Chapter of Flames and Passion - Act 3

Act 3 - "The Steadfast Knight, and The Infallible Princess"

Ignia Castle.

The Royal Quarters.

Having accepted Fuubuki as her bodyguard, Princess Akagi is now in the middle of making him look the part.

Shortly after leaving the audience room, Fuubuki was forced to clean himself up after being a street rat for years. As he was cleaned, the wounds he received from the dungeon was also treated by the castle maids.

After he was all cleaned up, it was time to make him presentable as someone who was constantly on the princess' side.

"Are you sure this is all you really need? You look quite light, and easy to take down I'd say," Akagi asked as she looked dissatisfied with Fuubuki's getup.

With his original clothing torned to shreds, Fuubuki now wears a black body-tight shirt, and a pair of baggy, white pants with red linings. Casually, his appearance looks decent enough, however as a bodyguard he looks rather under-equipped for the job. The only piece of armor he has on is a single shoulder pad on his dominant side.

"This should be all I need," Fuubuki bluntly replied.

"No, no, no, this won't do. Your armor is too light. You'll die just from getting hit a single time. How can you protect me like this?"

"Then just don't get hit."

"I... I can't believe this..."

"I don't like to slow myself down too much. It'll only make my movements more difficult."

"Hahh... I knew it. This guy will be the first to run away in the face of danger," Akagi sighed as she clutched her head in despair.

Fuubuki merely looked at her innocently as if wondering what was wrong with her.

"Whatever... I guess it's more aesthetically pleasing to walk around without a fully-armored guy beside me," Akagi grumbled.

Upon seeing Akagi stressfully handled Fuubuki's outfit, a certain memory came to Fuubuki's mind that he thought should be addressed immediately.

"Sorry..."

Akagi curiously looked at Fuubuki as he randomly let out an apology.

"Huh? What's with you? What for?" Akagi asked with a confused expression.

"About before."

Just then, the moment of their first meeting crossed Akagi's mind. She realized what the apology was about, but still, her surprise never disappeared because she wasn't expecting it from him at all.

"Huh... and here I thought you were just some ill-mannered street rat from the lower district. You surprise me," she remarked.

Fuubuki merely gave her a blank expression in response.

"You look like a deadbeat right now. From what I heard, you were quite the loud thief down there. Now look at you... so quiet all of a sudden."

"..."

"In the first place... why am I even having such a casual conversation with you? Anyway, the rules! Listen okay? As my bodyguard, your task is to keep me safe at all times, so of course you would be walking around with me so you can quickly act at the sight of danger. However...!" she cut off as she moved a fair distance away from Fuubuki. She stood at about an arm's length away from him.

"This is the minimum distance you can stick around me okay? You're not allowed to go closer than this. I need my private space."

Fuubuki judged the distance between them carefully and nods as if saying he got everything she said.

"Now, in case of emergency, I am allowing you to get closer than this. Emergencies such as in situations where you need to defend me closely. Got that?"

Fuubuki nods again.

"Now then... I shall now be heading to my private lessons. It's already quite late since I had the hearing to attend to so... try not to slow me down."

Akagi started walking down the hall with Fuubuki tailing right behind.

Fuubuki then took the time to look around this new place that will serve as his new home. The hallways were incredibly spacious, enough to fit ten people were they to walk side by side.

The glass windows hanging by the side looked enormous, about twice the size of a normal person. The windows were overlooking the barracks outside as Fuubuki could see the knights with their daily routine, and drills.

Fuubuki followed Akagi all the way to a spacious room with bookshelves stationed everywhere. All the meantime, none of them dared to strike a conversation with one another.

"Professor Marcellus, I am here," Akagi called out.

"Hmm? Oh, quite late today aren't you, Lady Akagi?"

Standing on the other side of the room was a man who looked to be in his golden age. He had a long beard that reached all the way to his chest. He wore a wrinkly, old mantle over a red, hooded cloak. The hood was pulled over his head revealing his fairly light red hair. He was scribbling some notes on the board which Fuubuki couldn't understand as it all looked gibberish to him.

"Oh? Who's this young man?" he asked.

"Well... things happened, and father assigned me a bodyguard. Seriously, you didn't even know I was abducted?" Akagi retorted.

"You were?"

"Not even a hint of concern in your voice."

"Well, I'm sure your father could've taken care of it either way."

Akagi took a seat at the table where several books were stacked on top of each other. Fuubuki stood right behind her, still looking around curiously.

