What was that all about?

Although Hupo was bewildered by the princess's sudden outburst, he was even more surprised by how fast her demeanor changed after he took off his mask. Her face, previously twisted in anger, became relaxed, and her frown curved into a smile.

I learned something important today. When attending formal events, leave the samurai mask at home.

A long ebony table stretched down the center of the dining hall. Sitting at its head was the king. The princess and numerous nobles sat at its sides. Youji led Hupo and Alana to their seats.

After they were seated, the servants began placing brown bowls of steaming food in front of each person at the table.

The king smiled. "Hupo, who’s this fine lady you've brought with you this evening?"

"Sorry for not introducing her sooner. Her name is Alana."

"That's a beautiful name. What do you two think of the Royal Palace?"

"It's big. Youji was a very informative tour guide."

Maybe a little too informative.

"I'll give you a tour of my room, any day." Princess Amigdala winked at Hupo.

The king cleared his throat. "I'm sorry, my daughter had a few too many glasses of wine to drink. Why don’t we start eating?”

“Sounds good.”

“There’s something I’d like to show you after dinner.”

Oh no, not another tour!

Hupo forced a smile. “I look forward to it.”

***

Hupo stared at the brown bowl of food in front of him.

The bowl isn’t made of wood. It looks like -

"It's made of bread."

The voice sounded very familiar.

Hupo turned to the elderly man sitting beside him. “You're that man from the qualifiers. You were also at the award ceremony."

“Yes, that would be me.”

“Your name is Raisin, right?”

“Actually, it’s Raizen.”

"Sorry for not recognizing you sooner. You're dressed very differently tonight."

"No harm done. You should start eating your food before it gets cold.”

The bowl of food gave off a comforting scent. The smell of the freshly baked bread perfectly matched the scrumptious aroma of the roast meat inside.

Hupo ate a mouthful of the meat. It was like heaven inside his mouth. The herbs, honey, black pepper, and ginger intertwined with the juicy venison to create a bold and hearty flavor.

"Not bad. What do you think of the food, Alana?"

"It's delicious, but I still prefer your cooking."

Hupo chuckled. "Thanks."

After he finished eating the contents of the bowl, he was about to lean back in his seat when Raizen stopped him.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

You mean the food wasn't free?

Hupo maintained a calm facade. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't eat the bowl. That's the best part!"

Whew, for a moment there I thought he was going to ask me to pay.

Hupo broke off a piece of the bowl and ate it. His whole body was smacked hard by an intense wave of flavor. The bread had soaked up all the juice and sauce from the meat, concentrating the meat's already strong flavor. His taste buds didn’t stand a chance. It was a one hit knockout.

As he was recovering from the flavor tsunami, he heard Raizen's voice. "Tasty, right?"

"Wow, no kidding.” Hupo gulped down some wine.

It tasted like every other wine he’d had.

Raizen leaned toward Hupo. "Is your companion a mage?"

"She is. How’d you guess?"

"It doesn't look like she needs the staff for walking."

"You're very perceptive."

“It's her lucky day. I happen to be a close friend of the Magic Academy's headmaster. Just say the word, and I'll get her enrolled in the best magic school in the Dominion."

"Thank you for your generous offer, but -"

"Don't worry about the expenses. Everything will be covered."

"What I was meaning to say was -"

Raizen pointed at himself. "She wants me to teach her? I'm afraid I don't take trainees these days anymore. How about a job instead? I'll make sure she gets one that makes full use of her magical abilities."

"You see, she -"

Raizen sighed. "Fine, I understand."

"You do?"

"Since you're so persistent, I'll make an exception for her. I'll personally oversee her magic training." Raizen crossed his arms and nodded.

"Huh?"

Raizen raised his hand. "No need to thank me. It's my solemn duty to pass on my knowledge to the next generation."

"I'm sorry, but she wouldn’t be interested in taking lessons from you, or anyone for that matter."

"Surely you jest. Who wouldn't want to study under me, the most powerful mage in the Dominion?"

"Well, do you think I'm strong?"

"Of course! You're undoubtedly stronger than the knight commander. Even I don't think I can beat you."

"Then I'll let you in on a little secret." Hupo leaned toward Raizen and whispered. "Alana is stronger than I am."

"What?" Raizen nearly fell off his chair.

