"Magical technology is created through the combining of scientific theory, mechanical engineering, and magical decomposition," the teacher lectured, though Caspian barely paid any attention.

Classes felt slower than ever that day. Tedious didn't begin to describe them. The lectures seemed even more boring now than ever before, the students bothered him more, and everything seemed to irritate him. He understood why, however, and it didn't have anything to do with classes.

Elincia wasn't there.

This didn't come as much of a shock to him. Elincia's presence had made what had once been unbearable tolerable. He enjoyed coming to class, even if the only reason had been because it meant he could see her. With Elincia gone, he felt like class was an abysmal black hole sucking all of the fun out of his life.

"Magical devices are created by building a matrix, or a series of matrices, with a specific function in mind, and then adding that function to a device that was designed specifically for each function. After the matrices and device are fully integrated, circuits and the motherboard, which is embedded with a spirit crystal, are added to create a pathway and a power source."

Where is she?

He didn't think anything had happened to her. There would have been an announcement otherwise. At the very least, Caspian was sure that he would know if something happened to her.

"Sol! Are you listening to me?" the instructor asked.

"No, I'm not listening to you," Caspian answered honestly, not even paying attention to what he was saying.

"Y-you little brat! You think you can talk back to me?!"

"Yes."

The instructor's face turned puce. "That's it! Out of my room! Get out of here this instant, you disrespectful peasant!"

Caspian still wasn't paying much attention, but he understood enough to stand up and leave. He didn't want to be there anyway, so if the teacher was going to give him a free pass, then he'd gladly accept.

Without much to do and nowhere to go, Caspian wandered the halls. He didn't have a destination in mind, though he supposed he could always hit up the library or even find a courtyard to practice via shadow sparring. Somehow, though, the idea of sparring with his own shadow didn't appeal to him all that much right now.

As he rounded a corner, Caspian almost ran into someone who'd been practically running down the hall. While the hooded figure let out a feminine shriek, Caspian reacted swiftly, spinning on the balls of his feet and swerving around the other person before they could collide.

Whirling around, Caspian laid into the person he'd almost crashed into. "Hey, you need to watch where you goi... ing...? Elincia?"

Her hood having fallen off, Elincia looked like a deer staring down a Peacekeeper's rifle. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was parted. Caspian thought she looked rather fetching, actually, but he quickly shook that off.

"Elincia, where have you—"

"Not here," Elincia whispered, placing a hand against his lips. She then removed her hand and grabbed onto one of his, tugging it as she moved down the hall. "Come on. Follow me."

Caspian didn't know what was going on, but he knew better than to ask questions. He dutifully followed his friend as she led him to what he recognized as the library. Before they actually entered, Elincia cracked the door open and stuck her head inside as if checking to see if anyone else was in there.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Sh! I'm looking to see if there's anyone here."

"Yes, I can see that. I meant, why are you doing it?"

"Because I don't want us to be spotted."

Caspian didn't comment as Elincia pulled her head back out, opened the door, and then dragged him into the room before closing the door behind them. He allowed her to pull him further into the library, all the way to the back. Caspian sat on the couch that she directed him to. Elincia slumped down next to him.

"Ele?"

"I need to tell you something," Elincia said, taking a shuddering breath. "I... Lady Sylvia, she... she's not... I mean, I'm not allowed to see you anymore."

"What?"

"She told me that I was showing favoritism toward you, which I am, I guess, but then she said that I couldn't see you anymore because it would make the other competitors feel like the competition was won before it's even started. I... I don't know what to do! I haven't seen you in years, so I want to spend more time with you! But Lady Sylvia's not letting me!"

Frustrated tears welled up in Elincia's eyes. She wiped at them, but it seemed to be a futile effort. They just continued to flow.

Caspian reached up and took a hold of her face. Cupping her cheeks, he used his thumb to brush away her tears.

"So, Sylvia's not going to let you see me anymore?"

