"Hahaha..."

Veda let out a low chuckle, the sound slipping out before he could hold it back, as his eyes drifted toward Bale’s group.

He had one hand stretched out, holding Fay back by her shoulder as she leaned forward, clearly ready to smack Keith awake. Keith, on the other hand, had already sunk into sleep like nothing had happened, his breathing calm, completely detached from the noise around him.

"What got you laughing?"

Nickolas asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he studied Veda’s face, trying to catch what he found so amusing.

"It’s nothing..."

Veda waved his hand lightly, brushing the question aside as if it held no weight, but his attention quickly shifted when he noticed Linda stepping away from the group.

She was already walking toward the platform, her posture stiff but steady, while some members of the group called out to her.

"Good luck, Linda."

Veda raised his hand and gave a small wave, his tone carrying quiet encouragement.

The others followed, their voices overlapping as they cheered, creating a small wave of sound behind her.

Ezra remained quiet, where he sat.

He leaned back slightly against his chair, his body relaxed, but his mind was far from calm. His gaze stayed forward, fixed on the stage, yet his thoughts were elsewhere, caught on a single word Keith had mentioned earlier.

Future...

His eyes didn’t move, but something inside him shifted.

On the stage, Linda and her opponent—a boy from the orphan side, stood facing each other. The guard stepped between them, glancing once at both fighters.

"Fight."

His hand dropped, then he stepped away immediately.

The noise behind Ezra grew louder as members of their group stood up, calling out to Linda, their voices filled with excitement.

The timing of the trial of steel is already nearing its end. Just remains the eight, ninth and the tenth trial.

Three in number.

He stared at his three fingers after listing the number of trials remaining, his eyes blinked once.

While Linda on the platform moved first.

Her movements were clean, controlled, showing the improvement she had built over time. She pushed the fight forward, forcing her opponent to stay on the defensive, but the boy didn’t fall easily. He adapted, countering where he could, dragging the fight longer than expected.

Ezra’s gaze sharpened slightly.

Surviving these trials is one thing...

His thoughts moved slowly and carefully, like he was arranging pieces he had ignored before.

...but I haven’t really thought properly about what comes after.

Ezra hadn’t truly thought about what he would do beyond that, aside from the vague idea of making money using the modern knowledge he carried from his past life. That thought alone felt incomplete, like a plan with no real foundation.

He slowly folded his arms across his chest, adjusting his sitting position as his back rested more firmly against the chair.

But then again, more obstacles stand in that way of making that decision.

He thought deeply on the issue, especially because he hadn’t even begun to understand what the business world looked like, nor how he was supposed to take his first step into it.

It was not as simple as knowing something; Britannia had its own rules and system, governing the business world.

And he understood one thing clearly.

If he was going to leave his family and not be swallowed by the main family... then he needed his own way to survive without them. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

His eyes sharpened gradually, the calm within them sinking into something deeper and more focused. The more he thought about it, the more everything around him seemed to fade. The noise from his group, the cheering, the chatter...all of it lowered until it became distant.

Survival...

Even after leaving this place... I still have to think about survival.

His gaze shifted slightly.

Only for a brief moment, he glanced toward Vera.

I guess... I’ll have to ask her how the business world works in Britannia. The only knowledge I have is not in any way enough to boost my survival.

He tilted his head faintly, as if storing that thought for later, before returning his attention to the stage.

The fight ended soon after with Linda winning.

Although, it wasn’t an easy victory.

The match had stretched on for nearly an hour, both sides pushing themselves, neither willing to fall first.

When it finally ended, the tension broke, and her group immediately erupted into praise.

Linda walked back with slow, heavy steps, her shoulders rising and falling with each breath she took. Sweat clung to her skin, and her movements carried clear signs of exhaustion.

She dropped into her seat, breathing heavily.

Tracy moved quickly, fanning her with her hand, while Mariam stayed close on her other side, offering quiet support.

The next fight began almost immediately.

Lyra stepped onto the stage, and time continued to pass as one match followed another.

