Chapter 9

The Fruits of Training Complement an Evening Picnic

After perfecting the charm for another hour, Cedric allowed Lucy and Rosseau to train whatever they wanted. He recommended a few attack spells which Lucy attempted, but—as he figured— they were just too new and different from what she was familiar with. She would need more than a day to get a successful cast, so, instead, she and Rosseau sought to polish the spells she already knew.

The afternoon came and went, and as dusk came to an end, Rosseau began to gather his things.

“My family requires that I check in every week—give them a review of how my academics have been going, listen to inter-family politics, those sorts of things,” he told Cedric, who had inquired about his premature departure. “It’ll be a few quick hops through the Gates for me to get there, but I won’t be back until early morning.”

“Don’t be late for our match tomorrow,” Lucy joked, handing him a handkerchief. “And clean your face, you look like a mess.”

Rosseau laughed, wiping his face with it. “Thanks, Lu’. And you as well, Cedric. Thanks to you, I feel that we have more than a good chance of beating Nora tomorrow.”

“I...hope it was enough,” Cedric replied, still not used to receiving gratitude.

Rosseau smiled. “I’ll see you both tomorrow,” he finished and left the training field. Lucy and Cedric watched his figure pace down the cobblestone path until he rounded a building’s corner out of sight.

The night was quiet, save for the faint sounds of a few other students practicing in the other fields beyond their’s. Cedric glanced over to Lucy, whose gaze was still fixated on the corner where Rosseau had disappeared from.

“There’s still a couple of hours left in the day. Was there anything else you wanted to practice?” Cedric asked.

Lucy continued to stare out to where Rosseau had been, a hint of concern in her eyes. “Do you think I should have told him?” She asked, softly.

“How would I know the answer to that?”

Lucy broke into a fit laughter, caught off guard by Cedric’s bluntness. “What kind of answer is that?” She laughed even more.

Cedric felt relieved seeing her reaction. The last thing he wanted was for her to feel anxious about the stakes she was facing in tomorrow’s match. It would be up to him to keep her distracted though. At least until curfew.

Lucy finished her giggling, letting out a long, relaxed sigh at the end. “I don’t know, we’ve done so much today. I’m nearly out of magic, too. And I’m starving.”

“Oh, yeah it would be a good idea to eat. The dining hall is still open, did you want to head over there?” The thought tugged at Cedric’s stomach, reminding him that he hadn’t eaten for the past seven hours either. The food in the dining hall was always a treat, and Fridays especially because the bakery-

“Nope! I actually brought something for us to eat!” Lucy said, excited as she stooped down to rummage through her schoolbag. A moment later she procured a handkerchief-wrapped bundle, untying it to reveal a steel container, which she pried open to reveal the assortment of goodies inside it. There was a large parcel of steak jerky, three wooden bowls each with a mixture of pre-steamed rice, carrots, and peas, half a loaf of sourdough bread, and a handful of sweet-corn muffin bits.

“I completely forgot to tell you both before it was time for Rosseau to leave, so it looks like we’ll have to take care of this meal ourselves,” Lucy laughed, taking out a thin, cork-sealed vessel which she opened and poured its contents into two spare cups. “Tea?” she asked, holding the drink out to Cedric.

“Sure-“

“Oh, wait!” Lucy drew the cup back, almost spilling it. “Sorry, just one moment,” she said, closing her eyes and bringing the cup close to her. By the pace of her breathing, Cedric could tell she was channeling magic. A second later, Lucy released a deep breath, and steam began to rise from the cup’s mouth.

“Here, now it’s ready,” she said, letting him take the cup from her.

“A cup that can be used as a totem for magic, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“They sell them in the town below, I thought they were neat, so I bought a few.”

Cedric took a sip of the warm tea. Its temperature was perfect, though he wasn’t familiar with the flavor. It was refreshing, he thought.

Delighted that Cedric seemed to enjoy it, Lucy warmed her own cup up, and then did the same for the bowls of rice and vegetables, putting torn bits of jerky on top after it was done. She only realized it now, but it was the first time she was using more than one of the bowls and cups at a time.

