Chapter 8: 111-120

i𝗻𝚗re𝗮𝐝. 𝙘𝑜m

The next morning I woke up to two people hugging my body as if I was some kind of body pillow. Sophie was on my left, and Sei was on my right. I couldn't help but blush slightly at this because of everything that has been going on with Adel.

"Mufu…." I watched as Sei shifted and buried her head into my neck, causing me to feel a bit awkward. I raised my hand and brought it down with a fist of fury. No….. But I will shake her awake.

"Sei, wake up." I shook her shoulder, causing her to groan in annoyance, which resulted in her turning over and facing the other way. All that was left was to peel Sophie off me so I could get up, and I was golden. Luckily with Sophie, she never really held on tight so slipping out of her grip was always easy.

Once I was free, I got up and crawled out of the tent before zipping the door back up. Once I could finally stand, I stretched and took a deep breath of the crisp morning air. "Seems winter is around the corner."

"Morning, Faith. Want a cup?" Thurul's voice caught my attention. I turned to see him tending to the fire brewing what looked to be this world's equivalent to coffee. It was a bit stronger, but it was sweet instead of bitter, which I found appealing.

"Sure. where did you get that from?" I was confused. I did not see him bringing anything in.-.

"Melinda gave me some when she saw me tending to the fire. This stuff is great when you have a hangover." Thurul said with a self defeating smile. I could tell he was feeling it. He did drink a lot last night.

"Next time, don't start drinking contests with the King." I said in a teasing voice, causing him to chuckle.

"Well. It is kind of hard to ignore a request from the ruler of the kingdom. But I must say for a human, he is a good man. He understands the meaning of being a ruler." Thurul seemed to be one who did not praise people much, so I guess this was a good thing coming from him.

"He is indeed a good King. Sadly his son or sons, are not the best. I do not know what will need to be done before they are ready to take over for him. Maybe if we can figure out a way to make the King live forever, then Gravos will always prosper." I said this as a joke, but it made me wonder what I could do for my family. I had thought about trying to share my mana with them, but that would not really give them infinity mana. They would only never use the mana they have. Or whatever was used would be refilled instantly. If mana is what extends life based on your mana capacity, how would I go about extending the lives of others?

"Hmmm… Us dwarves are already a long lived race, much longer than humans. We can live to be six hundred years old or more. And even then, with all of our technology, we still can not figure out a way to extend the lives of others. Sadly the same goes for the elves who are masters of magic." Thurul explained as he took a sip of his coffee while passing me another cup.

The warm cup in my hands made the morning chill vanish as I blew on the top to watch the steam come out of my mouth. "I wonder…. I had once thought about sharing mana, but that doesn't solve the underlying issue. It is the max mana one can hold that allows their lives to be extended."

"That is the case. Once a person is born their life expectancy will be decided. If you are able to have above average mana as a human, you may live a few hundred years. But it also is based on race as well. I'd say your race is able to live just as long as we dwarves, if not longer. While those pointy ears will live to be a thousand or so years old. But this is because they combine their mana capacity with their race." Thurul let out a sigh. I guess he was jealous of the elves.

"I plan to research it a bit when I reach the academy. I hope to be able to dive into the library there and find some things that might help." I could only hope that maybe I could find something sooner rather than later.

"Ahhhh!" A loud ear piercing scream came from within the tent, and the sound of skin on skin was heard. I watched as a red faced Sophie crawled out of the tent in a hurry and dived into my arms.

"Sophie!?" It is good that I was paying attention, or my coffee would have gone everywhere!

"Sophie, did you need to freak out like that? I mean, you slapped me good! It's not like I meant to hug you like that!" Sei came crawling out as well with a large handprint on her face. I guess Sei must have rolled back over and clung on to Sophie, and with Sophie's inability to handle others well, I can imagine Sophie's reaction.

"Sei, Sophie is not good with others as it is. I mean, I had to roll you over myself this morning because you clung on like I was your pillow." I couldn't help but sigh. It's not like Sei knows what she is doing while she is asleep. It is basically impossible to know unless you record yourself sleeping.

"Well…. Sorry…." Sei pursed her lips and apologized.

"See, Sophie, she didn't mean to." I said while scratching the fox girl's ears. Sophie turned her head and looked at her, still red in the face. Only after a few more minutes of coaxing did she finally stand up and sit next to me but still kept her distance from Sei.

"Here's you two go. Drink this and calm your nerves." Thurul handed two more cups of coffee out. "I will go back today and finish up some more product. With the cast, I think I can get around another hundred done today. Once you get the field clear and need to get the factory going, let me know. I will work on a really nice forge setup that will allow you to make a few hundred at a time."

"I owe you a big one, Thurul. You are doing ninety percent of the work right now. We can adjust the contract if you want a bigger cut." I felt bad at this rate, even ten percent was kind of low.

"No, it's fine. Just when you get things set up here, I would like you to take a trip to my kingdom and set up shop there as well. Not so much with the pens but your other idea there." I guess he is talking about the hover carriages. They would make things much easier, especially if they are hauling lots of goods around.

"I would need to talk with His Majesty before I make any decisions outside the kingdom itself. Maybe if we signed a trade agreement or some kind of alliance between the two nations." I really did not know how that all worked, so I was just speaking what came to mind.

"Hmmm… alliance, huh? That may be possible. But we will need to wait until an actual prototype is actually working and call over a delegation to see it themselves. Bah! Politics was never my thing." Thurul downed his cup of coffee in one go and stood up. "I be off. You take care, Lass."

"Mmm… You too! Make sure you come to the tournament to watch me win!" I said with a wide grin.

Thurul smiled back as he said: "You betcha!"

"Not if I can help it!" Sei must have seen my declaration as a challenge because she quickly jumped in on my words.

"Okay, let's finish up our coffee and start on that barrier!" I really wanted to know the inner workings of these barriers that allowed you to register people to them. This would make things much easier later on.

Thirty minutes later, I was standing next to Sei in front of a large stone we had just moved and embedded into the ground in the center of the plot of land. This was just a large rock, nothing really special about it, but that was what was to come next. "Okay, to do a barrier correctly, we will use this stone as its core. Now the trick is the inscription. First, cast the barrier you wish to use. I would suggest one that blocks people from leaving or entering. The idea is to make the barrier as strong as possible. The core itself will then be protected by a multi layer barrier making it impossible to break from the inside unless the person is stronger than the caster."

i𝓷𝚗𝓻𝒆𝓪𝒅. co𝘮

"Oh? Does it need to be done with multiple barriers? What about a barrier that can't be destroyed unless the caster runs out of mana?" I could not do this, or I would be outing myself to be someone with infinity mana, but this did not mean I could not ask the question. I was generally interested in what Sei would say to such a question.

"It's not that it can not be done but who in their right mind would put themselves at risk?" Sei countered with her own question. I could only give a dry laugh. I mean, I couldn't run out of mana, but that did not mean others couldn't.

"Okay, anyway, how does this inscription work anyway?" I decided to change the subject.

"Basically, to inscribe anything, you need the mana capacity for it as it will take up a lot of mana to write out the entire runic equation, unlike casting a spell where you use your mana to create a magic circle that needs to be activated in a short time. Runic inscription only needs you to infuse mana into the runes. Of course, these runes will need to be recharged every so often, but that is nothing major and only takes a few minutes. It is the inscription that takes a while. So watch closely because the process is very delicate." I watched as Sei's finger lit up with a ball of mana. Not magic but actual pure mana. It was not my first time seeing such a thing, but what I saw next really caught my attention.

She placed her finger onto the stone and pressed it into it, causing her finger to sink into the stone as if it was a hot knife cutting butter. She then began to proceed to write out the runic inscription that tied this stone to my barrier, making it the core of the barrier. Now all someone had to do was inject their mana into the stone to register themselves as a person living here, and they could then pass through the barrier unimpeded like how I could at the inn. Just seeing how it all worked reminded me that I still have a long way to go on my journey of magic.-.

