It was only a few minutes later that Dignitas was able to recognize the identity of the two students.

And to explain, it would be best to have a small insight into the history of the Seraph family. 

Way before mana was introduced to the world, and way before the anomalies started appearing, the Seraph family was known for producing great practitioners in the art of archery. 

It was said to be in their blood. Every Seraph had an abnormal affinity to bows, and when magical powers were introduced to the world, they used them to amplify their skills. 

But the Seraphs weren't the only family who were skilled in their particular field. Many other families started appearing the moment humanity began to grasp mana and its benefits. 

Among those families were two who specialized in the shield and the spear respectively. These families were dubbed the Hruber and the Liebel houses. 

Much like the Seraphs, they produced skilled users of their household weapons. 

And yet, despite the uprising of many lesser-known houses, the Seraph house was the true ruling power. They boasted power above everyone else. 

Which begged the question, why was Lorelai the one on the ground, and not the one standing?

"This should be the start of her doubts," Dignitas observed. 

While his original objective was to keep an eye on John, there was nothing wrong with guiding Lorelai down her destined path as well. 

Because he was the only one who knew her true potential lay in the sword, not the bow. 

If he could make her see this, then John would be able to have an easier time when he went on to challenge the final boss. 

Not that Dignitas knew what, or who it was. 

"I don't think you've learned your lesson yet, Seraph. The houses will Hruber and Liebel will crush you under our heel."

"Ah, I should go now." Dignitas got up from his place in the mound. 

The situation looked like it would escalate at any moment, so he had to act fast. 

"Just end it, you idiots." Lorelai closed her eyes, prepared to face death. 

"What's this? The ever-so-mighty Seraph submits to the lesser houses!" The man from House Hruber chuckled.

"Should we kill her, Adam? The Seraphs could serve to have their only daughter dead." The woman from House Liebel suggested. 

"What a wonderful suggestion! Let's do it." The man urged his partner to pick up her spear. 

"Gladly." Raising her weapon, the girl swung it down with no hesitation. 

*klang*

"Now that's cheap. Two versus one. Didn't your parents ever teach you guys how to be honorable? Or is that not in the Hruber and Liebel rules of battle?"

Just before the tip of the spear had made contact with Lorelai's face, a red blade was pushed out, obstructing the spear's edge. 

"Who is this peasant? He dares to interrupt us in our work!"

"He needs to be executed…"

"Dignitas Qwerdan…" Raising her head from the ground, Lorelai recognized the figure in front of her as the one person she hated. 

Pulling back her spear, the girl struck again.

The outcome was no different this time, though. Without even expending much of his strength, Dignitas had stopped the spear in its tracks. 

"He dares…" The girl cursed. 

"What are you doing here? Did you follow me…?" Lorelai murmured.

"You could say that. For now though, just sit still and catch your breath. Dignitas will take care of thi— okay, that sounded pretty bad."

Turning back to the two students, a thought finally struck Dignitas alongside the two weapons. 

The people in front of him were otherwise known as Leo Hruber and Laura Liebel.

Alongside the standard Academy uniform, Leo wore large, oval blue tinted glasses. His hair was a yellowish brown and ran down his neck, similar to that of a lion's mane. 

Laura Liebel on the other hand, looked to be the shy type who would curse at someone whenever she didn't get what she wanted. 

"Kind of like a less cute version of Curie, hmm…"

Her silver-white hair was left untied, and she had a small metallic bangle on her wrist. 

Perhaps hearing herself being compared to Curie, Laura's attacks suddenly became swifter.

Pulling her two-handed spear back, Laura stabbed it into the ground and used it to carry her a considerable height above Dignitas.

Once she had reached the peak of her jump, she pulled out the spear and swung the sharp end downwards. 

"How elegant." Dignitas grinned. 

Brandishing Dainsleif, he easily met Laura's downward slam with a well-timed parry of his own. 

Still surprised at her move being stopped so easily, Dignitas took the opportunity to use her own momentum against her.

Dignitas used his free hand to grab hold of the spear. And after expanding some of his strength, was able to pull the spear directly into the ground. 

And just as Dignitas was contemplating on whether to punish her or not, he sensed something coming his way. 

A few moments after that, a metallic shield, resembling a door, shot forward. 

As expected, Dignitas was able to emerge unscathed. 

"I've seen you before. The honor student." Adam gritted his teeth. 

"And? What about it?" Dignitas replied snarkily.

"Such a title is not fitting for a peasant. I know for a fact that you cheated your way into obtaining it. As all peasants do."

'Why's he so hung up on that fact? It's almost like he has an eternal hatred for people of lower status." 

"If I defeat you, then the Academy will recognize me as the one worthy of the title."

With a speed unlike his large stature, Adam dragged the entire shield across the ground and charged toward Dignitas.

*whoosh*

Dodging out of the way, Dignitas took a swipe at Adam's exposed body. 

But in doing so, he too left himself unguarded from the sharp end of Laura's spear. 

"Teamwork. Not bad. But you see, you guys are not in my league. Heh." 

"It was a good attack, Laura. Will you assist me in showing this peasant his rightful place?" Adam asked the girl beside him.

"That place being… below our heel," Laura responded, extending her spear forward.

The Hruber and Liebel houses were known for being very close to each other. Much so that they could be called brother-households. 

Their chosen weapons complimented each other extremely well, reminding Dignitas of a certain group of half-naked warriors who were known for their unmatched prowess in battle. 

Those warriors were able to stave off a number of enemies many times greater than theirs. 

So thinking of it like this, Hruber was the shield of those warriors, while Liebel was the spear. 

"Looks like they're getting coordinated. I should take this seriously as well." 

The battle between Dignitas and the houses of Hruber and Liebel began. 

Adam was the first to move. With his oversized shield, his front was pretty much impenetrable. 

Even Dignitas would at most only be able to inflict a small cut on its metallic surface. 

"I guess that's the advantage of being rich. You get everything handed to you if you just ask."

Dignitas didn't have much time to talk. Adam's shield soon reached him, and he had to maneuver himself out of the way via a small dodge. 

The moment he did though, he was assaulted by tens of stabs from Laura. 

Not a single one of them managed to reach Dignitas, but he had allowed himself to be pinned needlessly. 

Like a raging bull, Adam came back charging.

The feeling of something approaching had long reached Dignitas before his opponent even started attacking, and as such he was able to react accordingly with a simple jump backward. 

Neither cadet was relenting, however. Laura's spear soon found itself meeting Dignitas' red sword. 

"You'll tire, soon enough," Laura whispered.

"We'll see," Dignitas smirked, not one drop nor bead of sweat having formed on his face.