Night turned to day when Isabella finally showed up. A small frown marred her face as she looked around, looking for something or someone. Lev hoped that 'someone' wasn't him, for he had no idea what would make her sport that expression.

Letting the invisibility of his bubble drop, he sent a pulse of mana her way.

She reacted by throwing a fireball at him.

"Whoa, whoa!" Lev quickly made the bubble dart out of the way, not intending to test its new enchantments above the wall. "What gives?"

"You jerk! You ignored me for an hour yesterday while I was waiting, and you still haven't come to see me. Did I make you upset in any way?"

"Huh? No, I was too absorbed in enchanting my armor last night," he replied as the bubble landed on the ground. An opening was created for Isabella, who stepped in without much hesitation. "As for the rest, I had to be debriefed by Drakys, and that took a while. After that, you were nowhere to be seen, and I still had things to do."

"Hmm," she thoughtfully voiced, giving him a once-over. "Are you alright?"

Lev tilted his head. "Yes?"

"My father told me about what happened," she began, slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, it feels like I let curiosity get the better of me, because I ended up asking questions-"

"Isabella," Lev interrupted her, stifling a chuckle. "It's fine. This stuff was going to get out eventually. I just need to be strong enough to, well, mitigate the backlash when it does."

Her embarrassment vanished like the act it probably was, giving way to genuine anger. "What backlash? Nobody will do anything, not when you're the one suffering the most."

"If only it worked like that," he shook his head with a sigh. "Just don't say that in front of those who will inevitably suffer from my presence. To them, I am a problem for simply existing, and they're not wrong about it."

"But…" she trailed off, jaw hanging. "How can you even say that?"

"I'm just being realistic," Lev shrugged and changed the topic. "I heard you evolved."

[Fire Mage - Level 257]

She squinted her eyes at him, accepting the change. "Yes, father made me join a team during the platinum rank, even if I was vehemently against it."

With a huff, Isabella summoned a chair for herself and plopped down on it. "Can you believe it? I asked why I couldn't have you in my team, and he said I'm not strong enough. That really made me lose my cool back then, but now, I don't even know anymore. Have you identified the root cause for whatever the hell is making you targeted?"

"I have," Lev replied and sat down in his own driver's seat, not elaborating. "Drakys and I are working on it."

"Drakys, huh?" she gave him an amused glance. "It's still surprising to see you refer to him so casually."

"Well, yeah. He did train me and is always looking out for me. The special treatment doesn't let me be too respectful and uptight around him."

"Lucky bastard," she muttered with a grin. "Sherron, Hakim, Orianna, Alec, Drakys, and who else?"

"Umbrina," Lev continued with a smile. "Harun, and Varun too, to some extent."

"You're an anomaly, you know that?" she clicked her tongue. "Teach me. I want to be casual around Orianna, too. She is so sweet and kind, and also unbelievably beautiful. There's just no way I can truly relax around her."

"About that…" Lev scratched his chin. "I was pretty much raised by Alec, Sherron, and Orianna, so uh… that one's up to you."

"Lucky indeed," she frowned, though her eyes were smiling. "And I also hear about a beautiful aura mage you ran away with."

Lev could only facepalm.

****

Surprisingly, or perhaps not that surprisingly, Lev and Isabella got lost in their mundane chatting for two hours. He was a person who appreciated bluntness and easygoing natures, and she was taking a break from being a princess. Both things worked out in their favor.

Noon was approaching by the time the topic returned to her team.

"They're nice people, but even after nearly two years of fighting together, they're still not fully comfortable with my presence. Like, why?" she asked tiredly, slumping slightly. "I'm just a human too."

Lev nodded slightly, able to understand because of how stiff his team was at first. "I know how you feel. Just give them time, and they will come along. My team eventually did, and we even parted with a group hug."

"You have a team now?" she asked, surprised. "Damn, didn't think someone could convince you to join one."

"Excuse me," Lev exclaimed, mock offended. "Who do you take me for?"

"A grumpyhead," she replied instantly. "One who doesn't like to be poked."

"I… I was young back then, okay?" he answered, unsure of what to even say in this situation. "Besides, I haven't changed much. The team understands me well, and our classes also work well together."

"Uh-huh," she nodded slowly. "I'll take your word for it until I meet them myself."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Yeah, I doubt Kayla will have to wait that long to see this girl, he mused in his head. They both stepped out of the bubble and looked around. Few people were on the walls still, though no one had to come to fetch them yet.

"Are you happy with your team?" Lev asked the question that was on his mind.

"Definitely," Isabella replied without hesitation. "They're good folks and care about the common man. That's all I really want, and it goes without saying that their classes are perfect for me."

"That's good," he said. "Where are they right now?"

"Our tent is on the ground. Can you take me there?"

A barrier plate formed in front of them. Lev simply summoned his armor and flew down as the platform carried Isabella. The last thing he wanted was to ride it down with her and start some weird rumors, so he touched the ground long before her.

Only seven tents and a large camp were present on the ground. Three teams were sitting around a fire, one that was completely unnecessary given their attributes and evolutions, though the ambiance was nice.

"Luna~" Isabella called out cheerfully. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, Your-"

Lev had to stop himself from laughing when the rest of Isabella's team turned to the girl. None of them were actually angry or berating her, just exasperated.

"Yes, Isabella," Luna corrected with a small smile, used to the treatment. "The bedrolls were much softer than expected. Are they enchanted?"

"Yep," the fire mage replied. "This here is Lev, the tournament winner and the barrier mage I told you guys about."

[Healer - Level 255]

[Mage - Level 253]

[Warrior - Level 253]

Lev scanned them just as they scanned him. The warrior was a big man with black hair and dark skin, his physical strength obvious from the coiling muscles. A black robe covered the healer whose aura screamed of fiery regeneration, and lastly, Luna was the mage who generated fire for Isabella to control freely.

