“Chapter 63”
“Still Dissatisfied”“
“The final attack. You definitely could have countered it.”
What a relief.
It seemed like Daon didn’t recognize him either.
Seeing the unintentional smile of relief on Morgan’s face, Daon raised an eyebrow.
“The final attack?”
“Don’t play dumb.”
Daon looked at Morgan with sharp eyes.
The battle against the instructor to qualify for participation.
Daon intended to face the participants without moving a single step, and he did just that.
But with one exception.
In the battle with Morgan Dayel, he took half a step.
During the final attack, when he struck Morgan’s sword upward, he noticed something.
Morgan acted as if he had lost his grip on the sword due to Daon’s attack and deliberately let it go.
Daon was convinced. He had seen Morgan Dayel’s grip weaken.
It seemed like Morgan had gone easy on him and chose to lose, which deeply annoyed Daon.
“Disqualified.”
You don’t seem serious about passing, so I disqualified you. I also disqualified the ones after you because they were too weak.
“Well, even if you say I’m playing dumb, I’ve nothing to say. I lost to you, instructor.”
If this isn’t playing dumb, then what is?
Morgan’s red lips, unadorned by any gloss, spoke the words with ease.
Daon frowned as he looked at Morgan, who was at a similar eye level to him.
“Morgan Day—”
But just then, a group of people started passing by the two of them. As the time for the re-evaluation approached, the students began to move.
On the path leading to the evaluation hall.
The students, noticing Daon talking with Morgan, quickly greeted them and hurried past.
“……”
Daon closed his mouth, keeping in the words he was about to say amidst the flood of greetings.
He slightly narrowed his golden eyes as he glanced at Morgan before turning away.
“We’ll talk next time.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
As Daon walked away, Philip followed him and said,
“It’s a relief, young master. I was so nervous, thinking you might fight with him.”
“Shut up.”
Daon, who already had great potential, had felt his powers growing stronger for some strange reason over the past six years.
As the years passed, suspicion turned into certainty. Since then, Daon had only used his powers just enough to avoid suffering from high fevers.
“Brother, aren’t you holding back on using your powers too much? Use them when you need to. I’ll purify it all for you.”
Even with Riche’s cheerful words, Daon mumbled a vague response.
My powers are too strong. What if I end up hurting you while you purify me?
That worry kept Daon from using his abilities. Because Riche was a Rutium.
Daon’s concerns about the changes in his powers didn’t end there. As he moved away from the crowd, he thought,
‘There’s more people, so the smells are stronger.’
As his powers grew, the scents Daon detected through his breathing also changed.
While there was still no scent from Riche, other people’s breaths carried the smells of their life experiences.
For example, a knight from the seaside had the scent of iron and the sea. The librarian who used to work at a flower shop had the scent of flowers and books.
And then,
“Hello, Instructor Derkedeon.”
From a student who had once used their powers, Daon could smell the scent of someone with abilities.
“Still…”
““”What? Young Master, what did you say?”““
Daon murmured as he recalled Morgan’s blonde hair and golden eyes.
He’s still someone I don’t like.
‘Iandwain Gerwer.’
“ “ “
“Did your daughter arrive safely?”
At the Lodwick Ducal Estate, in Blake’s study.
Duke Hibettsman spoke to Blake, who was seated at his desk.
Blake, focused on the documents in front of him, responded.
“I heard she passed the qualification test on the first day.”
“That was expected. But Blake, you’re holding your papers upside down.”
What’s the point of pretending to read diligently?
Blake’s mind was so consumed with worry for his child that he couldn’t even focus on the words in front of him.
Duke Hibettsman calmly sipped his tea, knowing this would happen.
“Why did you say you’d respect her decision? If you had opposed her participation in Kselphon, you wouldn’t be this worried now.”
Or, like me, you could have insisted on accompanying her.
Even Duke Hibettsman had been rejected by Riche and was in the same position as Blake.
The Duke then said to Blake,
“Don’t worry too much. I heard your son went as an examiner.”
“…You mean Daon.”
A few days ago, Riche had contacted him.
Blake was in disbelief. Daon, who had left home without a word and had been a cause of concern, was now at Kselphon as an examiner.
[Dad, do you think someone’s blackmailing my brother…?]
Even as he assured Riche that it couldn’t be true, Blake couldn’t shake off his uneasy feeling.
“I’ll find out what’s going on. Don’t worry too much, Riche.”
It would be quicker to ask Daon directly, but Kselphon was strictly off-limits to outsiders during the tournament until the main event started.
The only people allowed within the walls were the residents and those involved in the tournament.
“Take care of yourself. I’ll come to see you as soon as the main event begins.”
“I have to pass the preliminaries first. I might be coming home as early as tomorrow.”
“That would be fine too.”
Blake ended the call with Riche.
He immediately investigated the circumstances of Daon becoming an examiner but found nothing unusual except that it was done through the proper channels.
‘It seems he followed Riche.’