While Sei was actually going quite quickly with the inscription, I could see the beads of sweat forming on her forehead. While it looked simple, the task of inscribing runes into anything was delicate and needed precise mana control. It took her almost an hour to complete the entire inscription, and only then did she let out a sigh of relief: "Done. All that is left is for you to pour in enough mana to allow the barrier and the inscription to stay functional. It will also register you as the main owner of the core."

I nodded and placed my hand on the inscription. I slowly began to inject my mana into the stone, and as I did, the runes grew brighter and brighter as my mana infused into them until Sei's mana was completely overwritten, and only my mana remained. I caught the bitter smile on Sei's lips as I continued to pour my mana into the runes. About ten minutes had passed before I finally removed my hand and created a five layer barrier around the stone. "There…."

"You really do amaze me. You just injected enough mana to last a few years…." Sei's words made me purse my lips. My understanding of what is too much is something I am not too good at figuring out. What is normal for me is freakish in the eyes of others. But at least now, I do not need to deal with the core for a while. Now it was just registering everyone.

I called a meeting of all of the residents on this plot of land to finally figure out who was working and who was not. I stood up on the makeshift stage and looked out over everyone here. "As I said before, I will not be providing any help to those who do not wish to work for it. One must understand that in order to survive, one must work. But I promise that by working, you will be able to live better lives and that you will be making a fair wage and get the benefits that any other person would get. You are not slaves but people who are just trying to live your lives.

"The barrier to protect this area is now up. Those who will be staying to work for me are welcome to register themselves and their families to be able to pass through the barrier freely. No one will be able to endanger your lives anymore. Your safety will be secure while within the bounds of the barrier. This means you can sleep at ease at night from now on." I looked out over the crowd that was looking back at me with eyes full of hope and smiled. This was the first step, the first step in reclaiming the slums and making them a better place for those who wish to live good lives.

It took almost the entire day to finish registering all those who were staying. From young to old, as long as they could move, their mana freely was registered. Younger kids who were not old enough would be registered on the day they were old enough. After a while, I will have someone become the leader of this group, and they will be able to register new people as they see fit. Of course, I would deal with those who abused their power as well. Hopefully, it will never come down to that.

With everything set, I walked home with Sophie and Sei in tow. It was going to be nice sleeping in the same bed. Tomorrow I would have to hand out jobs for everyone, but for tonight I just wanted everyone to rest. The more important things would begin tomorrow.

But now my house has a new resident. Sei was going to be living with me as my personal bodyguard. Not that I need one but to have a black knight with me in case anything happens actually puts my mind at ease. There were going to be a lot of things happening soon due to me taking over the east side slums and the increased knight presence patrolling the streets. Each aspect of the changes to come will affect many nobles, which means they will either…

A: Target me.

B: Target someone around me.

C: Or go after the Prince.

While I would preferably like for them to target the prince since it would make things easier but if they target anyone I hold dear, I might end up losing it and will end up flipping the entire capital upside down until I find the one responsible. There is just no way around it. Whatever punishment I am to get, I will deal with after the fact.

As we entered the house, Annie and the other girls were already preparing dinner. The scent of the meal they were making filled the air making my stomach grumble. "Annie, Rina, Brooke, I'm home!"

"Young Miss! You are okay!" Annie called out in a worried voice as she rushed into the room along with the other two girls. I was not able to tell them I was staying outside. So I am sure they were worried.

Scratching my head, I have an apologetic look as I said: "Sorry for worrying you. The King showed up yesterday, and we ended up staying up late, and since I still had things to do at the plot of land, we ended up staying the night."

"I am just glad you are okay, Young Miss. The food is almost ready, so please wait a little while." Annie was always on the move. After she finished speaking, she bowed to me and ran off. Although Brooke seemed more worried about Sophie because she was still checking her out to make sure there was nothing wrong with her. Sophie and Brooke really did get along well. I was glad to see it. Even now, Sophie was flustered as to what to do with the little girl, but she still let Brooke hop around her as she did her inspection.

"I guess with you here, I will become invisible." Sei said while fake sobbing.

"They are just worried because Sophie and I did not come home yesterday."

"I know, but I am amazed. Besides Annie, the other girls were having trouble being around others, but they seemed to have warmed up to you real quick. I mean, Rina is still inspecting your tail and wings for the tiniest of scratches." As Sei said, Sophie was not the only one getting a full body check. I was too. Rina had been hopping around me this entire time looking for the smallest scratch. I did find it amusing though. I will have to be sure to reward the girls later and take them all out to eat.

As the days passed, I assigned everyone at the plot of land with jobs and made sure everyone only worked eight hours max and had at least two breaks and a lunch break during the day. After that, I began settling a few other things while keeping my eyes and ears open for any signs of nobles trying to mess around.

And now, finally, it was the day of the tournament, and I was currently standing with my maids, Sei, Thurul, Sophie, Fred, and a very disgruntled Gesel. "Sei, why are you even here!? And what is with that get up!? Why are you looking like you are Faith's age!?"

"Gesel, for someone who is always looking for a fight, why do you always complain when I am around? Is it because you can not win against me?" Sei asked with a teasing smile on her face causing Gesel to stamp her feet in frustration. I guess she couldn't retort Sei's words.

"Not that it matters since I will be the one to win today." I decided to throw flames on the fire, which caused both girls to turn to me and yell out: ""Not if I can help it!"" They were perfectly in sync.

"There he is." Sei pointed over to an older man with no shirt on with big muscles and many scars all over his body. "That is Sir Derek Tandor, the one who is going to be rated highest to win the tournament."

"Is he really that well known?" I asked. I mean, I thought the black knights were like some kind of secret organization, but the more I learn about them, the more I am disappointed in how well known they are. But then again, I should have figured that out quickly after the king arrived with them surrounding him.-.

"He is very well known for the war against the Holkindine Kingdom to the southeast. They barely boarded our kingdom, but they forced their way in, taking quite a bit of land fifty years back. It was Sir Derek Tandor who pushed back an army of one million with a single group of one hundred soldiers. He is very powerful. And that was before he joined the black knights."

I frowned upon hearing this. Sir Derek was basically a living legend among legends. But to be able to use only one hundred men to push back an army of over one million. What kind of tactics did he even use? It kind of makes me wonder if I were sane and went out onto the battlefield if I could do the same thing. When I first fought the Norian army near my home, I was sane for a good portion of it, but I did not come up with any good plans right away. Now that I think about it, as they were all on the ground, I could have just made a massive pitfall and filled it back up, and then the entire army would have disappeared. But that would only work if I caught them by surprise.

The second time I fought, I was sane, but I was also using it as a learning experience and needed the men under me to also participate. If It was not for that, I might have won the battle much faster. But I guess inexperience will also do that to a person as well.

"Oh, he's walking over here. Looks like Sei is in for it!" Gesel teased, causing Sei to purse her lips. I wonder if Sir Derek was mad or not. His facial expression was very hard to read. He looked stern and had a kind of pressure about him when you looked into his eyes, but for some reason, he seemed to be in a good mood. I am not sure why I thought this way, though.

But to everyone's surprise, including my own, Sir Derek did not walk over to Sei but over to me and placed his calloused hand on top of my head. "Faith Cyrilia, I presume?"

"Ah yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Derek." I answered, a bit confused as to why he was rubbing the top of my head.

"Haha! To think so young yet was able to send the Norian army packing. Not letting a single one go. You have my gratitude. I hope to see you in the finals." Sir Derek stopped there before turning around and walking away, leaving me with a messy set of hair and a very confused look on my face.

"Ummm…" I couldn't even figure out what to say as I combed my hair with my fingers.

"Don't even try to think of what is going on inside that old man's head. But I will say that being praised by him is a good thing." Sei explained while letting out a sigh of relief. "At least he didn't notice me!" i𝓷𝚗𝓻𝒆𝓪𝒅. co𝘮

"Haha!" Gesel let out a laugh. She seemed to be happy that she found a way to tease Sei back.

