However, the hostess noticed the pets and immediately blocked her path. "No animals permitted," the worker announced in a frosty tone of voice.
"Can't you make an exception, Jasmine?" Terrwyn pleaded.
The hostess shook her head. "The owner hates animals. She'll fire me if I let them in," Jasmine explained.
"Okay." Terrwyn became sullen at the response.
Luka observed this interaction silently. He felt terrible for putting her in this delicate situation. But he also realized that Terrwyn was stubborn, and she would seek another restaurant that will accept Bel and Gripper. Luka followed as Terrwyn roamed along Main Street until she abruptly stopped.
Terrwyn stood in front of a place called "The Ephemeral Garden." It featured two patios decorated with fresh flowers and small coffee tables. Waist-high shrubs fenced the gardens. The patrons sat on the grass-covered ground as they ate sandwiches and drank iced tea.
A hostess quickly approached. "How many guests?" the girl asked with a bright smile.
Luka was mesmerized by her beauty and earned a sharp elbow from Terrwyn.
"Can we bring pets inside?"
"We welcome animals in our garden," the worker replied. "Please follow me." The hostess led them to a back corner with a big table. "Is this suitable?" she asked.
"Yes," Terrwyn confirmed.
The worker distributed the menus. "Someone will come by shortly to take your order," she promised and returned to her station in front of the terrace.
Terrwyn sat with her back to the fence.
Bel and Gripper sat together to her right, leaving an open spot to her immediate left.
Luka had planned to sit across from her. Instead, his pets forced him to sit next to Terrwyn. He hoped that passersby wouldn't be familiar with their faces because the witnesses would wrongly assume the two were on a date.
"Why are you still standing? Do you hate sitting next to me?" Terrwyn glared at him. She couldn't understand his hesitance.
Luka sighed and sat next to her. "It's nothing," he said politely.
She looked at him with suspicion but dropped this issue. "Since your pets enjoy meat, I recommend the marinated venison steak," Terrwyn suggested.
Luka looked at Bel and Gripper to see their reaction; the two pets nodded. "Okay, they will have the venison steak," he agreed. He read through the menu, which consisted of dishes on one-side and drinks on the other. "I'll have a chicken caesar salad and lemonade."
The waitress came over and brought two glasses and two bowls of water. "Are you ready to order?" she inquired.
"Yes. We'll have two marinated venison steaks, a chicken caesar salad, a double cheeseburger deluxe with an extra beef patty, and two lemonades," Terrwyn ordered.
Luka was shocked by what he heard because he didn't expect Terrwyn to have a big appetite.
"You wish to change the order?" she asked with arched brows.
"No," he shook his head.
Once the worker walked away, Terrwyn began her private discussion with him. "You held back during the mock battle," she commented.
Luka kept silent. During the fight, he used lower-tier light, earth, and spatial magic. The mage kept his other types of magic a secret from them. Luka was a modest person and had no desire to boast to her.
Terrwyn, on the other hand, felt irritated by his poker face. She thought he would panic, but that didn't occur. Instead, Luka acted like it was natural for him to hold back against his classmates. She wondered if anyone could push him to his limit.
"I brought you here to talk about your opponent. The top junior-grade scorer is an arrogant prick named Llewel Ilbryen. His grandfather, Elorshin, was an elf banished from the Delfrir Kingdom and fought with the humans in the Religious War. For his service, the king at the time granted Elorshin knighthood. Due to the elf's longevity of service, Elorshin eventually became a general in the king's army. But he's semi-retired now and trains the templars in Lumina city."
"Llewel is a quarter-elf and possesses extraordinary agility and eyesight from his elvish heritage. He also inherited the Ilbryen family's unique talent to create an antimagic field. This ability was the main reason why the elvish royalty banished Elorshin. They feared that his talent would interfere with the World Tree."
"Thank you for telling me," Luka replied. "What do you know about this antimagic barrier? How long does it last? How wide is it?" he asked.
