The crowd was surprised, a murmur started spreading like wildfire.
"Why did she stop the match so suddenly?" Everyone asked.
The Marchioness helped the boy to get up and brought him closer for them to observe. There was a shallow cut on his left cheek, going from his nose to the ear.
"Just with chore magic?" "From that distance?" "Impressive. That's how he has single-handedly killed a Byk."
Lith puffed his chest, his anger subsiding enough for him to avoid further mockery on the expenses of his defeated opponent.
A small girl quickly rushed to the Marchioness, making a perfect bow to her while whispering something, her face all smiles and pleasantries.
She was so petite to appear ageless to Lith. She could be eight years or thirteen years old, he couldn't tell. She was definitely flat as a board, with gold blonde hair with shades of red. Her dress had gemstones the size of an acorn embroidered into it.
"The brat must be loaded." Lith thought.
"Be careful. While the boy was just a yellow core, she has a green one." Solus warned him.
Lith inwardly scoffed.
"Lucky b*stard."
"Lith, this is Minnea Tristarm, daughter of the Viscount Tristarm. Minnea, this is Lith from Lutia."
"Nice to meet you." The girl performed a barely noticeable curtsy.
"The pleasure is all mine." Lith returned the rudeness, by performing such a small bow that it could be easily confused with him checking if his shoelaces where properly knotted.
"Minnea was really impressed by your feat, and would like to challenge you to a different kind of competition."
"It would be an honour performing for her Grace. My father had tried for so long to get an audience with your Ladyship."
"Obnoxious brat!" Lith thought. "She has been watching the Marchioness the whole time, speaking like I'm not even here. You are in for a surprise."
They moved back into the ballroom, were the servants promptly prepared a small round table. A single candle was standing on its center.
"This is a magical competition that's really popular within the capital." The girl kept looking at the Marchioness, while she explained the game with a condescending tone.
"Real mages are not mindless brutes. Real power comes from the mind."
"Spare me the details and explain the rules." Lith tone was even more condescending.
"It's really simple." Minnea looked at him for the first time.
"Each of us picks a colour, the one that manages to keep the candle of the chosen colour for ten seconds is the winner. Is it clear?"
Lith yawned.
"I'll take the yellow."
"And I the red, like my hair. Is my favourite colour."
When the Marchioness gave the start signal, Minnea tried her best to turn the candle to red, while Lith was checking his nails length, yawning from time to time.
Soon the ten count was completed, and he tried to walk away.
"Wait! I demand a do over." The girl was bright red from the embarrassment.
"Why?" Everyone asked.
"Do you realize that keeping control of a flame is much easier than taking it over?"
Lith could easily see through her allegations.
"Are you insinuating that by exploiting the natural colour of the candle I took control of it before the challenge started, getting an unfair advantage?" He laughed.
"You can understand a lot about a person, based on how she plays, wins, but most importantly how she accepts loss." Lith quoted, looking straight in the Marchioness eyes.
"Let's have a do over, then. This time I'll pick cyan. Feel free to get a head start. I'll commence my attack only when the flame is completely red, so we'll be even. Agreed?"
Eager to restore her wounded pride, Minnea nodded while she was already turning the candle to a bright red.
"Can I?" When both the Marchioness and Minnea nodded, Lith started sending tendrils of mana toward the candle.
Slowly but inexorably, many cyan spots appeared inside the flame, taking it over in less than a minute.
"I yield." Minnea didn't wait for the ten count, the outcome was painfully clear to her.
"Do you want another do over?" Lith hissed bending forward, getting really close to her face, his eyes reduced to fiery slits brimming with mana.
"Lith, your mana is overflowing." Solus warned him.
"Let it burn."
Minnea shook her head, before running back to her father.
No one dared to challenge him anymore.
The rest of the evening was full of chattering and gossiping, but otherwise uneventful.
"This should be plenty enough to make any academy in the region reject our application."
End of book 1