The week after, the streets of Anguis were filled with sound and colour. The Twin Peaks Magical Tournament had ended, but only for the first years. Years two to four were up next in ascending order.

Cadmus did not go to watch, nor did he partake in the festivities outside. (He did, however, hear the occasional cheering in the distance all the way from his room, probably when one of the participants did something truly spectacular.) He did not even go to visit Candice or Oliver, a fact Alice kept loudly lamenting.

“But they must have woken up by now!” “They must be wondering where we are!” “We should at least comfort them!”

Cadmus silently ignored her, unsure of how to explain that the possibility of running into Oliver’s mother was the absolute last thing he wanted to risk right now.

It was only when he was summoned for the farewell party a few days later that he ventured beyond his room. He had wanted to refuse at first, but he was told that, as one of the victors, his participation was mandatory.

On the day of the farewell party, when he got to the main hall, he immediately found himself feeling out of place. Not just because of the lively, party atmosphere, but also because everyone was dressed sharply, while he was still in his Academy robes.

The rows upon rows of long tables had been replaced by strategically placed round top tables, an elegant orchestra played their music from the far end of the room where the podium usually stood, and the tinted windows with elaborate designs upon it and the gleaming chandeliers had been left be, for they served perfectly in accentuating the fine atmosphere under the rapidly waning evening light. All in all, everything was draped in so much finery that this looked more like a party for nobles than students—even the floor had been clothed in a fancy carpet of red velvet!

Oh right, Cadmus remembered, this Academy was attended by a large percentage of nobles. Perhaps it made sense for them to go so far with this party. He stood still for a few moments, then coughed.

“Er—what now?

Alice, from her usual place in his cloak’s breast pocket, shrugged. “I don’t know—maybe mingle?

And indeed, everywhere around him, people were mingling underneath the tune of the orchestra’s soft classical music. The only ones who weren’t were the Academy staff members; still in their usual midnight-blue uniforms, they silently floated from one area to the next, officially functioning as waiting staff.

“Cadmus!” A call cut through the chatter from behind him.

He turned to look and saw that it had been Gwen. She was waving at him, flanked by both Morgana Le Fay and Gelida Olvo. Gwen and Morgana were dressed in fine dresses fit for nobility, with the former having chosen to clothe herself in a rich, sparkling red to match her hair, and the latter a deep black. Lacking anything better to do, Cadmus went to them.

Gelida greeted him in the midst of stuffing her face with food, looking more like an overexcited puppy than anything. She stood out from the other two, having opted for a formal ensemble of a white shirt and trousers instead. Morgana simply nodded in greeting at Cadmus, clearly uninterested in the going-ons around her.

“You look well,” Gwen said, examing his shoulder, “I wanted to see how you were doing, but couldn’t find you anywhere.”

“I was in my room,” Cadmus said politely.

Gwen tilted her head questioningly, “The whole time? Did you not watch the other tournaments?”

“I wasn’t interested.”

Gwen nodded, “I see.” Then, she looked down at Alice, “And hello to you too, Alice! How have you been?”

Flustered by the sudden attention, Alice took a moment to answer, “I-I’ve been well! And you?”

“I’ve been well as well. It has certainly been an enjoyable and event-filled week,” Gwen said. She looked up at Cadmus again, “Once again, congratulations on your victory.”

“Yeah, congratulations!” Gelida exclaimed, her mouth finally free of food. “Man, was that a tense battle! Very entertaining!”

Cadmus nodded unsurely, “Thank you?”

Gelida laughed, “You’re welcome!”

Morgana spoke up, “In that final battle, you countered Gale Holland’s spell.”

“In a sense, yes.”

“Had you seen it before this tournament?” Morgana asked.

Cadmus shook his head, “No, I only saw it for the first time in the second qualifier round.”

“And you created that counter yourself?” Morgana asked.

Cadmus nodded, “Yes.”

Morgana kept her gaze fixed on him, looking almost curious, before turning away once more without a word. Considering that strange conversation over, Gwen spoke again.

“In any case, have you heard? Oliver and Candice were discharged a few days ago.”

Gwen looked as though she were probing him with her gaze alone, and he pretended that the crowd had caught his attention to avert his eyes.

“Good to hear.”

