The Price of Victory

The rest of the assessment was rather uneventful after the first match. The brutish instructor who had been humbled by Adrian, swallowed down his fury as he could only wait for his flames to burn through the rest of the ice.

Even if he had been bested, his pride wouldn't allow him to ask Adrian to melt the ice. The healer on standby noticed his predicament and saw the several small scratches that dribbled blood freely under the ripped fabric of his uniform. She quickly rushed over to heal him. Thankfully Bruce was built like a tank because had it been anyone else in his place, they would've ended up a lot more injured.

Although unbeknownst to them, if it were anyone else, Adrian wouldn't have smashed the bat with such force. After all, he wasn't some kind of saint, so naturally, he had put everything he had into that attack out of spite.

"How are you feeling?" The healer, who happened to be one of his drinking buddies, asked him in a concerned low whisper. Although Bruce was known to be a harsh instructor to those he disliked, it was rare that he himself got beaten up in the process of teaching someone a lesson.

Not to mention such a delicate-looking youth. The healer felt fixed emotions arise in her chest. Although she knew Bruce wasn't going to seriously injure the boy, she didn't want to watch him be beaten up senselessly as he was pretty cute with his thin freckled face and free-flowing brown hair. If only he was a little taller and older then she would've definitely made a move on him! This is what she had initially thought and after the match, she had even been prepared to scold Bruce quite harshly if he had injured the cute boy's face.

Yet it turned out that her fears were unwarranted as he turned out to be unexpectedly ruthless!

This was a good trait to have as an adventurer but it somewhat spoiled his cute appearance that made one want to protect him...

Bruce didn't stay moody for long and his bad mood seemed to melt away along with the ice. He glanced at her and smiled, as a flame danced again in his eyes, "Very good." He answered as his eyes flickered with approval "He really didn't hold himself back and I could feel the raw emotion behind that attack. The boy definitely has potential! I need to train even harder.. maybe I'll challenge him again in the future, hehe."

Bruce began to chuckle to himself, entertained by the thought and having seemingly forgotten all of his initial anger as well as pride as an instructor, as having not bothered to dry his clothes off, he stood dripping wet on the platform.

The healer sighed and shuffled away seeing that he looked healthy enough. There is really no use in trying to talk sense into a meathead...

Adrian had escaped from the platform as soon as his victory had been announced and was now seated between Callan and Eliza in the audience, the latter who turned out to be a fellow ice magician was showering him with approval and praise.

"Your ice is so intense." Her silver-white eyes sparkled with excitement, "You've got dual elements right? How old are you? Where do you go to school?"

Adrian scratched his cheek in slight embarrassment under her barrage of questions. His fingertips felt colder than usual, but he presumed that was because he used ice magic. All the other competitors in the stand were also glancing his way as if trying to seek out their own answers from his body and expression, which wasn't a comfortable feeling.

Unused to being the center of attention, Adrian resisted the urge to squirm around in his seat and took a deep breath in to calm himself, and noticed that the air felt unusually chilly. Subconsciously, he glanced sneakily at Callan, who had yet to speak to him after he'd sat down.

Callan had been staring straight at him and they instantly made eye contact before Adrian felt the other's arm wrap around his shoulder again and pull him slightly closer.

"You speak too much." Callan glared at Eliza and all the other people who had been staring at Adrian, "And he has no obligation to answer any of your questions."

Pulled closer to the other boy, Adrian resisted the urge to snuggle in closer to the comfortable heat. A small smile broke out on his face as felt his heart rate calm down as some of the other people awkwardly shifted their gazes away from him.

"Thank you." His own hand patted the sleeve of Callan's shirt as he whispered back. Callan was really thoughtful and kind. Not only that, but with his back pressed against the other's chest, he could feel his rock-solid pectoral muscles, which was something to praise!

"It's not a problem," Callan smiled at him gently, "You did excellently."

"Thank you," Adrian responded cheerfully, "I'm sure you will too."

"Of course." Callan's spare hand ruffled the top of Adrian's silky brown hair as murmured back.

Losing simply wasn't an option for him as the two of them had to celebrate their victory together~

Plus after the events of the morning's passionate kiss, the Golden Phoenix's bloodline that flowed through his veins had quietened down and for the first time in years, he felt like he'd been born anew. Even defeating a hundred of those pesky instructors wouldn't be too much to ask of right now.

