Chapter 107 107 – Table of Four

Elise breathed a sigh of relief when Mona was on her lap. The dog was asleep, and her breathing had returned to normal.

“I’ve never seen a pet with this ability.” A female healer spoke to Elise. She is the veterinarian that Anna refers to. “Looks like she’s just tired from using up too much mana…. Well, I don’t know if she’s also using mana like a human.”

“Thanks very much.” Elise gave a smile.

After the healer said goodbye, Renee raised a glass of wine. “Let’s celebrate this victory!”

Yua sighed, looking at her drink. “Aah…. Too bad, I can’t get the effects of alcohol like I used to anymore.”

“What do you mean?” Olga, also sitting at the table with the others, raised an eyebrow.

Yua and Elise exchanged glances.

“Just tell her later she’ll find out,” Raymund commented. “I’ll give her a communication tool later.”.

Elise hastily looked away and whispered to her master. “Could you not give it to Olga directly? I’ll wrap it up first!”

Raymund laughed. “Well, we’ll see.”

“Your master’s sense of humor is strange indeed.” Renee chimed in even though she couldn’t hear Raymund’s words. “I also have to wrap it up, so it doesn’t look suspicious.”

“So, you also got that thing shaped like a vagina?” Yua asked the blonde-haired woman.

“No.” Renee shrugged. “It’s shaped like…. Appendages da vagina? That one that can be inserted, you know… Why am I speaking nonsense like that? Obviously, it’s in the shape of a penis.”

Raymund laughed again at the absurd chatter.

Olga looked at the three women in turn. “Actually, what are you girls talking about?”

“As my master said, you will find out later.” Yua smiled while cupping her cheeks in her palms. “Everything will be clear after Elise gives you a gift.”

Elise massaged her forehead. Can’t imagine Raymund dropping that nasty thing in front of Olga.

“I see.” Olga took another sip of her wine. “Looks like I’ll have to wait.”

“Ugh…” Renee looked around the spacious room. Rich people sat at tables with crystal balls in the middle. “I don’t like the way they look at us.”

Those people were gathered in Kozlov’s luxurious mansion to watch the preliminary round. The men wore neat tuxedos, and the women wore colorful dresses. Meanwhile, the eight finalists were divided into two tables and became the center of their attention.

“And when will the food come?” Renee complained again. “I’m so hungry.”

“You were so excited to celebrate this success.” Yua chimed in with a smile. “Why do you look so low on energy now?”

Renee pressed her chin against the table. “I know… But now my stomach is growling.”

The hall door opened. A man with black hair with a beard on his chin entered, and a waiter approached him. Instead of following the waiter’s suggestion to sit at an empty table, he looked around, then went to the table occupied by Elise and her friends.

“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, ladies.” The man greeted while bowing his body. “I just wanted to say hello to my daughter.”

Renee flinched and straightened herself, then turned her head back in a stiff, robotic motion.

“Dad?” The corner of the blonde woman’s lips twitched.

“At least you don’t dress like a prostitute anymore.” The man then looked at Elise and Yua in turn. “Aah, sorry, I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m Jacques Emilien, Renee’s father.”

“What do you want, dad?” Renee asked in a stern tone before her friends introduced themselves to Jacques. “Why did you come all the way to this country?”

“It’s only natural for us as a family with long martial blood to watch a tournament like this,” Jacques replied in a cold tone. “You have left our family, but I still hope you win this tournament, Renee.”

The blonde woman glanced at the following table, filled with four other finalists. “Aah, none of your students made it all the way here…. Come to think of it, I didn’t see anyone with Emilian’s martial style during the preliminaries either. Hmmm, maybe because their existence doesn’t attract attention?”

Jacques cleared his throat. “There’s no use talking like this. Goodbye, ladies. Good luck.”

After her father left, Renee snorted, “Stupid dad.”

“Renee, sorry for asking this.” Yua’s tone became more serious. “If your father is here, he’s a wealthy man, right? And from what you’ve said, I can say  that you ran away from home?”

“Well, that’s because I wanted to become a magic-user, while my family wanted me to inherit my father’s position as the Emilian martial arts supreme leader.” Renee took a deep breath. “Well, I did fail to become a pure magic user… Maybe I actually felt that way a long time ago. I don’t have any talent for magic…. But in the end, I chose to go anyway. Maybe one of the reasons I did that was the pressure from the people around me.”

“Besides meeting the Scarlet Wizard?” Elise joined in.

Renee nodded. “I’m constantly demanded to be perfect by them, as a role model for followers. Honestly, I can’t stand that. I want to be free.”

“Perhaps, your parents already know that becoming a martial arts expert is your best path?” Yua flashed a smile that was too wide. “Maybe my case is different from yours, but my parents kept pushing me to stay in a particular profession for my success.”

Aspiring to be a race driver means sacrificing school time and money. Yua’s parents could not guarantee a promising future for their daughter if she stopped racing. There is no plan b for Yua. She would find it difficult to continue her education because her parents didn’t have any savings for the university.

And in front of her, the kunoichi saw a woman whose future was bright but chose to leave instead.

“Sorry, Yua.” Renee took another sip of her wine. “What exactly are you trying to tell me by talking like that?”

“Nothing.” Yua widened her smile. “Maybe I’m just jealous of you, who has everything.”

Renee was silent for a moment. “Honestly, I wish my family was like everyone else’s. So, I don’t have to be depressed.”

Although still smiling, the veins on Yua’s face tightened.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!” Igor came on stage in a tuxedo and a neat hairdo. “Thanks for coming here. I don’t want to waste your time. We’d better start the draw so we can have dinner soon.”