“Where were you, Leti?!” Beth glared at us the first thing the next morning when we reached the arena. As expected, Beth had won her match, and Garlan had dropped by the Marquis mansion to inform us about her match for the day last night.

“I’ll watch your fight today, Beth,” Letitia said and ignored her friend’s forlorn expression.

Casey was holding Beth’s hand discreetly as we waited outside the lower entrance meant for the participants, while Garlan was scanning the commuters close to the stairs, hunting for pretty women, which wasn’t an unusual occurrence.

The brick walls of the Academy were covered in pale yellow with black engravings of incantations and letters unknown. Even for this undead, so I suppose they must be random ramblings of some ignorant mortals. Or perhaps, some overpowered spells and inscriptions I have yet to discover. Either way, I didn’t understand them, and I would before leaving the world for good. The periphery was glazed, and it ran in a circle around the vicinity, enclosing the whole arena within. The black eaves stretched beyond the walls at the top of the edifice, and water dripped down periodically owing to the last night’s hail.

The doors spanning the arena interrupted the engravings, and guards stood there, barring visitors apart from the paticipants. Mana lamps glowed in the corridor within, the ceiling high enough for a man twice my height to fit in. I guessed it caved in as one got closer to the central pith, but I didn’t have valid sources to verify the claims. Of course, even my [Devil eye] wasn’t interested in snooping around the green room.

“What was your opponent’s attribute, Beth?” I asked, warming my hands by rubbing them against each other. My inkling toward morning winter winds reached nil, so I was adamant about staying out in the open for long. [Warmth] would help me again, but I didn’t like using the spell that made my whole body itch as if on fire.

“Water, Ruddy,” Beth said, still gritting her teeth. “At least you should have seen my match before running off. It’s not like I flaunt my strength every other day, so I don’t get chances to leave you speechless often.”

“What are the fixtures for today?” I asked, oblivious to her grunts.

“Lightning attribute mage,” Beth said, her free hands ruffling her short hair. She wasn’t wrapped in a thick robe, unlike Casey, for [Warmth] helped her get accustomed to the demands of the winter. “And a commoner. I know lightning spells like the back of my hand, so it won’t be a hard fight.”

“Are you vying for a win, lady Beth?” Garlan chimed in with his left hand inside his oversized shirt, scratching his bulging tummy.

“Yeah,” Beth grinned. “One more win before I get knocked out doesn’t sound bad. I talked to my love about it, and she was fine with it.”

“It’s not like Casey ever rejects your requests,” my lady said, stopping short of tapping Casey’s shoulder. She glanced at her hand in surprise and then at me before clicking her tongue.

"Can't agree more," I nodded, clearly pleased.

“You want some bruises, Ruddy?” Beth glared at me, and I shook my head. I was just restating the facts.

“I wanted to beat Alen to a pulp for having hurt my girl, but that bastard lost against that bitch Gladiata. So, I have to make do with this commoner bastard. He’s the bitch worshipper and our hater, so it’s time to show him who rules the lands under the sky.”

Well, she didn’t, but I understood the gist of her words. “Save your [Dispel] for his [First Step] and [Dark Memory] for [Bolt]. Though, if you can handle either of them without resorting to Dark Attribute, consider preserving your mana for assault spells. Your mastery over casting is still lacking, even though you are better than internal casters. ”

She nodded as she tightened her hands around Casey. “You know how [Abyss] works, Ruddy? There are no records of the spell in the Academy. It’s a wasteful spell as long as mages in the Academy are concerned.”

I cast [Abyss], and a small disk of swirling darkness loomed before me. “Touch my [Abyss] and feel its texture before casting your own.”

Beth raised her eye in question but felt the swirling motion of the dark disk, and her eyes lit up. She cast her own [Abyss] in seconds and grinned at me, putting her hand through the thin mass of darkness and taking it out through my side of [Abyss].

“It opens a portal between two ends barely enough for your fist to pass through. However, the inherent nature of the two [Abyss] has to be the same, or it’s just another wasteful disk of shimmering darkness. The problem with casting [Abyss] is the extent of materialization of the mana to feel its texture, or ‘nature’, in colloquial terms. So, I cannot touch your [Abyss] and cast another one, for your mana materialization skill are lacking tremendously. A hundred percent materialization is required for anyone else to feel the texture.”

