Chapter 114: The Shape of Chance (1)

The tournament progressed, generating a flurry of commentary.

What most captivated the imperial public was, without a doubt, Oliver of the Elgast family.

Born of noble blood, he had been acclaimed from a young age for far surpassing his peers in skill. For the citizens of the Empire, he was a symbol of pride.

No one doubted that he was the strongest of all the tournament participants.

“Isn’t the third prince of Briol strong too?”

“I heard he didn’t participate.”

“So he must not be skilled?”

“Even if he is, it would only be within a small country like Briol. Maybe he feared he wasn’t good enough for the Empire.”

“They say he shined in the Alliance.”

“That must be an exaggeration. I heard even Laurent is stronger.”

“In the end, a prince is just a prince, right?”

On the other hand, Yuri’s absence from the tournament raised questions about his true abilities—especially among those already discontent that the hero of the Alliance wasn’t from the Empire, but rather a prince of Briol.

But Yuri didn’t care.

He preferred that the Empire’s future enemies underestimated him rather than shower him with fleeting praise. Underestimating an enemy is a mistake paid for in blood.

“Do you want me to say something, Your Highness?”

“No need.”

Jared, walking beside him with his face covered, frowned at the remarks they heard around them.

“They’re pissing me off. You should’ve entered the tournament…”

“It wouldn’t be fair for me to wade in among small fry.”

“Well, that’s true…”

“Laurent is up against Fenek today, right?”

“Yes.”

“A shame for Fenek.”

The tournament progressed without major surprises. The ones expected to win did so, and those destined to lose fell. Thus, they reached the round of sixteen. The names were already familiar to Yuri.

“Sybilla’s going against Oliver, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Will they fall on the same day…?”

It would be a tough day for the Holy Kingdom. Fenek and Sybilla were strong knights in their own right, but not at the level of Laurent or Oliver.

“Sven’s still in?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow…”

“I don’t know if it’s luck or skill, but he’s advanced.”

Aside from that, Sven continued winning unexpectedly, and Froin was also accumulating victories without issue.

“What should we do today? We’re not going to the tournament, are we?”

“Exactly.”

While the tournament unfolded, Yuri usually went to practice the One Strike technique at the Fencing Guild or did volunteer work at the temple to strengthen his ties with the Dark Knight.

Beyond that, there wasn’t much to do. Since the trail on dark magic had gone cold at the imperial palace, the investigation couldn’t move forward.

He could only rely on Ragnar.

“Any news from the prince?”

“No, nothing.”

“Hmm…”

Since he informed him of his suspicions about the crown prince, Ragnar hadn’t stopped moving.

“Unless…”

Suddenly, an idea occurred to Yuri. Something he hadn’t considered since arriving in the capital.

“What if I visit the Magic Tower today?”

Yuri had never shown interest in magic. That’s why it had never crossed his mind to visit the tower. But now, suddenly, he felt like going. He simply felt like it.

“Is that allowed? Hernando goes often, so maybe they’ll let us in.”

“Don’t you think?”

Hernando kept going in and out of the Magic Tower, saying he was investigating the mysterious scroll. But he never explained what he was doing there.

“Since I thought of it, let’s go.”

“Perfect. I’ve been curious about it. One day I’d like to visit the main headquarters…”

“You’re interested in magic?”

“When I was a kid, yeah.”

“You wanted to be a mage?”

“Not really, but I think we all fantasize about magic when we’re young.”

They hailed a carriage and headed to the Magic Tower.

Though known as a “tower,” outside the main headquarters they didn’t use tower-shaped buildings. The imperial branch was a large ivory-colored rectangular building.

Its perfectly aligned square windows gave it a geometric feel.

Yuri and Jared got out of the carriage and headed to the entrance. No guards were in sight.

“No guards?”

“Can we just go in?”

“I guess…”

“Let’s try.”

After a moment’s hesitation, they opened the door and stepped inside. As soon as they crossed the threshold, a strange smell enveloped them. It smelled like herbs, or maybe sulfur.

“Smells bad.”

“They say mages dabble in alchemy too, so…”

The interior wasn’t particularly notable. The hallways were the same ivory color as the exterior walls. Aside from some closed wooden doors at regular intervals, there were no decorations or furniture.

It looked like a new building still unoccupied.

No one was around. Only they stood there.

“Hello?”

Jared raised his voice. His echo rang through the hall.

“Anyone there?”

After the echo faded, silence returned. Unable to resist, Jared knocked on one of the doors.

And then, he got an immediate response.

“I’m concentrating, get lost! Don’t bother me!”

“Eh?”

Not expecting a response, he jumped back startled. They thought no one was there, but clearly someone was inside.

“Was Hernando known for his temperament?”

“Maybe…”

“There’s not even a receptionist here?”

Just then, one of the many closed doors opened. A woman with an exhausted look and thick glasses came out, dragging her feet. Shoulders slumped, she passed Yuri and Jared without even glancing at them.

Jared followed and spoke to her.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes…?”

