Ambient Mage

"Well, if it isn't the great savior of the dungeon."

"Stow it, Matthew, I need your advice."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Alright, but what could I possibly help with after you were awarded so much?"

"Trust me, I want your help more than you think."

"You know Lucas, the royal family downplayed your achievements."

"Matthew that's not what I'm here to talk about."

"It's not?"

"No, but lets talk about that after. Is there a way to get an official match from a first year and second year thrown out?"

"Kind of, but not really unless the standing is different."

"Well, it happens to be Aurelia and the eldest daughter of the Iproline name."

"Haiiiiiiish. You serious?"

".....Yeah."

"What happened did she try to ask you out in front of Aurelia or something?"

"No, she tried to make me kneel using gravity magic."

"And so Aurelia couldn't take it lying down and challenged her?"

"No, Aurelia said a threat, Karine didn't like it and challenged Aurelia to a duel which she accepted."

"That's not great."

"I know. So what you got for me?"

"Honestly, I don't think I can get you out of this one. I believe there is a way to keep her safe, when the duels terms are being stated, make every concession so Aurelia may bow out after defending."

"Keep our honor, save a little of her pride?"

"Exactly."

"I'll do what I can. When's the fight?"

"2 hours."

"She's pushing it through the academy's duel network. We don't have much time so I'll explain as fast as possible."

Matthew started to speak faster.

"What do you understand about the royal family understating your achievements?"

"It was a power move?"

"Yes, but it wasn't unanimous, the palace is split currently, but the faction that is shown to the outside is singular, and they decided to limit your achievements so that you wouldn't be able to stir so many people."

"If you were given the title of hero, instead, if you had married the princess, or become her knight the crown fight, may have become more vicious than it was already."

"So you were sabotaged to avoid Charlotte rising to power in the royal family."

"Okay, wait I don't really see a problem here?"

"This isn't so much about the politics at this point, it's about how your deeds being treated as if they were lacking or nonexistent, you're being treated like the facts are merely rumors."

"People are going to start to get ancy around the duchy, especially because there is never smoke without fire."

"So you're saying that because of how I'm being portrayed by the royals outwardly despite some of them liking me, that nobles and other outside forces have begun to eye the duchy, but not in reference to my deeds but to verify the standing the house has with the royals?"

"Exactly, they've almost deadlocked us against them."

"Not good. Ristonia is coming, gotta go."

With that, the line cut and I was left alone in the duel grounds pondering my next move.

I realized there was no way to undo what she did, so I was going to make sure she got out okay.

I went to her dorm, only to find she wasn't there.

I asked Alea if she could sense her, and she led me back to the arena, where I found Aura sitting in a dark corner near the top of the stadium with her arms wrapped around her knees.

I tapped her lightly.

"Go away."

She yelled at me muffled by her arms.

"I'm sorry, Aura."

"Are you really?"

She paused and pulled her head out of her arms.

She turned away from me and laid her cheek against her arm, not looking at me, but listening.

"I hate you."

"I'm sorry."

"Is that all you can say? Did you forget how to comfort anyone because you're too busy saving everyone else?"

That hurt. I knew she hated it when I went with Charlotte alone to the Ninmurta, I know she hated it when I was alone fighting the Tyrant.

But what could I have done?

Maybe fight and lose people?

My life isn't expendable, but to live without the people in it now, would be worse.

So I told Alea to go back into my mind realm, with Isla, and laid my weapons down.

I kneeled as I hugged Aura.

As I brought myself into a deep embrace, she wrapped around me even tighter, so fast I didn't even realize we were hugging each other.

And so there we sat, for a while.

"Why didn't you chase after me?"

"I needed to talk to Matthew to get the match called off."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Why? What did you do?"

"I just yelled because I was upset at that bitch."

"Woah, that's a lot coming from you."

I pulled back to see how she looked.

"Sigh, I know. I just, I just want you to look at me only."

I stared at her in silence.

"I know you want a harem, but for now, can I pretend you're mine?"

"Of course."

I looked at her confused.

"But why would you be okay with a harem?"

"I'm really not, but I know you'd rather be with no one than only one."

I smiled if only a little.

It felt good to be understood.

"Well, if it was that no one else liked me, I would have already married you and been done with it."

"You mean that?"

"I do."

"Hehehehe."

She giggled to herself.

I think she'll be okay for the match.

***

Aurelia's Pov*

"You mean that?"

I asked.

I really wanted to know.

No. I had to know.

But I couldn't let my fear rule my mind.

This entire conversation I had been recording, because I need his voice, I need his face, his body to sleep at night.

"I do."

I giggled.

It was like I was getting married and making my vows.