Eliza, who was watching this unfold after being hushed by the crown prince, couldn't but grit her teeth in anger. Just look at this two, already trapped in their own little bubble and ignoring the rest of the world and her! And why was that demon so protective over Adrian? She'd only been asking him a few questions and yet he'd given her a death stare so hard that she felt like she'd just been sentenced to execution!

Silently she cursed the two-faced prince.

The examination began once again, but in comparison to the adrenalin-filled first match, none of the other really compared. The burly instructor challenged three more aspirants and out of them, only one successfully qualified for C-rank before another instructor replaced him.

Callan was a bit disappointed that he wasn't among the three who had been chosen because he had wanted to teach the man a lesson for pissing him off by trying to harm Adrian. The burly instructor remained watching from the sidelines until the final match was over and only then did he realize he'd dodged not one bullet but two.

The third and final instructor was quite an unfortunate fellow. With both Eliza and Callan remaining he'd no choice but to verse them. Eliza was another rare sub-attribute ice magician, with the exception that she couldn't use water magic. But whereas Adrian's manipulation of ice mana was quite unrefined and messy, although hers was less concentrated it was skillful and deadly.

Eliza's weapon of choice was a whip condensed of her ice magic and although the instructor managed to best her, it took him a whole three minutes and a couple of scratches. But if he thought she was strong, which he did, then he could've never prepared himself for Callan.

Adrian watched as, from his storage ring, Callan pulled out a steel-forged longsword that had an intrinsically carved handle. Eliza was also watching and saw that the blade was unfamiliar. As she had the misfortune of seeing him often when she was growing up, Eliza knew that his signature weapon was a light-attribute sword forged by one of the kingdom's renowned blacksmiths to perfectly suit his grip and mana resonance.

Although the longsword he currently gripped was also strong, it was nothing in comparison to his personal blade, which really showed the lengths he was going to hide his identity and only furthered the mystery of why the Crown Prince of Gaiwarth Kingdom, was sneaking around with a country baron's son and even registering under a disguise at the Adventurer's Guild.

As Callan strutted up to the stage, Eliza scooted over to Adrian. Although she didn't dare to touch him, surely conversing wouldn't do any harm.

"Are you nervous for him?" Eliza asked, "If so then don't be. The Red Slash was definitely stronger and you managed to defeat him."

By The Red Slash she probably meant the burly instructor, Adrian thought before replying "No, I'm sure he'll be fine."

His eyes were still glued to the stage but his hands which were clenched in his lap were slightly trembling from the cold. It was a foreign and unsettling chill. He was a mermaid whose body was naturally cooler and more resistant to colder temperatures but now it felt like the cold was somehow inside his body and freezing his organs.

This was the first time he'd used such a large scale of ice magic so he wasn't sure if it was a normal side-effect for ice magicians. Adrian's eyes flashed briefly over the white-haired girl who gave him eery vibes. She was also an ice magician, so maybe she knew something about it?

However, Callan's assessment was just about to start and he wanted to watch that first! Ignoring the coldness spreading inside of him, Adrian focused on the stage.

As calm as a warm spring breeze, Callan stood on stage unperturbed as he faced his opponent. His dark grey eyes sharpened in seriousness as his grip on his longsword tightened and soon the air seemed to sing with the sound of steel clashing. The instructor was another sword user but there was a clear differentiation in skills.

Instead of being pushed, Callan pushed back. Already predicting where his opponent would step, his slashes were fast and accurate, the instructor struggling to parry them all, let alone fight back.

Yet he did so with graceful elegance. His swordplay was clean and his moments fluid so that with every move, it looked like he was performing a beautifully deadly blade dance. Every strike was so certain and domineering that watching it caused the audience to feel a strange feeling of serenity.

And his victory was even cleaner as within just under thirty seconds he stood towering over his opponent, his back arched straight and the tip of his blade pointed menacingly at an unguarded neck.

The spectators went silent then burst into applause, and Callan being Callan, ignored them all to turn back to the only of them who had captured his interest, and gave the freckle-faced boy a dashing smirk.

With that, the assessment for C-grade concluded. Out of the original twelve aspirants, only five managed to pass the test, which was actually a surprisingly high ratio. Not to mention, three of them were extremely young and it was those same three that left the instructors feeling humbled. Although the girl could be excused as she was part of the notorious Gaiwarth Academy, the other two were nobodies, who had only registered at the guild earlier today! And yet they had been disgracefully defeated.

