008 The Autumn Evening Festival (Part Two)

The carriage made a circuit around the eastern campus, allowing Theresa to gain a general sense of the grounds, before finally stopping outside the trial arena beside the training field. During the Autumn Festival, no place in the school was more bustling than this. The area outside the venue was crowded with numerous stalls selling everything related to the festival, from food to toys. Visitors and spectators thronged the surroundings, so densely packed that even carriages couldn’t pass through and had to halt at the edge of the lawn, several dozen meters from the main gate.

Entry to the arena was by ticket only. Every year, the proceeds from the martial tournament’s tickets went to the Cervantes City scholarship fund, supporting tuition and living expenses for impoverished students admitted to the Cervantes Military Academy and the Cervantes Business Academy. So, even though Pedia and Archil had contestant credentials granting them free access, they still bought tickets for today’s matches.

Inside, the sea of people persisted. Pedia and Archil flanked Theresa protectively as they led her, weaving left and right, up stairs and down, until at last they reached the waiting hall for contestants. Amidst the crowd of adolescents and young adults, from twelve or thirteen to early twenties, Aves stood out conspicuously—partly because there was an empty space cleared around him, making him all the more noticeable.

“Hey, Aves, you’ve finished your match! How did it feel?” Archil darted over to Aves, draping an arm over his shoulders with a grin.

“Performed as usual,” Aves replied to Archil while nodding courteously to Theresa, his warm smile like sunlight.

Theresa returned his greeting with a gentle smile, but surrounded by strangers, she instinctively grew silent, hesitating before heading toward the spectator stands—where Pedia was leafing through the match records.

She approached curiously, peeking over his shoulder. The records listed rows of contestant names, schedules, and preliminary results—enough to make her dizzy. After a mere glance, she lost interest and turned her gaze to the arena. There were three dueling platforms in the center, each hosting a match. At that moment, one bout was still underway, another seemed to have ended in a draw with both contestants waiting for the referee’s verdict, and the last had just begun, with both sides exchanging formal bows.

“Huh? Joannes is in today’s preliminaries too? What a coincidence!” Archil’s exclamation from behind made Theresa turn. Archil and Aves had joined her on the last available spot at the stands. Catching her glance, Archil beamed at her with a bright, cheerful smile.

Theresa stuck out her tongue at him, making a playful face. “Where is he? Show me.”

“The pair that just started—he’s the one on the left, looks like a peacock.”

A peacock… Theresa couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head, though she had to admit Archil’s description was apt. Thanks to his persistent mentions of Joannes, she easily spotted the famed contestant. The match, which had just commenced, quickly revealed a lopsided outcome; within five minutes, the victor was clear. Yet the dominant side showed no intention of ending things swiftly, instead flaunting his superiority and relentlessly tormenting his opponent. His arrogant demeanor and conduct were indeed reminiscent of a peacock strutting and showing off.

The disparity in skill made the match dull, ending only when Joannes’s opponent surrendered. Joannes, having won with ease, basked in his supporters’ cheers atop the platform before leaping down with agile grace.

“That guy is so annoying,” Theresa wrinkled her nose, voicing her first impression. It wasn’t just Archil’s influence—Joannes’s behavior in these few minutes had thoroughly clashed with her tastes.

“If someone’s annoying, we’ll just ignore him,” Archil replied with a mischievous laugh. With a flick of his hand, a lollipop appeared, which he waved temptingly before her eyes, clearly teasing her like a child.

Theresa rolled her eyes at him, snatching the lollipop and popping it in her mouth. As she turned back to the arena, she suddenly found herself locking eyes with a cold, predatory gaze—

Joannes was standing below the stands, looking up, his narrow, fox-like eyes narrowed with a sinister glint rare in one so young. His gaze first fixed on Pedia, but as Pedia was absorbed in the schedule and ignored him, the challenge fell flat. Joannes’s eyes shifted, sweeping over the three gathered near Pedia, lingering a moment longer when he saw the unfamiliar Theresa.

“That guy is extra annoying,” Theresa muttered, cheeks puffed as she sucked her lollipop. “He gives off such a creepy vibe—it’s already deep autumn, but stay near him and you’ll catch a chill.”

“Haha, Tess, you’re just too adorable!” Archil burst out laughing, ruffling her hair with his broad hand until she hastily batted away the offending “paw” and darted aside to preserve her ladylike image.

Theresa was bending her head, straightening her mussed bangs, when she caught sight of a familiar pair of shoes. The next instant, she felt a gentle weight atop her head—Pedia’s hand, patting lightly. “The opening ceremony for this year’s Treasure Hunt Festival is at the school as well. Want to go see it?”

“Aren’t you supposed to keep an eye on the tournament?” Theresa’s head shot up, her eyes sparkling with hope, though she still didn’t want to disrupt Pedia’s plans.

“I’ve seen all I need for now—there are still two days left to the matches, so this won’t matter.” With that, Pedia strode off, and Theresa followed happily. Archil and Aves trailed behind, with only the occasional mock-complaint from Archil about Pedia’s “favoritism” drifting over.

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The Treasure Hunt Festival was one of Cervantes City’s traditional Autumn Festival activities. Teams competed to collect as many special commemorative tokens as possible, which the organizers had hidden across the city. Each team received a clue card filled with hints—some straightforward, like “the great windmill spins and spins” for the mill, and others far more cryptic. Sometimes the tokens were hidden in specific locations, other times in the hands of particular people, or even attached to animals. This unpredictability was what made the hunt so appealing, and every year the escapades and misadventures became the stuff of stories long after the festival ended.

After drawing lots and receiving their clue cards, Theresa, brimming with excitement, eagerly examined the hints. Once her initial fascination faded, the three veterans—Pedia, Archil, and Aves—swiftly cut the clues into strips and divvied them up for the hunt. Aves and Pedia, the fastest, set out separately, while Archil, ever the playful one and intimately familiar with every corner of Cervantes, took his own route.