The scent of grease mixed with spicy brown sauce as Adam planted his fork into his meat pie. The taste was an explosion of rich flavours on his tongue—perfectly cooked meat sweetened by fresh mushrooms and root vegetables.

Across from him, Elliot's eyes widened, and for a moment, the only sound at their side of the table was the crunch of the salted dough each time Adam chewed. A sound doubled when Desmond dug into his own plate with a shrug—any thinking could wait. Right now, refusing the inviting food to his begging stomach felt like torture.

Cutlery clanged against plates for a moment before Elliot asked in a trembling voice. "You want us to occupy the top three? Not for a day, but permanently?"

When Adam nodded as if his plan was easier to set up than to greet a neighbor, Elliot slammed his palms on the table, pushing himself upward, "Trevor, Nadia, Jonathan, and even Brad or Albert—you want us to outperform them all? Impossible! They've proven themselves for years to the teachers. What do we have on our side?"

He reflexively rolled his eyes when he gazed at Desmond's stuffed cheeks. "A notorious troublemaker no one wants to talk with." Then, he pointed at himself. "Someone everyone calls a dimwit." Finally, he scratched his head, eyes darting to the side as he spoke about Adam. "And a new student who fights and pranks teachers... I mean, you're an amazing enchanter and spellcaster, but when the House's top students have a record of excellence and most teachers' favor, how do you expect us to compete?"

"He's got a point." Desmond chuckled, not a shadow of doubt in his purple eyes, only trust.

Elliot's words rippled on Adam like dissolving mist. He placed his right hand on the table, leaning on his elbow and twirling his fork with his other hand. "You see the difference in our reputation as a weakness, when I see it as a strength. Remember Teacher Viktor?"

Elliot's eyes widened in realisation as Adam chuckled. "Use their perception against them, target students everyone believes are better while forcing unfair bets with the teachers—that's how we'll get our points."

"But..." Elliot's voice lowered to something akin to a desperate sigh. "No one will reward us like Teacher Viktor did unless we somehow master another field or present a compelling research paper. Forget about holding the top three; we might stay indebted until the year ends."

"Don't be such a worrywart." Desmond downed his cup of magical fruit juice with a shrug. "If he says we can, then we can. It's as simple as that." He turned toward Adam, smirking. "Let's do it."

Adam wiped his mouth with a napkin, then nodded at Elliot. He felt something settle between them with no need for words, as the boy's gaze shifted from uncertainty to the one he had when they built their miniaturised golem during Viktor's class—a mix of trust and determination.

"I don't know about the top three, but I know you won't let me down." Eventually, Elliot filled his plate, his knuckles white around the spatula. "I'm in."

"YAHOOO! I can't wait to see these arrogant fools' faces crumble when the biggest scourge our House has ever known surpasses them." Desmond raised an eager fist. "Where do we start, though?"

Adam crossed his arms as he sipped warm honeyed tea. "The biggest scourge?"

"Two weeks, twenty-two thousand points lost," Desmond chuckled. "Even I must bow to your ability to make people hate you."

"If only you knew how many people are after me." Adam chuckled back. "Doesn't matter. We keep Diane's class for last. She seems generous with points, so let's keep it at that until the end of the semester field trip." He extended his empty palm, his gaze sharpening with mischief. "Show me your schedule. Alchemy, botanics, transmutation—we'll invade common classes in our free time."

Desmond grunted as he handed his schedule. "Theories until my brain turns into mush. Where is the action?"

"Trying to pull out your new toy?" Adam rolled his eyes. "You do realise you can't show it... ever, right?" He interrupted Desmond by raising his palm. "You'll know after reading you know what. Back to the main topic. If you have classes to recommend, I'm all ears."

Desmond pursed his lips. "Teacher Astride organises duels during her class. I'm sure she won't be stingy if you show her half of what you can do. Besides her, we can try Teacher Maxwell's war mage mock battles."

From the names alone, Elliot choked on his pie. Coughing until his face turned red, he grabbed a glass of water. Once the cool liquid helped, he glared at Desmond as if the teenager were an enemy.

"Are you proposing we get pummeled?" He waved his hand at Adam. "Don't listen to this fool."

Adam tilted his head, a smile curving his lips. "Why is it such a bad idea?"

"Humph. Duels?" Elliot scoffed. "As exorcists, we don't specialise in battling other mages. Even worse, those from the House of Invocation use their pets to swarm us." He sighed before continuing. "The war mage course is not better. Teacher Maxwell simulates actual war conditions. Tools, artefacts—almost nothing is forbidden. In short, the richest teams. No, Adam, most of us avoid these classes full of cheaters."

"I knew someone," Adam started, his gaze shifting to contemplation. "He was around your age, a proud boy, Elliot. Do you know what he once told me?"

Elliot shook his head, and Adam continued. "That resources are part of your power. You can call them cheaters, but wouldn't you use everything at your disposal to survive a fight to the death?"

"But we're in college—"

Adam cut Elliot off. "In classes simulating real duels and wars. In that, Astride and Maxwell recreate the harsh unfairness of life quite well." He stretched his neck, his smile broadening. "The boy I mentioned came to learn something: overreliance on resources was a quick way to die young."

He rose from his seat, eyes locked on Desmond's schedule. "We attend Astride's class tomorrow morning. Will she agree?"

"Pride won't allow her to refuse if you criticise her best students." Desmond nodded, his voice dripping with mischief. "Let me handle it."

"It's settled then." Adam waved them goodbye. "Let me show them that mere pets won't protect them."

"You're already leaving?" Elliot called out.

"Have something to read," Adam simply answered, his mind focused on the grimoire's biography.