Everyone gazed at him, eyes wide in shock at the sudden attack and its effectiveness.
However, he just clicked his tongue and continued with the terrible acting, cursing Shepard’s bets and finding the situation less funny by the second.
Clasping his hands over his chest, he spoke with an exaggerated tone.
"Ah! I’m so lucky my mana finally responded. It almost took me a minute for this one spell, though. I’m really, really relieved it worked."
On the other hand, Alice rolled her eyes at him, stopping her trembling fingers from gripping her wand to confront his shameless act with a good ice spell in the face.
Her voice cracking in suppressed anger, she raised her harm in his direction.
"Adam wins. Leave the arena before I blast you."
With a dismissive shrug, he jumped by Lola and passed her with heavy steps, ignoring the despair twisting her lips and the tears pooling in her eyes.
’I’m more desperate than you. This entire farce is a waste of my time! They should just give me the tier-six bones and do something more productive.’
Despite his growing annoyance, he walked to the arcanists’ room to wait for the others to end their duels.
However, the moment he stepped inside, they surrounded him.
He noticed the deep frown creasing their brows and the distrust flashing in their eyes in confusion.
"We suspect you’re a mage already," Zeph said, retrieving a crystal from his pocket and handing it to him.
"We want to test your mana strands to confirm your tier. It’ll take a second and will put everyone at ease."
Orion chimed in, his gentle tone and soft pat making him understand that he wanted to defuse the situation.
Shepard nodded at him, his intentions the same, yet his teeth gritted in anger.
Without a word, he snatched the crystal with inhuman speed, the sound of whistling air and a breeze the only thing those mighty individuals felt.
Uncaring about their constricting pupils, he infused his mana for a second and threw it back into Zeph’s trembling palm.
"What’s next? Want to know about my mana circuits? What about the color of my underpants if you’re that curious?"
Marina tucked her fingers around her chin and chuckled at the few strands dancing in the gem while the suspicious arcanist’s brows raised in confusion.
"You’re still as terrible as last year. I can’t believe it’s still stuck at sixty-six."
"You could have told them!"
A cold snicker escaped his lips as she held her sides and laughed harder.
"And miss a potential drama? No way. Ah! I shouldn’t have said that aloud."
She turned to the arcanists glaring at them menacingly and continued.
"As I said before he came, I never tested his mana. If you don’t believe me, get down in the arena and prove me wrong."
"Yeah! She admitted she lied in your faces, so go and fight her."
He rolled his eyes at them before venting a bit, focusing on Aurora and offering her a thug’s smirk.
"Or can you only bully the weak? Even Shepard provoked her once. He lost, but still, he showed he wasn’t all talk like the rest of you."
Aurora’s fingers whitened as she clenched her trembling fists, resisting the urge to kill him, only to turn him into an undead and kill him again at least ten times a day.
"Ayaya? Even if you dislike a few among us, you still must show us respect, little apprentice. And what’s that story, Shepy? You’ve been hiding things from me, naughty boy!"
Maya jumped into the conversation, her eyes sparkling with curiosity as she scrutinised Shepard’s decomposing face.
"He lies! I never provoked that crazy archmage into a duel! Anyway, are we here to talk about me or your misplaced suspicions? Like hell I would cheat by registering a mage while claiming he was my apprentice. That’s what Edgar does, though."
As Shepard defended himself and Marina enjoyed the chaos she had created, Elisabeth’s icy and authoritative voice boomed like a thunder strike in the room.
"He can’t be a mage without a hundred strands, and his swiftness comes from his puppet. If you have no more baseless accusations to share with us, I’ll take my leave before this sad spectacle sours my mood."
Then, she turned to Marina and leaned towards her face without fear despite the strength difference.
"I warn you, archmage Marina. There’ll be severe consequences if you try to sow discord among the arcanists by withholding information or with childish provocations."
Without waiting for the archmage’s answer, she left the room with the grace befitting her royal rank and status.
While she left, Marina muttered an unending flow of curses, wishing her a horrible death as he laughed at the situation.
In this strange ambience, the other arcanists glared at each other before taking off one after another until only Shepard and Orion remained with him.
"Sorry, boy. I boasted a little too much. But it’s also your fault. Who asked you to perform like a second-rate actor with all the exaggerated declarations? Only a fool would believe you!"
An awkward silence descended on the room as he gazed at his mentor, dead in the eyes.
Then, he gripped the man’s shoulders and spoke solemnly.
"I can be the best actor if I want to. I just don’t have time to train. If you’re unhappy, I can stop acting and win in a second. Even better, send them all simultaneously. I’ll win one versus sixteen in five seconds."
Both arcanists’ brows twitched at the ridiculous claim, yet they knew he could do it, which made it even worse. Therefore, they failed to find an appropriate answer.
"That’s what I thought. Let me do my thing while you collect your bet’s profits. By the way, I won’t show up here anymore, so if you have something to tell me, find me in the academy’s waiting room."
His lips twisted into a bitter grimace as he left the two frowning arcanists behind and exited the room.
As he walked, he pondered, feeling an invisible weight burdening his soul and souring his mood insidiously.
’All this politics and undeserved respect I have to show... That’s not who I’m nor who I want to be.’