“Are you trying to pick a fight, bastard?” Beth pulled my hair, much to the displeasure of my lady, but she didn’t comment. “Though, this means I can feed you bread anytime, right?”

“Not really, lady Beth,” I would be lying if I said I wasn’t entertained by the idea. “Every [Abyss] I cast is different from the previous one, albeit slightly. So, to establish a connection between two swirling masses of darkness, you need to touch the materialized mana every time I cast new [Abyss]. Or maintain one for as long as you can. So, you could just give that bread to me when you touch my [Abyss] instead of inter-dimensional transport.”

“What? Inter–“

“And you cannot sustain [Abyss] for long unless your casting becomes synonymous with breathing,” I interrupted her, pointing at the disappearing blob of darkness. “Your hand would have disappeared in the sea of darkness if it was within the [Abyss]. Dark Attribute mana is the harbinger, something that can annihilate other mana particles."

“Fuck! Aren’t you supposed to say that in the beginning?!” Beth asked in fright, hiding her free hand behind her back.

“They should have taught you this in the Academy. Aren’t they keeping too many secrets?” I shrugged as a mage beckoned Beth to enter the waiting room.

We waved at Beth and ambled inside the arena, ignoring the enormous statue of King Berzilius and his sword that loomed at the entrance. My lady and Casey took seats in the higher tier reserved for nobles after my insistence that unruly commoners were fighting for seats today, and Garlan had somehow managed to reserve some for us, thanks to his connections within the mercenary guild.

“You’re late, Garlan,” Cair said, the familiar woman who had rightfully called Garlan a ‘trickster’. “You have no idea how many curses I earned." She paused, glancing in my direction, “Oh, the butler!”

I bowed my head slightly, acknowledging her presence, before taking a seat beside Garlan. “I’m Rudolf.”

“Cair,” she offered me a smile and the back of her hand. Garlan kissed it tenderly, much to the woman’s disbelief, and she smacked his tummy hard. “Who told you to wipe that dirty drool of yours on my hand, Garlan?! I should have thought twice before sleeping with you!”

That was an interesting development, but her words attracted the attention of some other commoners despite the noise.

“What, bastards?!” Garlan cast a hard look around him. “Surprised that a portly man is better than you at getting laid?!”

Cair laughed, elbowing Garlan’s tummy, and glanced at the stage as the first cheer resounded in the arena. The chatter of the spectators died down soon as Commoners cheered for their lad.

“Get that bitch, Rynn!” the man behind us stood up and shouted aloud. “Show those nobles that we commoners are just as strong!”

A few more men followed suit until both the examinees climbed the mirian, Rynn shivering slightly in front of the infamous bully of the Academy. The smile on Beth’s alone would have been enough to chase away many suitors, let alone a boy hardly eighteen.

My [Devil eye] rushed forth to get a close-up view of the battle and settled down leisurely on the examiner’s table. Beth had already cleared the exam, so there was no point in spying over her grades, so my eye was there for purely aesthetic purposes.

Who didn’t want to watch a good game without interruptions? And without paying for expensive tickets? Count me in. Sadly, my [Devil eye] had a range; else, I would have seen the match from my favorite bakehouse.

Bows followed, cheers rained down, lighting streaked, and Crover spoke.

“No bloodshed, lady Beth,” he said sternly. “Or I’ll enjoy torturing you to the fullest.”

“Why the hell am I the only one getting warned, honorable mage?!” Beth snickered, staring daggers at the mage. “What if I get stabbed?!”

“Won’t that be a good lesson?” he grinned, his broken teeth eye-catching as usual. I wondered if he had lost them in a scuffle, for royal mages worried more about ostentatiousness than strength.

Beth rolled her eyes and turned to face her opponent. With a sneer, no doubt.

The erratic shouts of the audience replaced the fear on Rynn’s face with determination, and he disappeared from his locale instantly, reappearing a single step on the right, and a [Bolt] followed immediately. There was hardly enough time for the shouts to die down, but slience replaced it instantly. Some even forgot to breathe.

Beth was faster, having seen [First Step] more times than anybody else, so darkness loomed around the boy’s legs and palms before he could finish his casting. The glow around his limbs disappeared into thin air, and Beth threw a glowing ball of flame at her opponent with a grin.

