After immersing himself in learning the "legendary cat dance" from Relecta throughout the week, Alan emerged from his room on the morning of The Founding Festival, still clad in his night overalls.
He cast his gaze across the Academy grounds, taking in the festive atmosphere. Flags fluttered in the breeze, and colorful caricatures adorned the walls, depicting various animals, individuals, and plants.
The pillars were adorned with vibrant flowers and lush leaves, adding to the celebratory ambiance. Students paraded through the corridors in an array of extravagant costumes, adding to the lively scene.
Alan noticed Group Solis in the distance. Felix and Cesar, clad in steel armor over red tights, led the group. Behind them, Augustus, donning regal attire complete with a crown atop his head, engaged in a heated argument with Leo, who remained composed in his academy uniform. Suddenly, Leo said something that visibly enraged Augustus, prompting him to stomp away in opposite direction with frustration, discarding his crown away.
Alan's gaze intensified as he scanned the surroundings, searching for someone he hadn't seen all week: Master Venatus. Despite being preoccupied with Relecta and other matters, Alan couldn't shake the memory of Venatus's chilling words:
You will tell me everything, groveling at my feet!! Like a servant!! Just like everyone else!!"
The memory sent a shiver down Alan's spine as he desperately looked for any clue that might hint at Venatus's plans. But like a ghost, Venatus seemed to have vanished without a trace, leaving Alan with a sense of unease and apprehension.
"Hey Alan, look what I brought! Our costumes!" Aurelia's enthusiastic voice cut through the air, drawing Alan's attention.
She bounded over to him, draped in a blouse crafted from vibrant red leaves and adorned with delicate red flowers. The blouse hugged her curves perfectly, accentuating her ample bosom and baring her toned abdomen.
Paired with the blouse was a skirt fashioned from the same leaves, adorned with matching pink flowers. The skirt cascaded gracefully to the floor, skimming her feet, with a daring side slit that revealed a glimpse of her muscular yet soft right leg, adorned with her mark.
Following closely behind Aurelia was Lyco, sporting a mane crafted from the same leaves, extending down to his abdomen.
While his attire lacked the floral embellishments, he wore a loincloth fashioned from the same leaves, reaching to his knees. Completing their ensembles were crowns made from large green leaves perched atop their heads.
Approaching Alan with a pair of attire matching Lyco's, Aurelia beamed with excitement. Alan, wearing a cringed expression, couldn't help but ask,
"What are you wearing?"
Undeterred by his reaction, Aurelia spun around enthusiastically, showcasing the attire. "Do you like it? It's the traditional costume of the tribal people of Pompeii. I found it in a nearby shop. I got one for you and Armis as well," she explained, handing over the attires to Alan.
Still puzzled by Aurelia's decision, Alan questioned, "Yeah, but why?" Before Aurelia could respond, Lyco interjected, walking to Alan's side with a smirk aimed at Aurelia. "She wasn't confident about our dance, so she's planning to play on the vigor and lust of the audience."
Aurelia shot Lyco a glare, growling in frustration. Ignoring Lyco's comment, she turned her gaze to Alan, hope flickering in her eyes as she asked, "Do you like it?"
Alan took out the long loincloth made of leaves from the attire, giving it a skeptical look. He imagined himself wearing it and couldn't shake off the feeling of how ridiculous and shameless he would look. Concerned about his visibility and the absence of his mark, he gently returned the attires to Aurelia and said, "I'm not wearing it... I—"
Before Alan could finish his retort, Aurelia lunged at him, grabbing his collar and fixing him with a threatening gaze. In a low voice filled with determination, she whispered, "Listen here, Alan. I don't care what you think about these attire, YOU ARE WEARING THEM," she shoved the attires back into Alan's hand. "This is our only chance to win or at least stay respectable while performing that ridiculous dance."
Alan, feeling more creeped out than threatened, argued with a cringed voice,
"But how?"
Just then, Armis emerged from the room, asking, "Hey, Alan, what is g—" but he stopped midway, his gaze locking onto Aurelia's voluptuous attire. Aurelia, meeting his gaze, became shy, crossing her arms and twirling nervously. With an averted gaze, she asked, "H…how do I look, Armis?"
Armis, still awestruck, stuttered in his answer, "B..be…beautiful. You look beautiful, Aurelia."
