Viola looked pleased with Zeke's change in attitude. The slowly emerging smirk on her face made it clear that she was about to start teasing him again. Before the tiny Wind Mage could get started, though, Sophia cut into the conversation. "We will have time enough to pool our knowledge later. Let's first all collect our winnings and make bets for the next fight."

Zeke also agreed with Sophia's judgment, and the two of them got up, leaving a pouting Viola behind. The girl was left with no choice but to follow after her two friends.

The three arrived at the betting station and got in line. Zeke was using this time to calculate the odds for the next battle. It was time for the fight between Rona Feuersturm and Roland Erdherr. This was probably the most anticipated fight of the first round. The drama around the betrayal of the battle royale was of great interest to the crowd. If there was something people appreciated in their entertainment, then that would be drama.

Zeke did not care much for the morality of the situation. He was not completely innocent in how the scene had played out, after all. Still, he wished for Rona's victory, if only to get revenge for Peter. The boy could not exactly be called a friend, but he still would have liked to see him in the finals. With Peter's unfair elimination, Leo and Zeke were the only commoner-born Mages left in the finals.

Zeke did not doubt that this fact would only deeper ingrain the widely held belief that nobles were superior. He had to agree that it was hard to advance as a mage without the proper backing. Still, in his opinion, the empire did itself a massive disservice by ignoring the general populace. He understood why the noble families were not exactly thrilled at the idea of having more commoners among their ranks.

The number of mages was, at the higher stages at least, not limited by talent, but resources. More commoner mages would mean more people fighting for the same pool of affinity crystals.

Zeke wondered if the nobles would come to hate him even more for his part in developing the meditation technique. He was pretty sure that they would not be pleased, at least. But it was not like the great families would be forced to share their resources all of a sudden. There should still be more than enough of their talented members to go around. The true benefit to the meditation technique, in Zeke's opinion, was not the spike in powerful mages. No, what Zeke hoped would happen with the meditation technique was a gradual change in the populace.

Zeke imagined a scene where even the lowest of peasants could advance to True Mage. This dream was not unattainable, as the stage could be reached by absorbing ambient mana alone. The only hurdle to the common folk would be access to a spell and the engraving ritual. But if the empire would not provide those tools, Zeke would be more than happy to develop them himself!

His grandiose dreams were interrupted when the line shifted and Sophia stepped up to the betting booth. Zeke realized that he had wasted enough time with pointless musings. He needed to focus now. The winner of this fight would, after all, be his next opponent, should he manage to advance. Zeke used his [Analysis] spell to bring up a prediction for the next fight.

Battle prediction - Rona Feuersturm vs Roland Erdherr's:

Rona Feuersturm's strategic mind and ability to use distance give her an advantage over Roland Erdherr's brash temper. If Rona were to become too emotional during the fight, her performance will suffer. The recent signs of aggression in her demeanor make this possibility likely. Roland can potentially overpower Rona by using her anger to bait his opponent into making mistakes. With an almost equal combat strength, the winner of the fight will be decided by who can keep their emotions better in check.

Predicted result: Roland Erdherr wins with a 61% chance. This value goes up to 84% depending on the level of emotional imbalance in Rona Feuerstrum.

Zeke looked around, searching the crowd for the face of Rona. He was sure that the noble girl would spend her remaining time before the fight in this lounge. He spotted the girl in a corner of the room, talking to a nervous-looking Peter.

He observed the talking pair for a moment, catching subtle details that he had not noticed before. It was probably because the two were out of sight and did not expect tot to be so observed with such scrutiny. Zeke saw it in the way their eyes met, in how Peter lightly grabbed her shoulder as he tried to calm her down. He was certain. The way the two interacted made it obvious that they were in a romantic relationship with each other.

Zeke continued to watch the two as Viola stepped up to the betting station next, making her choice. Zeke had overheard that she and Sophia were both planning to bet a small amount of money on Rona as a token of support. He paid the discussion in front of him no mind. Instead, he focused all his senses on the happenings between Peter and Rona.

Unfortunately, they were out of reach of his [Perfect Spatial Awareness]. But by observing their gestures and expressions, he could still get a clear picture of what was going on. It was plain to see that Rona was furious. She was repeatedly pointing at Peter, before gesturing to the people around them. Zeke guessed that she meant to say that Peter also deserved a spot in the final.

