"Kent, it's not funny... answer me. Where did you get this pet and branded clothes?" Thea asked impatiently.
Kent didn't lose his temper, even though Thea was asking continuous questions. "Why are you asking me all these questions? Why should I answer you?" Kent asked back with a calm face.
"Because I fed you until you were 18. I took care of you until last week. Who do you think will come for you if you steal someone's money or rob a house?" Thea asked in an angry tone while controlling her volume to avoid unnecessary attention from nearby fighters at the raised platform.
"You don't need to worry about that. I didn't rob others. Also, do you care about me now? If the answer is yes, call me hubby in front of all others. Otherwise, stop bothering me. You lost every right on me when kicked me out." Kent spoke in a serious tone while staring into Thea's fluttering eyes.
Thea became silent as she couldn't reply to his question. After two minutes of deep silence, Kent mounted on his Fire Kirin to leave.
"Kent, withdraw from the competition. You are not a match for Arul. He practiced 'A' rank combat spells. At least listen to me this once." Thea spoke with concern, trying to protect Kent from humiliation in the arena.
"Don't worry about me. I know my limits. Your husband is not a weak man like before." Kent replied with a serious look and flew away from the ground.
Thea stood like a statue in the center of the arena, staring at the Fire Kirin in the sky. She felt a different feeling when Kent spoke the last sentence.
Just as Kent left, the arena barrier opened, and the disciples rushed to meet their favorite fighters. Most of them ran towards Mia Snow, who stood on the raised platform.
"Elder Thea, where did that new young master go? Do you know his name?" Senior sister Mo, who came to congratulate Kent, asked Thea, as Kent had already left. Along with Mo Zen, several other young ladies came to find the identity of Kent.
"He is Kent, who used to be in third grade. Don't you guys already know him?" Thea was questioned with a confused look.
"Do you believe me now?!" Luna cried out from the mob in a loud tone.
_
Kent, after leaving the arena, didn't go home. He reached the training grounds of the school and reserved an aura room until the evening. After paying 50 bronze coins, Kent picked up the key stone and entered room number 13. [Due to the increased duration he paid 50 coins unlike 15 last time.]
"The competition is just five days away, and practicing the 99 arrows is an impossible task. It's better if I choose a few good spell arrows and practice them to perfection." Kent muttered while opening the 99 arrows of the Arcane Tome.
With a sigh, he began reading the names and descriptions of all the arrows first. Also, he picked a long feather and cloth note to write down the names of a few powerful and less-time-taking spell arrows to master for the upcoming competition.
As he worked, the hours seemed to slip away, the passage of time unnoticed in his singular focus. The soft glow of the aura room enveloped him like a cocoon, shielding him from the outside world as he dove deeper into his studies.
_
The tall, slender young man sat in front of the imposing mansion on a leaning chair. He exuded an air of nonchalance, fanning himself leisurely with his colorful hand fan. He is Red Fox, a notorious figure in the silver leaf city's betting gang, known for his cunning ideas.
A stout young man, dressed entirely in black, panted heavily as he reached the red fox with a worried face. "Boss Fox, the guy named Kent Clark won the golden flag in combat matching. He chose young master Arul as his opponent in the first round of the competition." Blackie said while gasping for air.
Red Fox raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable as he processed the information. Before he could respond, another figure, dressed in pristine white, came running towards the mansion, his breath ragged from his sprint.
"Brother Red Fox, fatty Ben, is celebrating in the Spring Rain Club. He's shouting Kent's name like a madman."
Red Fox yawned lazily, as he didn't consider the news a real problem. His lips curled into a sly smile as he waved off their urgent news with a lazy flick of his hand.
"You two, stop worrying unnecessarily and fetch me some wine." Red Fox said it in a drowsy tone.
Blackie opened his mouth to protest, but Red Fox silenced him with a commanding gesture. "I already know what happened. You guys, stop worrying about Kent. He's just a 6th class Magus. Competing against young master Arul is nothing but a death sentence for Kent."
A gleam of amusement danced in Red Fox's eyes as he leaned back in his chair, fanning himself with renewed vigor. "So, stop worrying and gather all your reserve money. We're going to drain Fatty Ben's wealth in this competition."
Turning to his loyal associates, Blackie and Whitey, Red Fox's smile widened with a hint of mischief. "Boss, we both already gathered 50 golds for the competition."
"That's not enough!" Red Fox sat straight as he stared at Blackie with a serious look. "This time we have a golden opportunity to crush the fatty Ben. So, 50 gold won't be enough." Red Fox declared, keeping his fan aside.
Boss, what do you mean? 50 gold is a lot. Also, with the addition of your 50 gold, we will have 100 gold in total. That's a large sum for any one silver leaf city." Blackie said it in a surprised tone.
"Do you all forget Fatty Ben's family background? Hundred gold won't be enough to bankrupt him, and this is the only chance we have, as Kent would definitely lose in the first battle.
So, we must plan correctly to defeat Fatty Ben and make him withdraw from gambling. Then we all can monopolize the future of gambling." Red Fix announced his plan with an ambitious smile.
Both Blackie and Whitey stood in a shocked state after hearing Red Fox's ambition. "Boss, you are really a genius. I never had this idea of monopolizing gambling in Silver Leaf City. You are truly great." Blackie directly bowed to show his respect.
"Yes, boss, you're really thinking of a brilliant plan to finish Gold Rat's gambling career." Whitey added with a wide grin.
"We're going to need more capital to make this plan work," Red Fox began, his voice low and conspiratorial. "And we need 500 gold to bury fatty Ben in debt."
Blackie's eyes widened in surprise, while Whitey nodded in understanding. "Boos, that's impossible. 500 gold is too much for any of our families."
"But how do we convince the Wizard Bank to lend us such a large sum?" Whitey asked, his brow furrowing in thought.
"Don't worry about the capital. Contact Paul Semen; he will help us with the capital. Even though it is a lot of money for him, his powerful wand will fetch a loan for us from the Goblin bank." Red Fox declared while staring at the horizon with a triumphant smile.
"Boss, what if Paul Semen refused to help us?" Blackie asked with a confused face.
Red Fox's smile widened as he revealed his plan. "We'll offer him a deal he can't refuse. We'll promise a cut of the winnings from the gambling, along with interest, of course. Once he hears about Kent, he will automatically agree to our request."
Blackie's eyes gleamed with excitement, while Whitey nodded in approval. It was a risky plan, but if successful, it would pay off handsomely.
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///Big A/N - Our book is successfully got contracted today. Thank you all for the support. Please continue to be part of this long journey. Don't forget vote Golden Tickets. Also, I'm waiting for my first gift... :-D//// LOVE