Ren Xiyang flew higher into the air. The rock and ice shards were annoying to deal with using only fire. He could heat the ice and rock and take control using fire magic, but that was a waste of energy.
He noticed how they were mostly targeting poor Rian. He shot out a few fire attacks to lessen Rian’s load, targeting the children.
He wasn’t affected by the misdirection spells, since he used heat-mapping automatically.
Alexius and Tierri successfully blocked the attacks against them, while Günter and Adrienne dodged using magical flight and launched their attacks against Rian.
Rian jumped onto a new ice platform and propelled it around the field, avoiding Adrienne’s and Günter’s attacks. He threw out an ice shield to block Alexius’ next attack against Ren Xiyang. When he returned his focus to the others, he realised he couldn’t locate Adrienne.
Not bad, Rian thought. He knew Ren Xiyang’s heat-sensing technique, but he hadn’t thought to practice the overall method using ice magic.
For their (real) age, these four were quite good. Now, who should he knock out first?
The entire field was being utilised; it was impossible to focus on everything all at once. Different actions caught the eyes of different people.
King Edric watched each duellist in turn. With these young mages, the future of Sedaveria was strong.
Queen Mira was pleasantly surprised that Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood didn’t simply use raw power to suppress the four defenders. They were being more accurate than usual, too.
She also felt that Alexius was a truly good boy. Instead of being disheartened by his older brother’s strength, he was motivated to work and study harder.
Count Aegean watched Prince Rian critically. Annoyingly, Prince Rian was a good duellist and it was hard for him to pick faults.
Sir Gerlach watched Prince Alexius. The young prince was holding himself up well in the real duel.
Duke Mauveine had a complex feeling watching his son duel.
Psychic magic had two branches: mind magic, relating to the perception, influence and coercion of other peoples’ minds, and motion magic, relating to the control and movement of objects. The Mauveine family had been Prime Ministers for many generations. He and past dukes of the family focused on subtle mind magic, using it to better understand the political landscape, uncover liars and spies, and to influence particular people for the better of the kingdom. Mauveines rarely duelled; it simply wasn’t an effective tactic to get what they wanted.
To see Tierri duelling…Duke Mauveine sighed. The influence of Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood was terrifying.
Viscount Obsidian kept a close eye on Adrienne and the personal shield around her. She had been promising since she was young, but her skills had leapt multiple times once she started learning to fly from Earl Rosewood and became friends with Prince Alexius. In the duel, the way her teammates helped her by creating more shadow showed just how valued she was. And her abilities lived up to it, as she propelled herself through the air and controlled the shadows at the same time to chase down Prince Rian.
Adrienne’s parents were also there, having made the long trip from the Obsidian fief to the Capital. They were surprised by Adrienne’s strength and agility. Maybe she could become the next head of the Obsidian family…
Duke Blewitt had a constant, slight frown on his face. Günter wasn’t as good as Alexius, let alone Rian. How disappointing.
At that point, a large ice polearm jabbed into Günter’s stomach, throwing Günter back. Rian had weaved, dodged, and cleared his way to his first target and took him down.
Günter’s expression immediately went bad. He tried to counterattack with ice and fire, but Rian blocked and jabbed his polearm again.
Duke Blewitt’s lips pulled back in a slight sneer. How disappointing that Günter would be the first to lose. He notified Queen Mira.
“Prince Rian has taken out Lord Günter Blewitt!” Queen Mira announced.
Rian removed the tip of the polearm from Günter’s chest and deflected a rock that was about to smash into his head.
Tierri next, Rian decided. He jumped onto the waterway, which turned into ice under his feet, allowing him to slide fast towards where Tierri was hiding.
As Rian slid on the ice, he disintegrated the path behind him, forming ice blades that he used to smash through the rocks surrounding Tierri. He formed a new ice sword as he came closer, but before he could strike, a mass of shadows rapidly intercepted him, forcing him to dodge.
