He regarded her, noticing that she appeared to be about the same age as Princess Crystalia. He gazed at her long, silver-coloured hair cascading down her back and her tall stature. Her yellow dress, matching the length of the Gemheart Clan Mistress's attire, accentuated her slender figure.
Orion couldn't resist sneaking a glance at her yellow panties before returning his gaze to her, recalling that Princess Crystalia had introduced her when they entered the grand amphitheatre.
Raising his eyebrows at her question, Orion responded, "I am Orion." He paused there, with no intentions of divulging his age at the moment.
Upon hearing his name and realizing that he wasn't inclined to reveal his age, Maya furrowed her brows slightly. She decided to rephrase her question, "Very well, may I know your current rank?"
"Rank?" Orion asked, a bit puzzled by her wording.
Maya cleared her throat, noting his confusion, and rephrased, "I meant to ask about your current power or abilities." She observed him curiously, intrigued by how strong he might be at such a young age.
"Oh," Orion thought for a moment, "Hmmm, it's a bit difficult to explain. But if you want to compare it to the guy I just punched, I'd say I'm way stronger than him." He remembered that he hadn't even used more than a fraction of his strength in his fight against the Gemheart Clan Heir.
Plus, he hadn't received any information about how the Prismerions ranked their strengths, so he was a bit at a loss for words.
Meanwhile, downstage, Zephyrion was being treated for the injuries inflicted by Orion.
He overheard Orion's words and couldn't help but curse aloud, "Tchh! Bastard!" His words came out as muffled complaints, causing the Quaztrwraith healers around him to assume he was just expressing his pain.
Maya's eyes couldn't help but twitch the moment she heard Orion's words. 'Is he bragging?' she thought.
She was only one tier higher than Zephyrion, who was just two tiers above her youngest sister. Hearing Orion's words made her wonder if the young man in front of her was simply boasting, trying to send a message and show them how much weaker they were compared to the outside world.
Or perhaps he might genuinely have no idea how strong he was at the moment.
Regardless, Maya saw this as a golden opportunity to increase her influence in the kingdom. Beating the foreigner who had defeated one of the Prismerian young clan heirs during the banquet would undoubtedly enhance her standing.
After all, everyone who was someone within the kingdom was present at this event. She couldn't let such a chance slip through her fingers and allow her sister to maintain her higher influence unchallenged.
In fact, not only Maya but every other Clan Heir was contemplating such a possibility, so they naturally grasped what Maya was attempting to achieve.
However, instead of rashly storming onto the stage like her, they chose to wait and assess the situation first.
After all, wouldn't defeating a foreigner who had beaten two of the Prismerian Clan Heirs be more impressive than a foreigner who had only defeated one?
Nevertheless, they all silently thanked Zephyrion for eagerly presenting this opportunity to them.
They hoped that Maya could coax more of Orion's strength out so that they could gain a better understanding of it, even though they doubted her prowess since she was around the same level of strength as the Gemheart Clan Heir.
"This girl, what am I going to do with her," Merida Luminous, the eldest daughter and heir of the Luminaries clan, lamented.
She crossed her legs, one over the other, and massaged her forehead with her hands while sighing in exasperation at her younger sister's actions.
"She's not very bright," her other younger sister commented.
"Don't say that; she's your elder sister," Merida replied, releasing another weary sigh as she cast a sidelong glance at her sister before refocusing her gaze on the scene below.
"Still not very bright," her younger sister insisted.
"Sigh!!" Another exasperated sigh escaped Merida's lips.
On stage, Maya fixed her gaze on Orion and bowed her head. "Mr Foreigner, just like the Gemheart clan heir, I would also like to use this opportunity to challenge you to a battle."
A wave of murmurs erupted from the seats around them the moment those words escaped her lips.
But Orion couldn't help but frown, his brow arching. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that..."
"Wait!" Maya immediately interrupted him, her head rising from her bowing position as she noticed that Orion was about to refuse her challenge. Locking her gaze onto Orion's, she continued, "Unlike the Gemheart clan heir, I will personally grant you two wishes if you defeat me, and one if I win."
However, as another clan heir ascended the stage and issued yet another challenge with a win-win offer, Orion couldn't help but raise both of his eyebrows. It was beginning to feel rather unreasonable at this point.
Nonetheless, Orion was no longer in the mood for battles, especially after realizing that the Prismerain Clan Heirs weren't as strong as he had initially imagined, based on his observations of Princess Crystalia and Flintor when they had rescued him and Saria.
With a sigh, he responded, "I've been away from home for some time now, and if I win, I might just wish to take you back as my wife, considering that my mother currently desires a beautiful young woman like you."
Maya immediately raised her brows in surprise, utterly dumbfounded by his words. "I..." She tried to utter a response, but no words came out.
Stuttering, she struggled to find her voice.
Orion couldn't help but smile at her flustered state as he continued, "Well, that's just one of the wishes I'd like to grant. If you can't fulfil it, then there's no need for this battle."
Maya bit her lip in frustration as she watched Orion turn to leave.
Just as he was about to take another step forward, she blurted out, "Wait!" Her voice resonated loudly across the golden-veined crystal-clear stage. "If you win, I'll gladly accept your wish and become your wife. I'll follow you willingly to meet your mother."