All the while George was there, Ethan was holding onto his breath. It was so obvious he was nervous that even the servant started to notice.

‘You're aware, huh? Just you wait. I’ll release the knot and pay you back 10 fold.’

Since staying further would only be awkward, Charles took George’s arrival as an opportunity to make a speedy exit. After he and his followers were some distance away, several pairs of eyes had turned towards Ethan.

“What was that?” asked Ana after suddenly waking up.

“You don’t seem like the type to scare easily, boy.” added Caroline from the side. Though everyone had pretended to mind their own business, all those present kept an eye on what happened.

“Scared? I’m not scared.” said Ethan while wiping the sweat off his face. “It’s just that… It might be best you all stay away from that George fellow. He gives me… bad vibes?” His words were such nonsense that even he questioned them.

“Is it related to the knot in his mana circuit?” asked Samuel somewhat curious.

“Of course.” realized Arthur just a moment later. “What did you do when you went after him?”

By now, the entire group was staring at Ethan. Even some of the guards in the rows below had turned around or sharpened their ears.

“Well…” seeing how he was cornered from all directions, the boy started awkwardly recalling the events from that day. “...And then, I put a little spell inside the knot that would constantly absorb mana and explode once the circuit was unfurled.”

“You did what?” It took all of Ana’s self control not to scream at him.

“I didn’t expect it would take him 6 months.” complained Ethan. “I thought he’d solve the puzzle in a couple of weeks and then just pop like a zit. It was supposed to be funny,” he added awkwardly.

While everyone was processing his words, Oliver’s brain was working particularly hard.

‘Is this good or bad? That George guy is technically the enemy, so…’

“How big of a zit are we talking about now?” asked his father.

At this, Ethan scratched his head.

“After six months of accumulating mana? Not as big as the tower bombs, but not that far behind… Ouch!” As soon as he finished his words, the boy felt a strong smack upside his head.

It wasn’t Ana, though she was preparing to do the same, but the Hunt family’s Elder.

“Damn brats…” mumbled the old man before turning towards a pissed off Caroline. “Pumpkin, please use your eyes to watch out for that servant. If he gets close to popping or is heading our way, let me know immediately.”

It was a temporary solution, but until the tournament concluded, it would have to do. After the competition ended, Samuel would have the man followed from a suitable distance. If luck would have it, when George finally popped, he’d take out a good chunk of the Wilson’s forces along with himself.

“First the towers, then his second in command dies; and now this…” Oliver’s father thought aloud. “After this tournament, it would take a miracle for their family to maintain their standing.”

While saying these words, Simon’s eyes shifted towards his sons’ new friends. If a commoner beat Charles in the tournament, wouldn’t it ruin whatever face the Wilsons had left? Of course, reputation wasn't everything, but a bad one was a weakness others could definitely exploit.

“Next match, Charles Wilson vs. Tucker White!”

While everyone was lost in contemplation, the next match was about to begin. Finally, the commoners’ battles were mostly over, and from now on, it would be the 13 high nobles’ progenies versus the teens from the lower houses.

“The tournament is rigged, isn’t it?” noticed Ana.

“It’s like this every year.” shrugged Oliver. “Everyone just accepts it.”

Unlike with the previous matches, he was now paying a bit more attention. Regardless of who won in a battle between commoners, it wouldn’t affect the city’s politics. However, if the lower nobles’ children beat the progeny of one of the 13, then that family would take quite a blow to its reputation.

Unfortunately, this match was not one of those. As soon as it started, Charles ripped apart a scroll and a 20 feet tall circle of fire surrounded both contestants. Tucker’s water magic seemed to only make it stronger, and if that wasn’t enough, the circle was getting smaller by the second.

“Getting warm yet, peasant?” As far as Charles was concerned, those outside of the 13 families were all the same. With an infuriating smile, he gathered mana in his right palm while staring down his opponent.

When a small sun had formed within his hand, the boy looked up and locked eyes with Ana. ‘Getting flashbacks yet?’ he snickered maniacally.

Charles had a lot of pent up anger to release. Until the right time came for his revenge, he decided to let it all out on his opponent.