Chapter 17

After All

“The spell is compatible, and I can prove it,” Cedric said, standing firm in the center of the headmaster’s court with a sharp look in his eyes.

Murmurs resounded amongst the crowds once again, along with a few glares that didn’t go unnoticed by Cedric and Lucy.

“Settle down, everyone,” Headmaster Falk said, successfully taming the crowd thanks to the lingering threat of his blowing up at them. He then looked inquisitively at Cedric. “That is quite the claim, Mr. Leonarch. What evidence do you have to support it?”

“There’s a reason Inanimport didn’t interfere with the charm when Lucy used it.” Cedric opened his bookbag and began to rummage through it, eventually procuring a thick collection of papers. “It’s because Inanimport is a derivative of another teleportation spell—one that already works with the tournament’s charm.”

Cedric held out the papers, where they floated from his gasp and into the headmaster’s. Giving them a quick look-through, the headmaster was surprised to see that every page was hand-written and professionally laid out, and he was even more impressed seeing that the final page was a collection of citations from over a dozen books in Greidwhen’s library. He couldn’t help a proud smirk. He would be hard pressed to find even a third-year who could compile this level of research.

“This is a significant amount of material. How long have you been working on this?” the headmaster asked.

“Since the match’s end,” Cedric answered.

The headmaster’s brow raised in surprise. That was only eight hours ago.

“Rothmeyer’s Teleportation is it?” the headmaster mused while studying the first page. “Her method is indeed compatible with the tournament’s charm. But how does Inanimport being a derivative of it guarantee its integrity with the charm?”

Cedric adjusted his glasses with a confident look. “Put simply, the tournament’s charm identifies spells as complex as teleporation by detecting precise segments of their channeling process. In the case of Inanimport, the segment it adopts from Rothmeyer’s process happens to be the same one the tournament’s charm is configured to detect. As a result, its response to Inanimport being used on a combatant is the same as its response to Rothmeyer’s Teleportation.”

Further whispers passed throughout the room while Lucy tried to keep her head from spinning at Cedric’s explanation. She didn’t fully understand it, and if that was the simple explanation, she couldn’t imagine what the normal one was like.

Intrigued by the argument, the headmaster sorted through the papers once more, giving them a more careful read while everyone waited with held breaths. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in his expertise to confirm the conclusions drawn in research. Eventually, he lifted his eyes from the papers and back to Cedric. But, before he could voice his next thought, another woman from the school-board drew everyone’s attention with her lone scoff.

“Forgive my brashness,” the woman held up an apologetic hand. “But are we honestly about to lean on the whims of a student for such an important decision?” The woman looked sternly at Cedric from where she sat, then surveyed the rest of the crowd. “It’s unbecoming to suggest his findings outweigh opinions and experience of our own offices. And even if the information holds some merit, we should study it alongside the standard protocols, rather than open ourselves to liability because a risk went undisclosed.”

Lucy grew worried as mutters of agreement passed amongst everyone, and she herself began to wonder what the right choice was. The last thing she wanted was to put Cedric in danger, but six months was practically the end of the tournament. Who knows if they would still be competing by then? There had to be a way to convince everyone to let her use it. There had to-!

Lucy paused herself, and suddenly she realized what a horrible thing she was suggesting. How could she even consider risking Cedric’s safety for her own benefit? That wasn’t what a friend was supposed to do. And that’s exactly what she and Cedric were. Weren’t they?

Lucy looked at Cedric, shamed by her own selfishness. “Maybe we should forget about using Inanimport,” she whispered to him. “It’s not worth the risk.”

Cedric turned his stone gaze towards her, causing the girl to shyly avert her eyes. It had been more embarrassing to say than she thought. It didn’t help that Cedric was holding a long silent look at her, but she hoped this was enough to make up for her brief moment of selfishness.

“I can’t believe you’refalling for this nonsense,” Cedric said before stepping forward and grossing the attention of the entire court. “None of those points just made are relevant. The charm’s response to Inanimport is exactly the same as Rothmeyer’s in every instance. Every detail on why is listed in there.” Cedric pointed to the papers in Falk’s hands. “There is no undisclosed risk waiting to be uncovered, and my position as a first-year has nothing to do with the evidence’s integrity.” Cedric narrowed his gaze onto the woman who had voiced her opposition. “And of course you should show the findings to your research offices. They’ll be sure to understand its content immediately. After all, we wouldn’t want to rely on the whims of someone without any knowledge on this sort of thing.”