Terrwyn shook her head. "I don't know the details. It seems to be a closely guarded secret."
Luka knew that the elven race possessed strong elemental magic, and it was integral to their lives. Hence, the elves feared Elorshin and viewed him as a heretic for having an antimagic field. But why did Terrwyn hate Llewel? He couldn't understand it. "Why did you call Llewel an 'arrogant prick?'" he asked.
"Because of his bad personality," she answered. "While he is an excellent student with top written grades, Llewel enjoys mocking people for their low scores and equates exam scores with intelligence. He is an excellent fencer and a good archer. His antimagic field allows him to destroy mages who rely on their magic. Even though Llewel's technically a commoner, he doesn't act like one. The beastmen and demonkind hate his guts."
"When Camellia fought him last year during the winter exhibition match, most of the freshmen were cheering against their representative. She won the fight because Llewel underestimated her swordsmanship, and he couldn't keep up with her speed."
The waitress returned with their food, and Terrwyn ended the private conversation as the group ate their meal in silence. The class rep paid the bill, and the group departed the restaurant.
Unbeknownst to them, academy students saw them from across the street and recognized Luka and Terrwyn. The girls were members of the Luka Fan Club, and they became jealous of her. They soon told everyone about the date between the two.
* * *
When Luka showed up at the cafeteria for breakfast the next morning, a group of girls accosted him. "Prince Luka, you are dating Terrwyn!" they declared.
"Huh?" he asked in befuddlement.
"Don't deny it! I saw you and Terrwyn leave a restaurant together," a girl claimed in a loud voice.
Other students noticed their confrontation and immediately stopped their conversations.
Luka understood what she meant. Yesterday, he noticed some students saw him leave the restaurant with Terrwyn. "I'm not dating anyone. Terrwyn invited me to dinner to discuss my upcoming match against the junior grade representative. Although my class rep is an attractive girl with many admirers, we don't have a romantic relationship," he clarified in a calm voice.
The girls started cheering. "Yes! We still have a chance!" They clapped and high-fived each other.
"Can I grab breakfast?" Luka asked politely.
The fan club members quickly pushed him to the closest available table. "You sit right there while we bring food for you and your cute pets!"
The girls started a group game of rock-paper-scissors to determine who will earn the privilege of getting breakfast for Luka and his pets. The game quickly settled, and the victors joyfully joined the food line. They already knew Luka's dietary preferences and chose a serving of scrambled eggs, a slice of ham, toast, and juice. His pets, on the other hand, received extra portions of sausage links and milk.
Luka gratefully thanked the girls for their service and began to eat.
Matty observed from an adjacent table while he ate. He was glad that Luka handled his fans without upsetting them. The bodyguard wasn't thrilled with the idea of fighting with girls to protect Luka.
When Luka and his animals finished their meals, he thanked them again and departed for his homeroom. He noticed Matty shadowing him and scowled. "Where were you this morning?"
"Watching you talk to a bunch of lovely girls," the escort chirped. "Once you become engaged, they should stop bothering you."
Luka rolled his eyes. The last thing he needed right now was a fiancée. He declined to continue this conversation and fall into Matt
y's trap. Luka waved goodbye and entered his homeroom.
Kayne noticed his entry into the classroom and gave him a frosty glare.
Evanora patted her shoulder and walked over to Luka's desk. "There's a rumor going around that you're dating Terrwyn," she said.
Luka shook his head. "That's false. She invited me to dinner after practice yesterday to discuss my junior grade opponent for the upcoming match," he refuted.
Kayne patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
Terrwyn walked in suddenly. The newcomer saw everyone crowding around Luka, and her face turned into a scowl. "No, I am not dating Luka!" she huffed angrily. "It seems that people in this academy have nothing better to do than spread stupid gossip!" The class rep marched to her desk and sat down.
The homeroom teacher entered right before the bell rang. "Kids, homeroom assembly has begun. Now, take your seats," Tannyll warned. He watched as the students rushed back to their chairs. He surveyed the room for empty seats and found none. "I'm glad everyone showed up this morning even though you just finished your semester final examinations."
