Chapter 564: The Grand First-Year Combat Festival: Peace and Quiet

Ezra lifted his head, looking at Willow’s slightly flushed expression.

Willow was still standing behind him, looking down at Ezra with the same serious expression she had worn a moment ago, although the faint redness on her cheeks hadn’t disappeared.

Her hands were still resting over his mouth.

For a few seconds, neither of them moved.

The Crimson eyes of the young Blood Binding Alchemist met the plain black eyes of the Gun Alchemist.

The noise of the arena continued around them.

Hundreds of Thousands of voices filled the stands, mixing with the distant sounds coming from the fight platform and the low mechanical hum of the Holographic Screens suspended around the arena.

Then...

The noise of the different conversations suddenly stopped.

Not completely.

But enough for the change to be noticed.

Willow slowly looked upward.

She had already sensed it before she understood why.

The atmosphere of the arena had changed.

Her crimson eyes moved toward the large Holographic Screen positioned in front of the stand section where they were seated.

Her expression froze.

The screen had switched.

Instead of showing the fight platform, it was displaying the First-Year seating section.

And there she was.

Willow.

Standing directly behind Ezra.

Her hand was covering his mouth while she leaned close to him.

The position looked far more intimate than Willow had intended.

Ezra was simply sitting there with his usual expression, his black eyes staring back at her while she stood behind him with one hand over his mouth.

The image remained on the screen for several seconds.

Many eyes were fixed on them.

Students from the younger Academies and the Royal Academy.

Nobles.

Non-Nobles.

Alchemists.

Spectators from the various Duke Houses, Count Houses, Viscount Houses, High-Ember Houses, Low-Ember Houses, and Baron Houses.

Even people who hadn’t been paying attention to the First-Year seating section a moment earlier were now looking.

Willow’s crimson eyes remained on the screen.

Her face became slightly warmer.

She hadn’t expected the Holographic Screen to show them.

The screen then switched displays, moving toward another section of spectators who were discussing the upcoming match.

But it was already too late.

The crowd had seen them.

Some spectators were already pointing toward the First-Year seating section.

Others leaned toward the people sitting beside them and began whispering.

Willow did not panic.

She did not even make a scene out of the situation she found herself in.

She simply looked back down at Ezra.

Then she removed her hand from his mouth.

Ezra did not react in the slightest to the sudden grab or to the fact that the entire arena had just seen it.

His expression remained the same.

Willow straightened herself.

"Sorry for grabbing your mouth like that."

She apologized without trying to make the situation into something bigger than it was.

"Done so soon... Huh?"

Vera spoke lightly.

The faint amused smile that had already been resting on her face remained there.

She had watched the entire thing.

Her dull black eyes shifted between Willow and Ezra.

"You should keep entertaining us, oh, my serious Blood Binding Willow and my incredible Inventor."

Her voice carried a casual teasing tone.

She did not even look at Willow while saying it.

Her dull black eyes were only glued on Ezra and him alone.

Ezra slowly turned his head toward her.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

"Quiet, Vera. I was just caught up in the moment. Nothing for your weird entertainment."

Willow’s voice carried a faint annoyance.

She looked toward Vera before returning to her seat.

Her movements were controlled, but the slight color still remained on her cheeks.

"Not for my entertainment?"

Vera finally looked at Willow.

She put on a fake shocked expression, but it wasn’t convincing.

Not even slightly.

"Speaking as if you two decided to be the entertainers of today’s Combat Festival, right before the Best Loser’s Match starts."

She tilted her head slightly.

This time, her gaze shifted toward Ezra instead of the person she was teasing.

There was a small curve at the corner of her lips.

Ezra didn’t even bother replying.

He simply turned his face back toward the fight platform.

The actual entertainers were already preparing for the upcoming match, and that was where his attention belonged.

Unfortunately, a portion of the crowd was no longer paying attention to the platform.

The Holographic Screen had already moved on.

The spectators had not.

The whispers began spreading through the arena.

"Did you just see what I saw?"