Nickolas, Spence, Bess, and Henry each took their turns, with all of them winning clean and dominant.

Their victories drew steady cheers, reinforcing the clear pressure the children of Ashenlocke held over the orphans.

The sky had begun to shift.

The warmth of the afternoon slowly faded as the light softened, leaning toward evening. The shadows stretched longer across the arena floor as the holographic numbers flickered again, signaling the next match.

Ezra glanced up.

His number.

He stood up calmly, eyes locked on the stage.

"So, it’s your turn," Veda said with a smile, raising his thumb in encouragement. "I expect an interesting match from you, Ezra."

Ezra looked at him saying nothing, but a small smile showed on his face as he was about to leave.

"Cough... imagine you losing... cough... cough."

Nickolas added quietly, just loud enough for Ezra to hear. He immediately looked away after, putting on an innocent expression as if he had not said anything.

Ezra didn’t react or reply, he didn’t even glance at him.

He simply started walking.

As he moved, the noise behind him rose again.

"Good luck, Ezra!"

Tracy shouted, pushing Linda forward with her elbow.

Linda frowned, clearly reluctant. Her eyes followed Ezra for a moment, her expression showing annoyance more than anything else, but with Tracy and Veda urging her, she forced herself to speak.

"Go... G... goo..."

Her teeth clenched as she struggled with the words, her voice uneven.

"...Good luck."

The words came out low and strained, almost swallowed by the surrounding noise. Only Tracy, Veda, and Mariam heard her clearly because they sat closest to her.

Ezra still didn’t turn back.

He stepped down from the stands and walked toward the platform while the cheers of his group members echoed loudly in the arena.

Vera watched him.

Her posture remained relaxed, but her gaze followed him steadily. Unlike how her expression was, there was a clear change in her look. The boredom that had filled her eyes during most of the earlier fights was gone.

Now, there was interest, a quiet amusement and a sharp curiosity hidden behind her calm face.

During the previous matches, she had watched with little care, already knowing how they would end. Only when Nina, Gena, and Bale fought had that expression shifted slightly.

But now...

It changed again with more effort that she never showed to anybody.

Nina noticed.

Her eyes moved from Vera to Ezra, then back again. She saw the way Vera’s gaze lingered, the faint softness in her expression, and something inside her tightened.

She took a deep breath.

"BOOOO!"

Her voice cut through the noise.

"Lose, you asshole!"

She raised her thumb and turned it downward with exaggerated motion.

"You think you’re some hot shot just because you got lucky and My Lady stepped on you once!"

Her voice carried across the arena.

Around her, some boys who had been whispering quietly suddenly grew more attentive. The rumors about Ezra being close to Vera had not been forgotten, and now, hearing Nina’s words, that small envy began to stir again.

No one said it openly, but it was there.

Ezra stepped onto the stage ignoring all of it, although the memories of that incident where Vera stepped on his back, still came to hunt him over and over again.

Can’t people just forget that... already.

He sighed faintly while feeling the sharp dagger stares, from Vera’s group, from Henry’s, from Felix’s, from Priscilla’s.

All the boys and girls that all see Vera as their untouchable queen. Stared at him with envy, jealousy, hatred and curiosity.

Even Priscilla herself watched him, her gaze moving over him slowly, measuring, unimpressed.

"So that’s the boy who jumped ranks and also was the first to reach the top floor in the sixth trial..."

Her eyes traced his figure, from his posture to the way he stood, searching for something that justified the reputation, something that would make sense on why Vera of all people would be interested in someone like him.

"Maybe it’s because he’s wearing a coat, and his body isn’t that big..." Nate said calmly beside her, his arms folded as he observed Ezra carefully.

"But he’s tall for his age, and I’ve seen him training early in the morning a lot of time, so he must be fit, just not bulky."

His tone remained steady and thoughtful.

"I already had my eyes on him after the rumors about him started spreading."

Nate spoke calmly as he turned his head slightly toward Priscilla, his gaze still resting on Ezra even as he talked.

"I also had my eyes on him..."

