The tournament unfolded amid a flurry of buzz and speculation.
Among the Empire’s citizens, all eyes were on Oliver of the Elgast family.
Born into noble blood, he had been praised since childhood for his skills that far surpassed those of his peers.
To the Empire, he was a symbol of pride.
No one doubted that Oliver was the most skilled competitor in the tournament.
“Isn’t the third prince of Briole strong, too?”
“I heard he didn’t even participate.”
“Then does that mean he’s not skilled?”
“Even if he is, that’s probably only in a small country like Briole. He must be afraid he won’t measure up in the Empire.”
“I heard he did well in the Alliance forces.”
“That’s probably an exaggeration. I heard Laurent is even stronger.”
“So, a prince is just a prince after all?”
Meanwhile, on the other side, doubts began to surface about Yuri’s skills since he hadn’t entered the tournament.
Especially those displeased that the hero of the Alliance forces was not from the Empire but from Briole, raised their voices.
But Yuri didn’t care.
He found it more satisfying to be underestimated by the people of the Empire—who would one day be his enemies—than to receive fleeting praise.
Underestimating an enemy always comes at a bloody cost.
“Your Highness, shall we go say something?”
“No need.”
Jared, walking alongside Yuri while his identity remained concealed, frowned at the conversations drifting around them.
“I’m honestly getting annoyed. Why not just join the tournament?”
“It’d be cheating if I joined while the minnows are playing.”
“That’s true, but still…”
“Did Laurent fight Fennec today?”
“Yes.”
“Too bad for Fennec.”
The tournament proceeded without major upsets. Those who were meant to win did, and those who were meant to lose fell.
And so, the round of sixteen arrived.
Now, names Yuri recognized filled the bracket.
“Sibyl is facing Oliver, right?”
“Yes.”
“Will they be eliminated on the same day…?”
It would be a tough day for the Holy Kingdom.
Both Fennec and Sibyl were strong knights in their own right, but neither could compare to Laurent or Oliver.
“Did Sven make it through?”
“Yes.”
“Oh…”
“Whether by luck or skill, he’s been advancing steadily.”
Besides that, surprisingly, Sven kept winning, and the professional players were also steadily racking up victories.
“What will you do today? Not going to watch the tournament?”
“No.”
While the tournament was underway, Yuri spent his time practicing pinpoint strikes at the swordsmanship guild or volunteering at the temple, building a rapport with the Black Knight.
Other than that, there was nothing else to do.
The trail of dark magic had abruptly gone cold at the palace, making any investigation impossible.
Now, he had no choice but to trust Ragna.
“Any news from His Majesty?”
“No.”
“Hmm…”
Since passing on suspicions about the crown prince, Ragna had been busily moving about.
“Or maybe…”
Suddenly, something occurred to Yuri.
A thought he hadn’t entertained once since arriving at the imperial capital.
“Maybe I should visit the Mage Tower today.”
Yuri had never been interested in magic. The idea of going to the Mage Tower had never crossed his mind before.
But now, for some reason, he felt like going.
Just a sudden urge.
“Think it’ll be possible? Sir Hernando is there, so I guess we can get in?”
“Probably.”
Hernando had been coming and going from the Mage Tower, trying to learn more about that mysterious parchment, though he hadn’t explained exactly what he was doing.
“Since it came to mind, let’s go.”
“Sounds good. I’ve been curious about the Mage Tower, too. I’ve wanted to visit the main branch sometime…”
“Were you interested in magic?”
“When I was young, yes.”
“You wanted to be a mage?”
“Not exactly. But everyone has a fascination with magic when they’re kids, right?”
They summoned a carriage that regularly traveled between the palace and the Mage Tower and headed there.
Though “Mage Tower” was used as a proper noun, the Empire’s branch didn’t actually have a tower.
It was a large, rectangular ivory-colored building. Square windows lined up at regular intervals, giving it a geometric feel.
Yuri and Jared stepped down from the carriage and walked toward the entrance.
There was no one at the door.
“No guards?”
“Can we just go in?”
“Probably not.”
“Hmm…”
“Let’s try.”
After a brief hesitation, they opened the door and stepped inside.
A strange smell hit them immediately—something like herbs mixed with sulfur.
“This smell’s not great.”
“Well, mages do alchemy too, so…”
Inside, it was nothing special. An ivory-colored corridor stretched ahead, matching the exterior.
Apart from evenly spaced wooden doors, there was no decoration or furniture, making it feel like they’d accidentally wandered into a brand-new building no one had moved into yet.
No matter where they looked, it was just the two of them standing there.
“Hello?”
Jared called out, and his voice echoed.
“No one here?”
The silence returned once the echo faded.
Growing impatient, Jared knocked on a nearby door.
Suddenly, a voice snapped back.
“I’m concentrating, so buzz off! Don’t bother me!”
“Uh?”
Startled by the sudden shout, Jared stepped back.
So someone was here after all.
“Was Hernando known to be easygoing?”
“Maybe…”
“Is there really no receptionist?”
Then, one of the many firmly closed doors suddenly opened.
A woman with thick glasses and a haggard face shuffled out.
Her shoulders slumped as she moved unsteadily, ignoring Yuri and Jared as she passed by.
Jared followed and called out.
“Excuse me.”
“Yes…?”
“I’m looking for someone. Do you know where they might be?”
“No.”
“You don’t even know the name I said…”
“I haven’t slept, so my head’s not working. I probably wouldn’t even remember my mother’s name, so please don’t bother me.”
She waved her hand as if shooing away a fly and walked off.
Yuri called after her.
“Do you know Hernando?”
“…”
She ignored him at first but finally responded after taking about five steps.
“Oh, Hernando…?”
“Yes.”
“Are you his guest?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, then…”
She adjusted her glasses, closed her eyes, and tapped her temple.