“How are they?” Alice jumped in excitedly, “After what happened, I’m a little worried…”

“Yes, I can definitely understand,” Gwen said, her countenance turning serious, “What Mark Tempor did was terribly cruel, and he deserves to be punished for his behaviour. Have no fear though: Oliver and Candice seemed to have recovered well—though they still seem a little shaken.”

Alice breathed a sigh in relief. Then, suddenly, a hand landed on Cadmus’ shoulder.

“What’s this? Gossiping about us?”

Cadmus turned to look, easily recognizing the voice.

“Oliver.”

He stood there, accompanied by Candice and an easy grin on his face. Cadmus felt at a loss, this was not what he had expected.

“We overheard our names, so came to take a look,” Oliver said.

“Are you… are you guys alright?” Alice asked tentatively.

Oliver’s grin dimmed slightly, “You’re talking about all that stuff with Mark Tempor right?” He sighed, “I won’t lie, it was demoralizing as hell—felt like crap afterwards. But… despite the way he said it, a lot of what Tempor said wasn’t exactly wrong.”

Alice protested, “No—!”

Oliver held up a hand, “Trust me. Trust us.” He gestured towards Candice, and she nodded, with great nervousness, but also a great amount of conviction, “We’re the last people who want to admit it, but we have no other choice. What Tempor said had a great deal of truth in it.”

Gwen said after a moment, “May I ask why you seem so… unbothered then?”

“Because even if some of what he said was true, doesn’t mean everything he said was true,” Oliver said, “Yeah, I expected my information to make up for my sub-par magical abilities, but that doesn’t mean things will stay that way—that doesn’t mean I will never be able to compete with him. The next time we fight, I’ll show him: despite how true his words were, he was wrong.”

Alice stared in surprise. Then, she turned to Candice, “Do you feel the same way?”

Candice smiled embarrassedly, looking rather self-conscious, “I—I haven’t quite reached the same resolution yet. But…” Her expression darkened, “…I will admit: I don’t ever want to lose like that again.”

Morgana suddenly laughed, “Ha! Saying such is one thing, but following through with it is another thing entirely! Let’s see if your conviction actually holds up.”

“Morgana!” Gwen admonished.

Morgana simply turned away with a chuckle, “Yeah, yeah, don’t get all worked up. I’m done.”

As Gwen glared sternly at Morgana’s back, Oliver said to Cadmus, “By the way, my mom was asking about you.”

Cadmus made sure nothing showed on his face.

“She said she wanted to thank you,” Oliver continued, “Something about getting revenge for me?” He grinned widely, “I’m flattered.”

“Don’t get cocky, it wasn’t just you!” Alice said, “Cadmus fought to get revenge for Candice as well!”

And failed, Cadmus couldn’t help but think as Candice shyly looked at her feet, seeming touched. After all, it had not been him who had defeated Mark Tempor.

“Your mother has nothing to thank me for,” he said.

“Is that so?” Oliver laughed, “Well, if that’s the case, then I won’t say anything more.” Then he coughed embarrassedly, “B-but, er—a thanks from me as well.”

Cadmus felt the urge to glare at Oliver. Was he not listening?

“You have nothing to thank me for either.”

Struck with the sudden urge to leave, Cadmus bid everyone goodbye under the guise of getting a drink. As he wandered away, he saw Zane Brycen among the crowd. Their eyes met for a brief moment, before a complicated expression came across his face and he turned away rather quickly.

Their brief interaction was curious, but then Cadmus’ attention shifted when he spotted Mark Tempor himself some ways away. He did not stand out per se, having dressed just as sharply as the others, but his features were dishevelled in a way that Cadmus simply could not place.

Occasionally, someone would go up to talk to him, but Tempor did not seem keen to reciprocate, and the opposite party would quickly leave. Cadmus, unfortunately, stared too long, and just the same as Zane Brycen, their gazes suddenly met. Unlike Brycen however, Tempor did not turn away. Instead, something seemed to burn in his eyes, and now he seemed to almost vibrate, as though on the verge of an explosion.

Cadmus did not care to fight Tempor anymore. However, if his hand was forced, he would have no qualms with putting him down. This time by his own hand.

And then an arm was draped around his neck, and he was steered away into the thick of another throng of people. Cadmus stumbled, struggling to keep up, but thankfully, the person steering him wasn’t being too forceful.

When they finally came to a stop, Cadmus looked up and saw that he had been brought here by Gale Holland.

