Showdown: Origins

In the end, Aizen amassed a fortune of 1 gold coin and 5 silver coins from the second round's seven matches so far.

Meanwhile, Ayduin only collected 45 silver coins. That was because he had to give some of his earnings to Aizen as a deal beforehand. And also because he was hesitant to make the decision upfront.

That left him with a capital difference to the next bet, while Aizen was always all-in for immense sums after the first bet.

Ayduin then swallowed his saliva. Although annoyed at his half-measures, he didn't dare to blame Aizen. Currently, his friend was on a winning streak in betting.

"Aizen, are you planning to bet on all the remaining matches in this round?"

Aizen was still thinking about that. He didn't expect that the disparity in odds between the participants wouldn't be much different. Even though so far, the matches in the Mage Division competition festival were the same as in his previous life.

Out of the seven bets he won, only the Inkgrit match gave a very high odds difference. He knew the course of the matches in that round but had no idea about the betting figures.

So, even if he still bets, if the winner in the following matches only had odds of one point, it wasn't worth it.

Aizen needed the difference in odds at three points and above. Only then would he actually make money.

"I don't know. But if the odds are high, maybe I'll continue betting again."

In the end, Ayduin heeded Aizen's words and headed back and forth from the betting site to the Class 3 section of the Knight Division. He told Aizen about the odds available for each match, and it didn't work out.

There were high odds, but Aizen knew that it was a losing bet. So he didn't bet. And even if he bets on the winner, the odds was minuscule.

Until the first day of the two divisions' competition festival ended, Aizen had not increased his wealth. Apart from only making a small profit. If he insisted on betting on the winning side, the bettors would start watching and being suspicious of him if all his bets kept winning.

So, he didn't want to bother with things that were not important.

Meanwhile, Ayduin lamented Aizen's decision by lowering his head as he exited the venue of the competition's festival arena. He didn't understand why Aizen stopped and hesitated, even though he was in good shape and had a winning streak.

On the other hand, Aizen didn't bother to comfort Ayduin. He had already told Ayduin which one to place the bet on. But because he didn't bet, Ayduin's guts sank, afraid of losing the money he had collected.

On the way home, he met Milo, Nathan, and Inkgrit. The three of them invited him to hang out at a tavern not far from Raven Academy. He agreed and joined the three kids.

When at the tavern, because Nathan insisted that he would pay, they couldn't help but go to a room that was cleaner and quieter from downstairs.

"Brat, how about calling your stewards inside?" Aizen asked Nathan about the personal guard of the Aslan Empire's fourth prince.

But before Nathan could reply, Milo and Inkgrit already opened their mouths, scolding Aizen about his behavior in front of the Imperial Highness.

"Why? I can't call him a brat. He's just a student of Raven Academy, just like us. If he goes to school and comes to Mada City on imperial business, do you think one supervisor is enough?"

"Hehe. It's fine. It's true what big brother said. I'm just a normal student, just like you guys. So, there's no need to be humble with me." Nathan answered casually. But in his heart, he was grumbling at Aizen's casual attitude. He wanted to dig into Aizen's brain to find out about his relationship with his eldest brother, William Argust.

"Tell your servant to come in. This place is big. So, it's fine if there's one more person here." Inkgrit said. Somehow, she felt that recently living in the Azure Realm was truly a blessing.

Nathan waved his hand and said, "Well, no need. He is not used to crowds. Nor does he ever speak unless there is imperial business or a message from the imperial family like my mother or father usually do."

"What's your steward's name?" Aizen swiftly asked. When he first met at the Axzec Trading place, he felt the killing intent of an assassin, even if for a moment. And he knew that Nathan's guard was not just anyone.

"Um, wait. I forgot a bit. I think his name is Sosei.

"That's right. Kurusu Sosei. He was the person recommended by my second eldest brother, Kale Argust."

Aizen looked down for a moment and turned toward the entrance of the room. Despite not seeing the steward, he tried to remember Kurusu Sosei's name.

However, he was having a hard time and barely had any knowledge about the servant. Even the name of the second prince of the Aslan Empire was a bit blurry from his memory.

No. More precisely because the second prince, Kale Argust, was the most mysterious among the emperor's five children.

The first prince was lauded for his strictness and sagacity, akin to Emperor Argust. The third princess garnered admiration for her good looks and serene personality. The fourth prince was renowned for his childlike antics and liberality. Moreover, the fifth princess was acclaimed as the most intelligent among her siblings. As for the second prince, no information was spread other than the fact that his features were as fair and handsome as William's.

And Aizen sensed an ominous scheme there.

"Is His Majesty Emperor Argust okay with that?" Aizen asked.

Nathan tilted his head. "Is that really something to ask? Father doesn't mind it. After all, the second eldest brother is the kindest and considerate of me."

Aizen shot Nathan with a sinister glare. 'If he cares for you, his name should be heard and mentioned when you are punished by the emperor.'

"Ah, the food is here," Inkgrit exclaimed. Making Aizen stop his thoughts about complicated things. Milo also stood up and cheered to see the sumptuous food coming. And Nathan just smiled, boasting of his deeds.

The select room that was clean and quiet had an expensive rental price. Apart from that, the food that Nathan ordered was also the best from the tavern, so the prices weren't like those on the street.

The venue cost 10 silver coins, and all the food for 10 people cost around 15 silver coins.

It looked casual and cheap. But for the size of Mada City and the Aslan Empire as a whole, it was quite expensive. Only nobles and aristocrats could afford such a figure.

In the Aslan Empire and its cities, one meal usually cost from 10 to 50 copper coins. Even then, it could only be purchased by people who have jobs. For beggars or slaves, the price was exorbitant.

"Hehe. Eat your heart out. Let me treat you all. It's a celebration because Inkgrit and big brother advanced to the next round."

Aizen chuckled. He found it amusing to see Nathan addressing Inkgrit and Milo by their names but not his.

However, despite the pleasant and cheerful atmosphere, he wasn't in the mood to eat. The dish was tasteless bread, eggs, meat, and green vegetables. What was pretty good to eat was the soup. But even then, he was tired of it.

Aizen took a deep breath and reached for the wine bottle. At least, that was all that could enter his stomach.

He felt that knowing Raijin Storm was frankly a misfortune that let him know a new world of food delicacy. Now, it was hard to eat without any food seasoning.

He hoped that Odin Axzec would soon return from his trade expedition in the Xing Dynasty. Bring delicious food that wouldn't only make him rich but also satisfy his cravings.

Meanwhile, Milo and Nathan were having fun running around with food in their mouths. They also drank wine and started to get a little drunk.

Inkgrit rested her chin on her right hand while looking at her two friends. She then turned to Aizen, who was enjoying his wine and struck up a conversation.

"You're really good at fighting. It looks like the decision to transfer to the Knight Division wasn't wrong at all. It was really remarkable when you beat that girl. I heard she's a descendant of a prestigious knight family."

"So-so. My opponent lost just because they let their guard down. Nothing special. Unlike you, who beat your opponent to the point of having to cast area magic spells like that natural disaster."

"That student deserves it. He said something obscene to me." Inkgrit replied with a big smile. But somehow, Aizen felt goosebumps running down his spine from being stared at by her.

"Well, whatever," Aizen said while looking away.

Inkgrit kept smiling even though he wanted to punch Aizen a little. Her face then turned melancholy. She blushed from the wine she had drunk.

"Although it's impolite to eat while running around, this different atmosphere from my world isn't bad at all."

Aizen's expression turned solemn from the awkward one before after hearing those words.

"I've wanted to ask you this since earlier. What're your origins??"