Events and Appearances

Blood gushed from Hosan's body.

With that, Nickel's sloth ended.

"Cough."

Nickel lost his strength and collapsed in front of the bleeding Hossan.

"It's not over until it's over.

He moved to finish Hosan off, his body still steaming from the heat.

He was creaky, but not so weak that he couldn't take a knife to a fully prepared meal.

"Khhhhh. Cough."

"What's so funny, you can't believe you didn't think you were going to die?"

I said sarcastically, and Hosan, who looked like he was about to split in half and die without my touching him, nodded.

"Indeed, Yida. But, I'll die someday, puhhhhhh."

I stabbed myself in the heart as I looked at Hosan, who couldn't stop talking.

Hossan's eyes widened as he met his death with a smile on his face.

"It's not worth killing you if you look like that."

Now I don't know.

With the realization that it was over, I relaxed, unable to give my body any strength.

"What a mess for nothing."

I looked at the smiling dead Hosan and wondered what the hell I was fighting for.

Still, it was confirmation that I had improved.

If I have to test my skills one more time, I won't have a body left.

I slumped to the ground, unable to support myself with the force of my fall.

It was a damn pretty sky.

"Good job, you guys."

I was conscious of my eyes slowly closing as I summoned the undead back.

I knew I'd pass out if I let them close, but I couldn't help it.

"Me, too."

My eyes closed, and darkness greeted me.

* * *

POP! POP!

The sound of loud firecrackers erupted.

Today was the main round of the Spring Tournament.

For the students of the Academy, it was an event more meaningful than the year-end festival.

"Who will be the winner this time?"

"Probably one of the graduating seniors from the Knight Faculty. I think it was Todlon, but I heard that he and a senior named Dazam are the favorites."

"Hey. You didn't watch the preliminaries, did you?"

"Nope. And?"

"I heard that this tournament might be the first time in twelve years that the Department of Magic will have a winner."

"What? Oh, you mean Dierne Alben?"

Serena, who had been watching the chattering passersby, shook her head as she listened to them.

She hadn't been watching the tournament qualifiers because she had been training under the pretext of fitting in at the academy.

"Diane Albenrae....

Duchess of Alben, one of the pillars of the Empire.

As expected from a family with a reputation for magic, the Duke's second daughter, Diene Alben, was a name Serena had heard often enough.

"Still, I don't think she'll be able to beat Mr. Todlon.

In terms of firepower, a mage was naturally stronger.

However, a mage's magic could only be used to its full potential when protected by someone.

In a one-on-one battle like a tournament, the knight would be at a disadvantage.

Thinking of the seniors she'd gotten to know over the past few days while training, she couldn't imagine a scenario where a mage could win.

'Honestly, I think I could beat them, though I've never seen it.

Aura Runner, Aura User, Aura Expert, and Aura Master.

They were all unofficial, except for Aura Master, which was officially recognized by the Empire, but it was a distinction made by the knights for simplicity's sake.

Her rank is currently Aura User.

Of course, even within the same rank, skills varied widely.

Each person had a different amount of mana and a different way of utilizing it.

In addition, there were too many other abilities to consider, such as physical strength, combat sense, and swordsmanship.

In fact, the most intuitive way to rank them is to fight them in person.

But since we couldn't practically have everyone fight once, we had to make a rough distinction.

Among the freshmen, only Louis Atman could be considered an expert. ....

"Sorry. You've been waiting a long time, haven't you?"

The tiger came as soon as I said it.

Not only Serena, but also Louis missed all the qualifying matches due to his daily training.

They had decided to join us for the final, saying they had to see it.

"I'm here, too."

"We should watch this together!"

I thought Luis was the only one there, but he was followed by a bunch of other guys.

It was half-expected, but Serena wasn't happy about missing out on the chance to watch the tournament alone.

"Okay, okay, let's go."

Still, it couldn't be helped.

Anyone who sees Louis's light is blinded by its glare.