“Sorry,” Gale said, withdrawing his arm with a troubled smile on his face, “I know Mark’s behaviour during the tournament wasn’t the best, but he has already been reprimanded by the headmaster for it. I didn’t want the sight of you to provoke him and get him into even more trouble.”

Alice harrumphed, “That’s fine and all, but none of that is our fault! He’s the one who should be moved somewhere else, not us! Everything terrible that has happened so far has all been his fault!”

Gale laughed placatingly, “Yes… I know that he has hurt you and your friends terribly, and I apologize on his behalf. But please understand that you’ve only seen the worst of him up till now.” He faced Cadmus seriously, “Mark is so talented, and so driven… he’s an inspiration to us all in our school. Yes, he’s arrogant and self-centered, but it’s those very traits which allowed him to achieve such great things at such a young age.”

Alice silently looked up at Cadmus.

“And… he’s emotional as well,” Gale continued, “Despite all that he’s accomplished, he was overshadowed by you. And, as you can see, meeting you directly has brought out the worst in him.”

Alice looked ready to protest, but this time Cadmus spoke first.

“And?”

Gale blinked, “I’m sorry?”

“I’m asking: and?” Cadmus said. “If you’re saying all this to improve my opinion of Tempor, then you needn’t bother. Yes, I found him rather annoying during the tournament, but all that has already ended. His magic is still a little curious, but other than that, I couldn’t care less about him—good or bad. After all, for all his talk, he still ended up losing as well.”

And it was the truth. Cadmus regretted that he had not been able to defeat Tempor himself, but that regret had nothing to do with Tempor specifically. It was the fact that he had not been able to strike the final blow personally as promised that he regretted.

“Is—is that so…?” Gale asked.

Cadmus nodded, “In all honestly, even his time magic isn’t all that intriguing. It’s very complex and obscure, yes, but I already had the pleasure to witness a far more refined iteration of time magic just a while ago. As it stands, Mark Tempor simply does not interest me anymore.”

Gale stared at him, an expression on his face that Cadmus simply could not place. It was then that they were joined by Ardea Regis, Arthur Pendragon, and Ito Shin.

“You seem unsettled, Holland. Is our Academy’s reception so poor?” Ardea said as the three walked up to them. It was hard to tell whether she was joking or not.

Gale shook his head, as though shaking off the cobwebs in his brain, “N-no, sorry. I was just…” He glanced quickly at Cadmus, “Well, never mind that. Have you come to receive Guiles?”

Arthur nodded with a pleasant smile, “Yes.”

“Receive me?” Cadmus asked.

“You don’t know?” Arthur said, “This happens at the farewell party of every Twin Peaks Tournament: a final showcase of all the winners. We’re all called up for one final moment in the limelight.” He glanced at Cadmus’ attire, “That’s an interesting outfit you’ve chosen for tonight.”

“I didn’t know this was a formal affair—or that I would be the focus of attention again,” Cadmus said.

Ardea clicked her tongue annoyedly, “Despite everything, you still remain far too unaware of so much around you,”

“It has been a while, Guiles,” Shin said, shaking Cadmus’ hand, “Congratulations on your victory.” He looked down at Alice, “And a greeting to you as well, lady Alice. You are looking resplendent this evening.”

Alice turned red, “O-oh, thank you…”

Alice was in fact wearing the same clothes she usually did, a simple white sundress and black flats, but in a way, that was probably better than Cadmus’ uniform.

“May I have your attention please?” Headmaster Capitis’ magically enhanced voice echoed throughout the room. He was standing, alongside Headmaster Vetarai, in front of the orchestra, who had stopped playing their soft, drifting music. “Will the victors of the Twin Peaks Magical Tournament please come up here?”

“Let’s go.” Ardea said.

Cadmus and Arthur followed after her, and as they did so, Alice said determinedly.

“Cadmus, I want to get a dress—for next time.”

Cadmus blinked, “Oh—er—okay. I’ll talk to Professor Mackenzie.”

The various conversations around the hall slowly died down as all the victors were grouped together by year.

“Everyone, let us honour these fantastic young men and women one final time!” Headmaster Capitis said, “For the victors of the first years, we have Arthur Pendragon, Cadmus Guiles, and Ardea Regis from the Laurucian Academy of Magic!”

The students clapped politely, and Ardea spoke over them.

“We are proud to have achieved victory for our academy.”

