Leon's POV
ON DAY TWO of the school festival, our café was shut down, thanks to those idiot customers.
'I swear I'll get my revenge'
I sat pretty on a cushy sofa in a premium lounge overlooking the oversized arena. The coffee table before me creaked under mountains of gold and silver coins as well as stacks of cash. I couldn't stop grinning as I counted them.
"Master, about the next race… It seems several of the competitors are coordinating to help one specific member win. We should change our predictions to numbers twelve and four," said Luxion through my surreptitious earpiece. He'd sneaked into the waiting room for the athletes to secretly gather intel, i.e., this was how I'd amassed my new fortune.
I called a waiter over. "I'd like to change my bets to numbers twelve and four for the next race. Here you are."
I handed the waiter a wad of cash, and he retreated for a moment before returning with the ticket proof of my bet.
I threw my arms over the back of the couch and scanned the room, where the other waiters rushed about to register everyone else's bets.
"Winning is so much fun!"
Across from me, Lex and Livia fixed me with icy glares. The two of them sat beside one another, sipping juice as they watched the festivities.
"You really do enjoy being an instigator." Lex shook his head.
"Leon, if you get addicted to gambling, it will come back to haunt you later," Livia warned.
All around us sat students who'd bet enormous sums of money only to lose it all. I had no doubt they resented me for my winning streak.
"Hey why are you only admonishing me, Lex, the person who is sitting next to you has been making bets too" I cried out at the discrimination.
"Plus It's fine. I'm not going to lose. At this rate, even if I did lose once or twice, I'm winning so much it wouldn't even matter."
The towers of gold and silver coins gleamed beneath the light.
The noticing the look of melancholy on Lex's face, I felt soory for the poor guy, after all the hype he gave his bike he was not even going to join the race, because he had lost his chance to register yesterday because of, Count Wayne's Daughter.
"Look man I'm really sorry, I knew how much you wanted to join the races," but instead of appreciating my apology, he looked at me like I had two heads.
"Who are you and what have you done to my brother, because there is no way in hell he would say that to me?" he said eyeing me suspiciously.
"Hey I take offense of that I am a considerate man" I shouted with indegnation
"I know I'm just messing with you, but I appreciate your concern" and with that I knew were good.
Soon enough, just as Luxion predicted, number twelve won first place and number four took second. I had again earned another heap of cash, Lex too because he was still betting and Olivia continued to lecture only me.
"Ah, I can't stop grinning!"
I had raked in so much money at this point that it made the little bit I'd lost on my café seem laughable. Plus, in the next race, Jilk was making his debut.
Jilk—that is, Jilk Fia Marmoria—hailed from a court viscounty and was Prince Julius's best friend and foster brother. His long green hair and gentle smile hid the personality of a malicious schemer. However, he was also a talented airbike rider. Despite being a first-year, he was considered one of the most promising contenders.
You better make me rich, Jilk.
Lex's POV
"Sir, there's a slight problem."
The moment Jarvis spoke in my hidden earpiece, I had a sudden premonition—a bad one. I hunched forward and massaged my temples, indicating I was ready to listen.
"Jilk is the representative for the first-years, just as planned, but it seems he's being targeted."
Targeted?
My expression turned grim as I glanced down at the arena.
Concerned, Livia said, "Oh, I guess you really did want to participate, didn't you, Lex?"
"Huh?" I tilted my head at her in confusion.
Leon wore a guilty look. "I'm sorry."was all he said.
"Hmm?"
Huh—did the two of them think I wanted to race? True, I had wanted to volunteer to take part, but that was not the reason for my sudden concentration.
From the perspective of a more normal male student, these events provided a prime opportunity to appeal to girls. With an outstanding performance here, you could change the way the ladies viewed you. In other words, winning could give a guy an enormous leg-up in the struggle to secure a partner. Thus, some boys grew so obsessed with winning that they got sneaky to secure victory.
I didn't think that was the only thing going on in Jilk's case, however.
Something was off from the moment he left the starting line.
Jarvis noticed immediately. "They've marked Jilk."
Although only a first-year, his talent stood out. He could've been targeted for that alone, but something about this seemed personal. The other competitors surrounded him and smashed against his bike. This was an attack, pure and simple.
Tears welled in Livia's eyes. "H-how can they do such a thing?! I feel so awful for Mister Jilk!"
"Yeah, me too! I'd bet on Jilk, after all, and it'd suck for me personally if he lost" Leon's concerns were about his finances, Livia's concern, on the other hand, was probably more instinct than anything else.
Not that this had anything to do with me.
"So that's what's going on," Leon mumbled.
"Those competitors are Clarice's followers. She's from an earl family." Jarvis finally said for of them to here.
Livia tilted her head. "Clarice? Um, is she…?"
As the competitors moved into the final leg of the race, Jilk broke through the upperclassmen's ranks to take the lead. He had to deploy some insane acrobatic moves to slip out of their blockade.
"The way he's accelerating, it's almost as if he's tampered with his bike to make it faster than everyone else's," Luxion observed.
It did look like his bike performed on a different level than the rest— that was how magnificently he managed to overtake them, and all at the last second. Naturally, the crowd went wild.
Leon was happy, too, of course. You know, for betting reasons.
"However, even if he manages to win this one, he won't be able to go into the finals," said Luxion.
"Think he's done for the day then?" I muttered quietly.
"He's broken a rib," Luxion reported. "It cracked in the first attack, but after he pushed himself at the end, it snapped. No matter how convenient your people's healing magic may be, they won't have him ready for the next race."
Jilk had barely managed to squeeze through the goal ahead of everyone else. As soon as he got back to the airship at the finish line, he collapsed, and the medical personnel had to carry him away on a stretcher.