“You can probably tell, but this is the only part that I made myself,” she said as she handed him the warmed bowl.

“I’m sure it’s good.”

Taking the spoon, Cedric scooped a moist chunk from the rice, jerky, and vegetable mixture and stuffed it in his mouth. He was caught by surprise. It was good—a point he made clear by making a positive grunt.

Lucy showed a pleased smile, digging into her own bowl. The bread was a nice complement to the main dish, even if it was a day old. They just made sure to leave the hard crust alone and take only the firm bits in the center.

After finishing his share of the main course along with half of Rosseau’s, Cedric took a couple of the sweet-corn muffins, recognizing them from the dining hall’s bakery from a couple nights ago. They were well kept, moist, and just as delicious as they had been a couple nights ago.

The two kids didn’t speak much throughout their meal, and they each realized that the resulting awkwardness had risen to an impalpable level, though both did have something they wanted to ask the other. More than the telepathy spell, there was something else that Cedric had remembered from last night’s research session—an intriguing revelation that he happened upon which concerned the girl in front of him.

Lucy too, was teeming with questions regarding Cedric being a magicless. She no longer believed that he had killed anyone with his magic—but then why was it taken away? And even more, why was he so incredible at teaching it? She couldn’t muster the courage to ask him these things, though—but Cedric wasn’t so shy.

“Why enter the tournament in your first-year?” Cedric asked.

“Hmm?”

“Most first-years know- I mean…assume they can’t make it far in the tournament. In fact, only about five percent of first years even try,” Cedric said, sharing one of the many statistics he had collected from this week’s research. He wouldn’t share the other statistic that weighed on his mind, though—that less than one percent of all tournament winners had been first-years.

“Oh…well…” Lucy fell quiet, staring at the near-empty cup she held in her hands. Of course she had a reason, but it was one that she wasn’t too eager to share with others. She had only told Rosseau a couple weeks ago, and though she was grateful to Cedric for all of his help, it didn’t feel like the right time to tell him. She didn’t want to completely lie to him either, though; so instead she would only tell him a part of it.

“Well, you know what happens after you win the tournament, right?” Lucy asked, preparing her half-truth.

“…you get the honor of facing the Celestial Mages. ‘A single match to earn eternal glory’,” Cedric answered, taking a quote from one of the books he read concerning it.

“E-exactly! And I’ve always wanted to face them ever since I was little!” Lucy let herself get excited. “It’s such a rare opportunity, only a handful of people ever get to do it. And this group hasn’t been defeated yet, so-!” Lucy caught herself almost slipping up and tried to calm down. “And…I’m sure you know that after they’re defeated, they don’t come back for another few years, so this year really is my best chance to face them. Even if I lose I’d like the chance at least.”

Cedric didn’t respond. This group. His mind dwelled on those words. It was exactly as he had suspected.

“You know, it’s been twenty years since the Celestial Mages were last defeated,” Cedric said, seemingly innocent. “Apparently, many have come close—though it’s hard to know how close when the matches are private—but we’re currently in the longest losing streak ever had against the Celestials.”

“Y-yes. Professor Farland says we’re living in a historic period of the tournament.”

“He’s certainly correct about that. Especially given who the last team was to actually defeat them.”

Lucy’s chest tensed, but she didn’t let it show on her face as Cedric continued.

“…the heroes who last defeated the Celestial Mages, and five years later sacrificed themselves to save us from a cult of Dark Mages. The famous Bleu-Cambre Mages led by Champion Sorcerer, Lorena Blanchette.”

Lucy remained quiet with a tense look on her face that cause Cedric to rethink what he was doing. Perhaps it would be best to leave it for another time and allow her to focus on tomorrow’s match. Yes, that’s what he would do.

Cedric took in a deep breath and let it it out in a huff, trying to break the tension he had caused between them. “Anyways, it certainly is a historic period-“

“I’m not stupid, you know.” Lucy interrupted, surprising Cedric. Though her tone may have been abrasive, her expression was delicate—as if she could break down at any moment. “You know already, don’t you?” she said, her voice unsteady.

