Chapter 91: The Finals VI

Chapter 91: The Finals VI

The atmosphere changed the moment the three of them stepped out of the private area. The lounge was filled to the brim. Some of the students had been at the bar, drinking. Others had been standing in line at the betting table. Most had been relaxing with their friends in one of the separate seating areas.

However, the moment Zeke entered the site, the chatter started to die down as people turned to stare at him. He had gotten used to people giving him looks occasionally, but this was on a different level. It felt to him like every single student had stopped whatever they were doing to gawk at him. Even Zeke felt uncomfortable at this level of attention.

"Never seen a handsome man before?" Viola yelled. "How about you guys know some shame and ask him out when Sophia and I are not next to him, yeah?"

Her words had an immediate effect as most people averted their eyes. Some of the girls were blushing as they averted their gaze shyly. The boys, on the other hand, turned their heads so fast that even Zeke was impressed. They stoically avoided looking in his direction. They were unwilling to take the risk of causing any misunderstanding about their preferences.

Ezekiel gave Viola a thankful nod, which the Wind Mage acknowledged with a cat-like grin. She puffed out her chest as if to say: "Leave it to me". The three of them made their way to the betting table and got in line. Some of the surrounding students still behaved a little stiffly when they approached. However, most of the tension had evaporated.

Zeke didn't want to give the students any more reasons to ostracize him. The incident at the Feuerkranz mansion and the duel with Alexander were already painting him in a certain light. He didn't want his classmates to be afraid of him. Zeke realized that he didn't do himself any favors with his performance in the last fight. His ultimate goal was to try to overturn the image that people associated with Blood Mages.

In class, they had been taught that Blood Mages were ferocious beasts. They apparently craved the blood of their enemies and didn't even understand the meaning of the word mercy. Ezekiel thought back to his fight and scowled. If he had to describe his own performance in a single sentence, he would use the words:

"A ferocious beast that didn't even understand the meaning of the word mercy."

Defeated, he hunched his shoulders and waited in line without a word. Maybe he wasn't the best ambassador for Blood Magic after all.

He spent his time listening to the girls instead. Viola and Sophia were in front of him, talking about the odds for the next fight. The duo had developed their own system of betting. The chatty Wind Mage would supply all the info she had learned. Sophia, with her brilliant mind, would take it all in and then determine their course of action.The inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.

The two of them had also been rather successful in their gambling. They almost never bet large sums of money, though. It was more of a game for them. Their mindset was shared by most of the surrounding students. Betting was only a way to show off their knowledge and insights. And games ultimately had to be fun, so most students only bet with what they considered pocket change.

Ezekiel's lousy mood was instantly lifted when they arrived at the front of the line. The bookkeeper was giving him a sour look. The gesture only heightened Zeke's excitement even further. With expectant eyes, he stared at the older student.

The bookkeeper groaned in frustration. Yet, after a moment of thought, a pondering expression emerged on his face. He was resolved to turn this loss into an opportunity. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs to the brim before proclaiming in a loud voice.

"Ezekiel von Hohenheim started his betting today with a measly 1000 gold. However, before his last fight, he had already amassed a fortune of 5500 gold! This clever student had the foresight and daring to bet it all on himself. With the odds at 1.75, he is now the proud owner of the staggering sum of 9625 pieces of gold!"

There were cheers and exclamations of awe from all around at this declaration. Zeke was unaccustomed to the admiration of his peers, and his face turned a little red. Viola, who saw him acting shy, grinned at him. He was certain that she would tease him with this in the days to come. The bookkeeper gestured with his hands for the crowd to calm down. Apparently, he had more to say.

"Unfortunately, Ezekiel's winning streak is almost at an end." The boy declared, to the confusion of everyone. "We, from the Schatzkammer betting house, must adhere to our rules. Any participant can only win up to a total sum of ten thousand gold per day."

Before the crowd had any time to react, the boy continued his speech in an even louder voice.

"Ezekiel's streak might be over, but that just means that a new champion will take his place." The boy yelled. He pointed at a fat student in the crowd and asked. "Will it be you, young master Steiner? Or perhaps you, miss Wellenrufer?"

Zeke wondered if the old man had been a miner. He had spoken to a couple of them before, they were resilient, hardy folk. He studied the man's face next, his head still turned towards the ground. The creases all over the old man's face spoke of a life of hardship and loss.

"We are just humble folk trying to enjoy the show. We don't want any trouble." The man said.

"Please raise your head, sir," Zeke said. "My father will beat my ass when he learns that I am making old geezers like you bow to me."

The man was surprised by Zeke's words, but after a moment he still lifted his head. Upon seeing the friendly smile on the boy's face, he was even more bewildered. It was not a usual occurrence for a noble to speak like this to commoners.

"My name is Ezekiel, Ezekiel from Feldstad, and not sir," he began, but then immediately frowned. "I guess I am called Ezekiel von Hohenheim now, huh? But that doesn't change where I come from!

"Listen up, old man. I was shoveling horse shit myself not even a year ago, so don't go around calling me sir."

The crowd started to murmur upon hearing Zeke's introduction. He was pretty certain that he heard the phrase blood dragon from more than one direction. The boy paid the crowd no mind as his gaze was solely focused on the old man. The man in question seemed not to be sure how to act. He looked at Zeke's face with suspicion, he seemed to think that his behavior was an act.

Ezekiel sighed and stepped in front of the old man. He lifted his right arm in front of his body. In his hometown, this was the common gesture of greeting. Instead of the more refined handshake that nobles used, they would clasp each other's forearms.

"Where I come from, it is customary to introduce oneself after the other party has told you their name," Zeke said.

Ezekiel wiggled his fingers teasingly in front of the man. The old man studied Zeke's face and finally started laughing as he grabbed the offered forearm.

"Right you are, boy! Right you are!" The old man proclaimed loudly. "We have the same custom here. My name is Felix. It is an honor to meet the Blood Dragon himself!"

The handshake between the two men had been like a signal to the surrounding crowd as the people all relaxed. The atmosphere immediately turned lively again, some people even cheering for Zeke. Many came up to him to wish him good luck.

Ezekiel was relieved that he had managed to reconnect with the common people. At the first moments, when he had seen the fear in their eyes, he had felt like he had lost an important part of himself. His mentor had always tried to be a champion for the masses, and Zeke didn't want to forget his roots either.

At the next moment, he could feel somebody tapping on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Leo staring at him.

"What are you doing here, Zeke?" Leo asked.

"That's actually what I came here to ask you. Why are you not up in the lounge with everybody else?" Zeke countered.

Leo thought about it for a moment and then waved Zeke to the entrance of the stadium. He seemed to want to talk about this in a more private setting.

With a smile, Zeke waved goodbye to Felix and the surrounding crowd as he followed his friend into the passage.