It was the Mayor again, Apollo thought, hearing the hate coming from Bel. "What's with the Mayor? He seems friendly," the Beggar said, taking a few steps toward the viewing deck where he could see the Mayor on the floating platform, talking with other important people.
Bel stood beside him, her eyes fixed on the Mayor with anger and disgust.
"Friendly? Didn't you just mention that the law favors the strong?" Bel turned to the Beggar with a raised eyebrow.
"I'm being sarcastic," Apollo smiled bitterly before nodding toward Klown. "I can tell he's just being phony with the others."
"He's actually two-faced, a wolf in disguise. No, he's a monster in disguise," Bel said.
"A monster? That's probably why he's so big. Even in his human form, he couldn't hide his true nature," Apollo said, and the two looked at each other for a moment before they burst into laughter.
It was a scene of a small man and a woman almost twice his size having fun together.
This made Bel recall the time when she was punished as a maid and had the time of her life gossiping with the other maids.
"Maybe you're also two-faced," Bel said, putting a hand on the masked man's shoulder, though she didn't have to raise it much to reach him. "A dwarf in disguise."
Suddenly, silence lingered in the air.
"I'm sorry, I was just joking," Bel hurriedly said, taking her hand away. "I didn't mean it."
Oh god, I got too relaxed and forgot I wasn't talking to the maids!
"Haha, no worries, I get that a lot," Apollo waved his hand, smiling bitterly. So they don't think I'm just a kid? "I was born , smaller compared to my peers."
Seeing that Mr. Can Deez was not offended, Bel let out a sigh of relief. "It's not normal, but there are cases. I've heard there's a Headmaster from another school in another city who looks like a kid because of his height."
"Oh?" Apollo wasn't interested in that, but more interested in their previous topic before they got sidetracked by his height. "But why do you hate the Mayor? It's normal to pretend to be friendly with others, especially if one is in power."
"I know." Being back on topic made Bel glare at the Mayor, who was laughing on the platform. "But he's really a disgusting human."
"It's instinct," Bel turned to the masked man with a small smile. "I hate him, that's all, but there's definitely a reason for it. Even my father hated him."
"Instinct?" Apollo repeated. But you're not wrong, though. Considering what he heard from the previous conversation, the Mayor is probably the hidden boss in the city. Well, technically, he is the boss as the Mayor, but true to being two-faced, he's doing something shady behind that amiable and friendly smile.
"Hahaha, to hate someone based on instinct? It sounds unreasonable, but I trust it and my father," Bel explained. "And that's also the reason why we are having this conversation."
"Hmm, should I say thank you?" Apollo asked, a smile on his face.
"No need," Bel waved her hand.
They talked for a while before they saw Master Popo already flying down from the platform, blessing the audience below him with his 'dragon.'
"It's starting. I should get back," Apollo said. "Just be careful with Arke."
"Okay, I will," Bel said and waved goodbye.
As the door closed and Can Deez disappeared, the smile on her face was replaced by worry. Her instincts had been acting up ever since the Advancement Examination began; it was subtle, but it was there. However, after the conversation with Can Deez, that instinct became stronger.
"Is Arke planning something?" Bel muttered, turning to stare at Master Popo, who was already on the stage.
Master Popo said a few words before handing the stage over to the host.
"I am going to explain the rules for the second part of the Third Exam," the host said, his voice reverberating around the arena. "It's actually simple. Just like the first part, the participants will have to pick a number, and those with the same number will be opponents. But this is a tournament format, and the winner of each round will advance to the next until they reach the final round."
Hearing the shout of excitement from the crowd, the host continued, "Let's start the second part of the Battle Test!"
The door opened, and a person wearing white robes entered, holding a basket.
Seeing this, Apollo stood in front of him and reached his hand inside. When he took it out, he was holding a piece of paper with a number written on it. Number 8?
"What's the number?" the white-robed man asked. Apollo showed it to him. "I see. Wait for your turn before you go out."
"All right," Apollo said, and the white-robed man walked out. "This is going to be fun."
The Beggar walked toward the viewing deck and sat in his chair. He was actually excited; he was finally going to have fun fighting. Furthermore, this was going to be a great experience, as the participants for this second part were stronger than before.
"Hopefully, I'll get to fight Arke before Bel," Apollo muttered. If Bel died in the first round, Apollo would deeply regret it. Anyway, he had done his best, and it was up to luck and her skill whether she would live or not.
Apollo still hadn't decided if he would save her if things went awry. "I should worry about it later."
It was only guilt and the possible regret that would come afterward if he kept Bel in the dark.
After a while, the host, who was still talking to the audience, received a message that all the participants had taken their numbers. With this information, he diverted the conversation back to the exam.
"Now, we will start the first round!" the host shouted, and the audience cheered. It was like they had rehearsed this beforehand.
The first two fighters went up on stage, and although they were not the well-known ones, the audience still shouted in excitement, remembering their previous performances.
Apollo also watched intently, in case he would have to fight one of them.