The buzz of the crowd returned to my ears as the barrier vanished. I drew another spell diagram, this one intentionally colored blue and pink, then let the drizzle of {Healing Water} fall upon the unfortunate mage-pawn. Since the water I'd summoned was still there, the presence of this much water greatly enhanced my spell, thanks to {Harness Nature} making it four times as strong. {Captive Audience} kicked in, and I felt the torrent of MP regeneration from all these "Hirsute Earthenwares-maker" [1] wannabes watching me.

Strengite was glaring at me. Probably because he figured out I messed with the ward's calibration, or not. Isengar was glaring at me. He'd just lost 350 platinum coins. The Headmaster was glaring at me. He was probably thinking of the repair cost to fix the arena. Euric was furiously scribbling on a scroll. He was probably writing down the duel details or copying the spell circles. Mirina was smiling with her eyes, the rest of her face still hidden behind the fan. She had a vested interest in my success. Marisol was cajoling Trinity of all people, discreetly pointing at me and saying something next to the satin silk-folk girl's ear. When she noticed I was looking at her, she waved and blew me a kiss. Trinity blushed. I think I had a wing-woman.

I couldn't hear a thing over the buzz of students talking about the duel. I spun around, showing my face and wagging tails to all the spectators, hearing they cheer. Then I stopped and faced the box with the angry prince.

"Hey, Isengar. Thanks for funding my research!" I taunted the fool once more.

> Contested Charisma test Won. Target is angered.

Oh, really? The fucking racist mixed-breed human wannabe was angry? "Leondirac coin is fine too. I won't even weigh it."

"Shut your fucking trap, you beast-whore!" he used a {Royal Order}.

"{Royal Aegis}!" Mirina saved me from being discovered by him. "Behave, Isengar. We should not abuse our privilege on the campus," she chilly chided him.

I had to get that Perk. But again, Royalty seldomly lasted long enough against me to use social Perks on a third party.

"Isengar, you offended my honor. I, Haru Stouthammer, challenge you to a duel of honor. This maiden is no whore and you insulted all the Kin. Get your Royal arse down here and receive your well-earned whooping."

> Contested Charisma test Won. Target is furious. You triggered a {Blood Feud} with [Prince] Isengar.

I stepped on a landmine as he used some weird Perk on me. {Blood Feud} was like the bargain-bin lovechild of {Champion's Challenge} and {Death Contract}, but without the chivalry and the bonus of the former or the sutblety of the latter. It gave him some bonuses to attack me and a lot of penalties if he failed to kill me.

He jumped from the box. The crowd parted next to where he landed and he jumped again, and a third time before reaching the broken arena. Not as broken as it seemed, the cracks were almost self-sealing. But it was muddy and slippery. He almost lost his balance when he landed but all that happened was a spray of mud everywhere around him.

"You're dead! Dead!" He took a flamberge from his storage ring and charged me.

"{Paralysis}!" Strengite cast a chantless spell on Isengar. The Prince froze where he was and toppled to the side, squishing the mud.

"Double or nothing on our bet, Isengar? Even if you kill me, you'll still owe my estate, I offered him."

Divine Negotiator.

Contested Charisma test Won.

It was like stealing candy from a baby. A big, angry, but spoiled as fuck baby.

Professor Ibarin stood between us. He dismissed the spell partially, allowing Isengar to speak.

"I accept your bet. Once you're dead, I'll owe nothing to nobody."

"Actually, you still need to pay Mirina and Euric. Discount seventeen and a half coins, then double, that's a grand total of six hundred and sixty-five."

"You're dead! Dead!"

"I need a spear!" I shouted. Someone in the grandstand threw one. It sank in the ground next to me. "Thanks!" I waved in the general direction where the weapon came from.

"Haru, don't kill him, Strengite advised. "Try not to maim him either. Dying is fine and even advised, however. You insulted Royalty."

My poker face broke. I sputtered and snorted, then chuckled. Maybe cackled.

"The honor duel between His Highness Isengar Leondirac and Haru Stouthammer will start!"

The students sat, eager to see some blood. I prepared my spear. Strengite walked to the edge of the Arena wall and dismissed the spell around Isengar. I waited for him to stand up and attack.

His flamberge sliced the air with a whooshing sound and I kicked the mud to the side, dodging his blow. A spray followed me in the wake of the blow as the sword cleaved the mud and sank into the ground. The brutish intolerant [Prince] ripped it free of the ground, tossing chunks everywhere. He chased me.

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I deflected two blows with the spearhead, drawing a shower of sparks as the steel clashed. I heaved my spear, slashing him and then stabbing his shoulder in a {Combination Strike}.

> You slashed Isengar for 10,714 HP of slashing damage (Base 113 x1.88 Strength x5,32 Skill x2 Blood Sacrifice x1.5 Favored Enemy x3,16 Heave III)

>

> Your target is bleeding…

>

> You stabbed Isengar for 4,240 HP of piercing damage (Base 104 x1.88 Strength x5,32 Skill x2 Blood Sacrifice x1.5 Favored Enemy x3,16 Heave III x0.43 Combination)

>

> Your target is bleeding…

>

> You cannot attack for 1 second.

He didn't see my multipliers. Instead, the notification he received read just (Base 113 x 94,8 multipliers) for the first attack and so on. On the first exchange, he'd lost 3% of his HP pool. I also didn't stack ridiculous amounts of multipliers. That would be bad in the long run. I needed to play my hand carefully. Just dodging all of his attacks would be enough to win hands down.