A bright light suddenly flared behind Tierri, followed by a rope of fire that wrapped itself around Tierri, plucking him out of his rocky defensive field.
Rian narrowed his eyes. Dammit. He turned his focus to Adrienne.
Duke Mauveine grimaced and turned to Queen Mira.
“Earl Rosewood has taken out Lord Tierri Mauveine!” Queen Mira announced.
Adrienne took to the air the moment she realised that Prince Rian was after her. Her flying abilities were very good, and combined with her use of earth magic to place rocks in the air, she was able to temporarily hold him off.
But she wasn’t better at flying than her flying teacher. Without realising it, Ayden had appeared behind her! She instinctively released a mass of dark shadows, but the flames pierced through and wrapped around her.
It helped Adrienne dodge Rian’s attack, but pulled her into Ayden’s mercy!
Viscount Obsidian flinched. “Your Majesty…”
“Earl Rosewood has taken out Lady Adrienne Obsidian!” Queen Mira announced.
Alexius’ hands curled into fists. No! Why was he the only one left? The duel was going well, how did Ayden and Rian take down three people so quickly?!
He threw ice and water and rocks into the air, but Ayden and Rian were approaching him from two directions!
Alexius suddenly realised, crystal clear, that he couldn’t dodge both of them. With fire and ice coming his way, he made a decision. He threw all his energy into a shield to block Rian’s attack and succumbed to Ayden’s attack.
Because he would rather lose under Ayden’s hand than under Rian’s!
“Earl Rosewood has taken out Prince Alexius Azure!” Queen Mira announced. “The duel has now ended, with victory to the challengers, Crown Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood!”
The stadium burst into applause.
Alexius sat down on the ground, sighing. Four of them couldn’t defeat two people. He thought that they’d at least get Rian, but no, Rian survived too.
Rian strolled over. “Don’t sit there, come on. Do you need me to help you up?”
Alexius scrambled to his feet and retorted, “Next time…” He went over to his friends first. They walked off the field together to where their relatives were waiting.
“Good game,” Ren Xiyang said. He shook their hands.
“Thank you…” Alexius said glumly.
“You simply need more training,” Rian said.
Alexius knew that, but that didn’t help the disappointed sting. A part of him still refused to admit defeat. “Ayden…”
“Yes?” Ren Xiyang said.
“Ah! Ayden! I have another product idea! Can we talk before you leave? When are you leaving?”
“I’ll be leaving in two days, after the Imperial Gathering tomorrow. We should talk today,” Ren Xiyang said.
“Okay.”
“And no Rian. This is a collaboration between us.”
“Okay.”
Rian’s eyes became a little colder towards his little brother. Couldn’t Alexius tell that Ren Xiyang was his?
Ren Xiyang gave Rian a pat on the shoulder. The look in his eyes was clear—don’t be jealous of your little brother.
Rian looked back, clearly expressing—I’m not jealous! He turned to Alexius. “Ayden is coming with me first. We’ll meet you at lunch.”
“And then Ayden and I will talk after lunch,” Alexius said.
“Yes,” Ren Xiyang said.
Alexius brightened.
Rian felt a surge of dissatisfaction. Normally, he would have time after lunch for personal work, meaning he could have joined this meeting with Alexius and Ren Xiyang. However, due to the duel, Count Aegean forced him to make up his morning lessons after lunch.
Rian gave Ren Xiyang a manly push on the back.
Ren Xiyang gave a nod to Alexius and the others before he allowed Rian to push him away.
Rian engaged in light talk as they walked back, commenting on how the four children had worked together, and the skills and abilities they had shown.
When they reached Rian’s quarters, Rian turned around and said—“And so, while I only took one person, you took out three. You know what that means.”
“I do.”
“Well?”
“I rather we talk about this, uninterrupted, later this evening. Unless you’re not free.”
“I am,” Rian retorted. He was a bit conflicted—he didn’t like waiting when it came to Ren Xiyang. But Ren Xiyang was right, having a longer uninterrupted time to ‘discuss’ would be more rewarding. He inwardly sighed. “Very well.” He reluctantly let Ren Xiyang go to change his clothes.