“I…”

“Say it.”

Cedric ran a hand through his hair, annoyed that he had not handled this as delicately as he should have. He looked back at her with intent, realizing his position. If he didn’t answer her now, it would be a disrespect to her.

“Historically, the Celestial Mages are known to be the spirits of past mages who did incredible things to influence the world,” he continued, noticing Lucy’s expression tighten ever so slightly. He moved his gaze away from her, deciding it best to continue this way. “It’s taboo to talk about their identities, but after Lorena and the others…saved us, it was certain that they would assume the mantle and become the next Celestial Mages. And…well.”

“Well, what?”

“…If there was even a whisper of a chance that it was true…nobody would think it strange that you of all people would want to use that opportunity to meet them. Because…”

Cedric took a last, careful look at the girl in front of him and realized what a selfish fool he had been. Her shoulders were trembling, and her eyes were glossed with tears, ready to spill over. However, he had no choice but to continue, and he took a deep, quiet breath to prepare himself for what he was about to say.

“Lorena…was your mother. And you simply want to see her again.”

Hearing those words, Lucy buried her face into her hand and let out the crying whimper she had been fighting to hold in. It was no use, though, and quickly her whimpering grew into muffled cry.

“I’m sorry. I…overstepped my bounds,” Cedric said.

Lucy lifted her head, sniffling and rubbing her eyes. “No,” she choked. “If you knew, then I’m glad you didn’t hide it.”

Lucy took a moment to compose herself as best she could. Sniffling and wiping the rest of her tears away. One minute and a wet handkerchief later, she was mostly back to her normal self, taking a deep, relaxed breath.

“How did you find out?”

“Last night when I was reviewing previous tournament winners, I came across an old news-piece written after Lorena’s victory. Somewhere in it, the surname Hardtvelt appeared, belonging to a man named Grisham.”

Lucy looked faintly surprised. It was her father’s name, but as far as she knew he had never been a student at Greidwhen.

“The article described him as being a close friend of Lorena’s team, and it talked about a rumor that he was romantically involved with one of the members.”

Lucy almost gave an endearing chuckle. She knew very little of her parents’ younger days. It was warming to hear about something like this. “So, you figured it out just from that?” she asked.

“Just that your mother was on the team, not that she was Lorena herself. That part took another hour of digging through other articles that were released…well…that were released after what happened five years later.”

“Oh,” Lucy said, pensive. “Of course.”

“Sorry. Eventually one of them talked about her family, and that’s where Grisham’s—err, your father’s name appeared again.”

“Mmm,” Lucy murmured, processing all of this. Cedric had found out her secret all on his own. Should she be mad? It wasn’t as if he did it by invading her privacy. He simply happened across a small hint, deduced the truth, then verified it with some investigating. It was how he approached everything as she had come to learn. He was smart, practical and calculating. So, no, she wasn’t upset in the slightest. In fact, she found herself wishing she could be as smart as him.

“Say,” Lucy finally spoke up. “Do you think you could show me that article you came across? The one after Lorena won?”

“Now? I mean, the library is still open. So, yeah we can go and pull it out if you want.”

Lucy smiled. “Let’s go.”

Packing up everything, Lucy and Cedric headed to the library. While there, Cedric showed her the article he spoke of, as well as several others from the year Lorena Blanchette—a second-year of no special origin—took the Sorcerer’s Tournament by storm. For two hours, Lucy read through all the articles about her mother—some of them multiple times.

Cedric meanwhile found himself dealing with more than he bargained for with Lucy. Sometimes an article would leave her cheery. Other times she would get quiet or even teary eyed. She was unpredictable, though he understood the reason why. At the very least, he was pleased he had found something practical for her to spend the rest of the night with, rather than worrying about the match tomorrow.

Eventually, night had settled in completely, and it was time for them to end the long day

“Do you think someone like me can win the tournament?” Lucy asked, walking beside Cedric as they headed towards the dorms together.

“Perhaps, with enough practice and effort.”

