As Kaelen was still processing Alaric's overwhelming display of power, Lila suddenly leaned in slightly and spoke in a casual but knowing tone.
"You seem surprised, but that's only natural," she said, her light brown eyes glinting under the coliseum lights. "Alaric isn't just some random prodigy—he's the second strongest mage in the entire convention."
Kaelen blinked and turned to her. "Second strongest?"
Lila nodded. "The ranking of the top three mages is widely known among the high circles. First place belongs to Kent from Dawning of Magic Academy, second is Alaric Stormfell, and third is me… though, to be fair, I only got that position because Kent forfeited his match against me."
Kaelen's brows furrowed. "He forfeited?"
"Yeah," she replied, her tone laced with curiosity. "No one really knows why. If he had fought me, I might not even be in third place. It would have been Althea Dragonyx instead."