Elincia shook her head. "She said that she wasn't going to tolerate my shows of favoritism anymore, but Caspian... I don't want anyone else to win this tournament but you. I couldn't imagine anyone else as my knight."

Caspian didn't understand why Sylvia had decided to keep Elincia from seeing him now, but he also knew that going against Sylvia wasn't a smart thing to do. Aside from her power, which was considerable, she'd also had a part in raising them, however small that part may have been. Also, and this was just a hunch of his, but she must have had a reason for this decision. That was what he wanted to believe.

"Try not to worry too much," Caspian said. "Even if we can't see each other right now, it's only going to be until the tournament ends. After that, I'll be your knight and we'll be together forever."

"But Caspian—"

"Sylvia must have a good reason for not wanting you to see me right now. For now, let's play along. What's two weeks compared to the years that we've already spent apart?"

"I think even two more weeks is two weeks too long," Elincia sniffled. "But, I guess you're right." Elincia moved away from Caspian and wiped at her still wet face. "I'm sorry. I must seem unsightly right now."

Caspian shook his head. "I don't think so. I don't think it's possible for you to ever look unsightly."

Elincia stared at him, wide-eyed. Caspian took a moment to rewind his words, and then his cheeks grew warm as he realized what he'd said.

"W-what I mean is—"

"Caspian," Elincia interrupted, "how do you feel about me?"

"How do I feel? You mean, like, what do I think of you?"

Shaking her head, Elincia looked everywhere but at his face. "No, I mean, how do you feel about me? Do you... do you like me? Are we just friends?"

"Ele..."

"I... I've loved you ever since we were young. Being with you, spending time with you, talking and having fun with you, those were some of the happiest times of my life." Elincia fidgeted. "And I... I want to know... how do you feel about me?"

Perhaps it was due to his inclination as a teenager, but Caspian had never really talked about his feelings for Elincia. It wasn't necessarily that he didn't want to. Discussing how he felt was just embarrassing, and it wasn't like he had anyone to talk about his feelings with anyway. However, that was when Elincia had been with him. She was here now, though, and she, at least, deserved to know how he felt.

"C-Caspian?!"

Elincia squeaked as he pulled her to him, trapping her in a hug. His face was burning like it had caught fire. Having spent the last several years putting on an act of cold indifference and outright belligerence, actually showing his emotions like this wasn't something that he was used to. But if it was for Elincia, then he would do it.

"Of course I feel the same way," he muttered into her hair. "Do you think I would promise to become your knight if I didn't love you? You mean everything to me, Ele. These past several years, it was my thoughts of you that kept me going, even when things became difficult. Whenever I thought about giving up, I would think of you and the promise we made, and it gave me the strength to carry on. Ele, you are my strength."

Words tumbled out of his mouth. They came without thought, pouring from him as if the floodgates to a dam had suddenly broken. Perhaps it was because these words had gone unsaid for so long. Maybe he'd subconsciously decided that it was finally time to let them be vocalized. He didn't know. It probably didn't matter.

With her face still buried in his chest, Elincia wrapped her arms around him. "Caspian... I... thank you. I've always... wanted to hear you say those words."

"Yeah, sorry it took so long."

Elincia shook her head. "It's fine. It doesn't matter how long it took. I would've waited all eternity to hear you say this to me."

Resting his cheek against her head, Caspian closed his eyes and felt himself become encased in warmth.

"Me too, Ele. I feel the same way."

***

He and Elincia parted ways soon after their confession. Elincia had apparently snuck out of the mansion, which didn't surprise him. Hearing that she'd done so with Erica's help was a surprise, but he assumed that the succubus sorceress had done it to rile up Sylvia. They seemed to have something of an intense rivalry going on, or maybe they just hated each other.

Caspian walked back to his room, which was located on the opposite side of the academy. The walk was long, but he didn't mind. However, as he turned a corner, he nearly ran into two other people. It was the two from Takama no Hara, the country to the south.