“Is that your way of avoiding a statistical answer?” Lucy jeered.

Cedric didn’t answer. She was right on the money.

“Hmm, then let me ask this. Do you think I have a chance to win tomorrow?”

Lucy came to a halt in-front of Cedric. She was higher up than him now, and he realized she was partway up the stairs leading to the side-entrance of the Girl’s Dormitory. She was looking at him intently, and he traced the glistening reflection of the lamp’s firelight in her gentle, rose-colored eyes.

“With you and Rosseau together…I know you do,” he answered.

For reasons unknown to him, Lucy didn’t respond, but continued to gaze at him for a short moment.

“Well, I should get to bed,” she finally said, heading up the last few steps and creaking open the thin, wooden door. “You’ll…be there tomorrow, right?” she gave one last look to Cedric, who looked faintly surprised.

“I’ll be there. Have a goodnight.”

The corners of Lucy’s lips curled ever so slightly at his answer. “Goodnight,” she responded, prompting Cedric to give a final nod and leave towards his own dorm.

Satisfied, Lucy headed into the dorm and paced down its dimly lit hall to reach the stairs. The muffled voices and girlish squeals from the other rooms were a reminder that curfew had arrived. All the noise fell on deaf ears however. Lucy’s mind was elsewhere, but she didn’t quite know where. Her heart was beating fast, and she wondered if it was from a lingering anxiousness about tomorrow’s match.

“Where is he?” Lucy muttered to herself for the dozenth time. She paced back and forth at her end of the gymnasium arena, the ends of her lavender combat robe fluttering as erratically as her mind. The match was in ten minutes, and both Rosseau and Cedric had yet to arrive.

The only consolation to her sanity was the fact that Nora hadn’t arrived yet either. It was still nerve-wracking, though. Right now, it was just her and the two arena refs in the enormous room. The refs wore tattered black cloaks with drawn hoods to conceal their faces. They also wore decorated, ceramic half-masks which covered the upper half of their face. It was an accessory that always made her uneasy.

CLUNK!

The bolstering echo of a door opening perked Lucy’s attention. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the door behind her that opened, which would signal the arrival of Rosseau, but it was still the next best thing.

“Cedric!” Lucy shouted, seeing him come through one of the observer’s entrances.

“Hey,” Cedric said, meeting Lucy on the other side of the arena’s short fence. “Where’s Rosseau?”

“I don’t know! He’s never been this late before!” Lucy said.

Cedric looked at the flustered girl in front of him. This is exactly what he wanted to avoid. Anxiety like this would only hurt her performance in the match, even if Rosseau did show up now. Where was he?

CLANK!

Another, loud bash of a door being pushed open filled the room. Cedric and Lucy both turned their gaze towards the source—which unfortunately came from the other side of the arena this time.

“Nora,” Lucy whispered. Her voice quaking.

Surely enough, Nora entered through her team’s designated entrance on the opposite side of the arena. Her smile was proud—prouder that it had ever looked. Her strides were elegant and her posture grand—everything about the way she carried herself showed the marks of her upbringing as an Elefrian noble.

Nora’s eyes were fixed on Lucy from the moment she entered, sending a chill down Lucy’s back. Nora smirked, then took a glance at Cedric. The sight of the magicless boy made her want to laugh.

“Rosseau, where are you?” Lucy whispered desperately. Then her eyes went wide as she saw someone following Nora.

Lucy didn’t believe it at first, shaking her head and closing her eyes before taking a second look. But her eyes weren’t deceiving her, and her mind, heart, gut—everything dropped at once.

It was Rosseau following behind Nora, and there was an incredible sadness in his face.

“What!?” Lucy heard Cedric chide through gritted teeth.

Lucy’s knees began to shake. She didn’t quite understand, but she had an idea of what it all meant.

Cedric, meanwhile, understood the implication at once. Rosseau had come through the same entrance as Nora. He belonged to Nora’s team now.

“Now then, I’ve been soooo~ much looking forward to our match, Lucy." Nora smiled grossly. "I hope you’ve prepared as well as I have.”