Chapter 13 - Dufont

“...and the visualization of a large amount of oxygen being used is paramount to the strength of the skill. Oh, it looks like that will be how we end the class today. When we meet for class next week, we will begin practicing the spell 'Fire Spear,' so practice ahead of time!”

With that, a short, plump lady in red robes exited the classroom. As she left, the students began to talk animatedly among themselves. Azrael, who had been engrossed in the lecture, started packing his bag. As he was getting up from his chair, he heard a voice call out.

“Yo. You’re a new face. What class are you?”

Turning toward his left, Azrael looked at the speaker. The girl stood about 5’4” and had flowing black hair that reached her upper back. With dimples and brown eyes, her face looked haughty. From what Azrael could guess, she was around 14 years old.

“How you doing? My name is Azrael. I’m a freshman.”

The room went quiet. Azrael could see all the students looking at him in surprise. Although it had happened before, it was very rare for a freshman to join an intermediate class for an element. The looks of curiosity and contempt he had received before now turned to awe.

How could these students, who had trained endlessly for years, not know how difficult it was to reach Wizard rank in an element? And here was a child of nine years who had achieved at least Wizard rank. The girl, however, was not impressed.

“Pffft. Don’t try to lie to me. How could a freshman be strong enough at the age of nine to reach the Wizard rank? Your father must have bribed someone at this school to let you into this class.”

Even though Kera knew it was impossible to bribe the faculty at the academy, she couldn’t see how else a freshman could get into the course. She didn’t even consider that he might actually be talented enough to get in.

Azrael, on the other hand, was fuming. He didn’t care too much if people cursed or made fun of him. But to have his beloved father belittled by this person in front of him did infuriate him. Pushing his anger down, he slowly calmed himself and spoke again.

“Surely you jest. How could a Swordsman instructor for a Baron have the funds to bribe someone here? Just because you weren’t talented enough to do it doesn’t mean others aren’t.”

Although Azrael had calmed down, he couldn’t help but throw in a barbed remark. After all, she had attempted to slander his dad. Hearing those words, the girl exploded.

“Wh... What did you say?! You’re saying that the child of a mere commoner is more talented than Aren from the honorable House of Dufont?!?!”

Even though it stung that she called her dad a “mere commoner,” Azrael continued.

“Why, yes. It does seem that the son of a ‘mere commoner’ is more talented than you, Aren. Well, anyway, I have to get going. Goodbye.”

After saying that, Azrael turned and walked toward the classroom door. He could hear Aren screaming at him to come back even as he closed the door and headed toward the cafeteria. He had promised to meet Winston at 1 o’clock for lunch.

Although he felt ashamed of the barb he had said earlier, Azrael didn’t believe his actions were wrong. That girl had been arrogant and snotty just because she was some noble’s daughter.

‘It’s weird how, even though the worlds are so different, the nobility really do act the same—be it humans, demons, other intelligent races, or people in this world.’

“Yo, Az! Hurry up, man, I’m starving!”

As he approached the cafeteria, Azrael saw his roommate complaining about his delay. Seeing the cheerful guy, his sour mood from the interaction with Aren earlier dissipated, and a grin appeared. Quickening his pace, Azrael soon reached the entrance.

“Haha, sorry about that, man.”

“Dude, I feel like I could eat a whole ox right now! Let’s go in.”

Being pushed forward, Azrael laughed and let Winston guide them inside. Contrary to their previous visit, many of the seats were taken by the numerous students inside the cafeteria. Winston, not caring about how the others viewed them, continued pushing Azrael toward one of the less crowded stalls.

The smell emanating from the stall made Azrael salivate. It smelled heavenly to him. After waiting a few moments for the students in front of them to order, they reached the counter.

Upon reaching the counter, however, Azrael’s eyes widened in shock. The prices listed for each dish were astronomical! The cheapest meal on the menu was 1 gold coin, which could easily feed a family of four for an entire month! While doing odd jobs around the house, Azrael had saved up one silver and eight copper coins.

One hundred coppers equaled one silver, and ten silvers equaled one gold coin. Even though he received a stipend and money for meals, it was still not nearly enough to pay. Looking at Winston, who had a confused look on his face, Azrael gave him a pained expression.

“Hey, Winst... um, I can’t afford the meals here. I’m going to head over to one of the other stalls to get something. Save a table for us, okay?”

Winston, initially confused, took a moment to process what Azrael said and then began to laugh. Seeing his abrupt behavior, Azrael tilted his head in confusion.

“Hahaha, so that’s what you’re talking about. Az, don’t worry. This meal will be on me.”

“But... it’s so expensive.”