The woman’s mouth fell agape. “Wha-? Excuse me!?“

“Alright, that’s enough,” the headmaster interjected. His voice carried an unnatural strength that churned the room’s air, unnerving everyone. Well, almost everyone. The headmaster fixed his stern gaze onto Cedric, who returned the look with unwavering resolve. Falk was surprised. Typically, the boy’s face was one of genuine disinterest, but that wasn’t the case now. There was a spark in him. A reflection of vigor brimming in his eyes.

“Perhaps we should test that theory of yours,” the headmaster said, concealing his interest for his fresh-conceived idea. “Thomas, if you would read through Mr. Leonarch’s findings here and now. Please inform us if the claims and evidence are accurate, and if any further investigation after the fact would be facetious.”

Loosening his hold on them, the papers floated out from the headmaster’s and traveled towards the left-hand pews, settling into Thomas’s grasp. The man swallowed and nervously glanced around the room before accepting the duty bestowed upon him and beginning his reading.

For the first minute, the school board watched with glazed eyes as they waited for Thomas to crack a laugh or show a smile. Such a reaction would give all the proof they needed for the research’s discredit. But one minute turned to two. Then two turned into ten. And by the count of how many times the pages had been shuffled, many of them knew that the tenured expert was already on his second read-through of the material.

The room had fallen deathly quiet by time Thomas finished his second pass. The man’s eyes stung from the buildup of sweat on his face, and he rubbed them thoughtfully while muttering a quick couple words that no one beside him could discern. He swallowed uncomfortably, passing a glance to the headmaster, and then to Emissary Liostra.

“How late is Meredith working tonight?” Thomas asked.

“Why would she need to be involved?” Liostra said. Her voice was worried.

“I need…a second opinion is all.”

Watching the exchange intently, Lucy’s face perked with interest. So far, the man hadn’t said anything about the research being wrong. Could that mean...?

“Hold on.” The belligerent woman who adamantly opposed Cedric earlier, said. “Surely you are not suggesting that the boy’s research is credible?”

Thomas stroked his jaw, taking a moment to review everything in his mind. “I’m suggesting that a second party look at this. Objectively, if possible.” He looked at Emissary Liostra once again. “Is Meredith available right now?”

“Possibly. You know how she overworks herself.”

Whispering an affirmation to himself, Thomas searched the breast of his robe and procured a leather sleeve whose contents he emptied beside him. Carefully, he slid Cedric’s papers into it and floated the sleeve over to Emissary Liostra.

“She doesn’t have to show up,” Thomas said. “Just have her read it and get her analysis in writing. Oh, and don’t let her know who wrote it.” He passed a guilty look at Cedric. “For objectivity, of course.”

“Can’t you deliver it to her, yourself?” the council emissary asked.

Thomas smiled awkwardly. “I’d…rather not.”

The emissary eyed the leather slab that floated in front of her and passed an annoyed look at Thomas. She wasn’t keen on playing messenger. But besides Thomas and herself, she knew that the woman in question likely would not give anyone else here the time of day.

“Very well. I’ll be back in a moment.”

Pinching her robe’s medallion between her knuckles, the emissary channeled her magic into it and disappeared in a shimmer of silver light. Lucy was surprised at the stylish disappearance. She never knew the medallions could be used for spellcasting.

“Hmm, this will probably take a few minutes. Let’s consider this a short recess,” Headmaster Falk announced. And before his statement even finished, several of the school board members were already loosening up and chatting with each other about everything that had transpired.

“Why don’t the both of you take a seat over there,” the headmaster said to Cedric and Lucy. “I’m sure it must be exhausting to stand for so long without having a proper rest from your match.”

Following the direction of the headmaster’s motioning point, Lucy looked over to see a short, neglected bench positioned along the rugged stone wall. Her eyes sparkled with relief. Being in the headmaster’s court had been exhausting—for more reasons than one. And when she sat down on the cushion-less bench, its hardwood seat still felt like a small gift. Never again would she take hardwood benches for granted.

