“I challenge you to the death, Joey.”

At first, I thought I didn’t hear correctly. I mean, either that or she just lost it.

“Come again?”

“I challenge you to the death,” she says with steely eyes. Her piercing gaze pokes a hole through my heart, through what I’ve felt for this woman. See, I’m not one to hate my exes. Not too much, at least, just the right amount. With Lucinda… I don’t know. First, we didn’t have closure. Second, she’s still hot, and I think she’s still funny or whatever. Also, she’s a Human—an Elf, I mean. Not a bad person. She is just an average petty person who saw an opportunity to strike it rich – also, she’s young.

But whatever, it’s time for a reckoning, I guess.

“Right, to the death... Is this because I killed your new boyfriend?”

“I challenge you to the death, I said.”

“No? Yes? Can’t you answer that question?”

“You are a spineless coward, and spineless cowards deserve to die.”

“What? A coward? Why am I a spineless coward?”

For a second, her eyes seem to flicker to the side, looking up. But shortly after, so fast it possibly didn’t even happen, she just looks at me again. What the hell? Has she lost it? Is she so hurt by the fact that Atticus has just died? Or does she simply hate me? And should I accept?

“You fight with no honor,” she goes on.

“Because I got the corpse? I want to give it back to his family. I don’t trust these [Archmages], Lucy. What’s the problem? Would you prefer getting the body? I mean, if you know the family, you will save me a bizarre explanation. Plus, I’m not sure they want to see their child’s killer on their doorstep.”

I go closer to her.

“The Human is hesitating! He’s scared! After he tricked the disciple of [Archmage] Titus, he’s now reluctant to accept a new challenge!”

A new wave of boos washes over me, but I simply keep walking. I uncork a Mana potion and down its content like a vodka shot. A big shot. As my reserves fill up again, I finally get a few feet from Lucinda. As I stare into her eyes, I notice that they are somewhat glassier than usual, almost blurred. I’m already tired of this shitshow, but I have not become an idiot.

Lord Juler, is she under some spell?

I’m already checking, Joey Luciani. Keep her busy for a little longer. There are some powerful wards around her. Judging just from their presence, I’d say yes. But let’s make sure. She could also be carrying a suicide device to kill you both. That’s what we did to assassinate some unpleasant idiots back in the day. Strap an exploding device to a disciple or a family member and blow them up as soon as they are close.

That’s not really comforting, is it?

Distract her.

With a sigh, I look around. How do I lose some time?

“You still got a nice ass,” I wink at the woman.

She barely reacts to my comment, just staring straight ahead. The only indication that she actually heard me is a slight frown that she quickly wipes off her face. Her lips move, but nothing comes out on the first attempt.

“Worm.”

That’s what she says, huh?

“Two nice big buns, really. Also, I’ve always loved your massive badonkers. There’s really a lot of potential there. You should consider dressing less conservatively and getting thinner tops with a [Cold Air] enchantment of sorts. That would really distract me in a duel to the death. So much so you could almost win, you know?”

Still, no reaction. Lucinda’s not disgusted or upset. She just keeps looking straight into my eyes. The fact that not even the slightest flare of anger went through her pupils is a big red flag. Lucinda hated when I complimented her chest in a lewd way, even when we weren’t precisely fully clothed together. Apparently, [Mages] are supposed to be more elegant and slenderer in her own opinion.

Meh, big milkers for the win, buddy.

“So, are you accepting the duel, or are you running away?”

At this point, I’m pretty sure that someone screwed with her – mind magic or whatever.

You know what? If she can hear me, as some of her body reactions suggest that she can, why not clear the air? At least I’m not going to waste words or be charged with sexual harassment.

“You know, if it had been up to me, I’d have stayed with you. If you had wanted to know more about my magic, I would have told you. I would have taught you as much as you wanted. I would have given you everything, even the power you so relentlessly seek.”

Let’s embarrass someone.

“Also, I know that you exchanged the magic I taught you for an apprenticeship with [Archmage] Titus, but you could have done better. You could have simply learned from the best instead of a man who can’t cast [Fly] without smashing his face on the ground.”

Some outraged gasps come from the stands, but the laughter trumps them all. The fact that an [Archmage] has face-planted mid-spell has been part of the city gossip for a week. But no one would be so foolish as to make fun of [Archmage] Titus publicly. Well, at least not those who are afraid of him. But I’m not.

“The Human—”

I cast a few [Light] spell matrixes up in the air, effectively cutting off the magic the [Archmage] up there is using to enhance her voice. I’m getting tired of her antics. Before resuming my speech to Lucinda, I feel something on my neck. It’s that ominous sensation once again. It’s like something is gunning for me. Or someone. I don’t know. But I do feel like clenching my lower hole a bit.

“This pathetic academy is using you, Lucinda. Two people have died already because they were probably psyched up by whoever sent them against me. Imagine being so cowardly that you cannot take this matter into your own hands. Or imagine being a goddamn [Archmage] who needs to lend out his own Relic to ensure that the hated Human dies. Isn’t that pathetic? Isn’t that laughable? Isn’t such a man a hopeless fool?”

Now, the atmosphere has changed. A few auras appear from above. They are the angry [Archmages]. The pressure is almost unbearable.

Almost.

[Aura Lucis]

As I activate my skill, being careful not to direct it toward Lucinda, as it would blind her, I feel my body decompress.

“So, worm, do you accept—”

“Kill her!” Shouts a familiar voice in the stands.

As I turn my head, I see Princess Laura grabbing the edges of the protective battlement. She’s fuming, completely red on her face, and her eyes popping out.