Lunch was lively. Ren Xiyang sat at a table with Rian, Alexius, Günter, Tierri and Adrienne. The four children, especially Alexius and Günter, kept coming up with new ideas of what they’d do next time they duelled.
“—Next time, I’ll be even better at lightning magic! Prince Rian wouldn’t dare touch the water!” Günter said.
“What if I learn plant magic? Then I could distract Ayden with plants!” Alexius said, giggling.
“We’ll all be better at flying,” Adrienne said seriously.
“How about we only duel Prince Rian next time?” Tierri tried. This way, they’ll have a better chance.
“Didn’t Alexius tell you about one of my gifts,” Rian said. “You could have 13 duelling practice sessions with me.”
Günter’s eyes flashed. “Really?!”
“Really,” Alexius said, sounding conflicted.
“You should know just how expensive my time is,” Rian said. “Think how much money you’re saving.”
Alexius had a thoughtful expression. “You’re right.” He smiled sweetly. “Thank you, big brother!”
“Aren’t you afraid we’ll figure out how to beat you?” Günter said.
“Well, Ayden will have some tricks you won’t know. He’ll save me,” Rian said with a complacent smile.
Ren Xiyang’s lips quirked up. “Right.”
They seemed to think that there was a next time. Ren Xiyang didn’t contradict them: children should have motivating goals. And the more strong and smart young people there were, the more Ren Xiyang could rest easy.
—His dream of becoming a little agricultural scientist with his little plots of land was getting one bit closer.
After lunch, Rian had to depart for his lessons under Count Aegean’s stern gaze.
Sir Gerlach Aegean was much more relaxed and didn’t mind that Prince Alexius wanted to skip lessons today in favour of meeting with Earl Rosewood.
Alexius had an idea for magically powered single-person transport, inspired by the skateboard that Ren Xiyang had given him, combined with the floating/wheeled chairs they had developed previously.
The idea was good, but Ren Xiyang then quizzed Alexius, essentially giving him a big list of questions to answer: who was the target market? Was it civilian users or military users? What kind of safety features did Alexius think there should be? How could they protect both riders and pedestrians? Did Alexius have any designs in mind? What would be the impact on equestrian industries? Were there other industries impacted?
Alexius handled the questions well. Ren Xiyang guided him where necessary, and together, they drafted a document listing the target market and the ideal features for the new single-person transport vehicle.
After this brainstorming session, Ren Xiyang and Alexius had afternoon tea. Rian joined them, along with Adrienne, Günter, Tierri and Florence.
Ren Xiyang sat down next to Florence first, and Rian quickly claimed the other seat next to him.
“What are your plans for this afternoon?” Rian asked as he served him tea and scones to his lover.
“Thank you. My plan was to follow you today,” Ren Xiyang said.
Rian raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t follow me to class after lunch.”
“Oh, what a shame, I missed out,” Ren Xiyang said.
“And yet you’re willing to accompany me to my classes after this, with Count Aegean?”
“The key words are accompany you.”
Rian was placated. “Very well.”
Florence, the third wheel: “…” She silently sipped on her tea.
Ren Xiyang turned to Florence, now that his boyfriend (partner—they were a bit too old for ‘boyfriend’, weren’t they) was dealt with. “Florence, are you still free to meet tomorrow afternoon, after I’m done with the Imperial Council gathering?”
Florence nodded. “Yes. Where shall we meet?”
“Are you able to come to the Palace?” Rian asked.
“I can.”
“Then we’ll meet in my quarters,” Rian decided.
Florence inclined her head. “I haven’t yet congratulated you on your win today. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Ren Xiyang said. “By the way, Hadrian Terra will be arriving at my fief soon.”
“Oh? What brings him to Sedaveria?” Florence asked.
“Well…”
On the other side of the table, Günter said, “Alexius, while you were busy, we were thinking…”
“Hm?” Alexius pulled his attention away from Ayden. “What is it?”
