Chapter 63: A Rivalry Between Knights

Ethan opened the door.

"Ethan!"

Aria stood outside with a slightly annoyed expression.

"I finally found your room."

Ethan stared at her.

"Aria? What are you doing here?"

"I’ve been looking for you."

She glanced down the hallway.

"I knocked on so many doors before finding yours. I think I scared a few of the guys."

Ethan couldn’t help but smile.

"You really went around knocking on random rooms?"

"How was I supposed to know which one was yours? We only got here yesterday."

She crossed her arms.

"You disappeared after we were taken away by those senior students, and you didn’t even come to see me."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Didn’t you get taken away by that senior student?"

"I did."

"Then why would I go looking for you?"

"Because you knew I’d be bored to death listening to that guy talk."

Aria sighed. "That guy talked for so long, I started wondering if he planned to explain the entire Academy one building at a time."

Ethan almost laughed.

"So you came here because you were bored?"

"Partly."

She pointed at him.

"And because you didn’t come looking for me."

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Were you expecting me to?"

"Of course."

She said it so casually that Ethan didn’t know how to respond.

Aria sighed.

"Anyway, after that senior student finally finished showing me around, I went back to the others and couldn’t find you anywhere."

She pointed at him again.

"So I decided to come find you this morning."

Ethan glanced at the doors lining the hallway before looking back at Aria.

"You really knocked on all those doors?"

"Most of them."

Ethan sighed.

"You could’ve just asked someone where I was."

"I did."

"And?"

"They didn’t know."

Ethan stared at her dumbfounded.

"So you decided to knock on every door until you found me?"

Aria smiled.

"It worked."

Ethan shook his head and stepped out of his room, closing the door behind him.

"Come on. Let’s go somewhere else."

Aria followed him.

"Where are we going?"

"You’re the one who came looking for me. You decide."

They left the dormitory together and headed toward the main academy grounds.

They hadn’t gone far when they noticed a crowd gathered ahead.

Several students were standing around an open area, while others were squeezing between them to get a better view. Every now and then, someone shouted something from inside the crowd.

Aria stopped.

"What happened over there?"

Ethan looked toward the crowd.

"Looks like a fight."

Aria rubbed her hands together with a grin.

"I knew coming here wasn’t a bad idea."

Ethan gave her a strange look.

"You came here looking for me, not to watch people fight."

"I can do both."

She grabbed his arm and started pulling him toward the crowd.

"Come on. Let’s get closer."

Ethan let her pull him along.

As they reached the edge of the crowd, the voices of the two people in the center became clearer.

"You Silver Guard Knights really don’t know when to give up."

Gareth stood several meters away, his bare feet firmly planted against the earth. Thick cracks spread out from beneath him as a heavy earth aura surrounded his body.

His armor was dark brown and covered in rough stone-like patterns.

Across from him, Kael stood in heavy silver armor. A huge silver phantom stood behind him, its hands resting on the hilt of a massive sword.

Kael stared at Gareth.

"That’s what you Earth Knights have been saying every time we meet."

Gareth gave him a faint smile.

"And how many times have you managed to prove us wrong?"

Kael’s eyes remained fixed on him.

"Enough to know that your advantage won’t last forever."

"You said that last time."

Kael’s grip tightened around his shield.

"And I learned from that fight."

The earth beneath Gareth’s feet cracked further.

Kael’s eyes narrowed.

"Then let’s see if you still believe that after this."

The ground around Gareth trembled as his earth aura grew heavier. Kael lowered his shield and shifted his stance, his silver armor giving off a faint glow.

Then the Silver energy and earth power collided, sending a wave of pressure through the surrounding area. Dust and small pieces of stone were pushed away from their feet.

Neither knight moved. Neither wanted to be the first to back down and give the other the satisfaction of gaining the upper hand.

Ethan looked at the two knights in the middle of the open area.

"Oh. It’s these two."

His eyes moved between Gareth and Kael.

"They’re already facing off? Right, I guess it was only a matter of time."