"I have three announcements to make. First, your attendance is mandatory for the preliminary rounds of the Freshmen Battle Royale event. Although you will only fight the finalists, the academy expects you to show your school spirit by watching and cheering your classmates. Second, I'm holding report cards with your exam scores. The faculty and staff worked hard to grade your test papers this week. So don't hesitate to show your appreciation to us," Tannyll said with a smile.
"You mean like a bribe?" Terrwyn gave him a stink eye.
The elvish teacher shook his head. "No, I'm not asking for bribes. If you consult your student handbook, Student Code 3-A expressly forbids bribery, and students caught engaging in this conduct will be expelled from school," he refuted. "Use your creativity and think of ways to express your sincerity." Tannyll smiled again. "Now, I will distribute your report cards." The homeroom teacher went around the room and handed one to each student.
When the instructor finished his distribution, he returned to the front. "Now, let me explain the parts of your report card. At the very top is your name followed by class ranking with number one as the top scorer and twenty as the bottom out of twenty students. The next line is your rank within your freshmen grade, and that's the same for everyone here: "1." Congratulations on maintaining your elite status!" Tannyll applauded.
"The next section shows your test scores, which range from 0 to 100 points each. There is no class ranking by subject matter because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses." The instructor glanced at Luka and muttered under his breath. "Well, almost everyone."
Terrwyn, sitting the closest to Tannyll, heard the correction and noticed his gaze toward the back. Her class ranking was number two. She lost five points in reading and writing but received perfect scores in the other subjects. The class rep realized that Luka beat her. Again.
"Here's the third and final announcement. The administration has created a schedule allotting time for each class to practice at the training grounds. Your appointment is on Sunday at two, and your attendance is mandatory. But the practice will last only an hour. I will show up to support you as your homeroom teacher. Okay, this meeting is over. See you later!" Tannyll chirped and hurried out of the room.
Once he left, the students turned toward Terrwyn in unison.
"What's your class ranking?" Thoma asked. He was number ten.
She glanced around the room and sighed. Terrwyn didn't wish to admit her defeat publicly. "Two," she spat out.
Their heads swiveled toward the back.
Luka noticed their intense glares, and his brows arched. "Yes, I'm number one," he admitted and shrugged.
Thoma gave him a thumbs-up while Evanora and Kayne high-fived. But the classmates with the worst rankings sighed.
"Luka, please bring us to your courtyard," the class rep requested.
The students rose from their chairs and moved to the back. They surrounded Luka and formed a physical chain.
The mage took out his shadow keystone and brought the class to the shadow plane.
Chapter 75
Semester Finals (Part 4)
When the Elite Class arrived, Terrwyn made a request. "Luka, can we spar with your pets?" The leader briefly considered sparring with Luka again but ruled against it. Terrwyn feared that another defeat at his hand would ruin class morale. She believed that her Elite Class would fare better against Bel and Gripper because they lacked magic.
In response, Luka brought out his companions. "Spar with my classmates," he requested.
[These brats want another ass-whupping?] Bel flexed his paws and cracked his neck in anticipation.
Hoot! Gripper pounded his chest and tried to intimidate the humans.
Luka teleported far away and sat on top of the wall. He saw his classmates circling the animals, who stood back-to-back.
Thoma cast a bunch of buffs on the fighters while Uhaen summoned two ogres to join the melee. Terrwyn issued her signal. Evanora and Kayne launched Lightning Bolt and Firestorm, respectively, at their enemies!
The targets immediately took big jumps and separated. Each animal landed on a human and knocked him down. Crackle-boom! Bel and Gripper had kept their eyes on Elenora and Kayne and timed their leaps correctly to avoid the spell effects.
The duo grabbed their victims by the ankles and swung their human bodies at other attackers.
The classmates immediately dropped their weapons and tried to wrestle their comrades free.