"Attention, Ladies and Gentlemen!" A loud voice came from up on a high stage that overlooked the battle stages below. The voice made me look out over the few hundred dirt mounded stages and only now really grasped just how many people would be entering this tournament. The man on the high stage was an older man with black hair, but you could tell by the wrinkles around his eyes that he was much older than he looked.

"The competition will be done in two sections. The first section will be a free for all round. Each stage will continue to fight until there is only one person left per stage. Then the one on one battles will take place until we hit the semi finals and finals." Hearing the explanation, I kinda got the feeling the person announcing things did not wish to be the announcer. But from what I understood, the free for all was to reduce the numbers until there was a smaller even amount. And he did emphasize the fact that fighting would continue until there was only one person per stage, which meant that fighting could continue for days. I see now why there was such a long time frame for the event.

"Get to your stage according to the number you were given upon entry." The old man yelled out. I looked down at my wooden token that read entry number ten thousand seventy two and stage forty five. Luckily no one in my group had the same stage number.

"I guess this is it. I will see you all during the single matches." I said with a smile to Sei and Gesel.

"You better make it. Don't get kicked out in the first round. I want to have our rematch!" Gesel seemed to be really pumped and ready to fight.

"Yes, see you in the finals!" Sei yelled as she ran away. I guess she was really looking forward to this. Gesel left soon after as well, leaving me alone with Thurul and the others.

"Thurul, I will leave it up to you to watch after everyone." I hated putting him on the spot like this, but if they were with Thurul, they would be much safer in case any nobles decide to make a move.

"Don't worry. Just kick some butt. I will be rootin for ya. Remember this is to gain funds for your company, so don't go losing now, you hear?" Thurul grinned widely as he said this. He was really trying to lay on the pressure, I could tell.

"I will do my best. I will see you all later!" I said before going to run off towards my stage but felt a tug on my shirt, causing me to turn around. Sophie had her head lowered, holding on to me. "Sophie?"

"Be careful!" Sophie said softly before hugging me. I smiled warmly and hugged her back. I guess she was worried I would get hurt.

"Don't worry, I will come back safe and sound. Actually, I have an idea I wanted to try, so let's hope it works, and I will be back in a jiffy." I said while patting her back. After a few more seconds, she let go and nodded her head before moving to Turul's side. I gave a wave and headed off myself. I really wonder just how strong the fighters will be on my stage.

I quickly found my stage and jumped up on top of it, and began looking around. I can not deny that I am a bit excited right now. I mean, I would finally get to do the whole tournament arc that I saw in novels. While this is not on a grand scale as some of those. The world is not being held on the line based on the outcome of the tournament, but that does not mean I was not any less excited.

But as I looked around at all the prospective strong guys. My eyes fell on a certain young man that I could swear I had seen before….. "Is that…. No, it couldn't be. No way! Why him of all people! Why is he waving!? Why is he coming this way!?"

"Haha! We meet again! Do you remember me!? I am Charles Doli! The Hero of Gravos!"

"Do you have my money?" The first question to leave my mouth seemed to have frozen Charles in place as he stared at me in confusion.

"Money?" Charles' eyes suddenly went wide, but he quickly shook his head as he replied: "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Oh? So the great Hero of Gravos can't even remember his debts. You do not remember the ten million gold you owe me!?" I know I overshot the actual amount he owed, but he lied just now, so we can say it is just punishment.

"What ten million!? It was only like a thousand something before!" Charles blurted out before covering his mouth. My lips couldn't help but twitch. It seems the idiot in him was still there.

A sly grin appeared on my face as I said: "Did you think the amount you owed would not come without its interest? It was one hundred percent interest, plus more." Humph! Trying to get out of owing me money. I do not think so!-.

"I…. I will give you the money I get when I win this tournament." Charles lowered his head. I guess he was coming to terms with owing me money, but his words irked me. I mean, he was basically saying he was going to win against me….

"I guess some idiots just do not learn…." I mumbled as I shook my head.

"Huh? Did you say something?" Charles looked at me, causing me to shake my head once more. And that was when I heard the golden words of the day….. "Begin!"

My eyes lit up magic circles as I smiled brightly at Charles and waved: "Goodbye! Catapult!" The entire stage, except for where I was standing suddenly shot up into the sky, leaning towards the right, sending them off to the other side of the stadium. Their screams filled the air as they flew through the air. As for the Hero? No idea. He was the one I made sure got sent flying the furthest. "Uh…. Stage forty five finished!"

An uproar filled the crowd that was watching. Well, I mean, I guess I went kind of overboard. I just turned the entire stage into a catapult and sent the entire group of one thousand some odd contestants, into the sky. I even think some landed on other stages. I scratched my head and walked off the stage. I am not sure what happens when contestants land on other stages, but I do know that I will now get to watch the other stages and scope out the competition.

I made my way to the stands, where I found Sophie and the others waiting for me. "Faith, that was amazing!" Sophie jumped up and hugged me, her tail wagging and her ears twitching.

"Hahahaha! Lass, you did not disappoint! I think that was the fastest anyone had ever won the preliminary matches ever since this tournament first started." Thurul gave me a big smile and a thumbs up.

I did plan to do a pitfall, but I did not wish to ruin the stage. At least with a catapult, it will toss the contestants away from the stage while reverting back to its original state without needing to kill anyone. However, I might still use a pitfall on Gesel during our match together if we do face off. I just want to see her reaction when she loses the ground under her feet. I can make her think she has me only to cast pitfall around me, leaving her standing on air. Just thinking about her reaction made me giggle on the inside. But this magic does seem pretty effective. If used in a surprise attack, it will work out well, I think.

I sat down next to Sophie and looked out over the battle stages. I was looking for that old man. He was the one I was mostly concerned about. It was as if Thurul could read my mind because he leaned over and whispered: "If you are looking for the old man, he is on the far right."

I turned to where Thurul was pointing to see the old man laughing away as he walked around punching people off the stage. "It looks like he is concealing his true strength."

"That he is. He hasn't used a single move at all. I have been keeping a good eye on him. Sophie is watching that Sei girl for you as well." Thurul explained.

I nodded. Knowing your opponents always helps in the upcoming battles. Sophie was nice enough to point to Sei's stage, and surprisingly she was doing a similar thing as the old man. I guess two people who worked together would have a bit of the same strategy. Luckily I only used a single spell to end the entire free for all match. The only thing I regret is not seeing the look on that idiot's face after he crashed into the ground and realized his declaration of winning was nothing more than that, a declaration from an idiot.

I scanned the stages and saw quite a few people that stuck out. One girl had a huge fan and was blowing people off stage using wind magic. Another girl with rabbit ears was swinging a large sledge hammer around like a top. Each spin caused more people to fly out in the opposite direction. There was even this one girl who kept making ice spikes and stabbing people in the butt with them. Just the sight of it made me clench my butt cheeks.

I continued to scan the crowd for quite some time. I did find Gesel. She seemed to be having more fun fighting than actually reaching the goal of winning. However, I did find one person who seemed to be a big obstacle. They were wielding magic like it was nothing, casting spell after spell. They wore a black cloak and seemed to be quite powerful. "I wonder how far they will make it."

I could not see if they were a man or woman, but I did know I wanted to try fighting someone who was good with magic. To think I went from being a bookworm in my past life to someone who would say, I want to try fighting someone. I mean, I never cared for fighting in my past life at all, but I guess the difference in worlds and growing up all over again will change a person's personality a bit.

The sun began to set, and the battles were still going on. I leaned back in my seat and continued to watch as things unfolded. Sophie was curled up on the seat next to me, using my lap as a pillow, sound asleep, while Annie sat on the other side in the middle of two seats, her lap also occupied by the other two girls who sat on each side of her. I was not sure if she was asleep or not herself because she was leaning back with her eyes closed.

A few of the battle stages had ended already, but none of them were with people I knew. The hooded figure had won their stage just a few hours ago. Most people would not use magic during this stage, I realized. I guess it is because mana was limited for most people. So the fights were not going too well on some stages. They were all stuck in long, drawn out battles.

Yawning, I looked at the people I knew, and they were still horsing around with smiles on their faces. I guess they do not get to have this kind of fun all the time. "Lass, you seem to have company…."