They are soon either mesmerized by the light or hate it for blinding them.

'Most are mesmerized like that and like me, but....'

Every once in a while, someone like Chris appears, united by hatred.

While I was thinking about this, I entered the grandstand of the stadium and noticed the huge crowd.

I wondered if it was normally this crowded.

"Hey, look! It's Wilbert, leader of the Knights of the Red Lion of Cloche!"

"You don't see him first, right next to him is Mitra Dode, the deputy leader of the Royal Knights."

"But he's the deputy leader!"

"Dude, are you sure a Knights Templar and a Royal Knights Vice-Captain are the same thing?"

"First Order Knights, do you know how high the Red Lion Knights are ranked in the country?"

The seats that had been set aside for the guests of honor were indeed filled with prominent figures.

Aside from the people they were talking about, there were also famous mages, heads of high-ranking noble families, and heads of various organizations looking for talent.

At the sight of them, Lewis and his companions felt as if their hearts were on fire.

Each of them had a deep-seated need for recognition and approval.

The opportunity to showcase their skills in front of such a high-profile group was an adrenaline rush.

"It's a shame. Let the freshmen join in."

Someone muttered, expressing the sentiment of the group.

They paused their conversations and found a place to sit, barely managing to stay seated.

"Serena."

"Huh?"

"Who do you think is going to win this tournament?"

"I don't know. Honestly, I didn't watch the preliminaries, so I can't say for sure, but I'm thinking Todlon-san will win. Oh, and speaking of which, I heard some other people talking about Diane Alben when they were passing by earlier. She seems pretty strong."

"Diane Alben. I'm not sure that's true."

"You know?"

"Of course I do. Who doesn't? Besides, I went on a magic tour once before. I saw it then, and it was pretty cool."

Louis's gaze shifted to the interior of the stadium.

He pointed to one side.

"Well, it's a good thing this is your match. I'll make sure we get to see what she's made of."

"Who's my opponent?"

"She's not here yet. It's almost time to start."

"Do you know anyone?"

At Serene's question, one of the students who had come with her spoke up.

"I seem to remember the same wizard. Was it Adria Cromwell?"

"Adrias Cromwell."

Louis muttered the name, his face suddenly stiff.

Serena said playfully at Lewis's reaction.

"That's good. I can actually see the skills of Adrias senior, who our Heavenly Chief said was so strong."

"What, did Luis say that?"

Just then, another colorful magic firecracker exploded, signaling the start of the tournament.

"Here we go!"

The main event of the tournament that everyone's eyes were focused on was about to make its appearance.

* * *

There were people from all over the continent gathered in the honorary seats.

Even more surprising was the fact that on the day of the finals, there would be even more people.

Seated among the dignitaries, especially at the head of the table, Bahá'u'lláh acknowledged the greetings offered to him and looked at his daughter.

'How quickly she has grown up,' he thought.

At that moment, Azik Natan, the matriarch of the Geshain masjid, who was seated in front of him, spoke up.

"I'm so jealous of you. I know it's hard enough to make it to the finals as a mage, but your daughter is such a strong contender, I wish my son could be half as good as Lord Rodlen's daughter, haha."

"She's definitely my daughter, but she's awesome. She's going to be a great wizard, surpassing me."

"I see, but you're such a renowned archmage yourself, it's going to take a long time for her to catch up, though no father beats his own child, hahaha."

"No. Diane will catch up to me in about ten years. Maybe even sooner than that."

"Yeah, well...."

Azik forced a smile and nodded, though he wondered if this was part of Bahat's personality.

He then turned to his opponent across the table from Diane.

"I think we're almost out of time, but I don't see my opponent, let's see... Adrias Cromwell? I've never heard of him. Oh? A wizard? Looks like wizards are in the running quite a bit this year."

"Hmm...."

Bahat didn't bother to answer, instead casting his gaze out onto the pitch with a nonchalant expression.

Inwardly, though, he wondered why Adrias hadn't shown up yet.

"Did he give up?