Bel and Gripper abruptly released their grips. Whoosh! The two humans launched like rockets and knocked down their comrades like bowling pins.
Terrwyn cut in with a shield bash against the gorilla.
Dum! Gripper stoically took the hit with his body but stayed on his feet. The mighty beast wrapped his thick arms around her back. Heave-ho! He tossed her aside like a ragged doll!
The armored maiden crashed on her back with the wind knocked out of her; Terrwyn was slow to get up.
Wickkuil became enraged by her rough treatment. He slashed his bastard sword and tried to eviscerate the foul animal!
The defender read his attack and casually slapped the blade aside.
Clang! Thrabuil blocked the errant blow in time to avoid HIS evisceration!
Gripper hopped on the two crossed swords and bounced toward his next victim -- Kherherac!
The gadgeteer aimed his gun at the gorilla but couldn't get a clear shot. His eyes turned wide with fear as Gripper's body suddenly encompassed his entire view! Smush! The gorilla pancaked the tiny human!
Meanwhile, Viggo and Gertorn kept firing their arrows at Bel.
The rabbit adroitly snatched the missiles before they hit him. Bel jabbed the sharp arrowheads into other attackers and made them back away.
When her dizziness finally faded, Terrwyn sat on the ground and pulled off her helmet. She threw it against the wall in frustration because her plan failed again. The party leader underestimated Bel and Gripper. The two used a divide-and-conquer strategy to perfection against her classmates. She climbed to her feet and screamed out, "Elite Class, retreat!"
The members immediately formed a circle around each opponent.
Bel and Gripper snorted in derision.
Terrwyn stomped her foot angrily. "I said, 'retreat!'"
The classmates were stunned by her command but obeyed anyway. They backed off and formed a wall before her.
Luka wondered what the leader was thinking. The students looked extremely disappointed and angry, and he feared they would rebel against the class rep. Nonetheless, the observer declined to intervene lest he usurped Terrwyn's leadership role.
Despite her temper, Terrwyn's mind remained calm. As a daughter of the illustrious Cadogan family, her teachers drilled Terrwyn on the importance of keeping her cool. Those harsh lessons from years ago entered her ears and gave her guidance.
A plan crystallized in her mind, and the party leade
r began to bark out orders in rapid succession. "Wickkuil, take your followers to form an attack group. Viggo, Gertorn, and Kherherac will create a mobile ranged-attack subparty. One shieldman will escort Thoma and Uhaen as a third group. The other tank will accompany Elenora and Kayne. I will lead the remaining fighters as the primary attack unit."
The Elite Class was surprised by her new commands. To their credit, the students spent little time lining up in their designated units.
Bel and Gripper granted the kids time to do whatever they wished. The two were curious about what the short-tempered girl planned to avenge their defeat.
"Uhaen, summon your ogres. Thoma, buff them. When I give the signal, the ogres will attack the gorilla."
"Roger," the two casters saluted her.
"While the ogres distract Gripper, Wickkuil's group will attack his blind spots. My group will pin down the rabbit, and the remaining two subparties will attack from a distance. Begin!"
The Elite Class executed Terrwyn's plan to perfection.
Bel and Gripper tried to move around to create havoc. But the students were more disciplined this time and pinned the two in place. The rangers and gunslinger began taking potshots at Bel.
However, the rabbit possessed extraordinary awareness, and Bel shifted his body just enough to avoid those projectiles. But he still took damage from magic missiles because these spells had homing features and were, therefore, unavoidable. Bel's red eyes glowered at the two culprits while avoiding shields and swords.
Evanora and Kayne shivered until Yosdrar noticed and used his shield to block Bel's line of sight.
Meanwhile, Gripper played a frustrating game of whack-a-mole with the beastmen. They kept hitting his back whenever the gorilla turned. He was as strong as the two ogres, but they continually shoved Gripper off-balance while Wickkuil's group attacked from behind.
The beastmen used their claws and drew plenty of blood.
The Divine Summoner: Godson of Altima Page 61