"Huh?" I was a bit confused by Thurul's words until I looked down the aisle to see the hooded figure from the battle stages walking over to me. They walked right up and stood in front of me, and removed their hood.

Pointy ears, blonde hair, and blue eyes. "My name is Runa. Your name is Faith Cyrilia, correct?" 𝚒n𝐧𝑟ea𝚍. 𝒄𝑜𝚖

I tilted my head and looked at Runa, a bit confused. "That is what I am called, Miss Runa. But may I know how you know my name or, in fact, how you know who I am altogether?"

"Your name is not only known by us elves but by many. Two successive grand fall scale magic spells along with a strange magic that continually casts fireballs. I came to the capital in hopes of meeting you. So I was happy to see that you had joined the tournament." Runa explained, but her words made me frown. How did the elves know so much about me? It kind of made me wary of the girl in front of me. She looked no more than fifteen at most but knowing the elves' lifespan, she was probably in her fifties or hundreds. But even if she was my age, this did not mean I would let my guard down.

"It is kind of rude to be checking up on people without their consent, is it not?" I asked. I couldn't help but sound a little angry. I do not know about others, but I hate when people poke into my privacy.

"I do apologize if it seems like that, but for those who wish to know, they can easily find out. After all, information about you is not hard to find out. Rumors will spread after all."

I still couldn't help but frown. I really did not wish for people to know about what I was capable of, but I guess at the time, I did not have time to really think about how to deal with the situation. "Miss Runa, you could still have pretended not to have known." I said with pursed lips.

But I guess Runa found my words funny because she chuckled. "That Is true, but I still have to say that your feats truly amaze me. I had to run all the way here just to meet you. It was hard to escape my guards, you know."

Runa's words made me feel as if maybe this Runa girl was far from being a normal everyday elf. Not that I know what a normal everyday elf is but still. Only idiots like Prince Lance, The hero idiot, and every other person I consider to be an idiot would not realize what Runa was implying. "I see. So you ran all the way here. Well…. I guess with how you were casting magic, it would be quite safe for you to travel alone. But there are many strong people in the world, so you shouldn't run off like that."

"This is true…. Well, I did send a message to my father telling him I would be in this kingdom for a while. He only has himself to blame, after all, he was the one who told me about you." Runa said with a wide smile. Like an elf princess running away to the neighboring kingdom was no big deal at all.

"You do know that a member of any kind of royalty coming to a neighboring kingdom unannounced looks bad, right? You should have at least announced your visit to the King of Gravos." This was something I read about Gravos law. Royal members of other countries are supposed to announce their visits. Otherwise, it could mean they were here to spy or form ties with nobles for one reason or another.

"Don't worry. I did stop in and see Uncle Gravos. He then told me stories about you. Although, I did only visit him in secret. I know better than to not show proper etiquette. But I will say from what I heard, he holds you in very high regard. Also, it seems you were able to tell just from a few lines I spoke who I am. Very observant!" Runa said with a smile.-.

I could only shake my head at this. Just thinking back to the drunken King when he let himself free speaking with proper etiquette seemed kind of strange to me. Since I now knew Runa was not a threat, I drew a small magic circle with my finger causing a stone chair to suddenly rise up from the stone of the aisle. "Since you wish to talk, it would be best to sit."

"Thank you." Runa did not stand on ceremony as she took a seat, crossed her legs, and looked me up and down. "How did you do it? Two grand falls one after the other while shooting out so much magic on top of it all. Just how in the world did you do such a thing? How much mana does your small body hold?" 𝙞𝚗n𝓇𝘦аd.＆nbsp;𝗰𝘰𝚖

"Enough, I guess…?" I really did not know how to answer that. Of course, it was not like I could tell the truth either. "At that time, I was not even thinking I could have killed myself if I was not careful."

"This is true. If you did not have enough mana to be able to continue, you would have died. But I am more interested in how you did it so quickly. It was said the spells were almost instantaneous." Runa's eyes glowed with excitement which reminded me of someone I knew very well… who was it again…. I tapped my chin for a second before it finally came to me…. Yes, to me…. I was thinking about my crazy self!

"Is she okay?" I heard Runa ask Thurul.

"Ah, don't mind her. She does this a lot." Thurul replied while waving the whole question off. But I, for one, wanted to know what I was doing to make such a question even pop up!

"Ummm… Why did you ask if I was okay?" I asked while pursing my lips.

"Well…. You blanked out and began tapping your chin while nodding and giggling."

"What!? Was I really!?" This was news to me. No one had ever mentioned anything like that to me before. I never knew I did such things!

"You're doing it again!" Runa said while laughing. But I could only furrow my brow.

"Leave me alone…." I said while pouting. I can't help it, okay! I get lost in thought, and my mind begins to wander. Clearing my throat, I continued: "Ahem…. Anyway…. All spells have to be cast within five seconds, so it is just a matter of practicing, is it not?"

"Even if that is the case, even our best mages can not cast it as quickly as my father said you can. Can you show me the magic circle?" Runa asked. I could see her excitement about to explode out of her body. I wonder if she realizes that when she is excited, her ears twitch.

"Sure." I nodded with a smile before extending my hand and twirling my finger once. This was all it took for the magic circle to suddenly appear. The oppressive aura this one magic circle gave showed that it was a true high tier magic spell.

"Amazing! I am so glad I came. To think I could meet someone who could cast grand fall in such a short amount of time. If you wanted to, you could destroy an entire kingdom by yourself, and yet you are still so young." Runa clapped as she gazed at the magic circle.

"It is only a matter of concentration and continuous practice. You see." I drew six more in a row, all of which hovered in the air in between Runa and I. I could see the shocked expression on her face. And with a wave of my hand, all of them disappeared. "I am a bit of a magic nut. I like creating spells of my own when I have time."

"Really!?" Runa shouted, causing Sophie to groan but did not make her wake up. Runa covered her mouth as she whispered an apology.

"It's fine." I stroked Sophie's hair, causing her to shift slightly, but she continued to sleep peacefully.

"You really make your own spells? I mean…. Just the thought of creating a spell takes a lot of time and practice."

"That is true, which is why I only work with lower level spells. Like the catapult spell, I used earlier was one of my own creations using earth wall as a base." I explained. Runa seemed to be hooked onto every one of my words. Just knowing she was a magic nut like myself put her into my good people book, which is where she will stay until she does something that makes me lose trust in her.

"I see! To think that you were able to alter the spell so easily. I have tried many times, but for some reason, my magic circles always feel incomplete." Runa explained as she lifted her hand and began drawing a magic circle in the air. "This here is flame axe. I wanted to try to use flame spear as a base to shift and transform it into an actual weapon that only the caster could use."

My eyes opened wide when I saw the magic circle. It was very intricate. She was definitely on to something, though. I gazed at the magic equation, trying to pick it apart. "Hmmm… This part here and over here….. "

"Hey, Runa, why did you inject this into the equation here? Shouldn't it be this rune, like this?"

"Huh? Wait, yes, if it is like this….."

Four hours later, the two of us were sitting there with bright smiles on our faces. I have to say Runa is quite amazing at runes. The process of turning magic into a weapon was not easy at all. Especially if it was one that you can hold in your hand and still get it to act like the weapon you are trying to make. But these four hours were not wasted. Runa stood in front of me with a two handed axe in her hands. The flame arched off of it here and there as the tips of the flames rolled around its body.

"Faith, thank you so so much. I have been wanting to complete this spell for many years now. And now….. I really owe you!" Runa's eyes never left the flame axe.

I thought for a moment before drawing another magic circle: "Flame sword!"

"What!? You already altered it!?" Runa cried out in surprise. This was definitely truly amazing. The flame sword in my hand really did not feel like anything, but I was able to wave it around as if it was a normal sword without it losing too much shape.