Takama no Hara was a nation that was steeped in tradition. Caspian had heard that they worshipped the spirits of the Shinto Clan as if they were gods, and that their culture reflected this worship. They supposedly held many festivals to give praise to the spirits.

"Oh!" the one dressed in red armor said, surprised. "You are..."

"The one that everyone calls Sylvia's bitch, right?" the one decked in all black said.

The armored competitor looked aghast. "N-Natsuo! You shouldn't be so rude!"

"Hey, those aren't my words. I was merely repeating what everyone else in this place was saying."

"It's still rude," the armored one said before turning to Caspian and bowing. "I humbly apologize for my companion's behavior. He's always been a very crass individual."

"It's fine," Caspian said. "I'm used to be treated like that. Now, then, if you'll excuse me, I really should be going."

"Hold on!" the armored one said again as Caspian began to walk away.

Caspian sighed but turned around. "Yes?"

"I just wanted to properly introduce myself, since we're going to be competing. My name is Daisuke Kajima, and this is Natsuo Shinobu. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Caspian thought about being rude, but he discarded the idea. Elincia would have been disappointed with him if he acted poorly when someone had done nothing to deserve it.

"My name's Caspian... it's nice to meet you, too."

"I hope we can have a good match should we end up fighting each other," Daisuke said in an earnest voice.

"I hope you both trip and fall on your own swords," Natsuo added.

He was then smacked in the back of the head by Daisuke. "Don't be rude. Why must you always be so vulgar?"

Natsuo, unbothered by the wallop to his head, shrugged. "It's in my nature."

Caspian left the pair to their banter and continued walking. He was about to round another corner when a commotion caught his attention—or rather, a sound. It was a sound that he was intimately familiar with.

Hiding behind the wall, he peered out from around the corner and, to his shock, he spotted several people ganging up on Christo. Julius was one of them, as were Chronus and Cronos. Several others were present as well, though he didn't recognize them by name.

Christo was pinned against the wall. Blood ran down his mouth as a thick forearm kept him pinned in place by the neck. Julius was saying something, but they were too far away for even someone with his hearing to hear.

What should I do?

Whatever was going on didn't involve him.

"Is that anyway to treat your best friend?"

Caspian had no obligation to help Christo.

"Ha ha! You're as harsh as always!"

They weren't friends.

"Never change, Caspian."

Damn it!

Caspian rushed out from behind the wall. His sword left its sheath before he knew it. His feet carried him toward the congregation with unerring speed. Five meters. Four meters. One meter. Before Caspian even knew what was happening, he'd thrown himself headlong into the group.

"What the hell?!"

Shouts rang out as Caspian kicked Julius's arm, forcing him to drop Christo, who coughed and choked as he fell to the ground. Before anyone could regain their bearings, Caspian stood in front of Christo.

"What's going on here, exactly?" Caspian asked. "You people do realize that fighting like this can get you expelled, right? You, especially, should be careful, Julius. One wrong move and you'll be banned from participating in the tournament."

"Why do you care?" Julius asked, a belligerent scowl marring his face.

Caspian hesitated. "I don't care. I just don't want you getting expelled before I've had the chance to kick your ass."

"You're a piss poor liar, Peasant," Julius scoffed. Caspian twitched. "Still, I suppose it makes sense that you would stick up for him. Peasants and low-class fools who think they can climb the social ladder should stick together."

Low-class?

"Like I care about any of that," Caspian said. "Leave now before I decide to shove my foot off in your ass."

"Crass words from a plebeian, but I'll play along this time," Julius said, a cruel smile twisting his lips. "You'll get your cummunpunce soon enough anyway. Come on."

Caspian frowned as Julius and the others left. Something about the way that Julius had acted bothered him. The boy never made remarks so calmly after Caspian had riled him up, and these days, he'd been even more aggressive than normal. For him to act so calm was odd.

