human
Prisca:  The front line was steadily approaching Abelks castle. However… “The first line of defense should have crumbled almost immediately. The fact that it hasn’t—I suppose it’s because that accursed swordsman is so skilled.” Prisca snapped her folding fan shut and gazed at the line of battle with her crimson eyes.
gpt
Prisca:  At this distance, the troops looked no bigger than beans, but she could see him at work, the overwhelmingly powerful swordsman keeping Lamia’s forces at bay. A secret weapon that Vincent had deliberately revealed to her before the Rite of Imperial Selection had begun.
human
Prisca:  She’d known he was even better than Arakiya, and yet… “It is still stunning to see him like this.” He was literally a one-man army, holding fast against their entire force. It was difficult to believe. Lamia had brought more than five times Vincent’s forces to bear on the siege of this castle—and yet that calculation was based on the assumption that one of her soldiers was worth the same as one of his. A single fighter who could hold off a thousand troops naturally upset that calculation. “I feel antsy…”
gpt
Prisca:  “Does he bother you so much, Arakiya?”
human
Arakiya:  Arakiya, who was waiting as Prisca had bidden her, watched the battle unfold as well, letting her lips curl in displeasure. “Yes. Yes, he does.”
gpt
Prisca:  “Is it okay? If I go?”
human
Prisca:  “As much as I would like to indulge you, I can’t permit it. Stay here by my side. You might not get your chance at him on this battlefield, but…”
gpt
Prisca:  “…your strength will be needed in due time.”
human
Arakiya:  That was all Prisca had to say for Arakiya’s expression to change. She blinked, and her look of annoyance became the mask of a warrior.
gpt
Prisca:  Prisca nodded approvingly, then ordered a nearby soldier to prepare a detachment. The numbers of the clashing armies were within tolerances—just. Prisca was preparing to sally with the detachment when she heard a voice. "Prisca. Where are you going?"
human
Prisca:  Prisca winced at the unexpected question. Nobody nearby noticed her reaction, nor did they respond to the voice—for they didn’t hear it. It spoke directly into Prisca’s mind. A one-way mode of communication, essentially telepathy. She knew only one person who could do that—someone who, like her, was here on this field as a participant in the Rite of Imperial Selection. “Mind your manners, Paladio. Who said you could speak to me?”
gpt
Paladio:  “I didn’t realize I needed special permission to talk to my own sister.”
human
Prisca:  Telepathy took a certain knack, but Prisca was able to respond immediately—something that seemed to surprise him, even if only slightly. The entire point was to be able to capitalize on the way telepathy set someone back on their heels. “What a petty little ploy. Booby traps and parlor tricks—is that all the Demon Eye Clan is good for?”
gpt
Paladio:  There was a beat before Paladio said, “Lamia told you to stay in the back."