"So Aaron…"
Ezra's voice was muffled as he stuffed an entire chicken leg into his mouth.
"Did ya see the rumor circulating in the papers?"
Looking up at the blond boy who similarly devoured poultry, Ezra watched as his brow turned downward, a look of puzzlement appearing across his face.
"No…?"
Motioning for the black-haired boy to continue, Aaron kept eye contact even while feasting on his food.
"Well, if you ain't paying attention to the paper, then you really should. The rumor is about us, man!"
He slammed his fist on the table, the sound echoing through the private dining room and drawing a groan from the waiter who was just about to leave.
With sparks in his eyes, Ezra rambled on.
"Ya know how there are going to be a bunch of Marshals showing up to the tournament? Apparently, they are going to hold their own separate bracket against one another to determine who is the strongest!"
Putting another drumstick in his mouth and holding it with just his teeth, he stretched his arms out wide and smiled at the wide-eyed Aaron.
The blond boy himself just stared, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"But that would mean…"
Ezra nodded his head, finishing the boy's words for him.
"The proctor will face whoever wins in a final battle to determine who is really the 'World's Strongest'! I even heard the Kings themselves are thinkin' of joining in!"
There was a pause from the turquoise-eyed boy as he heard the final part of the rumor, a cold feeling settling into his spine.
Slowly, a concerned thought appeared within his mind, Penelope's own voice spurring it on into a full-fledged question.
"Wouldn't that hurt the spectators, though?"
Instead of answering his query, the black-haired boy beamed with excitement, his entire expression glistening.
"I had the same thought!"
Placing the perfectly cleaned chicken bone on his plate and digging into his pocket, he pulled out a small slip of paper, laying it out flat on the table.
"Lord Thorn had this hugeeeee breakthrough, apparently! Using his awesome Ghostship, he is able to convert electricity into a special type of mana! Then, with that mana, he powers this super big barrier that wraps around the arena! He even said that he couldn't even scratch it!"
Ezra's enthusiasm was reflected onto Aaron, who whistled in disbelief, Penelope's voice from within whispering about the idea.
『A barrier made with a special type of mana? I've never heard of such a thing being possible… Maybe the geniuses of your time surpass even the elders of my kingdom.』
Delving into thought, the woman vanished back into the crevices of the blond boy's mind, leaving him alone to chat with Ezra for hours.
As they discussed their various adventures and their newfound fame, a certain question emerged stemming from a discussion about quests.
"You never told me how many of those you completed to keep your top spot. I heard that Alaric guy did fifteen, so you must've done like twenty, right?"
There was a pause as he pondered a reply, a shadow coming over his expression as he spoke in a whisper.
Ezra furrowed his brow in confusion, missing what the boy said.
"I ain't hearing you, man. Bring the volume up."
As he leaned in to make sure he could hear the answer, he finally caught Aaron's words, a response that nearly made him jump back in shock.
"F-f-f-forty!?"
The insanity of the number made the mixed-eyed boy lose his mind, a follow-up coming from his lips only a moment after.
"H-how!?"
Swirling his glass in his hand, the blond boy looked up at his friend coldly, the face of a challenger and not an ally behind his gaze.
"Twenty warrants collected. Fifteen basic assistance missions. And five executions of Class A felons."
Placing his drink down and looking at the floor, he recounted his adventures slowly over the next three hours.
Each tale was more interesting than the last, whether it be the hunt for spirits in the deepest of caves or the slaughtering of cultists.
As the clock struck midnight, Aaron stood up, placing 13 Emerald Myrqs on the table along with some platinum ones as well, leaving the black-haired boy startled.
However, hushing him quietly, he pointed towards the exit, a shadowy figure waiting at the doorway to the private room.
Camilla Buckley, the Marshal of Ancients, stared blankly at the two boys who had feasted to their hearts' content.
"Grimstall. With me."
Sighing heavily, she walked away, leaving the boys to stare at each other awkwardly before Aaron excused himself.
"I'll see you tonight at the castle."