It was quite a harsh mental blow for proud upper B-rank Adventurers, especially for the third instructor. After facing those two monsters, the poor man was thoroughly convinced that it was time for an early retirement and had to be coaxed by his fellows to remain in the guild and not run away to the countryside and live side-by-side with nature until he breathed his final breath.

Along with the other two victors, an older woman, and man, Adrian, Callan, and Eliza walked back to the registration desk to upgrade their ranks to C-class and collect their new C-class sigils.

On the way, Adrian congratulated Callan and wore an expression of excitement but deep down, his concerns only grew deeper and deeper. His hands felt like minuscule ice cubes dangling by his side and the air stung his cheeks. If he opened his lips wide enough and exhaled deeply, Adrian was pretty sure that his breath would turn into fog, even though the receptionist area was packed full of people and had been stuffy and warm when they had first entered.

Adrian didn't even glance twice at the sigil before he stuffed it away in the pocket of his black hoodie.

"Can we leave?" His black eyes glanced up at Callan pleadingly, as a wave of dizziness overcame him which he fended off. He wanted to go find somewhere to lie down... somewhere that wasn't as crowded as here.

Callan nodded, knowing that Adrian wasn't fond of crowds.

"Where are you headed?" Eliza followed behind them, sticky like glue.

There was no way she was going to be willing separate from them now as this could definitely allow her to get some dirt on the crown prince. It was a priceless once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. He already knew her secret, so it was only fair that she also knew one of his, right?

"Why does it concern you?" Callan ignored her and moved to grab Adrian's hands.

He really didn't want to stay around this annoying girl for much longer. Plus, she'd discovered his real identity which only ticked him off further, although he was confident that she wouldn't dare to reveal it.

But Adrian shuffled away from him.

The ice-cold feeling inside of him was becoming unbearable and that scared him. What was happening and why? He racked his brains but couldn't think of an answer and suddenly the surroundings full of bustling crowds of people felt like a cage to him. It was getting hard to breath and his mind was on panic mode, numb to all else. His eyes widened as he frantically searched for the exit and once he saw it, immediately sped off in that direction, weaving in and out of the crowd of curious people.

He just wanted to get out of this place so he ran where his legs took him. Tears threatened to spill down his cheeks, but he held them and his sobs back. He didn't know anymore... all he wanted to do was fall into his parent's loving and warm embrace.... warmth...

Vaguely Adrian remembered the events from earlier today... the kiss between him and Callan and how warm and pleasant it was, but also how uncontrollable he felt like a flame of desire that had been lit inside of him, and he'd made capricious moves and done things that he'd never even considered doing before.

His legs ached even though he hadn't run that far, he felt terribly exhausted. It had all happened so quickly, this chilling awful cold. Perhaps if that flame was ignited once more it would melt his pain away...

But as the cold had gradually grown worse and his desire for heat grew stronger, Adrian knew it was too dangerous to be around Callan and that was why even back in the guild he'd avoided his touch before he did something shameful and hurt the other boy and their budding friendship.

Adrian halted outside of the Adventurer's guild building and in the unfamiliar city square. The sun had just started to set on the horizon and was staining the budding twilight sky a hue of pink, orange, and magenta.

He couldn't help but appreciate this sight as he was appreciating this sight, he felt a hand press down gently on his right shoulder.

"Adrian, what's wrong?" Callan's concerned voice rang in his ears. He'd caught up so quickly to him, yet he didn't sound out of breath at all. His physique really was admirable.

A pang of guilt surfaced in Adrian's eyes as the heat he craved so much was in such close proximity and for the thoughts that tumbled through his mind.

He couldn't bear to turn and the ground was already blurring in front of him. "It's cold." His strained voice was barely louder than a whisper and yet a puff of fog spewed out from his lips and rose up into the air, "It's so cold, Callan."

He heard Callan mutter something back in a panicked voice but then another wave of dizziness overcame him and after holding on for so long, Adrian was powerless to resist it.

As his eyelids fluttered shut, he could see the endless ocean outstretched before him. He could feel the waves splashing against his weak human feet and the grains of sand that got stuck between his toes.

Callan vaguely murmured something by his side but by then he had already dived into the ocean's welcoming embrace.

But in reality, he was swimming nowhere and had fainted in Callan's arms.

Callan had always disliked his Golden Phoenix bloodline. It was temperamental and made his body hot and uncomfortable for other people to touch. He knew that as a royal he shouldn't, but he did.

Only now, as he held onto Adrian did he feel thankful for it. For some reason, Adrian was as cold as a corpse and if it weren't for the soft rise and fall of his chest, Callan would've thought he'd become one.

