Chapter 66: The Best VS The Best

The special students were led to a wing of the Citadel that felt older than the rest.

Narrow corridors, low ceilings, and torches burning in iron sconces that hadn’t been cleaned in decades. The stone underfoot was worn smooth by centuries of footsteps, and the air carried the faint metallic tang of old magic.

It almost felt like we were being brought into a dungeon instead.

"Your curriculum here will differ from the standard Leonis coursework."

She said, gesturing toward a set of double doors at the end of the hall.

"The Citadel believes in practical application over theory. Unlike Leonis, our academy has a wider range between nobles and normal citizens. Making magic a higher priority than Leonis’ law and noble etiquette subjects."

She pushed the doors open.

The room beyond was circular, with tiered seating rising around a central platform. A dueling ring, by the look of it. Above, a dome of frosted glass let in pale morning light, the world’s version of air conditioning, apparently.

The Citadel clearly didn’t want its students training in the scorching heat and passing out from heat stroke.

Waiting for us on the platform were five students.

The Citadel’s best.

I recognized two from the novel. The others were new.

The first was a tall young man with sharp features and hair the color of burnished copper. He stood with his arms crossed, watching us enter with the kind of lazy confidence that came from never having been challenged.

Rhaegar Thorme. Ranked second in the Citadel, a fire mage with a reputation for brutality in the ring.

Beside him stood a woman with silver-blonde hair. Her eyes were pale gray, almost colorless, and her expression was unreadable.

Seraph Duvall. Ranked third. Ice and illusion magic. The novel had described her as "a ghost in human skin."

One of the rarer types of mages who had two elements.

The other three were less memorable. A burly earth mage. A slender wind user. A support specialist with healing magic. And more importantly, a ranked one who was nowhere in sight.

Rhaegar’s gaze swept over our group and landed on Lucius. His mouth curved.

"So this is the famous Leonis prodigy. I expected... more."

Lucius didn’t rise to the bait. He simply inclined his head.

"I’ve heard the same about you."

Lucius, the prodigy? Had my name not reached their ears yet? Well, I supposed these students were in on the conspiracy.

To them, Lucius held the secrets of godhood within his magic. As for me? I was just a very skilled duke’s son. Impressive, certainly, but they expected that outcome from someone with a rich father who had enough coin to throw around for investments.

"They’re calling Lord Lucius the prodigy?"

Aqua seemed to snicker.

"You spoke the words right out of my mouth."

I stepped forward, a proud smile on my face. I was in a different country, after all. It was best I showed them what being part of a ducal house, more specifically, a Brimstone, was all about.

Father would approve.

"Prodigy? I think you should redirect those words toward me."

I didn’t want to interfere in the original plot. But that didn’t mean I would just stand here and be overshadowed. Aside from villainesses, I was still here to live my best life.

And that meant fame, glory, gold, and villainesses.

All four.

"And who are you supposed to be?"

"Reyn Brimstone, son of Duke Cain Brimstone. Ranked one."

Rhaegar and the rest looked at each other at my proclamation, seemingly at odds with what the Citadel had told them. It made some sense why they didn’t know me.

While the Brimstones were influential, that didn’t mean they could project their influence and reputation everywhere. And the Federation, especially its academy, which had been compromised, had likely been lacking information.

Every single one of them had been conditioned for Lucius.

"Let’s hold the boasting for later. Right now, we need to get you five acquainted with our own. And what better way than a five-on-five between our two academies’ best?"

The headmistress spoke from a table with a huge record book held in one hand, and the five from the Citadel responded quickly, already moving to the edge of the platform as she gestured for us to do the same on the opposite side.

"Not one to be overshadowed, huh?" Lucius said.

"I have a reputation to protect."

"I never knew Anna liked boastful people. She told me she preferred them humble."

"Well, that’s quite a narrow way of thinking, isn’t it? I think she prefers being seen more than caring about how people project their own egos."

"Ignore him, Lucius."

Celeste walked between us to cut the conversation short, then I heard him murmur to her quietly.

"But he’s right, y’know?"

"...Somewhat."

Somewhat? I was fully in the right here. You just abandoned Anna the moment you got Celeste.

But, let bygones be bygones. Right now, we had a five-on-five to win.

"No lethal force shall be used, but all of you are still expected to treat this as a real battle. Those who fail to use their full power might find themselves unfairly recorded, so anyone who wants to deal with less paperwork should go all out."

Lucius and Celeste took the far left from our side, while Aqua and I took the far right, with Jean in the middle as the weakest link.

The plan was simple. Every one of us had learned this formation back at the academy: have the strongest crush the sides, then converge on the middle, whose entire job was to stall.

"Would Lord Stone be okay?"

Aqua said, gesturing at Jean coating himself in hardened rock and metal from his magic. She was already conjuring a sword made of ice, but there was a faint orange sheen to it.

The orange sheen of fire...

And to confirm, I glanced at her neck and noticed an interestingly designed necklace.

It seemed she had already sent an expedition to grab the artifact.

"Why not use fire?"

"I’d rather not attract too much attention."

"Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to steal the spotlight. So feel free to use it as you please."

"I’ll decide during the fight."