Peter, on the other hand, had a resigned expression on his face. It was likely that they had this discussion many times already. He held out both of his hands toward Rona, gesturing for her to calm down. It seemed that Peter's position in the final had meant more to her than to Peter. Zeke guessed that it had something to do with their relationship. Rona would have no reason any more to keep their connection a secret. Not if Peter had won one of those medals. With a certificate that marked him as one of the best 16 of his year, Peter would be able to hold his head up high.

Zeke turned his head back to the front, not wanting to intrude any more than he had to. He had seen all he needed to see. Rona was by far more emotionally invested in her revenge than he had expected. Unfortunately for her, this anger would most certainly be her undoing.

The decision came at the right time as Viola stepped to the side, starting to chat with Sophia as they waited for him. Zeke overheard her telling the blonde Mind Mage something about how girls needed to support each other in times of crisis. He smirked at his friend's whimsical behavior as he stepped up to the bookkeeper. He had no doubt that Viola would immediately abandon her newly found ideas of Sisterhood if there was more fun to be had that way.

Zeke had a little over 3000 gold by now. He was pretty sure this was going to be his last chance to make a lot of money during the first round. The question was: Did he have the nerve to take the risk? Zeke swallowed, his throat feeling suddenly parched. With a slightly shaking hand, he took out a full 3000 gold, leaving him only with a pittance. With hesitant movements and a growing sense of unease, he placed the bag in front of the crude drawing of Roland. The bookkeeper looked at the bulging sack of money with wide eyes. Zeke marshaled all his willpower and finally took his hand off the pouch.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

The bookkeeper nudged the boy beside him, pointing at Zeke's bet. The boy, who was a metal mage, lifted his palm toward the bag. After a moment, he proclaimed: "3000 gold on Roland Erdherr!"

The surrounding crowd immediately broke out into excited murmurs. Many of them were studying Zeke. They seemed to look for some kind of confirmation. Most wanted to know what gave him such confidence. Instead, what the onlookers saw was Zeke's shaking hands and his longing gaze toward the bag of money. He looked like a father who had just given away his precious daughter to an unsavory husband. They immediately abandoned all thoughts of joining him in this risky venture.

Zeke returned to the two girls, with shaky steps. The two were giving him disbelieving looks. After Zeke arrived before them, none of them spoke or moved for a moment. It was Viola who finally broke the tension.

"Damn... It looks like you won't be buying us drinks after all," she said, the disbelieve clear in her voice.

The three looked at each other for a moment before they all broke out into laughter. A lot of the tension Zeke had felt a moment ago was gone now. He had just bet more money than he had ever dreamed of owning. Even a tenth of this amount could let his family retire on the spot and live the rest of their lives in leisure. However, Zeke was aware that neither of his parents wished for such a life anyway. With a much lighter mood, he turned to Viola and responded.

"I have a very strong feeling about this fight. This is just me doing what you taught me earlier," he said.

Viola was taken aback by his claim. She started to fervently shake her head, denying the claim vehemently, "Wait, wait, wait! You can't put that on me! I most certainly did not tell you to bet all your fucking money on such a risky venture!"

Zeke couldn't suppress a smile when he saw how distressed the girl had become. Still, he was quick to reassure her.

"Relax, I am not putting the responsibility for this on you. But I have come in possession of some valuable intel that has convinced me that this is a much safer bet than it might seem," he said.

Viola and Sophia exchanged a glance, they were intrigued by his statement. However, Zeke could also detect a note of uncertainty in their gaze. It seemed they didn't fully believe his story. He couldn't even blame them for their doubts, as he had had no idea who to bet on only minutes earlier. Where could this new information have come from while they waited in line, after all?

Zeke didn't explain any further, letting the vague nature of his statement create an air of mystery. The three of them returned to the private area, Viola and Zeke going out onto the balcony, while Sophia stayed behind. Zeke could see the blonde beauty busy shaking a metallic container at what looked like a private bar. He was curious about what she was doing and kept an eye on the girl.

A minute or so later, the secret was revealed. Sophia took out three glasses from a cabinet. She opened up the metallic container and poured a translucent, slightly greenish beverage into the glasses. After decorating the drinks with some pieces of fresh fruit, she joined her friends outside. She handed each of them a glass and leaned against the railing.