��Mmma�| Once you know the equation, it is simple to alter it a bit to fit your needs.�� I explained with a smile. What I did not say, though, was that I already planned to take this creation a step further and create what I would like to call ��Gates of Faithylon��. I know the name is not the best, but I figure it would be cool to transform the spell into something not only deadly but beautiful at the same time. Just imagining thousands of whirlpools of flames appearing in the air to have thousands of flame swords come out of those whirlpools makes me shiver in excitement. Of course, this is not an original idea. I once read a novel online that had such things in it. At any rate, it was a neat idea, and now that I have a sword that can burn as well as slice, I am very happy to begin crafting such a spell.

��To think you are able to change the spell in such a short time right after it was created.�� Runa seemed a bit exhausted. I guess I would be the same if the spell I had been working on for so long was easily pulled apart and transformed into a new spell in almost an instant.

��Hmmma�| But you can do a lot with this spell, using the same equation and changing the element like so.�� I waved my hand and created four different magic circles that each created a different elemental sword.?

��This is so not fair! Faith, you like to bully people, don��t you?�� Runa asked with a pout. It was not that I wanted to bully her, but I finally found someone other than my father, who was a magic freak like myself. So I was just kind of showing off.

Runa and I talked into the early morning hours. The fighting on the stages was still going on, so after a long yawn, Runa decided to head back to her inn room to rest up. She did ask me where I was staying but cried about the fact that I was moving after the tournament was over and would be starting school. I think her exact words were: ��I will go talk to the king about this!��? So I can only guess that she plans to get a form of residence on the floating island and maybe even enter the academy. This, however, was only an assumption.-.

As for me, I stayed to watch the last of the battles. Sir Derek had won his battle after punching every person off the battle stage. Sei did the same as well, and Gesel threw each person off the stage after toying with them for a while. While the way they went about things was a little off, I had already expected them to win their stages. This now left the tournament with one thousand people in the next round, which was one on one fights. I can only guess this will be a progression match system done on multiple stages.?

I did not have to wait long to find out about this either.? Because as soon as the last battle ended, the announcer appeared and was standing up on the high stage once more. ��As all the battle stages have finished, and we have all contestants here in the stadium, we will now display the one versus one battle chart.��

The announcer waved his hand, and a battle chart with the names of each contestant appeared high in the air. But what I did not understand was that he said all contestants were here. Runa left a while ago. ��Faith!�� A whiny voice filled my ear, causing me to turn to my left. I saw Runa, who was covered in dirt, had her hair all standing straight up, walking over to me with a face full of tears.?

I was not really sure if I should ask or not with how Runa looked, but I figured I would ask because I was very curious as to why she looked like she rolled around in the dirt. ��Uhhha�| Runaa�|. What happened?��?

��When I tried to leave, the guards said I couldn��t leave until the round was over as I am a participant. And well, I yelled at them and even threatened to use magic on them, but they wouldn��t budge. So I tried to climb the wall, but who would have thought that it was rigged to electrocute people who tried to climb over it!? I was so tired I ended up passing out there. But then the guard kicked me and told me that I couldn��t sleep there!�� I truly did not know what to say to this silly elf girl. Who in their right mind would just fall asleep where they fell after getting electrocuted if they were still conscious, to begin with!? Yes, I understand she was tired, but still, this was just too much!?

I mean, she knew I was still in the stands. Why didn��t she just come back and sit by me!? I guess I will just never understand how some people��s brains work. While she was a genius at magic she seems to be an air head when it came to other things. It actually makes me wonder just how she got to the capital in one piece. I find it quite amazing how your perception of someone can be ruined by a single incident. Like, say, a boy who really liked a girl who he thought was kind hearted and sweet. Only to one day hear her swearing and kicking someone while shaking down the person she was stepping on. It was a difference between night and day. While it was not to such an extreme in this case, it was still quite surprising to see the sudden shift in personality after showing me the magic crazy side of her, who was intelligent and knew exactly what she was talking about.

At any rate, I guess the same could be said about me as well. Although, I will deny it to the ends of the world. ��Runa, look up at the sky.��?

��Oh?�� Runa looked up at the sky and frowned. ��I am not going to have to fight now, right? I am really tired!��

��I am not sure the announcer has not said anything since creating thea�|.��

Before I could even finish my words, the announcer once again spoke up. ��Battles will be held tomorrow morning! Make sure you are here by first morning bell. Now go and get some rest!��

��Looks like we can finally leave. To be honest, I expected the first round to take much longer.�� I did not think the first round of battles would be done in a day and a night, but then again, once people started getting tired, it was only a matter of time, I guess. Fighting for so many hours was bound to make people with lower stamina quickly tap out.

��Now we can leave!? Then why did they keep me here in the first place!? Why did the wall electrocute me!? Why did the guard kick me!?�� Runa seemed very stressed out. 𝙞𝚗𝓷𝗿𝚎аd. 𝙘𝒐𝚖

��Well, Runa, I will see you tomorrow. I need to get plenty of rest for my next battles.�� I shook the still sleeping Sophie to wake her up. She groaned but still raised her head and looked at me while rubbing her eyes. ��Is it over?��

��Just the first round. We are heading home now.�� I answered as I stood up and stretched. Annie seemed to have already been awake, so she shook the other two maids to wake them before standing up herself.?

��Young Miss, should I prepare some breakfast before you go to sleep?�� Annie asked.

��Mmma�| I am sure Sei will complain if she has nothing to eat. Or she might have dragged Gesel off already. I am not sure. She never came to see me after she won her stage.�� I answered. But for some reason, I could feel a set of eyes burning into the side of my head. ��Runa, if you have something to say, please say it.��

��Can I come over to eat as well!?�� Runa asked. I sighed and nodded. I mean, there was no reason not to invite her over. Buta�|. ��No magic talk. After we eat, I want to sleep.��

��Yes, mam!!�� Runa answered as if she was talking to a teacher. I am starting to wonder if Runa was younger than I thought.?

��Runa, I know this might sound rude, but how old are you?�� I decided to give in to my curiosity and ask.

��Me? Fourteen this year!�� Runa answered while putting her hands on her hips and raising her nose in the air.? While I was confused as to why she was so proud of her age, for her to be only fourteen surprised me. I mean with her knowledge in magic at her age truly makes her a genius. While I have a photographic memory due to my stats, the idea of someone without such a thing being able to remember so much truly amazes me. Then again, I do not know much about elves in the first place. And it is not like I can ask if I can dissect her to try to figure out how she ticks either. Not that I would.

But now that I am thinking about it. I wonder if she thinks the same as me since I am almost a year and a half younger. Or maybe she is just saying she is young but in truth she is two hundred and fourteen!? Well to be honest I have no right to say she is lying nor do I have the right to say she is telling the truth either. I can only go by what facts are laid out in front of me.

In the end, I ended up sleeping until the next day. As soon as I ate, I felt so tired that I almost passed out at the table. I think I only woke up one time, and that was when Sophie crawled into bed with me. You would think I would wake right up if I felt someone climbing into my bed out of nowhere, but I could smell Sophie's scent, so I knew it was okay.

It was now early in the morning. The sun had yet to come up, but my inn room was lit up like a christmas tree. Annie and the other two maids were busy preparing for the long day packing all kinds of food that they had been cooking since last night, I guess. Thurul had come over an hour ago and was sitting in the living area talking with Runa and Sei, who seemed to have hit it off quite well. Why Runa was even here, though, was beyond me. I guess she must have stayed the night. And with how Sei and Runa were getting along, I guess she stayed in Sei's room.

And currently, I am eating a large breakfast. There was plenty of meat and eggs to go around. Toast with jam and with what I call this world's fried sweet potatoes. There were even a few desserts to make sure I had enough sugar in me as well. It might seem like I am overeating, but this was because I would probably not have much time between matches. Gesel had mentioned something before about how they make you wait on your battle stage after winning a match. I guess it was because they needed to keep track of all participants.

After a hearty meal, everyone got everything together and packed the carriage. Sei had gotten us a larger carriage this time around because there were so many people. It was kinda like the limousine of carriages. It had side sears instead of the normal front to back seating. With our items placed securely in an overhead compartment, we all headed off to the stadium.-.