"Well, it isn’t the first time I’ve seen him with a Flower, though."

"That’s four Flowers altogether."

"Wait, four?!"

"Lady Selena Galehart when they danced together."

"Wait, since when did that happen?! I remember Lady Selena Galehart hasn’t danced with any Young Gentleman, not once."

"During the First-Year ballroom dance party, of course. My younger siblings told me about it."

"I heard he also danced with Lady Vera Ashenlocke."

"And he’s quite the dancer too."

"Wait, what?"

"I’m bewildered."

"Count me in."

The whispers became louder.

People were beginning to compare memories of the First-Year events, apparently finding it far more interesting than they should have.

"Do the Ashenlockes know they have a child who has more pull than most of their young gentlemen?"

"Hey, the Young Lord of Ash has pull too."

"Sir Gareth Ashenlocke is quite cute too."

"Ugh... Don’t compare Sir Ezra Ashenlocke to those two. No offense to the Young Lord of Ash, but Sir Ezra Ashenlocke looks so cute and handsome at the same time. It makes me want to spoil him a lot."

"He also makes me want to take care of him so badly."

"I want an Ezra Ashenlocke."

"Kyyyyyaaaaaaaaa!!"

The noise around that part of the crowd increased.

More conversations about Ezra began mixing together, creating another layer of noise over the cheering already coming from the arena.

Some spectators laughed.

Some whispered.

Others simply watched the First-Year section with open curiosity.

The awkward moment had passed, but it had left behind enough material for the crowd to entertain itself.

Vera looked at Ezra.

She had clearly heard every one of the conversations.

"See..."

Her voice was light.

"Entertaining."

Her dull black eyes remained fixed on Ezra.

"My Dancer has a big knack for randomly doing unexpected things."

She tilted her head slightly to the other side again.

"Should I start calling you My Entertainer from now on?"

Her smile became a little more noticeable.

"I don’t know. I think it fits you properly."

Vera paused.

"Don’t you like it, Ezra?"

Ezra didn’t answer.

Vera continued as though she had already decided that his silence counted as permission.

"You should be happy, Ezra."

Her gaze shifted toward Willow.

"And you too, fellow Flower."

Willow stared at Vera.

Her crimson eyes narrowed.

There was an extravagant annoyance in her expression now.

"You are the one who has a knack for annoying people. Vera."

She replied with a stern expression.

Vera’s faint smile didn’t disappear.

"I’m with Vera on this one."

Selena finally spoke.

She had remained quiet for most of the exchange, apparently still trying to hide the reaction she had felt when Willow suddenly grabbed Ezra’s mouth.

Willow turned toward her.

"Excuse me, Selena?"

Her serious crimson eyes narrowed.

Selena maintained her graceful expression.

"What you did wasn’t a proper way a Lady of Britannia should act to a Gentleman, Willow. You startled him."

"I did say I’m sorry."

Willow answered without hesitation.

Selena immediately went silent.

Her lips parted slightly.

For a moment, she had nothing to say.

She’s completely right.

Selena’s expression remained composed on the outside.

I don’t have anything to say to counter that!

She looked away.

The argument had ended almost as quickly as it began.

"What is Selena even saying...Haha...Haha..."

Sasha suddenly began laughing.

She leaned forward against Cyrus’ seat, unable to hold herself together anymore.

"Lol... I can’t take this moment."

Her shoulders shook as she laughed.

"I wish I had some snacks with me."

Cyrus also couldn’t help laughing.

He pointed at Ezra with a mocking expression, making his laughter even more obvious.

Ezra’s eyes moved toward him.

Cyrus noticed the look, but he still laughed.

Ezra simply stared at him.

There was no anger in his expression.

No embarrassment.

Not even a hint that he cared about the teasing.

His gaze remained steady until Cyrus’s laughter gradually became less confident.

The noise from the crowd continued around them.

The fight platform remained prepared.

The Best Loser’s Match was about to begin.

Ezra finally spoke.

"The match is about to start."

His voice was flat.

"Can we get peace and quiet now, especially you two vocal Flowers?"

