"Good afternoon, Professor. Could you tell me where in the city I can find a shop that sells equipment for recreation and forest travel?" I asked, giving a slight bow beforehand.
The professor gave me a careful look, then touched the ring on his finger. In the next second, a map appeared in his hands, which he handed to me.
"Take it. All the shops in the city are marked on it. In some of them, you can get a discount thanks to your academy uniform, but don't get greedy."
I accepted the map and bowed once more.
"Thank you."
After that, I headed toward the arena exit. Just as I was nearly there, I heard someone calling out to someone else, but it clearly had nothing to do with me, so after merely shrugging, I continued on my way.
Only after walking through the entire forest did I notice that I was still holding the sword I had earlier taken from Dean Ama`Leyn. The day was far from over, so I decided to return to the dormitory first and leave the weapon there. It was unlikely that anything in the city would threaten me, and I had no desire to wander around carrying a sword for no reason.
Back in my room, I left the sword behind, took some of my gold, and spread the map across the table to study the nearest shops. Several stores nearby specialized in travel and expedition supplies, meaning those were the places where I was most likely to get a discount on the equipment I needed.
Taking the map with me, I headed downstairs.
The lobby was almost empty, which felt strangely unusual after the noise and chaos of the arena.
Without lingering, I made my way toward the academy exit.
Near the main gates stood a massive guardhouse. Judging by its placement, that was where the guards responsible for securing the entrance were stationed. It was unlikely anyone would dare launch a direct attack on the academy, but there were always organizations or smaller groups willing to take the risk for the sake of stealing artifacts, documents, or other valuable information.
As I approached, I glanced around but saw no one nearby.
Deciding to knock, I reached toward the door, but the moment my fingers touched the wood, it suddenly swung open.
A man in chainmail armor stood before me. A sword hung from his belt, a shield was fastened to his back, and he held a removed helmet in one hand. His eyes quickly scanned me before pausing on the academy emblem.
His expression changed almost instantly.
Without saying a word, the man stepped back inside and pressed several buttons on a panel mounted to the wall. Somewhere ahead, a dull mechanical sound echoed, and the massive gates began to slowly open.
Returning to me, the guard finally spoke.
"You must return to the academy before nightfall. When you come back, show this to the guard and you will be allowed through," he said in a deep voice, handing me a white card.
I silently nodded, accepted the pass, and headed toward the city.
The academy was built on elevated ground, almost at the mountain's summit, which offered an excellent view of the entire city below. From such a height, it was easy to make out the lively streets, where not only humans but representatives of many other races moved leisurely through the roads.
The city itself was large and completely enclosed by massive walls. From here, I could distinguish two main entrances. One, judging by the number of wagons and gathered crowds, was intended for merchants and the transport of goods, while the other was used by travelers, mercenaries, and ordinary visitors.
Its location near the academy made the city especially prosperous. Residents and merchants benefited from the added safety of having powerful mages and warriors nearby, as well as a constant flow of customers in the form of stufons, professors, and visitors.
"Where is that stufon hiding? Not only did he ignore me when I called him, but he also vanished like a rat right after the second trial," Nreu muttered irritably.
After losing to Trey, he had hoped to redeem himself during the second trial and at least partially restore his wounded pride. But Trey's performance had come as a shock not only to him, but to everyone present.
Before, Nreu had only wanted to teach the arrogant upstart a lesson for showing such disrespect toward the imperial heir.
But now, his thoughts had taken an entirely different direction.
A talent like that could not simply be ignored.
Nreu could already see the advantages of forming an alliance with Trey. If he managed to recruit him into his group for the third trial, their chances would rise dramatically. More than that, far more ambitious fantasies had already begun forming in the heir's mind.
What if, in the future, that monster were to swear loyalty to the Krey Empire?
Such an acquisition would strengthen Nreu's position in the struggle for the throne even further.
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became at his inability to find Trey.
After returning to the dormitory, he found out which room Trey lived in and headed there immediately.
Stopping in front of the door, Nreu began pounding on it loudly.
"Open up!"
After several minutes, the neighboring door suddenly opened, and a light elf peeked out, glaring at the disturbance with visible irritation.
"Human, what are you doing?" he asked coldly, making no effort to hide his annoyance at being interrupted.
"Trying to get through to the rat living here," Nreu replied, pointing at the door. Then he turned toward the elf. "Seen him?"
The light elf frowned.
For a few seconds, he stared silently at the human before him as though trying to determine whether he had lost his mind, then briefly closed his eyes, recalling who had entered and exited the neighboring room.
The image of a half-elf with his hair tied back quickly surfaced in his memory. He had seen him returning from the arena after watching the second trial.
Opening his eyes, the elf looked at Nreu with even colder eyes.
"Human, he may be a half-elf, but he is certainly not a rat. Or is it common in your country to look down on half-bloods?"
There was no longer mere irritation in the elf's voice, but clear displeasure.
Though light and dark elves rarely got along and frequently clashed, matters concerning bloodline remained a sensitive subject for both races. Half-elves were still considered part of their people.
The moment he heard the shift in tone, Nreu instantly realized he had let his emotions get the better of him far more than he should have.
He had nearly created a serious problem.
In this world, remarks like that toward other races were viewed extremely negatively, and open discrimination could lead to serious consequences. And he, heir to the throne of the Krey Empire, had nearly painted himself in a thoroughly disgusting light.
Internally, Nreu could only curse his own impulsiveness.
