Preparing to leave, Malleus said, "We'll let Trein and the others handle things in the city. Let us head for the bell tower."
"Yuu, take good care of Grim and Professor Trein, okay?" Deuce reminded them.
"Hmph! You don't gotta ask Yuu. I got this covered!" Grim declared.
"From where we are, the south gate is the closest entrance to Noble Bell College. Head there first." Trein instructed.
"Be careful, guys!" Yuu called out to them as they left.
"Yuu..." Malleus nodded, "I'll see you again later."
"Professor Trein, Yuu, please follow me. I know the way to the nearest exit to the city." Peony instructed, "Once there, I'll help you off Little Jiu. It will only create more chaos when they see an unfamiliar creature in the middle of a disaster. We'll handle the third party"
"Then, let's not waste any time."
...
"Malleus, we're coming up on the entrance now!" Sebek called out to them as they rushed faster towards the light coming from the tunnel exit. However what they saw upon entering back to the outside world again shook their core!
Silver held his breath, "What in the world...?!"
The school from inside out was covered in vines of firelotuses.
"Oh man, there are firelotuses everywhere!" Deuce was taken aback by the breathtaking yet ominous sight of the flowers.
"The once tidy, stately campus is in shambles..." Sebek muttered in disbelief.
"I thought we'd head straight for the tower, but the flower infestation is worse than I'd imagined." Azul grimaced.
Horrified, Idia cried out, "This takes 'the floor is lava' to a whole other level. It's all damage tiles and no safe spots! We're fine now since we're far enough away, but if we YOLO this, we'll get weaker with every step and eventually it'll be game over."
"Hm." Malleus smirked, "Perhaps we could take Shroud's advice and employ some sort of tool to solve this dilemma?"
"That's our Malleus! You waste no time putting feedback into practice! Your quick thinking never ceases to amaze me!" Sebek praised loudly.
"Y'know... I was wondering if we could fly on those cleaning brooms propped up against the wall." Ruggie pointed out, "But I guess the flowers would pick up on our magic and swarm us, huh?"
"Flight magic?" Azul was taken aback upon hearing this as his heart sank at the topic of the magic, "To be honest, I'd prefer exploring ANY other option."
"THANK YOU." Azul expressed his gratitude in relief, "Us introverts avoid flight class like the plague."
Upset, Azul frowned, "What do you mean, "us"? Don't assume I'm a slacker like you! I put in a great deal of effort, thank you very much."
"I mean, I'd say it's sadder if you still can't do something after putting in the work." Jamil pointed out, "Regardless, I think Azul's got the right idea—for once."
"Indeed. Look at the firelotuses' supple vines. They're quick and grow and contract freely. They're like whips, really." Rook explained, "You would need to be a very skilled flier to get through, otherwise they'd ensnare you at once."
"Yeah, I'm not sure I could evade that many flowers in the air." Silver hesitated, "I wonder how did the princess managed to avoid them."
"Her control of the flowers seems to be unique." Malleus pointed out, "She also has practiced martial arts as according to the practices of her lineage's magic arts. That's one of the reasons she has capable of being so... confident."
"The two of you don't seem to get along well..." Epel hesitated.
"That is a different matter." He grumbled, "Do you recall when I destroyed all those flowers in the waterway? She enjoys a bond with plants regardless of the species."
"So, when Rollo began to utilize them as tools and you also destroyed so many earlier..." Jamil pieced the puzzle together.
He huffed, "She is not in the best of moods. Hence she wants to make certain Flamme returns in one piece, or at least. She seems to be in favor with my grandmother as well. Who knew she'd fool her so easily..."
"Yeah. The two of you definitely do not get along." Idia shook his head in defeat, "Then, we should hurry and ring the bell so we can catch him."
"Then, what are we gonna do?" Epel hesitated.
"I could use my magic to wilt all the flowers in the area." Malleus pointed out, "I couldn't do it all the time with my remaining reserves, but we need a way forward right now."
Realizing how eager the prince was to resolve the matter quickly and swiftly, Azul stopped his recklessness hurriedly, "Malleus, wait! We need to be cautious and formulate a proper plan. This battle is essentially a chess game. Even if we lose a few pieces along the way, as long as one of us can ring the bell at the end, we win. And who would risk their king to take a pawn in the first few turns?"
Hearing this, Malleus recalled Peony when they were back in the dorms. On few occasions, they would play chess for only him to be baited with the queen and the king for a few pawns! The princess just isn't logical!
