Twisted Wonderland

Headmage Details

The sun has set and the coliseum is empty. Crowley lingers behind and looks to the stage. He sighs and shakes his head.

"Again... Another loss. I thought for sure that we'd beat them this time around! What were we missing? Where did we go wrong?"

"Hello, Mr. Crowley. It's been quite a while."

An older man approaches the Headmage. He's tall with short white hair, a short beard and gray eyes. He wears blue robes with a long white scarf tied in a knot and a pointed blue hat with Royal Sword Academy emblem. He also wears light-blue socks with blue shoes.

"Ambrose the Sixty Third!" Crowley was slightly startled by his sudden appearance. "I didn't expect to see the headmage of Royal Sword Academy today."

The man laughs. "The sight of youths engaging in friendly rivalry is a lovely one indeed. Royal Sword Academy is taking home another victory this time."

Crowley folds his arms. "Yes, so it would seem.
But only by a one-vote margin! That's within any margin of error you could name."

"And yet, a victory it remains. We win, you lose!" Ambrose lets out a jolly laugh from teasing Crowley.

Crowley though, finds it less than amusing. "We'll win the next one, just you wait."

"Well, there's always the upcoming interscholastic Spelldrive games in May. I'm quite looking forward to that! After all, Royal Sword Academy might earn their hundredth win there."

Ambrose becomes serious. "By the way, Mr. Crowley. I've been picking up traces of large-scale magic all over the coliseum."

Crowley tilts his head. "And?"

"The sheer volume of magic was far beyond what would get used in a practical magic exam. What in the world transpired here before the SDC began?" Ambrose asks.

"I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about." Crowley shakes his head. "As headmage of the school hosting the culture fair, I can assure you that great pains have been taken to ensure the safety of this event. I'll grant that perhaps some students got a little rowdy during rehearsals. But I'm sure that's all it was. My students can be a tad bit quirky at times, but really, that's all part of what makes them shine."

Ambrose hums. "If you say so, I suppose. I'll keep a closer eye on them tomorrow."

Crowley forces a smile. "My, my. I could hardly ask for greater assurance than that. I hope you enjoy the festival as well, Professor Ambrose. I'll be going now."

Crowley waves as he takes his leave. Ambrose looks to the stage, bringing a hand to his chin in thought.

In Ignihyde, Idia collapses onto his bed. His room is a mess of papers and boxes scattered everywhere. Posters line the walls and the shelves are full of mangas. Action figures and collectibles can be found in every corner of the room.

Idia sighs. "I used up a year's worth of energy today.

Ortho claps his hands excitedly. "You did great! The research presentation you put on was incredible."

"My synthesized voice let me give a smooth speech without a single hitch." Idia grins. "That was a blind-typing perfect chain combo. Talk about being a pro gaming athlete, right?"

"That's definitely worth bragging about to Committee Chair Roseharts."

"When I put my mind to something, it's easy-peasy, lemon squeezy." Idia chuckles. "Of course, the second the Q&A session was over, I retreated to the safety of my room as fast as humanly possible. Too much normie aggro."