Chapter 187 – Do you have a mother?
The question of who had landed first echoed through the minds of all spectators, both in the arena and across the Kingdom.
Not only them, even the nobles sitting with the King and Queen, and the teachers of the Academy sitting with the Dean in their own separate room watching the footage, were all curious.
However, it was true that some of the most powerful ones already knew the answer. Like the Dean of the Academy, and some ridiculously strong teachers with great perception.
But as those in the arena and outside were far too weak to tell, debate about who was first erupted wildly, each person defending the one they were rooting for.
Cassius was mainly defended by women, who barely cared whether he was truly the first.
To them, he was the first. And at that point the truth didn’t even matter. They were simply defending who they liked most.
"The Last Born landed first! The very first!" One girl, boldly wearing a t-shirt bearing Cassius’s face, shouted with everything her petite body could muster. "Don’t try to gaslight us! It won’t work!"
"Who is gaslighting who here, you idiot? Emrys has lightning, fool! He reached the ground in under a second! He is the first!"
"It’s Cassius! Everyone can back my claim!" the girl retorted, looking at the dozens of girls wearing the same t-shirt as her. "RIGHT GIRLS???"
"YESSSS!!!! CASSIUS IS THE FIRST!"
"This is insane! Even you know you are lying!!"
"We don’t need to be right." The girl smiled mockingly. "We just need to be the loudest. So WHO LANDED FIRST????"
"CASSSSIUSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!"
The arena shook under the name of Cassius, causing the supporters of Emrys to shudder at the sheer obsession in those girls.
Far across from them, Isolde watched the scene with amusement. Under normal circumstances she would have acted and put a dreadful end to it.
However, she admitted there was something beneficial about having a supportive fanclub. Especially once inside the Academy.
And besides...
"Isolde, you are famous now, aren’t you? Hahahah!" Lucian laughed, pointing at a section of the arena where a few second and third years were also shouting Cassius’s name...but for a pletely different reason.
"CASSIUS HAS WON!"
"On what basis? Don’t be like those crazy women lusting after someone younger than them!"
"On what basis? Because he is Goddess Isolde’s Husband, you Vorn-cursed fool!!!"
"What in the world—!"
"CASSIUS IS THE WINNER!!!!!"
Isolde hid her face shyly as Lucian cracked into laughter, unable to stop himself. Lilien was silent, but no less curious and surprised.
It was strange for the twins to see Isolde this popular.
She had never been like this before. In barely a few months, so much had changed that they were left slightly aghast.
And so everyone continued to debate who was the winner, while the presenter himself flatly refused to reveal the answer.
Meanwhile, back in the Entrance Exam, in the Black Dune, Cassius was coughing as he staggered upright, his body still emitting steam with flickering crimson fire all over it.
Once on his feet, he dusted off his clothes, which were still intact.
With his new mastery and the evolution of Bloodflame, burning his own blood was considerably easier now. Cassius barely felt the pain.
And in any case, he could replenish his blood through Bloodflame’s healing or through his Chains of the Accursed.
"Queen’s breath, damn it." He cursed, looking around at the destruction he had caused and the dead corpses of sandworms sprawled around them. "I didn’t receive anything from killing all these monsters? Are they too weak for me?"
He was quite disappointed, and would have continued plaining if he hadn’t heard the whimpering, coughing voice of Océane on the ground.
He lowered his eyes to her, assessed her state, and smiled apologetically. "Still alive, Océane?"
The slightly burned maid’s body twitched, then raised her right hand and gave a thumbs up. "Y-Yes... young master."
"Perfect. I knew you were resilient." He smiled. "Now get up fast. We don’t have time to waste. Use a healing potion."
Océane obeyed immediately, and in seconds she was back on her feet, her condition considerably better.
Still, the sensation of being burned by Cassius’s fire, even though he had done his best not to hurt her, lingered in the back of her mind.
’Never again.’ She promised herself, and stood beside him.
The two lifted their heads overhead, gauging the distance. Afterward, they leapt out of the pit Cassius’s landing had created.
Once out, they took in the sight of an endless black dune that seemed to extend indefinitely.
Not only that.
The dune was blanketed in a strange black dust that made it impossible to see far. Staring at it, Océane, whose Aspect was Earth — a variation of Sand — could immediately sense something wrong.
"A sandstorm... a sandstorm could happen at any moment, young master." She warned, her eyes alert.
"Seems like it." He nodded, sweeping his gaze around. "The question is what we are supposed to do now. Just kill the mon—!"
Cassius fell immediately silent as the presenter’s voice echoed once more.
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