“That’s a pretty happy face for such a miserable seat,” a voice called out.

Lucy broke from her blissful trance and looked at Cedric who took his seat beside her. His eyes were tired, and his body moved rigidly from soreness. But when he finally settled into his seat, even he couldn’t help a comfortable breath after getting the weight off of his feet.

Lucy smiled devilishly. “Well, you don’t have to sit, you know. I’ll be happy to turn this bench into a bed if you aren’t using it.”

Choosing not to oblige her teasing, Cedric relaxed another long breath, settling further into his seat while Lucy pouted at his refusal to play along. A long pause lingered between them, and Lucy could tell he was thinking hard about something.

“Sorry, if I sounded coarse earlier,” he said, thinking back to Lucy’s suggestion that they give up on Inanimport. “It was just…frustrating. To think that their baseless fears were going to overshadow the facts.”

Lucy thought about the nature of everyone’s resistance up till now, and it made her heart sink. It was probably more than just Cedric being a student. She was sure there was resistance because of something else.

“No, I should apologize,” she said, not wanting to finish that depressing thought. “It’s obvious that you know more about this than me. I should have supported you. After all…”

Clasping her hands together, Lucy fidgeted them anxiously against her legs.

“More than teammates… we’re friends, aren’t we?”

Lucy’s cheeks went red while she kept her gaze fixed onto the floor in front of her. A part of her wanted to know what kind of face Cedric was making right now, but it wasn’t worth exposing her own stupid face to find out. However, when the seconds ticked by without a reply from him, she managed a shy glance his way, only to find that he had fallen asleep.

“Are you kidding me!?” she exclaimed, jolting the boy awake.

“Wha- wha-?” Cedric mumbled nonsensically. His tired eyes opened and looked at her unbelievably—a look she returned, with a pout for good measure.

“Ugh, nevermind,” Lucy huffed and turned away from him. Her face had begun to turn redder than before. Now she really couldn’t let him see.

“S-sorry,” Cedric muttered, adjusting his position again. Reaching behind for his hood, he pulled it as far over his face as he could and hoped the subtle shade of red that brewed on his cheeks would disappear quickly.

The minutes ticked by in the headmaster’s court, and the distant, soft-spoken conversations of everyone else put Lucy into a near slumber while she waited patiently for the hearing to resume. The soft snores from Cedric beside her didn’t help either. Her eyelids had never felt so heavy. Thankfully, before she could lose the battle against sleep, the court’s tall doors swung open, and their low, dragging rumble jarred her and everyone else to attention.

Coming into the room, an older, fair-skinned woman with graying-blonde hair and white robes caught Lucy’s eye. For a moment, she thought it was another emissary from the council, but after studying the robes closer, she realized her mistake. The woman’s robes were laced with golden embroidery, rather than silver, and its collar was clasped together by a chain and medallion of pure gold.

Lucy was in awe. This woman wasn’t an emissary for the council. She was a member of the council itself.

“Where is that rat, Thomas?” the woman yelled, reaching the center of the court. The grandeur of her entrance was so compelling that Lucy almost didn’t notice Liostra following after her.

“Oh, Meredith. You’re here.” Thomas’s voice cracked.

The councilor locked onto the man. “You incorrigible fool. I apprentice you for six years, and you still require my approval for something like this!?” The woman held up and waved the leather sleeve that emissary Liostra had been sent away with. “Think about how this makes me look! When my own pupil is handed a complete study but can’t bring himself to sign off on it. I didn’t raise such a soft-bellied coward, did I?”

The room fell silent as everyone waited for Thomas to respond. It didn’t appear that he would though. His face was nervous, and while he kept trying to say something, only jumbles of half words came out. Lucy wondered if this was the effect of being under the woman’s tutelage for half a decade.

“Ahem,” the headmaster cleared his throat. “Councilor Veletta, how gracious of you to make an appearance in our humble academy.”

“Please call me by my name, Falk. You know how I despise the high formalities.” The woman crossed her arms and looked pointedly at him.

Lucy tensed, wondering if she was about to witness a showdown between the two short-tempered figures. She was surprised, though, when Headmaster Falk barked a laugh instead.

