The spectator seats were on both sides of the arena. On one side sat the students, brought here by tradition — to watch the new freshmen. On the other sat nobles and rulers, invited either because they were parents of the entrants or for political reasons.
Headmaster: Ladies and gentlemen! The first round of the tournament begins. Nestor Rurikovich versus Arthur! Contestants, please step to the center of the arena.
At the edge of the arena sat three judges: the headmaster, a knight of the Order of Jehovah, and another woman. The three judges each gave points from zero to ten to both duelists after the fight. Scores were given to both winner and loser — for greater accuracy in evaluation. Also, closer to us stood a woman in the white uniform of the Order of Jehovah, a healer responsible for treating the participants after the duel.
In the front row sat my mother Lada with Ariel's mother, followed by the rulers of Elarion, Azura, Tsukihana, and others. All of them were about to watch our performances, so many students were visibly nervous. Especially the lesser nobles. If you defeat some prince in a duel, you might gain a brief moment of glory, but a permanent enemy for the future. I'd bet some here will throw their matches against princes and princesses to earn their favor.
I rose from my seat and walked into the center of the arena, standing opposite Arthur. Arthur, stepping onto the stage, waved to the spectators on both sides. Ariel watched us both with satisfaction.
Ariel: Hopefully this won't be over too quickly, — she said to Daria, princess of Azura, sitting beside her.
Healer: Contestants ready?
Arthur: Ready.
Nestor: Ready.
Healer: Remember, victory comes in three cases: one of the participants falls on his back or stomach; one surrenders; or any of the judges — or I — decide that the duel must end. Understood?
Arthur: Yes, of course, — he said, raising his hands, preparing to attack.
Nestor: Understood, — I said, standing straight with my hands lowered.
The healer raised her hand, and a short chime rang out across the arena, officially starting the duel.
How should I do this? At first, I wanted to beat him quickly and painlessly. But after his earlier words, I think it's better to play with him a little. No — I must show he has no chance against me. I'm bored, I want to make it spectacular.
Arthur brought his palms together and concentrated mana. In less than a second, a small sphere of fire appeared between his hands.
Arthur, in thought: He's still standing there with that smug look. I don't know why he isn't moving, but it seems I'll finish this duel in under three seconds.
Ra — the fourth spell. Grants the ability to summon fire. The strength of the flame and the distance a mage can control it depend on his mana reserves and skill.
Before Arthur could release the fireball, I activated the mana in my body and blinked behind his back. The next moment, I swept my leg hard against his, knocking him off balance and sending him crashing to the ground. The fireball in his hands, losing its controller, dissipated into the air.
Asa — the second spell of the higher style. Grants the ability to quickly teleport (i.e. blink) over short distances. The speed and distance depend on the mage's mana and skill.
For a moment the hall fell silent, then Healer raised her hand and declared...
Healer: The duel is over!
The judges glanced at each other, unable to hide their surprise. Students and nobles either marveled, frowned in disapproval, or rejoiced — depending on who they supported. My mother gave a sweet look to Ariel's mother, Joanna, who also cast an intrigued glance at me.
Joanna: Your son has remarkable abilities.
Lada: Of course! — she replied proudly.
Maria: Ah! My hero, I love you!
Haruto: He used blink with almost no casting. Incredible.
Artem: He must have started casting even before the duel began, he cheated, — she protested.
Haruto: No, the judges constantly scan the mana around them. If anyone starts casting a spell before the bell — immediate disqualification. Which means he cast it that quickly.
Ariel: Doesn't matter, maybe that's his main spell. Either way, he probably wasted too much mana, — she said, but her eyes no longer held such confidence.
Time for the second round. We both returned to our spots. No one restored our mana. In this duel format, duelists had to conserve their mana between rounds.
Healer: Contestants ready? Then...
The chime rang again, and this time I waited until he launched several fireballs at me, which I easily dodged. After six attempts, breathing heavily, he casted another spell: Ta.
Ta — the first spell of the lower style. Allows a mage to enhance his physical strength with mana.
Visually it wasn't noticeable, but everyone guessed what he was doing. Indeed, a second later he lunged at me, hoping to overpower me in hand-to-hand combat. I also activated Ta and, after dodging a few of his failed strikes, I caught him by the collar and threw him aside. Arthur barely kept on his feet, struggling against the momentum of the throw. Laughter rippled across the arena at his expense, and Ariel looked at me with both annoyance and surprise.
Arthur: Why aren't you attacking?! Showing off?
Nestor: Obviously.
Arthur: Agh! — he screamed and with a fresh charge of Ta lunged at me again.
Swinging his fists, he tried to land a blow, but I dodged every strike. After another failed lunge, I struck his chest hard enough to send him flying several meters before crashing to the ground. Healer immediately rushed over and healed him.
From both sides of the arena came cheers and applause. Who knows, maybe nobles or students were already placing bets on me.
The judges again ruled that I had won the second round. This time I scored twenty-five points, while Arthur scored sixteen. You're joking, right? He got half the maximum? That might give the impression he actually had a chance. But it doesn't matter. My main goal was to humiliate him, and I did.
