After descending two flights of stairs, we reached the main hangout area and settled at a table to wait for breakfast. Since it was still early, we had about ten minutes to kill before the first meal would be served. The room was nearly empty, save for five or six other students scattered across tables, sipping coffee or tea as they read books. Killora, the mustachioed cook, wasn’t behind the bar. Instead, I spotted him through an open door, stirring something in a cauldron.

  Leo leaned back in his chair, balancing on two legs while rocking slightly. Aiden placed his bag beside the table, and I sat quietly, my eyes drawn to the steam rising from Killora’s cauldron.

  “Wonder how Seker’s doing?” Leo asked, breaking the silence. “Hope that freak of a human isn’t there.”

  “Who?” Aiden asked. “Her mother’s boyfriend?”

  “Yeah. Who else?” Leo replied, scowling. “Damned gambler.”

  “Yeah…” Aiden muttered.

  “Maybe we should’ve gone with him,” Leo suggested.

  “He didn’t want us to,” Aiden said, shrugging. “But… yeah. Maybe we should’ve? I don’t know.”

  “You went with him, right?” Leo asked, turning to me. “How was his mother?”

  “She seemed fine,” I said, keeping it vague.

  “Ugh… she’s probably hiding how bad it really is so Seker won’t worry,” Leo sighed. “Wish I could just get her blessed.”

  “It’s waaay too expensive,” Aiden said, shaking his head. “I don’t think even the richest guy in Kinowa could afford that easily.”

  Meanwhile, Killora carried the cauldron to a smaller table behind the counter, using towels to protect his hands. After setting it down, he disappeared briefly into the kitchen and returned with metal trays, arranging them neatly on the counter. Whatever he was cooking smelled incredible, and the rich aroma made my stomach grumble. The others weren’t exaggerating—this mustachioed man really was one of the best cooks in all of Nu’tar.

  “Come on, early birds,” Killora called out. “Breakfast is ready.”

  “Sweet,” Leo said, hopping to his feet. “Let’s eat, boys. I’m starving.”

  The three of us got up and approached the counter, ahead of anyone else since most students were likely still in their rooms, wrapped in warm blankets. Annoyingly, just thinking about sleep made me feel drowsy again. I knew that the moment I hit the bed, though, the sleep would vanish.

  “My favorite chef,” Leo said, grinning. “How are you?”

  “Heh,” Killora chuckled, twisting his mustache. “As good as one can be. You?”

  “Normal as one can be,” Leo quipped. “Smells amazing, whatever you’ve made.”

  “And trust me, it tastes just as good.”

  Killora handed me a tray filled with a hearty breakfast: freshly baked bread, fluffy scrambled eggs topped with herbs, crispy strips of cured meat, roasted vegetables seasoned with garlic and spices, and a bowl of creamy porridge drizzled with honey. I nodded my thanks and returned to our table. Aiden and Leo followed soon after, their trays similarly full.

  “Agh,” Leo groaned, sitting down. “I’m glad I got up early. Waiting in the breakfast line is exhausting.”

  “Poor girls,” Aiden said, gesturing toward a window that offered a view of the girls’ dormitory. “Another piece of underwear got stolen.”

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  “Hmm?” Leo looked up. “Oh, yeah. That mysterious guy again. What a creep.”

  I stayed quiet, picking up my fork. “This has been happening regularly?”

  “For about a week, I think,” Leo replied.

  “Hmm,” I murmured, frowning slightly.

  “Oh, Axel!” Killora called out from behind the counter as he served another student. “Come see me when you finish eating. I forgot to tell you something.”

  “Sure,” I said, raising my voice slightly to be heard.

  “Don’t forget,” he said firmly. “It’s important.”

  ══════?══════

  Placing my tray aside, I leaned back and shut my eyes. Breakfast had been incredible—something people in my world would spend thousands on without hesitation. Leo seemed equally satisfied, while Aiden’s thoughts were clearly elsewhere—probably with Seker. It wasn’t hard to guess he was worried about his friend and the tension at home if his mother’s boyfriend was there. I didn’t know that gambler of a boyfriend personally, but it didn’t take much to figure out he was bad news.

  The tables were now packed, and latecomers in line were being forced upstairs to search for seats. Leo had been right—getting up early had been a good call. Otherwise, we’d be stuck waiting at least half an hour just to get food.

  “I’m stuffed,” Leo groaned, leaning back dramatically. “I could sleep the entire day away.”

  “Told you not to eat so fast,” Aiden muttered. “But, as usual, you didn’t listen.”

  Glancing out the window, I noticed two guards stationed outside the girls’ dormitory, flanking the entrance. Whoever the pervert was, they’d have to think twice now. Sneaking into the rooms wasn’t going to be as simple as before.

  “People seem to recognize you, Axel,” Leo said, nudging me with his elbow. “You’re famous, huh?”

  “Hey,” I said, deflecting the comment. “I think I’d like to fight in the tournament.”

  “Huh?” Aiden asked, leaning in with a curious expression. “Why the sudden change?”

  “Thought it’d be fun,” I lied. “Can I join you guys?”

  If it weren’t for the Queen, this conversation wouldn’t be happening. But since she had held up her end of the deal, I had no choice but to do the same. If she wanted to watch me fail spectacularly in the tournament, then so be it. I had never even held a proper knife, let alone a sword or shield. This was bound to end in humiliation. Great.

  “Of course!” Leo said enthusiastically. “Now we have four members. Just need one more to qualify.”

  “Are you sure, Axel?” Aiden asked, skeptical. “You didn’t seem interested in the tournament just a few days ago.”

  “People can change,” I said with a shrug. “I’ll go see Killora now, find out what he wanted to tell me.”

  “Yep,” Leo said, waving me off. “We’ll be here.”

  I walked over to Killora, bypassing the line where students were waiting. Instead, I approached the counter from the opposite side, placing my tray down where a worker promptly grabbed it and tossed it into a crate. Sitting down on one of the stools, I waited as Killora handed food to a student.

  When he noticed me, he smirked and handed off the tray. Then, shaking his head with a knowing grin, he turned to me.

  “I didn’t know you had fans, kid,” he teased, grabbing another tray. “You dirty, dirty devil.”

  “A fan?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “She was here a few minutes ago. You were upstairs.”

  “While I was taking a shower, huh? Who was he?”

  “He? No, it’s a she,” he corrected. “She even left you a message.”

  “She came here even though this is the boys’ dorm?”

  “Oh, she looked older—mid-twenties, maybe. Had a hood on, so I didn’t get a good look,” he said with a shrug. “But you’re missing the point, kid. You have a fan!”

  “Okay… what did she say?”

  “She said—” Killora leaned in for effect, lowering his voice. “And I quote, ‘I can’t wait to catch up with you again, Axy-Axy.’”

  A chill ran down my spine as I swallowed hard. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught sight of a hooded figure standing outside the window. As she lifted her head to smile, my stomach dropped.

  It was Suzan.

  The deranged woman who sold human and dog meat in her tavern. The maniac cannibal.

  She waved at me playfully before walking to the right and disappearing from view.

  Without thinking, I bolted outside, nearly crashing through the door.

  But she was gone.

  “Shit,” I muttered under my breath, my heart racing. “Now what are you going to do, Axy-Axy, huh?”