Both Burnwick step-siblings stopped laughing.

Sasha immediately leaned back into her seat.

Her laughter died down.

"No fun."

She muttered.

Cyrus also settled down.

The two of them exchanged a glance before turning their attention toward the platform.

Vera and Willow, who had been trading words only moments earlier, both looked toward Ezra.

Selena also gazed at him.

There was a slight surprise in her eyes.

The same thought seemed to pass through all of them.

Did he actually get tired of the situation?

Ezra hadn’t raised his voice.

He hadn’t looked angry.

He had simply decided that the conversation had lasted long enough.

That was all.

Although...

Ezra was actually getting tired of the noise’s conversations going on at his back and his side.

It didn’t just show clearly on his face.

The arena noise continued around them, but their small group finally became quiet.

For a few seconds, the First-Year section returned its attention to the actual reason everyone had gathered.

The fight platform.

The Best Loser’s Match.

The next battle.

At the same time...

"Now that we have enjoyed ourselves with the beautiful display of today’s entertainers..."

Patrick’s voice suddenly echoed brightly throughout the arena.

The moment his voice reached the stands, the remaining conversations began to die down.

People turned toward the platform.

Patrick stood where almost everyone could see him in the commentator’s section, microphone in hand, his expression carrying the energy of someone who knew exactly how to stir a crowd.

"Let’s begin today’s Best Loser’s Match!!!!"

He shouted.

"Wooooooooaahhhhhhhh!!!"

The crowd answered immediately.

The sound rolled through the arena.

Students raised their hands.

Spectators shouted the names of their favored fighters.

The atmosphere that had been filled with smaller conversations was replaced by a much louder wave of anticipation.

Patrick allowed the cheering to continue for a moment.

Then he raised his voice again.

"Welcoming the first fighter in our first-ever Three Students Fight, Only One Winner Match!"

He dragged out the introduction, deliberately giving the crowd time to react.

The cheers grew louder.

"Sir Ravenor Burnwick!!!"

A large portion of the crowd erupted.

"THE WILD GUN OF ASHENLOCKE, I BELIEVE YOU CAN SHOCK US ALL!!"

Another section responded.

"Mr. Maxwell Redemption!!"

Voices rose from different parts of the arena.

The names of the favored Young Alchemists echoed through the stands.

Some spectators shouted for Ravenor.

Others shouted for Maxwell.

The excitement continued building as Patrick prepared to announce the final participant.

Then he raised the microphone.

"Miss Lyra Ashburn!!!"

Patrick called the first student’s name brightly.

The response was immediate.

The Ashburn Count House spectators rose with enthusiasm.

Other families aligned with Ashenlocke also joined the cheering.

The Ashenlocke spectators shouted Lyra’s name as she stepped toward the arena entrance.

"Come on, Lyra!!! You got this!!"

The voice came from somewhere within the stands.

Lyra walked out from the arena entrance.

Her steps were light.

She looked completely healthy.

There was no sign of the condition she had been in when she fought Ezra.

Her body appeared to have recovered fully, and there was that usual bright expression on her face as she looked toward the enormous crowd.

Then she raised both hands.

"I’m back!!!"

She laughed brightly.

"Muahaha... Muahaha!!!"

Her laughter carried across the platform as she continued waving both hands, just as she had always done during her entrances.

The crowd responded with another wave of cheers.

Spectators from the Ashburn Count House shouted her name.

The families aligned with Ashenlocke followed.

Even among the Ashenlocke spectators, there were people cheering for the young girl who had managed to reach this point.

Lyra continued forward.

Her boots struck the platform as she stepped onto it.

She looked around at the enormous arena with a smile that showed none of the nervousness that might have been expected from someone about to participate in a battle watched by thousands.

She had returned.

And this time, she was here to fight again.

Patrick waited until Lyra had reached the platform.

Then he lifted the microphone.

"Vs... Sir Ravenor Burnwick!!!!"

His voice sounded strongly across the arena.

The crowd immediately responded.

The Best Loser’s Match was officially about to begin.