Her eyes focused on Zeke with interest. He had long since learned that Sophia was fascinated by things she did not understand. He had noticed that she seemed to look at people like puzzles to be solved. By not acting according to her expectations, one could easily draw her interest. Zeke had made it a habit to sometimes do random little things with no meaning when Sophia was around. He was pretty certain that she was onto him. But his sometimes genuinely baffling behavior, like his bet earlier, kept her guessing at his real motivations.

The three of them waited in silence, each lost in thought. It was a while later that the announcer started to introduce the two combatants. Zeke paid Jorgels over-the-top introductions no mind. His gaze traveled to where Rona had just emerged. He could see the barely hidden fury in her eyes. It seemed that whatever Peter had tried to do had not worked one bit. She appeared even angrier to Zeke. He noticed how her hands twitched occasionally. The girl seemed to barely be able to hold herself back from outright attacking her opponent before the official start of the fight.

Zeke smiled, taking a sip from the drink Sophia had given him earlier. It was a refreshing mix of berries and a fruit Zeke had never seen before today. The girl had explained that it could not be found in the empire. The treat was only available through trade with the merchant union.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Jorgel finally stopped his introduction. The crowd started to boo the verbose announcer after the first couple of minutes. They were too excited about this long-awaited fight.

The moment the bell was rung, Rona started her bombardment. She used the [Flame orb] spell that her family was renowned for. The Feuerstrum family was famous for their quick barrage of spells, never giving the opponent time to breathe.

For lower-level mages, that meant using either the [Fire lance] or [Flame orb] spell. The [Fire lance] had more speed and penetrating power, but the [Flame orb] was a lot faster to cast. She was throwing out multiple spells per second, burying her opponent in a literal torrent of fire. Zeke thought this to be a mistake, she would have been far better with surgical strikes. Earth Mages, with their high defensive power, were notoriously hard to bring down using weak attacks.

The best strategy would have been to use only a few spells to keep him on his toes while preparing a big attack on the side. A calmer Rona would have understood this immediately. Zeke could hear Sophia sigh next to him. The Mind Mage also had a keen mind for strategy and was quick to realize that her wager was most likely lost.

It only took a few minutes for Rona to lose steam, her exhaustion visible. She had fired a nonstop barrage at her opponent, the earth mage not visible since the beginning of the fight.

The girl seemed to have calmed down considerably after venting her frustration. However, after a short-lived smile, her face paled. She must have realized how badly she had screwed up. As the fire died down, an empty plot of land was revealed. There was nothing but a hole in the ground.

It seemed that Roland had fled underground sometime during the barrage. When the hole was revealed, Rona's face became even whiter. The extent of her mistake finally caught up with her. Before she could consider her situation in any more detail. The next surprise arrived for her.

The ground under the girl's feet split open, and two hands shot out, grabbing her ankles. Rona was quick to react and sent more [Flame Orbs] toward them. However, the stone-clad hands didn't release their grip, dragging the screaming girl below ground.

There was absolute silence in the stadium for a moment, the people wondering what had happened to the girl. In the next moment, the announcer called out: "Aaaand the winner is Roland Erdherr! Congratulations on reaching the next round!"

After the announcement, a team of healers rushed into the arena. They retrieved the heavily injured girl from below ground. Her opponent, Roland, also emerged with them. The Earth Mage had the biggest grin on his face. His cocky expression rubbed Zeke the wrong way. He could feel his dislike for the boy rise. He considered the string of underhanded tactics Roland had used to reach this place.

Of the contestants on stage, he had been the weaker one. But somehow, he had managed to advance once again. Zeke clenched his fist as he stared at the broken body of Rona as she was carried to the healing station on a stretcher.

His gaze returned to Roland. At this moment, he was standing in the middle of the stage, appreciating the attention of the crowd. Zeke's eyes turned dark as he observed the detestable smile on the boy's face. There was anger building in Zeke's chest, and he didn't understand where it was coming from. Before he could investigate the phenomenon any further, the announcer spoke once more.

"The next fight is between Karl Luftschloss and Ezekiel von Hohenheim. It will start in 30 minutes. Contestants, please get into the waiting rooms before then!"