“We should make a team-duel tournament,” Günter said. He could already imagine it, multiple teams competing for victory.
“Günter was thinking that,” Tierri clarified.
“We could have other types of competitions too!” Günter said, his competitive spirit firing up.
“Like the cooking competition that Ayden did?” Alexius said.
“Like the cooking—wait, no, aside from Ayden, which mage cooks?” Günter snorted.
“Cassiopeia Schauss bakes,” Tierri said.
“Ah yes, I remember,” Alexius said. He hadn’t had any of the birthday gift desserts from her yet (though he had eaten a few little snacks from Ayden’s gift). “It’s not a bad idea…what if the winning team gets to duel Ayden?” Alexius’s eyes grew bright at the thought. “Ayden! Do you agree?”
Alexius’s words had interrupted something that Rian was saying.
Ren Xiyang looked over. “What is it?”
“If we hold a team-duelling tournament, will you duel the winning team?”
Ren Xiyang glanced at Rian. “With Rian?”
“With me, correct?” Rian said pointedly.
Alexius faltered. “Well…If Ayden doesn’t restrict the elements he uses, we don’t need you…”
Rian: “…”
Ren Xiyang stifled a laugh.
Rian looked at his lover, feeling very betrayed.
Ren Xiyang needed to placate his partner again. “Alexius, I’m not some big evil monster boss that you need a team to fight and win. Since this is about team duels, Prince Rian and I should be a team. Think about everything, okay?”
Alexius remembered all the things Ayden had questioned him about regarding his product idea and understood what Ayden meant now. He nodded. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
Günter made a face. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s a lot we need to consider first,” Alexius replied.
While Alexius talked with his friends, Ren Xiyang bumped Rian’s legs under the table. Coaxing Rian was hard work!
Rian: ……
Cassiopeia: （・_・）
Alexius: (^_^)
Florence: (◡_◡)
Ren Xiyang flew higher into the air. The rock and ice shards were annoying to deal with using only fire. He could heat the ice and rock and take control using fire magic, but that was a waste of energy.
He noticed how they were mostly targeting poor Rian. He shot out a few fire attacks to lessen Rian’s load, targeting the children.
He wasn’t affected by the misdirection spells, since he used heat-mapping automatically.
Alexius and Tierri successfully blocked the attacks against them, while Günter and Adrienne dodged using magical flight and launched their attacks against Rian.
Rian jumped onto a new ice platform and propelled it around the field, avoiding Adrienne’s and Günter’s attacks. He threw out an ice shield to block Alexius’ next attack against Ren Xiyang. When he returned his focus to the others, he realised he couldn’t locate Adrienne.
Not bad, Rian thought. He knew Ren Xiyang’s heat-sensing technique, but he hadn’t thought to practice the overall method using ice magic.
For their (real) age, these four were quite good. Now, who should he knock out first?
The entire field was being utilised; it was impossible to focus on everything all at once. Different actions caught the eyes of different people.
King Edric watched each duellist in turn. With these young mages, the future of Sedaveria was strong.
Queen Mira was pleasantly surprised that Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood didn’t simply use raw power to suppress the four defenders. They were being more accurate than usual, too.
She also felt that Alexius was a truly good boy. Instead of being disheartened by his older brother’s strength, he was motivated to work and study harder.
Count Aegean watched Prince Rian critically. Annoyingly, Prince Rian was a good duellist and it was hard for him to pick faults.
Sir Gerlach watched Prince Alexius. The young prince was holding himself up well in the real duel.
Duke Mauveine had a complex feeling watching his son duel.
Psychic magic had two branches: mind magic, relating to the perception, influence and coercion of other peoples’ minds, and motion magic, relating to the control and movement of objects. The Mauveine family had been Prime Ministers for many generations. He and past dukes of the family focused on subtle mind magic, using it to better understand the political landscape, uncover liars and spies, and to influence particular people for the better of the kingdom. Mauveines rarely duelled; it simply wasn’t an effective tactic to get what they wanted.
