Himi and Azbert finally reached the stadium where the tournament would be held. A neatly uniformed servant was waiting for them at the backdoor for nobles and led them to their VIP seat that was one of the numerous verandas arranged at the walls around the stadium. They could see the whole stadium from there.

    The stadium was double the size of the townsquare, consisting of a spacious stage in the circular pit at the middle that was surrounded by high stairs of seats above the walls of the pit. There were many people ready to watch and people working on the stage for the tournament. The open ceiling allowed the brightness of the sky to illuminate the whole place, matching the anticipation and excitement of the people below. However, the mood of the stadium didn't match Himi's gloomy face. She was still a bit startled because of what happened earlier at the negotiation.

    "Azbert," she said lifelessly as she sat there.

    "Yes, young master," Azbert answered, standing beside her.

    "How could you make such a mistake?"

    "Forgive my ignorance, young master. The knowledge of our appraiser must be outdated."

    "How do I tell him without getting embarrassed? The meals he ate were actually just worth less than a hundred silversprout coins. And it would only fetch up to three hundred silversprouts in an expensive restaurant. He might think I'm tricking him." She did plan to raise the price of her foods, but to raise it like that would be way too much.

    A breeze suddenly blew her hair and gently shook her mage hat, seemingly trying to comfort her, but failed.

    "My honor as a noble . . . is ruined."

    . . .

    Aqueo was now sitting on a bench while playing with Aquifer that was floating here and there based on his mental orders. He was wearing a hat that was shaped like an animal's head that he couldn't recognize. People called it the lucky beast head, but he couldn't ask Hermina more about the beast because she might find out he didn't know a lot of things in this world. Even with Aquifer's memories, he still lacked the knowledge about specific details about so many things despite seeing them already.

    They visited a lot of food stands and shops, tasted a bunch of things and played a lot of games. It reminded him of his happiest memory when he was still ten years old. He felt like a kid again. So liberated. Away from the human traffickers that held him captive for so long.

    However, there was something about Hermina. He wasn't sure if it was purposeful that she mentioned 'size doesn't matter' repeatedly while exploring. He was certain she also said that when they were at the gate and during the herb trading. He was starting to have a bad feeling about it. She told him to wait at the bench while she was looking for something. Maybe he would try asking her.

    When she finally came back, carrying two sticks of fried looking food, like golden-brown hotdogs. "Sorry, it was quite hard to find it." She sat beside Aqueo and gave him a stick.

    "What's so special about it? For you to take the time to find it?" Aqueo asked.

    "This one has special fillings and coatings. All sticks are made in the same size, but when you finally fry them in oil, some would shrink and some would get big. But the amount of content and weight will stay the same." Her face started to blush again. The one she was holding was indeed smaller than Aqueo's. "Another thing is, once you break open the fried coating, the fillings inside will expand." She looked at Aqueo with a burning face, "Go on, try it."

    Aqueo bit the tip of the fried food, but he was stunned when Hermina, yet again, suddenly said, "I call it . . . size-doesn't-matter sticks."

    The fillings inside started to flow out—or rather—bursted out inside Aqueo's mouth, but since he was stunned by what Hermina just said, it oozed out of his mouth, violently.

    Hermina saw it and panicked, "Waahh! Our dear guest! You have to suck it! Suck it! Suck it! Suck it!"

    Aqueo, with a confused and panicked face, did as he was told, he frantically sucked the white fillings that were coming from the fried food. It kept on flowing out and he had no choice but to just suck it up until it finally stopped. He was catching his breath. He felt like he was forced to drink two glasses of melted cheese from a gushing faucet. The white fillings were dripping from his chin. He felt so weirdly violated.

    "O-our dear guest!" She said with a hand gesture of trying to remove the white fillings on Aqueo's mouth but couldn't continue to touch him. "I'm so s-sorry. I must've messed up the proportions. It must've been embarrassing," she said in a worried tone, noticing the people around them looking.

    Aqueo was stunned by what she said again. 'She messed up what? W-wait-wait-wait! She made this?' Now, Aqueo knew there was definitely something going on. But before he could say anything, Hermina suddenly spoke, "To make you feel less embarrassed, I'll also do what you did!"

    "Eh? . . . N-no, you don't have to—"

    Too late. The white fillings were already bursting out of her mouth; Aqueo's mouth was agape; and after a while, she frantically sucked the fillings the same way Aqueo did, except that her face was full of determination.

    When she was done, she was panting. "There! Now, we're the same," she said smiling, referring to the white stuff on their faces.

    Aqueo's mouth fell on the ground, including some of the people around them that were watching. It was such a sight to behold. Both of their faces were dirtied by the white fillings, but the people must've only focused on Hermina who was wearing a maid uniform and a maid headband. Aqueo slightly felt conscious that the people around them might be thinking he forced her to do it.

    He completely lost the chance of asking her about it when she pulled a piece of white cloth from her pocket and wiped his face clean. He couldn't manage to object and just let her while his face felt both cold and burning.

    After that, he wasn't able to speak properly and just nodded most of the time and let Hermina pull him here and there with Aquifer following them around.

