As soon as Felix rounded the corner into the kitchen, he could hear chatter breaking out in the hall. He couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. It actually worked.

  With relieved laughter, he slumped against the wall and slid onto the floor.

  He was more exhausted from that one conversation than he was from a full training session with instructor Grendel. Soon, Agrona returned and helped him onto a chair. She quickly handed him a glass of iced green tea. Pouring two more glasses, one for her and another for Henry.

  With a proud smile on her face, she raised her glass.

  “To well-laid plans, congratulations, Felix.”

  Felix weakly raised his glass to meet Agrona’s and Henry’s. He looked over at Henry.

  “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  “Please, all I had to do was snicker on cue, hardly a contribution worth mentioning.”

  Felix shook his head.

  “No, if it weren’t for you, it wouldn’t have worked. I hoped not to cut it so close, but it’s not like I’ve done anything like this before. Without you, he might have brushed it off like I’m not worth his time.”

  Agrona nodded.

  “I agree, watching the boy's expression, he likely wouldn’t have fallen for it if it weren’t for you. But don’t sell yourself short, Felix. What you did was incredible, especially for your first go at things. I’ve seen old monsters do what you did with far less tact. Sure, you were up against some snot-nosed brats, but everyone needs to start somewhere.

  “Your words are as much a weapon as your sword. Few could wield them with as much skill in their first battle.”

  “Are you sure you can take him, though? No offense, but he’s a knight, and you don’t have any offensive spells. Aren’t you just going to get your butt kicked?” Henry asked.

  Felix sighed.

  “It’s possible.”

  Henry looked at him in shock.

  “Then why the hell did you do all that?”

  Felix looked in the direction of the dining room.

  “I had to. I can’t explain it clearly, but to move forward on my path, I had to do it. Also, I might not be as helpless as you think. I doubt Eugene has put in nearly as much effort into his training as I have. In terms of skill, I should be far ahead of him. He probably has me beat in physical might, but probably not by nearly as much as you’re imagining.

  “He might be a knight, but until he breaks past his body’s first natural limit, he won’t be drastically stronger than me.

  “His spell is a concern, though. I don’t have a great answer for that. I’ll need to try and beat him before he has a chance to use it, or I might be in trouble.”

  “That’s… that’s not going to be easy.”

  Felix nodded.

  “Not like I had much of a choice. If I can beat him, I’ll buy myself a few months of peace. Hopefully, it's enough time to make some progress on my path and learn something useful. The way things were going, those guys would keep escalating until either I broke or they became such a hindrance that I couldn’t move forward.

  “I’m not doing this out of ego, I’m doing this because it was an obstacle on my path.”

  Agrona nodded approvingly.

  “Good, now then. They’ve left already. You’d better run off to the gym. Two days might seem like a lot now, but I’m sure you’re going to wish you had more when you get in that ring. I’ll take care of the place until you get back.”

  Felix sent Agrona a grateful smile.

  “Thanks, Agrona, and thanks again, Henry.”

  “Hey, what are friends for?”

  Felix already made his preparations. He’d arranged with Agrona to skip his work at the dining hall until he’d dealt with Eugene. He already worked out a training program with Instructor Grendel to give him the best chance in the fight.

  Two days wouldn’t make him an expert in staff fighting, but he wasn’t facing an expert fighter. If he had to guess, Eugene probably hadn’t caught up with what Felix could do before even coming to the crossroad. He might have an edge physically, but even that shouldn’t be too exaggerated.

  That meant Felix could figure out roughly how the fight would go and focus his training on preparing only a couple of moves that would let him win. The problem was that he didn't get to see Eugene fight. The training he’d seen him do during his observation was still focused on the basics.

  That doesn’t mean he did nothing to prepare. Instructor Grendel had to be impartial. He couldn’t tell Felix anything about Eugene in particular, but he could speak in generalities. He could tell Felix all about the ways beginners usually fight.

  Not to mention, while Felix hadn’t seen Eugene fight, he’d seen others at a similar skill level going at it. Using everything he learned, he came up with a plan, a risky plan, but it was better than going in blind.

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  The first thing he needed to learn was how to counter a charge from a faster and stronger opponent. The second was a quick dodge to the side, followed by a counterattack.

  Being able to focus on only two moves while wasting little time on things like sleep and recovery meant that Felix crammed an amount of training that would take others weeks into only two days. That didn’t mean he’d be as skilled as someone who’d trained for weeks, but in the two moves he’d selected, he performed them at a level that your average amateur couldn’t match.

  With the help of an expert instructor and the amazing training facilities, when the time came for Felix to step into the ring, he thought he stood a pretty good chance of winning.

  The only problem was that he had no real way of knowing just how good Eugene was. If he was more skilled than Felix expected. If he didn’t follow any of the patterns beginners usually followed. If his spell was more potent than Felix predicted.

  There were so many ifs that could derail Felix’s plans.

  He’d done everything he could. Now he just had to hope it was enough.

  At least one part of his plan had worked perfectly. When it came time for their match, news of their faceoff had spread all over the Crossroad. In fact, it looked like almost everyone had shown up, leaving even the enormous gym building feeling a little cramped.

  ‘Well, if everything goes according to plan, then this should be enough. I doubt Eugene would have the face to keep up his nonsense if he lost in front of all these people.

  ‘But if I lose…’

  Felix shook his head.