To see Tierri duelling…Duke Mauveine sighed. The influence of Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood was terrifying.
Viscount Obsidian kept a close eye on Adrienne and the personal shield around her. She had been promising since she was young, but her skills had leapt multiple times once she started learning to fly from Earl Rosewood and became friends with Prince Alexius. In the duel, the way her teammates helped her by creating more shadow showed just how valued she was. And her abilities lived up to it, as she propelled herself through the air and controlled the shadows at the same time to chase down Prince Rian.
Adrienne’s parents were also there, having made the long trip from the Obsidian fief to the Capital. They were surprised by Adrienne’s strength and agility. Maybe she could become the next head of the Obsidian family…
Duke Blewitt had a constant, slight frown on his face. Günter wasn’t as good as Alexius, let alone Rian. How disappointing.
At that point, a large ice polearm jabbed into Günter’s stomach, throwing Günter back. Rian had weaved, dodged, and cleared his way to his first target and took him down.
Günter’s expression immediately went bad. He tried to counterattack with ice and fire, but Rian blocked and jabbed his polearm again.
Duke Blewitt’s lips pulled back in a slight sneer. How disappointing that Günter would be the first to lose. He notified Queen Mira.
“Prince Rian has taken out Lord Günter Blewitt!” Queen Mira announced.
Rian removed the tip of the polearm from Günter’s chest and deflected a rock that was about to smash into his head.
Tierri next, Rian decided. He jumped onto the waterway, which turned into ice under his feet, allowing him to slide fast towards where Tierri was hiding.
As Rian slid on the ice, he disintegrated the path behind him, forming ice blades that he used to smash through the rocks surrounding Tierri. He formed a new ice sword as he came closer, but before he could strike, a mass of shadows rapidly intercepted him, forcing him to dodge.
A bright light suddenly flared behind Tierri, followed by a rope of fire that wrapped itself around Tierri, plucking him out of his rocky defensive field.
Rian narrowed his eyes. Dammit. He turned his focus to Adrienne.
Duke Mauveine grimaced and turned to Queen Mira.
“Earl Rosewood has taken out Lord Tierri Mauveine!” Queen Mira announced.
Adrienne took to the air the moment she realised that Prince Rian was after her. Her flying abilities were very good, and combined with her use of earth magic to place rocks in the air, she was able to temporarily hold him off.
But she wasn’t better at flying than her flying teacher. Without realising it, Ayden had appeared behind her! She instinctively released a mass of dark shadows, but the flames pierced through and wrapped around her.
It helped Adrienne dodge Rian’s attack, but pulled her into Ayden’s mercy!
Viscount Obsidian flinched. “Your Majesty…”
“Earl Rosewood has taken out Lady Adrienne Obsidian!” Queen Mira announced.
Alexius’ hands curled into fists. No! Why was he the only one left? The duel was going well, how did Ayden and Rian take down three people so quickly?!
He threw ice and water and rocks into the air, but Ayden and Rian were approaching him from two directions!
Alexius suddenly realised, crystal clear, that he couldn’t dodge both of them. With fire and ice coming his way, he made a decision. He threw all his energy into a shield to block Rian’s attack and succumbed to Ayden’s attack.
Because he would rather lose under Ayden’s hand than under Rian’s!
“Earl Rosewood has taken out Prince Alexius Azure!” Queen Mira announced. “The duel has now ended, with victory to the challengers, Crown Prince Rian and Earl Rosewood!”
The stadium burst into applause.
Alexius sat down on the ground, sighing. Four of them couldn’t defeat two people. He thought that they’d at least get Rian, but no, Rian survived too.
Rian strolled over. “Don’t sit there, come on. Do you need me to help you up?”
Alexius scrambled to his feet and retorted, “Next time…” He went over to his friends first. They walked off the field together to where their relatives were waiting.
“Good game,” Ren Xiyang said. He shook their hands.