“Uh, uh… which floor was it again…?”
“Is he upstairs?”
“The number. This is the first floor, right?”
“Yes.”
“What’s above this floor?”
“Excuse me?”
“How many floors above the first floor?”
“Second floor.”
“Oh, right. Then above that is…”
“Fourth floor?”
“Higher?”
“Fifth floor.”
“Go ask there.”
It made no sense that a mage couldn’t count floors. Jared stared blankly, and the woman frowned and turned away.
“I told you, I haven’t slept…”
She shuffled off somewhere else.
He’d heard mages were eccentric, but this was something else.
“Really strange.”
“Guess all mages are like that.”
They climbed the stairs in the middle of the corridor.
The fifth floor looked exactly the same—long corridors lined with wooden doors at regular intervals.
“Is Hernando somewhere here?”
“Should we try opening the doors?”
“That’d be rude…”
“Then let’s shout.”
“Alright, let’s try.”
“Your Highness, you should join too…”
“No thanks.”
“Why not?”
“Someone might cast a spell on us for being noisy.”
Just then—
“Who are you looking for?”
A voice came from behind.
Yuri’s heart skipped a beat as he turned around.
He hadn’t sensed anyone approaching.
“Who are you…?”
A hooded figure stood there, holding a wooden staff taller than himself.
Though his face was hidden, his small stature and clear voice revealed he was a boy.
“You said Hernando?”
“Yes, but…”
“What a remarkable coincidence. I came here looking for Hernando just like you.”
His tone was that of an old man. Jared tilted his head in confusion.
“Oh, well… do you know where Hernando is?”
“Not yet.”
“Then…”
“I’ll find out soon enough. Ha ha ha…”
“How?”
“Just wait.”
He slammed his staff on the floor, clasped his hands together, and rolled them as if lighting a fire, then suddenly let go.
The spinning staff wobbled and fell.
Picking it up, he pointed the tip in a direction.
“There, there he is.”
“Huh?”
“Hernando is in that room.”
“Are you sure? You’re just spinning it around.”
“Oh, a mere swordsman dares to challenge the harmony of heaven and earth?”
Jared chuckled. The boy seemed caught up in his own fantasy about mages, putting on a little show.
“Kid, enough jokes. Go on now.”
“Kid? Jokes?”
“Adults have important things to do and no time to play.”
“Adults?”
He burst out laughing.
“How long do you think you’ll live to be an adult? You don’t even deserve the word.”
“You little…”
“If you call me ‘kid’ one more time, you’ll be in for it.”
“You’re the one who needs a scolding today.”
“Scolding? Ha ha ha…”
As they talked, one of the closed doors quietly opened.
Yuri, watching from behind, tilted his head.
“Huh…”
Could there really have been meaning behind that silly staff-spinning?
From the room the hooded figure had pointed to, Hernando was indeed walking out.
He looked at Yuri with a complicated expression.
The look was so strange that Yuri tilted his head in return.
“Phew…”
Hernando let out a long sigh, then nodded politely to Yuri before stepping forward between the two locked in confrontation.
“Um, maybe you both should stop this…”
But neither showed any intention of backing down.
“Sir Hernando, this brat is quite ill-mannered.”
“Hernando, so this is what you call a brat.”
“Ugh…”
Hernando wedged himself between them and forcibly pulled them apart.
“Let’s not do this here. Please, come inside my room.”
They exchanged displeased glares but reluctantly followed Hernando. Yuri trailed behind them as they entered his room.
The door closed behind them.
Yuri looked around in a daze.
“How is this possible…?”
Unbelievably, inside was a lush, dense forest.
Thick foliage and blooming flowers surrounded them, and birds chirped overhead.
The scent of earth rising from the ground confirmed this scene was no illusion.
“This is my domain.”
“How can this be…?”
“It’s a kind of workshop, you could say. It’s connected through the mage tower. But that’s not important right now. Anyway…”
Hernando glanced at the hooded figure.
“Prince, and Sir Jared, I understand. But what brings you here?”
“Is it forbidden to come?”
“You were the one who didn’t want to see me…”
Jared tilted his head in confusion.
Hernando treated the figure with utmost respect.
Could it be that only the voice was young, and if the hood came off, an old man full of wrinkles would appear?
Hernando addressed Yuri and Jared.
“Let me introduce you. This is…”
“No, I’ll do it.”
The figure cut him off, turning toward Jared. With the tip of his staff, he jabbed Jared’s chest.
“Young one, look closely. See who I am.”
He pulled back his hood.
What emerged was a boy with soft, salmon-colored hair. His face was delicate, his eyes large—so pretty he could easily be mistaken for a girl.
Jared frowned.
“He is a kid, after all.”
“Hey now…”
Yuri jabbed Jared’s side.
“Jared.”
“Yes?”
“Look at that.”
“What?”
“His ears.”
Jared turned his gaze.
Among the boy’s short hair that hung down to his neck, long, pointed ears stretched out.
“Uh…”
Jared’s eyes widened.
He stared blankly, shifting his gaze between the boy’s face and those elongated ears.
“Could it be…”
“Exactly that.”
“May I ask your age…?”
“I’m older than my grandfather’s grandfather.”
“Ah…”
Jared bowed his head.
“My apologies. Please accept my sincere apologies.”
“You all need to stop believing only what you see.”
“Yes…”
Yuri was quite taken aback as she looked at the boy.
Though the continent was originally home to many races besides humans, their numbers had dwindled over time, and each had retreated into secret refuges known only to their kind.
Now, they were nowhere to be found across the continent.
But not all had vanished.
Some still wandered outside the World Tree’s forest.
The last elves of the continent.
And one of the Ten Great Mages.
“I am Inariel, the Archmage.”