Next Match and Abrupt End

The match ended based on the tempo that it started with, with Bernard, closing the distance methodically to the frazzled Lesley and forcing him to surrender at sword point. Nothing in the match was as drastic as Jien's use of alchemy to clench his victory, but at the same time Bernard had proven yet again that he was a calm and collected strategist. The two even shook hands at the end of the match and walked back to the side while discussing how to do better next time, proving Bernard to be sociable as well.

Like this the matches continued with no interruptions or further oddities, leading back to Jien's next match not more than half an hour past when his previous match had been. He was to face the ever silent and stoic Barret who had won each of his matches. Everyone who was present including the adults fully suspected that he would win in the same manner he had up until now, forcing Jien to give up. Of course, those that lived with and trained Jien didn't doubt his ability to pull through this final match. They had trained him and knew that he was smart enough to figure out a way to do what the others had not. There only concern was in regard to the amount of mana he would have for the last match if he would cast something major this match.

Jien stood, withdrew the same phial as before from his pouch, bringing it beneath his nose and inhaling deeply to take in the invigorating properties of his draught. His eyes seemed to regain some life just like last time he had used the potion. Though the effect was not as strong as it had been before that was expected. The potion was like any type of stimulant, your body would get used to it the more it was used, it was just that this particular draught was much quicker at this.

Jien sighed internally, grumbling internally about why they would hold such an event, making their children duke it out. Why couldn't they at least handle this part diplomatically or with a contest of magical skills, at least that would be more interesting. He trudged his way to his side of the training area after the adults had once again cleaned it off from traces of the previous battle. He sighed once more internally as he looked at the ever-stoic Barret across from him.

He of course had at least paid a modicum of attention to Barret's fights. He knew that his opponent always won in the same way, using his stealth as the way to get close to his opponent and then simply place his blade at their vitals to force them into surrender. It was a sound strategy and would work on most that were untrained, mainly due to their lack of skill or training in ocular arcane arts. What most didn't realize, Barret included was that Jien had this training and had been working with it for some time under the guidance of Runa.

When the match was started the cat shaped clasp on Barret's cloak shown once more briefly before he seemed to fade into the background. Having expected this Jien crew a minute amount of mana through a specific pathway and into his eyes as he had been trained to do by Runa. Immediately he saw a human shaped shadow against the backdrop of the world. The shadow was mostly incorporeal in nature but present enough for Jien to make it out. This was a spell that Runa had taught him for seeing those that were trained in stealth, and it was proving to pay off in spades at this moment.

Of course, no magic was infallible, this was both true for the ocular arts Jien was using and the stealth arts of Barret alike. While Jien could make out Barret's approaching figure, he knew in his heart that if he were facing Gloria, who likely had a similar skillset, he would be cornered without seeing a single thing. What he didn't expect was that as soon as his eyes made contact with those of the hidden Barret that his opponent would drop his stealth in the middle of the training field and raise his hand to the current referee signaling his surrender.

Everyone was baffled by this including Jien himself. Just because he could see the boy didn't mean that he was at any great advantage, nor did it mean that he would be able to stop Barret from ending the match in his favor. This was Barret's first loss, and it truly was an odd one given how he had just stopped trying. Only Gloria had a knowing smirk on her face. This wasn't to say that she wasn't disappointed that her son didn't take this match seriously, but she knew that he wasn't leader material, at least not in the conventional sense, and he definitely did not want to have to deal with leading this group.

Of course, as the boy's mother she was the only one that understood this while the other adults could only make guesses. However, this odd match didn't stop the event, bringing Jien and Barret to sit on the sidelines once again while the last round started. It was only a matter of time before things went full circle and it was now time for what many considered the main event in these challenges. It was time for the faceoff between Jien, who many saw as a potential leader, though a little unsociable due to his strategic way of handling things and the charismatic and knight like Bernard.