When Ethan woke up, it was already three in the afternoon.
He had now completely recovered, and no longer felt exhausted.
Just as he was thinking about what to do next, he heard a knock on the door.
“Ethan, it’s me.”
The teenage boy immediately rose up from the bed to open the door. There, he found the Head Prefect of the Dud Manor looking at him with a smile.
“I was wondering why I didn’t see you today, but it seems that you had more fun last night than I expected,” Henry said with a smile. “No wonder Chloe and Luna felt as if they had swallowed a fly. A mischievous bird took a bite of their worm.”
“… I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sir Henry,” Ethan blinked in confusion. “But, for some reason, I feel that the one you are referring to as the worm is me, right?” 𝗈𝚟𝓁xt.𝗇𝓔t
Henry laughed, and didn’t bother to answer Ethan’s question. He didn’t want to interfere with the private life of others, so he changed the topic for the time being.
“We are going to have a strategy meeting to talk about how we can beat our opponents,” Henry stated. “Everyone is at the Conference Room right now. Are you free right now?”
Ethan nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Henry motioned for Ethan to follow him, and the two headed to the Conference of the Dud Manor.
When everyone was gathered, their Head Prefect, Henry, stood up and walked towards the drawing board at the center of the room.
“These are the current standings of the Clash of Manors,” Henry stated as he scribbled on the drawing board.
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Jaeger Manor – 3 Wins, 5 Loses.
Tera Manor – 2 Wins, 2 Loses.
Dud Manor – 3 Wins 1 Lose.
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“As you can see, we are currently in the lead,” Henry stated. “However, tomorrow, we will be facing the strongest team in the tournament.”
“Strongest Team?” Ethan asked in confusion. “Isn’t Jaeger Manor the Strongest Team?”
Henry shook his head. “People may think of me as the strongest Fourth Year in the academy, but this is not true. It is impossible for me to defeat the Head Prefect of Terra Manor. So, if possible, you guys should win your matches to end the match in our favor.”
Ethan frowned after hearing Henry’s statement. However, looking at his Manor Mates, all of them seem to agree with their Head Prefect’s words. If they wanted to win, they had to win the first three matches at all costs.
“Actually, I am also not confident in beating my opponent tomorrow,” Noah said with a complicated look on his face. “That girl is scary when she is angry.”
Henry looked at Noah with an understanding smile. George on the other hand, let out a long sigh before scratching his head.
“Ethan, it’s up to you and me to win this tournament,” George stated. “I am sure to win my next match, so you need to win yours. Our two comrades are no good. They are useless when it really matters! These traitors!”
Henry lightly cleared his throat before tapping the board with his wand, stopping George from badmouthing him and Noah any further.
“I hate to say this, but Ethan, your victory is the key in tomorrow’s match,” Henry said with a serious expression on his face. “I know that fighting against Kurt won’t be easy, but please, do your best to win.”
Ethan nodded. “Rest assured, Sir Henry. I will do my best.”
“I know you will.” Henry winked at Ethan, which made George snort.
“Seriously, we are only a step away from becoming Champions, and you guys can’t even take one for the team,” George complained to Noah and Henry.
Naturally, the two were unable to say anything but suffer in silence from George’s nagging.
Half an hour later, the meeting ended and Ethan went to the Garden to look for Ruby, and her Fairy Friends.
He needed to kiss one Fairy before he returned to his room so he could do some magical training inside Illumina’s world.
Fortunately, the very eager Fairies didn’t give him much trouble.
After absorbing some Fairy Magic, he returned to his room and firmly locked the door behind him.
However, as he was about to go to his bed, he saw something that wasn’t there when he left.
“Yo, Ethan. Have you been well?”
The Chesmire Cat, Chessy, was sitting on Ethan’s bed and gazing at him with a devilish smile on its face.
“It’s you, Chessy,” Ethan said. “What are you doing here?”
Truth be told, Ethan was very wary of the Chesmire Cat, despite being helped by it many times in the past.
There was just something very dangerous, and very feral, about the chubby black cat, that made him want to avoid it as much as possible.
“How cold,” Chessy replied. “The way you look at me is just like the way people look at the debt collectors that have come to settle their debts. Do I look that scary?”
“Yes,” Ethan answered in a heartbeat. “What do you want, Chessy?”
“Che~” the Chesmire Cat ignored Ethan’s question and began to lick its paws.
This forced Ethan to sit on the chair beside his table, and look at his unwanted visitor with a wary gaze.
After a few minutes of silence, Chessy stopped licking his foot and shifted his attention to the handsome teenager, who was keeping his distance.
“The reason why I came here is to give you a piece of advice,” Chessy stated. “Although I am the one that told you that you could absorb magic from Fairies, that doesn’t mean that you should casually absorb their magic without a good cause.
“Of course, I know that you are using that magic during the tournament, but you have to understand something very important. Fae Magic can only be used by the Fae. Humans aren’t supposed to use it because it can damage their body, and even cause Mana Poisoning.
“Using them once, or twice a week is fine,” Chessy stated. “Heck, you could probably even use it thrice if your body is resilient enough. But more than that, it will slowly damage your body. That’s why you should find other alternatives.
“If not for the fact that you kissed your cousin before your match with Lily, your circuits would have been in shambles by now. The Magical Power of Witches helps stabilize your magical circuits, allowing for a better flow of magical powers.”
Ethan’s face became flushed because he didn’t know how Chessy knew that he had kissed Chloe.
“Fool, do you think that everyone around you is stupid?” Chessy smirked. “During the match, you used Fire Magic. Although many would not think too much about it, those who are paying close attention to you would become suspicious. Since I know your secret, it was easy for me to connect the dots.
“You are a bit careless, Ethan. In the future, make sure to diversify your spells. Although it will drain your magic faster, it will help keep your secret longer.”
The Chesmire Cat then licked its paw three more times before flexing its body, making its tail stand up.
“I’ve warned you about the Mana Poisoning,” Chessy stated. “If you don’t want to collapse during tomorrow’s match, it will be for your best good if you don’t kiss another Fairy.”
After saying those words, the Chesmire Cat disappeared without a trace, leaving the teenage boy behind, whose face had turned pale due to the warning he had left him.