EPISODE 11 - Last Minute Surprise

He is speechless from her sudden act.

"I didn't know she was so brave. She was really not what I expected her to be," he thought.

"B-But what about your lunch?"

"Hm, oh yeah... I'm FULL!"

"No, you aren't, you just had 1 or 2 bites, and you sacrificed it for my sake, I'm really sorry."

"PFFT! BWAHAHAHAHHAHHA!"

"Eh?" he questioned in thought.

"Wh-Why? Why are you laughing?"

"Oh, s-sorry, AHAHH, I just found it funny. But a sandwich could not compare to my friend."

"O-Oh. Thanks, for saving me anyway."

"It's no problem. Now, shouldn't we go back to our seats?"

"Won't you get hungry?" he worriedly asks.

"Don't worry! I have a steel stomach! Nothing can pierce this," she bravely declares while pointing at her tummy.

1:00 PM

Her stomach growls fiercely.

"My stomach..."

"I figured it wasn't okay..." he thought.

Hasha checks the time, "The subject for this time is... Combat Practice. Now..."

Phize whispers to Pallitra's ear.

"Can't you create food with your magic?" he carefully said.

"I don't know any magic spells which can create food..." she said dispiritedly.

"Why don't you try spouting spells?" he suggested.

"I want to... but I don't want to think or speak at all... my head hurts..."

"I'll try thinking of something... Create Egg."

Nothing appeared.

"Nothing," he thought.

"...Create Bacon."

Nothing appeared.

"No," he thought.

"Create Lettuce."

Nothing appeared.

"Nope," he thought.

Phize: Create Apple.

Nothing appeared.

"Tsk," he irritatingly said in mind.

"Create-"

"Wait, I feel like my mana has been completely depleted," he thought.

"If you try to cast spells, even if it isn't specifically defined, it releases a bit of mana from the attempt of trying to create it."

"Oh... I didn't know that," he thought.

"My parents told me that. You had a question as well right? What was it?"

"Ah yes, I wanted to ask, how do you know so many magic spells?"

"My parents are high-class mages, so they taught me some of their spells, but they are barely home..."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"She reminds me of Ansgar. Her situation isn't as bad, but it is somehow similar," he thought.

"I just wanna have fun every day, you know? Live life with games," she lazily said.

In his mind, he carefully sorted his thoughts, "I never said this to Ansgar, but if I DID say it back then, it wouldn't be worth anything because I wouldn't be following it. But after everything I've been through, I've learned. So I don't know if this is the appropriate thing to say but..."

"Don't worry, I'm your friend. No, I am your best friend after all. Right? I owe you at least that."

She blushes at his answer.

"U-UH-"

She goes red from blushing. In an attempt to cover her face, she quickly grabs her bag from behind and tries to find something.

She grabs a handkerchief and covers it on her face but she is completely red.

"U-Um. Thank you..."

"And that's how our friendship started. That's how it truly started," he relays.

She puts her handkerchief on the desk.

"Also, about that note..." she frustratingly states, "What did that mean, eh? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Um, about that..."

"You better explain nice. 'Cause I'm gonna splash your face with sand if you fail," she threatens with a smiling face.

His mind is dumbfounded, "Uh..."

"Hehe."

"Grrr."

"EEEEEEEEEEEKK!"

6 days pass by.

9:00 PM

Hasha speaks out in front, "These past days, all we ever did was discuss magic, but it is useless if we didn't know how to use them. So, class, do you all know what's gonna happen now? That's right. We are gonna practice chanting magic. Let's go downstairs class, follow me."

The whole class stands up from their seats and they went downstairs with Hasha.

They reach the ground floor and enter a room.

"Welcome to the Magic Training Room. This is where we will be training our magic. Line up! There should be two lines! Boys and girls. Well then," she claps, "get to it."

The whole class forms two lines.

"Let's start with the boys. You!" she says while pointing to the boy at the front of the line.

