The atmosphere changed the moment the three of them stepped out of the private area. The lounge was filled to the brim. Some of the students had been at the bar, drinking. Others had been standing in line at the betting table. Most had been relaxing with their friends in one of the separate seating areas.
However, the moment Zeke entered the site, the chatter started to die down as people turned to stare at him. He had gotten used to people giving him looks occasionally, but this was on a different level. It felt to him like every single student had stopped whatever they were doing to gawk at him. Even Zeke felt uncomfortable at this level of attention.
"Never seen a handsome man before?" Viola yelled. "How about you guys know some shame and ask him out when Sophia and I are not next to him, yeah?"
Her words had an immediate effect as most people averted their eyes. Some of the girls were blushing as they averted their gaze shyly. The boys, on the other hand, turned their heads so fast that even Zeke was impressed. They stoically avoided looking in his direction. They were unwilling to take the risk of causing any misunderstanding about their preferences.
Ezekiel gave Viola a thankful nod, which the Wind Mage acknowledged with a cat-like grin. She puffed out her chest as if to say: "Leave it to me". The three of them made their way to the betting table and got in line. Some of the surrounding students still behaved a little stiffly when they approached. However, most of the tension had evaporated.
Zeke didn't want to give the students any more reasons to ostracize him. The incident at the Feuerkranz mansion and the duel with Alexander were already painting him in a certain light. He didn't want his classmates to be afraid of him. Zeke realized that he didn't do himself any favors with his performance in the last fight. His ultimate goal was to try to overturn the image that people associated with Blood Mages.
In class, they had been taught that Blood Mages were ferocious beasts. They apparently craved the blood of their enemies and didn't even understand the meaning of the word mercy. Ezekiel thought back to his fight and scowled. If he had to describe his own performance in a single sentence, he would use the words:
"A ferocious beast that didn't even understand the meaning of the word mercy."
Defeated, he hunched his shoulders and waited in line without a word. Maybe he wasn't the best ambassador for Blood Magic after all.
He spent his time listening to the girls instead. Viola and Sophia were in front of him, talking about the odds for the next fight. The duo had developed their own system of betting. The chatty Wind Mage would supply all the info she had learned. Sophia, with her brilliant mind, would take it all in and then determine their course of action.
The two of them had also been rather successful in their gambling. They almost never bet large sums of money, though. It was more of a game for them. Their mindset was shared by most of the surrounding students. Betting was only a way to show off their knowledge and insights. And games ultimately had to be fun, so most students only bet with what they considered pocket change.
Ezekiel's lousy mood was instantly lifted when they arrived at the front of the line. The bookkeeper was giving him a sour look. The gesture only heightened Zeke's excitement even further. With expectant eyes, he stared at the older student.
The bookkeeper groaned in frustration. Yet, after a moment of thought, a pondering expression emerged on his face. He was resolved to turn this loss into an opportunity. He took a deep breath, filling his lungs to the brim before proclaiming in a loud voice.
"Ezekiel von Hohenheim started his betting today with a measly 1000 gold. However, before his last fight, he had already amassed a fortune of 5500 gold! This clever student had the foresight and daring to bet it all on himself. With the odds at 1.75, he is now the proud owner of the staggering sum of 9625 pieces of gold!"
There were cheers and exclamations of awe from all around at this declaration. Zeke was unaccustomed to the admiration of his peers, and his face turned a little red. Viola, who saw him acting shy, grinned at him. He was certain that she would tease him with this in the days to come. The bookkeeper gestured with his hands for the crowd to calm down. Apparently, he had more to say.
"Unfortunately, Ezekiel's winning streak is almost at an end." The boy declared, to the confusion of everyone. "We, from the Schatzkammer betting house, must adhere to our rules. Any participant can only win up to a total sum of ten thousand gold per day."
Before the crowd had any time to react, the boy continued his speech in an even louder voice.
"Ezekiel's streak might be over, but that just means that a new champion will take his place." The boy yelled. He pointed at a fat student in the crowd and asked. "Will it be you, young master Steiner? Or perhaps you, miss Wellenrufer?"
Moments later, the crowd had already forgotten about Ezekiel's unfair disqualification. From all around, there were voices loudly proclaiming to be the next champion. Zeke rolled his eyes at the clever strategy of the bookkeeper. The boy had not only made it impossible for Zeke to bet anymore but had also used this chance to rile up the mob.
The bookkeeper was grinning at him, a triumphant expression on his face. Even though Zeke was a little pissed off at the tactics employed by the older boy, he didn't really hold a grudge. He had made an astronomical amount of money with his betting. And after the first round was over, only the most promising Mages would remain.
Zeke wouldn't dare bet large amounts on the matches of the quarter-finals anyway. He had learned from Katja Brennbar's fight that the noble families had invested heavily in their contestants. Who knew how accurate his old data still was for those contestants?
After doing some quick calculations in his mind, Zeke placed a bet on Edmund Steiner. He was certain of the victors in the remaining two fights. Both matches featured one of the four Wellenreiter siblings. Zeke was confident that both Sabrina and Matthias would lose their respective fights.
He bet the exact amount of money to cover the remaining 385 gold in case of Edmund's victory. If the limit was 10,000 gold then that was how much he would reach. He would not give up his chance to get the absolute highest amount of money out of this opportunity.
The three of them returned to their private arena and waited for the next fight to begin. Viola animatedly proclaimed that she could already predict the outcome of any fight. A couple of minutes later, Jorgel started his announcement. The two fighters stepped into the arena, and their posture alone already spoke to their respective level of confidence.