The students’ clapping continued as Headmaster Capitis moved on.

“For the victors of the second years, we have Rylee Claus and Brandon Wood from the Carmenian Institute of Sorcery!”

Rylee, a pudgy woman, excitedly shook Brandon, a stern-looking man who endured her excitement stoically.

“They love us! They love us!” She exclaimed.

Brandon sighed tiredly, “Yes, that hasn’t changed from the last time we were applauded. And, might I remind you, from a far larger audience at that.”

Headmaster Capitis laughed and continued on, “For the victor of the third years, we have Ronald Fortasse from the Carmenian Institute of Sorcery!”

Ronald, with flamboyant features and even more flamboyant clothes packed with colourful fur lining, blew several kisses at the audience.

Finally, Headmaster Capitis landed on the final group, “And for the victors of the fourth years, we have Rex Optime and Corey Eundee!”

Rex waved pleasantly at the audience as Corey, a black-haired and sullen-looking man, watched expressionlessly from behind.

As the applause continued, Cadmus could see Oliver and Candice—they were still beside Gwen and the others. The two were clapping like the rest, and when their eyes met his, they smiled. But their smiles were dim—they didn’t quite reach their eyes.

Headmaster Capitis continued, “With two victories for the Laurucian Academy of Magic and two victories for the Carmenian Institute of Sorcery, this year’s Twin Peaks Magical Tournament ends in a draw for both schools!” Two explosions echoed throughout the hall, and everyone looked up to see the symbols of both schools hanging in the air like fireworks. Headmaster Capitis allowed everyone to admire them before continuing and gesturing at the victors, “I hope to see all of you strive to take their place someday! And with that, let us continue the celebration!”

The crowd dissolved into mingling groups again, and the victors were allowed to enter their fold again, though not before each giving Headmasters Capitis and Veterai a firm handshake.

“A tie, huh?” Cadmus heard Headmaster Veterai say as he walked away, “You sure have great luck, Conan.”

“I’m surprised you can say that after everything,” Headmaster Capitis said, “Have you really been watching the same tournament I have?”

Cadmus looked back to see the two glare at each other with sickly sweet smiles on their faces. Then, Headmaster Veterai said, “Next year then?”

Headmaster Capitis nodded, “Next year.”

Cadmus made his way through the crowd, and though he greeted a few strangers who came up to him, he did not stay to chat. He had just reached the entrance to the Main Hall when he heard his name come from a familiar voice.

“Cadmus.”

Cadmus turned and greeted, “Elise.”

“Leaving already?” She asked. She did not seem surprised.

“I did as asked and came. Now that all the formalities are over with, I see no reason to stick around.”

Elise nodded, “I see. Well, in that case, I’ll see you later. Oh, and congratulations on your victory.”

She shook his hand, and Cadmus suppressed his frown until he had turned away from her.

“Yeah.”

He exited the Great Hall, and as he walked through the empty hallways, the sounds of mingling students growing fainter and fainter, Alice said, “I kind of wanted to stay for longer…”

Cadmus looked down at her, “Would you like me to leave you with Candice then?”

Alice sighed and sunk into Cadmus’ breast pocket, “No it’s fine. I suppose it doesn’t really matter.”

The next day, it was finally time for the visitors from the Carmenian Institute of Sorcery to take their leave. There was a big speech from Headmaster Capitis and everything (one that was honestly mostly just a rehash of the speech from last night), and Cadmus sat through it with difficult patience, wishing that all this pomp and circumstance would end sooner.

Before the Institute students left, there were several goodbyes between the new friendships that had been established, and numerous promises to try and keep in touch. As the farewells dragged on, and Cadmus watched, Candice asked from beside him.

“D-do you not want to say goodbye to anyone?”

“I haven’t really cultivated any friendly relationships with the Institute students,” Cadmus said.

“I see…”

And they lapsed into a comfortable silence, watching as Shin spoke with Ardea, Gelida, Gawain, and Arthur. It was surprising, but it seemed that, out of all the first years who had made it to the third round of the tournament, it was the taciturn boy from the Isle of Dawn who had made the most friends from the other school.

“He’s so charismatic…” Alice swooned.

Candice’s head snapped towards Alice, and realization quickly bloomed on her face. She looked to Cadmus, and Cadmus nodded at her silent question. Candice hid a small giggle behind her hand at that.

