Mash was getting ready for the tournament, and to that end, he was deciding what clothes to bring. His mending clothes were still a ripped mess, and he didn’t really know how to match any of the other clothes in his room. He had managed so far by just wearing training gear, but he wanted to do something flashier now. Deciding he wasn’t the right person for the job, he had called the head butler over for his opinion. However, that only lead him to send for a shop owner to make him a custom set of clothing. His sister had specified that if Mash ever asked for help with clothing to spare no expense on getting him what he needed. It sounded like she was deeply invested in making sure that he dressed nicely. He figured he should probably start putting in more effort in that department, especially considering all the attention he was receiving.

Mash was currently waiting in a large space in the living room. He rose to his feet when he heard the cloth maker arrive and turned towards the main door as it opened. A butler was leading two people into the house. One was a lady who was dressed in a very well embroidered dress, and the other was a girl who looked even younger than Mash. He guessed that it was a master and her apprentice.

Mash waved towards them as he walked up to them.

“Greetings young lord!”

The seamstress sounded surprised to see him and started giving him a deep bow. Before she could make the gesture, he waved his hands, speaking quickly.

“No need for that.”

She stopped immediately, obviously familiar with this situation. Mash wanted to roll his eyes but managed to stop himself, though he did see the lady’s apprentice do it. Orange eyes locked onto his when he glanced at the small girl. Mash hadn’t realized how short the girl was from a distance. Now, he could tell that she wouldn’t even reach his shoulders if she stood on her toes.

“I am Leandra, and this is my assistant Samantha. I was informed that you needed clothes made urgently.”

She spoke without many pauses, her voice flat and clear. It seemed like she was the no-nonsense type, and he was glad to get right into real discussion.

“Yeah, there is a tournament tonight, and I will probably need a lot of clothes for it. I would like it to have my family symbol where possible, other than that I will leave it at your discretion.”

Mash knew he was talking informally but didn’t care. She nodded and pulled out a wide book. Without any additional questions, she started sketching on the paper. While she did that, she indicated for her assistant to get his measurements. That was a little awkward for Mash, but he managed to keep still while she took the measurements. She kept staring at his eyes, and he was glad that she didn’t seem very scared.

During the measurements, Mash added that they would need at least one set of clothes that can be put on and taken of quickly. Preferably one that could be put back together if it ripped. He didn’t know if it was possible but had come up with an idea or two of how it could work. Though from the seamstress’s nod it seemed like she had a method herself. Within a few moments she turned the book towards him, and he grabbed it eagerly. The page was filled with designs, each detailing an entire outfit.

Looking through the designs Mash noted a few unique ones. There were two that involved no shirt instead relying on a loose-fitting overcoat. He could imagine that slipping that on and off would be easy and picked both of those designs, even if it did show a lot of his body. He was no longer marred with scars and scales and was able to pick designs that showed skin. All of the designs were good, though he didn’t pick anything that altered the outline of his body. He didn’t need or want to make his shoulders seem broader.

It didn’t take long to find what he wanted to wear for the first fight. It was the shirt that was covered in depictions of snakes, their family symbol pinned like a badge on his heart. The shirt seemed like it would be a little tight, but he guessed that she would know best. The pants were thick and lined with three or four pockets. He had never seen anything like them, but she assured him that it would look nice. Looking at the ensemble he had to agree.

As the seamstress started making it, she asked him if he wanted any enchantments. Mash just watched her work, and he realized that she had a cloth creation skill of some kind. He didn’t know that there was a creation skill for something like that and observed her mana in curiosity. It was truly a complex blend of different types of mana, and he looked on with a little amazement. She explained that there was one enchantment she had already planned. The house symbol would be a center point and pouring mana in it would allow him to reconnect all the pieces of the shirt. They would slither towards the symbol and reattach to it. It was much better than his plan. Honestly, he had imagined a shirt covered in separatable sections, that he could connect and disconnect with wooden hooks, but this would work better.

Thinking about what enchantments he wanted, only two came to mind. He got a simple mending enchantment and another for heat resistance. The second part was more important to him, as he was certain he would burn his clothing with his lightning. In fact, he went so far as to get all his clothing with those two enchantments, that way he wouldn’t need to worry about wearing them. The assistant’s eyes bulged when he made the request and he guessed it had to do with the expense. It did seem like that was the case. Despite only eight pairs of clothes, the total cost was six hundred gold. An exorbitant sum, but still less than what he had in his reserves. Plus, he hadn’t been spending much while he lived with his brother. He easily gave them the money and even a little extra to incentivize getting all the clothing done quickly. Apparently, it would take a while for all the enchantments as the seamstress didn’t have the mana to make so many so quickly. He still gave them the extra gold not minding the cost.

That was the only thing he needed to get done before the tournament and waited patiently for the time of the fight. His excitement had made the day drag on, but the time did pass. He talked idly with his siblings, and as the hour drew close, he guessed that his friends weren’t going to make it. He had been waiting for them but decided it was time to go. Both of his siblings walked with him, and their family set out for the guild. The tournament was a public event but had a high cost, and he knew that it was going to be well guarded. It took place beneath the guild in an arena designed for this express purpose. When they arrived at the guild Mash was both surprised and pleased to see his friends were there.

