Alright, we are now back to lovey dovey after this chapter. I understand that some of you are a little upset from the Theodore matchup but just know that, he will be playing a big role in this arc.
Thank you to my patrons, OdeToAKite, Danielle Warvel, Michael, JewBot9000, Jonathan Newman, Konrule and Kolonji Francois for always being patient and supporting in what I do.
(and yes, I am milking the title due to recent movie lmao.)
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Ivy stretched her arms and floated around on the screen,
[Well, that went better than expected.]
Ivy, don't jinx it. We still have to finalize the details with Queen Alice. But yeah, I think we're clear for now.
Aric glanced back at the town hall where Seraphina, Evelyn, and Penelope were deep in conversation with the queen. Adam, Mira, Linda, and Beth lingered nearby, likely waiting for updates or gossip material.
Aric sighed. He wondered if humanity's goal was to find new things to gossip about.
[What's on your mind? Worried about leaving Seraphina?]
Not really. She's more than capable. Plus, Queen Alice seems chill enough. If anything, Seraphina will probably ignore everyone else and just talk directly to her.
She put her hand on her chin, [True. That woman has this calming aura. Even I felt relaxed around her.]
Exactly. And if things get weird, she always has plan B. For now, though, I just want to chill, relax, and-
Aric then turned around to Theodore's touch on his shoulder. He was standing near the entrance of the town hall. His blue eyes locked onto Aric's and he gave a polite yet calculating smile.
If father isn't going to do anything against him then I will. He is weak combat wise judging from what I see.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Vay…I mean, Aric was it? Sorry, it's hard to keep track of someone with multiple personas." Theodore said while extending his hand.
Aric shook it but made sure to squeeze a little, "Sure. I also find it difficult dealing with someone with personality issues too."
Theodore gripped Aric's hand firmly, "Really now?"
Aric gripped it harder, "Mhm."
Theodore's eyebrow twitched a little as he matched the grip once more, "Actually, there is something unresolved, dear Aric. Show me the man who defeated the Black Flame Demon."
Aric raised an eyebrow. Hah? Fight him? Why does this feel like one of those anime rival showdowns?
[Oh no no no. Please tell me you're not falling for this!]
Ivy, relax. I'm not gonna fight. Fighting him would be tiring and pointless.
Before Ivy could respond, Lira cleared her throat loudly behind them and grabbed their 'handshake'.
These men…tch. How childish.
Her voice carried an air of authority as she spoke. "Now that you mentioned it, I suppose we can have a friendly spar. Wouldn't you agree, Aric?"
Aric looked at her, dumbfounded, "Wait, what? Why?"
Lira tilted her head slightly and forced both of them to separate themselves,
"Because you need to get used to your new mana heart. Testing its limits in a controlled environment is wise."
This caught Theodore's attention, New manaheart huh? So he's still a baby in magic.
She put her face near his ear and whispered in a low voice, "Plus. Don't you think it's time you show me what you're capable of as well? I have been helping you with your heart after all."
Aric's temple was sweating. Ivy, help me out here!
She was now holding a bag of popcorn and munching on it,
[Um… she does have a point. Your mana heart is new, so you could use the fight.]
Aric groaned internally. Bro, you're supposed to be helping me!
She munched loudly and twirled her fingers on a popcorn,[I'm your guide, not your mommy.]
Before he could retort further, Lira looked to his face with a cold stare. "Hmm?"
Her icy demeanor sent shivers down his spine. Damn it. She's terrifying when she does that.
"Fine" Aric muttered aloud, throwing up his hands in defeat. "Let's do the spar."
The people who were eavesdropping immediately went around and spread the news. They rushed to the field and started gathering there. Thorin clapped Aric on the back as they walked toward the open field outside the town hall.
"Don't worry too much, lad. Lira may seem scary but she wouldn't push you into something unless she thought you could handle it."
Aric sighed and matched his pace to Thorin's. "Bro, all I wanted to do was chill now and check on Seraphina later. Now, I have to fight a prince who has the audacity of a witch."
Thorin chuckled, shaking his head. "Hahaha. If it makes you feel better, she cares about you. Do you know she woke up early every day for a week straight to stabilize your mana heart? That's not something she'd do for just anyone."
Aric was surprised to hear this. Huh. What a character she is.
[Oh wow. Maybe she IS kinda sweet under all that 'super grandmaster'.]
Thorin continued, "Anyway, are you nervous?"
Aric shrugged, "Nah. I'm never afraid of a fight."
He then had an intrusive thought, "Uh, this may sound rude, but dwarves live longer than humans, right? So just how old are you?"
"Guess."
