Standing behind the wooden door of the inquisitive boy's room, three figures stood with varying opinions.
"So… what do you guys think? Can he win?" A deep, baritone voice said, deadly serious. Vesba had his own doubts, but chose to hear what the other's opinions were first.
"I think…" Feng Xing Liu started. "I think that he has a solid chance of winning, based on his potential. That is, if he pours every second of every moment into polishing his technique in the coming two days. If there is no opposition, then I'll personally train him during the ball, as well. He needs all the power he's going to need to advance in the competition."
Vesba sighed inwardly and glanced at the wooden door, then back to the blind woman. While he held it true that, given the boy's growth and potential, he was more than on par with the other contestants in terms of insight and talent. Not to mention his extraordinary efficiency when it comes into internal augmentation and his powerful ranged spell. In a fight with regular Adorned his age, or maybe even higher, he certainly had a high chance of winning.
However…
Glancing indifferently at the two of them, the stern sage began, her voice impassive and slightly agitated:
"That's IF he even manages to tap into that potential you so extravagantly flaunted. Don't forget: he's still a kid. An adolescent at that. From what I've seen, he's still a greenhorn. Rough around the edges, with severely lacking insight into the philosophy of what a mage, and therefore a combatant, should be."
She shrugged, then shifted slightly and continued, sounding indifferent:
"I'll train him, indoctrinate him with as much magical knowledge as I can, and then, maybe, I'll hand him over to you. If there's time. It's as you said: he needs all the power he can get. And what's more powerful than the inherent magic inside a mage's body? Nothing! That's what."
For a moment — maybe even two — the stern sage gazed intensely at the blind woman, while the latter completely ignored her… or so it seemed. Vesba, who has known the blind woman for what felt like decades, could see with his scarlet eyes the truth…
'What did she see in the boy to make her this interested in him? Curious.'
She was beyond annoyed that the stern sage would even think of stealing her test subject, a budding combatant with the talent and potential beyond mundane people. It was a rare opportunity for other masters, but not for people on their level, which hundreds and thousands of both privileged and mundane students who would kill just for a chance to be tutored, even just for a bit.
Especially the stern sage, Selen Votum, with her humble predisposition and extensive achievements at such a young age. It's not difficult to see her as nothing but a savant.
Could that have been why he was so drawn to the inquisitive boy, as well?
A grin split the giant's face like a crudely carved totem.
'Hmm… thing just get more and more interesting.'
Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Vesba intervened with the two, whose arguments seemed to be on the verge of bubbling up.
"—Well I, for one, think that it should be a combination of both. As a Fighter, I believe I am the most fitting instructor for the boy. Given his disposition to lean more into hand-to-hand combat and his astounding internal mana control. There's not a better fit than me."
He pounded his chest proudly, showing his enthusiasm and self-confidence. Indeed, who could have been a better instructor than him? Not only was he a Fighter — judging by the boy's excellent internal augmentation, he should be one as well — making their compatibility higher than all the others'. He was obviously the best choice.
The others couldn't be in more opposition, however.
'Damn charlatans.'
Selen was the first to complain.
"What do you mean, the best fit? He's obviously a Recreant! Have you not seen that space attribute spell of his? It's a marvel! Not to mention that, most likely, it had been his first spell. He's nothing short of a genius. And that's an understatement. If anybody's going to hone his magic, it's me and me alone. As a Recreant myself, it's only right that I teach him."
It would seem that Selen had completely abandoned all facsimiles and decided to let out her anger. Whether that was all of it, however, was a mystery. Vesba frowned and scoffed mockingly.
"Nonsense. You and I both know he's a Fighter. That regeneration spell he has is the trademark of a borne frontline soldier. My theory still stands."
Selen hissed, gripped her staff tighter, and sent mana running through it in a quick blast, igniting the levitating crystal atop it. Behind her glasses, her sapphire eyes shined bright enough that even the concealment enchantment on it was not enough to hide the eerie glow it produced.
The tall giant, however, remained unfazed. Solid as stone and unruly as a mountain. He was not scared in the slightest. Just… intrigued.
Not paying her any attention, the blind woman, Feng Xing Liu, began, her serene voice a direct contrast to the stern sage's agitated disposition. She had calmed down, and is thus much more amiable and logical to her approach.
Vesba subtly clicked his tongue. This was bad.
"If you're going to be talking about hand-to-hand combat, then should I not be the best candidate? Between all of us, I certainly have the highest combat experience and insight. As well as better internal mana control."
'Tch. I was hoping that the stuck-up lady would keep her agitated long enough for me to finish my argument. I guess things never go that easily, huh.'
This was it. This was what he had been afraid of. What she had said is absolutely true. Because of the unique quality of her mana, she had acclimated to it suitably over years of meditation and training, and thus gained a much higher understanding of not only mana in general, but of herself, granting her clarity beyond compare. Still, if she's going to be bringing that up…
Shifting slightly, Vesba fixed a placid smile on his face.
"Then shouldn't it be more difficult for you to teach him internal mana control? We already know of your… unique circumstance plenty enough."
Her eyebrow twitched.
"What's your point?"
His smile grew even wider.
"I'm saying, since your path is different than all of us, and most likely the boy's as well, that it would be incredibly difficult for you to teach him. Would it not?"
Vesba remained still, showing that he was not going to break nor back down. What he said wasn't wrong, nor was it a lie of any kind. Rather, it was just a trick. A simple trick. The question is: was she going fall for it?
…No, no she was not.
Leaning back comfortably, the blind woman relaxed uncharacteristically, and smiled playfully to him. For a second, she looked like a completely different person.
"Do you really think so? I beg to differ."
This was very, very bad.