Power shift (1)
"Kuro, keep the door shut and make sure no one enters."
"What are you doing?! We have a serious event here!" Levris tried to stop Vina, but she gave a command to Werner, who had just finished tying up the Rector.
"Tie her too, and if she resists, gag her!" The warrior quickly handled the teacher as instructed and turned to Rumy.
"And her?"
Rumy's hands trembled, and a shiver ran down her spine. Vina nervously swallowed.
"Well, maybe her too."
"I'll rip your hands off," Rumy stopped the intruders with just one phrase.
"Then maybe you can help us? It's also for the sake of the guild," Vina didn't lose hope to negotiate with the golem.
"Fine, but you'll owe me," Rumy agreed.
"May I ask what you're doing?" The Rector finally decided to inquire about it!
"Oh, Rector, we're just bringing some variety to this performance. Don't you think it's time to change something? This stadium has such possibilities, yet you turn the tournament into some ritual. It's essential to respect the traditions of knightly battles, but in my opinion, it's long outdated," Vina continued to spin tales for the Rector, and I listened carefully to the audience's opinion.
Every word Vina said was met with enthusiastic applause and whistles from the upper rows, from commoners and people of modest origin. But the nobility, seated in separate boxes on the balconies, threatened to find this girl and punish her for breaking traditions. Everything could be decided by the Rector.
"Hmm," the old man pondered for a while, evaluating the trading proposal. "Well, okay, I also think it's time to change something after a thousand years. But I haven't met such initiative people as you before. I'm listening."
"Wahaha! Now that we have the Rector's permission, let's get to it, guys!" As soon as Vina said this, the screen moved to several spectators. I counted about a hundred people dressed as merchants, and at the girl's signal, they put on bright red caps on their heads.
"So! We all know that both commoners and nobility love to bet on the winners of each battle, and many diplomatic disputes were settled in particularly brutal battles. So why not make it official! I propose the first open bookmaker for the novice tournament of the Academy. After the participants' presentation, all the spectators will have another half-hour to place their bets. Each bet will be confirmed with a special slip from my assistants, don't try to forge them, they are protected by magic, and your names will also be recorded, so you won't be able to place double bets."
"Hah, Lady Vina, I see you want to make quite a profit out of this."
"Well, that's only natural. The winnings will vary depending on the popularity of each fighter. But if your candidate wins, you can be sure to get more than you bet. And now, a little about the bets. You can bet on the winner of any of today's matches, and your winnings will be at least one and a half times more. You can bet on the winner of the entire tournament, and then your bet will increase at least six times, and if the winner is not too popular, it might even reach ten times. And most importantly! Everyone was given tickets at the entrance; turn them over and tear off the back part; inside, you'll find something interesting."
The participants didn't have tickets, but I leaned over the edge to see what was inside. Inside the tickets, there was a tournament table with the stages and all the participants.
"Notice? Yes? This is the most substantial bet. Guess all fifteen winners and get the biggest prize. The bet will increase fifty times! Place one coin and get fifty, place a hundred and get five thousand! But keep in mind, this bet is only available now before the start of the first match. Otherwise, it makes no sense. If you also guess the winners in one of the rounds, you'll receive a small reward as well."
"Rector!" Levris broke free from Werner's grip and rushed to the peacefully seated old man. "Gambling is wrong! You must stop this outrage!!"
"Hmm," the Rector once again immersed himself in thought. "Not a bad idea; this could turn into a good tradition if this young girl can handle everything properly."
"RECTOR!" Levris screamed at the Chief.
"Oh, yes, and don't try to press the participants. I hired a couple of assassins to protect them. If anyone tries to threaten or bribe them to withdraw from the tournament, I'll know immediately."
I nervously looked around, but no one was nearby. Either she was bluffing, or she really hired the best.
"Krito! Don't try to find them; they're masters at hiding from ordinary mortals."
"Oh, I find it hard to believe."
"If you don't believe me, we can ask the Assassin Guild of Leran. Night, can you confirm whether I gave you a certain sum of money to monitor the tournament participants?" The image on the screen showed a person in a black and purple cloak to the right of the Lirana King. He nodded silently in response to the girl's question, and a cautious whisper spread across the balcony.
"Did you see? Is that person to your father's right?"
"Yeah, the right and left hands of the royal family, Shadow and Night, the guild of thieves and assassins. Their leaders come to this tournament to express their support for the reigning monarch. If one of them is absent, the king is likely to die soon."
