Orion let a moment pass, quietly ignoring Vatat’akon staring him down.

  As far as intimidation tactics went, it wasn’t bad. His scars and weathered skin did a lot of the heavy lifting, and the feeling of his willpower spreading through the Mana Field was impossible to ignore.

  However, compared to masters of the art like Yue and Morliana, this was unimpressive.

  Irritation flickered inside him at being forced to go through this again, but something told him this time was different from the others. What had Set said? “He’s a bit of a grump, especially with those who have yet to prove themselves.” Something like that. I guess this is his way of judging me.

  If so, then he shouldn’t give in to his urge to snap back. Instead, he sighed, deliberately relaxing his body and spreading his legs to seem unconcerned. “You are a bit too late to this game,” he said. “Scarier people than you tried to squeeze information out of me. You should ask Set about it next time.”

  Vatat’akon eyed him, a flicker of something passing through his eyes, before a huff escaped him, and the tense atmosphere relaxed abruptly. “I guess that should be expected, or that old meddler wouldn’t have bothered bringing you to my attention.”

  Orion raised an eyebrow, but after a moment of thought, he nodded in acknowledgment. “Yeah, he probably set things up so we’d have this exact conversation. He’s that kind of man, isn’t he? I’d bet good money he has arranged something to keep my guard busy in the atrium, or she would have already come looking for me.”

  I hope it wasn’t anything too serious. Pauline is already helping mom by watching over me, and she could be a valuable ally. I don’t want to push her away like this.

  “To think that I would still be taken for a ride by his little games,” Vatat’akon huffed, sounding more amused than mad.

  Now that the half-dragonkin wasn’t trying to scare him half to death, Orion could see laugh lines around his eyes, and with his features softening, he didn’t seem quite so ancient anymore. Still probably several times older than his combined lives, but not ancient like Mallon.

  “Was there really a need to call me here and posture?” He asked, side-eying the Guildmaster.

  Vatat’akon smirked but surprised him by nodding, “Believe it or not, information about your father’s movements is being sold for a crazy premium right now. He’s made it clear through several channels that he doesn’t plan to take the mantle Mallon is leaving, but no one thinks he’s staying out of the fight to choose the next Speaker. His words could shift the race in any direction.”

  “Are there really that many options?” As far as Orion knew, very few people had the power to step into Mallon’s shoes. If they decided to give up the title of Speaker, or at least lessen their chances of keeping it, choosing a tier four Archmage might work, since it was roughly the same level of power as the other major factions bring to the table. But that was as likely as the Collegium giving up its position as the most powerful faction, which was to say, not likely at all.

  No, their unique position within Valderun allowed them to showcase their true powerhouses in the public’s eye without having to send them hundreds of miles away like the other factions, which meant that not taking advantage of this wouldn’t even cross the Senate’s mind.

  Vatat’akon tapped his finger on his desk and mulled over the situation. Eventually, he shook his head. “Even the Collegium only has a handful of tier-five mages, and most of them prefer to stay out of the limelight. No, the real battle isn’t about deciding the Senate’s vote, but about convincing one of these old monsters to give up their little kingdoms. Whoever succeeds will likely gain a lot of prestige and resources, making it a very valuable prize beyond just bragging rights.”

  “I see,” Orion replied, trying to come to terms with the Collegium having multiple tier five mages hidden somewhere, who didn’t reveal themselves or challenge the status quo only because they had established a fief of their own within their faction.

  Only once he’d seen the true power these monsters could unleash, and though it was used to save him, he would much rather never find himself in such a situation again.

  High Priestess Seraphina was regarded as nearly divine within the Sanctum but was not treated as such due to strict enforcement of theological orthodoxy.

  It was widely understood that she was above the petty squabbles and power struggles the witches below her engaged in, and that no one should try to get her attention, or they risked losing everything they had worked to build.

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  With a single flex of her will, she had erased a mountain and an entire colony of sapient beings within it.

  He did not doubt that she thought of herself as being above anyone weaker than her.

  That multiple people of her same power level could be in the same city as he was right now, whom he knew nothing about…

  That’s only if Seraphina is truly only tier five. There were rumors through the Sanctum that she was actually tier six, which would make her genuinely terrifying.

  Shaking his head, he dismissed that line of thought. It was all guesswork, and he simply didn't have reliable information to draw any conclusions.

  “Shouldn’t you know this?” Vatat’akon asked, surprised. “I thought the mages of the Collegium all became experts in politics after a year within its walls. Since you are Antares’ son, I would have expected you to be much more informed than I.”

  A commotion outside the door distracted them, growing louder with each passing second, until Orion heard a clear, “If you don’t let me see my charge, I will bring the whole might of the Lunar Sanctum on your heads!”

  He stood up and smiled at Vatat’akon, relishing his surprised expression. “That’s because I’ve never set foot in the Collegium.”