Priscilla continued, her tone carrying faint disdain as she folded her arms.

"Especially when those rumors about him and Vera...about the infirmary and the library...started circulating quietly."

She paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she looked Ezra up and down again, measuring him without restraint.

"But nothing about him showed anything worth looking at."

She scoffed lightly, waving her hand in a dismissive manner, as if brushing away something insignificant.

"I’m actually surprised someone like him managed to survive this long. Maybe..."

Her lips curved slightly, a malicious smile forming as her gaze shifted away from Ezra and toward his opponent.

"...we might even get to see a ranker lose for the first time."

On the stage, the girl stood still.

Her posture didn’t change, nor did her expression. Her eyes remained fixed on Ezra, empty of hesitation, carrying a quiet coldness that made it clear... killing was not something unfamiliar to her.

It was already part of her.

She held nothing in her hands, yet that only made her presence more tense. Her body was relaxed, but not careless, and the flow of Cognis around her revealed her level clearly.

A full-star Novice.

"She’s clearly the rank one among the orphans."

Niki spoke, leaning forward slightly as her eyes sharpened with interest.

"Yeah... from the looks of it."

Mira added, her gaze focusing more intently on the girl, as if trying to read deeper into her movements, her stance and her breathing.

At that moment, the guard stepped onto the stage.

"It’s better to watch and not assume, Priscilla."

Nate spoke again, his tone steady and his eyes calm as he returned his attention fully to the stage.

"That Ezra... he looks like someone who might be in the level where he can hide his Cognis presence."

Priscilla and the two girls turned to look at him at the same time.

Then...

They laughed.

A short, dismissive chuckle.

"I doubt that."

Niki scoffed, shaking her head slightly.

"Ready?"

The guard’s voice cut through the moment.

His eyes moved from Ezra to the girl, observing both of them carefully. Neither of them moved much, yet the tension between them was already forming, their gazes locked, each silently studying the other.

At that moment, Ezra’s mind moved quickly, catching every detail he could analyze from just looking at the girl.

She looks tough...

His eyes shifted slightly, catching the smallest movements.

Her fingers twitched from both hands.

Subtle and controlled.

She must be good with both hands.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sliding toward her left arm.

And she’s mainly left-handed. That alone narrows the possibilities, which means... dagger user or possibly dual stilettos.

I should also expect thrown attacks.

His eyes sharpened further, noticing the marks on her thumb and index finger on both hands, due to repeated friction of throwing practice.

Then...

His hearing picked up something.

A shift.

Her leg moved slightly backward, her stance changed, her footing pressed into the ground more firmly.

Her grip on the ground is stable... which means she has good balance over her body.

His gaze moved up and down her body once more, his expression remaining neutral, unreadable to anyone watching.

She’s also flexible.

He reached a conclusion.

Now... Ezra.

He spoke to himself in third person, a habit that helped him think clearer.

Should I fight normally...

Or use her as practice for the martial techniques I learned recently?

His eyes flickered briefly toward the guard.

The guard’s hand rose.

At the same time...

The girl’s eyes twitched slightly.

Tsk...

I can’t read him.

Her brows tightened faintly before returning to normal, her breathing controlled but her thoughts slightly disturbed.

His posture shows composure, which means he’s not weak, but his appearance...

She glanced at him again.

He looked clean, a pretty harmless boy. Like someone girls would want to protect all the time.

Is it because of his coat...? That I can’t tell if he’s trained in close combat?

Her thoughts began to overlap slightly.

Argh...

I can’t think clearly.

She exhaled quietly, forcing herself to reset.

"Fight!"

The guard’s hand dropped, and he turned, stepping off the stage.

"Well... it doesn’t matter."

Her voice came out low with resolve.

Cognis surged through her body, flowing smoothly as a dagger slid down from her right long sleeve into her waiting hand, the motion practiced and clean.

"I will do everything I can... to secure my life."

She moved immediately.

Her arm snapped forward, and the dagger left her hand with speed...

Cutting through the air...Straight toward Ezra.