42 Unexpected

The old gnome was wearing a grey robe, a white tunic underneath, a pair of black trousers, and black boots to match. And as usual, he was smoking from his pipe.

When he heard Professor Godfrey speak to him, he simply rolled his eyes and ignored her. Now, if this was someone else, they would never dare to disrespect the Headmistress like that.

But the old gnome and the headmistress went way back. There were even some rumors that the two were actually very old friends and went out on adventures together during their youth.

Not to mention, both were powerful Rank 3 Magi!

The only other Magus of the same rank as them within Moon City was the King of the Nightingale Kingdom. There was a handful of Rank 3 Magi living in the Southern Federation, however, there were many more living in secrecy.

Berger slightly sniffed the aroma of the wine Professor Godfrey was sipping on, and asked curiously, "This smell… Lychee Wine from the Acadian Empire?"

Professor Godfrey nodded with a smirk. "That's right. I paid quite the sum to get it transported out here."

She then stretched out her hand. The next moment, a light flashed on her palm, and a wine cup appeared. She poured some wine into the cup and handed it to Berger. "Here, try some."

The old gnome swirled the wine in the cup first and then chugged the whole thing in one go. He smacked his lips and muttered, "Ah, too sweet for my taste."

But then his lips curled up into a reminiscent smile. "But it sure brings back memories..."

Then, he took out a small jute pouch from his pocket and showed its contents to Professor Godfrey. He chuckled gleefully and showed off like a little child. "Helene, guess what this is?"

Professor Godfrey leaned over and squinted her eyes. The next moment, she gasped in shock. "Don't tell me! Is that…"

"Hahahah!" Berger laughed loudly. "That's right. Blackie managed to find some Kem-Kem leaves in the Spirit World. He brought it to me just the other day. Let's try some!"

When the surrounding professors heard the term 'Spirit World', their ears perked up and they tried their best to inconspicuously lean over to see just what this item was that came from the mysterious dimension.

Noticing this, Berger frowned. He turned around and roared angrily, "You useless punks! Do you want to stand on my bald head!? Sit the hell down before I give you a beating!"

"Y-YES, SIR!" All the professors immediately sat in their seats, afraid to anger the eccentric old gnome. Even the fiery-tempered Professor Jock obediently sat down like a docile little cat.

Berger took out an extra pipe from somewhere, crushed some Kem-Kem leaves, and carefully placed it inside the pipe's bowl.

He then sprinkled some powder over it and handed it to Professor Godfrey. He chuckled mischievously. "Here, here. Smoke it. Trust me, it's something else entirely."

Seeing the trademark mischievous smile on her old friend's face, Professor Godfrey hesitated. She could tell that this gnome was up to some shenanigan. But the temptation of the Kem-Kem leaves was simply too much for her.

She grabbed the pipe and lit it. Berger also lit his pipe, and both inhaled at the same time. A few moments later, they exhaled a large amount of multi-colored smoke from their mouths.

Following that, they involuntarily slouched in their seats. Their eyes and facial expressions displayed nothing but euphoria.

The dozen or so professors seated behind the two were dumbstruck. All of them had the same thought.

These guys… they're getting high?

…

Amidst the loud clamor of the crowded arena, Lisa slowly made her way toward the large platform at the center. There were a total of six dueling platforms in the arena. Five small, and one large.

Since there were no other duels taking place today, Lisa and Adam's match would take place on the largest platform in the center.

Lisa was slightly surprised that so many people had gathered at the arena today, but soon she returned to her usual self and silently walked toward the large platform.

However, deep down she was feeling very nervous. This was the first time she was fighting in front of such a large audience after all.

She stepped on the platform and closed her eyes while patiently waiting for her opponent to arrive. Her fists clenched and unclenched from time to time, indicating her slight restlessness.

"Waah! Our goddess has arrived!"

"Lisa, you must defeat that clown!"

"We are with you!"

"Lisa! Lisa! Lisa! Lisa!"

All of Lisa's fans—basically, the majority of the first-year students—cheered enthusiastically for her.

Listening to all the cheering, Lisa slightly blushed. Her nervousness subsided a little, but she couldn't help but wonder where Adam was. Although the time of the duel, which was noon, was still a few minutes away, she expected Adam to be punctual at the very least.

The time of the duel had finally arrived, but Adam was still nowhere to be seen. Not only Lisa, but even the match referee, a final-year student, was frowning at this.

And soon five more minutes passed by.

10 minutes…

20 minutes…

35 minutes…

By now, Lisa was completely enraged. Not to mention her, even the referee and the audience were angered by Adam's lack of respect towards Magi's dueling customs.

Just when the referee had had enough and was about to disqualify Adam, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the direction of the arena's entrance.

Everyone simultaneously turned their heads and looked in the direction of the entrance. There, they saw a figure wearing tattered and stitched-up clothes, holding a wine gourd, and wobbling in the direction of the big platform in the middle of the arena.

Who else could it be but Adam?

Everyone was flabbergasted looking at Adam's appearance. Even the professors!

He was dressed up like a complete beggar—No! Even a beggar would dress up better than he did at the moment. Not to mention, his face was flushed red. Clearly, he was extremely drunk!

Adam somehow stumbled his way and climbed up the platform. He wobbled his way toward Lisa and then suddenly stopped. He opened his arms wide and raised his head towards the sky.

And then…

BURP!

A loud and nasty burp echoed in the arena, causing everyone to become utterly speechless. Amidst the dead silent atmosphere, Adam wiped the wine off of his lips and laughed.

"Hahaha! Good wine!"

He then looked at Lisa and taunted her.

"Oi… Want some?"