"Is... he going to stay with us? Surely you don't feel in danger with your good old Marcy right?" Marcellus laughed.

"Maybe I do. Anyway yeah, fair point. You uh... what was your name again?" Akagi turned towards her bodyguard and asked.

"Fuubuki."

"Too long, I'll just stick with 'you.' So anyway, you can go hang around somewhere or whatever. Professor's magic lessons are only meant for me so I'll have to ask you to leave. Move along now."

Fuubuki stared at her curiously as he suddenly received an order that was opposite of what his role was supposed to be. He then turned his sights on the old man. Their gazes met.

"Ahh, please be at ease young man. I am the princess' personal tutor. I can assure her safety with me," Marcellus said but then his eyes went wide in amazement as he took a closer look at Fuubuki.

"Oh my, I think I remember you now. The ashen-haired thief that my son had been hunting for years!"

"Son?" Fuubuki asked.

"Yes! I believe you're quite familiar with him. Captain Griffon of the knights."

"Oh... the old guy with the big armor," Fuubuki recalled the image of the man that punched him in the gut just recently. It was the first time he had felt so much pain after all.

"Old guy? Is he really that old to you youngins already? What does that make me then?"

"You seem quite interested in him professor. Why is that?" Akagi asked noticing the sudden change of tone of her mentor.

"Lady Akagi. I told you about the nature of a Mesgaean's body right? The mana within our body changes the hue of our hair which determines a magus' affinity, and talent for magic," Marcellus answered.

"Yeah... that's right. The more intense the color, the higher the affinity while the hue is what tells the nature of their magic."

"Exactly. Red is for Fire, Green is for Life, Blue is for Water, Violet is for Lightning, Pure White is for Light, Pitch Black is for Darkness, while the regular Mesgaeans with no affinity has a bland black color. However, look at his hair."

Akagi then turned to Fuubuki again, observing the color of his hair.

"Hmm... what color is that even?" she said as she took a closer look, unable to discern the hue of his hair.

"Ashen hair color... he doesn't fit into any of the categories. This opens up a lot of questions. Hey you, do you happen to know how to cast any magic?" Marcellus asked Fuubuki, seemingly growing more curious over time.

"I... I don't..." Fuubuki answered bluntly.

"You're overthinking it professor. Let's hurry with the lessons now. You, go out there and do something. I don't care what. I'll call for you when you're back on duty," Akagi ordered as she gestured for Fuubuki to leave the room.

"Well, if you say so..."

Fuubuki started to make his way to the door.

"Young man! Let's have a talk sometime alright?" Marcellus waved as Fuubuki went out the door.

It was his first day on the job, and he already felt like he wasn't doing much. On one hand, that may be a good thing since there weren't any active threats but on the other hand, it made him worry that he might lose his purpose in this place that quickly.

"Guess I'll just have a walk around."

With the small freedom he was given, Fuubuki wandered outside of the castle, taking a quick look of the view around him. The castle stood atop a high plateau, overlooking the commercial district below and way further out, the lower district.

He marvelled at the sight as he looked even further than the slums. Up above was the familiar 'world ceiling' that was always there for as long as he could remember.

"Enjoying the view?" a voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.

Fuubuki turned around to see King Helios himself walking towards him.

"It's beautiful isn't it? Our world. That right there is the land of the valkyries. The mountain of light. It is where those blessed with light magic resides," he explained, seemingly giving Fuubuki a short lecture as he pointed at the spot in the sky where a majestic light illuminated the entire land.

"Looking back, I could only see the surrounding houses down there..." Fuubuki replied as he shifted his gaze back towards the lower district.

"But now... this is all just..."

"Unbelievable right? That was my exact thoughts when I first set foot here. However, you know what's even more unbelievable?" Helios asked as he looked up at the sky.

"They say that an entire world is just beyond that ceiling. If you think this is big, then you won't even begin to imagine what's out there."

Fuubuki turned his head back towards the sky. He imagined what the world was like beyond the brown ceiling covering it. He then sat down on the edge of the plateau, atop a thick branch that was protruding off the side of the cliff.

"Did my daughter chase you off? Why are you all the way out here?" Helios asked.

"She said something about studying, that my presence was not needed while she's in that book room, so I decided to have a walk around," Fuubuki answered as his sight went down below.

"You seem quite fond of high places."