They looked tired like they had been fighting nonstop for the past few months. He raised his eyebrows at them when he got in range of his draconic domain. None of them had advanced their class, and he was surprised to notice that Niviss was with them. That only caused his eyebrows to rise higher. He felt compelled to ask them but had waited, for them to arrive at the mansion and needed to see when his fight would be. They seemed to know and rushed him inside.

“You have the first fight! What were you doing?”

Jill spoke hurriedly, but he heard the faint smugness in her voice. Still, Mash answered her question.

“I was waiting for you, and how close did you guys get.”

“Hmm, we’ll tell you if you win.”

A smirk plastered Jill’s face, and Mash only rolled his eyes as he met with Jack. The vice guild master had been standing near the door, obviously waiting for his arrival.

“Really thought you were dodging your fight after hearing about your opponent.”

Jack chuckled as he spoke, but Mash had not yet seen who his opponent was. Seeming to read his expression, Jack let out a deep laugh as he explained.

“You’re fighting against the fourth prince!”

Mash heard Niviss gasp as she heard the words, and he turned towards her with some confusion. She was obviously startled and seemed a little anxious about the situation. Only after they had gotten out of earshot of the rest of the people, did Mash ask Niviss about the situation.

“What’s the problem?”

“He’s a sound mage.”

She hissed the words as she spoke. Mash thought she was angry about something, but he didn’t have to ask her much else as he was rushed down a different path from the audience. He could hear the others vaguely as he separated. They were clearly bothered by the revelation of who Mash would be fighting, but he could only feel his excitement rising. He started outpacing Jack as his anticipation urged him forward.

Most people probably would have paled at the prospect of fighting a sound mage. It was common knowledge that sound magic was one of the most powerful variants. They were capable of almost instantaneous attacks, and each was practically indefensible. Still, that was also true of lightning. Both magics were considered some of the best in terms of offensive power, falling just beneath space in terms of power. None of this mattered to Mash, as he approached the arena.

The hallway had been crowded since there was a line at the entrance. Jack led Mash right past the line, rushing him down the hallway. It was all stone and lit through the engraving style that most basements were. Jack had been giving him instruction and a rundown of the rules and protocols, but he only vaguely heard him. The rules were simple enough, incapacitate your opponent without killing them. Though anything short of an actual death could be healed. Only nodding, Mash realized he was already standing atop a moving platform. It seemed like this arena was designed to be similar to the Colosseum.

Slowly the platform began to rise, and Mash realized he must have kept the prince waiting. Well, he guessed that he wouldn’t be able to become friends with the prince after blasting him with lightning anyways. He heard the referee start to give them introductions, and he was surprised to hear his introduction.

“Brother to a sentinel and saint, the Little Monster, Mash. One of the saviors from the recent events. His power had dwarfed his rank before, will he accomplish the same in this rank? And his opponent. One of the princes of the kingdom, and a rare sound mage. Having stopped an uprising with little effort, the Suppressor. Will he live up to his name and quiet the roars of the Little Monster.”

Mash didn’t like being called Little Monster so much. The whole introduction had bothered him. He did not want to be called a savior because of what had happened. That was not something he agreed with, and it caused him to grow angrier. Thankfully, there was a willing victim to take the brunt of his frustration.

As he broke into the arena, he got a good look at the prince. He wore an immaculate suit and had clearly done his best to be styled for the fight. Mash had done something similar with the new clothing he was wearing. That was one piece of joy for Mash. He really liked his appearance, and the shirt had turned out even better than he had expected. It was made of cloth but had been designed to stretch significantly and fit his body perfectly. The referee was going over the rules, mostly just for the audience.

Mash raised his palm toward the prince, obviously in preparation of an attack. The man didn’t even react, black eyes meeting Mash’s own. he looked confident, sure that Mash couldn’t do anything. Instantly, Mash realized that the prince didn’t know of his lightning and thought that he could defeat Mash before his wooden creations could do anything. Mash didn’t hesitate to take advantage of the opportunity and had Priscilla make an extremely powerful outline. Mash wouldn’t hold back in the slightest, that was a guaranteed way to lose.

“Begin!”

The word left the referee’s mouth, and Mash reacted instantly. The prince looked like he was going to say something but never got the chance. Lightning launched from his hands; a bolt as strong as he could manage. It split into a branching tree of light. He was especially pleased to see several of the branches strike the prince though many just hit the surroundings. Mash hadn’t held anything back, and the resounding thunder shook the room. It all happened in an instant, far too quickly for anyone to respond. Mash only grinned as he saw a somewhat burned prince fall to the ground unmoving. A sense of euphoria filled him as silence filled the room, and only then did he realize that the prince was completely still. Unconsciously, an image flashed into Mash’s mind, of another boy who he had killed. That might have been a mistake.