It was a ridiculous composition, one that was exceptionally strong. Lev had only heard snippets about their capabilities, but he knew that the warrior thrived inside Isabella's attacks. The more fire he was surrounded by, the more he could absorb it and empower himself. It wasn't that different from Amelia's class.

Luna was the most surprising, as she could just launch a jet of fire into thin air, and two of her teammates would greatly benefit from it. The aura mage was, well, an aura mage. He knew how strong those support mages were from several experiences.

"I'm Luna, a fire creator," the mage waved at him.

"Zack," the warrior spoke in an oddly melodic tone. It wasn't nearly as heavy as Lev was expecting. "Fire enhancer and brawler."

"I'm Kora," the support mage introduced herself. "Mana regeneration focused aura mage, with smaller buffs to Perception and Intelligence."

"Lev. I'm a barrier mage and can fulfill many roles," Lev voiced, storing their names in his mind. "Most notably, a long-distance attacker and a close-range fighter. With different constructs, I can also affect the battlefield a lot, so that's that."

"… Anything else?" Zack asked with a light chuckle.

"Well, I probably have more mana than all four of you combined." Lev casually dropped that bomb, not reacting to their slackened jaws. "That's about it."

Isabella was grinning from ear to ear, not at all bothered about what her reaction may suggest. She was having the time of her life.

"Wait… what?" Luna blinked a few times. "How… Oh."

Lev decided to drop the mysterious act, too, and grinned. "Well, you guys would have noticed it eventually. Might as well get it out of the way first."

"Yeah…" Zack nodded sagely. "Let's just ignore that you have a Wisdom Boost. Seems legit."

"I know, right?" Lev nodded back. "Princess here tells me that you guys work quite well as a team. How true is that?"

"Is that a challenge?" Kora asked, confused. "I don't think we've done anything to upset you."

"… Huh?" Lev mumbled. "No, it's not a challenge or some contest. I really just want to see how you guys fight."

"Why?" Zack asked bluntly.

"To learn more about how to fight with my own team," Lev answered. "That, and curiosity, I suppose."

"Hmm, why not?" Luna suggested. "I say we limit ourselves to something entirely non-lethal, though I have a question. Why are you dressed like that?"

"Oh, this?" Lev looked at his outfit. "It's actually a really good impact-resistant suit."

"What rarity?" Zack asked, his interest obvious. "There's also a lot of mana stored inside, so definitely not uncommon."

"Epic."

There was no stopping the laugh that escaped his throat when the team turned to Isabella as one, who in turn glared at him with undisguised displeasure.

"How did you even get your hands on that?" she asked, still curious. "There are fewer than two hundred epic items total on Monarch."

"I traded a core and a good deal of merit points for it. The Guildmaster didn't even hesitate in giving me one, and well, I also really needed it. My armor doesn't block nearly as much force in fights now as it used to."

"And he just… had one made for you? How is that fair?"

"You're one to talk," Lev replied flatly. "How many Epic items do you have on your person right now?"

"… Three, but you also have, umm, never mind."

"A Wisdom Boost is impressive for sure, I guess," Lev shrugged, playing along with her 'deflection.' The last thing he wanted was to be outed as the owner of a Superior weapon.

"Anyways," she looked at her team. "Who's up to stretch their legs a little?"

"Stretch our legs," Zack echoed with an exhale. "Princess, why do I feel like we're about to get our ass kicked?"

"Because we are," Isabella replied with a grin a tad too wide. "It's going to be so much fun, come on."

For his team, Lev could design a bubble to make them invisible and hide their abilities. When facing Masters, however, that was no longer an option, and neither did he want it to be.

News about their upcoming spar spread like wildfire. Lev and Isabella both knew that would happen, as they weren't the only ones around the large campfire. They simply found a spot a few kilometers away from the wall, still clearly visible for all those who wanted to watch.

Drakys also appeared on the distant wall for a few moments and nodded at Lev. Showing the people present the extent of their abilities, at least ones that wouldn't kill each other, would be a good move. It would likely raise morale, especially because Lev really didn't think Isabella could hold back for long.

Her eyes told him that quite clearly. He wondered if his own looked the same.

"Rules?" Lev asked.

"Don't aim to kill or maim, obviously. Do you want any buffs?"

"I'll be fine," he shook his head and summoned Stargazer. Isabella controlled herself admirably, her eyes lighting up when her team wasn't looking. It seemed she knew very well about what the glaive was capable of.

"Alright, on my signal."

Both sides made distance, standing about a hundred meters away from each other. It would've been a great distance if Lev couldn't feel what Isabella wanted to do. She wasn't holding back much, and he was all for it.

Some mental communication took place. Zack looked at her with wide, surprised eyes and nodded slowly. Isabella nodded at Lev and formed a small fireball. It flew up and remained fueled for a few seconds before bursting open, signifying the start of their spar.

Immediately, Lev's aura shot out in earnest in tune with Isabella's. Too far to clash, they just gauged each other's presence, and it didn't come as a surprise as his own dwarfed hers.

Undeterred, she shaped all of the fire created by Kora and much of her own pool into a large fire slash. On the other side, Stargazer's long blade turned a crackling blue, nearly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of lightning inside.

They still made more distance, staying close to the ground. Once both attacks were fully prepared, Isabella mentally commanded the slash to fly ahead, just as Lev swung Stargazer wide.

Dark orange and bright blue, the two slashes reached the center point in a blink, not colliding but landing mere meters from each other. Sending them in a straight line was too risky because of their sheer speed, so the combatants settled for just testing their resulting blasts.

It remained to be seen who would come out on top as a new, tiny sun bloomed in the plains.

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