It took about an hour to get to the stadium, then another ten minutes to get to the entrance so we could get our things and get off. Many people were doing the same as we were and had many things in their hands as they made their way into the stadium. Because the stadium was between an outer section and an inner section, one could set up tents and camp out during competitions like this.

A lot of people who came from out of town, whether they were a contestant or not, would take up a small spot in order to save on costs. There were never any issues about any bad things going on. The guards at the stadium were all very strong and patrolled day and night. The gates were even closed after a certain time at night unless the battles were still going on. So it was one of the safest places to be for those coming to the tournament.

As we made our way inside, I had to separate from Thurul, Sophie, and the other girls. I walked with Sei and Runa to the battle stage area. But before we could pass through the doors, we were met by two people. "Gesel! Sir Derek!"

"Geh! Sei!" Gesel wanted to run and hide but was quickly pulled back by Sei.

"Gesel, I was looking all over for you yesterday after the matches. I was wondering why you were having so much trouble with your battle stage… Let's have a nice chat before the next portion of the tournament begins, shall we?" Gesel turned and looked at me for help, but I just so happened to have seen a spot on the stone ceiling that looked quite interesting. I guess it wasn't only me who thought this was as well since Sir Derek and even Runa were staring at different spots as well.

I could hear Gesel's pleas for help echoing down the hall. I felt bad, but I would rather not have to deal with Sei either. I turned and looked at Sit Derek and greeted him. "Good to see you this morning."

"Yes, it is. Little girl, I came to give you a warning." Sir Derek leaned over and whispered into my ear. "Some of the nobles have placed fighters in the tournament when they heard you had signed up. They plan to make an accident happen."

"Oh? Hehe…" Now, this was interesting information. So they decided to start with me before doing anything else. "It looks like I should show a bit more of my abilities during the tournament. Sir Derek, I do thank you for the information, but I thought you retired."

"I did but passing some info on to you is a simple matter. It would have gone through Sei, but the timing of it all was not good. Too short of a notice to get someone trustworthy to pass her the news. It was found out earlier this morning. And since I was joining the fun here, the King asked me to relay the news." Sir Derek explained. I guess that would be the best method. I am sure as someone who was one the top of the black knights, he was really close with the King and had the ability to contact him outside of the normal channels. 𝗶𝚗𝘯𝘳ℯ𝒂𝑑． cｏ𝙢

I kinda wish I had an easier way to contact Adel. Sei has to make trips back and forth to the floating island. Well, I am sure I will figure something out in the future. Now that I know how runic inscriptions work, I can maybe make a kind of telephone thing sometime in the future. A portable phone type device.

"Well, I still thank you, and I do apologize for you having to go out of your way to give me this information. But rest assured that no idiot in this place will be able to do much harm to me." I really couldn't wait to see just what these idiots have in store. Luckily they came for me first. But I know once they fail here, they will begin to do things in a more dirty manner.

"It's no problem. Just remember to meet me in the finals. I want to fight the little lady who can destroy the world." Sir Derek said with a loud laugh before turning and walking away.

"Why do I feel like my presence was completely ignored!?" Runa whined.

"Because you don't stick out as much with that hood over your head. If you showed him your ears and wiggled them a bit, I am sure he would have seen you. After all, you are very cute." I said in a teasing manner. This resulted in being punched in the shoulder.

With a laugh, I ran into the battle stage area before she could do another follow up attack. When I reached the battle stages, I stopped short because the fighters were all crowded around the center stage. Up in the air, the battle placements were in full view. I quickly found my name and saw that I was on stage number seven hundred seventy seven. I am not sure if this was supposed to be lucky or not or if this was some kind of bad omen. Either way, I did not plan to lose. I turned to Runa and patted her shoulder: "Don't get ignored by your opponent, or you might end up having to sleep on the battle stage."

"You! You better not lose either. I want to fight you!" Runa snorted before leaning in close. "Stay safe. I noticed quite a few powerful people here."

I smiled and nodded my head: "You as well. Good luck!" I gave her a wave before running off. My stage was on the other side of the stadium, so it took almost five minutes to get here after having to push through the people. They spread everyone out in case of accidents, I guess. With all the stages, not many would be used at this time, but now these empty stages served as some kind of boundary between the fights. I guess I could understand this. Most during these one versus one matches, people will be going all out, which means larger attacks of all kinds.

As for me? I planned to eject as many people out of the stadium as possible. Well, maybe not out of the stadium, but close to it, at least across the battle area itself. I know I could use bigger spells but this spell just tickled my funny bone. I mean, how many people would use catapult magic to send people flying during a match? Not to mention to block it, you would need to negate the ground under your feet as well. or you would be sailing through the skies.

When I arrived at my battle stage, my opponent was already standing on one side. He was a tall man with a long skinny sword attached to his back. To be honest, it looked like it would break if I blew on it. Not that it matters since my sword will not cross paths with his…. Well, I at least hope so anyway.

"Hey, girly, I suggest you quit before the matches start. I do not go easy on women, never mind children." The man in front of me yelled with a sinister smile. Of course, I was not affected by this at all, but I did wonder what made him think he was going to win. But more than wondering about this blatant lack of intelligence, I was wondering much more about which angle I should eject him to.

Ignoring the fool behind me, I looked around to see if I could knock out anyone else that was close by on another stage. But to do this, it would take the right angle and the right amount of power to launch him just right. If I am lucky, I can knock both fighters from a stage off instantly. There was no rule stating that you could not knock other people off their battle stages as well. And since there are no barriers around these stages, it was the perfect opportunity to do just that.

I couldn't even keep the mischievous grin off my face as I looked for my targets. I had only one bullet, so I needed to make sure to really make good use of it. If I was lucky and did things just right, I might even knock out two stages. "Hey, you listening to me!? I said, hey, answer me! Are you giving up or not!?"

You know, I do wonder why this idiot behind me likes to yell so much. Is he hard of hearing, so he has to scream at the top of his lungs? Or maybe he is so dumb that he doesn't realize that I am ignoring him. Either way, him getting even more upset is good. This will bring an even more satisfying expression to his face for me to see as he is flying through the air.

I know it sounds sadistic, but what can I say? The idea of catapulting people is very entertaining. Plus, this time, I will get to watch what happens, unlike before, when I forgot to look. At any rate, I just wished things would hurry up! I want to get to sending people flying. I mean, I already got a good line of sight of the groups I want to send flying along with the idiot here.-.

Sadly I still had to wait ten minutes for everyone to actually settle down and get to their battle stages. Only then did the announcer begin to speak again. "The first round of battles will now commence!" 𝚒𝒏𝓃𝓻e𝑎𝙙. 𝙘ｏ𝑚

With the sound of horns blaring in the air, I heard a war cry coming from in front of me. I watched as the tall skinny man charged toward me without hesitation with his sword in hand. It looked to me as if he truly wanted to take my life. But sadly for him, I began counting down.

"9!"

"8!"

"7!"

"6…!"

"1! Blast off!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!" I heard a wonderful scream as the spot where the tall skinny man stepped suddenly sprang into action as I stepped to the side. I had already been standing in the perfect direction. I just had to count the tall skinny man's steps to get the right amount of lift. I shaded my eyes with my hand as I watched him sail overhead towards the other battle stage. He was actually flying quite fast. And the reaction of the two on the other stage as he slammed into him sending both of them flying off of it with him, was just too priceless. I am sure if I were to make those youtube videos back on Earth in my past life doing this every time, I would make a killing.

"Battle stage seven hundred seventy seven, contestant number one thousand seventy two, Faith Cyrilia, winner! Battle stage five hundred twenty three. Double out!" When I heard the announcer outting the two I hit with my contestant, I couldn't help but chuckle. It seems with so many contestants having two people kicked out due to outside interference wouldn't be an issue.

"Wait! We were hit by someone else's contestant!" One of the men crawled up from the ground and yelled out.

