That afternoon, I settled myself down in the tall stands of the arena, mingling into the crowd and entirely obscuring my presence. My mana and aura were concealed—no need to make myself a target for the discerning eyes of someone as keen as King Castillon or his commanders. Down below, test-takers quaked in anticipation. Two laps around the arena were announced as the first test. I laughed at its triviality.

Two laps? What kind of challenge was that? But when it began, I understood the reality. Contestants tripped at every step, moving awkwardly. The air vibrated faintly. I reached my hand into the arena. At once, I felt something tugging at it to hold it down—gravity. I had been right. It was not an elemental magic, like wind; it was Gravity Magic, and it was not weak. The king himself must have cast it.

Despite the oppressive magic, a few participants managed to complete the laps with ease. To my shock, Ruby was among them. "Ruby?!" I whispered harshly, leaning forward in disbelief. "What the hell is he doing there?" I wanted to shout down at him and drag him out of the arena right then and there, but I knew better. Interfering would expose me. So I sat back and waited for the second test.

This time, it was announced that King Castillon himself would enter the arena. For once, I saw what he looked like. He looked young, like a teenager with silver hair, about 5 years younger than me. "The next test will measure your practical skills," he declared as a wooden sword materialized in his hand, seemingly from nowhere. "Use any weapon or magic you like. Your task is simple: land a single hit on me within 30 minutes."

He paused, surveying the crowd. "All of you can attack me all at once." I blinked. "What the fuck? Is he insane?" I muttered under my breath. The participants were nervous at first, not knowing how to attack a king. But once the first bold attack was launched, the rest followed. King Castillon moved like lightning—literally. His body glowed faintly as he used Light Magic to dart around at unimaginable speeds.

Most participants couldn't even keep up with his movements, let alone land a hit. Ruby, however, surprised me yet again. His sharp instincts told him that he could predict the king's next move. He made a sharp combination of Fire and Earth Magic that forced the king to dodge mid-step, giving him a fleeting moment to strike. In some ways, with sheer effort or luck, a few of the participants managed to graze the king.

However, none of their attacks left even a scratch. Castillon was left untouched with a composed expression. By the end of 30 minutes, most participants had exhausted themselves, leaving less than a hundred standing. The final test was announced to be an interview. Well, that was simple enough, but something about it bothered me.

As the other participants started to file out of the arena and move toward the interview chambers, I noticed Ruby among them. "That's it," I said, leaping from my seat. I cut through the crowd and caught up with him. Without a word, I grabbed Ruby by the head. "Ow! What the hell?" he yelped, spinning around to face me. "Where do you think you're going?" I demanded, my tone low and menacing.

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Ruby froze, his wide-eyed stare quickly giving way to nervous laughter. "Oh, Savvy… what brings you here?" he asked innocently, clearly hoping to deflect the conversation. "Cut the act. You didn't tell me you were planning to join this ridiculous charade," I said, my grip tightening slightly. "About that, um…" Ruby began, but before he could finish, I started dragging him toward the exit.

"Come on. The interview won't do you any good," I ordered. "But—!" Ruby protested. "No buts." As we moved toward the exit, one of the king's commanders intercepted us. His sharp eyes narrowed on us as he stepped forward. "Excuse me," he said curtly. "Are you planning to leave before the interview?" "I—!" Ruby began to answer, but I quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. "Yes, he is," I replied smoothly, keeping my voice calm.

Ruby squirmed in my grasp, mumbling protests, but I ignored him. The commander's expression darkened, suspicion flickering in his eyes. "If I may ask… what is your relationship to that boy?" "I'm his guardian," I said firmly, meeting his gaze without hesitation. "And if you don't mind, we'll be taking our leave now." The commander frowned but stepped aside momentarily.

Just as I thought we were in the clear, the sound of steel scraping against leather filled the air. Turning slightly, I saw the commander unsheathing his sword and leveling it at my neck. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice tense, "but you're not going anywhere." My patience snapped. Slowly, I turned my gaze to him, allowing my aura to surge just enough to activate my Frightful Presence ability, and said, “Fuck off.”

The commander froze, his face draining of color as his body trembled uncontrollably. He collapsed to his knees, his sword clattering uselessly to the ground. "W-What are you?" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. I didn't care to reply. Holding Ruby tightly in my hand, I left him still paralyzed with fear. A few minutes later, we arrived at the inn. I pulled Ruby behind by the back of his shirt as if he were some badly behaved child.

I pushed the door open so violently that it hit the wall, jolting Silvia awake. She shot up from the bed with her eyes wide and fear-frozen. "W-What?! Who's there?!" she yelled, fumbling around in a half-hunch to get a dagger that lay under her pillow. I pushed Ruby out of my arms, and he lurched forward. "Relax, it's just us," I growled curtly and then fixed my glare on Ruby again. "Why in the world would you want to participate in that nonsense?"

"I just wanted to know what it was like—and, y'know, have a good time," Ruby replied, scratching at the back of his head. Silvia groaned, rubbing her eyes to try and put the pieces together. "What in the world is happening?" she asked, her voice drowsy but peeved. "Ruby participated in Castillon's recruitment," I explained matter-of-factly. "It was just for fun! It's not like I'm actually going to join." Ruby protested.

I clenched my fists and snapped, "You almost blew your cover, you idiot!" My voice was sharp enough to make him flinch. "Back there, I sensed Holy Magic in the interview chambers. What do you think would've happened if those priests caught on to what you really are, huh? They'd fucking exorcise you, Ruby!" Silvia's eyes had widened, now fully awake. "Wait, what?" she asked, looking between the two of us.

I forced ahead, ignoring Silvia, "Once they understand that you're a Cambion, the Holy Church will never cease pursuing you until you are dead. Do you understand? They don't care whether you are good or evil- they'll only perceive you as a demon hybrid and decree you as a threat."

The cockiness on Ruby's face faded and gave in to actual remorse. He lowered his head and mumbled in a low voice, "Sorry." "Look," I said, trying to soften my voice a bit. "I know you want to explore some shit, but this isn't a game. If you mess up, you won't just get a slap on the wrist. You'll lose your life. Just think before you act, alright?"

Silvia let out a deep sigh and folded her arms. "This kid's going to give me heart failure one of these days," she grumbled before flopping back on the bed. Ruby nodded, his shoulders slumping forward. "I get it. I won't do it again," he promised, but there was a faint edge of guilt in his voice. "Good," I said firmly, though my watchful eyes stayed on him a moment longer. "Now, you should get some-"