"Really? Thank you," Aurelia replied with a blush, "here, I brought the same attires for you too. We can match during our performance."
She took the attires from Alan and passed them to Armis. As Armis gazed at the attires, eyeing them out, Alan and Lyco hoped his reaction would match theirs. However, to their disappointment and surprise, Armis embraced the outfit and said, "I like it, they are cool."
"Weirdo," Lyco remarked before turning and walking away from the group.
"Freshen up and get ready in this, we'll meet you at the arena, okay?" Aurelia instructed Armis, who listened to her like a puppy. As she left following Lyco, she passed a glare, with a threat to Alan, "YOU TOO!!"
Alan, still cringing at the situation, looked at Armis, who was smiling while watching the weird attire. Armis then went inside the room, followed by Alan.
After 30 minutes, Armis emerged, proudly donning the peculiar attire. With his bare legs and buttocks barely covered by the leaf loincloth, he turned to Alan with excitement, asking, "So Alan, how do I look?"
From Alan's bed, playing with her kittens, Relecta gazed at Armis, laughing as she mocked, "Ha!!! You look like one of those jungle people!!!" before continuing to laugh.
"That's rude," Armis scolded gently as he pinched Relecta's cheek. He then turned to Alan, still in his night overall, and urgently asked, "Hey Alan, why are you not ready yet? The performances have started, and we'll be late if you don't get ready now."
Alan looked at Armis with the same weirded-out expression, then shifted his gaze to the attire lying on the bed as Armis hovered over him, awaiting a response.
Suddenly, Armis's expression changed as he seemed to understand something. He walked to the gate, preparing to exit, and said, "Oh sorry, I forgot about how shy you are around others. Forgive me, I will go ahead and join Aurelia and Lyco. You should get ready and join us as soon as you can, okay Alan?" With that, Armis exited the room, closing the door behind him and passing Alan an assuring smile.
Alan, still wearing a cringed expression, turned to the attire and tossed it into a corner. Seeing this, Relecta picked up the leaf loincloth and asked, "What, boss? You're not going to wear it?"
"Boss? What did you call me?" Alan asked in surprise.
"Boss!" Relecta exclaimed with childlike excitement, lunging the loincloth toward Alan.
Alan caught the loincloth, his face lighting up with a surprised smile. He turned towards his knapsack, setting the loincloth down on the ground. "No. I don't want to look like a fool," Alan replied.
Relecta came running at him with the leaf crown on her head, jumping like a child and mocking Alan, "You would look good, boss!! You should wear it."
"I said N—" Alan began to retort, but then there was a sudden noise—teyeehehhh—followed by a thud.
Before Alan could finish his reply, he paused in the middle as he heard the door open and close. Startled, he yanked the crown from Relecta's hands, assuming it was Armis returning, he pretended to get ready asking, without turning, "Oh.. Armis, did you forget something?"
Alan waited in anticipation for Armis's reaction, but his anticipation turned to a sense of danger as he watched Relecta, anxious and shivering, backing up. Quickly turning, Alan found not Armis, but the person he had been searching for all morning: Master Venatus.
Venatus stood by the door, locking it behind him, glaring with malevolence at Alan and Relecta, grinning like a madman.
Alan shot a glare at Venatus, who was dressed not in his usual teacher's robe, but in dark black armour paired with a dark purple cape reaching down to his calves. He wore a cummerbund adorned with many vials of transparent liquid tied to it.
Maintaining his glare, Alan yelled at Venatus, "What are you doing here?!"
Venatus stepped forward, retrieving a white mask with two eyeholes and Venata herb drawn all over it. Glaring one last time at Alan, as he put the mask on and announced in a threatening voice,
"What else? I have come for my confession!"
Armis strolled proudly through the corridor, eliciting compliments from female students for his toned physique and earning disapproving glances from some of the male pupils. As he approached the arena entrance, adorned with vines and blooming rose flowers, he moved past it and beheld the arena filled with a mix of civilians and students. Some students were performing a gag on the platform in the middle of the arena, drawing laughter from the audience.
Navigating through the crowd, Armis spotted Aurelia and Lyco sitting in the front row near the platform. With a grin, he called out, "Aurelia!" Aurelia, upon hearing Armis's call, turned to see him and was instantly awestruck by his appearance in attire that boldly showcased his muscular physique. Observing her gaping mouth at Armis with wide eyes, Lyco couldn't resist making a teasing remark, "Close your mouth, you're drooling."
