154 A Top Contestant Figh (1/2)
”Thank you!” Leilena quickly spoke up.
”It's just a small effort anyways.”
”Hmm... that's true. Here I am, cracking bones and you are trying to patch me up with a bandage-esque healing spell.” Nodding seriously, Leilena poked fun at his modesty.
Hearing the joking tone, Greyson did not take her seriously and just shook his head.
”Sorry, I'll try to provide better healing service when I am more at my peak. Should we head out soon? The next location should be the one with all the wooden tokens. We should try to get the best placement that we can. That might get us some unknown perks.”
”No, we should wait it out. I still need time to fully recover. Who knows what's on that side? We can't just pop over. Remember what Prince Braiden said? They cannot keep watch over what happens on the inside, so there are a lot of people who have no qualms about murdering under these circumstances. Didn't we just kill a group of four earlier? But no one will know it was us.”
”I don't think there would be anyone that would be hard for us to handle even in this state...”
”Tsk, tsk, tsk... Too naive, my student. Of course, individually, almost no one can hold a candle against you. But who said anything about them having to attack you one-on-one? They could just come out you with a group of magister level stage five magicians and there would not be much you could do to fight them all off at once. Plus, I can't tell if it's your young ambition that pushes you towards wanting to get the best placement you can, but it's unnecessary. We can just get any one of the top 32 tokens and make it to the next round without any issues. The awards are not that big a deal in front of the main goal of coming, right?”
Pausing, Greyson reflected that he had no put enough thought behind the situation. A little too eager to prove himself, he had unknowingly tried pushing to get the top places. Sitting down, he began to meditate next to his teacher to calm himself while she focused on recovering. Once he analyzed their situation, they should not be too far behind the leading groups if at all. Both his teacher and he had not run into a truly difficult fight and ended each challenge in a decent time. Even taking this small break to recuperate and heal would not largely impact their overall results in this part of the competition. From the past two stages of the selection to this current dungeon one, Greyson could see there is not much time in between for rest. Therefore, he needed to stay in good health, so he would not have to participate injured in the succeeding stages.
A couple of silent hours passed before Leilena exhaled deeply and opened her eyes. Jumping up, she no longer looked deeply affected by her wounds. Sensing the movement earlier, Greyson was already walking towards the exit with excitement. Part excitement to get the token and see how well he did in this stage of the competition and part relief that this dungeon adventure was coming to an end. Chuckling at her little student's endearing behavior, Leilena also picked up the pace and caught up with him. Both glancing at each other, they stepped into the doorway at the same time. Now completely used to the feeling, Greyson calmly waited for his sight to return and for his feet to hit solid ground.
Starting as a small dot, the light slowly opened up and turned into a new scene. Curiously looking around, the teacher and student pair saw the wooden tokens hanging. To their shock, all of them were still there! Breaking out into a wide grin, Greyson had to admit that the feeling of winning was still great. Almost running over, he wanted to quickly grab onto the first wooden token. He and Leilena discussed earlier on who would get the first-place token. He wanted to give it up at first as a way of showing respect, however, she easily convinced him to just take it. This was because her goal was just to pass through the competition and prove her biological family wrong for underestimating her. She did not need first-place for this to happen. Also, although she was not some useless ornament, he did end up solving the hardest issues for them in the dungeon since he was stronger. Unable to say anything against her logic, Greyson understood that he should reap the rewards that he deserved. Everyone needed at least some selfishness to survive.
His hand barely grazed the token before he sensed the incoming attack. Putting up an earth shield as quickly as possible, he was still sent flying backward by the colliding explosion. Protected by some sort of shield, the tokens were not at all affected by the action. Using the wind element, Greyson caught his balance and stopped his body's momentum in mid-air. Turning towards the origin of the sneak attack, he saw a group of five figures walking out of the dust. Leilena silently joined him by his side to fight against the newcomers. Slowly becoming visible, Greyson finally got a decent look at the group. They were all women; four of them were extremely beautiful while the one in front could only be described as average. However, she seemed to be the leader. Her unique point was her big, blue-grey eyes that matched the symbol of the Yce family while her hair was not black but dark blue. Dressed in almost glowing silver armor, she had a valiant and confident air that was hard to ignore. Recognizing her almost right away, Greyson was surprised to have run into her at this point.
The young woman leading the group was none other than Eris Whitstone from the Maewen Kingdom. Placing third in the second round, she was important enough for Greyson to look her up and do his research. She was the second princess from the Tier One Maewen Kingdom who was extremely favored by her father for her talents and intelligence; the most likely choice to be next-in-line for the throne. Currently a magister level stage five magician, she was born a dual-element - water and lightning - magician which set her apart from her other siblings. From a young age, she showed high intelligence and inborn traits for leadership. Secretly building up her own forces and economic resources with no help from her parents, she was a woman who stood out from the crowd. Her only fault was her lack of a betrothed partner. Such an issue was surprisingly important for future heirs to the throne. Greyson accredited her lack of pursuers to men's ego. They did not wish to be lower in a relationship. This type of thought process was not as common in a place like the Snow Country which acknowledged Queen-run kingdoms but still existed in most of the aristocratic families.
Meeting face-to-face with this famed princess, Greyson almost immediately readied himself for battle while glancing at the other four women. They were all gorgeous beauties in their own right, but held the modesty of a maidservant while trailing behind Eris. From the earlier heat after the attack, Greyson guessed that the attacker had come from these four and was a fire element magician. The power behind that attack was most definitely magister level stage five. Going off the other three's equally confident stances, they were also probably at that level. The pair were not only outnumbered but also outmatched. Normally, equal level and stage opponents did not really matter much to Greyson, however Eris was not someone to be underestimated.
On other side, Eris' eyes also lit up when she spotted Greyson. Everyone part of the selection paid extreme attention to this young black horse and she was no exception. The young woman next to Greyson was unfamiliar to her, but Eris' attention seemed to stick on Leilena slightly longer than usual. Stopping just in front of the pair, a charming smile broke out on her face.
”And this beautiful young lady is?” Pulling Leilena's hand, Eris kissed it lightly. Just a slight brush that stayed within the borders of proper etiquette. But it was just that this etiquette was laid out for a man to a woman normally...
Ever-smiling Leilena's expression suddenly paused in confusion as she stiffly nodded and spoke her name.
”Leilena... Leilena Holland.” Finding the Roland surname left a bad taste in her mouth, Leilena just used her adoptive parent's surname to introduce herself. Anyways, she was registered under this name in the competition, so it was not as if she was lying.
”Sister Leilena, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Putting her right hand over her left shoulder, Eris gave a polite and graceful bow. Her maids, on the other hand, seemed to want to glare a hole through Leilena's previously outstretched hand.
Observing all this as a bystander, Greyson suddenly felt that Eris not having a betrothed may not be for the obvious reason...
Shaking his head, Greyson did not dive deeper as he had no interest in idle gossip.
”You must be Greyson. I have read much about you.” Holding out her hand, Eris gestured for a handshake. Obliging, Greyson nodded to confirm his identity.
”And you must be the famous, Princess Eris Whitstone. I have also read much about you.”
”Haha, all great things I suppose. My biography is grossly exaggerated and pompous, all that's missing is a halo. Your story, though, is based quite purely on fact. As it only includes what you have accomplished in this selection.” Remaining the right amount of humble, Eris joked.
”Legend usually has some parts based in fact. I doubt it's that far off base. I'm not all that great.” Playing along with it, Greyson returned in kind.