Whatever, I don't have time to deal with him.

Caspian turned to Christo, who was only now standing up. His roommate appeared surprised, but he soon gave a cheerful grin, as if what just happened had never actually happened. To Caspian, Christo's smile had never looked more fake.

"Ha ha ha! That was really something, wasn't it? Thanks for the hand! I guess I shouldn't have told Julius that his breath smelled like donkey shit."

Crossing his arms, Caspian gave Christo a hard stare. "Why don't you cut the crap and tell me what that was all about, Christo?"

Christo rubbed the back of his head. "What are you talking about, Caspian?"

"Don't screw with me. What was all that about." Caspian gestured to indicate what happened here before he'd arrived. "What did those guys want?"

Several seconds of silence passed. The more time that went by, the more Christo seemed to sag in on himself, until he was practically slumped against the wall.

"I had been hoping you'd never find out about this, but I guess there's no point in hiding it anymore." Christo paused. His shoulders slumped further in a fashion that was very un-Christo. "I'm sure you know all about how the nobility structures itself, right? There's a high, middle, and low-class. This is mostly used to determine how rich a family is, but it's also used to determine how powerful they are, too."

"I already know that." Caspian crossed his arms. "Get to the part where you explain why those idiots were ganging up on you."

"Right. So, anyway, the difference in class is pretty astronomical. A high-class noble, say, a duke, is far more powerful and wealthy than a baron of the low-class. It's an even bigger gap between low-class nobles and the commonwealth."

"Christo..."

"Right, right. I'm getting there. I just wanted to give you a little backstory before I get to why they hate me."

"Because you're a low-class noble?" Caspian determined.

"Well, yes, partly." Sighing, Christo slid down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. "Much like yourself, I come from a social class that shouldn't have been able to get into the academy. I was only able to attend because my grandfather, the current head of the Ancor family, did a great deed for Fiona el Deterum."

"The overseer of the Atlantia Province?"

"That's the one." Christo nodded. "Anyway, he did her a great favor and in return I was allowed to attend the academy."

"I bet the high-class nobles didn't like that," Caspian said.

Christo's self-deprecating chuckle wasn't anything at all like what Caspian was used to. "No, they didn't. I wasn't treated as poorly as you, of course, but I'm still not well-liked, in case you couldn't tell."

"Why didn't you tell me this?"

The smile Christo wore was so self-loathing that it took Caspian back. "Because I didn't want you to think that I was sticking by your side to use you. I wanted us to be friends."

Caspian closed his eyes as the questions bounced around inside of his skull. For the four years that Christo had been his roommate, he'd been positive that the boy was like everyone else—a prickish noble who wanted to get close to him and stab him in the back. To keep that from happening, Caspian had pushed him away, denied his friendship. Nobles couldn't be trusted, after all.

But what if I was wrong?

Living in a world of constant paranoia was tough. It took effort to sleep with one eye open every night, to be constantly on guard, wary of attacks. Keeping people at a distance hurt. In spite of everything that he said and did, Caspian didn't enjoy being alone. During missions, he always made it a point to walk through the most crowded places he could find. Even if it was fake, even if no one associated with him, being surrounded by people made that hole in his chest a little bit smaller.

I... maybe I should give him a chance.

"The next time those people try anything, I want you to tell me," Caspian said. When Christo looked up at him, he turned his head. "They might not be so quick to try something if they're dealing with two people instead of one."

"Caspian..."

"W-what? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Ha ha! I knew we were friends!"

"Ek! No, wait! Get off me!"

Caspian shouted when Christo lunged for his legs, wrapping them in a fierce hug. He almost tripped, but managed to stay upright thanks to the wall. That still left him with a problem, namely, the fact that Christo had his legs wrapped in a vice-like hug and he couldn't move.

"Hahahaha! Best buds, best buds! We're totally besties!"

"We're not besties! Now quit hugging me, damn it!"