"Me?" Drist asks.

"Yes, you. Just follow my lead and you'll be able to do what I do."

She walks for a few meters and reaches the center of the room.

She chants, "With a raging glare, attack me I dare, FLARE!"

A magic circle forms and fire shoots out of her hand.

"With a raging glare, attack me I dare, FLARE!" he chants following her direction.

A magic circle forms and fire shoots out of his hand.

"We learned a lot of magic spells during that time. Though, they were the sentence-structured type of magic," Phize relays.

1:00 PM

"Science is so easy," Phize bravely claims within his mind.

He looks at Pallitra.

"She's sleeping again..."

Hasha announces, "Just a while ago, we practiced magic. But now, we are here to practice combat in general, earlier we had magic, today we practice with swords. So, let's go down again but this time, we'll go to a different room."

He nervously gulps.

"Oh no. I'm pretty sloppy."

He wakes her up.

"Huh? Is class finished?"

"No. We're still in our 3rd subject. Time to go."

"Where?"

"Just follow our teacher."

They all stand up and then head downstairs.

They enter a room on the first floor.

"This is the Swordsmanship Room. This is where you will all practice swordsmanship."

There are many sword stands, filled with wooden swords.

"Ahhh. This is boring..." he thought.

Hasha calls out, "PHIZE DRESTIL!"

He is extremely surprised that his thought was not able to process what was happening immediately, "WHAT THE-"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Before we demonstrate the tactics and movements needed, we will have Phize fight me and then we'll correct him and demonstrate what should be done. Come and grab a sword my child."

"I'm screwed, I'M GONNA BE A LAUGHING STOCK!" he panics in his own mind.

He grabs a sword and then faces off Hasha.

"Don't be afraid to make mistakes, Phize!"

"It's alright, I may be young right now, but my past experience might be able to help here even a little bit," he thought in an attempt to reassure himself.

"Tell me if you're ready!" she shouts.

"I'm ready," he answers half-heartedly.

"Alright, we'll start in 3...2..."

"She looks very calm but at the same time looks very well-guarded. I better keep my guard up," he imparts.

"1... GO!"

She rushes immediately and tries to pierce Phize but he manages to dodge the attack.

"Not bad."

She immediately turns her sword to the left where he stands.

He ducks and tries to pierce her to the head.

She immediately retracts her sword and then retreats.

"WOAH!" every student said in astonishment.

She turns his sword to the left and she steps on his sword.

She then points her sword to his head.

"That's what we call a parry. We set aside the enemy's attack and leave out an opening for us. You perform the action by carrying the sword outside the enemy's range. Now let's continue."

She steps back.

"She seems to be in a defensive position this time. I guess I have no choice but to attack," he imparts.

"We don't usually use magic during practice but for this one time, I'll allow it. So use it wisely," she broadcasts.

He analyzes the situation in his head, "Think. How do I defeat her? As much as I hate to use magic right now, I have no choice since she is clearly out of my league. Think. Think. Think," he continuously taps his head, "I got it."

He chants, "CREATE SAND!"

He sprays some to Hasha.

He chants, "FIRE!"

"A set to blind me. What is he planning?" she curiously wonders.

Fire shoots out of his hand.

The fire gets weakened because of the sand he threw.

"Dammit. I thought it would turn to glass. That's a blunder," he thought.

Hasha charges in.

Hasha: That was a pretty brave move, Phize.

Phize: WIND!

He aims his arm to the ground and he is blown back.

Hasha runs after him.

"PLAN B!" he declares in his mind.

He throws a sword at Hasha. As the sword approached her, she swiftly dodges the object.

"Kids, that is a blunder, never throw your sword in a sword fight."

"WIND!"

Phize swiftly dodges to Hasha's side.

"ICE!"

He creates an ice spike and points it to Hasha.

He catches his breath.

"Did I", he inhales, "win?", he exhales.

END OF EPISODE 11