***

Hupo followed the king to a room on the topmost floor of the palace. The room was protected by two guards and a thick, reinforced wooden door. Inside, hundreds of weapons, including swords, spears, maces, axes, and bows, were displayed on stands and in glass cabinets. Dozens of armor sets stood along the walls. The most striking item was located at the center of the room. It was a life-size, golden statue of a knight that gleamed under the bright light.

The king gestured toward it. "That's the Golden Knight. It captivates the attention of anyone who walks into this armory."

Up close, Hupo could see dozens of gems of all colors embedded on its surface. "It must've cost a fortune to make."

"The money it took to make it was negligible, compared to its cost in human lives."

"What do you mean?"

"My great-grandfather lived during a time of strife, when human countries were small and constantly at war with each other for land and power. He ushered in a period of peace, by conquering the neighboring countries and forming what is now the Dominion. When the Unification Wars were over, he made the Golden Knight by melting the crowns and scepters of the conquered monarchs. It's a memorial to all the knights who died during the wars. They wore golden armor back then."

"Why are you showing me this?"

"We live in perilous times. The civil war in the Zodiac Kingdom may spill into this country at any moment. Werewolves from the west threaten to devour us all. The Dominion needs your help. I need your help. Fight for me, and together, we can preserve the peace that my great-grandfather worked so hard to bring about." The king held out his hand.

"Fighting for peace makes as much sense as drinking for abstinence. I cannot take your hand." Hupo turned to leave.

"I offered you a knighthood. You refused. I offered you a high army rank. You refused. I even offered you the finest maids in the palace. You refused. What would it take for you to bend the knee?"

"I kneel to no man." Hupo walked away without looking back.

***

"You alright? You look awfully pale."

Raizen smiled at Youji, who sat across from him. "I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."

In reality, he wasn’t alright at all. His hands were shaking underneath the table. Although he didn’t think that Hupo was lying to him, he still found it difficult to accept that Alana was more powerful than he was. It had taken him a lifetime of study and practice to attain his current level of magical power. How could he be surpassed by someone so young?

After dinner, Hupo left the dining hall with King Rowan, while Alana remained seated at the table. Raizen saw a perfect opportunity to confirm his suspicions. He was about to shift onto the seat next to hers, when a noble plopped onto it first.

The noble introduced himself, then proceeded to shower her with praise.

Raizen propped his chin on his hand, as he waited for his turn to speak. Tapping his finger on table, he listened to the noble ramble on and on about his family’s wealth and connections.

Her lack of response and vacant stare indicated that she didn’t have slightest spark of interest in what the noble was saying.

The noble wasn’t fazed by her apparent lack of interest. He began describing his family business to her in detail. After another long stretch of blabbering, he finally vacated the seat. But then another noble approached it.

Oh no, you don't!

"Ice Breath." Raizen blew at the floor in front of the approaching noble, covering it with a sheet of ice.

The noble slipped and fell, hollering on the way down.

Alana turned to look at the noble.

Meanwhile, Raizen pounced onto the vacant seat. "Someone should really clean that spill. It’s a tripping hazard."

She turned to face him.

"I’m Raizen, Head Mage of the Dominion. I heard from Hupo that you're a mage as well."

"I am."

"He also told me that you're more powerful than he is."

She smiled. "He's just being humble."

"Oh, I see." He felt a sense of relief.

Hupo probably understated his own power and exaggerated hers.

He heard Hupo’s voice behind him.

"Alana, it's time to leave.”

Raizen turned around to face Hupo. “Leaving so soon?”

“I’m afraid so. It has been a pleasure seeing you again, Raizen."

He finally got my name right. Took him long enough.

"You as well."

As he watched them leave the dining hall, Raizen laughed at himself. He took a sip from his wine glass.

For a moment there, I actually thought she was more powerful than me. How silly is that?

He realized something as he took another sip of his wine.

Wait a minute... How was Hupo able to walk up to the table without slipping?

Raizen got up from his seat and turned around. The ice was gone, as if it had never existed. His wine glass fell out of his hand and shattered on the floor.

Impossible...

Melting ice was not difficult for a mage to do. Any mage who knew the [Fireball] spell could do it. However, most mages would end up destroying the floor and starting a fire. One ability that separated novice mages from expert ones was mana control. Even for a master level mage, like himself, putting just enough mana into a fire spell to melt ice, without leaving any traces, was impossible. If he’d attempted to melt the ice, he would have left, at the very least, a burn mark.

Her mana control is truly divine.

Youji’s voice broke his train of thought. "You've been acting strangely all evening. Are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Raizen wiped sweat from his face. "If there is a god of magic, then it would be her."