Episode 18. Tournament
"Once more, I beg of you!"
"Heh heh."
Dean Yulio let out a strained laugh.
Even the back of a man who prided himself on his stamina was soaked with clammy sweat before he knew it.
"It might be best to rest a bit and then resume…."
"No. Right now."
Silvia, who had returned from the subjugation practical training, was pushing herself relentlessly.
Given Silvia's nature, most of her training had been conducted in the form of sparring.
This sparring, too, hadn't exceeded once a week.
Yet today alone, it was already the third time.
"Silvia, it's not that I don't understand how you feel. But let's rest a little. I must also attend to the Princess's magic lessons."
Silvia read the room and reluctantly backed down.
"Yes, very well."
"Tsk, tsk. I can't tell if I should be pleased or try to stop her."
There was no doubt that Vineril Dalhaim had left a strong impression on the two girls.
Since the subjugation practical training, Rike, too, had been pushing herself hard in magic training.
Though not as much as Silvia.
In the Dean's eyes, she seemed to be feeling a certain sense of responsibility.
The fear that she herself might become a burden. A sense of duty that she must not accept help from anyone.
'Whether one could call that a sense of responsibility, I do not know.'
He could understand their feelings, but excessive training could become poison instead.
In Dean Yulio's eyes, neither Silvia's nor Rike's skills were inferior to their peers.
'And I doubt they'd listen even if I told them.'
Silvia had a stubborn streak.
Watching her quietly, she held an overly strong belief that she had to accomplish everything on her own.
That wasn't why he had brought Vineril here.
Dean Yulio's intention had been for the three to become comrades who acknowledged one another, not to create such an overheated competitive relationship.
Rike was gentle and warm by nature, Vineril cold and collected.
And Silvia was passionate, with a fiery temperament.
He had hoped these distinct children would rely on one another and grow together, but.
'Time will resolve it, I suppose.'
An old man's meddling could sometimes become poison to young students.
As long as the three did not stray from the path, the Dean had no intention of intervening.
"My disciple, you feel the same way, do you not?"
"Yes? About what?"
Rike was struggling, attempting to chant several complex spells simultaneously.
At a glance, it was obvious she was imitating Vineril.
"More importantly, Master. I'm stuck on this part and can't get it to work. How should I proceed here…."
"Oh, my head."
Dean Yulio smacked his forehead and groaned.
Just then, someone knocked on the training room door.
Rike suppressed Silvia, who was getting up to answer, with a look, and dashed out.
"Master? An official document has arrived for you."
"An official document? There's nothing that should be coming. They should just send it via communication magic. How troublesome."
Dean Yulio unfolded the delivered document and held it up.
"Oho? Hmm."
Rike, who had been watching the Dean's reaction, asked with a curious expression.
"What does it say? Is it something we shouldn't know?"
"It's unexpected. You may look."
Dean Yulio handed the document to Rike.
Silvia, approaching a beat late, gauged the two's reactions.
"Silvia, look at this."
Silvia received the document and slowly read down its contents.
"Proposal Regarding Changes to This Year's Scala Selection Method. The sender is Ryoze… Elfenbain?"
Silvia's eyes went wide as she met gazes with the other two.
Dean Yulio scratched his cheek.
In the Magician's Tower Elfenbain, there was only one who bore that surname.
It had been quite some time since she had offered such a direct opinion on an official matter…….
Ryoze Elfenbain—that name was none other than.
"The Tower Master."
The master of Magic Tower Elfenbain.
Vineril Dalhaim was running at the public training ground.
Basic stamina training had now become an indispensable part of his daily routine.
After his conversation with Veritas, it had become difficult to visit the Dean's training room often.
Because someone's gaze glaring holes into Vineril was too burdensome….
On days without special lessons, he would choose a free hour and come out to the public training ground like this.
After the conversation with Veritas, the fever he had been suffering from vanished as if washed away.
As if he had taken some effective medicine, aside from a bit of fatigue, his condition was no different from usual.
Ah, no, it wasn't exactly the same as usual.
Because his power to wield magic had increased from before.
Along with the amount of mana obtained from absorbing the magic stone, Vineril could viscerally feel that casting magic had become easier than before.
Dean Yulio often explained this with the phrase, "muscles have grown on your soul."
Just as moving the body built muscles on the flesh, overcoming crises built muscles on the soul, or so he would say.
Believe it or not, either way, it was good that his skills had grown.
Veritas was the same as ever. As if there had never been any conflict between them, his usual sardonic attitude remained unchanged.
'Good grief, what has even changed.'
—What did you say?
'Nothing.'
Lost in various thoughts, quite a bit of training time had passed.
Practicing magic at the public training ground was difficult.
Probably because of other people's gazes….
So he either trained in his room while testing his control, or did so in the Dean's training room.
"Shall I call it a day?"
Just as he was packing up and about to leave, some people were gathered around a bulletin board.
"What's going on?"
Curious, Vineril approached to sneak a peek.
The object of attention was a wall poster made of parchment.
Moreover, it was an enormous official gazette stamped with the Magic Tower's symbol.
Slipping through the crowd, he could read the contents written in glowing letters.
"Notice Regarding This Year's Scala Selection Method?"
The Scala exam was originally a system in which Elfenbain's professors personally selected and recommended their disciples each year.
Mostly, honor students called top disciples were recommended, but not all top disciples received recommendations.
The final decision was always at the professor's discretion.
That was why corrupt individuals like Professor Freud existed.
"That's a relief."
If the selection method was changing, Vineril welcomed it.
