"Alright, next."


    "Oh, you''re on, Missy! I''ll show you what this game is!"


    Another man sat in front of thedy.


    —BAM!


    And another one bit the dust.


    I watched with a loose smile hanging from my lips as thedy rolled her wrist and stretched her palms while another person sat across her.


    Focusing my senses, I felt a slight movement of mana as thedy grasped the challenger''s arm over her gloves.


    "Eugy..." Titania whispered, her voice couldn''t reach thedy over the shouts of the growing crowd.


    The challenger''s shadow wriggled.


    I could sense mana reaching the shadow and then flowing back to her.


    "Do you like this woman?"


    My head nked at her words.


    "What?"


    "That woman. Who you said I forgot about. Are you in love with her or something?"


    The thoughts of thedy and her tricks left my mindpletely as Titania''s words resounded in my head.


    "You''re smiling all giddy. Even with that angel girl, you keep a poker face, what''s going on here? I don''t like it."


    In love?


    A conversation that I shared with Titania a while back flowed into my mind. One that was about finding a lover.


    Was I looking at thedy in that way?


    Sure, I was curious about her. Learning more about her made me happy as well. Was that it?


    "What does love mean in the first ce?" I muttered, my eyes fixed on thedy as she mmed another person''s hand on the table.


    "Are you 14?"


    "Pfft."


    "Let''s say this. If she was in danger, would you risk your life to save her?"


    "How is that love? Won''t people risk themselves even for their friends and family?"


    "Love doesn''t have to be romantic, does it?"


    I thought about the scenario she painted. Certainly, what I felt toward thedy didn''t have to be romantic at all.


    If maybe those three back home were in danger, or even if it was Titania, it went without saying I would save them no matter the cost.


    But would I die to help them?


    I thought of my death as nothing but a result of my weakness. In that case, I would ''risk'' my life to save them. The same was the case for Dawn.


    Then, thedy...


    Thest challenger was defeated by thedy, and the announcer went off about how she was unbeatable. Since no one else was stepping up, she was sure to be the champion.


    I weaved through the crowd and sat on the chair in front of thedy.


    "OH! We have a new challenger! Will this handsome young man defeat the mystery champion? ce your bets!"


    "Guard, it seems you would like to be crushed too," thedy said in a small voice.


    "We''ll see. Whoever wins, the money goes to both of us anyway."


    Thedy chuckled.


    She slowly rolled off the ck glove on her dominant hand and tossed it away. Then, she ced her hand on the table and leaned toward me.


    I matched her posture and slowly reached my hand out. Thedy didn''t hesitate and grabbed it tightly. Experience tales at m-vl-e-mpyr


    "The participants are ready!"


    "3! 2! 1! Start!!"


    Thedy''s mana seeped out of her and coalesced around my shadow.


    I tried to put in some strength in my arm but thedy countered it in the blink of an eye. Her hand continued to gain strength as both our muscles tightened. I could feel her fingers digging into the back of my hand, and my strength slowly leaving me.


    "OH!? The first person to not be instantly defeated! What is going to happen next?" The announcer hyped up the onlookers as oohs rang out.


    Thisdy.


    She was sapping out my strength through my shadows. No, she was using her mana to control my shadow and then taking strength from it.


    "If you could do this all along, why didn''t you?" I asked thedy as I matched her strength perfectly and kept us at an intense standstill.


    "I didn''t see a reason to," thedy said.


    I put some more strength in my hand—


    "Then why now?"


    —Thedy matched my strength. Her hand pushed mine down.


    "I gave you my word."


    "What''s this? After a sudden hup, the match is shifting toward the challenger again!"


    "You just said ''fine.''"


    "That''s word enough."


    "What an intense match! The champion is pushing the challenger down again! Are we going to see a thirdeback?"


    I used my mana to block her magic. It was tough and required godly control, thankfully, I had just that.


    Thedy flinched as my shadow stopped moving and her strength was slowly sapped away.


    I smiled brightly at her and mmed her hand down on the table.


    "OOOH! T-the challenger! The challenger wins!!"


    Thedy clicked her tongue and stood up. She brushed the back of her hand as I walked over to the announcer to get the money. He took a sixty percent cut off the bettings and handed me the rest.


    The crowd shook my hand a bit and then eventually dissipated. With about 400 gold coins in the empire''s currency, we had made a real killing in less than an hour.


    I met up with thedy and poked her shoulders.


    "Still hungry? My treat."


    "You rat."


    Thedy rubbed the back of her hand. Like magic, people hadpletely forgotten about her the moment she left their sight.


    "Let''s go eat big then," thedy said. "There''s an theater nearby, an orchestra wasing in today."


    "Sounds like a n."


    Thedy once again wrapped her arm around mine and the two of us set off.


    Would I risk my life to save her?


    Did I like her?


    It was just the two of us. Only the two of us that shared her existence. Only the two of us out to make memories.


    Just like I wanted to learn about her.


    I was sure I''d learn those things soon as well.