Snapping out of her trance due to Lyco's teasing, Aurelia swiftly pushed him away to make space for Armis to sit beside her.
Armis joined them, but before he could say anything, Aurelia grabbed his hand and pulled him closer, complimenting him, "Armis... you look so handsome." Lyco, sneaking up from behind, added, "Yeah man, the real king of the jungle," as he climbed onto Armis's back.
Ignoring Lyco's antics, Aurelia pointed towards the performance on the platform and exclaimed, "Look Armis, these guys are hilarious!" Blushing slightly from Aurelia's compliment, Armis turned his gaze towards the platform and saw four students dressed as donkey, a farmer, a pile of logs, and a scholar—joking about and comparing a man's life to that of a donkey's. Finding it amusing, Armis joined Aurelia and Lyco in laughter. After a few more jokes, the performance ended, and the crowd applauded as the group exited the platform.
Shortly after, the announcer, the same one from the trials, ascended the platform and greeted the audience with his booming voice.
"Did you enjoy that, folks?" he exclaimed, pausing briefly to contain his laughter before continuing. "Well, they weren't wrong. It's the ambition to move forward that distinguishes a man's life from that of a donkey. And this ambition shines through in our students who have chosen to join our esteemed academy, the Chronis Wielder's Academy, founded on this day 205 years ago by none other than our first Raider King, Longiseus Holdhearth the First!" The announcer's voice echoed throughout the arena, resonating with authority.
Observing Felix and Cesar near the platform dressed in Holy Guard attire, Armis pointed them out to Aurelia, saying, "Look, Aurelia, it's Group Solis next."
"Oh, yes… I wonder what they'll be performing," Aurelia mused as she watched them.
"It seems like they're reenacting the Holy Crowning of the Pope before the academy was established. But they're missing a pope," Lyco interjected, pointing out the detail.
Armis and Aurelia examined the scene closely, and after confirming Lyco's observation, Aurelia declared, "Well, we don't care. After they're done, we're going to wow the audience."
Armis and the others observed as the announcer made way for members of group Solis. Felix and Cesar ascended the platform and, after bowing, commenced their performance.
"Soldier, we should be starting the ceremony!" Felix, fully immersed in character, exclaimed his lines.
Cesar stood tall, casting a stern gaze at Felix before turning to address the crowd with an emotionless voice. "Yes, Sire. But. Where is. The Pope?"
With those words, Felix and Cesar waited, their eyes fixed on the side of the platform where Leo stood with a grumpy expression, avoiding their gaze.
Anxiety visibly gripped Felix as the crowd began to boo, insults flying as someone shouted, "Where is the Pope!" A half-eaten apple was even lobbed at them.
Seeing the crowd's reaction, Leo turned and started to walk away. Witnessing his retreat, Felix, frustrated, tore off his helm and slammed it into the ground, stomping away from the platform, followed by an oblivious Cesar.
The announcer returned to the stage, his voice booming as he mocked the previous performers. "Well, it looks like someone lacked ambition!"
Armis couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for them. "Now I feel a little bad for them," he remarked.
Aurelia brushed off his concerns with a nonchalant reply. "Well, that's what happens when you put together a bunch of mannerless, spoiled brats."
"But no worries, folks! This next performance will surely blow you away!" The announcer's booming proclamation hushed the crowd into anticipation.
However, minutes passed, and no one stepped onto the platform. Even the announcer went to check, but no one arrived. Just as he was about to make an announcement, a grunt echoed, followed by a massive blast of green light. Five students, each armed with a different weapon—a sword, a knife, a hammer, and a bow—leaped onto the stage.
As the students entered the stage, the announcer hastily retreated. The crowd observed in confusion as the students assumed fighting stances, their heavy breaths audible in the tense silence. Armis, perplexed, remarked, "What are they doing? Is this part of their show?"
Turning to Aurelia for insight, he saw her about to respond when his attention was abruptly diverted.
In a split second, Armis caught sight of an arrow hurtling straight towards Aurelia. Reacting instinctively, he lunged forward with a tense grunt, positioning himself between Aurelia and the incoming projectile. The arrow struck Armis, knocking him back forcefully as he landed on the ground several feet away. Aurelia, terrified, quickly took cover by the arena wall, calling out to Armis in fright, "ARMIS!!!"