He observed Thorin with a keen eye, "Hmmmm…you look young for your build, but then again, you are a dwarf…so maybe you're like 80?"
Thorin burst out laughing. "Close. Try over a hundred."
Aric's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."
"Nope. 112 to be exact." Thorin grinned proudly. Then he gestured to Lira, who was walking ahead of them.
"And her? Well, I won't be rude, but she's about 300 years old."
Aric stopped dead in his tracks, staring at Lira's back. Wow…this is what being an elf does to you, huh…so she's 300 but looks 30. He looks above 30 but is 112…guess that's fantasy for you.
Ivy replied smugly, [Elves are ancient beings, so four hundred is basically toddler age to them.]
Ivy, shut up.
Thorin patted his shoulder sympathetically. "Yeah, it takes some getting used to."
By the time they reached the open field, a small crowd had gathered. Adam, Mira, Linda, and Beth stood together, whispering excitedly.
"Oh my god, are they really going to fight?" Mira squealed.
"I hope Aric kicks his ass!" Adam muttered darkly. "That prince creeps me out."
"Be fair, Adam." Beth chided. "The prince hasn't done anything wrong… yet."
Linda crossed her arms, grinning. "Either way, this is gonna be good."
Lira stepped forward, raising a hand to silence the murmurs.
"The purpose of this spar is to just have some fun while also building a relationship with the royal family. I will permit only defensive magic or spells for the fight. Any level of offensive magic isn't allowed. Weapons are allowed, but only wooden ones." She glanced at Thorin, who had already gathered a set of wooden spears, swords, daggers, poles, and knives.
"You are also not to harm the audience in any way possible. If either of you breaks these rules, I will personally intervene and stop this spar immediately. Please remember to fight respectfully."
"You may now pick your weapon choice." Lira closed out her speech and took a step back.
Aric and Theodore were side by side, staring at the weapon rack. Theodore was the first one to go and pick up a wooden sword.
He twirled it effortlessly, "Ready whenever you are."
Aric felt each weapon and was deciding between a spear and knives. I'm better off relying on my martial arts training. But if I do that, it could be seen as disrespectful to him and he might just crash out.
Besides, if the prince been practicing swordsmanship, I'll probably get outclassed. I can use my knife skills that I learned, but I am still better in hand-to-hand combat.
Hmmmmm.
Ivy pointed at the knives, [You could just pick them up and only use them to make space.]
Aric took a knife and took his position. Lira had put up a visible wall for the area of the fight. The wall also serves to protect the audience in case anything goes wrong. Aric took his position on the opposite side of Theodore and stared at him.
Thorin coughed and raised his hand, "Ready."
His hand dropped. "Fight!"
Theodore lunged immediately and swung the wooden sword at Aric's abdomen. Aric dodged, countering with a swift kick to deflect the sword. The prince parried it and pressured Aric.
[He's fast. Watch his footwork.]
I know Ivy. He's definitely trained.
Theodore freed one of his hands and swung it to Aric's side. Aric stopped his hand by grabbing it and closed the distance to perform a judo throw. Theodore didn't know what was going on and was thrown to the ground immediately.
Aric stared at him as the prince was on the ground, "You gonna get up?"
Theodore immediately performed a sweep kick to Aric, which Aric barely reacted in time by jumping, but in doing so, Theodore hit Aric mid-air with his sword. Aric's coat tore a little.
He stared at the tear and was surprised by his strength. Jesus, and that's just his wooden sword?
Ivy was analysing Theodore when she noticed something off about him,
[Uh… Aric, you might wanna wrap this up quickly.]
Aric replied as he took a defensive stance now, Why? What's wrong?
[So that swung he just did. It's half his strength but also half his powers. He has holy powers, which basically make every stat he has to SS tier.]
[So that means, besides your absurd magic reserve, which you can't even use, your physical stats aren't enough to match him.]
Aric was dumbfounded as he thought he would be somewhat equal to him. He ducked and swung from him and kicked Theodore's chest to make some space.
Dude, what the fuck? He has SS physical stats in everything? Then why the fuck doesn't he look buff as hell!?
Also, holy powers? Isn't that something broken?
Ivy nodded, [Yup. And guess what? They rival Seraphina's dark powers.]
YOU'RE TELLING ME THIS NOW?! YOU TELLING ME THIS PSYCHO HAS ANGEL POWERS THAT RIVAL MY WIFE'S DARK POWERS?!
YOU COULD'VE TOLD ME THIS 10 MINUTES AGO SO I WOULDN'T HAVE TO FIGHT THIS TWIT!
Ivy raised her hands defensively, [Hey, don't blame me! You didn't ask!]