"Life is harsh for you."
"So, it's time to begin!"
"I'm being advised to introduce the participants. Well then," the screen showed the faces of all sixteen young people, including the unfamiliar girl with silver hair. "This year's participants are: the naive princess, the charming glutton, the fiery beauty, the proud noblewoman, the loyal weapon bearer, the kind and healthy one, the mysterious cape, the rough sadist, the furious spearwoman, the calculating archer, the cunning vixen, the ingenious engineer, the snow queen—no, not the snow queen—the greedy hypocrite, and the lazy idler."
With each "introduction," Vina quickly flipped through the stack of papers on the table in front of her.
...
Silence hung over the stands, occasionally interrupted by quiet laughter.
"And can't you present normally?!?" Damn it, I couldn't stand such audacity.
"Oh, stop shouting like that. Well, if you all want it..." Vina yawned lazily into the frame.
"YES, WE DO!!!" All the participants shouted in unison at the defiant girl.
"Alright, alright. I'm more or less familiar with almost all the participants," Vina turned to Kurone and whispered softly in her ear, "Do you think you can handle it?"
"Yes, I think I've figured out how they work," Kurone replied.
"Great! I'll begin introducing the participants," Vina snapped her fingers, and the image showed Katrina. "Our dearly beloved and respected Princess Katrina Lilliana Del'Serano. Heir to the throne of Verania, and the only daughter of our king," for a couple of moments, the image showed King Henry, "Incredibly powerful lightning mage, brave and valiant warrior," suddenly, on the screen, scenes appeared where Katrina released a huge bolt of lightning at the royal hydra, followed by a moment where the princess tried to pierce Ragni's defense with a lightning strike in the dragon's body, "But in her heart, she remains a sweet girl and a kind friend to all guild members," at first, a moment appeared on the screen where Katrina gazed at a jewelry shop window with puppy eyes, then a moment where the princess lovingly hugged Leyra after the battle in the swamp, "A strong mage and a good girl, does our country not have a bright future?"
"No, no, how embarrassing! Don't show me!!" Katrina blushed, shook her head, and at that moment, the image returned to her, causing the crowd to release a cascade of enamored sighs.
Now I understood what she was asking Kurone. Somehow, she managed to transfer her memories into the crystal, and they were displayed on the screen. Though this must have been quite draining for the sorceress.
"Next participant, Ragnalia, daughter of Ignis, or simply Ragni. The noble princess of the black dragons," the frame showed Ragni transforming into her true form in a dark cave; it seemed that Kurone could project even others' memories, "incredibly powerful but somewhat clumsy warrior. In reality, she's a very kind and positive girl who loves to eat in quantities only a real dragon could handle," at first, images flashed of Ragni breaking a huge stone with her bare hands during training, and in a joyful leap, landing on the debris but tripping and falling face-first. After that, the image showed Ragni sleeping cuddled up with a bag of food taken from Koroldayne, and occasionally, with a cute giggle, burying her face in it.
"Rrrr. Stop showing that!" Ragni waved her hands furiously, and at that moment, the image returned to her. Seeing this, the dragoness crossed her hands behind her back and pretended nothing happened.
"What a cutie, don't you think? So, the next contender!! A sultry beauty from the southern lands, a fiery sorceress comparable in power to dragons! Seleria Eileran!!" The image showed Seli, who was clearly nervous in anticipation of the upcoming scenes, "such a girl can make you fall in love with her and burn your heart to the core," an image of Seli enveloped in flames appeared, from her first battle against Katrina, "and though she used to break hearts in dozens, after joining the guild, she started caring more about her friends' feelings and became even more beautiful," the screen showed Seli teasing Katrina, and then hugging her shoulders and playfully tousling her hair.
"Well, now Dad will think that Kat and I are best friends," Seli shyly linked her index fingers and lowered her gaze. This scene evoked even more enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
"Doesn't it seem like Vina is putting too much emphasis on your beauty?" I exchanged glances with the princesses, and they seemed to have the same doubts.
"Oh, by the way, at the exit, my assistants can offer you portraits of all the beauties participating in the tournament today. If you wish, you can also order full-length paintings or statues of our beauties," as I expected, she would try to make money out of everything!! "Girls, don't worry; I guarantee you a percentage, so the more popular you are, the more money you'll earn. If there's demand, we can also make portraits of the guys."