Eugene managed to last only one round before losing consciousness due to a powerful electric shock. However, he gave his all to fight bravely and was applauded for his courage.
Even Nao, for a moment, looked at him in surprise as he withstood several of her electric shocks, getting up and returning to the fight despite his deplorable condition.
“Winner: Nao!” Ajax exclaimed, and the crowd erupted in cheers and whistles.
Nao continued her streak of winning all her matches by knockout. She had improved significantly since the time she was crushed in a practice match against Wednesday during the psychics’ class.
The final began after a few minutes of rest. Luckily for Luke and Wednesday, they didn’t have to give another verdict, as Nao managed to knock out Armand two minutes into the second round, becoming the champion.
In the semifinal against Eugene, Nao had taken no damage, so her victory against Armand was logical, considering the vampire was injured and exhausted from his fight against Lucy.
Before receiving a belt that appeared to be made of real gold, Nao whispered something in Ajax’s ear.
Ajax, holding the belt in one hand and the microphone in the other, looked toward Luke and sent him a message through their telepathic link.
[She wants you to give her the belt] said Ajax, surprising Luke a bit with Nao’s request.
[What did she say?] Wednesday asked, knowing something was going on after Nao whispered to Ajax and he looked at Luke.
[Nao wants me to give her the belt. Who would’ve thought my popularity would be this high after that prank] Luke replied with a slight smile, standing up.
It seemed he still had the respect of his fellow psychics. They weren’t cowards who got offended or horrified by an inoffensive prank.
Wednesday stared intently at Nao and stood up, following Luke. It seemed her signals to mark her territory weren’t working.
As Ajax handed the belt to Luke so he could present it to the champion, Wednesday kept her piercing gaze on Nao, who, now that she was closer, appeared uncomfortable but said nothing.
‘Is she a robot? Why doesn’t she blink?’ Nao thought, looking into Wednesday’s dark, deep eyes that seemed like an abyss.
“The winner is Nao Tomoki! A psychic!” Luke exclaimed, emphasizing the word “psychic” as he handed the belt to Nao, who accepted it with a smile.
‘Her last name is Tomori…’ Ajax thought. Luke is supposed to have eidetic memory; he should use it to remember his classsmates’ names. Since Nao didn’t seem to care about the mispronunciation, he said nothing.
All the psychics present cheered for Nao, and the rest of the audience, astonished by her incredible strength, joined in with applause.
[In the end, I’m not sure if it’s a good thing for Eugene that Nao won] Luke commented to Wednesday, who nodded in agreement.
As the tournament winner, achieving knockouts in all her matches, Nao wasn’t likely to be impressed by Eugene’s efforts.
“Listen up, everyone! The party doesn’t end here!” Ajax shouted once the applause died down. Everyone turned their attention back to him, curious.
‘Does he have something else planned…?’ Luke wondered, noticing it was already three in the morning.
“The final and most important event starts now!” Ajax announced, pointing toward the ceiling.
From a hidden slot, a large plasma TV began to lower, stopping a few meters from the ground. Luke looked at the screen and saw what appeared to be a map of a labyrinth.
“As you may already know, the Petropolus mansion has a large statue garden that has been there for hundreds of years. However, more than a garden, it’s actually a massive labyrinth,” Ajax explained with a faint, mysterious smile.
“Just tell us what the game is!” a boy shouted, and more voices joined in, eager to hear the details.
“I was getting to that. At the center of the labyrinth, there’s a chest containing $10,000! There are four entrances to the labyrinth: south, north, east, and west. The correct path from each entrance leads to the chest, but it won’t be easy to navigate the labyrinth’s corridors. There will be traps and enemies waiting for you,” Ajax explained.
When everyone heard that the prize was ten thousand dollars, they began murmuring excitedly among their friends. Not everyone was wealthy in the society of outcasts, unlike Ajax’s family, who owned a mansion worth over a million dollars.
‘I’ve befriended a millionaire…’ Luke thought with a strange expression, though he was more surprised by everything Ajax had prepared for his birthday.
“Calm down, calm down… Now, those who want to participate, go sign up. Rex and Elara will handle the registration. Then all the names will be mixed, and four groups will be formed. Each group will enter through a different door: north, south, east, or west,” Ajax said, pointing toward some tables where two servants were already waiting with paper and pens in hand.