  “Don’t think for a moment I don’t know you weren’t as passive a participant as you made yourself out to be,” Pauline muttered as she closed the carriage door behind her, plunging them into temporary shadow before the driver moved the curtains aside from the outside.

  Orion tried an angelic smile for a few seconds before crumbling in the face of her unwavering stare. Haven’t I done enough socializing for today? Ugh, I guess one more thing wouldn’t hurt, especially if I can get her help.

  “Sorry, I should have warned you when I was led to the Guildmaster,” he said as honestly as he could, which wasn’t much.

  Pauline eyed him critically, clearly unconvinced that he was genuinely repentant, but finally sighed and shook her head. “It’s fine, I know it’s not easy to deny a man like that. I just hope that whatever game you are playing is worth the effort, because no matter how friendly, a tier four warrior should never, ever be underestimated.”

  A chuckle escaped his lips before he could stop it. “Friendly?” He asked incredulously, which was enough to make her expression twitch, and soon, she was chuckling alongside him.

  Many things could be said about Vatat’akon, some good, some bad, but being friendly clearly wasn’t one of them.

  When they had calmed down, Orion apologized properly, “I am sorry about not letting you know. I didn’t expect the summons, but I became curious and decided to go alone. I shouldn’t have, even if the Guildmaster is Set’s friend.”

  “It’s fine,” Pauline said, “I should have waited outside the training room in the first place, even if that basement area is so gloomy. Just because no one will attack you doesn't mean they will leave you alone, and it’s my duty to protect you while we’re out and about.”

  Tilting his head, Orion threw in a Hail Mary, “Well, since we’re both sorry, we should do something to get rid of this bad feeling. What do you say to a little sparring session?”

  Blinking in surprise, Pauline watched him for a long moment, trying to gauge his sincerity, but when his smile didn’t falter, she crossed her arms. “Are you underestimating me, kid? I know you're a little genius, but there’s a difference between me and the boys you manhandled the other day, you know?”

  “Oh, I know,” Orion replied without missing a beat. “I fully expect to lose by a wide margin, but there are a few spells I’ve been working on that I haven’t had a chance to try out in a fight, and there are few better ways to make all that training stick.”

  Pauline pursed her lips before shrugging, “Alright, I suppose a little sparring won’t hurt. I do have to warn you, though. I’m not someone who will take it easy on you just because of your youth. You challenged me, which means you should be ready to face the consequences.”

  For a moment, Orion wondered if he should withdraw his offer. He’d been taking Pauline with him as he wandered around the city for quite some time, and she probably had better things to do if it weren’t for a request from two Magistrae.

  This might hurt a little, but I guess that’s part of the game. Better to experience a little hurt now than a lot of hurt later. At least, that’s mom’s approach, and it’s worked pretty well so far.

  When they arrived at the embassy, they got out of the carriage, and Pauline eagerly walked inside, a grin tugging at her lips, while Orion seriously started to worry he might have bitten off more than he could chew.

  No, this is too good an opportunity. Pauline is at the top of tier two, which means she’s not an insurmountable obstacle like Mom, but she’s strong enough to take almost everything I can throw at her.

  The embassy’s spatial magic pulled them along, shortening corridors and letting them avoid rooms he was sure had to be in the way, until they stopped in front of an unremarkable wooden door.

  Pauline pushed it open and revealed what appeared to be an old dueling room that probably had seen better days. It was large enough to comfortably host a fight and a few spectators, who could stand behind a runic string on the floor, which likely served as a shield when in use.

  “Welcome to the Gentleladies’ Club!”

  Orion could hear the nostalgia in her tone, and a closer look revealed scuff marks, a few tables against the far wall, and some faded posters on the walls.

  The room had clearly once been a gathering place for younger witches, probably ones who had just finished their studies and traveled to Valderun in hopes of broadening their horizons and, perhaps, catching the eye of the mysterious Elder Yue.

  It brought back uncomfortable memories of another life, of a young man trying to build a club of emerging scientists, only for everything to fall apart when people lost interest.

  This had obviously been a happier place, if Pauline’s expression was any indication.

  “Well, it’s cozy,” he eventually said, and she eyed him amusedly before snapping her fingers and summoning a strong gust of wind, which howled through the room for several seconds, sending his white hair in every direction until it finally calmed down, and all the dust that had accumulated over the years of disuse was gone.

  “Very neat,” he remarked in the same tone.

  “Come on, take your position. Nobody’s questioning your wordplay, but a duel is a different ballgame from the sparring you’ve been doing with the other kids your age,” she smiled, her expression transforming the serious young woman he knew into a carefree girl, giddy to have another toy to play with.

  Of course, that same girl was strong enough to overpower him in an instant if he let his guard down, so maybe it wasn’t exactly the same thing.