"Hey, Adrian." His warm hands tapped against the boy's cheeks but he was unresponsive.

His first thought was that he was injured but he'd been watching the match and this hadn't been the case. What if it was internal or the result of using his overusing mana? Should he take him to see a medic? And if he really was injured, why hadn't he mentioned anything earlier?

"Oh my god." Eliza, who had followed after Adrian suddenly ran off, paused stupified. Her voice was slightly haggard as the words slipped free from her mouth.

In his arms, the crown prince cradled the most beautiful person she'd ever seen. Even though the young man's face was crumpled in pain, his features were perfectly sculptured and his lips were a thin rosy red. There were no more freckles on his face but his cold cheeks were slightly reddened by the warm air and made it look like he was blushing.

Not to mention the long blonde hair that flowed freely down his back and over Callan's outstretched arms.

"It's Adrian." Callan stared down at the beautiful young man who was as cold as ice.

As he'd taught him a more simplistic version of the incantation which didn't require a high mage to cast, it was obviously far more volatile and when Adrian had fallen unconscious could no longer be maintained.

Eliza stood agape for a few more seconds but then recovered.

"So he was in disguise before..." She exclaimed before slowly approaching him. Even though her face was calm her eyes betrayed her concern as she saw his complexion and shivering body "What's wrong with him?"

She had another peek at his soul but nothing had changed there.

"His body temperature's dropped so much." Callan gently stroked the blonde locks out of his beautiful face before pressing his palm against Adrian's forehead, "Right before he collapsed, he said he was cold as well. Could it be mana rejection?"

Eliza frowned "Please, let me see him."

As a fellow ice magician, she was very sensitive to the mana conversions of ice magicians.

Callan frowned and didn't move, his arms wrapping around Adrian's delicate body protectively.

"Your highness, please," Eliza whispered to him under her voice, not wanting to attract unnecessary attention to the title.

"When I'm like this, my name is Callan Reevit. There's no need for honorifics." He replied.

Eliza scoffed under her breath. This goddam prince!

Like a switch had been flicked inside her brain, Eliza realized that everything suddenly made a lot of sense. While everyone could appreciate beauty and adored it, the crown prince was a bit more intense in his love for it, or so her father had told her after th

That devil had blatantly rejected her father giving her offering up as fiancee and gave the reason for it being that she was too ugly!

She.was.not.ugly!

Sure he'd only been ten years old back then but that was no excuse for his words. Ever since that day, her once favorable impression of him had been converted into one of uttermost displeasure. Yet she could tell that this person was important to him, and she wasn't so cold-hearted as to simply ignore someone in need.

This time Callan didn't object to her touching Adrian and as her fingertips stroked against his cold neck she couldn't help but gasp. He was like an ice cube! Not only that but the flow of mana into his body had so many different paths that it was like a maze. However, one thing was for certain.

"This is weird." Eliza withdrew her hand and began to explain under Callan's watchful gaze, "He's absorbing mana back into his body to replenish the energy he spent, like normal. However, there's simply too much of it that needs to be replenished, he is essentially like a bottomless well and while the mana is being poured back in since there's so much of it, his side-effect is much larger than normal."

"What?" Callan stared at her blankly and Eliza simply sighed, "He's used way too much mana and as a result is absorbing way too much back. As a side effect, his body has become extremely, extremely cold and it would be dangerous normally, but you're here so it should be fine."

Seeing as the disguised prince wanted her to drop his proper titles, Eliza didn't see why she couldn't drop the honorifics as well.

"What do you mean?" Callan repeated his question, a slight frown crinkling his brow.

"Isn't he, your secret lover? Just use the heat in your body to warm him up."

Callan neither denied it nor affirmed it. However, the silence spoke louder than words could ever.

Eliza's pale eyes widened in surprise. "You're not?"

Callan simply glanced down at Adrian's unconscious face and his slightly parted lips, his expression darkening.

Eliza chuckled in disbelief, "Really? What happened? Did he reject you? Do even you, of all people, have an unrequited love?"

Once she got excited and opened her mouth the questions simply wouldn't stop tumbling out. Callan glared at her, his grey eyes sparkling with unbridled annoyance.

"Shut up." He demanded coldly, "And stop deluding yourself. How could he be my secret lover? I only met him this morning."

But no matter what he said, Eliza's head must've been filled with nothing but rocks and empty space as she refused to believe it and continued to prod,

"But you like him, don't you?" She had seen up close how the prince looked fondly at Adrian and even decided to wrap his arm around the other boy's slender shoulders possessively back at the Guild and glared at her like he was a lion defending the carcass of his prey.

