalon to allow a person to summon a small number of their troops and fight for certain gambits.
This was something allowed by the handbook to improve the desire for young Lords to seek to reach greater heights.
"Nostalgic..." Lancelot whispered, his face with a faint smile as his eyebrows furrowed.
The trio walked along the stone path, both sides of the 3-metre wide path laced with beautiful green bushes and flowers as if fake and made of vibrant plastic and various colours, from blue to pink, brown to yellow.
"Do not feel guilty, Marimo—I do not blame you or Meru." He wanted to reassure her, feeling her trembling palm.
"B-but we are but mere low-rank Frost Hares... Master..."
"I would rather have you than any S-rank troop. Because it is you, Marimo."
The words seemed to cause Marimo to become dazed, looking like a pigeon shot with a pea shooter. Mouth wide open, cheeks rapidly red as she tightened the hand grasping his.
"Keh! Stop seducing my sister... Hmph!" Meru pouted, her hand swinging his as he realised she was never against him but had a fiery temperament.
He began to mess with her hair with a bright smile, chuckling, "Ah!? Stop... my hair... stupid... I don't need your love... Shoo!
Shoo!"
***
It didn't take long to find the arena where Guinevere was waiting for her following maids and the three noble pricks that insulted Meru.
However, none of them looked for trouble, instead looking embarrassed as they avoided Meru's fierce gaze.
Lancelot could swear their wounds were worse but had no proof.
'Her troop should be a red dragon...' He began to step towards the huge arena the size of at least 20 metres each way and covered the entire garden.
'Rather, it's likely to be a young dragon right now, and her daily troop would be dragon whelps.'
Evaine was standing to the side, walked towards Lancelot with a digital blackboard, and handed it over to him. "The princess has already added her request. So please add yours."
Lancelot stood on the digital board and nodded before looking at what she had written.
-> Lady Guinevere wishes to form a military and economic alliance with you as a Lord should you lose.
'What!?' His vision snapped, looking at the woman he could never understand. She looked at him with her normal icy look. 'What does that look mean!? Why are you so annoying!'
This woman was special to Lancelot. However, he felt the pain from the memory of the betrayal even now.
Somehow—he knew there must be something more to it because, from that day, she had never appeared on ANY side or battle.
'Nor did she appear in the Empire...' Suddenly, Lancelot had an epiphany and realised something... that only Morgana could answer.
'Morgana, did Guinevere truly betray me at the battle of Hastings?' He tried to contact her as usual, but her response didn't come.
Feeling slightly frustrated, he wrote down his gambit.
-> Lancelot du Lac wishes to spend a single night together with Lady Guinevere should she lose to him.
'Let her misunderstand and hate me, but I must have time with her alone to discover her true self, the smiling beauty of the West or the cold-hearted traitor!'
Once writing his gambit, the black datapad became dull before a blue and purple mist began to pour into the arena from the datapad.
It split into two streams before spreading around the entire floor, filling out the huge image of the righteous king Mideos before both sides switched.
Guinevere's gambit entering Lancelot and his entering her.
To stop anyone from interfering, the gambits would be imbued into both participants' souls, and upon the end, would use magic to cause the loser pain until they completed their gambit.
'Whatever, let's see how long you keep that cold facade up. I know your face when unable to resist the pleasures of the flesh.'
Holding his sword, he stepped onto the arena while the two Frost Hares beside him changed their aura and instantly equipped their spear and shield hopping onto the arena with one big and one small beside him.
"Lancelot..." A serene yet disconnected voice sounded from Guinvere's lips.
"You should surrender—you cannot defeat my dragon. She is far too powerful for your weak rabbits."
'Why do you sound like Morgana... Look, now you made them angry...'
"Yah! Ice-faced bitch!" Meru began to copy the curse one of the succubi seemed to have taught her in a few hours!
"Forgive us, Lady Guinevere, but we are the Master's Frost Hares, and as pathetic or weak as we are. We, too, have pride as his beloved troops!" Marimo's voice was calm, heroic and soft as it echoed through the area thanks to the magic speakers.
"Ohhh! Rabbit's wife is so cute!"
"Look at those thighs....!" Another commoner added.
"Fight on, Lancelot! Show the nobles were are not their pawns!"
"Lady Guinevere, crush this fool and his filthy beasts!"
"I pledge 400 silver on Guinevere to win!" Another noble added.
Lancelot closed his eyes, stepping forward with his Gale Sword split into dual blade form, patting the head of both rabbits before standing ahead of them.
Slowly his eyes opened, glowing with a beautiful silver light, "As you can see, Guinevere, my cute Hares do not wish to surrender."
"So send out your lizard and watch me crush her!"
The moment he spoke, a huge purple aura burst from his feet—hundreds, maybe thousands of purple swords stabbed into the ground, all shimmering with a beautiful, magical pulse in different shapes and sizes.
The spectacle even caused Evaine to gasp in surprise.
Lady Guinevere watched with a genuine smile for the first time before stepping forward and stepping on the ground with a loud clack from her high-class heels with exquisite design.
She lowered her head briefly, a slight blush on her cheeks, "Even in this life... you do not change... My foolish sweet Lancelot..."
Identical to Lancelot, her entire body erupted in pure crimson flames as a huge dragon burst from the sky with beautiful scales and shimmering gold eyes.
The dragon slit pupils watching the arena with her maw opening wide, seeing the opponent and his troops.
However, there was no mockery or disdain, only awe, excitement and anticipation.
"Come to me, Longinus! We shall rend another foe together!"
Guinevere's body danced in a beautiful circle before her uniform became a flaming dress of crimson petals and an ornate red spear in her right hand.
She snapped her head before rushing forwards, a brilliant smile on her face.
"COME LANCELOT! SHOW ME YOUR BEAUTIFUL DANCE OF BLADES!"
[Lancelot... Forgive me for the late response...]
[Guinevere died on that day]