If the selection method became fair, Vineril would have no need to visit Professor Freud.
The very thought of seeing him again was enough to make his skin crawl.
The contents were simple.
It stated that this year, magic duels would be conducted among students to determine Scala selection qualifications.
"Magic duels?"
"There was such a thing?"
It might be unfamiliar to ordinary students, but Vineril was already familiar with it, having experienced the system once before.
'So it helps like this.'
Vineril suddenly thought of Gillian.
'But it's unexpected. Weren't magic duels forgotten due to the Magic Tower's decision?'
The more surprising fact was not in the gazette's contents.
It lay in the one who delivered those contents.
"Tower Master, Ryoze Elfenbain."
The change in this year's selection method was said to be due to the Tower Master's proposal.
That was a name of great weight.
To think that a forgotten system of the Magic Tower would be revived by the Tower Master's own hand.
—Vineril.
—I feel it.
—That name. I feel something from that name.
"From a name."
Vineril approached the name Veritas had mentioned.
Tower Master, Ryoze, Elfenbain.
The three words written on the gazette glowed mysteriously, as if stardust had been scattered over them.
—Traces of mana remain. This woman will have clues to the first page.
'By page, do you mean the page from the Book of Truth that was lost?'
—Yes, exactly.
Vineril's eyes went wide.
He had never expected to find it so quickly.
'But knowing doesn't help me do anything about it. Even if I went to see the Tower Master, I doubt she'd meet with me.'
—Read the contents again.
Vineril carefully read the gazette again.
The tournament was for Scala selection; on the last line was written the champion's reward.
'The tournament champion shall receive a reward from the Tower Master.'
The Tower Master's reward would, first and foremost, be an opportunity to meet face-to-face with the Tower Master.
That opportunity itself was a dreamlike event for any mage.
But, champion?
'Isn't that too tough?'
—Win and meet her. It is time to fulfill the contract.
"That's incredible."
The tournament opened on a grand scale.
It seemed like all of Elfenbain's students, faculty, and staff had gathered.
For junior students, it was a chance to see the skills and levels of the senior students just above them;
for senior students, it was a fair selection opportunity, open to all who applied without condition;
and for staff and instructors, it was a chance to compare their disciples' abilities.
And in that it provided them all with a rare spectacle, it was a large-scale affair.
Silvia and Vineril declared their intention to participate; Rike did not apply.
About sixty or so senior students participated. Quite a few unfamiliar faces could be seen here and there.
The spectators' excited fervor was transmitted directly to the participants.
Some students were already so nervous that you could see their entire bodies trembling.
"The atmosphere is no joke, huh?"
Vineril approached Silvia, whom he at least somewhat knew, and struck up a conversation.
Silvia didn't answer.
She glared at Vineril with burning eyes and put a fair distance between them.
"What in the world are you angry about?"
The tournament proceeded simultaneously across several arenas.
Among the first several names called was Silvia's.
In magic duels, the basic rule was to perform incantations loudly enough for the opponent to perceive them.
Because the participants' chanting voices could be confusing, soundproofing magic was deployed between the arenas.
It was a system where spectators could approach whichever arena they liked and watch.
Silvia stepped up into the arena.
Vineril had no interest in other people's duels, so he followed Silvia's match.
"Then, begin!"
"O light wind dwelling in my feet, O force like a god of fire dwelling in my two arms."
Silvia's specialty was close combat. She chanted acceleration magic and strength magic in succession.
Seeing that she wasn't exerting herself particularly hard, it seemed Silvia had grown since before.
Taking advantage of the opening while Silvia prepared, her opponent chanted magic as well.
Three crackling lightning arrows floated above the opponent's head.
Silvia charged at her opponent. It was a tremendous speed.
The opponent looked flustered when Silvia charged bare-handed.
This must be a far cry from the magic duel he had expected.
But he calmly took aim and threw the lightning arrows. One, two, and the third he threw almost immediately after the one before it, making it difficult to dodge.
"What is she trying to do?"
Even seeing the streaks of lightning flying toward her, Silvia neither turned aside nor retreated. Rather, she lowered her upper body and increased her speed.
The first lightning bolt was seen scraping just above Silvia's head.
"Wow."
And the second. Silvia twisted her step once and slammed her body to the side.
Crackle!
The lightning arrow that struck the ground let out a small thunderclap.
But the problem was the third attack. It was a situation where she had already changed direction once and had to take it.
Silvia didn't stop to chant defensive magic. She went straight ahead.
"What are you thinking!"
Vineril clicked his tongue at Silvia's recklessness. The spectators across from him could be seen holding their breath.
In that instant when the third lightning arrow and Silvia's body were about to collide.
She twisted her shoulder, put her weight behind it, and directly struck the incoming streak of lightning.
A clash between fist and lightning! But the result was astonishing.
Silvia had torn through her opponent's magic with her magically reinforced body.
"Wow!"
Gasps and cheers hailed down. The opponent, too, was so surprised that he couldn't mount any defense before she approached.
"I concede!"
Before allowing her attack to land, he swiftly cried out his surrender. People applauded, celebrating her victory.
Clap, clap, clap!
Vineril, too, applauded the splendid match.
Silvia looked down at Vineril from the arena where victory had been decided.
Keeping her thumb raised, she lifted her hand and made a slashing gesture across her throat. It was a provocation aimed at Vineril.
At the unexpected performance, the crowd's attention focused on Vineril as well. Having finished her celebration, Silvia exited the arena.
"…Did I do something wrong?"
Vineril had no idea.