The anger on Keira's face quickly turned into reluctance and a hint of fear.
"Triss! He attacked first! He almost strangled me!" Keira tried to justify herself, her voice extremely sharp.
"That's because you used despicable methods first, trying to steal his memories!" Triss didn't back down an inch, the fireballs humming in her hand.
"I should have thought of this long ago! Your greed for powerful spells could drive you mad."
"Now, drop the spell immediately and get out of my house!"
Keira looked at Triss's resolute gaze, then at Karl, who was watching her with cold eyes.
She knew she wouldn't achieve her goal today, and continuing the stalemate would only completely ruin her reputation and lead to more serious consequences.
So, with extreme reluctance, she dissipated the energy sphere in her hand, her face pale, and straightened her slightly disheveled clothes.
"Fine... Very well! Triss Merigold! For a man! The bastard son of a minor noble, you're really doing this to me?!"
"Our years of friendship aren't worth a few spells in his hands!?"
"It's not about the spells, Keira! It's about respect, and ultimately, you're the one crossing the line!" Triss said sharply.
"Hmph! We'll see!"
Keira didn't say anything else, threw Karl a severe glance, her eyes full of resentment.
With that, she spun around, full of anger and humiliation, and ran out of the laboratory without looking back, her bare feet making slapping sounds on the floor.
Triss didn't slowly dissipate the fireballs in her hand until Keira's footsteps completely disappeared beyond the door.
The laboratory was in disarray, filled with the strange smell of mixed potions and the silence left after the tension.
She quickly walked to Karl and anxiously checked if he was hurt: "Karl, are you alright? Did she hurt you?"
"I'm fine." Karl shook his head, put down the ridiculous metal spoon, and took Triss's hand.
"Fortunately, you returned in time, and... the runes left by my teacher warned me at the critical moment."
He showed the fading rune marks on the back of his hand.
Triss breathed a sigh of relief, her face filled with fatigue and sadness.
She had known Keira for many years, and although they had occasional arguments, she never thought it would come to this level today.
"I don't understand how she could be so..." Triss murmured.
"Triss, maybe she was always like this; it's just that a powerful temptation made her stop hiding it."
Karl said calmly and gently embraced Triss.
"Don't be angry with such people. We need to be more cautious."
"And... we need to master those two spells as soon as possible; they will be necessary to deal with certain threats."
Triss leaned against Karl's strong chest and nodded.
Keira's betrayal made the atmosphere heavy, but it also made her realize how important the power in her hands was.
...
The hustle and bustle in Vizima gradually subsided, but the aftermath of the tournament was far from over.
One of the most practical benefits was the gambling jointly run by the major nobles.
With a sly smile, Triss found the gambling settlement office.
The attendant clearly recognized the king's advisor and showed respect throughout the process.
Triss reported Karl's name and the bet amount—120 Orens—and the odds were fixed at 1 to 8.
"That's nine hundred and sixty Orens won by Mr. Karl, madam." The attendant counted out a heavy money pouch.
Then Triss reported her own name.
The attendant flipped through the ledger, an even greater respect and even a slight panic appearing on his face: "Miss Merigold, you bet three hundred Orens on Mr. El..."
"Due to the large amount of your bet, the odds later dropped to 1 to 4."
"That's two hundred Orens you've earned." He skillfully pointed to another large bag of coins, then hesitated.
Very naturally, he pushed the portion of coins that should have been taken—the tenth—back in front of Triss.
"It's an honor to serve you, and the handling fee is waived."
Triss understood perfectly that this was a courtesy due to her status.
She smiled slightly, didn't linger, and calmly accepted the huge sum—a total of 2,160 Orens.
Before leaving, she asked: "By the way, could you help me check how much Miss Keira Metz bet and on whom?"
"Alright, please wait a moment." The attendant quickly flipped through the ledger, performed a quick mental calculation without changing his expression.
"Miss Metz bet two hundred and fifty Orens on Captain Horace of the White Rose... and lost it all."
Triss raised an eyebrow, a look of relief appearing on her face.
Back home, she handed over the 960 Orens belonging to Karl.
"Hmm, it seems my hero has brought us great fortune." Triss smiled.
Karl weighed his money pouch; it was almost a huge sum he had never possessed before.
He thought for a moment and took out the obsidian pearl necklace from his pocket.
"Triss, this magical item is almost useless to me, but it could actually be useful in your hands."
"It's more valuable staying with you than with me, and I want to give it to you." Karl said seriously.
Triss looked at the simple obsidian necklace, a flicker of emotion in her eyes, but she firmly shook her head.
"No, Karl, this is too precious. It's a trophy you got fighting for your life."
"Moreover, the value it contains is far from measured by money, so I cannot accept it."
Triss saw that Karl still wanted to insist, rolled her eyes, and came up with a clever idea.
"Well... since we have this unexpected income, I really do need some time to study it."
"Why don't you sell it to me, and I'll pay you for the study?"
She carefully felt the magical fluctuations on the necklace, which were almost fading.
"Although its nature is special, its magical power is almost exhausted; it's more like a medium carrying knowledge."
"Four hundred and thirty Orens is a very fair price, one that doesn't insult its former value, but also makes you a bit more generous at this moment."
Karl understood that this was Triss's considerate request; she didn't want to take his things for free but also wanted to support him financially.
So he no longer hesitated with the Orens and solemnly placed the necklace in Triss's palm: "Alright, as you wish."
"But it will always belong to you, and you don't need to return it to me."
After they settled the ownership of the necklace, their attention fully turned to dealing with the curse of Princess Adda.
Foltest, seeming somewhat impatient, had someone send over the long-sealed case file earlier.
It recorded random information about the cursed Princess Adda in the old palace.