“Kill that whore!”

Her neck appears inflated even from this distance, and she’s convulsing like a madman.

Have I made a mistake there too? Have I been too rash?

I don’t know how that’s possible, but the next thing I hear is a potent squeal. I look, and next to Princess Laura, there’s Lucillus with Princess Bianca in his arms. Even the pig seems angry.

I don’t know. Maybe—

I feel a whiff of magic from Lucinda, and I immediately shut her off. I start dispelling her magic, and I close the remaining distance between us. I grab her by the robe. She’s as tall as I am, and we stare into each other’s eyes.

I start speaking directly to her face in a lowered voice.

“You know, I just wanted to love you. I wanted to spend my time with you. I wanted to grow old and silly – my dream was getting so old with you that one day, we would hear music from an establishment below our house or maybe a little city event. But my joints would be too swollen at night to move downstairs and wade through the crowd. Then, you would tell me that we didn’t need to go down to dance, that we could have a dancefloor in our living room. And so, we would start dancing with each other in the middle of the living room while listening to the music from below. And I would look at your beautifully smart eyes and know that I had made the best choice in the world, that even after all those years, you were still thinking about what was best for me, and that you would still renounce something for me. I just wanted for us to be happy, Lucinda—that’s all I’ve wanted for us from the start.”

She doesn’t move during my speech. She just stares directly at me with her listless gaze – but as I’m almost done speaking, something changes. She doesn’t recoil or make a big movement. But a single tear rolls down from her eye, utterly antithetic to the rest of her.

“So, Worm, are we fighting?”

Her voice now sounds more mechanical to my ears, much faker than before. The veil has been pierced, so to say.

I exhale.

“I loved you. And part of me still does. I think you just made a mistake somewhere. One mistake. And that you are actually much kinder and better than you give yourself credit for. But that will change the more you stay in this nest of vipers. But don’t worry, I’m going to take care of you. Even if it’s the last time.”

She’s under the effect of powerful Mind Magic. It’s the kind of magic Dragons do. It will take time to undo it - I can take care of it, but I need time. Let me knock her out first.

I nod, and Lord Juler casts some subtle magic that instantly puts Lucinda to sleep a second later. As she risks falling, I slip my hands under her legs and hoist her up in a princess carry. Her delicate sleeping face is clearly perturbed by some instant nightmares, and she seems to whisper something in her sleep.

“Joey.”

I close my eyes, trying to calm myself.

I fail.

I look at her face before doing what I’m about to do. She’s so beautiful. I mean, she’s also a bit heavy – I laugh to myself. Those buns are hard to carry when you barely do any physical activity. But more than heavy, she’s just beautiful. She’s like a statue from—a funny thought hits me. She should have been the model for Canova’s Venus, not Pauline Bonaparte, the sister of the famous commander who was actually pretty ugly. And even though Canova was the greatest artistic master of his time and one of the greatest ever, there’s only so much you can do when working with a subpar model. But that’s not the case with Lucinda: she would have done justice to Venus. And if that Goddess truly existed, she would surely be jealous of her, maybe even turn her into a frog or something.

A frog I would have surely kissed to bring back as a Princess.

Sometimes, realizations hit you at the worst possible moment, don’t they?

And, unlike some think, not all truths are good. Neither is knowing the truth.

And here, the truth is that I like Lucinda—I love her, still. I can only see her sleeping face, disturbed by God-awful nightmares probably caused by the spell she was put under. Not every truth is good or comfortable. But one thing is for sure – this is the truth—the one I’m holding in my arms. Only a few will understand if I ever get to tell this story. But some will, I’m sure.

Lord Juler doesn’t say anything while I’m lost in thought.

In the distance, I can hear some boos and the voice of the floating [Archmage], but it’s all remote. It’s just a whistle in my ears. It’s no more than a background buzz while my heart drums up to my brain.

I can barely recognize my voice when I speak.

“Marcus, you low life. You bastard.”

I can’t move as easily as I want with Lucinda in my arms, and therefore, I’m just a shivering mess of rage. It’s like a puddle of black fury was slowly taking over my veins, darkening my insides. But it struggles against my stiff posture, banging on the inside of my ribcage, asking to get out at any cost.

“You enchant a person to do your bidding? To manipulate me?”

“You dare to do so just because you are an [Archmage]? Did you think you would gain anything from this small political game? Just because you think I can’t take your pathetic life? Otherwise, why would Lucinda do this when I just killed Atticus, who wielded two goddamn Relics?!”

“Oh! The Human is going rogue! He’s accusing none other than an [Archmage]! He’s in a fit of—”

I cut off the levitation spell of the [Archmage] presenting and even her [Loud Voice] with a simple thought. I don’t even notice as she uses the golden wheel to stabilize herself in the air after almost crashing to the ground. But now the crowd is silent, with some whispering that maybe the Human was right, that a Dragon has just hurt an Elf for his personal gain.

“Come down, Marcus. I’ll show you how a goddamn [Mage] fights!”

The last words echo through the arena and make everyone recoil from the soundwave.

I keep looking up at the podium where the [Archmages] are hiding, that useless lot. Nothing is on my mind, if not murder. I don’t care how: I’ll kill that bastard. Does he think he’s superior to others just because he has scales? Does he have any idea what kind of magic I have access to after perusing his archive?

But I see someone coming down the corridor from where my previous opponents have come.

“Joey Luciani, I challenge you to the death,” Adriana speaks loudly and looks at me with contempt.

And before I can say anything, she lunges.