Glancing at Ariel, I saw her immediately turn away from me in displeasure. What's wrong, princess? Something not going according to plan?
In the third round I decided to show the crowd that I knew more than just Ta and Asa. As soon as the chime rang, I thrust my fist toward Arthur, and a fireball instantly shot out of my hand, striking him and knocking him to the ground. As always, Healer rushed over and healed the burns that had ruined his uniform.
Nestor — thirty points, Arthur — four points.
Arthur left the arena with a dissatisfied, spiteful look and sat down on the bench with the other students.
I bowed to both sides of the arena and also returned to my seat.
Maria: Well done! I knew you would win.
Nestor: Thank you.
Although praise from a little human means nothing to a dragon, it's still pleasant. Ariel seized the moment, while everyone was preparing for the next round, and asked Haruto to move so that she could sit next to me.
Ariel: Just because we argued doesn't mean you had to humiliate him in front of the whole school.
I didn't answer.
Ariel: Listen, I didn't want something like that to happen to him because of our quarrel. You could have at least warned me, instead of playing the silent macho then. Now the whole school will mock him! — she said, displeased but more restrained than earlier. She no longer knew how she should act around me.
I still said nothing, continuing to study the crowd of nobles opposite us. Most of them were watching me and Ariel. I bet within hours the press would be writing about a quarrel between the Prince of Rus' and the Princess of Elarion.
Ariel: Are you ignoring me on purpose? — she said, losing patience.
Nestor: Yes.
Ariel: Then that means you know you're wrong in this situation, — she turned away from me.
Again, I gave no reply.
Ariel: Maybe then you'll at least tell me where you learned to fight like that? Who was your teacher?
Nestor: I don't train with a specific teacher. Usually, I find warrior-mages in my father's service and spar with them. Or they come to me themselves for training.
Ariel: So you have no teacher? That's impossible! To fight like that, you must have trained with one.
Nestor: No, you don't.
Ariel: Then what?
Nestor: As I said, I don't have a teacher. It's true. I studied theory from the internet, from books, or directly from court warrior-mages. You'd be surprised how much you can learn firsthand from people who use magic in real battles.
Ariel: And the exams? I had the best tutors in Europe. Are you saying you learned all that on your own too?
Nestor: Of course. I despise the very idea that in our time a person must be taught directly by someone else. I studied every subject myself.
Ariel: And the tests? Who helped you check the results?
Nestor: I checked myself.
Maria, sitting next to me, leaned over and decided to join the conversation.
Maria: Ariel, nice to meet you. I'm Maria... — she said shyly, smiling. — It's true, he can't stand teachers and learns everything on his own.
Ariel: Fine. Maybe so. But you still won't make it to the finals.
Nestor: You sure? Want to set me up against someone else again?
Ariel: I didn't do anything like that, Arthur volunteered himself, — she said in displeasure and uncertainty, turning away.
Nestor: You're lying, Ariel, — I said in exactly the same tone, without feeling a hint of hostility. And why would I? People lie all the time, so there's no reason to get angry about it.
Ariel frowned and didn't answer.
Nestor: I think she's mad at me for something. Maybe because I scored higher on theory? — I whispered to Maria.
Maria: Ha-ha-ha. Let her see what we're made of! Hee-hee!
Haruto turned back to me from the front row.
Haruto: I liked the way you fought.
Nestor: Thanks. I'll be fighting you next, won't I?
Haruto: No, first I'll be fighting her. In a minute they should call us, — he said, nodding toward Maria.
Maria: Ah, yes, of course. This will be my first duel, and in front of such an audience too. Good luck to us both then! — she said, smiling warmly.
Haruto: Don't worry, my lady. You'll do well. And one more thing, Nestor — if we meet in the next round, would you mind not using blink against me? The whole academy will be watching, and I wouldn't want them to see me in a bad light.
Nestor: Agreed. Maria, I think you'd better get ready. Haruto will be joining you soon.
Maria: Ah... yes, all right. Wish me luck, — she said and nervously walked to the arena.
Nestor: Deal, if you do the same for Maria. You'll beat her, but let her show herself as well.
Haruto: Yes, fine. Ah... are you sure I'll beat her?
Nestor: Yes, — I said without elaborating.
Ariel rolled her eyes in annoyance.
Healer: Next duelists are Maria — knyazhna of Rus', and Haruto — the mage from Tsukihana.
Haruto did indeed defeat Maria, but he let her hit him several times with the Ra spell and show her abilities overall.
After that, Ariel fought against one of the students and won. Then there were more matches, and in the end the semifinals turned out to be Daria versus Ariel, and me versus Artem (a mage from Rus'). I defeated Haruto, of course, and then defeated Artem as well. Ariel overcame Daria, though by only three points. Throughout the duel she remained tense and barely scraped out the victory. From the stands, the nobles of Azura protested the results, insisting that their princess should have won.
Then a break was announced, and all the students returned to the shade, where drinks and light snacks awaited.
Daria: You performed wonderfully. I heard you had good skills, but I didn't expect them to be that good, — she said calmly and confidently. She had a lean, muscular body and long black hair tied into a braid behind her.