“If you didn’t want to be a councilor, you should have been more careful about becoming the greatest spellstician of our time.”

The councilwoman smirked. “Well, the resources I’m allowed with the job aren’t so bad a perk. I’m just sorry that the protégé I left you wasn’t apt enough to approve a simple study.”

“Ah, yes. About that study,” the headmaster said, more serious. “What exactly is your judgement of it?”

At once, Meredith’s eyes sparkled with delight. As if she were a parent witnessing her child cast an illumination spell for the first time.

“It stands as the most clever application of spell theory I’ve seen in years. The Inanimport revelation aside, the content perfectly considers the four pillars of spell detection to detail why it requires no configuration to the tournament’s charm to use.”

Once again, murmurs passed amongst the crowded pews.

“Err, yes. That did seem to be the case-“

“And yet you still didn’t have the courage to approve it,” the councilwoman cut off her former apprentice. “Don’t think that you’ll get away with this. Once this hearing is over, you and I are going to have a thorough council about your future in this field.”

The middle-aged spellstician sighed, but his face carried a smile. “That seems to happen every time our paths cross.”

Seeing that things had gotten off track, the headmaster leaned forward, taking advantage of the obnoxious creak his chair made to draw everyone’s attention.

“I’m sorry, Meredith, but it was a bit unclear for myself, so allow me to rearticulate.” He fleeted a look to Lucy and Cedric who remained in their bench off to the side. “Given the research, is inanimport safe to use on a magicless combatant during the tournament?”

Intrigued by the headmaster’s choice glance, Meredith looked suspicious and stole her own at the two kids off to the side. They were first years, apparent by the robes they wore. The girl with the ridiculous pink hair returned a nervous look which didn’t impress the old councilwoman, but the boy… the boy had patient eyes. Eyes which betrayed that he did not struggle to understand the complex subject being discussed. Eyes which seemed to be waiting… expecting, her next words.

“Yes,” Meredith began, shaking off a sudden discomfort. “Given the research, there is no doubt that the spell is compatible with the tournament’s charm.”

Arguing voices overwhelmed the room, and the headmaster couldn’t help but smirk as he witnessed his colleagues become disparate with each other. The school board had been shaken. From what he could see, one half didn’t want to believe the verdict, and the other half—while likely sharing the sentiment—knew better than to challenge the judgement of someone as esteemed as councilor Veletta, and each side was trying to convince the other. It made him want to laugh, but he knew he shouldn’t. If only his old friend knew just who’s research she had so passionately validated. It would give her quite a shock. A first-year student—a magicless first-year student—had managed to prove in one night what Greidwhen’s best offices would have taken six months to ascertain.

Having no interest in trying to shout over everyone again, the headmaster channeled his magic and pushed two gusts of wind into each crowd, forcing everyone to cease their bickering and hold onto their seats to keep from falling over. Once the wind died down, they all looked at him. Their once well-ordered robes were now creased and ruffled.

“I am quite disappointed at the lack of manners being displayed. Not just before two hands of the council, but before two of our own students as well.” The headmaster looked pointedly at a few of the most noticeable troublemakers in the crowd.

“We should be celebrating this achievement made by one of our own students,” the headmaster continued. “After all, Greidwhen was founded as an institution to cultivate talents of the untraditional; the likes of which Northorn and Amareste refuse to accommodate. We have always aimed to be more open-minded than them. Has that purpose truly been lost to the board under my own nose?”

The guilty members of the crowd averted their eyes. Many of them looked ashamed as Lucy noticed. She wondered what Cedric must be feeling right now, but she didn’t dare look his way. She didn’t want him to think she was pitying him. And she herself didn’t know what to make of all the feelings battling inside her. The only thing she knew for certain, was how proud she was to have Falk as their Headmaster.

“Mr. Leonarch, it appears your research was accurate after all,” the headmaster said, looking at Cedric. “As such, I believe this hearing has reached its final verdict.” The headmaster surveyed the room, and held his head high as a blank parchment appeared beside him. “Let it be officially documented, that by the research compiled by Greidwhen’s own student, Cedric Leonarch, and it’s validity defended by Meredith Veletta, the use of Inanimport on magicless combatants will be recognized as a legitimate tactic. And that its use in the tournament does not threaten the integrity of the tournament’s charm. If there is any member of this court with significant reason to oppose, speak now.”