I placed my hand against his cheek and pulled.

"Whaaat wus zat fur?"

Lucas was at his cutest when unable to stop me from being a tyrant with him.

I want nothing more than to push him down and watch him beg like a dog.

Or maybe I want him to do that to me?

I pulled my hand away from his cheek and laid my arms around him in a hug before resting my face on his chest.

I watched as his face contorted in confusion, and smirked.

"Hey Aura before I forget, I have an artifact and some advice."

"No strategy?"

"Well, anything can happen in that ring rules wise, so I don't know."

"Well what is it?"

"This artifact will preserve your mana paths, heart and other magical organs, and this one will block any offensive artifact."

I rolled over lying with my head on his chest and butt in his lap.

"The advice isn't going to be how to take advantage of a weakness she has right?"

"No?"

"Good, I don't want to win by learning a weakness and underhanded methods."

"You do know that learning an opponents' weakness is a strategy?"

"Not if I want my honor."

He dangled the artifacts over me like I was a cat.

So I snatched them.

"Alright, and the advice I asked about was this: try to get a rule in your advantage, in this case a no kill or mutilation rule."

"I got it."

I nodded in agreement.

It was decent advice, so much so that I couldn't think that Matthew or Ezechs gave it.

If not them then who?

Another vixen?

"Yoo-hoo, is the little lady here yet?"

That annoying harlots voice rang through the arena, no doubt he heard it too.

I held my hands up to his ears.

"Aura?"

He held my hands.

"I'm going to destroy her."

***

*Lucas' Pov*

She was going to try.

Her pride was sky high.

It wasn't that I had no faith in Aura, but Karine is actually a character you can face off and recruit later in the game.

As of right now she was technically weaker, but to call her weak was completely wrong.

Not a single soul makes it to the 6th tier by luck.

It is a harsh and steep grind.

One that neither I nor Aura have made.

I was acutely aware of how Aura was going to lose.

Karine has a decent mana pool, but her true power doesn't lie in gravity magic, it's psychokenetic.

Her barely workable illusion magic makes it seem like gravity is being used, but in reality it's just her kenetic powers at work.

I debated telling Aura this information, but letting her know beforehand wouldn't have allowed her to grow.

And might've destroyed her pride, as well as hurting her even more.

She could say something like "You don't even believe in me do you?"

I stood up pulling Aura up with me.

I yelled out.

"We're here."

"So stop your yipping."

Aura called out.

Karine's face twisted in anger, before turning into a sly smile.

"Why don't you get down here and let your skills talk?"

"Big words for a second year who thinks bullying her junior makes her look good."

At this point we had drawn a crowd.

The arena was also the practice space, but with the duel about to start, people were beginning to get cleared out or watch the match, many opted to watch.

Words were flying around, about me, about Aura, and about Karine.

Most were not good.

As Aura found her way to the ground, I went to find a seat.

Celeste found out from me about the duel, and Matthew concerned about Aura was here as well.

Of course there was a royal attached to his arm like a leech, but that's beside the point.

I had picked up Isla when I pulled Aura up from the ground.

'Isla what do you think about this duel?'

'It is far from an honorable one, the challenger has clearly decieved the challenged.'

'I agree.'

I stared forward as the refferee began to speak.

"This is a duel between Karine Iproline of the the Iproline vs. Aureila von Svarmet of the Svarmet."

"Before we begin let me lay down the rules, there will be no outside interference, no alterations to the battlefield and no cheating."

"Are there any terms you would like to arrange?"

Karine shot up and spoke.

"I would like a non artifact clause."

"And you Ms. Svarmet?"

"I wish for a no death or mutilation term."

"What say you Ms, Iproline?"

"As long as my term is ok then so is hers."

"Ms. Svarmet?"

After a long wait, Aura gave her response.

"Okay."

Aurelia lowered her head as she bagan to back up.

"Then as much adjudicator, I declare the match, begin"..

He spoke the words suddently and Aura quickly became a victim.

My eyes flew to the arena's sitting, hoping I would find a friend to lock eyes with, but all I could find was the marquis.

His eyes blazing, clearly enjoying the torment his daughter was inflicting on Aura.

Aura wasn't exactly holding her own.

She wasn't being completely overrun, but she was slowly accumulating damage.

Little nicks here and there, bruises everywhere.

I stared at Aura in horror and fear.

And my worst feelings came to pass.

Aura, ever the strategic warrior tried ot dominate her opponents magic with her own, except that she had the type of magic wrong.

She kept getting the type wrong, because Karine's magic wasn't gravity to begin with.

Everytime she failed, she would get a little more aggressive.

And that's when it happened.

When Karine threw her around, like a dove in a hurricane.