Nestor: Thank you.
Daria: And where's Ariel? Ah, there you are. Didn't you say he wouldn't make it to the finals? — she said with a smile. — You barely managed to beat me. Against him, you have no chance.
Artem: Yeah. Everyone heard how the two of you bragged that he had no chance. Isn't that right, Ariel? — he began in a gloomy, mocking tone. He was bitter, since I had beaten him in the semifinals after Haruto. So perhaps this was his way of compensating for his loss of status.
Daria: Too bad no one recorded your phrases like you wanted. That would be fun to listen to right now.
Artem: Well, Ariel versus Nestor is about to happen. Still a chance.
Other students around us also began talking among themselves. Arthur stayed silent, standing somewhere on the edge.
Students: Yeah, yeah. Come on! And now look, she's silent. Eyes down.
Ariel glanced around and saw every face turned against her. For now it was only at the level of jokes, but it was only the first day. If she had already fallen so low in others' eyes, what would happen when she went into a duel with me? And what about the next day, when classes began? Her heart raced, and suddenly fear overtook her.
Ariel: Nestor. Let's go. I want to talk to you, — she said quietly, uncertainly.
Artem and Daria looked at me with grins, but met my unchanged expression.
Nestor: Let's go.
Together, Ariel and I walked down a corridor where no one else was. We stopped there, and I looked at Ariel, who stood awkwardly before me.
Ariel: I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you earlier. You bowed before everyone, and it threw me off... — she said, gathering her strength and trying to look at me confidently.
Ariel, in thought: What's with his gaze? I can't tell what he feels or what he's thinking.
Nestor: Apology accepted, — I said, extending my hand to her. — I'd be glad to start over.
Ariel sighed in relief and shook it.
Ariel: You know, I've never seen a style like yours. You beat Haruto and even Artem, and it looked effortless.
Nestor: Yes, I trained long and hard to reach this level.
Ariel: I don't know if you noticed, but my mother and the Emperor of Tsukihana kept watching you. It seems you've already drawn their attention, — she said, lowering her head.
Nestor: Yes, I noticed.
Ariel: Uh-huh... And you really never studied under anyone? Maybe with someone from the Order?
Nestor: No. I've barely crossed paths with knights of the Order.
Ariel: I see.
Nestor: Come on. I'll shut everyone up so they won't laugh at you anymore.
Ariel: And what will you do in the duel?
Nestor: I won't hold back, — I said in the same unchanging tone.
Ariel: Understood. Then I'll forfeit this duel. There's no sense wasting everyone's time. Better that I face you in a class duel later, when you'll have the chance to show me how to fight better, — she said now with a resonant, pleasant, trained voice. It was both gentle and friendly — the polished voice of a princess, crafted to inspire adoration and invite friendship. Clearly, she had practiced those mannerisms for a long time.
Nestor: We'll see. Now let's go.
We returned to our group and headed toward the judges in the arena, where they were already waiting. Ariel walked ahead of me, and we both stood in the middle of the arena, facing each other.
Healer: Contestants ready?
Ariel raised her hand high and spoke loudly enough for the judges — and our parents — to hear.
Ariel: I surrender.
Our whole group — Artem, Daria, Maria, and Haruto — dropped their jaws. Ariel felt the burning stares from all sides, but this was still better than being humiliated in the duel. Her mother frowned in disapproval.
Headmaster: Uh... Very well. In that case, I declare Nestor the champion of the entrance practical exam!
Applause erupted, and we were dismissed. Our group, now sitting in the stands, whispered in surprise among themselves.
Daria: What happened? — she asked me as we both approached.
Nestor: We made peace. That's all.
Artem: Ha, I'd love to see that, — he said, and some of the boys smiled too. Ariel didn't know where to turn her gaze.
I stepped up to Artem, standing over him as he sat on the bench, and locked my gaze on him. Silence fell.
Nestor: When I say "that's all," it means no one keeps poking at old grudges. Understood?
Artem was embarrassed by my words — and even more by my steady tone — and nodded. Everyone else also fell quiet. After that, I turned, stepped between Daria and Ariel, put my arms around both their shoulders, and continued.
Nestor: Now let's talk about something fun. The exam is over, which means it's time for the celebration. Let's go! — I said, smiling only with my lips, and led the two of them forward. Artem, Maria, and Haruto instinctively followed along with the other students.
Ariel: So, Daria, what do you think of our headmaster? — she seized her chance to build connections.
I looked at Daria, and she seemed to understand what I wanted from her.
Daria: He cares more about the nobles than about us. Did you see how he kept running between the seats, trying to chat with my father? — she said cheerfully.
Ariel: Yes, yes! And when he tried to start a conversation, people looked at him like a fool.
Daria: Yeah, when he went up to my mother, she thought he was serving cocktails. And she handed him her glass! Ha-ha.
Ariel: Ah-ha, really?
Daria: Yes, I saw it myself.
And so, in that spirit, we went off to the banquet — walking, laughing, and dancing. And the next morning, we set out for our first lessons.