Blake concluded. Daon had become an adult this year. He must have had his reasons for acting as he did.
Not passing a single participant must have been for a reason.
…Probably.
“Six years ago.”
During this, Duke Hibettsman, who had been silently gazing into his tea, spoke up.
“The day your daughter saved me.”
“…?”
It wasn’t a topic to be brought up lightly.
Blake shifted his gaze to the Duke, wondering if a serious conversation was about to begin.
Still staring at his tea, Duke Hibettsman continued.
“While I was teetering between life and death, I saw a figure. I thought it was your daughter, so I didn’t mention it.”
“You thought it was Riche? Why?”
“It was silver hair. The only person with silver hair around me is your daughter. But lately, the memory has been coming back to me vividly. It might have been someone else.”
“If it wasn’t Riche, it must have been a dream. But why bring up such an old dream now?”
Blake was curious as to why the Duke would mention a dream that happened six years ago, even if it had resurfaced recently.
The Duke set his teacup down and replied.
“I have a bad feeling. About what that person said.”
“What did they say?”
When Duke Hibettsman was on the brink of death,
In the darkness of unconsciousness, he saw a distant, bright but lonely light. He followed the light to find a silhouette.
A woman with silver hair stood in the radiant light, her face obscured. The woman asked him,
[If you could return, what would you undo?]
“I…”
““At the moment Duke Hibettsman was about to respond, a powerful light pulled him upward, away from the scene. The woman, as if bidding farewell, waved at him from the receding darkness and said,”“
““[I will undo my mistakes.]”“
—
““”There are 47 students who passed the re-evaluation for the swordsmanship department,”““ announced the tournament organizers.
Professors and students from the 12 academies erupted in cheers upon hearing the results.
After arriving at Kselphon, they feared they might have to return to their academies without having done much.
““”Let’s finally unpack our bags!”““
Relieved, the swordsmanship students began to unpack their belongings at the dormitories. Some, however, were disheartened, knowing they would have to leave the next morning after failing the re-evaluation.
““’Thank goodness,’““ Riche thought, feeling a sense of relief as well. She had been worried that the students who failed might harbor ill feelings toward Daon.
Not that Daon would have cared much about such concerns, but still.
““’I wonder if those two are eating well,’““ Riche pondered as she made her way to the dining hall, located in the same building as the dorms, thinking of Daon and Phillip.
At least Phillip was with him, which was somewhat reassuring.
Rumor had it that Phillip had been appointed as an assistant instructor, a position each main instructor could fill.
““”Riche, are you going to eat?”““
““”Yes.”““
““”Let’s go together.”““
Jackson, a student from the botany department who had become friendly with Riche during their journey to Kselphon, approached her with a smile.
““”How’s the preparation for the preliminaries going, Jackson?”““
““”Just reviewing what I know. You never know what kind of challenges they’ll throw at us,”““ Jackson replied, his shoulders slumping slightly at the mention of the preliminaries.
There was a reason why Kselphon’s preliminary round took up four out of the six months of the tournament period.
Riche recalled the briefing they had received that afternoon.
““”The preliminaries will take place throughout the entire city. Each department will have five examiners, each setting a different task. Participants must choose a task and complete it. If you pass, you will receive a certificate from the examiner, securing your spot in the main event.”““
The Kselphon preliminaries were about solving the tasks assigned by the examiners over a four-month period.
Each examiner had three certificates to give out.
With five examiners per department, each department could send up to 15 participants to the main event.
““”Participants must seek out the examiner they wish to receive a certificate from and complete their task. Even if you fail, you can attempt another examiner’s task, but as time goes on, the number of certificates will dwindle.”““
Daon had made his task clear from the start.
““”I’ll only give a certificate to those who can defeat me.”““
It sounded like a declaration that no one would receive a certificate from him.
This meant that the 15 certificates for the swordsmanship department had effectively been reduced to 12. The students were disheartened, but none dared to challenge Daon’s words.
““”Have the tasks for the magic department been announced?”““
““”They’ll be announced at the Clocktower Plaza tomorrow,”““ Riche replied.
Since there was no prior information about the examiners, Riche decided she would take on the task of the examiner she had faced during the qualification round—a short-haired woman named Kaysley.
Upon hearing this, the surrounding magic students perked up their ears.
““’Better avoid wherever Riche is going,’““ they thought.
Among the magic department participants, a total of 38 students had passed the qualification round, including those from other academies.
While everyone assumed Riche would take the championship, they still hoped to at least advance to the main event.
Jackson, receiving a tray from Riche, cheerfully remarked,
““”Riche, you’ll get your certificate quickly, right? That’s nice. Then you can relax for the rest of the preliminary period.”““
—
““But Riche did not receive her certificate for over a week.”“
“Good morning, everyone.”“
If you want to earn a certificate, come find me and catch me.
I’ll be somewhere in the city, outside of the tournament grounds.
– Examiner Kaysley”
The wooden sign planted in the center of Clocktower Plaza was the beginning of the ordeal.