“Remember it won’t be an easy quest, there’s danger!” said Ajax, but by now most of them weren’t listening to him and were hurrying to the tables to sign up.
“You sure are partying it up big time…” commented Luke watching the wave of people go to sign up.
“How much money did you spend on this?” asked Xavier approaching.
“A lot… but it has to be epic, and so far, thanks to the two of you, it is,” Ajax said with a smile, glancing at Luke and Wednesday, who had been at the center of several memorable moments
tonight.
“It’s been a pleasure. Perhaps I should repeat more of my pranks,” Luke replied.
“No, one is enough,” Ajax said immediately. Luke and Wednesday had already traumatized two girls tonight-that was plenty.
“Should we sign up? You might get to see more statues, maybe even find those expressions of anguish and resignation you were looking for,” Luke suggested, looking at Wednesday.
It was clear the money didn’t matter to Wednesday. As for the danger, she likely didn’t expect it to pose any real challenge to her.
Wednesday remained silent, considering whether to participate in such an event. Just as she was about to accept, Bianca, who had followed Xavier, spoke up first.
“Let’s settle the tie,” Bianca said in a challenging tone, staring at Wednesday.
“Tie?” Wednesday asked.
“Yes. I beat you in one fencing duel, and you beat me in another. Whoever gets to the ten thousand dollar chest first wins,” Bianca explained.
“Fine. If you think you have a better chance of beating me in a race, you’re sorely mistaken, but it’s sweet that you have that hope,” Wednesday agreed immediately.
“As arrogant as ever,” Bianca muttered with a frown as she began walking toward the
registration tables. Wednesday followed her.
“…” Luke watched Wednesday leave without answering his question. Her competitive streak
was clearly off the charts.
“Are you signing up?” Ajax asked, looking at Luke.
“Yes, although a labyrinth will be easy to navigate with my clairvoyance. Don’t worry, I’ll just
be sightseeing,” Luke said. With his ability, he could see the path through the labyrinth and cross it quickly, but his goal was more about exploration than the prize.
“Don’t underestimate my family’s centuries-old labyrinth. It has defenses to prevent it from being mapped by clairvoyants,” Ajax said with a proud smile.
Otherwise, the labyrinth, a cultural relic of his family, would be useless against clairvoyant psychics and other mapping methods.
“I can fly,” Luke said, and Ajax’s smile disappeared.
“Don’t do that… please,” Ajax pleaded.
“Relax, I’ll just take a stroll and admire the statues,” Luke said, patting Ajax on the shoulder.
Luke and Xavier joined the line to register. Over 70% of the guests signed up for the labyrinth tournament. Once all the names were collected, they were divided into four groups. Luke was assigned to enter through the north gate. The only person he knew in his group was Eugene and Nao. Yoko was also in the group, but she and Luke were no longer friends after
him split with Enid.
Wednesday was placed in the group entering through the south gate, along with Enid, Divina,
and Kent.
Xavier and Bianca ended up in the group entering through the west gate.
Once the groups were set, each was guided by a servant. They left the mansion and followed a charming stone path toward the labyrinth, which became visible after a few minutes. Luke was awestruck by the imposing structure of the labyrinth. The hedges forming its walls were incredibly tall, towering over ten meters, like natural barriers blocking any view of the
interior.
The entrance to the north side was adorned with a stone arch covered in vines and flanked by two statues at the corners, their expressions stoic.
As Luke peered past the entrance, he noticed how the light seemed to fade into the winding
corridors.
“When a red flare appears in the sky, you may enter,” the servant said respectfully, standing
in front of the gate.
The group waited for the signal, preparing themselves without knowing what they might encounter in the dark and vast corridors.
“There’s some light in the passages, right?” asked a brown-haired boy. It was nighttime, and the only light came from the moon, occasionally obscured by a few lonely clouds.
“The lighting is dim, with torches placed at intervals,” the servant replied.
BANG!
An echo rang through the night air. A red spark pierced the darkness with a sharp whistle,
climbing higher and higher into the night sky.
Everyone in the group started running toward the entrance, which was wide enough for
several people to run side by side without bumping into each other.
‘Here we go,’ Luke thought, walking at a moderate pace.
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