Cadmus tilted his head curiously. It was the first time he had seen Candice interact with him with such ease.

“W-would you like to say goodbye to him as well?” Candice asked with a smile.

Alice considered it, but then shook her head, “No, we already talked last night. I don’t want to seem pushy.”

Ten or so minutes later, the farewells were finally brought to a close. In that time, though he did not meet with them, Cadmus did share brief nods of farewell from afar with Gale Holland and Ito Shin (Mark Tempor was here as well, but he seemed to be doing his best to avoid even looking at Cadmus. This was also how Candice was treating Mark). Then, the students from the Institute formed a neat line and filed out, with Headmaster Capitis escorting them.

Everyone was allowed to finally leave the main hall, and Cadmus went with Candice to the canteen to get lunch. Just a short while later, some of the students waved at the windows. The Carmenian Airship had come around to show off one last time before taking its proper leave.

Everyone had the rest of the day off, so Cadmus elected to return to his room, Candice tagging along as well for some reason.

“Y-you didn’t go to watch the other tournaments, right? What were you doing? N-not that I mean to say you were wrong not to! I-I’m just curious…”

“I was rereading some old books of mine,” Cadmus answered, “I’ve read them through multiple times, and they even contributed in helping me create the Dead Puppetry and Heroic Possession spells, but it’s not like I was able to go through all of them in the short time I had before the start of the tournament. Now that Heroic Possession proved a consistent success, and I had the time, I was hoping that by going back I would be able to find something I had missed before.”

“Did you?”

Cadmus scowled, “I found a few things that will help me improve both Dead Puppetry and Heroic Possession slightly, but nothing of any actual significance—especially concerning my ultimate goal of reviving the dead.”

As Cadmus perused through his collection of books stacked neatly on the shelf, carefully picking out those he had not had a chance to review recently, a series of knocks came from his door. He opened the door to a grinning Oliver.

“Thought you’d be either here or the library,” he said by way of greeting, “Glad to see I was right.”

He entered without an invitation and took a seat on the chair opposite of Candice. She had been the only one not to immediately go for the chair in his room.

“Where have you been?” Alice asked.

“Just went to visit my family,” Oliver said, “They’ve been wanting to spend more time with me after, you know, everything.”

“H-how was it?” Candice asked as Cadmus went back to picking out books.

Oliver shrugged, “Alright, I guess. We already spent a lot of time together the past few days, and they’ve been treating me extra delicately, so it’s actually getting kind of annoying. They wanted me to spend the whole of today with them as well, but I drew the line there. Classes start up again tomorrow, and it’s not like they can keep me with them forever, so I told them I was coming back. Didn’t want to give them any ideas about having me drop out entirely…”

“I see…” Candice said quietly as she smiled melancholically at her knees.

Oliver noticed, and immediately backtracked, “I-I mean, I don’t take it for granted, of course! I’m very grateful to them, but they can’t protect me forever, you know?”

Candice seemed to notice his efforts, because she gave him a placating smile, “I suppose they can’t.”

Oliver, having managed to overcome the sticky moment, turned to Cadmus, “By the way, I came here to tell you, they finally got around to updating the points.”

Cadmus dropped on the desk the stack of books he’d been building, “In that case, this can wait. I need to go and see what place I’m in now.”

“Sure, let’s go,” Oliver said.

They made their way back to the main hall, which was now significantly less full than before, with only a few groups of people peppering the hall here and there. The board on the far end of the room, which had been turned off for the duration of the tournament, was displaying the scores again.

Cadmus immediately looked for his own name.

15th: Cadmus Guiles—2,432 points

Cadmus smiled. It was a good improvement over 22nd place. Not to mention, now that he had surpassed 20th place, he was entitled to five-hundred more units of laurite.

Next, his eyes jumped to the top of the list.

1st: Rex Optime—4,121 points

2nd: Victory (Guild)—4,051 points

3rd: Prosperity (Guild)—4,008 points

The top three from before still retained their current positions. Although, as Cadmus’ eyes continued down the list, seeking out the names of his peers, he noticed that the gap had closed quite a bit.

6th: Camelot (Guild)—3,952 points

12th: Ardea Regis—2,894 points

It was surprising how far upwards Camelot had managed to jump; though, in hindsight, perhaps Cadmus should have expected it. Camelot was filled with excellent mages, with all of them having at least made it to the final round of the tournament.

