The next morning, Grimveil Academy was buzzing. Banners fluttered, students whispered, and I… tried very hard to blend into the floorboards.
Today wasn't practice. Today was evaluation duels. A formal event where your skill—or lack thereof—was judged by instructors and royalty.
Perfect. Just perfect.
I shuffled into the yard, wooden sword in hand. I wobbled slightly, tripped over my own feet… and gave a polite bow to a passing dummy. Act weak. Blend in. Do not shine. Fail spectacularly.
The instructor cleared his throat. "Students, today you will duel a randomly assigned opponent. Remember: survive, control your mana, and try not to humiliate your family… too badly."
I gulped. Too late.
My first opponent? Kaelen Veyr.
Nope. Nope. Nope.
"Riven Ashcroft," Kaelen said, smirking, "don't embarrass yourself… too quickly."
Too quickly? I was planning my failure for maximum duration, thank you very much.
We faced off. He lunged. I panicked, tripping backward. The wooden sword barely made contact—or so I thought. Somehow, it deflected his strike with perfect precision.
Kaelen blinked. Interesting.
I fell again, arms flailing, pretending the deflection was accidental. Yes. They must all think I'm clumsy.
From the sidelines, Syria clapped enthusiastically. "I knew it! Floor inspector style wins again!"
Selene's faint smile appeared—tiny, almost imperceptible. Charlotte's cold glare intensified, like she was both calculating and mildly offended by my incompetence.
Kaelen attacked again. Faster. Deadlier. And again, I tripped, staggered, and somehow managed to redirect his strike just barely enough to survive.
Yes. Perfect weak-body genius camouflage. Totally accidental. Absolutely.
By the end of the duel, I was exhausted, dirt-covered, and probably smelled like defeat… but Kaelen gave a small nod. Respect? Maybe.
The instructor clapped. "Impressive… for Ashcroft. Not bad for someone trying to be invisible."
I gave a dramatic bow, wobbling dangerously. "Thank you… thank you. I aim to survive, mostly."
Syria laughed. "You're so entertaining! I want to see more of this 'accidental genius' of yours!"
Selene tilted her head again, watching quietly. Charlotte still glared—probably calculating when and how to neutralize me without breaking a sweat.
Perfect. Rivals set, attention from the royals noted, hidden genius remains secret… mostly.
And so ended my first official duel at Grimveil Academy. I had survived, embarrassed myself in style, and somehow… maybe, just maybe, earned the tiniest spark of respect.
Step one: survive.
Step two: act weak.
Step three: don't let anyone see your hidden power… yet.