I knew that if Reyna were to hit me with a spell, I'd be done for. I flung the coat toward her before she could even move her fingers, hoping that it would be enough to disrupt the spell she was weaving. Being hit by her magic was something I had to prevent at any cost.

 

Instead of scorching me directly through it, she caught it. It was an object she cherished and even went as far as to sleep in. Mentioning that was a mistake, Reyna.

 

Her eyes widened as I leaned in, ready to strike. I aimed for her chin. A well-placed blow that would render her unconscious. Reyna shouldn't be able to counter it even if she utilized every last drop of mana she has... or so I thought.

 

Then, just as I was about to land the hit, I felt something pressed against my chest. It was tender but frigid. "It's my loss," I muttered, my fist hovering beneath her chin as I peered at her fingers.

 

She could have burned through the coat and been done with me, but she chose not to. That alone convinced me Reyna had never regarded this tussle seriously.

 

Certain everything was over, Reyna dangled her arm beside her torso. A sigh escaped her lips as she said, "You could've done all of that without any prior notice and you would've won, Gray. Did you think I wouldn't be aware of that?"

 

"I didn't want to surprise you..."

 

I knew I'd pay more than just an injury if Reyna used her powers as a result of my ambush. I might have perished if I hadn't given her a clue about what I was up to. Of course, that didn't mean she would hurt me, but an accident just wasn't something I had the leisure to afford.

 

"But you still tried to distract me by throwing my precious coat..."

 

Your precious coat? I was ready to scoff, but I restrained myself and grumbled, "I knew you'd catch it."

 

"Did you?" Reyna asked, dissatisfied with my half-hearted response.

 

"Uh-huh. You said you slept in it, right? Why would you even think of burning anything like that?"

 

"I guess you have a point," she muttered as she slipped one arm through the coat's sleeve, then the other. "In that case, let's call it a tie.

 

"You held back," I told her. "Now and during the exam."

 

"Maybe," Reyna scoffed as she settled into the leather chair.

 

I crept closer, placing my elbow on top of the headrest. "Are the documents on the tablet linked to the computer?"

 

I'm not going to mention the fact this curved monitor's larger than the television I had in my living room...

 

"Yup," she nodded, inserting a bracelet into a scanner of sorts lying beside the keyboard. "Everything I wrote on the tablet is on my computer, and vice versa. I'd still like to double-check whether the spell I encoded has any obvious flaws before taking things further, though."

 

Another thought lingered in the corner of my mind.

 

"Don't tell me you got this idea just because you missed a target during the exams—" I muttered, only to be silenced by a thud as she smacked her first against the desk

 

Reyna then turned her head almost robotically toward me. She didn't even have to say anything for me to realize things went down exactly as I told her.

 

"Tell me, Gray. Would you be able to aim properly if a spider the size of a dog jumped at you?"

 

"What kind of hunter are you?" I scoffed.

 

"The kind that barks orders while enjoying her coffee! What about you? Ever thought that far ahead?"

 

Reyna's question actually made me ponder. Even if I graduated from Artemis, I wouldn't be able to enter any dungeons since I didn't have any mana.

 

"I'd most likely work as an assistant or something. Dungeons are off-limits for me."

 

The options were there; I just had to take my time and consider all alternatives.

 

"Wouldn't becoming a mercenary, in that case, be the better alternative? I'm certain you can take the license with ease."

 

"Left to be hired on the whims of others? No, thanks."

 

And I knew exactly what kind of labor mercenaries were required to do. Even though we called them like that, they were a lot closer to a bunch of scavengers. That much I knew because I've previously worked with them as a porter. The profit we made allowed me to take a break from work and concentrate on my studies. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had a chance to of getting into Artemis simply because I didn't have enough time to prepare. But I've never told Reyna or Connor about any of that, though... I didn't want either of them to worry.

 

"Or maybe you're just hellbent on making your life harder..."

 

I noticed a frown forming on my face as I saw my reflection against the observatory window. I lifted my elbow off the chair and took a step back, hoping that she wouldn't see the change in my expression.

 

"I'd like to see the spell you've been working on. If that's possible," I tried to distract her.

 

"Of course. I'd love it if you helped me with the experiment," she replied, pointing towards a dummy in the corner. "Carry Greg downstairs."

 

"'Experiment,'" I repeated, forgetting what the term meant. "What exactly do you mean by that?"

 

And why is the dummy named Greg?

 

"You'll see," Reyna hummed, her thoughts shrouded in mystery. "Don't worry too much, Gray. You will not be hurt in any way, I hope. I didn't forget about your competition with my broth—ahem—annoying brother."

 

"If that was the case, you wouldn't have gone out of your way to bring it up..."

 

I gulped, wondering just what kind of trouble did I get myself into this time.