Oliver let loose an impressed whistle, “You know, when I first met you, and you said that you wanted to be in first place, I thought you didn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell. But, holy crap, you might actually manage it. Just look at how quick you’re going up the rankings!”

Cadmus frowned, “…Even so, it’s not enough.”

Oliver blinked, “What isn’t?”

“The rate at which I’m earning my points,” Cadmus said, “Even if I earn the most points in every single event, it will mean nothing if those above me do the same. Not to mention, guilds with capable members like Camelot earn points at an even faster rate, even if only one of them actually receives the most points possible from each event.”

Oliver nodded, examing the rankings board again, “Yeah, I see what you mean. But it’s not like every event can have multiple victors. Some only have one, so those are probably your best chance to get ahead.”

“I suppose…”

Having done what he came here to do, Cadmus returned to his room, once more with Oliver and Candice in tow. There, they, including Alice, talked about miscellaneous things, with Cadmus focusing on rereading through ‘Faith, Hunger, and Sacrifice—The Chronicles of Saint George’, and chiming in when his attention was caught with something that was said.

Eventually, as night fell, Oliver and Candice finally left, and Cadmus just about reached the end of his book.

“Was that useful?” Alice asked, pointing at the book in his hands, “The title doesn’t really make it seem like it would help much with what you want…”

Cadmus sighed and put the book down before rubbing his eyes tiredly, “It did mention a story of how Saint George might have died and come back to life a few times, but by that point in the book, the accounts were getting really iffy. Besides, it was only mentioned in passing, and they didn’t really give a method for it, so I suppose it basically was useless.”

“Why reread it then?” Alice asked as Cadmus put on his nightclothes.

“It’s better to be safe than sorry. What if I miss something important because I disregarded a book from its title? The fact that it had the concept of a person coming back from the dead is reason enough for me to go through it again.”

Alice looked thoughtful, “I see.”

A knock on their door interrupted them, and Cadmus went to go see who it was. He opened the door to Arthur standing there with a pleasant smile on his face.

“Greetings, Guiles.”

“Hello…?” Cadmus greeted back, his curiosity leaking into his voice.

Arthur’s pleasant smile widened a tiny bit, “May we talk for a bit?”

Cadmus sighed. Then, he turned to Alice, “Wait here. I’ll be back soon.” He grabbed his warm cloak, mindful of the chilly autumn air this time, and followed Arthur out to the roof. From here he could see the other students lingering by the fountains in the courtyard, seemingly celebrating the exciting past couple of days.

“That was a rather eventful tournament we had, wasn’t it?” Arthur said, looking upon the same scenery as him.

“Sure.”

Arthur merely chuckled at the lacklustre response, “When I last spoke to you here, I wanted to apologise.”

“Yes, I remember,” Cadmus said, “You wanted to apologise for the defeat you were going to inflict on me because you felt it was upsetting to fight someone with a goal like mine.”

Arthur laughed, “It didn’t quite work out the way I expected, did it?”

“No, it did not.”

Arthur shook his head, almost looking as though he was fondly reminiscing, “In any case, like I was saying, the last time I spoke to you here, I wanted to apologise. This time, I want to thank you.”

Cadmus blinked, “Thank me?”

“Yes,” Arthur said, “It was because you so brazenly pointed out my flaws that I was able to recognize them. Had it not been for you, I would have continued living as a coward, perhaps even poisoning my future rule as King.”

Cadmus silently glanced at him, but Arthur seemed to be lost in his own world now, and seemed to be talking more to himself than to Cadmus.

“The Golden Prince of Victory…” He chuckled again, though there was a great amount of self-deprecation contained within now, “I had let those words become a shackle. I couldn’t bear to even risk violating it, no matter what. But, somewhere along the way, I forgot that it was those very risks that earned me that title in the first place.” Awareness returned to his eyes, and with them he locked gazes with Cadmus, “‘I wonder what that victory is worth, if this is how you’ve achieved it all this time?’ It was because you asked that question that I was able to recognize that I was walking down the wrong path.”

He held his hand out to shake, “That is why, thank you, Guiles. You make for a good rival.”

Cadmus stared at Arthur’s grateful smile, and then at his proferred hand. Then, he silently clasped it and shook. Almost idly, he noticed that it was far more calloused than his own.