"Rules state that under any circumstances that you exit the battle stage, you will be disqualified. You both left the stage before I could call a winner, which means you are both out. Maybe next time you will keep a better eye on your surroundings, especially you who could see the man flying towards you. Now get out of here before I have you dragged out!" The announcer sounded very mad. I guess he didn't like people talking back to him. But when he turned towards me, the old stern face showed a slight grin as he gave me a secret thumbs up.

I knew people would love my catapult. Send them flying with everything I have, that is my job! Not only do I get entertainment myself, but I also get to entertain others. Luckily my battles end quickly, so not many get to see my schemes.

But now I can only wait. With me being so far out, it is hard for me to see anything from where I am standing. Hmmm, since I am in the stadium, I can fly, right? But using my wings will get tiring, so let's just use air walk and find a good place to sit. "Well, I am not allowed to leave my stage, so what if I just make the entire thing lift up high enough so I can see everything."

With this thought in mind, my eyes lit up, and the whole stage suddenly shot up into the air. I walked over to the edge and looked out over the other battle stages. Although I do wish I had some kind of snacks so I could eat while watching them all fight.

Oh? Gesel and Sei, also just finished up. Sir Derek is tormenting his contestant. I mean, standing there with his hands on his hips while laughing at the guy hitting him with a sledgehammer is not very good sportsmanship. Well… Maybe I am not the one to be talking about sportsmanship. I mean, I did just send my opponent flying through the air with the intention to take out other contestants. I am not sure where that puts me on the good sportsmanship concept.

Anyway, some of the battles are not bad. There looks to be some fairly strong people. Out of everyone I know who is battling right now though, the one who stands out the most is Runa. she seems to be going kinda crazy over on her battle stage. I wonder why she must fill the entire battle stage up with flames. I kinda feel bad for the person still trying to hang on. I can see them sweating bullets to the point that there is a wet spot under their feet.

While it is fun to watch the matches, it is kind of boring sitting here by myself. There seems to be quite a few battle stages with people who are having fierce battles, but I think that is because they are all close to the same level of ability. I wonder what would happen if I accidentally catapulted all of them off into the space?

Not that I would do that since I would definitely be reprimanded, disqualified, and arrested. Which none of these three are things are things I wish to happen. I mean, this is one hundred gold on the line. Plus, I made promises to fight everyone. But I do think two people may pose a challenge to the others. The huge fan girl and the bunny girl seemed quite strong. If I were hit by either, I might be sent flying due to my low body weight. But I think if I weld my feet to the battle stage and use mana shield, I can ward off the attacks without turning into a kite. '

My main worries are Runa, Sei, and Sir Derek. I do not know the extent of Sei and Sir Derek's combat ability, while Runa uses a lot of indirect attacks from what I can see. I just wish the two latter would give me something to work with here. "Oh?"

It seems there may be another dark horse as well. Small in stature and has a tail. Also, wearing a cloak like Runa. I am not sure who they are, but they are easily defeating their opponent without much effort but making it seem like they are not good at fighting. I wonder how strong they truly are…..

I guess I can only wait to find out. Let's hope I am not going to end up losing to this unknown factor. Because if I did, I might cry. Well, maybe not, but still. I owe Thurul a lot of money right now and wish to pay him back as soon as possible. While he says it's fine, I still feel bad since he has been funding my venture from the get go. I guess I should cross all my fingers and toes that I will win!

You know there is a saying back on Earth that I heard once. That saying was: "What kind of dog shit luck does a person have to have to be so lucky." While crude, its meaning is that one must be very lucky to step in dog poo. And well, the idiot on my stage for my second battle must have just that much luck. Not only did this idiot actually make it into the second round of the tournament, but he also met me for a second time. And that person is none other than the quack hero with idiot disease so far gone that he needs to be put six feet under.

I mean, I especially remember ejecting him the hardest out of the free for all in the first round. So why is he once again standing in front of me ranting on about how he was going to become a grand hero after beating me. He even called me a demon lord! Is this revenge for me making him pay me back!? "And so Demon Lord, we will now settle this once and for all!"

"Ummm…. Mr. Hero, a word please…." I quickly cut him off by raising my hand in front of me.

"Huh? What? Please go ahead." Why is he suddenly all polite? HE just called me a demon lord and was now being polite these mood swings…

"First things first, how did you even get here? I could have sworn I ejected you out of the battle stage in the first round." I mean, I did, right? Or is this some kind of like… novel or game thing where the hero has all kinds of plot armor, so he will always make a comeback no matter how underhanded it is.

"Huh? Well, I landed on another stage and kicked everyone off, so they gave me a pass." Was this tournament really not a place where rules mattered? Well, I guess after I knocked out two other contestants and got away with it, I can see them not caring even if he was from another battle stage. But how did I not notice him before? I could have sworn I watched all the battle stages.-.

"I see… So if you land on another stage this time and beat them, you will once again pass, I guess…." I tapped my chin for a second before coming up with a plan. Since using catapult doesn't work, I can just take the stage out from under his feet.

"Next match, begin!" The announcer suddenly shouted. I looked at Mr. Hero Boy and gave him my best smile as my eyes lit up, and with a slight shake, the stage shrank towards me. 𝙞𝒏𝒏𝑟e𝗮𝘥. c𝒐m

"Wait! Huh!?" Charles stared at me in disbelief as he fell on his but on the freshly revealed ground. He did not understand what had just happened. He looked up at the announcer in hopes this was against the rules but sadly….

"Battle stage seven hundred seventy seven, contestant number one thousand seventy two, Faith, winner!" The announcer yelled out. I watched as Charles, the wonderful hero's face paled as he went from looking at the announcer to me.

"I smiled brightly at him as I bent over with my hands behind my back and said: "Don't forget my money. All twenty billion of it."

"Wait!? Twenty billion!?" Charles yelled out. Sweat began to form on his forehead. He looked left then right, and just before he thought he could get away, I waved my hand and made him float in the air.

"You are not trying to run out on your debt, right?" I asked. I guess now he could really call me a demon lord or demon queen, or whatever.

"I… I can't pay that! I only have a few copper to my name. This tournament was supposed to let me live for a while!" Charles cried out. Tears began rolling down his cheeks. Now I felt slightly bad like I was bullying some kid. I reached into my pocket, digging around like I was getting something, before pulling my hand out and flicking a gold coin at him.

"Make this last for a while." I said before letting him down. "Just remember you own me."

"Yes, thank you! You are such a kind demon lord!" Charles yelled out. My eye twitched, and the next thing I heard was a scream as someone flew through the air. "He is such an Idiot!"

I returned the stage to its normal size before raising it into the air. The announcer looked at me and gave me a polite nod which I returned in kind. Luckily today's battles were not dragging on as much. Sei, Runa, Gesel, and Sir Derek all finished their matches not long after me. So did the rabbit girl and large fan girl. The tailed cloaked figure seemed to be searching for the right time to knock their opponent out.

As I sat there watching the matches, I noticed I could not tell which one of these people was supposed to be after my life. Sir Derek did warn me that I was being targeted. I just did not know by who. This was why I was studying all the matches. Not only to pass the time but to see if any of these people would be the ones to try to assassinate me.

While it may seem like I am messing around, I am still thinking about the things to come. I am watching everyone closely to see who might be suspicious, but the only one I found strange so far was the small cloaked figure with a tail. The way they are fighting is different from everyone else. I do not see the reason to be fully hiding all your abilities.

But then again, I could be completely wrong, and this is just how the small figured fights in the first place. But either way, they are currently on my top list of people to look out for. Next up would be fan girl and hammer girl. They may be showing off quite a bit, but they are still both fairly strong. I don't think the nobles with proper information would send weak people after me.

I mean, the count would not send some low level goons to try to fight me, not after I thrashed his own guards inside his own house. And if I am wrong and he really did send some low level goons, then he is just a pure idiot.

Even though I say all of this, I still wish to have a proper fight. Yes, I could have fought against the hero boy, but I really want nothing to do with him. He is quite annoying. Just something about him that gets on my nerves.

Now that the bracket is getting smaller, I should be able to fight Gesel and the rest soon. But this has reminded me that I should really find some time to level more. I have been so busy with so much since arriving in the capital that I haven't even had the time to level up any. I also need to find more evolution stones as well. However, it does make me kind of nervous. I still worry about my next evolution turning me into some king six headed freak.