  ‘That’s not an option. I have to win.’

  When Felix entered the gym, Eugene was already in the ring, clearly basking in the attention of the crowd. The look of derision he shot Felix when he entered told Felix all he needed to know. Irene and Marvin clearly did a fantastic job convincing Eugene that Felix stood no chance against him.

  ‘That’s good, the more confident he is, the less careful he’ll be.’

  For Felix, the fight began the moment he stepped into the gym. As more people noticed his entry, the chatter of the crowd began to die down to a more manageable murmur. Eugene took the opportunity to stand in the middle of the stage. His entire posture screamed condescension.

  Felix could practically see Eugene readying some no doubt witty comment he’d prepared. Unfortunately, Felix was playing an entirely different game. He had no reason to try to look cool before the fight. His focus was on one thing and one thing only.

  Winning.

  So while Eugene prepared to posture, Felix ignored him and struck up a conversation with Henry, who’d been waiting a good distance away from the stage.

  They didn’t discuss anything of substance. Instead, they made a show of chatting carefreely. Felix made a point of loudly laughing at a joke he was too nervous to even hear. He made it seem as if the fight was of no concern to him.

  After a brief conversation with Henry, he slowly made his way to the stage, stopping to make small talk with several of the less hostile people he’d served over the past week. He could see Eugene’s frustration slowly building as he was forced to wait on Felix.

  He’d clearly built up a picture of how this fight would go for him. Of course he would. He’d been called out in front of so many people, Felix made a point of portraying him as pathetic. He’d gone from feeling superior to feeling like Felix looked down on him in a matter of moments. With no time to find his footing and stand up for himself, he likely spent the past couple of days going over the conversation in his head.

  He probably thought of countless ways he should have responded, countless things he could say today to straighten out the misunderstanding Felix created. Only in the moment of his redemption, Felix didn’t even give him a chance to speak. He left him standing alone in the centre of the arena, waiting.

  What's worse, Felix made it look like the grand event he’d built up in his mind was a trivial thing, not worth more than catching up with a few acquaintances.

  When Felix got to within earshot of Eugene, he was ready. Just as he predicted, Eugene tried to claw back a modicum of control by trying to shout over the crowd. Felix wouldn’t allow it. He’d purposefully slowed his approach while he was just far enough to pretend he couldn’t really hear him.

  So when Eugene called out to him, he looked around like he couldn’t see who was talking. When he made eye contact with Eugene and he started going into his prepared preamble, Felix waved him off, as if he were being impatient, before Felix turned back to the group of guys he was talking with.

  He made a bit of small talk and cracked a little joke before saying goodbye and walking towards the stage, still chuckling a little at his own joke.

  Felix felt like his performance was a little stiff. After all, nothing about his entrance was as carefree or spontaneous as he pretended it was. He’d carefully planned his approach. He had plans for every situation. What if the people he spoke to clammed up or were hostile? What if Eugene left the stage to confront him?

  He had to take every eventuality into consideration. Even now, he’d had to adapt his plan several times as Eugene had chosen to stay in the ring and wait for him instead of taking any number of other actions he could have. Not wanting to tempt fate and allow one of Eugene’s friends to confront him, Felix ended the charade and made his way to the ring.

  Still, he didn't allow Eugene to speak. Instead, he addressed instructor Grendel, thanking him for officiating their little match. Even standing in the ring, he made a point of downplaying its significance. In a roundabout way, he was making fun of Eugene for putting so much thought into the fight, never letting on how much more effort he’d put into it.

  As soon as the conversation with the instructor ended, he quickly addressed Eugene, not wanting to give him a chance to seize any momentum.

  “Ah, Eugene, sorry for keeping you waiting. Are you ready to go? I have plans after this. I don’t want to waste too much time here.”

  Eugene stared at him dumbfounded, frustration slowly turning into rage.

  “Oh, just a second," Felix cut him off before he could begin to respond.

  Felix walked to the edge of the ring, where Lara and Aster had just arrived to bring him his staff. The girls made a point of fussing over him and giving him a hug that lasted just a little too long while he waved them off. Before leaving, the two shot Eugene a look, as if he were somehow the one being unreasonable.

  Well, Lara did, Aster tried, but mostly just looked at Eugene blankly while slightly frowning. Fortunately, Lara played her part brilliantly, with Eugene’s eyes on her. He didn’t even notice Aster's stilted acting. Or Felix’s, for that matter.

  Felix had been deeply uncomfortable with the idea of the girls helping. When he’d told them about the fight, Lara had been devastated. He didn’t want to drag her further into his mess. But when he explained what had been happening in the dining hall, even Lara couldn’t come up with another way of shutting down their behaviour. So instead of trying to play peacemaker, she insisted on helping.

  When Eugene managed to tear his eyes away from Lara’s retreating figure, Felix met his gaze with a knowing smirk.

  “If you’re about done, we can get started.”

  “You!”

  Felix just shrugged before casually picking up his staff.

  Eugene looked ready to jump him any second, not wanting to waste the chance he’d built up, he quickly nodded to the instructor.

  “Alright, feel free to go all out. I'll stop the fight if either of you is in danger. No aiming for the throat, head, or groin with abilities. Are both of you ready?”

  “Yes!” Eugene practically growled.

  Felix casually picked his ear as he moved into position.

  “Sure am.”

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