There was nothing unusual about the scene to Ethan. Seeing Gareth and Kael standing against each other like this felt almost expected.

Aria looked at him.

"You know these two?"

"I’ve met them before."

Gareth was the Earth Knight he had met during the assessment, while Kael was the young Guild Master of the Silvercrest Guild, whom Ethan had met in the Thornheart Secret Realm alongside Liana and Garrick.

"You say that like you expected this."

Ethan didn’t answer immediately.

"It’s nothing."

Aria frowned slightly.

"Nothing? Do you really think they’re going to fight?"

Ethan shook his head.

"No."

Aria looked back at Gareth and Kael.

"They’re already using their auras against each other. And you still don’t think they’ll fight?"

Before Ethan could answer, a loud voice came from behind the crowd.

"You two should break it off."

The pressure that came with the voice lasted only for a few seconds, but it was enough to make the surrounding students tense up.

Gareth’s earth aura and Kael’s silver energy were forced down at the same time.

"Seriously? You two couldn’t even wait until you reached the training facility?"

The man stepped through the crowd.

"Fighting is prohibited inside the Academy. You both know that."

He sighed and shook his head.

"If you want to fight that badly, go to the Combat Training Facility. You can fight there until one of you can’t stand anymore. No one will stop you."

The pressure disappeared as quickly as it had come.

Kael rolled his shoulders and looked at Gareth.

"You heard him."

Gareth gave him a sideways smile.

"I heard."

Kael pointed toward the training facility.

"Good. Then don’t start making excuses once we get there."

Gareth laughed.

"Excuses? You’re the one who was hesitating a moment ago."

Kael’s expression hardened.

"I was waiting for you to stop talking."

Gareth’s smile faded into a confident grin.

"Then you won’t have to wait anymore."

Kael turned toward the training facility.

"Let’s go."

He started walking, and Gareth followed right behind him.

The crowd immediately began to disperse now that the fight was no longer happening here.

Aria watched the two knights leave.

"So that’s it?"

She sounded disappointed.

"I thought we were actually going to see them fight."

Ethan glanced at her.

"You were the one who wanted to know if they would fight."

"And now I want to see if they actually do."

She looked toward the training facility.

"Come on. We’re going too."

Ethan sighed. ℯ

"You really came looking for me just to watch other people fight?"

Aria smiled.

"It’s been a productive morning."

"Not so fast."

The same voice from earlier came from behind them.

Aria froze.

A middle-aged man in an Academy staff uniform walked toward them. His expression was calm, but there was a clear hint of disapproval on his face.

He stopped in front of Aria.

"Young lady, are you a new student?"

Aria nodded slowly.

"Yes."

"Then you should already know that female students aren’t allowed inside the boys’ dormitory."

Aria’s smile disappeared.

"Oh... about that."

"I don’t want to hear ’about that.’" He sighed. "The rule is there for a reason. You can’t just walk into the boys’ dormitory because you’re looking for someone."

Aria lowered her head slightly.

"I’m sorry. I was looking for Ethan and couldn’t find him anywhere."

The man glanced at Ethan.

"And you."

Ethan straightened slightly.

"Yes?"

"If someone comes looking for you, meet them outside the dormitory. Don’t encourage her to come inside."

"I understand."

The man’s expression softened.

"Good. Since you’re both new students, I’ll let this go this time. But make sure it doesn’t happen again."

Aria nodded quickly.

"Yes, sir. It won’t."

The man gave them one last look before walking away.

Aria let out a long breath and wiped her forehead, even though there wasn’t any sweat there.

"Phew. Good thing he didn’t decide to hold me accountable for that."

Ethan looked at her.

"You were the one who went into the boys’ dormitory."

"I know."

Aria gave him a quick look before her expression suddenly changed.

"Anyway, let’s go."

She turned and started walking.

"I want to see how those two knights fight."

Ethan followed her.

The two of them headed toward the Combat Training Facility.

By the time they arrived, several students from the earlier crowd were already gathered around the entrance.