Everyone watched as the decree manifested onto the previously blank parchment, where only the last line was waiting to be filled in with the headmaster’s signature. To Lucy’s surprise, many in the crowd had agreeable eyes at this point, and she was surprised to see that one of them was Professor Farland; her homeroom instructor who she only just noticed was in attendance.

“Very well. Then I hereby establish this as the official verdict of the court.”

At once, the empty line on the paper filled with the headmaster’s signature. A second later, it rolled up and was bound by a thick violet ribbon whose origin Lucy didn’t catch. The rolled-up document then flew into the headmaster’s hand, where he filed it away into the void space beside him.

“Now then. This hearing is adjourned. You are all dismissed.”

Sitting on the outside steps leading up to the headmaster’s building, Lucy breathed in deep and sighed for what was probably the thousandth time that night. The crisp, night air was a welcome change from the heat and dank of the headmaster’s court. In fact, when she stepped outside and remembered fresh air, she resolved to avoid rooms stuffed with fifty irritable adults as best she could from now on.

Nothing much stirred in the Academy grounds, but Greidwhen proved to have even small beauties at this time of night. Dim orange lights flickered in a scant number of windows, and the trees beside them swayed gently to the rhythm of the wind that blew down from the higher mountain peaks. Many of the less important paths had their lamps dimmed, bathing those areas in a near darkness, but those paths that remained brightly lit would surely be put out in the next hour. Curfew had passed only a few minutes ago, as Lucy could read from the illuminated face of Greidwhen’s clocktower. That was the one light that wouldn’t be put out; and from what Lucy heard, the sight of the glowing clocktower was quite famous in the towns below the mountain.

Truly, Greidwhen was a dazzling place.

Lucy sighed, trying to enjoy the view as best she could. She thought she would be happier after the ruling that they could use Inanimport, but now she found new discomforts to dwell on. She didn’t forget the faces some of school board made in there. Not directed at her, but at someone else.

She didn’t like it. She didn’t like the way they looked at Cedric. And more selfishly, she didn’t like that it reminded her of the way she looked at him not so long ago. For the last few days, it had begun to feel that his being magicless didn’t matter at all. That he was just as normal a boy as she was a girl. But now, reality had reared its ugly head. Cedric was a magicless, and there were plenty who would revile him for it.

“I told you not to wait for me,” a dry voice called out.

Lucy turned to find Cedric standing atop the stairs behind her. The light from the porch’s lamp behind him made it hard to read his shadowed face, but Lucy could tell by his voice that he was beyond exhausted.

“I wanted to wait,” she said, turning her attention back to one of the last windows with flickering orange inside it. “Who else is going to make sure you don’t take off to the library when you should be resting?” Lucy winced as the last word left her lip. Her tone had sounded a smidge harsher than she meant it to.

“The library is closed. If you’d spent a proper amount of time there, you would know that.”

Lucy stared blankly at Cedric while he descended the steps past her. Each instance of his boot scraping against stone matched the pace of her face becoming more bewildered as she tried to process what had just happened. Was his comment serious? Or…did he actually tease her back for once?

Not wanting to miss this rare chance, Lucy side-eyed him and exaggerated a pout. “I was in the library plenty this week, wasn’t I?” she grumbled.

“Hmm. I suppose that’s correct,” Cedric said. “Guess it wasn’t enough.”

Holding a look at him, Lucy tried to uphold a defiant appearance, but it proved impossible. Cedric’s bored and unwavering face broke her, and she gave up a smile. Without another word, she rose up from her uncomfortable seat on the steps and took her place beside him, and they left towards the dorms together. Her troubled thoughts hadn’t left her completely. And while there were plenty of things she wanted to ask him regarding them… it didn’t need to happen all at once. She was content just having this simple moment talking with him and receiving his short but sincere replies.

She wondered what it would be like from now on. Two misfits. Taking on the Sorcerer’s Tournament. She wasn’t sure of what they were in for, but perhaps it wouldn’t matter as long as they were together.

After all, they were friends. Weren’t they.