"I don't know why, but my mind is most at peace when I'm in this position. It feels strange, but it works like that," Fuubuki said as he closed his eyes and savored the sensation of the wind brushing against his skin on top of this hill.

"Haha! You sound exactly like someone I know," Helios chuckled.

"Someone... you know?"

"Yeah, an old friend of mine. Don't sweat the details. Say, you're not really doing anything right now, correct?" Helios asked curiously.

"Well, I'm just waiting to do something right now... can I be of service to you somehow?"

"How do you fancy sparring with my knights?" Helios suggested.

"Sparring?"

"I wish to see how good your combat skills are young man. After all, you are assigned with quite an important assignment."

"Well... that does make sense. I suppose I still haven't proven myself..." Fuubuki pondered.

"Come on then, let's see your skills in combat."

Following the king's lead, Fuubuki tailed right behind. He looked at Helios with such curiosity, a lot of questions filling up his mind.

'Why is he so kind? Why is he looking at me like I was his long lost child? Why does his presence make me feel at ease?' Questions he couldn't speak out loud as he was still bewildered by the king's behavior.

Fuubuki followed Helios to the knights' barracks. Everyone in the area quickly stopped what they were doing and stood with respect before the presence of the king.

A while later, Griffon came walking in from out of the dormitories. He stood before the king and did a little bow as a greeting. His eyes briefly turned to Fuubuki, giving him a subtle smile before turning his attention back to the king.

"Greetings mi'lord. To what do I owe the honor of having your presence within our training grounds?"

"Say Griffon, perhaps you could help me with our new recruit here?"

"I see, and what can I do to help?"

"I want to see him in combat. He showed some potential back at the hearing. I want to see this young man in an actual fight."

"Of course, then I have just the right people for you. What do you say young Fuubuki? Are you up for some rounds with my knights?"

Fuubuki silently nods in response.

"Then, first off, let's gauge your strength. Let's start with... hmm let's see."

Griffon turned his head around, scanning each knights one by one, judging to see which ones would do just right for Fuubuki.

"May I volunteer?" a knight asked as with a raised hand.

Everyone's attention turned to the man in question. For Fuubuki, he was a familiar face.

"Gerd, huh..." Griffon said, sounding worried. The man was none other than one of the two who were with Fuubuki in the dungeons, specifically, the knight who went hard on him with the whip.

"Yes sir. Allow me to have pleasure of beat-- I mean, sparring with our new recruit," Gerd smirked.

"You do know he's not a knight recruit, right? And also, I feel uneasy if I somehow let you go at it."

"Shouldn't be a problem, right kid?" Gerd turned to Fuubuki and gave him an arrogant stare. Fuubuki merely looked at him with an indifferent expression in return.

"I'll take him on," Fuubuki replied.

"Hoh? Are you sure? If I remember correctly, isn't he quite high ranked?" Helios replied with an amused tone.

"Yes, your highness. Lieutenant Gerd Ironfist, at your service!" Gerd saluted.

"I don't know about this but seeing as how both sides have agreed, I'll proceed with you two," Griffon sighed.

"Well then, let us proceed to the middle of the sparring grounds."

With all the parties having agreed with this small bout, both of them then walked to the center of the barracks, accompanied by Griffon. King Helios made his way to an elevated stage where he could see the fight at a better angle.

The surrounding knights cleared away from the center of the ring, letting the three proceed without any delay.

"Hand me the wooden swords," Griffon ordered. The knights could then be seen passing around two of their training swords to the center.

As soon as the swords made it to him, he handed them to the two fighters.

"Young Fuubuki, I'll have to ask you to leave that sword here first, and take this. Lieutenant Gerd, make your way to your corner.

Gerd went ahead to his side of the ring as Fuubuki quickly surrendered his sword to Griffon while taking the wooden one. He then made his way to the other side of the ring.

"Well then, let's make the rules clear before you get started," Griffon said out loud.

"Remember, this is a friendly sparring session. Fight with eveything you got. If your opponent either admits surrender, or receives a critical blow, then you shall be the winner. However, if I sense that things are about to go out of hand, I will be interfering with the match itself. Got all of that?!"

"Got it!" Gerd replied as Fuubuki only nodded in response.

"Well then... begin!"

As soon as the signal was given, Fuubuki ferociously weaved through until he reached Gerd. He was able to close the gap in the blink of an eye.

Gerd was surprised by the sudden advance that he wasn't even able to assume a combat stance. He instinctively swung towards the enemy before him.