Sabrina Wellenreiter looked resigned, her shoulder slumped and her expression grave. Edmund Steiner walked with his shoulders back and his chest out. Even though his expression was still as stern as always, there was no tension in his features.
Ezekiel didn't even pay attention to the fight anymore. He was certain that Sabrina would not even manage to reveal Edmund's trump cards. Instead, his gaze was drawn by something else. In the crowd of commoner spectators, Zeke had spotted a familiar figure.
Zeke could hardly believe his eyes and continued to stare. In the very back of the stands, sandwiched between two fat men, sat Leo. Zeke had wondered where his friend had run off to all this time, as he had not seen him in the lounge. The lounge was reserved for nobles, but Zeke didn't believe for a second that this was a hindrance for Leo.
His friend was not only a favorite to win the tournament, but he was also incredibly popular in class. It would have been effortless for the charismatic Leo to find somebody to bring him into the lounge. Zeke wondered why his friend had decided to stay with the commoners instead. After a moment of thought, he decided to just go and ask. He would not miss anything too important by not observing the ongoing fight anyway.
Zeke explained his intention to the two girls and promised to be back shortly. With that settled, he hurriedly left the private lounge. He had a general idea of how to get to the section for commoners. After getting turned around a few times and asking for directions twice, he finally arrived at his destination. He had seen from the balcony that there was an exit near Leo's position.
As he stepped out onto the stands, he was immediately hit by a flurry of sensations. There was loud yelling and cursing all around him. This was very different from the atmosphere of the lounge he had gotten used to in the last two days. The rowdy climate brought a smile to the boy's face.
Zeke was reminded of the New Year's celebration in his hometown. The farmers didn't drink often on regular days, the hard work and early mornings acting as a deterrent. But that only meant that on special occasions, such as festivals, they would turn into fiends.
The next sensation that hit him was a less welcome one. There was an unbearable stench in the air. It was a mixture of sweat and dirt, spilled liquids, and dropped food. Zeke almost gagged as he took in the aroma. His recent circumstances had him take a shower three times a day after training. He had almost forgotten how bad working folk smelled.
With a quick application of [Perfect Body Control], he turned his sense of smell all the way down to only around 10% sensitivity. Relieved, he released his held breath and scanned the surroundings for his friend. Before he could make out Leo's position, he found that many of the surrounding people were staring at him. Zeke's striking red hair had gotten the attention of the people closest to him.
The crowd just stared at him and some even began to whisper fearfully. Ezekiel felt saddened by the way they looked at him. There was clear dread in their eyes. But the fear didn't stem from his Blood affinity this time but from his position as a noble.
"Can I help your lordship with something?" a voice asked.
Zeke turned to look at the speaker. It was an old man, who immediately bowed his head as Zeke's gaze fell upon him. The man remained in that position, his back bent. The man's aged body still appeared muscular. A physique earned through heavy labor, no doubt.
Zeke wondered if the old man had been a miner. He had spoken to a couple of them before, they were resilient, hardy folk. He studied the man's face next, his head still turned towards the ground. The creases all over the old man's face spoke of a life of hardship and loss.
"We are just humble folk trying to enjoy the show. We don't want any trouble." The man said.
"Please raise your head, sir," Zeke said. "My father will beat my ass when he learns that I am making old geezers like you bow to me."
The man was surprised by Zeke's words, but after a moment he still lifted his head. Upon seeing the friendly smile on the boy's face, he was even more bewildered. It was not a usual occurrence for a noble to speak like this to commoners.
"My name is Ezekiel, Ezekiel from Feldstad, and not sir," he began, but then immediately frowned. "I guess I am called Ezekiel von Hohenheim now, huh? But that doesn't change where I come from!
"Listen up, old man. I was shoveling horse shit myself not even a year ago, so don't go around calling me sir."
The crowd started to murmur upon hearing Zeke's introduction. He was pretty certain that he heard the phrase blood dragon from more than one direction. The boy paid the crowd no mind as his gaze was solely focused on the old man. The man in question seemed not to be sure how to act. He looked at Zeke's face with suspicion, he seemed to think that his behavior was an act.
Ezekiel sighed and stepped in front of the old man. He lifted his right arm in front of his body. In his hometown, this was the common gesture of greeting. Instead of the more refined handshake that nobles used, they would clasp each other's forearms.
"Where I come from, it is customary to introduce oneself after the other party has told you their name," Zeke said.
Ezekiel wiggled his fingers teasingly in front of the man. The old man studied Zeke's face and finally started laughing as he grabbed the offered forearm.
"Right you are, boy! Right you are!" The old man proclaimed loudly. "We have the same custom here. My name is Felix. It is an honor to meet the Blood Dragon himself!"
The handshake between the two men had been like a signal to the surrounding crowd as the people all relaxed. The atmosphere immediately turned lively again, some people even cheering for Zeke. Many came up to him to wish him good luck.
Ezekiel was relieved that he had managed to reconnect with the common people. At the first moments, when he had seen the fear in their eyes, he had felt like he had lost an important part of himself. His mentor had always tried to be a champion for the masses, and Zeke didn't want to forget his roots either.
At the next moment, he could feel somebody tapping on his shoulder. He looked over and saw Leo staring at him.
"What are you doing here, Zeke?" Leo asked.
"That's actually what I came here to ask you. Why are you not up in the lounge with everybody else?" Zeke countered.
Leo thought about it for a moment and then waved Zeke to the entrance of the stadium. He seemed to want to talk about this in a more private setting.
With a smile, Zeke waved goodbye to Felix and the surrounding crowd as he followed his friend into the passage.