CHAPTER 232: CAN YOU RELALY HANDLE THIS DUEL? (1)

"Please get up and stand in the corner, the arrangements are getting changed," the uniformed man said, and, for the first time, he bowed.

"Alright."

Theo got up and met Elias halfway.

"All the attendants gone?"

"All but those two, young master. Everyone went to procure the beasts." Elias spoke while nodding toward the two kids standing on different corners now, their attendants close to them.

"Got it." Theo made his way to the corner that the group of attendants had taken first. Both of them stood there and watched the changes happening to the hall to pass time.

"Most of the attendants are from viscount families, young master. I think this may not be the only entrance exam happening," Elias spoke, making Theo look at him with a tilted head.

"You mean there will be more?"

"Not more for you or the ones that will pass today, but tomorrow or some days later or maybe many already happened, there may be another exam for other students later. I think they segregate it according to the space in the hall."

"Hmm, but the viscount families huh. How many are barons?"

"Very few, and all the others that are not viscounts are commoners. There has been a big population of commoners in this exam, and I was very curious about it, which made me get some answers, young master." Elias spoke again, this time his eyes were happy, making Theo feel like it might be something good for the commoners—as Elias only became this happy when there was something like that.

"This academy’s rules for protecting commoner talents are so ridiculously good that if a noble lays a hand on them, or if they are reported, then it might just be over for the noble heir. The academy gives out negative recommendation letters that have actual recognition in the market. If one gets it, it will be hard to ever go to an academy."

"I see. Well, commoners are better than nobles. At least they are not as stuck up as us." Theo spoke, but Elias didn’t reply, making him laugh out loud.

"I see you have made an acquaintance now, young master. I am happy." Elias spoke again, making Theo cringe.

"That boy is so weird," Theo spoke, making Elias think that he too was a child, only to also think that Theo was as weird. "But he is a unique affinity holder, so I guess it’s fine."

"You also gave a very... Merrick-like speech, young master. I have heard young master Lucien also did something like this in the academy."

"Wait, really? What did he do?"

"I don’t know the full details, but I did hear that he got in a lot of duels to make the Merrick name etched in the academy. I heard there were quite a few noble and commoner kids who were expelled because of him." Elias spoke, making Theo try to hold out his laugh, but he just couldn’t and laughed as wholeheartedly as his father.

The instructors saw this, and some smiled, thinking the kid really was a little different.

Only the cloaked instructor was as grumpy as ever.

After 10 minutes, Theo saw the kids return, only this time, they were with their beasts.

Theo saw all sorts of beasts again.

And to the beasts’ advantage, the hall’s seating arrangement was fully removed, making it as empty as a ball.

"Prospective students, your and your beast’s level will now be recorded to have a fair judging environment. Those who have a support-type beast will be given a different judging criteria from the main attacking beasts. For the main attacking beasts, the more you win against each other, the better class you will be allotted to." The cloaked man spoke again from the stage while uniformed men and women came to each child and recorded their levels, their beast’s name, and grade.

"Please take out your beast." A woman no older than 20 in a uniform came forward with a board, pen, and paper.

"..." Theo stayed where he was with a twitching eyebrow. Ron was right at his face, waiting for Theo to get his beast out.

Elias looked at the situation and gulped—the moment had come already.

Right after this moment, everyone in the world would know that the 9th heir of the Merricks had tamed an insect.

"?" The woman in the uniform looked at Theo in confusion, only to look at him with impatient eyes.

’Alright, it’s time my life gets difficult...’ Theo thought and made a light come out of his forehead.

Many uniformed individuals and children looked toward him in curiosity. Theo was only among the three people that had reached level 5.

The uniformed woman followed the trajectory of the beast and when her eyes were finally locked on it, she completely froze.

Even Ron, who was all giggles, went silent and utterly shocked after looking at that beast.

"W-Wait..." A voice came from close as a child tried speaking out loud, getting a lot more attention on them now. "Isn’t this an insect?"

When that bomb of a word fell near Theo, almost everyone—prospective student or not—looked at Theo and then at the little being that was on the ground licking its forelegs to clean them.

"... Bloodbloom Mantis... level 5... Theo Merrick... level 5..." The woman spoke out loud, trying to focus and be as professional as she could stay.

But she still glanced at Theo an unhealthy amount of times, each gaze being a lot more judgmental than the last.

Theo’s eyes went cold while looking at her now—the more he felt judged, the more it pissed him off.

Until finally, the one thing happened that Elias dreaded the most.

"Pft..." A child tried to hold his laugh but still got some out.

Looking at him, the child near them couldn’t hold back and started laughing.

"Have you broken through level 5 or not?" The uniformed woman asked while looking at the mantis on the ground, it was just a formality question for all who were at level 5.

The mantis was like the star of the hall right now. Almost every person who was in its eye’s view looked at the mantis.

"Yes." Theo spoke in a casual tone, making the woman nod.

Until she looked up with shock and saw that same look on Theo’s face.

She quickly ticked something on the paper and, with a light bow, left him alone.

"Woah woah, are you serious right now?" Ron spoke almost exactly after she left, his face as bewildered as everyone else who was trying to make out what Theo was thinking, taming an insect.

"And here you said you’re going to take on anyone who dared challenge you."

Theo moved his face toward a boy with a clean look.

He was definitely a noble, and when Theo saw the crest, he couldn’t help but try to remember which one it was.

But when he wasn’t able to deduce it, he figured it out soon enough.

The family wasn’t good enough for him to remember.

"And what of it?" Theo asked in as plain a tone as he could, even though he definitely didn’t feel calm inside.

"How about you take my challenge then? Right here, right now." The boy said again and crouched down to scrape his fingers against a small feline.

*

*

Ashmane Xyrel

Rare

Level 3

Type – Feline type

*

*

One look at that creature was enough to know that it was some sort of a leopard’s cub.

And when Theo had a look at the boy’s smug expression again, his lips couldn’t help but curl, but he quickly tried controlling himself.

’This is my chance. I take this one’s beast down with the help of the mantis and then things might get a little easier.’

Theo saw a small opportunity in this situation. He didn’t like the idea of trying to prove himself, but he definitely had to.

"Alright, I accept your challenge. But are you sure this is not disadvantageous for you?" Theo spoke in a confident tone before lowering his gaze at the cub. ’That... is weak in level compared to mine.’

Everyone who heard Theo say that almost gasped in shock or just couldn’t understand what made him say that.

"Pft... you think just that level increase will help you defeat my Xyrel? You’re too full of yourself."

"Well, if you guys really want to duel, you’re lucky." Ron spoke from the side, making a vein pop in the smug boy’s forehead.

But soon enough, everyone saw two of the instructors coming toward them.

And to make things worse, one of them was the cloaked one.

"What is this commotion about? Do you want to be expelled before you even enroll?" The cloaked instructor spoke.

"I apologize for this commotion, sir instructor." Theo spoke right away, making the smug boy feel like he lost the chance.

The cloaked man’s eyes went on Theo and then his face twisted again.

"This boy challenged me for a duel, sir instructor. I was just telling him that he is too weak to fight me." Theo spoke again, this time while looking directly into the instructor’s eyes.

And that was when both the instructors saw Theo’s beast, and then they looked at the feline cub.

The cloaked instructor fell silent for a moment before a slight smile came on his face.

"Well, isn’t that this prospective candidate’s own choice? Let’s see this bout as our first fight of the day."