"You!" he exclaimed as his wooden sword flew outwards.

However that sudden attack was dodged easily as if Fuubuki had anticipated it. He then swung his wooden sword to Gerd's neck.

"Alright, that's enough!" Griffon cut in before the blade could impact Gerd's neck.

The surprised knight fell on the ground, breathing raggedly. He had a terrified look on his face as if the claws of death were reaching for him.

"Winner! Fuubuki!" Griffon announced. The surrounding knights let out a unified sound of awe. That little spar did not even last three seconds.

"Amazing!"

"Wow, I just blinked!"

"No way... he beat Lieutenant Gerd?!"

The knights couldn't help but be amazed at Fuubuki's showcase of skills. It seems his status as a notorious thief wasn't all that he had.

"Impressive, young Fuubuki. Where did you learn to move like that?" Griffon asked as he approached Fuubuki while slowly clapping his hands.

"I just moved with my reflex. Nothing too special," Fuubuki replied.

Griffon turned his head to the spectating king from across the barracks. King Helios had quite a satisfied look on his face. As for Griffon, he couldn't hold himself back any longer.

"Hey, young Fuubuki..." he said as he turned his head back to him.

"What do you think about sparring with me next?"

Fuubuki's eyes turned to Griffon after hearing of his request. A subtle smile formed on his face as he nodded in response.

"Let's do it."

Meanwhile, back at the library.

"Well, that's that for today," Marcellus said as he closed his book. He habitually scratched his beard again as the lecture came to a close.

"That was a rather short discussion was it not?" Akagi said with a puzzled look as she stretched her arms.

"Well, that was all the lecture I have planned for today. It's not my fault you learn so quick," Marcellus chuckled.

"Guess I could go for some snacks, and tea. See you tomorrow professor," Akagi waved goodbye as she stood and made her way towards the door.

"Let's go, you-- huh? Where is that guy?" she looked around confused as she noticed that his new bodyguard was nowhere to be seen.

"Slacking off already on the first day? You've got guts! Jeez, should've remembered his name so I could call him."

Akagi then began to wander off to look for her guard, as she went she heard the noise coming from outside which piqued her interest.

"Hmm? What's going on over there?"

She then curiously made her way to the barracks. From the side gate of the castle, she could see what the fuzz was all about. Standing on the ring in the middle of the barracks were two familiar faces: The knight captain Griffon, and her just recently acquired bodyguard.

"Seriously? What the hell?!"

The two of them were intensely duking it out in the middle of the ring. The sound of wooden swords clashing against each other and the awestruck cheers of the spectators drowned the area with a noise of excitement.

Fuubuki was ferociously on the offensive, like an unrelenting storm, striking Griffon over and over. Meanwhile, the brave captain was on full defense, merely parrying the hits that Fuubuki was delivering. Griffon's defense was solid, but Fuubuki's speed was a force to be reckoned with.

"Not bad. You really do have potential. As expected of the king, his judgment of people is unparalleled," Griffon sang his praises to both Fuubuki and King Helios.

"I can keep this up all day!" Fuubuki taunted. A slight hint of excitement could be heard from his voice.

The battle only upped in intensity as time went on. However, with Fuubuki mostly the one moving around, his stamina seemed to be quickly depleting. His movements had begun to slow down.

It was a matter of time until...

"An opening!" Fuubuki overstepped a bit on one of his attacks, and Griffon didn't miss that chance to punish his mistake. Griffon delivered a critical blow onto Fuubuki's chest, sending him flying backwards. Griffon wasted no time and placed the tip of his wooden sword against Fuubuki's throat.

"I-It's my lost..."

"Good fight young man," Griffon commended his opponent, offerring his hand to help Fuubuki stand up.

"Your swordmanship is not bad. It could use some refining, but someone of your caliber is definitely good enough for the job given to you."

"Thanks a lot I guess," Fuubuki said as he took Griffons hand.

With the fight now over, King Helios stood up from his seat and walked over to the two. He had quite an amused look on his face.

"Magnificent! Absolutely splendid! I was expecting you to put up a good fight, but to think you are on par with our knight captain! You have my praise!" he applauded.

"I must say, your highness, you picked up quite a gem from the lower district."

"Haha. My instincts have never failed me before."

As the two middle-aged men were laughing amongst themselves, Akagi was seen making his way over to the middle of the ring.

"As I thought, this was your idea after all, father," she sighed.