“No worries, man. This amount of money is nothing for me. Choose whatever you want to eat!”

Hearing that one gold coin was nothing for Winston, Azrael’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘The merchant business that his family runs must be doing really well. For one gold to be nothing...’

Even though his family wasn’t poor, Azrael was still saving the money he received here. Thankfully, his parents didn’t have to worry about paying for him, but they did need to prepare to send Aurora and Azer to school four years from now. The yearly admittance cost for an academy was no joke. If his family started saving from now on, they might just barely manage to pay for the twins’ school fees.

Azrael himself didn’t need to receive an allowance from his family since he essentially got it from the school. A stipend of two silver a month and one silver a day for meals was a lot of money. He planned to save as much as he could to assist his parents in paying for Aurora and Azer’s schooling.

At first, Azrael tried to refuse. Even though they were friends, spending that much money on one person didn’t seem right. After Winston’s relentless insistence, however, he finally caved in and ordered the cheapest meal for one gold. Winston also ordered, and then they went to find a table. While waiting for their meals, they began discussing their first class.

“So, how was class?”

“Man, I thought I was going to fall asleep during Beginner’s Meditation. The teacher’s voice was so monotone... And the teacher...”

As Winston finished ranting about his class, waitresses arrived with their meals. Azrael had ordered beef marinated with some type of citrus fruit, while Winston had a juicy steak that was still sizzling, emitting a mouthwatering smell. Looking at the food, they began to salivate and dove in.

The food was amazing. The salty taste of the beef was balanced by the sweet, citrusy sauce. The flavors blended well, creating a unique taste. The steak was cooked to perfection, and the spices complemented it wonderfully. They devoured their meals quickly and leaned back, patting their bellies in satisfaction.

“Ahhhh, that was brilliant.”

“It really was. Thanks again for the meal, Winst.”

“No problem, man. While we’re here, don’t worry about money. I’ll take care of us.”

“But won’t your parents...”

“Haha, I told you it’s fine, man. Paying for you won’t put a dent in our family’s bank. You’re my bro, so of course I’ll take care of you.”

“Winst...”

Hearing Winston speak like that deeply moved Azrael. It wasn’t just because of his willingness to spend money, but how much Winston seemed to care for him. Their bond was indeed becoming closer and stronger.

“Anyway, how was your class, Az? To think that my roommate is such a genius...”

Azrael smiled. He had told Winston last night about the classes he was taking. When he heard, Winston was speechless. A Tri-Elementalist already at the intermediate level with all three elements was unheard of. The only people in history who could challenge Azrael were two legendary figures.

Even though Azrael had worried that this might change their relationship, to his joy, he found out he was wrong. Even after discovering his abilities, Winston didn’t treat him with any more reverence or as though he wanted to benefit from knowing him. He just remained the same old Winston.

“It was very interesting. Since I always had to try things out by myself, it was nice hearing someone else’s thoughts on the elements and the spells. It was very helpful. There was only one slight problem...”

“A slight problem? What happened?”

Winston became more alert. He liked Azrael a lot and didn’t treat him like some master or try to gain his favor. He

was just a relaxed kid who hung out with Winston because he liked him. If Azrael ever ran into trouble, Winston knew he would do anything to help his friend.

“Well... about that. At the end of class, when I was about to leave the classroom, some girl came up to me and st...”

"THERE YOU ARE!! I FINALLY FOUND YOU, YOU LOWLY COMMONER!!”

Just as Azrael was beginning to explain what happened, the cause herself actually arrived. Hearing the sudden yelling, the two of them turned toward the source of the commotion. Aren, shaking with anger, glared at Azrael from twenty feet away.

Making eye contact with him, Aren immediately stormed over to their table. Seeing the angry girl, Winston looked at Azrael with a questioning expression. Feeling helpless, Azrael sighed.

“That’s the small problem...”

Just as he said that, Aren finally reached the table. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she straightened her uniform and glared at Azrael. Suddenly thrusting her right arm forward, she pointed at him and quickly declared:

“How dare a commoner like you try to insult the child from the House of Dufont! I should have you executed for this!”

Hearing that, Winston’s face darkened. This noble girl dared to threaten his friend?! Just as he was about to stand up and teach her a lesson, Azrael grabbed his arm. Startled by the sudden action, Winston turned to look at Azrael, who shook his head slowly.

“I don’t know if it can be considered an insult or not, but what I said was the truth.”

Hearing that, the already furious Aren exploded. Without caring how it looked to the others in the cafeteria, she exclaimed:

“YO... YOU LOWLY COMMONER!! FINE, LET ME TEACH YOU YOUR PLACE. TODAY AT 6 O’CLOCK, I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DUEL!”