Another [First Step] followed, and the boy avoided the assault of the flames as he approached closer to Beth. A mistake, to be honest, because she was better at hand-hand combat than most guys her age, despite losing to Garlan badly a couple days ago.

A steak of lightning descended on Beth, and she rolled out of the range as a swirling mass of darkness loomed over her opponent’s head before waning instantly. That was good, for [Dark Memory] would nullify [Bolt] for the rest of the match at least.

Rynn was already expending too much mana, but he had enough packed in store for a prolonged round. All his spells were weaker, for he wasn’t using much mana behind their materialization, quite clever for a student of the Academy. Though, his face changed when he realized that he couldn’t [Bolt] anymore.

“That’s dirty!” he gritted his teeth and would have bared his fangs at Beth if he had any.

“What dirty, bastard? You never fought against a dark attribute mage before? All our spells are dirty,” Beth scoffed, rubbing her fist on her right hand. “Come on. I’ll show you what this bitch can do.”

Riled up, he used another [First Step], his body sizzling with sparks, and I heard lady Mylan sigh behind me. Behind my eye, I correct.

“Adolescent boys are pathetic,” she shook her head with grace, befitting a royal concubine.

“I don’t really want to admit, but I can’t find it in me to refuse that. At least prolonging the battle would have helped the lad better with his [First Step] instead of getting riled up over the taunts,” Crover pitched in. “But lady Beth is pretty good for a Dark attribute mage. I would have made her my protégé if it wasn’t for her infamous reputation.”

The brat reached close to Beth, and with a ferocious smile, she cast [Dispel] before he could use another [First Step] and landed a strong punch laden with flames on the boy’s cheeks. A smell of burnt skin wafted in the air, and Beth’s right hand wasn’t in any better situation either. The flames on her hand had died down, but only after burning a layer of her skin. The mottled skin on the commoner’s face was too evident, and he tapped his hands in fright, watching Beth cast another [Blast].

“That’s enough, lady Beth,” Crover used [Dispel] before the fluttering flames could harm the groveling brat on the ground, and Beth clicked her tongue. My eye hurled in the air, swirling around Beth’s head, and she grinned at us.

“You people leaving already?” Cair asked as she watched us get up. “The tournament is about to get exciting.”

“More exciting things are waiting for us, Cair,” Garlan said and turned to follow me. “You sure the Academ will treat us for a meal?”

“That’s what she promised the noble ladies, Garlan,” I said, waving at my lady, who had already reached the top of the stairs. “If we can sneak in and grab a few loaves of bread, all my healing efforts will be worth it.”

“You can always count me in for a free meal, Rudolf,” Garlan scratched his stubble. “I heard she’s quite the beauty too.”

“Unless you want to get smacked by a progressive high-tier mage, refrain your carnage desires, bread lad.”

“Women are worth a few strikes. You should learn this sooner or later,” he patted my shoulder as he shook his head. Was that pity? I decided not to ponder on that for now.

Beth’s peaceful walk outside was short-lived, for Casey had crushed her in her arms before I could heal her scarred wrist. My lady and Garlan stood with smiles on their faces, something I couldn’t quite comprehend.

Mortals are weird in this aspect. The smallest of things can make them happy, and the smallest of things can plunge them into eternal misery. Me? Give me bread and I'm good for eternity. And slaughter, of course. Happiness? I don't really understand the worth of something so insignificant. I laugh when I want to and I kill when I want to. Long term gains and worries about the future aren't on my status quo.

“My Casey,” Beth smiled, biting her lips. “Do you want me to ravage you in the open?”

“You were amazing, Beth!” she cheered, though her ears had gone red as she pulled away. That was embarrassment. I glanced at my lady and decided that her ears turned a shade darker than Casey usually.

My lady raised her eyes in question, and I shook my head.

“Where’s the Academ?” I asked, eager for a free meal just like my bread lad whose ears perked up.

“She had promised to meet us here after Beth’s match…” Casey glanced around until Yura entered her or our view. “There she is!”

She was standing close to the entrance of the arena, one meant for participants and chatting with a mage from the Academy. The latter appeared disinterested in the conversation, so the Academ bowed politely before walking in our direction. She had watched Beth's match, no doubt, since she had a bright smile on her face despite the snicker of the grey-robed mage.