Seeing his expression, Azul realized that he made another mistake and it made him wonder just how terrifying was this girl? Wasn't she just physically powerful?
"Um..." Deuce hesitated, "Sorry, this whole chess analogy's going over my head."
Now, Azul was annoyed. Even though he made a mistake, someone here decided to sprinkle salt over the wounds! And, here he was trying to be smart! However, isn't the freshman a member of Heartslabyul? He was sure they must have chessboards and played chess before...
"...I'm sorry about Deuce." Riddle stepped in with a disappointed look across his face.
"Hey, I'm with him on that. How about spelling it out for the rest of us?" Ruggie stepped in with an annoyed yet unapologetic look across his face.
"PFFT." Idia snickered, "Nice try with the Board Game Club flex, Azul."
"Oh, shut up." Azul glared at him.
"Anyway, this is what Azul was trying to say..." Idia explained with a wide smile, "We gotta choose which game pieces we move forward and which ones we sacrifice."
"Sacrifice?!" Sebek looked to him in alarm.
"Wait, so you mean..." Deuce hesitated.
"Somebody's gotta be the bait while the rest of us move on and conserve our energy." Idia pointed out.
Silver hesitated, "But the person who acts as bait would definitely get injured.
"That's a sacrifice we gotta make if we wanna meet the win condition: ring the bell." Idia shook his head.
"Hm..." Malleus nodded as he explained, "In chess terms, it would be called a gambit. By giving up one of their valuable game pieces, the player creates a more advantageous situation on the board. It's an annoying move unless you are the one playing it."
Bewildered by his explanation, "I just simplified this for you, and now we're going BACK to chess?!"
"Must we truly make someone act as bait?" Silver hesitated before nodding his head having made up his mind, "In that case, I volun—"
"Wait."
All eyes turned to Riddle as he declared, "I'll be the bait. All of you run for the tower while I use flight magic to draw the firelotuses away."
"HUH?!" Deuce was taken aback by his sudden decision.
"Fr?" Idia smiled with relief and was about to hurry away, "K, thx!"
Epel was shocked by how fast Idia accepted it and exclaimed, "You accepted way too fast!
"At least make a TOKEN protest!" Sebek scolded Idia as well.
"Why do you volunteer, Rosehearts?" Malleus questioned curiously, "You never struck me as someone who would automatically step up to sacrifice themselves."
"It's simple, really." Riddle responded logically, "It's a long way to the bell tower from here. The bait must be capable of dragging out the battle until someone else rings the bell. For that, one would need considerable magical proficiency and reserves. They say that even the Queen of Hearts took the field in battle to punish a major rulebreaker. I am the housewarden of Heartslabyul. It's only natural that I would follow Her Majesty's example."
"...Are you sure about this?" Azul hesitated.
"Yes. Someone suitably powerful must be the vanguard. Surely you must know which of us best fits the bill." Riddle pointed it out calmly.
"Heh. You knew it would be a formidable fight, yet you volunteered anyway?" Malleus smirked, "You must be very confident in your abilities."
"I guess if we're going by pure magic reserves, Riddle's the optimal choice." Idia added in his fast pace tone while hardly hiding the notion of wanting to leave quickly, "Go get 'em, Tiny Titan!"
"You just made up that justification so you wouldn't have to be the bait, didn't you?" Jamil glanced over to him rather unimpressed.
"No..." Deuce frowned as he declared, "I can't just march on while my boss is steppin' up and takin' one for the team. If my housewarden's staying, then so am I!"
"Out of the question."
Quickly rejected by Riddle, Deuce was shocked, "What? Why? I can at least act as bait!"
"Oho. Really now?" Riddle sneered, "Deuce, do you think I don't know about your recent flight exam?"
Just hearing this, Deuce was taken aback again and more fearful, "Grk! Look, uh..."
As diasomnia and the others became confused, Malleus asked, "What's this about his flight exam?"
"You started goofing off with Ace during the exam, which led to you both falling off your brooms. You had to take a remedial test, I'm told." Riddle scolded him with a disdainful look.
"How do you know about that?" Deuce cried out in shock, "And for the record, Ace started it—"
"Save your excuses! These brooms are different from the ones at school. They'll be hard enough to handle as it is." Riddle scowled, "The last thing I need is an inexperienced, easily-distracted flier slowing me down. Your "help" isn't wanted."