Isengar was making it ridiculously easy. The enraged and spineless [Prince] almost literally told me where he was going to attack. It was just a matter of keeping my footing, dodging, and deflecting with the spear.

He activated some kind of Perk that increased his attack rate and accuracy, putting pressure on me. He got closer and forced me to move too much to dodge him. I spent one of my daily uses of rage to enhance my own Attributes and regain the upper hand. As we exchanged blows, the life-or-death duel converted a few of my fast-growth points into actual [Spear] proficiency. I was still far away from earning another Ability.

I hit Isengar with another few blows, his ferocious and relentless barrage of heavy blows forcing me to keep on the back foot. I couldn't just rip him a new one or I'd be immediately exposed. I had to downplay my abilities.

He reached half of his HP pool, and I saw no signs of anyone trying to stop the duel. Isengar's robes were soaked in blood and his movements became lethargic. He would faint anytime now.

The [Prince] stopped attacking and shoved his blade on the ground to use as a crutch. His breath was ragged and I gave him a respite. In an honor duel, such attacks were frowned upon and I was already screwed for calling him down. He could accuse me of Lese Majeste and my only defense would be either to reveal myself as Royalty too or hide under Mirina or Euric's wings, greatly indebting me to them. I mean, Mirina was now sworn to me but I needed to keep appearances.

I was fine. {Captive Audience} kept me in top fighting condition. It was even fueling {Erode Curse} at a fast but still a snail's pace.

"Stupid filth!" He roared. "You are dead! Dead! I'll fucking kill you! I… GROOOARRRRR!"

The giant man's roar was soul-rending. The guttural and deep vocalizations were followed by the sound of sinew ripping and heavy breathing, painting, roaring. Isengar grew another half-head in height and his shoulders enlarged. His robe became taut and his boots burst at the seams. His maxilla and lower jaw elongated into a muzzle. Black fur grew on his exposed skin and finally, his sash's knot unraveled, opening the robes in the middle and exposing a tunic torn to shreds. He was no Lou Ferrigno and had no stretchy jeans. Despite that, the transforming [Prince]'s modesty was protected by a thick clump of fur.

Isengar's werebear ancestry was triggered by his strong rage. The werebear flexed his sounders and the robe, his last piece of garment was destroyed, falling down his back and arms. He roared and his eyes focused on me. Disregarding his weapon, he sought my life with claws and sharp teeth.

The massive werebear still moved too slow. His wounds weren't regenerating because all damage I dealt was considered as if delivered by a Truesilver weapon. That would be a problem later after they examined the fight in detail but I had to deal with one problem at a time. My small size was an advantage, as {Giant-Fighting} gave me a slight bonus to evasion.

The students were panicking. Mirina was speechless, surprised by the unexpected development. The teachers were hesitating to intervene because it was still a duel. But Isengar's reputation was nothing but ruined. The racist [Prince] that called the Kin filthy beasts and complained about studying in a "petting zoo" was one of us.

I didn't change my tactics. Defending myself and only attacking sporadically, I wanted to win by points after he collapsed from exhaustion. I dodged one overextended swing and slashed his heels with the spear, hoping to hamstring him. Isengar wasn't used to fighting in a werebear's body but he was driven by instinct and rage. His own body knew how to fight better than him.

On the third attempt, I finally inflicted a {Maimed} debuff on him, cutting his mobility in more than half. On the corner of my vision, I saw his retinue of knights and the mage that dueled with me, already healed by the Academy staff. They weren't joining in the duel as it would be considered a forfeit by Isengar. With more than a King's ransom running in this duel, they would only act if it was clear I was about to finish the [Prince]'s life.

I thought about using my [Matriarch] powers to slake his rage. But that would give him leverage against me. Isengar was too much of an asshole to justify taking such a risk. My strategy of victory by exhaustion was still the best one.

So I poked and slashed, heaved, and dodged. His fur acted as natural armor, reducing damage by 20%. I wondered if he got any defensive Perks but I'd never know.

After about an hour since he came down, Isengar finally lost consciousness. Time to act. I tossed the spear away and knelt next to him.

> First Aid (-163 HP/s to all HP-draining debuffs)

>

> Anesthetic Touch (patient becomes sedated and docile and feels no pain)

>

> Restore Blood (fast blood regeneration during treatment)

>

> Fast Treatment (treatment is 9x faster)

I didn't want to wake him up so I didn't use healing magic. My [Physician] proficiency, forgotten for a long time, finally had a moment to shine. I removed my muddy robes and tossed them over him as his transformation reverted. Once I was sure he was in no danger to die, I stood up and took a step away from him.

Strengite was right there watching me. "You are quite skilled, Miss Haru," he remarked.

"You haven't seen half of it. Pray you don't ever see the other half," I threatened the inquisitive dick of a teacher. "And give up trying to figure me out. You really don't want to know."

> Contested Charisma test Won.

He backed the fuck off.

I flagged his knights. "Your werebear prince has lost the duel. See with him how he's going to settle his debt, but remember I have the whole Academy as a witness. This is Windemere, so I don't think I'm going to disappear in the night."

They almost attacked me, but the mage mumbled something and they lifted the prince and took off with him. Before they got away, I shouted,

"And he also owes me a new uniform!"

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[1] Hirsute = hairy. Earthenwares = pottery. Lame, I know.