The streets were decorated with various lamps that illuminated the entire city. People were having fun, participating in games or eating at the stalls scattered throughout the streets. The reason for all the commotion was simple: only one day remained before the Tournament of Runes began, and that night marked the start of the Vesparello Festival, which would last until the final day of the competition.
[Tomorrow will be the day to choose the team before entering the competition grounds. Have you already decided who the members will be?]
'Yes, I've already written down everyone's names.'
Quite some time had passed since the day Enrico returned from the dungeon and gave Serenya her reward, which had turned out to be quite lengthy, lasting five minutes without her needing to breathe.
[That girl went overboard. Why did she have to act like an animal?]
'Youth, System. She's just a young girl.'
[You speak as if you're old. Have you forgotten that you were quite young when you died?]
'Details.'
Enrico remembered his leader's expression. After all, following that prolonged kiss, Serenya had spent the rest of the day feeling embarrassed. He had found it quite adorable.
'I thought the way she tried to prove she was better was really cute.'
[I thought it was quite childish.]
Enrico walked down the street with a roasted fish in his hand, eating peacefully while maintaining an expression reminiscent of a satisfied cat. It was supposed to be a day of rest, but, in reality, someone would try to disrupt the characters' peace. This event was part of an arc that, in the original story, ended up delaying their preparations for the following day.
But Enrico wouldn't allow that to happen.
'They can rest while I take care of everything.'
[You should rest too.]
'For now, I'd rather let them enjoy as much time as possible. That won't be possible during the war against the evil gods.'
He wanted to see the friends he had made during that period enjoying those moments to the fullest. As long as everyone was doing well, he could remain at ease.
'I think I'll head over to the game stalls while they're still not here.'
One good thing was that other students had also reached the Third Circle during that period. In the original story, some would already have managed to reach that level by then, but the current students were much stronger and had evolved earlier. After all, as Enrico had already mentioned, quite some time had passed since that day.
"Hello, young man! Would you like to play Catch the Fish?"
Enrico's eyes sparkled, and his smile made the stall owner begin to sweat nervously.
"Of course. That's exactly why I came here."
They were living in an era when several students were beginning to reach the Third Circle. Three days earlier, some had already succeeded, but they were only those with enough potential to advance so early. The others would only reach that level in the final month of the year, while those who failed would be forced to leave the academy.
"Sir, I caught the golden fish!"
"Congratulations! That's one of the biggest prizes. Wait a moment while I go get it."
"I'll be waiting."
During this period, other people had also moved up to Class S, leaving only the strongest students in it, those who had managed to maintain their positions after working extremely hard.
"Here you are, sir. This is a potion that increases the power of healing magic."
"Interesting. Caelan will like this."
Enrico said goodbye to the owner, who seemed a little disappointed.
[You also possess healing magic.]
'Yes, but I can improve it on my own and in a better way. Therefore, it would be more interesting to give this potion to someone who could be useful in the future.'
For Enrico, things always worked that way. If he could set aside his own evolution because he knew he would obtain something better in the future, he preferred to give those resources to an ally who could prove useful in the final battle.
[Just like Elian, who's trying not to get close to you and only wants to do so when he's covering his face?]
'He's just upset because I teased him. He'll get over it.'
Ever since the hot springs incident, Elian seemed to be constantly hiding or getting nervous whenever he was near Enrico. Sometimes, he even tried to run away, but Enrico himself would stop him, grabbing him by the back of his collar.
"Looks like it's about to begin."
Some magical fireworks were launched into the night sky, illuminating the entire city. Enrico had asked the others to enjoy that day while he took care of a few things, promising that he would return afterward.
'I'll have to defeat quite a few people today so they can enjoy the festival in peace.'
Upon noticing two hooded men walking down the street, Enrico took a few steps forward and began following them, pretending he was simply strolling around and hadn't noticed anything strange.
[These little terrorists are quite weak.]
'Of course. They're only useful as cannon fodder, so they won't be much of a challenge in combat.'
Those men were part of the cult of one of the evil gods, an entity that used fear to grant power to its god. Because of that, this deity had developed fear magic.
Vorgath, the Tyrant of Fear.
'Since their level isn't high, I'll be able to eliminate several of them, even if I have to put in some effort. As for the stronger ones, I'll leave them to the guards.'
[Be careful. Besides, they didn't come here just to spread fear.]
'I know.'
Those individuals also had the mission of eliminating potential future enemies. That was why they would attack Kai and his friends. And, to be honest, Enrico didn't believe their objectives had changed. Perhaps they had simply expanded.
After passing by a few civilians, the men entered an alley. Enrico followed without hesitation, but as soon as he entered, he realized he was surrounded by several hooded individuals. All of them pointed daggers or other sharp objects in his direction.
"So this is the guy who was following us?"
"And not only that. He's one of the targets we need to hunt down..."
One of them was interrupted when his throat was slit in a single motion. His body lost its support and fell, leaving his head separated from the rest of it.
The other was surprised by the scene but didn't even have time to react. Before he realized what had happened, his own head had already rolled across the ground. Immediately, the other hooded figures charged toward Enrico, who remained near the two fallen bodies.
"Crushing Hammer!"
"Rotten Water!"
"Evil Poison!"
Three magical attacks were launched from the front, while three more sword attacks came from behind, all directed at Enrico. Surrounded from every direction, he simply smiled.
Both his hands began to be enveloped in flames, which quickly hardened until they took the shape of the Crimson Gauntlet.
'They're only the first ones. Well, today will be an exhausting day, exactly as I expected.'