The last time he'd seen him, he'd fought and lost, not given up.

If so, I'm not ready.

At least he'd be nervous against Diane.

"I think he abstained because he was afraid of the pagoda master's daughter.... Honestly, do you think a mage of your caliber would have any chance against her?"

Another man beside him joined the conversation.

It was Hoyard, the royal mage of the Bertrand Kingdom, a neighboring country to the Rodlen Empire.

A graduate of the Rodlen Academy himself, he was a mage of some repute.

"I suppose that's possible, given the opponent."

"It's quite a feat for a student of the School of Magic to have already made it to the main round. The only thing is, I wish you'd come out and withdraw from the match instead of refusing to compete. Everyone here is busy, and you're wasting their time."

Bahat listened to Azik and Hoyad's conversation with one ear, then turned to look at Diehne, who was waiting with a mischievous look on her face.

She had the air of an elite mage, ready for any opponent that might come her way.

"But that Adrias guy was weird, too.

A strange mana reservoir that blurred the lines between heart and disconnection.

And the fact that he chose a sword from his storehouse meant he had a trick up his sleeve.

It didn't occur to him that his daughter would lose, of course, but it didn't make sense for Adrias, who had a trick up his sleeve, to abstain.

"No, no. Maybe he's abstaining to hide his abilities.'

If that was the case, then it was someone like Yamcha.

He deserved to be punished for daring to keep her waiting here, and more importantly, for keeping Diene waiting.

"You've waited a long time, everyone! The main round of the 58th Spring Tournament will begin now!"

Boom! Pow!

Soon after, the moderator announced the start of the tournament.

Adrias Cromwell was still not present.

"Before we begin, we have a speech from Deos Canyon, Headmaster of Rodlen Academy and renowned scholar."

Now there was no time to waste after that speech.

And Deos was notoriously short with his speeches.

"Well, I don't know what to say. I hope you enjoy showing off the skills you've honed over the past year. That's all."

The kindly-looking principal with a long white beard ended his speech with a hearty laugh.

After a short, uneventful speech, the moderator finally called out the competitors for the first match.

"This is Cheung Connor. Daughter of the great Duke of Alben and heir to the talents of the great Lord Rodlen! This is Diane Alven!"

"Whoa-!"

The cheers were so loud that they drowned out the moderator's voice.

It was a response that showed the popularity of Diane Alben.

It was only natural that the public would react to her, as she had been known for her looks and talent since she was a child.

"Red Corner, Adrias Cromwell, the wizard who has recently risen to godhood in the potion-making world by creating the Everlasting Potion!"

The moderator called out, but there was no one in Red Corner.

The crowd was puzzled, too, and a slight commotion broke out, which the moderator tried to control.

"Adrias Cromwell! If you don't show up in the next three minutes, you'll be disqualified and the winner will be Dierne Alben."

Boos erupted from the crowd as the moderator finished.

For those who had come to watch the match, a forfeit was not a funny story.

Diane frowned at the thought of Adrias not showing up.

"Did he get scared and run away?

If that was indeed the case, I had no choice but to lower my rating of him again, which had been favorable recently.

Even in a losing match, Diane could be unrelentingly harsh on those who didn't give it their all.

'It didn't seem that way during the final evaluation....'

Time passed.

The moderator, unable to delay the proceedings any longer, spoke again.

"Okay, three minutes have passed. Apparently, Adrias is not participating, so the winner is...."

"Wait!"

The moderator was suddenly interrupted by Diene's voice.

Diane looked at the moderator and raised her finger.

Her gaze followed her fingertips, and there was Adrias, out of breath as if he'd been running.

"I'm sorry, I'm late."

Adrias's appearance left the audience, the moderator, and Diane speechless.

His clothes were torn as if he had been on a battlefield, and his body was covered in wounds, with no spare inch.

A particularly nasty cut on his cheek made him look particularly haggard, but Adrias cleared his throat and seemed unperturbed.

"Shall we begin?"