"Oh? Akagi? You were watching? Did you see your guard, just now? Impressive wasn't he? Well? Do you still doubt my decisions?"

"Well, gotta admit, that was quite a well fought battle, but he still lost in the end didn't he?" Akagi smirked.

"Oh hardly, your highness, I was going all out back there. This boy really has the potential to surpass me, I'd say even surpass War God Helios," Griffon replied as he insisted on Fuubuki's talent.

"Hoh? That's a bold claim. Don't you think so, father?"

"Well, we can't say yet. Also quit calling me that captain, I am now well past my prime," Helios said as he reminisced of his days as one of the well-known names in Mesgaea.

"And you..." Akagi turned to Fuubuki while crossing her arms.

"I did say you can lounge around while I'm in my studies but you sure made quite a scene didn't you?"

"Am I in trouble?" Fuubuki asked curiously.

"No, not at all. You are a skilled fighter, I give you that. But protecting is not all about fighting. If you're trying to impress me, you're gonna have to try a bit harder," Akagi haughtily answered.

"That's no problem at all. Young Fuubuki, what do you say about joining us in our morning drills? Surely you could use the training? Besides, the princess doesn't wake up until before the peak of day so you have quite some time to do other things," Griffon proposed.

Fuubuki pondered for a bit about the offer. However, he seemed to have found a contradiction regarding his duties.

"But, shouldn't I be guarding her most when she's asleep?"

Griffon, Akagi, and Helios looked at Fuubuki with a surprised expression.

"Oh of course! How silly of me. Wow I didn't even think of that."

"Such a great sense of responsibility. Lucky you huh, Akagi? So, any doubts still in your mind. Was that enough to convince you that he's serious about his task?"

Akagi averted her gaze as if embarrassed by her own haughtiness.

"If he's that serious, well I guess that's commendable," she said while still looking away.

"You should praise him more you know? He just went toe to toe with our knight captain. By saying that wasn't enough, you're also insulting our best knight."

"Hahh... alright. Fine. Your skills are admirable indeed. I feel at ease now, knowing that I have such a capable guard by my side. However do know that I'm expecting much from you now. Got that?" Akagi sighed, finally admitting her honest thoughts. A wry smile formed on her face as she felt good after giving out that small praise.

"Still, do you have to be that pushy, father?" she said, looking at King Helios with narrowed eyes.

"Haha! Well, think of it as a lesson. A monarch must give out praises every now and then to their subjects to raise their confidence, and give them motivation. Better believe it, I got that from your mother," Helios laughed heartily.

"Well? Young Fuubuki? What do you say? The princess just praised you for a job well done," Griffon asked as he turned his head towards Fuubuki, also trying to teach something to the young man.

"T-thank you?" Fuubuki answered with a confused tone, unsure if what he was saying was right.

"Pfft. Haha! What's with that? Don't you know how to thank people properly? But you did say it right when father gave you the job. I don't get you," Akagi laughed, finally showing some positive emotions after some time.

Fuubuki tilted his head as he looked at her confusedly like some stray animal.

"Alright men, show's over! Back to your positions!" Griffon called out to his knights.

"Oh, and here," Griffon said before handing over Fuubuki's blade back to him.

"See you then, Young Fuubuki," he added as they parted ways.

King Helios, Princess Akagi, and Fuubuki made their way back to the castle after everything had settled down.

"By the way father, where will he be sleeping?" Akagi asked as she remembers something important.

"Oh yeah, I never actually prepared a room for him. Good thinking,' Helios answered, scruffing his beard.

"It's fine. I can sleep outside her room. I only need a chair," Fuubuki cut in, offering his own solution.

"No, that won't do. You need to be close to me at all times. Who knows when someone might attack me in my sleep."

"Agreed. You did get abducted after all just like that in the middle of the night. I still feel worried."

"No way around it I guess. You can go sleep in my room. Anywhere but the bed will do," Akagi suggested.

"Then I'll go sleep beside the bed on a chair," Fuubuki added.

"You have a thing for sleeping in chairs?" Helios asked curiously.

"I'm used to it. Also makes me more alert. You never know when a knight might sneak up on you in your sleep."

"Old habits die hard huh?"

"Well anyway..."

As the three of them proceeds on their stroll, a pair of eyes looms from somewhere within the castle's walls, watching the moves of this new arrival.

"Yeah, the plan should proceed very soon. I will now begin make my move."