*WHOOOOOOOSH*
"?!?!"
"!!!"
Before she knew it, Saria felt a fluffy sensation against her torso bumping her to the side, and momentarily lost sight of what had happened.
"Nmmmm…"
*crack* *CRACK*
"Spite!? What in the world!?"
The next moment, Saria's contacted fae let out a whine of complaint and shook around, causing a nearly inch-thick layer of ice to crumble and fall off the front of its toy sheep costume, causing the girl to let out a baffled voice.
"???"
Upon closer inspection, she saw a five-foot wide path of ice and frost separating her and Spite from the second-year student without a surname who must have jumped back from the attack and tumbled around quite a bit… at least judging by how battered he turned out.
In pure confusion, Saria looked to her left, where the attack was launched at, and her eyes widened even more.
At least one-third of the entire front courtyard of the Royal Academy turned into a winter landscape with a knee-deep snow-mound in its center, despite it still being summer, and quite a beautiful day too…
That alone was already shocking enough, but nothing could prepare her for what was waiting for her as she turned to the right, from where the attack had originated.
"Is picking a fight with a Vallhall some sort of new perversion of yours, commoner?"
The bleached-blond-haired, skinny like a scarecrow, the trash of the Vallhall family, Rotsard Vallhall was showing off his teeth in a furious grin while his beastly yellow eyes focused solely on Justin, not even sparing a single glance at Saria.
"Were you throwing so much shit around during the summer break that you replaced your brain with it? Even if you are akin to a fertilizer, you aren't deserving to be anywhere near the Rose of the North, much less talk or ask favors of her."
"...tsk… R-Rotsard…! When did you…?"
The bleached-blond-haired youth snarled at the blond-haired one as the latter was scrambling back up to his feet, clenching his fists and spitting through his teeth.
"..."
"...!"
The future hero surely wanted to say more, but as he started straightening his back, he was met with the hateful upwards glare of the bleached-blond-haired youth who approached him slouched.
While from a bystander's perspective, their positions could be even funny, from Justin's perspective, it was the farthest one from that.
Rotsard's beastly yellow eyes had murder in them, and Justin could not help but feel like a newborn lamb cornered by a starved wolf, to the point of being unable to utter a word.
"This calls for your favorite duel, doesn't it? You can arrange for one after tomorrow's opening ceremony. Surely."
Rotsard let out a low growl, and although his words were that of a seemingly normal question, the tone of his voice didn't leave room for doubt that it was, in fact, a threat.
"As for the stakes… In case you win, I will not interfere with your attempts to interact with Vallhall's little princess… although whether she will engage with you is a different matter outside of our bet… and in case you would lose… hmm…"
Rotsard spoke, and each and every word of his was heavy with mockery.
"Oh, I know~ How about, if you lose, you will have to run three times around the campus only in your underwear while shouting 'I am a pervert' on top of your lungs?"
"!!!"
Rotsard laughed mockingly, causing Justin to clench his fists and bite his lips while his face turned completely red.
As for the reason for Rotsard's actions, it had nothing to do with his familiar love and care for Saria.
His actions were all according to the events from the 2nd volume of the story that the deofol read to him.
The way he got into a fight with the future hero was different, but still within the margin of error.
The only thing left from this opening event was for the future hero to begrudgingly agree…
"Do… do you want to see me cry that much…!?"
"...!"
But to his surprise, Justin actually tried to talk back to him first! And it was an interesting development, to the point of Rotsard wanting to play along… Cautiously, of course.
After all, failing to follow the story would bring out the world's destruction, and committing such a mistake was absolutely out of question.
At least until Rotsard would increase his strength enough to be able to face against the Arch Deofol...
"Pfft! Your face in tears is the only way you look bearable in my eyes… I even dare say, cute… So, you tell me~?"
"!!!"
Rotsard playfully snorted in Justin's face because he knew that was the future hero's weakness, indeed flustering him to no end.
"F-fine! We will have a duel tomorrow! But, you better prepare yourself! No cheating this time!"
"I see that you're so full of shit it even started coming out of your mouth."
The future hero backed off and declared angrily, but he was mocked again by the dismissive, bleached-blond-haired youth even as he left.
"As for you…"
"Listen here, Trashsard…!"
"Nmmm…"
With Justin getting away, Rotsard turned to and addressed Saria for the first time, but when the girl wanted to talk back to him, she was pushed back by her contracted fae, who let out a muffled whine.
Actually, the reason why Saria did not participate in the exchange between the two despite her involvement in their bets was because each time she did try, Spite would nudge and push her back until she shut her mouth.
"As an unmarried girl, you shouldn't have frivolous conversations with males outside of your family. Not in public, and especially not in private. It makes you look like some cheap woman who is obsessed with men. Think of your own image and how it affects your family."
"YOU! You're the LAST person who can talk about the family's honor!"
"NMMMM…!"
Rotsard declared and left for the dormitory, having Saria call out after him in fury despite Spite's best attempts to stop her.
"What got into you?! Why are you on HIS side, Spite!?"
Saria sent one last hateful glare at Rotsard's back before focusing on her contracted fae and complaining.
"Nmmmm…"
Spite let out a muffled whine and turned away, showing no signs of wanting to have a conversation.
"...hmph…"
That made the silver-haired girl let out a grumpy scoff as she pouted…
"..."
She then ended up glancing over at the snowcape left by Rotsard's spell, and furrowed her brows, blinking with confusion, but ended up not saying a thing.
****
"He learned to have even better control over his spells now…"
Headmaster Lazalarius muttered to himself after watching the entire scene play out right under his office's balcony.