The third day of the sports festival went by without a hitch, with the main event being finished as early as when the arena opened.
Several guests already began to leave, as they were satisfied with the incredible display of power from the first matches; Afterall, who could match the esteemed daughters of the Duke of Arigare and the Emperor of the Easterside Empire.
[ Victors: Duels ]
[ Namiku Asuna ]
[ Rinca Arigare ]
[ Namiku Asuna ]
[ Rinca Arigare ]
.
.
.
At that moment, the protagonist's party stood by the exit to the battlefield.
"Yikes. You two did not hold back." Note commented at his two friends while raising a high five at Namiku.
Both she and Rinca finally finished their three battles to qualify.
"Hey, we did!" The princess replied, pouting at the knight before smiling and reciprocating the high-five.
Lagging slightly behind her was Rinca, who was casually wiping the tip of her blade with an oiled cloth. She smiled at her friends upon looking up.
Meanwhile, behind both of them was a clear view of the ruined battlefield.
Staff were running around trying to clear all the flying sand with magic, a corner of the bleachers were empty as several people moved to the other "less frightening" side, and the scratches and markings Rinca had left on the magic barrier were prominent under the sun's lighting.
"…Sure you did." Note smiled fearfully as he watched the erratic scene occuring behind the ladies, before doing a thumbs up as he met his cousin's piercing gaze.
"Congratulations!" Viola said in pure joy while clasping Namiku's palms with both hands. Unlike Note, she was unbothered and simply helped her friends brush the rubble off their clothes.
It was now clear from the two nobles' serene faces that the previous days of worrying about having no opponent had been solved by Naell's advice. They simply took the time to present their challenge as an honorable opportunity.
"Well done." Rizaul said, retaining his calm demeanor, yet a gentle smile was on his face.
Like his other friends, he knew what their victory meant, yet Andrew was the one who said it out loud.
"It seems we'll all progress to the semi's, then again I had no doubts."
They all nodded in agreement as they joined the crowds of people leaving the arena. Their new destination was the school canteen, an optimal place to celebrate.
As quickly as they and all the spectators left, so was the spreading of rumors that were dragged along with them. Stories of the explosive battles from Namiku and Rinca were inevitable, but farther away from EDSD, Naell himself had to face his own rumors.
• It's a shame that this is the shortest route... •
Naell telepathically said to the fluffy bird he carried.
Around him, he could hear the various gossips of several people, yet begrudgingly the ones he heard most were about himself.
The fact that he just technically fought once in the qualifiers and advanced had apparently received mixed messages.
Not to mention, making all of his opponents throw in the towel, had given birth to talks that they were all paid.
That, including his match with April, was indeed eye catching. Yet some were now speculating that it was fake all along.
[ Either he's really that capable or he rigged his matches. ]
[ The latter I'm sure, but that's expected with a past of indecency. ]
"..."
• Fufufu, HOOT. •
"..."
Naell and Owly were outside of EDSD. If the school was populated with visitors and students, the inner circle of Taglagas was no different.
With the sport's festival in motion, lots of people were flocking the capital all together.
Merchants had put out stalls, shops were going on sale, and even craftsmen were showcasing their arts. Some adventurers even took a break from missions to watch the festival.
That was why walking was kinda tiring as the crowds were everywhere. Even carriages brought forth traffic from the road.
If it weren't for the knights who immediately acted as enforcers of traffic, any travel from and to the capital would have been impossible.
With that being said, Naell had a hard time not cringing from the talks involving his blunder.
To say that he wasn't glad his opponents withdrew from the battle (a rare occurrence in the history of EDSD) was wrong, as he was really pleased to avoid any sparring whatsoever.
Yet that was also why he was mainly troubled.
• The pleasure of doing nothing is inversely proportional to being successful. •
• Don't spout words that seem so smart yet dumb at the same time, HOOT. •
"..."
[ But from what I've heard, aren't there good things about him too? ]
Of course others had sided with Naell. It was not because he was a noble but because the school didn't take any actions to reprimand him.
Needless to say, EDSD had always been known to strictly penalize actions such as rigging fights. As the impartial school turned a blind eye to the rumors, some chose to believe that there was no hidden foul play at all.
Lastly, the growing popularity of the young master of Beryldot had played in his favor.
[ Teehee~ Naell Beryldot huh… regardless of the bad rumors, I kind of wanna meet him. ]
[ Yeah, they say he's really--- cute. ]
• You heard that, HOOT? •
Teasingly said, Owly, to which Naell nodded softly. His face by then was clearly flushed.
He had never felt more glad for his attire than at that very moment; sporting plain clothing with an ordinary cloak allowed him to hide his identity. Further, it even acted as his "imaginary" cloak of invisibility just to comfort his embarrassment.
Naell knew his new appearance was quite good. Even when he was reading the novel, the minor villain of the baron's son was often portrayed as handsome, but with a dreadful personality.
Yet since his mind would often cling to his appearance back on Earth, for a couple of months and several dumb misunderstandings, he thought his looks were by all means average.
Nevertheless, he finally understood his standing and solidified the truth upon learning how to detect loud thoughts within a small radius.
Still that didn't mean Naell would flirt at the off chance he could get, as after all he didn't have an inkling of how to do it- much like in making friends.