“Thank you…” Alexius said glumly.
“You simply need more training,” Rian said.
Alexius knew that, but that didn’t help the disappointed sting. A part of him still refused to admit defeat. “Ayden…”
“Yes?” Ren Xiyang said.
“Ah! Ayden! I have another product idea! Can we talk before you leave? When are you leaving?”
“I’ll be leaving in two days, after the Imperial Gathering tomorrow. We should talk today,” Ren Xiyang said.
“Okay.”
“And no Rian. This is a collaboration between us.”
“Okay.”
Rian’s eyes became a little colder towards his little brother. Couldn’t Alexius tell that Ren Xiyang was his?
Ren Xiyang gave Rian a pat on the shoulder. The look in his eyes was clear—don’t be jealous of your little brother.
Rian looked back, clearly expressing—I’m not jealous! He turned to Alexius. “Ayden is coming with me first. We’ll meet you at lunch.”
“And then Ayden and I will talk after lunch,” Alexius said.
“Yes,” Ren Xiyang said.
Alexius brightened.
Rian felt a surge of dissatisfaction. Normally, he would have time after lunch for personal work, meaning he could have joined this meeting with Alexius and Ren Xiyang. However, due to the duel, Count Aegean forced him to make up his morning lessons after lunch.
Rian gave Ren Xiyang a manly push on the back.
Ren Xiyang gave a nod to Alexius and the others before he allowed Rian to push him away.
Rian engaged in light talk as they walked back, commenting on how the four children had worked together, and the skills and abilities they had shown.
When they reached Rian’s quarters, Rian turned around and said—“And so, while I only took one person, you took out three. You know what that means.”
“I do.”
“Well?”
“I rather we talk about this, uninterrupted, later this evening. Unless you’re not free.”
“I am,” Rian retorted. He was a bit conflicted—he didn’t like waiting when it came to Ren Xiyang. But Ren Xiyang was right, having a longer uninterrupted time to ‘discuss’ would be more rewarding. He inwardly sighed. “Very well.” He reluctantly let Ren Xiyang go to change his clothes.
Lunch was lively. Ren Xiyang sat at a table with Rian, Alexius, Günter, Tierri and Adrienne. The four children, especially Alexius and Günter, kept coming up with new ideas of what they’d do next time they duelled.
“—Next time, I’ll be even better at lightning magic! Prince Rian wouldn’t dare touch the water!” Günter said.
“What if I learn plant magic? Then I could distract Ayden with plants!” Alexius said, giggling.
“We’ll all be better at flying,” Adrienne said seriously.
“How about we only duel Prince Rian next time?” Tierri tried. This way, they’ll have a better chance.
“Didn’t Alexius tell you about one of my gifts,” Rian said. “You could have 13 duelling practice sessions with me.”
Günter’s eyes flashed. “Really?!”
“Really,” Alexius said, sounding conflicted.
“You should know just how expensive my time is,” Rian said. “Think how much money you’re saving.”
Alexius had a thoughtful expression. “You’re right.” He smiled sweetly. “Thank you, big brother!”
“Aren’t you afraid we’ll figure out how to beat you?” Günter said.
“Well, Ayden will have some tricks you won’t know. He’ll save me,” Rian said with a complacent smile.
Ren Xiyang’s lips quirked up. “Right.”
They seemed to think that there was a next time. Ren Xiyang didn’t contradict them: children should have motivating goals. And the more strong and smart young people there were, the more Ren Xiyang could rest easy.
—His dream of becoming a little agricultural scientist with his little plots of land was getting one bit closer.
After lunch, Rian had to depart for his lessons under Count Aegean’s stern gaze.
Sir Gerlach Aegean was much more relaxed and didn’t mind that Prince Alexius wanted to skip lessons today in favour of meeting with Earl Rosewood.
Alexius had an idea for magically powered single-person transport, inspired by the skateboard that Ren Xiyang had given him, combined with the floating/wheeled chairs they had developed previously.