    They were now in front of the theater stage and had been watching the performance for a while. On the stage, there were three pairs of men and women dancing with some magical flashes and sparks appearing with their every move. The joyful music didn't seem to reach Aqueo. He had been thinking about how to ask Hermina. Being raised by human traffickers in fear and other unspeakable things, he didn't really manage to learn how to interact well with people.

    Once again, Hermina spoke, "Our dear guest, can you see that small man carrying that woman over there?"

    Aqueo gasped a little. This was it. The chance he was looking for. He felt like he already knew where this conversation would be going. He finally realized the signs and patterns.

    "Compared to the big man at the other side, he can easily do those difficult dance lifts and reaches," she continued. "It's because the man is skilled at what he does, so—"

    "Size doesn't matter." He finished her sentence.

    Hermina froze, blushing deeper than she already was.

    "Hermina." She flinched. "I now understand what you've been trying to tell me. I appreciate it. Thank you." He smiled at her, but the kind of smile that was tainted with pain and embarrassment.

    "I-I see. I'm glad then," she said with a burning face. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone about it. Including the one when your face was tainted with sauce when I led you to the guest room."

    "Eh? Sauce?"

    "Yes, your jaw and chin were covered in sauce stains when I fetched you from the kitchen. I am a trained trustworthy servant. You can trust that I will tell no one."

    "Nnm," Aqueo just nodded weakly, he didn't know what to feel about the sauce, he already felt somewhat devastated by the knowledge that she heard him scream that. He thought he had managed to wipe it all off, Himi even pointed out his chin. Maybe she thought he was going to take a bath anyway so she didn't tell him further. He must've looked like a mess that time.

    "Uhmm. I guess I'll leave you for a moment. Let's meet at that restaurant after an hour," she said sensibly, referring to the restaurant at the other side of the street beside the stage.

    Aqueo was left alone and Aquifer just floated around while looking curiously at him. He just forced himself to focus on the show and try to feel every touch of Aquifer's warmth even deeper beside him. Then it wasn't all that bad and embarrassing. It was one of the few things that made him endure the abuse of the human traffickers—to try to focus on the good things around him, and most importantly, within him.

    After some time, he decided to go to the merchant stand he had been eyeing while exploring the townsquare with Hermina. 'Aqui, let's go!' he mentally called Aquifer and went across the street.

    The merchant stand was full of magical stuff like crystal orbs, old looking artifacts, gems, magic swords, magic staffs, giant shields, armors, and other things that Aqueo couldn't identify even with the spirit's memories. He immediately picked a book, titled: Basics of Magic. He wanted to learn magic and go to the academy. He was tempted to pick more than one but he stopped himself. He wanted to have a reason to keep going back here. He then paid the merchant after asking how much and proceeded to visit another shop.

    This one was a clothing shop. He saw the academy uniform displayed behind the glass pane. He wanted to buy one. Since he was going to attend the academy and learn magic, he decided why not buy one already? He wanted to feel like he was a student already and most of all, a part of this new world.

    A man wearing a long sleeve that was almost puffing greeted him inside, he looked buffed. "Welcome! Please take a look at our clothes or are you looking for something specific?"

    The voice of the man was heavy, matching the build of his body. Aqueo slightly wondered why a man with such a muscular body was working at a clothing shop. "Uhmm, the uniform of Hyndrel Academy," he said, while glancing at the displayed clothes at the front.

    "Is it for you?" he asked while already walking toward a shelf.

    Aqueo nodded.

    "I see. I see. A student. Are you in your senior years? You don't look like a first year."

    "I'll be a new student," he responded hesitantly.

    "Here. Try it." He gave him the clothes and led him to a small room in the shop for fitting and left him there.

    Aqueo changed into the academy uniform but the sleeves of the clothes were too short for him. He came out and found the man waiting for him.

    "Uhmm. I think it's too short for me," he raised his arms to show him the sleeves.

    The man's eyes widened the moment he saw Aqueo's wrists that were painted with the black-gold tattoo. He suddenly looked at Aqueo's face and found that he didn't seem to mind him seeing it.

    "A-ah! I see, I see," he pretended not to notice the tattoo. "Let me see it more."

    He held Aqueo's arm and pretended to examine it. He noticed that Aqueo was really oblivious about the exposure of his tattoo, so he slightly raised the sleeve to see it clearly and to make sure it was as he had thought it was. It was as he had thought—the mark of shackles and chains. He gasped at the sight. The black-gold tattoo reflected the light of the sun that was shining from the window. And the man's eyes glinted a desire that failed to match its shine. But a glint still.

    "Hmm, I see. I know what size fits you now," he said in a dark tone that Aqueo failed to notice. He took a new size and watched him carefully as he walked back inside the fitting room.

    Aqueo finally finished the purchase. He thanked the man and proceeded to get out of the shop, happily carrying the bag containing the uniform and his other things. Aquifer reflected his joy by dancing around him.

    The man was standing outside the clothing store, looking intently at Aqueo. He called a guy that was standing at the next building, and the guy approached him.

    "White rabbit. This one's special. Only report to me and make sure nobody finds out that he's a rabbit," he said in a low voice.

    The guy understood the code, briefly nodded, and then left.