While I love my dragon form, I still can't use it at all. When I am alone in the bath, I will sometimes transform my hands to make sure I still have the ability to. One day I want to fly through the sky, soaring around and looking at things after everyone I know passes away. While this may seem like a strange dream for the future. It is something that might help me cope with the sands of time. As I am almost thirteen now, I still have a long ways to go. My mother, my father. My brother and his family. My friends. All of them will one day leave this world while I will still be walking around watching as the sands of time continue to fall. But there is one thing I do know. For now…. I will make the most of my life and protect those I wish to protect. I will live my life now without regrets. What will happen in the years to come, I do not know, nor do I wish to know, not after the gloomy scenes from the fortune teller.

My train of thought was suddenly broken when I heard the announcer yell out: "Prepare for the next and final battle for today!"

I stood up and dusted the dirt off me before making the stage fall to the ground. As I did, a figure suddenly appeared in front of me and stood there with a smug grin on her face. "We meet again! Today is the day you shall face your doom!"

"Errm…. Runa, are you okay?" I asked with a worried expression. I checked her forehead to see if it was hot or not. I even pulled on her pointy ears, which caused her to blush and quickly back away.

"Wha-What are you doing!" Runa asked while covering her ears.

"I was checking to see if you were the real Runa and not some imposter," I answered with a smile.

"What imposter!? You're the imposter!"

Runa looked at me as if I had bullied her badly, causing me to laugh. "Okay, so you are the real Runa. I guess you are my opponent this time around?"

"Yep! So be prepared to lose!" Runa said while sticking her nose in the air once more. Very princessy for once.

But now, knowing that I was going against Runa, I wondered…. What happens when an elf flies across the sky? I rubbed my chin and wondered if I should use catapult or not. I would feel kind of bad as Runa is my friend, so it would be kind of mean to just suddenly send her flying. But I still couldn't keep myself from asking…. "Runa, do you wish to fly?"

"Huh?" Runa seemed taken aback by my question, but as if remembering something, her face paled as she began shaking her head and hands. "No! Don't! You have to fight me fair and square!"

I pursed my lips and sighed. "Fine, but still…. If an elf could fly, you would make hist…."-.

"I said no!" Runa yelled out, stomping her feet. "I didn't know you were a bully!"

"I am just joking. I will fight you fairly, I guess. I mean, since you asked so nicely." I said in a teasing voice, causing Runa to stomp her feet even more. 𝙞𝚗n𝓇𝘦аd.＆nbsp;𝗰𝘰𝚖

"Definitely a bully!" Runa yelled. But her pouty expression changed quickly after taking a deep breath. "I hope you are prepared. Because I will be coming at you with everything, I have. Faith, I want to see just how good you are. So do not hold back."

I stopped joking around and gave Runa a serious look. "Don't worry. As a friend, I know not to mess around. It would be rude of me not to go all out. But I can not use any large scale attacks. I can not endanger people's lives, so do not blame me for not doing so."

"That's fine. I would not want you to do that either. Actually, it makes me slightly relieved because I don't think my barrier magic is up to a massive grand fall." Runa replied, but it seemed she was a bit dejected about her barrier magic. Maybe I can help her later with it. Although we had only just met, Runa was the first to be a magic freak like me, so I really wanted to spend more time with her and run my ideas against her own. I hoped that I could find more people like that as well at the academy.

"Contestants, get ready!" The Announcer's voice filled the sky. It was finally time for me to actually fight someone seriously.

Runa bowed her head to me as she said: "Let the best mage win."

"Yes, let the best mage win," I answered back and gave her a bow back to show my respect. This was the least I could do since we were fighting as equals. I planned to take this fight very seriously, well, to an extent. Not only out of respect for Runa but because it will be my first time fighting another mage of Runa's caliber. I will also be trying to make use of my mana shield and use this as testing against her spells. This will give me a chance to really see how far I can go and learn some of the quirks of the mana shield.

"Round three begin!" The Announcer yelled out. As soon as he did, my mana shield was up, and ten magic circles formed in the air and fired off at Runa. While I wished to test my mana shield, I also promised not to hold back, well, hold back to the extent of a normal person that had high magic ability. I couldn't by right suddenly fire off thousands of fireballs at Runa. It would kill her. But it seemed Runa was not holding back at all because an equal number of fireballs came flying at me.

I didn't budge, though, and allowed the fired balls to hit me. Sure enough, as they hit the mana shield, they all exploded on contact. As I was analyzing everything to see how it hit the mana shield I heard an angry yell from in front of me. "I said to not hold back, Faith! Why are you not using your rapid fire fireball spell!? I know you can do more than just ten fireballs! Don't look down on me!"

I sighed as I looked at Runa. I had forgotten she knew a lot more about me than most. Since that was the case…. I took a deep breath. "If you really do not want me to hold back, then fine. But Runa. don't hate me if I have to save you." I warned. I was not trying to act arrogant. I just did not wish for her to be mad at me if I did have to put a barrier around her to keep her alive.

"That's fine. I just wish to experience the power of Faith, the army slayer!" Runa yelled out, which caused my mouth to open up wide enough for an egg to fit in.

"Wait, where did this title come from!?" No, really, where did this title come from!? This was the first I heard of it.

"Hehe…. That is what the people of the other kingdoms are calling you. The little demon who can destroy tens of thousands of me in an instant. Now come!" Runa yelled. I could see the excitement and anticipation in her eyes. But I was still trying to get over this strange title I suddenly got. To be honest, I think she is lying. She has to be, right?

I scratched my head in annoyance as I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I will now forget I ever heard of such a strange title. "Let's do this!"

My eyes lit up as I waved my hands as two large magic circles formed in the air. At the same time, over a hundred more magic circles formed around Runa. Since she wanted me to go all out, I was going all out. But I did make sure the speed of these spells was reduced a bit in order to protect her in case something went wrong.

"Go!" I yelled out. I already saw Runa casting barrier after barrier around herself. These barriers were just the right size to cover her body, so it took a lot less mana to cast. I was quite impressed with these compact barriers. Sadly they were stationary.

"Hahaha! That is more like it!" I heard Runa laughing out in a crazy manner. I actually never expected her to be so happy about being hit by a bunch of spells. Maybe she is one of those…. You know it starts with a M …. Anyway, Let's hope that is not the case. I watched carefully as the spells flew towards her. I ignored the incoming spells she casted at me. Sadly I could not check how they worked on my shield. It was more important to make sure Runa did not die.

The whole stage shook. I could hear the crowd screaming out loud. My hand was stretched out already as sweat dripped from my brow. I only saw her five layer barrier begin to completely shatter, and that was all it took for me to wrap her up in a few barriers. The battle that should have been something for me to train on ended with Runa kneeling on the ground, her face pale as can be. I really overdid it. "Runa, are you okay!?"

Her side of the stage had been completely destroyed. Only the spot that was protected by the barriers was perfectly fine. I waved my hand, clearing the fire before jumping over to Runa and dispersing the barriers. I knelt down and checked Runa's condition, and only when I saw that she was only in a state of shock did I let out a sigh of relief. "Runa… It's good you are okay."

"That…." Only after a few minutes did Runa finally speak as she grabbed my cheeks. I was stunned at first, but when I saw her huge smile form on her face as her eyes stared at me in a reverent manner, I began to feel a little freaked out. "That was absolutely amazing! Faith, you really are amazing! To think you could do so much in a short time. Not only did you cast all those spells, but you also protected me in the same instant! I have decided! I will become your disciple!"

"Huh!?" What is she going on about!? Deciding what now!?

"I hate to break you two up, but is everyone okay?" A voice came from overhead. I turned to see the Announcer standing on air not too far from us. This made me raise an eyebrow. Besides my father and I, this was the first time I saw anyone else do this. It made me wonder just how powerful this Announcer was. Only those with high control over their magic can do this.

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Chapter 8: 111-120

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