The idea was good, but Ren Xiyang then quizzed Alexius, essentially giving him a big list of questions to answer: who was the target market? Was it civilian users or military users? What kind of safety features did Alexius think there should be? How could they protect both riders and pedestrians? Did Alexius have any designs in mind? What would be the impact on equestrian industries? Were there other industries impacted?
Alexius handled the questions well. Ren Xiyang guided him where necessary, and together, they drafted a document listing the target market and the ideal features for the new single-person transport vehicle.
After this brainstorming session, Ren Xiyang and Alexius had afternoon tea. Rian joined them, along with Adrienne, Günter, Tierri and Florence.
Ren Xiyang sat down next to Florence first, and Rian quickly claimed the other seat next to him.
“What are your plans for this afternoon?” Rian asked as he served him tea and scones to his lover.
“Thank you. My plan was to follow you today,” Ren Xiyang said.
Rian raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t follow me to class after lunch.”
“Oh, what a shame, I missed out,” Ren Xiyang said.
“And yet you’re willing to accompany me to my classes after this, with Count Aegean?”
“The key words are accompany you.”
Rian was placated. “Very well.”
Florence, the third wheel: “…” She silently sipped on her tea.
Ren Xiyang turned to Florence, now that his boyfriend (partner—they were a bit too old for ‘boyfriend’, weren’t they) was dealt with. “Florence, are you still free to meet tomorrow afternoon, after I’m done with the Imperial Council gathering?”
Florence nodded. “Yes. Where shall we meet?”
“Are you able to come to the Palace?” Rian asked.
“I can.”
“Then we’ll meet in my quarters,” Rian decided.
Florence inclined her head. “I haven’t yet congratulated you on your win today. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” Ren Xiyang said. “By the way, Hadrian Terra will be arriving at my fief soon.”
“Oh? What brings him to Sedaveria?” Florence asked.
“Well…”
On the other side of the table, Günter said, “Alexius, while you were busy, we were thinking…”
“Hm?” Alexius pulled his attention away from Ayden. “What is it?”
“We should make a team-duel tournament,” Günter said. He could already imagine it, multiple teams competing for victory.
“Günter was thinking that,” Tierri clarified.
“We could have other types of competitions too!” Günter said, his competitive spirit firing up.
“Like the cooking competition that Ayden did?” Alexius said.
“Like the cooking—wait, no, aside from Ayden, which mage cooks?” Günter snorted.
“Cassiopeia Schauss bakes,” Tierri said.
“Ah yes, I remember,” Alexius said. He hadn’t had any of the birthday gift desserts from her yet (though he had eaten a few little snacks from Ayden’s gift). “It’s not a bad idea…what if the winning team gets to duel Ayden?” Alexius’s eyes grew bright at the thought. “Ayden! Do you agree?”
Alexius’s words had interrupted something that Rian was saying.
Ren Xiyang looked over. “What is it?”
“If we hold a team-duelling tournament, will you duel the winning team?”
Ren Xiyang glanced at Rian. “With Rian?”
“With me, correct?” Rian said pointedly.
Alexius faltered. “Well…If Ayden doesn’t restrict the elements he uses, we don’t need you…”
Rian: “…”
Ren Xiyang stifled a laugh.
Rian looked at his lover, feeling very betrayed.
Ren Xiyang needed to placate his partner again. “Alexius, I’m not some big evil monster boss that you need a team to fight and win. Since this is about team duels, Prince Rian and I should be a team. Think about everything, okay?”
Alexius remembered all the things Ayden had questioned him about regarding his product idea and understood what Ayden meant now. He nodded. “Okay, I’ll think about it.”
Günter made a face. “What are you talking about?”
“There’s a lot we need to consider first,” Alexius replied.
While Alexius talked with his friends, Ren Xiyang bumped Rian’s legs under the table. Coaxing Rian was hard work!
Rian: ……
Cassiopeia: （・_・）
Alexius: (^_^)
Florence: (◡_◡)