Aric, by instinct, dodged another swing from Theodore, but this time, there was wind from it.
Motherfucker…he wasn't even trying?
The aggressive attacks from Theodore continued, and Aric just dodged and parried with his arms. It started to bruise a little, but Aric was keeping up with Theodore's swordsmanship with just his fist.
Theodore felt agitated by this. He was studying Aric's movements with curiosity and was slowly adapting to it. But despite the intensity of their exchange, Aric hadn't drawn blood or even attempted to.
He moved with precision and the way he moved seemed almost choreographed. Theodore couldn't quite place the style, but it was undeniably refined.
Then there was the knife in Aric's left hand. Theodore had seen him pick it up earlier but Aric hadn't used it once. Instead, he relied solely on dodges, parries, and open-palm strikes, as if he wasn't worthy of a serious Aric.
"Why aren't you being serious?" Theodore demanded while pointing his sword at him,
"Even if this is just a spar, you should treat it with respect."
Aric smirked, "Oh, I'm taking it seriously. Trust me, dude. But if I went full throttle, you'd cry."
Ivy pulled her hair as she was shocked by the audacity. [Aric, stop antagonizing him! He's literally an angel-powered psycho!]
Theodore gritted his teeth, "You think this is a game? Fine. Let's see how long you can keep dancing around."
He lunged again, this time channeling a sliver of his holy energy into his strike. The wooden sword glowed faintly, its path slicing through the air with winds strong enough to blow people's hair from afar.
Aric managed to dodge it but stumbled back a step.
"Whoa, whoa!" Aric looked back to see people's hair messed up,
"Princess Lira said no offensive magic, remember?"
"This isn't offensive." Theodore countered, "It's light enhancement. Perfectly within the rules."
Ivy was crunching numbers and was stressed out, [Uh, Aric… he's ramping it up. Be careful.]
Aric, now realising that solely dodging was becoming a challenge, raised his knife and started to attack
"Finally." Theodore growled, "I thought…"
He parried an attack, "You were scared to fight me."
"Scared?" Aric chuckled, piercing through a part of his clothes,
"Nah, man. I'm just conserving energy. You know, for when you inevitably start crying."
Theodore's jaw tightened. "I have had enough of you. You're toying with me like this, who's to say you're not doing the same to Seraphina?"
With a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a pulse of golden light onto his sword, extending it to 10 meters.
Lira shouted, "Theodore! Stand down!"
"You're hiding something." Theodore said finally, raising his sword and preparing to swing,
"The way you treat Seraphina…it's so alien. You're a horrible man, and yet you did all that. You're up to something."
Aric shrugged nonchalantly. "Look, man, what can I say? I am a changed person, literally by the way."
"I underestimated you. Clearly, you're not just some washed-up noble playing hero. But tell me…"
Theodore smiled a little, "Are you truly loyal to Seraphina? Or are you using her for your own gain?"
Aric's face turned cold. "What did you just say?"
"You heard me." Theodore replied, "How do I know you're not manipulating her? Does she know that? That you won't abandon her the moment it suits you? You are, after all, so different from Vayne. How do any of us know you won't just leave her when you get what you want?"
For a brief moment, silence fell over the field. The crowd that was chanting their names suddenly felt the chills.
Aric took a slow step forward, dropping his knife and manifesting lightning onto his hand,
"Let me make one thing crystal clear. Seraphina isn't a pawn. I am not using her, I am not using her money and I certainly am not fucking leaving her. She's MY WIFE and anyone who thinks otherwise has another thing coming."
Aric charged up the lightning to blue. His new manaheart allowed the charge to be even stronger and faster. He dashed head-on into him.
Theodore swung his sword at him. If they were to clash, the shockwave it would produce would be devastating.
Fortunately, they wouldn't.
Lira stepped in, redirected the two far away to hit her newly manifested barrier designed to stop these kinds of attacks.
BOOM! BOOM!
It contained the majority of the blast, but the shockwave from the attack was felt by everyone. The grass and sand flew everywhere, and the trees swayed.
"Enough!" she commanded,
"This was supposed to be just a spar, not some full-on battle. Both of you will stand down."
Theodore was the first to recover and immediately apologised to Lira. But despite his apology, he was annoyed at this,
Tch. I could've killed him right then and there if it weren't for teacher.
Aric, however, was lightheaded as he stood up from the ground.
"Ugh…"
Adam and Mira sighed in relief as their hair and clothes are messed up,
"Well…at least it was a draw."
Beth shook her head as she looked at the murmuring crowd,
"I doubt it. The people are arguing now as to who would've won."