With the tip of his right foot hitting a tiny spot, handsome Edgan launched Drake out of the fighting ring.
"What just happened? After all those massive hits, is that how it ends?"
A boy standing next to a girl who was cheering for Edgan spoke with a smirk, but the girl gave him a dirty look.
"You idiot, what could you possibly understand?"
Getting an answer he wasn't expecting, the boy lost control of his voice and yelled.
"What am I supposed to understand?"
Even though the outburst made everyone around them look at the two of them, the girl—whose mesmerized eyes were locked only on Edgan as he walked down from the ring—couldn't have cared less.
"That brute got what he deserved for talking trash to Handsome Prince Edgan. Edgan flicked him aside with the tip of his foot, just like a royal brushing aside a piece of dirt that got in his way!"
This was the simple truth of what had happened; keeping the sword in his right hand perfectly straight along his back, the handsome boy had treated Drake like a piece of horse crap carelessly kicked into the street with his last move.
The whispers grew louder and multiplied by the second. As the beaten boy hurried away from the grounds, the remaining noble kids shot glares full of fury at Edgan, who slowly walked back to his friends.
"My friend, the show was amazing, but I wonder if this result is good for you?"
Scratching the freckles on his face—which looked even darker under the beating midday sun—Florin spoke; he could feel the air getting thick.
"After saying those filthy words, he got what was coming to him; if I were in his place, I would have carved him up with my knife!"
Marvina cut off Florin's words completely; it seemed she was even angrier than her older brother.
"Calm down, sister!"
Not wanting Marvina to keep talking while surrounded by the huge crowd, Edgan put a hand on her shoulder and gave a gentle warning.
"I have to go through ten fights in the end; I don't have the power to choose anything else, but they can't stop me from making the whole thing a fun show, right?"
With his words, the handsome boy openly announced that he didn't see the fight he just finished as a real challenge. After that attitude, a massive, collective sigh rose from the circles of girls gathered around him.
Edgan wasn't lying; as the hours of the day passed, every time he stepped into the ring, he had to take down opponents—who stubbornly refused to give up—using only his fists or kicks. The sword he kept by his side stayed slung across his back; not once did he find a reason to pull it out.
"Congratulations, Edgan! By getting ten wins, you've earned the right to move on to the next trial!"
Mel called out happily to the long-haired boy, who was walking down from the ring with the air of a conqueror.
"Ugh, look at this creature!"
"He looks like a wild beast!"
"How dare you have the nerve to talk to Prince Edgan!"
It was obvious that the young girls had already raised the handsome boy to the level of a god; when Mel did something even they didn't dare try, their comeback was ruthless.
Among fighters, a strong body was usually a point of pride, but with the spellbinding show he put on today, Edgan had completely changed what the girls thought the ideal man should look like.
"Thanks, Mel! I told you I was going to break a record just like you did!"
While Edgan and Mel shook hands firmly, the people standing around them were struck with shock; the god they guarded so fiercely was actually answering the guy talking to him. Plus, it didn't look like a casual chat; judging by how they acted and the tone of their voices, it was obvious the two of them knew each other well.
"Ignorant fools! Today, Mel Malcom matched a record in the Botanical Division trial that had stood unbroken for a century. Watch the words that spill out of your mouths!"
Nalt lashed out with fury. The insults thrown at the friend who had helped him and the commoner kids today seemed to have pushed him over the edge.
"Nalt, calm down! Not everyone needs to know what happened this morning!"
Mel quickly clamped a hand on his friend's shoulder, shutting him up. Edgan burst into loud laughter.
"It looks like both of us are stuck with friends who talk way more than they should!"
When the handsome boy hinted at the headache he just went through with his sister, Mel started laughing too. Even though the rest of the group had sour looks on their faces, the two of them were very amused.
"We have to go; Marvina needs to get ready for the Alchemy Division trials!"
His trials in the fighting ring over, Edgan asked to leave, making the sister next to him jump in.
"Mel, I expect you to be there tonight without fail. Even though I can't break a record like the two of you, I'll do my absolute best!"
The young girl left the grounds with a bright smile. The three boys left behind stood frozen to the dirt for a while, like they were caught in a spell.
"Heavens above, what a stunning girl!"
When Florin whined in a sad tone, Nalt drove an elbow into his ribs. With the look in his eyes, he seemed to signal, 'Have you still not figured out where we stand?'
"So what? Is it a crime to dream a little?"
The boys started laughing among themselves; they hung around until Florin found opponents his own size and passed the first trial, before finally leaving the grounds.
"Between the Botanical Division in the morning and the Martial Division at noon, we totally forgot to eat; I'm starving to death!"
As his stomach growled loudly, Nalt spoke with a raised voice to cover it up; his idea was definitely going to get support.
"You're right; let's find a tavern and eat. The place Marina and Edgan took me to yesterday had amazing food!"
As a newcomer to this settlement, Mel only knew the tavern he had been to before; but the second the word tavern came out of his mouth, the faces of the other two went dark instantly.
"My friend, I get that you're excited, but eating in places like that is impossible for us!"
"Why should it be? I don't have noble blood, but I was allowed to go in and eat!"
After all the crazy stuff he had been through, it seemed the robust boy thought they were hesitating because of their class.
"Mel, the problem isn't that we're commoners; we don't have any money!"
Finally, Florin put their problem out in the open; the robust boy standing in front of him just smiled back.
"Why are you smiling? Even though those two siblings don't have noble blood, judging by their clothes and the sword Edgan carries, they definitely have the wealth of their hometown backing them up. They might have bought you a meal on your first day, but if we go there today, the only feast we're going to get is a merciless beating!"
Mel didn't care at all; he just wondered what kind of reaction he would have gotten if he pulled out the bag of coins he used yesterday.
"I'm sticking to what I said; if we have to take a beating, then we take it. What kind of martial cultivator are you, shaking at the thought of a little bar fight?"
"It's easy for you to talk big; with your size, it's a sure thing they'll aim most of the beating at us!"
Florin looked set on staying defensive, but right at that moment, Nalt broke his silence.
"Come on, let's go, Bucktooth; if Mel is suggesting it, he definitely has a plan in his head!"
After the words of the boy with the weirdly cut hair, the three of them started walking again. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the door of the tavern where Mel, Marina, and Edgan had eaten the day before.
Because the academy's entrance exams were going on, the tavern was packed full; a bunch of waiters slipped through the maze of tables, struggling to deliver the food.
"Do you see? The place is overflowing; come on, let's leave!"
Florin was full of tension, while Mel swept his eyes around the place. As the three of them stood at the tavern door, a charming voice wrapped around them from right behind.
"Well, who do we have here? Welcome to our tavern!"