It was really quite scary to be on the receiving end of that glare once again and she could feel goosebumps breaking out all over her arms.

"It's none of your business." He sighed, unwilling to continue the conversation further. The biggest problem right now was Adrian, and Callan knew they were attracting too much attention simply dawdling in the plaza. "I'll take him to a nearby inn and warm him up as you suggested."

Callan's well-trained body scooped up Adrian in his arms with ease. It wasn't too awkward even though they were of similar heights, as the other boy's stature was smaller. With one hand, he held his thighs, and with the other, his shoulders and Adrian's but Callan pretended not to notice it.

"I'll come with you." A slight blush stained her pale cheeks as Eliza determinedly chased after Callan, who had begun to walk off.

"There's no need." Callan didn't bother waiting for her, as his eyes scoured the streets for the nearest inn and it was getting late. Plus, bringing an unconscious Adrian back to school in his current state would attract nothing but trouble.

"I have to!" Eliza insisted with a slight cough. She really didn't want to be talking about these kinds of things with the prince but it was necessary, "You aren't in that kind of relationship with him. What if you take advantage of the situation?"

Even Adrian's beauty managed to move her, so leaving him lying defenseless in the devil's arms was just waiting for something bad to happen!

"I'm not shameless." Callan spat back at her. Thankfully, he was facing away from her otherwise Eliza would've seen the small blush of red stain his cheeks. "Nothing of 'that sort' is going to happen! I'm just going to channel some of my bloodline's heat in him, which can simply be done by physical contact."

Sure, he held some lust for Adrian. After all, he was the first person he'd met who could not only withstand his heat but lessen its torment. His looks were also exactly his type and his personality wasn't bad either, albeit a bit mysterious but that only added to his charm.

In short, he was like no one he'd ever met before and that only made him want him more. But he wasn't an unrestrained disgusting beast who advantage of someone unconscious and in pain.

And it wasn't like Adrian held no feelings for him either. The initiated kiss and his occasional blushes were all the signs Callan needed to know that as long as he chased, one day Adrian would reciprocate.

So there was no point in rushing. He'd never been in this particular situation before but he knew deep down that the pleasures of life could be experienced fully if both parties were alright with it.

Eliza wasn't convinced and persisted, "How am I meant to believe you?"

Callan scoffed as he tightened his grip on Adrian's delicate and comfortably cold body, "Even if you wanted to, do you even have the power to stop me?"

"Well...."

"And why is it that you find it so hard to believe that I have morals?" Callan pressed,

Eliza didn't have a response for that one either. After all, even though he was faking his identity right now, he was still the crown prince that would one day lead Gaiwarth Country and rule over the Noble families, including her own. So to claim he was moral-less was bit much.

"Fine." She conceded reluctantly, "You don't come to this part of town normally right? I'll show you a decent inn. It's close to here and the staff don't ask any unnecessary questions."

Having come to an agreement, Callan followed her, holding Adrian closely as if to ward off all the curious gazes occasionally directed his way. Soon they arrived at the front of a decent-sized and fancy in appearance inn, located just a few minutes away from the adventurer's guild. It was prestigious and decadent but neither Callan nor Eliza blinked twice at the price per night. The two of them were practically walking banks, anyway.

It was called The Angel's Tear and having arrived at the brightly lit entrance, the two prepared to part ways. It was getting late and seeing as she was unwelcome, Eliza planned to head back to the Academy before night fell.

She warned him once more about not trying any funny things with the beautiful boy and also told him to contact her once he woke up or tell her if things went south. On the walk here, her uneasiness had been somewhat quelled when she saw how much care the devil prince took in carrying Adrian, cradling him against his chest and taking steady steps so as to not justle his body.

She bid him farewell before strolling off but soon halted, as Callan's low voice trickled into her ears.

"Thankyou." He spoke no louder than a whisper and even if Eliza still hadn't forgiven him for his past action, a small smile couldn't help but tug up the edges of her lips, although thankfully she had her back turned away from the prince so he couldn't see it.

"I didn't do it for you, I did it for him." She retorted, "But still, I hope you'll remember this favor." Waving away his gratitude, she walked off into the sunset and re-entered the bustling streets. Callan's gaze lingered on her back and the short ponytail that danced behind her neck, before with Adrian nestled snuggly in his arms, he entered the inn.