Sora stood up from his seat.
Cassian didn't notice his movement at first, his eyes still tracking the tactical formations on the battlefield below as he adjusted his notes.
Several minutes passed in quiet calculation. Then, a subtle instinct flared. He turned his head toward the plush velvet chair beside him that was occupied by Sora and it was empty.
Cassian blinked once, his deadpan mask slightly cracking.
"..."
He looked again, his mind processing the void.
Still empty.
Just then his head slowly, stiffly turned toward the massive arena floor below. And there, standing directly among the next bracket of active competitors, he saw him. He was wearing a perfectly tailored, dark Crimson Vanguard uniform, slightly different from the rest.
Cassian's eyes widened to their absolute limits.
"What?"
For the first time all morning, Cassian completely lost his composure.
"That fast...?" His gaze darted frantically between the empty velvet seat and the raven-haired figure on the sand below.
"But what the hell is he doing out there? Can he even fight?"
A sudden, horrifying thought struck his brain like lightning, his heart skipping a beat.
"Geez... he hasn't forgotten that he is currently pregnant with my child, has he?"
Cassian immediately sank significantly deeper into his grand seat, his fingers digging into his knees. Lucien glanced at him with a side eye.
He didn't stop Sora from leaving the royal box on purpose, perhaps it was because a part of him felt like the elf needed to learn a rough lesson at the bloodied arena today, even if it was just only once.
In fact Lucien was actually hoping for Sora to get beaten up to pulp in the arena if possible. To get crippled, incapacitated or even die. Anything that will help to soothe the tension that has been tightening up his chest for a long time now.
On the other end, Cassian's sharp gaze swept across the Crimson and grey uniform Sora wore, his eyes narrowing into cold slits. "...Where did he even acquire a custom Vanguard uniform to begin with?, And what is the meaning of those alterations?"
The uniform Sora wore was almost identical to his own personal sovereign attire. It was elegant, commanding, but crimson in colour and lined with high-grade silver thread.
The only difference was that it mirrored Cassian's specific leadership colors rather than the standard design worn by the common underclassmen.
Celia, who had sneaked back into the box, folded her arms over her chest and pouted heavily.
"....—Well"
Cassian already didn't like the look on the wind mage's face.
"Speak."
"Ms. Sora formally claimed to the administration department that she is structurally above us all in the chain of command," Celia explained, her voice a low whine. "Therefore, she stated that you had officially appointed her as your absolute deputy commander for the duration of the tournament. She threatened to report is to you if we didn't produce the uniform within an hour. And we didn't want to disappoint you leader."
Cassian stared at her.
"A deputy commander?....Wha—"
*BOOM!*
Just then a massive, ground-shaking impact violently interrupted his sentence. The entire stone arena vibrated with immense kinetic force, dust raining down from the high arches. Every single person in the stadium snapped their heads toward the eastern battlefield. Including Cassian.
Sora's challenger—The unfortunate student crashed into the arena wall hard enough to create a crater.
And after that, a dead, heavy silence followed the impact. Silencing those that have thought of him as nothing but a beautiful, delicate maiden that was close to Prince Cassian just because of his female glamour.
The thousands of crowd members blinked. The high referees blinked their eyes in disbelief. The fallen challenger's teammates also blinked in sheer surprise.
Sora remained standing exactly where he had started the match. His posture was calm, silent, and completely unmoving, his raven hair fluttering gently in the breeze. Nobody in the entire stadium had seen the actual attack land.
Nobody.
Not the junior professors, not the low-tier contenders, and not even the scout mages. It had simply happened too quickly for the human eye to process. But only the veteran masters might have just seen it all.
Then, Sora slowly, gracefully turned his body toward the royal box high above. His dark eyes locked directly onto Cassian's. And their eyes met.
Sora offered a beautiful, radiant smile, gave a small, deeply respectful bow of his head, and then offered a cheerful, casual wave of his hand.
Cassian stared down at him, His thoughts completely stalled. His brain attempted to process what he had just witnessed.
But it failed. Internally, he was absolutely agape.
Just then only a single thought emerged.
'Scary, he is remarkably scary.'
The massive arena erupted—not with cheers, but with a stunned, terrified silence. The kind of silence that only appeared when people witnessed something they couldn't understand.
The prominent foreign nobles who had openly mocked Headmaster Allister's decision earlier were no longer speaking. They sat rigidly in their velvet seats, their faces pale as they watched the sand, reconsidering every political opinion they had formed regarding the empire's Crimson Vanguard's strength.
Even Emperor Cedric leaned forward slightly on his golden throne, a rare, highly satisfied smile appearing on his rugged face. And beside him, Empress Chantella looked equally pleased, her fan fluttering gracefully.
"Magnificent," the Emperor murmured, his deep voice carrying across the box.
"Indeed," the Empress agreed, her eyes fixed on the field. "Our son has constructed an exceptional foundation for our Empire. We are ought to be proud"
Every victory, every terrifying display of dominant power from the students, and every broken challenger on the field reflected directly upon the capability of Crown Prince Cassian. And everyone within the continent's high assembly knew it.
Far below, Sora calmly exited the arena gate, his uniform completely pristine as he secured quite an effortless victory for the the Edrath Academy.
The spectators were left wondering–, 'if this was the strength of those beneath Crown Prince Cassian Valemont... Then just how powerful was the Crown Prince himself?'
"Mhm not bad for a heathen of impure bloodline." Lucien admitted but slightly scowling in disappointment for Sora's victory.
"But anyway, My Prince," Lucien murmured, his voice hollow and tight with a mixture of caution as he leaned closer to Cassian's ear.
"The high priests of the Holy See have just arrived to oversee the final blessing of the prize scepter. And just so you must know, their holy mana arrays are remarkably sensitive. If they detect the slightest trace of the half-elven or dark mana bleeding from this box during the finals, the security breach will become unmanageable and all three of us will be compromised, Elias included as well."
Cassian adjusted his white gloves, a dark, thoroughly amused smirk tracing his lips as he looked at his corrupted Knight Commander.
"Then we shall simply optimize a distraction, Sir Arden. Don't you think so?....let the priests come, it's not like they would find anything here."
*****