"Of course not," he said quickly. "I only compared him to a rodent out of frustration. You should have seen his performance during the trial. I want to recruit him into my group for the third stage, but he ignored me in the arena, and now he isn't even opening the door."
Nreu deliberately kept his voice as calm as possible, trying to smooth the situation over.
If news of an incident like this reached the professors, even successfully passing the third trial might no longer matter for him.
The light elf visibly relaxed.
"Human, he left almost immediately after returning," he answered. "I assume he went to buy equipment for the third trial."
Hearing that, Nreu finally realized just how foolish he must have looked, pounding on the door of an empty room.
Though how was he supposed to know?
Shaking his head, he gave the elf a brief apology, then turned and walked away.
The light elf watched him leave, then quietly snorted before returning to his room.
Before closing the door, he set up a sound barrier.
For some reason, he had a feeling Nreu would be far from the last person to try recruiting that half-elf today.
As I walked through the city streets, I found myself involuntarily admiring its beauty.
Thanks to the presence of one of the academies, the city had clearly developed not only around the needs of its residents, but also with the constant flow of visitors in mind.
Taverns were everywhere—from cheap, noisy establishments for mercenaries and travelers to expensive, far more respectable venues.
In the city center stood a grand cathedral whose towers were visible from nearly any point. Street musicians played along the roads, filling the air with live music and giving the city a unique charm.
Representatives of all kinds of races moved freely through the streets.
A few times, I even spotted orcs serving in the city guard.
After the Exodus of the Five Races, the remaining orcs had only managed to secure a small territory for themselves and for a long time were regarded with distrust by the other peoples. The betrayal of part of their race had left too deep a scar to simply be forgotten.
Over time, attitudes toward them, much like toward the dwarves, had gradually softened, though they had never fully managed to wash away the shame of the past.
During my walk, I had already purchased most of what I needed: a magical tent, three days' worth of food supplies, magical bandages, and several other small necessities.
Now, I was heading toward a clothing store.
I still had no desire to attract unnecessary attention.
A half-elf in ordinary clothing attracted far less interest than a half-elf wearing an academy uniform—especially after today's events.
Far more importantly, I needed to sort out my own magic.
Just yesterday, I had none at all.
And today, I already possessed a talent whose nature even I did not fully understand.
Stepping into the store, I looked around.
Two employees stood behind the counter: an elf woman and a human.
"Good afternoon. Welcome to Kerry & Co. We specialize not only in expensive clothing, but also in hidden armor capable of taking on the appearance of any item you touch. What are you interested in?" the elf woman asked in a melodic voice as she approached me.
Hearing about hidden armor, I paused in thought.
I had heard of equipment like that back at the castle.
"Hidden armor? What level of attacks can it withstand, and what talents is it usually adapted for?"
"That depends on the model and your abilities. Are you a mage or a swordsman?"
"I'm developed in both directions: magic and swordsmanship. Do you have anything suitable?"
For a brief moment, the professional smile vanished from the elf's face.
"Please, follow me."
We stopped in front of a closed glass display case.
Inside was a suit of armor.
At first glance, it resembled a blend of dragon scales and the hide of some unknown reptile. Its coloring shifted smoothly from deep crimson to black.
If memory served me right, Ges's eyes had almost the exact same shade.
"What is it called?"
"Harbinger. Its creation used materials from both a dragon and a basilisk."
"May I try it on?"
"Of course."
Nodding to the elf, I headed into the fitting room.
To the touch, the armor was unexpectedly soft, and its weight was almost imperceptible.
After putting it on, I looked into the mirror.
The dark armor clung tightly to my body, accentuating my silhouette, while the combination of black and crimson gave me a grim, threatening appearance.
Pulling back the curtain, I nearly collided with the elf woman, who for some reason had been standing almost directly outside the fitting room entrance.
At first, her face remained calm.
Then she suddenly blushed deeply and hurriedly stepped back several paces, quickly whispering something under her breath.
Stepping out of the fitting room, I decided to test the hidden armor.
After selecting several sets of clothing, I touched them with my hand.
A magical seal appeared across the armor's surface.
The moment I confirmed the change, the armor's surface began to shift, gradually altering both form and appearance.
A moment later, I was standing in comfortable black jeans and a short sleeveless red shirt.
Raising my arms and making several movements, I tested the armor's flexibility.
Not the slightest resistance.
The armor adjusted to my movements so naturally it felt as though it had always been part of my body.
Turning around, I looked at the elf woman.
She was still staring at me without looking away.
"I'll take this armor. How much?" I asked casually.
I had already expected the price to be high, but I had no doubt I could afford it.
After all, like any prince, I had grown up in circumstances where I almost never encountered situations in which I could not obtain what I wanted simply because I lacked the funds.
After hearing my words, the elf woman's expression began shifting rapidly.
First surprise.
Then confusion.
And finally—outright disbelief.
"The price of this armor is five hundred thousand gold."
Now it was my turn to be surprised.
"All right. What rank is it?"
"In terms of physical durability, the armor is A-rank. However, its magical defense, regeneration, and adaptive properties are all at the S-rank level."
"Can I pay for it and bind it immediately?"
"Yes, of course."
After counting out the required amount, I completed the purchase without delay.
Once the armor was sealed, it fully synchronized with my body.
Now it felt even more natural.
"Wait."
Hearing the elf woman's voice, I turned around.
A black card rested in her hands.
"Take this. It's our store's VIP card."
After this purchase, the way she looked at me had changed noticeably, and her distrust had completely given way to respect.
Taking the card, I left the store and continued on my way.
My final stop for today was supposed to be a magical bookstore.