"Dude, way to slam a guy trying to help you. Guess that's why you're Mr. Zero EQ..." Idia muttered as he shook his head in disapproval.
"I expect you to do honor to Heartslabyul in a place more befitting your talents. Is that clear?" Riddle lectured.
"...Yessir. I was wrong. Sorry for talking back." Deuce hesitated, "I'll make sure to make this right!"
"I'm guessing it's a Heartslabyul thing. Must be Riddle's idea of a pep talk." Jamil grumbled.
"It certainly did the trick with Deuce." Silver pointed out in awe.
"Yikes..." Idia shuddered, "Heartslabyul must be a horror show..."
"Goodness..." Azul sighed before jumping into their conversation, "Riddle, you can't just dictate the terms without any input from the rest of us. I applaud your spirit, but Noble Bell's main thoroughfare is quite wide. No matter how fast you fly, you won't be able to draw all the flowers. You can't be the only bait. We'll need one more sacrificial pawn here."
"In that case, I'll stay with Riddle." Epel offered.
"Epel?!" Deuce looked to him stunned.
"Were you listening? I said I could handle this just fine by myself." Riddle frowned disapprovingly.
"Of course I was listening. You need someone who can use flight magic to get away from the firelotuses, right?" Epel smiled confidently, "You may not know this, Riddle, but I've got PRETTY GOOD grades in flight class."
"But..." Riddle hesitated.
"And if we're talking about queens going into battle, the Fairest Queen did the same thing. Pomefiore won't be outdone!" Epel quickly added, "ISn't that right, Rook?"
Rook hesitated before nodding his head and smiling, "...Indeed it is, Monsieur Pommette. Embracing one's aesthetic no matter the occasion truly embodies Pomefiore's spirit of tenacity. None could possibly sway you from the strong. unyielding, beautiful choice you've made. And as Professor Trein said... The Righteous Judge had faith in the Kindly Bell Ringer. That's why the judge let him go. Likewise, I believe in you, Epel. I have every faith that you can protect the Roi des Roses. I trust you believe so as well?"
Epel cheered, "Yes, sir! You can count on me!"
"So we've got Riddle, the queen with a heavy offense build, and Epel, the pawn with a mobility build..." Idia calculated to himself as he grumbled with a nod, "Y'know, that might make a p. good team comp."
"I can agree with that, but nonetheless..." Azul hesitated, "Epel, are you certain about this? You'd better not come crying to us later."
"Absolutely! This isn't a spur-of-the-moment thing. I've thought it through." Epel responded.
"After spending the day with you, I find that hard to believe..." Azul frowned hesitantly.
"Epel's an up-and-comer in the Spelldrive Club, too. I know our club captain Leona would vouch for his flying skills." Ruggie added, "We'll let you take care of this, yeah?"
"Yes, sir! I've got this, Ruggie!" Epel nodded.
"Very well. Riddle and Epel will handle things here." Azul sighed in defeat.
"Then it's settled. Your job will be to lure away the flowers and buy us time until we make it down the main street." Malleus appointed the two, "Rosehearts. Felmier. Your sacrifice shall not be in vain. I'll make certain to put a stop to Flamme's plot."
"The "sacrifice" bit is not a given, you know." Riddle pointed it out.
"You're taking the fall for Malleus's sake... What incredible resolve you must have! I'm awestruck!" Sebek declared.
Confused by his outburst, Epel muttered awkwardly, "Um, we're not taking the fall OR doing it for Malleus..."
"From what I can see, the flowers are thinnest at the outer edges of the street.
It'll be somewhat of a detour, but you'll be safer if you avoid the front passage where the statue is." Riddle ignored the banter and already began making plans from examining the area, "We'll run up to the Righteous Judge statue and use our magic to get the flowers' attention."
"I'll signal once they start comin' for us. That'll be your cue to start running.
Make sure to be extra careful, okay?" Epel warned them as the two began running through the gates.
"You too, Epel. Take care of my housewarden!" Deuce called out to them.
"Stay safe, you two. And let us meet again with the brightest of smiles on our faces." Rook added.
"...Are you ready, Epel?" Riddle asked him.
Epel took in a deep breath and exhaled it before nodding his head brimming with confidence, "All right. Ready when you are, Riddle! I won't let those plants lay a finger-er, I mean a tendril on you! You buncha lousy, good-fer-nothin' flowers... Ah'm gonna rip alla y'all leaf from leaf!!!"