CHAPTER 86: CHAPTER 86: NOBLES ARE SO NOISY

As the timer ticked down, only seconds left on the countdown, Axelius finally stepped out of the forest with his usual calm face and a small confident smirk.

Cyruz, who had been watching with narrowed eyes and folded arms, frowned deeply, clearly annoyed that Axelius had even made it this far. His jaw tightened when he saw Axelius stepping closer to the line.

Before Axelius could fully cross the marked trial line, the official standing near the horn raised his hand to stop him and said in a sharp voice, "You’re out. Time’s up."

The glowing timer horn above the trial line blinked red, signaling that time had just run out.

Axelius raised a brow, his footsteps didn’t stop. He walked forward like he hadn’t even heard him and casually muttered with a cold tone, "What are you? A fucking idiot?"

Gasps echoed through the crowd, and the official’s eyes widened in shock. People were starting to murmur loudly, the tension rising as nobles turned their heads. Some were clearly offended while others tried to hide their amused smiles. Things were close to turning into chaos.

But before anything exploded, Elder Mairead, still seated with the other elders at the front, calmly raised her hand and spoke loud and clear, her voice cutting through the noise like a blade."He passed."

Silence fell instantly. Everyone stared at her in surprise, even the other elders, but none of them said anything against her decision.

Axelius stopped, looked at the stunned timer official, and gave him a small grin. "Bummer."

The official, now embarrassed and unsure, just stepped aside with a bitter look.

Owen spoke up, low and irritated. "Tsk. Trying to cheat in the last seconds... You really have a lot of enemies."

Axelius didn’t answer. He just walked to his seat calmly like nothing happened and sat down, brushing some dirt from his pants.

Ellory was waiting, clapping her hands with a big smile. "Congratulations, brother! How was it?"

Axelius stretched a little and replied, "Nah. Someone tried, but it was nothing. A few weak beasts, some loudmouth nobles, and a couple of traps. Honestly, it was kind of boring. Is this how they test Dravenharts."

Ellory laughed. "You’re so mean," she whispered.

Just then, the announcer stepped forward again and raised his voice for the next group. "Now calling the 14 to 16 age group. Please get ready and stand by the gate."

Ellory turned back to Axelius and asked sweetly, "Do you want to eat, brother? There’s food over there. They even have the sweet fried dumplings you like."

She pointed to the long buffet table covered with plates and drinks, where nobles and young participants went to refill their energy.

Axelius stood up lazily and walked toward the food. As he grabbed a plate and began picking what looked best, "Hey, get me that too" Owen said pointing at the cupcake.

Then someone walked beside him quietly. He noticed it right away—it was one of the three boys who tried to ambush him earlier.

The boy leaned closer, pretending to grab food too, and whispered through gritted teeth, "You lucky commoner... You think you can pass the last trial too? Don’t get cocky. You won’t survive the next one."

Axelius didn’t even look at him. Instead, he casually reached for a glass of bright red drink, raised it slightly... and poured it directly onto the boy’s plate.

"Oops," Axelius said with the most fake innocent tone he could muster. "Sorry."

Then he turned and walked away without waiting for a reply. But he didn’t get far before he heard a plate fly through the air—then splat!

The boy had thrown his ruined food at Axelius, but he sidestepped at the last second like it was nothing. The food hit someone else right in the chest. A heavy thud followed.

Axelius turned around slowly, covering his mouth like he was shocked and trying not to laugh. He looked at the boy with wide, fake-scared eyes and said, "Oh-oh... What have you done?"

The man who got hit was large, bald, wearing fancy merchant robes with golden trims. He stared down at his stained chest, his face turning red in rage.

"Who did this?!" the merchant bellowed. "Who dares?!"

Axelius pointed straight at the boy and calmly said, "He said grow some hair, Sire."

The merchant’s eyes bulged, and the boy panicked, raising both hands. "W-what?! I didn’t—!"

But before anything else could happen, Axelius had already slipped away, hands in his pockets, walking casually back to his table like a ghost.

Ellory was eating grapes and blinked at him as he sat back down. "What took you so long?"

Axelius shrugged with a grin. "Nothing. Just making new friends."

Owen chuckled. "With enemies like yours, who needs fans?"

The crowd was still buzzing as Axelius popped a dumpling into his mouth like nothing happened.

As for the last group left, the noble families turned their attention elsewhere—especially toward the boy who had somehow passed without a beast, without noble support, Murmurs drifted like smoke across the rows of golden seats, soft whispers and sharp tongues mixing together in the air.

"That’s Black-haired boy, isn’t he a half-commoner??" one noblewoman whispered behind her fan, peeking over it like a spy.

"The one without a beast? Hah. He must’ve been dragged across by luck or pity," replied another,

"I heard he talks to himself," said a man in a long purple cloak, raising an eyebrow. "That’s what people say about mad ones, you know."

"How can the Elders allowed such being here?"

Some of the younger nobles sitting close to him were not even trying to whisper anymore. One boy, dressed in a deep blue suit and golden pins on his shoulders, nudged the girl beside him and said loudly enough for Axelius to hear, "He thinks he’s one of us just because he passed one trial. Maybe they forgot to check his blood."

The girl giggled and replied, "He probably begged the forest to let him go. Or maybe the beasts felt sorry for him."

Axelius, who sat with one leg crossed over the other, leaned back slightly in his chair and just gave them a lazy grin, his fingers tapping the table in slow rhythm, not bothered at all.

Owen, beside him in slime form resting in a bowl of water, mumbled, "Tch, they’re not even good at hiding their jealousy."

Axelius only smirked deeper, replying in a quiet voice, "Let them talk. They can’t beat me, so they bark."