And then, just like that, he vanished behind the privacy curtain, leaving his friend all alone as the waiter cleaned the table.
Furrowing his brow, Ezra spoke quietly, not quite understanding what the turquoise-eyed boy had just said.
"Castle?"
…
The teacher and student walked through the back alleys of the city, avoiding the bustling nightlife that existed thanks to the exam.
"How are your injuries?"
Her voice was cold and tired, a slight hint of worry mixed in for her apprentice, who responded quickly.
"I don't have any?"
Aaron's words made the woman stop, her gaze scanning the boy up and down with a doubtful expression.
"Really?"
There was such an undertone of disbelief oozing out of her words that it made the blond-haired boy sigh.
"Really. I don't know about the others, but for the first time, I'm miraculously fine."
Squinting as if not believing his words, Cam started moving again, her eyes fixed on the massive beams of light in the distance that shot into the dark sky.
Following her gaze, Aaron spoke timidly, the sight not sitting well with him either.
"Lord Thorn's castle projects those beams into the heavens every night. The stars hide from their radiance, and all that's left is the darkness of space."
His profound explanation made the woman nod, her brown hair swaying in a gentle breeze that blew through the corridor.
Opening her mouth to address the boy, she kept her gaze locked onto the wooden bridge approaching quickly.
"Akari is well on her way to full recovery by the time of the tournament. Even the patchy spots of her pink hair have grown back."
Receiving a chuckle from her student, she continued on, a somber tone coming over her voice.
"Raphael has secluded himself in his room. For the brief moments he spoke with me, I got the impression that he would overwork himself to win this competition. There was an odd presence surrounding him that even I couldn't place my finger on, though… Perhaps I should ask Thorn if he can feel it as well."
Turning back to Aaron and noticing his hand raised like a student in school, she groaned, pointing to him.
Nodding his head and taking a deep breath, he asked the most important question that he had on his mind.
"Is it true that you're going to fight in the tournament too?"
A heavy silence fell over the pair, Cam's blinking the only thing that transpired between them as she processed his question.
Rubbing the bridge of her nose like she had a sudden headache, she spoke reluctantly.
"Yes…"
Aaron's expression beamed with excitement, a smile as bright as the sun radiating from his face.
As he continued to ask one after another about the event, the two passed over the wooden bridge suspended over the wide river, a large building that blocked the sight of the castle coming into view.
Stopping his next inquiry, the boy tilted his head to the side, noticing the engravings on the side of the massive structure.
The western headquarters for the Church of Depths…
Seeing Eleanor flash through his mind, a sudden thought occurred to him that he posed to the woman quickly.
"Where is—"
He was cut off by the smiling woman who shook her head while chuckling softly.
"Took you long enough to ask… I brought her to the castle already, and she's resting in my personal quarters. If I happen to pass Cauron before the tournament, then I'll bring her before him."
The reassuring words made Aaron relax, the biggest stress on his plate vanishing in a flash.
Yet, in the background of this, there was still one major problem he had not fully addressed to a worthwhile extent.
Noticing that the boy was still hiding something from her, Cam spoke calmly, probing for his secret.
"Tell me what's wrong, or I'll beat it out of you."
While the words lacked tact, they were certainly effective, urging the pale-skinned boy to answer swiftly.
"Well… It seems that when I'm in the presence of Kings or their subordinates, I sort of…"
He trailed off, leaving the woman even more confused than before.
"You sort of…? Finish your sentence."
She glared at him with a tamed anger, and he hurriedly abided by her request.
"Lose my mind…"
As the last part left his lips, Cam froze in place, staring at him blankly.
A moment later, she placed her hand on her forehead and sighed as hard as Aaron thought possible.
"What? Are you telling me you're this much of a fanboy that the second you see a King, you pass out with glee? Get over yourself already."
Shaking her head and mumbling something under her breath, she was about to turn away when he elaborated further.
"N-not exactly… It's more like my memories go on lockdown and my ship reacts like all hell has broken loose…"
There was a long pause after his words, Cam's breath steady but her cheek twitching slightly.
"Ah. That does seem to be a problem."