Not to mention, he never really did care about romance. Ever since he had known, he had always worked to have a better life, sacrificing any form of relationship building in the process.
• Well, they probably are just interested in my nobility, that's right!' •
Owly sighed at Naell's pitiful sentiment, as he remained in a curled position that hid his face. All who saw him being carried by Naell, simply assumed he was an unusually round lump of meat.
As they walked, he too could hear the rumors and thoughts Naell was occupied with, yet to him, none of it mattered.
What was stuck on Owly's mind at that very moment was how his friend had finally learned a passive skill befitting a great wielder of detection; [ Word of Mind ] or commonly known as the Gossipers' Air.
• I'm glad, HOOT! •
• What? •
• Nothing noob, HOOT. •
"..."
As they walked further away, Naell couldn't help but think how unsafe it was by then. His detection magic was even a mess as mana and aura were everywhere.
Luckily, he recalled from arts and magic, that the only major event to occur was simply the highly skilled duels throughout the festival.
Then again, Naell had already experienced plots that differed greatly from arts and magic, yet as his mind was more at ease from feigning ignorance, such was what he did that day.
"Besides, the capital is guarded with knights and hired adventurers, right?"
• Who are you talking to, HOOT? •
• Myself… •
"..."
Owly was actually confused as to where on Mundo they were even going. Yet instead of asking, he just let Naell walk and sometimes even bantered with him.
Finally, after a while, of avoiding the huddled crowds, they soon arrived at their destination: a one floored store which was in the outskirts of the inner circle.
It had no upper floor but was thrice as wide as other houses, having only a shallow pitched roof and body that was mostly made of wood.
To their surprise though, that didn't stop visitors from arriving at their door, especially upon seeing the name of the store; The Renaissance of Magic.
Ironically, TRM founded by the [ Wizard of Books ] Wisdell Wigence, wasn't really filled with mages, it was actually full of people who were scholars.
Nevertheless, as mages were known for their tendency to seclusion, it somehow made sense.
It still bewildered Naell how a company made by a famous wizard only owned a small store on Taglagas.
On the other hand, Owly knew the reason. Scholars or members of the academe in general were scarce, therefore leaving TRM no opportunity to branch out with enough staff.
Truly scholars were similar to most mages. Often they both kept to themselves, with the only difference being their willingness to share their knowledge and discovery.
• Pfft--- you'll blend right in, HOOT. •
• Somehow, I can tell you're mocking me. •
• Just your imagination, HOOT. •
Naell wanted to scrutinize Owly yet chose not to as he was about to enter the shop.
Upon opening the door, he was immediately impressed as compared to its average appearance, the store was actually quite grand inside.
The words "The Renaissance of Magic" were etched on a large plaque, presenting itself on the entrance's wall. At first glance, visitors would immediately know what metal it was, since it was bright, luxurious and had a slightly reddish-yellow hue.
Naell knew that like on Earth, gold in Mundo was expensive as well. He then glanced around him once more, noticing how the chairs and tables were neatly arranged and made from expensive looking wood.
There was also the mere fact that the gentleman, who was the clerk of the store, was wearing an expensive suit. Upon closer inspection, it was a brand that Naell was quite familiar with from the torture (shopping) they did in Beryldot.
"Young master Naell, welcome to TRM." Said the clerk bowing as he approached him.
For a moment some even glanced at Naell, but just like how they were described, the people of TRM went on with their business, none of which really caring about who was in front of them.
"Good day, Sire."
As he greeted the clerk, he was instructed to sit near the receptionist's table. After handing him a cup of coffee, with a smile the clerk then spoke,
"Mr. Talus speaks highly of you."
Naell only smiled and accepted the coffee. As he sipped, the clerk began [ poofing ] out boxes of spatial jewels that made Owly eyes widen.
"Here's what you ordered, young master."
"Thank you." Replied Naell who then immediately put all of them in his ring.
The clerk then in a manner of teasing said,
"When I got the mail that you yourself would be the one who was going to receive it, I was actually surprised."
He then with an eye that seemed to be trying to figure out his intentions added on,
"The young master of Beryldot is very famous afterall."
"Hahaha, well I like to go for walks sometimes."
Naell replied. It was clear he misunderstood his words, as he simply thought that perhaps his hobby of conserving energy had already spread out.
If birds could cough, that was what Owly was doing at that very moment.
Not only did he realize that Naell totally failed to understand what the clerk implied, he was also lying for saying he enjoyed walking.
Sensing something wasn't right, the clerk just smiled and replied saying,
"Ah, but of course…"
Upon thanking the clerk and turning to leave the establishment, the two bumped into two other gentlemen that looked to be around Naell's age.
Hints of aura and magic surrounded the two.
"Ah, my apologies."
Said the guy with mousy red hair and greyish brown eyes.
"Pardon me as well." Replied Naell.
The unusual duo then bowed and made haste to leave, with their loud arguments and banter still heard by all.
Unlike them though, the other visitors jeered and laughed at their discourse. It was noticeable that they were rather famous in TRM.
"I told you Superb Siyahn Kugo can defeat anybody." Said the other guy who had long blond hair and bright blue eyes.
"Not Taimasa, he can one kick anyone."
"..."
Somehow, both Naell and Owly felt like they saw themselves from the duo's bantering, causing them to reflect as they finally turned to leave.