“We’re looking for someone, do you know where we could find him?”

“No idea.”

“But we haven’t even said the name…”

“I haven’t slept, so my brain doesn’t work. I can’t even remember my mother’s name, so don’t bother me and go away.”

And with a wave of her hand, as if swatting a fly, she staggered off. Yuri asked:

“By any chance, do you know Hernando?”

“…”

The woman, who hadn’t responded before, stopped after taking about five steps.

“S-Sir Hernando?”

“Yes.”

“Are you his guests?”

“That’s right.”

“Ah, in that case…”

She adjusted her glasses, closed her eyes, and rubbed her temples.

“Him… him… what floor was it…?”

“He’s upstairs?”

“The numbers… This is the ground floor, right?”

“Yes.”

“What comes after the ground floor?”

“Sorry?”

“What floor comes after the ground floor?”

“The second.”

“Right. And after the second…?”

“The fourth?”

“And above that?”

“The fifth.”

“Go ask there.”

A mage who can’t count makes no sense. Jared stared in disbelief, but she frowned and turned away.

“I told you… I haven’t slept.”

And she stumbled off again. Mages were said to be eccentric, but they hadn’t expected this level.

“This is already weird.”

“Guess all mages are like this.”

They went up the central staircase. The fifth floor had the same layout: a long corridor and neatly aligned closed wooden doors.

“Think Hernando’s behind one of these?”

“Do we open them all?”

“That’d be rude…”

“Then let’s shout.”

“Alright, you try.”

“Why don’t you do it, prince?”

“I don’t want to.”

“Why not?”

“Someone might cast a spell for making noise.”

Just then—

“Who are you looking for?”

A voice came from behind them. Yuri turned around, heart clenching. He hadn’t sensed the slightest presence.

“Who are you…?”

A hooded figure held a staff taller than himself. His face wasn’t visible, but his short stature and clear voice clearly belonged to a young boy.

“You mentioned Hernando, right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What a perfect coincidence. I’ve come here looking for Hernando too.”

The way he spoke was entirely like an old man. Jared tilted his head, confused.

“Eh… then, do you know where Hernando is?”

“Not yet.”

“Then…”

“We’ll find out now. Hehehe…”

“How?”

“Wait.”

He struck the ground with his staff. Then he spun it between his hands as if lighting a fire and tossed it into the air. The staff twirled several times before falling, unbalanced.

The young man picked it up and pointed in the direction it had landed facing.

“There. It’s that one.”

“Huh?”

“Hernando is in that room.”

“Really? Didn’t you just spin it at random?”

“Tch. How can a mere swordsman hope to understand the will of heaven and earth?”

Jared let out a dry laugh. It seemed to him that the boy, enthralled with the image of mages, was just putting on an act.

“Come on, kid. Stop playing and get lost.”

“Kid? Playing?”

“Adults are busy. We don’t have time to entertain you.”

“Adults?”

The boy burst out laughing.

“With how little you’ve lived, you call yourself an adult? You shouldn’t even be using that word.”

“This little brat…”

“Call me ‘kid’ again, and you’ll regret it.”

“You’re the one who needs a lesson from your older brother.”

“Older brother? Hahahaha…”

As they argued, one of the doors slowly opened. Yuri, watching from behind, frowned.

“Huh…?”

Did the spinning of the staff really have some meaning? From the room the hooded boy had pointed to, Hernando emerged.

When he saw Yuri, he gave him a complicated look. His gaze was so strange that Yuri couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

“Phew…”

After sighing, Hernando greeted Yuri with a slight bow and addressed the two who were arguing.

“You two, please stop…”

But neither seemed willing to yield.

“Sir Hernando, this child has no manners.”

“Hernando, did you hear him call me a child?”

“Ugh…”

Hernando stepped between them and separated them with effort.

“For now, let’s not argue here. Please, come inside.”

The two exchanged glares and reluctantly followed. Yuri also joined them and entered Hernando’s room. The door closed behind them.

Yuri looked around, stunned.

“What is this…?”

Incredibly, the interior was a lush forest. Thick vegetation, blooming flowers, the sound of birds singing above.

The scent of damp earth confirmed that the scene was real.

“This is my domain.”

“How is this possible…?”

“You could say it’s a kind of workshop. It can be linked from the Magic Tower. But that’s not important right now…”

Hernando looked at the hooded figure.

“From Your Highness and Sir Jared I expected it… but what brings you here?”

“Can’t I come?”

“But you hate me…”

Jared tilted his head. Hernando was treating the other with excessive respect.

What if, instead of a child, under the hood there was an old man full of wrinkles?

Hernando turned to Yuri and Jared.

“Allow me to introduce him. This is…”

“No, I’ll do it.”

Interrupting, the hooded boy turned to Jared and pointed his staff at his chest.

“Boy, pay attention. Take a good look at who I am.”

He removed his hood. Beneath it was a boy with light salmon-colored hair, delicate features, and large eyes. So pretty he could be mistaken for a girl.

Jared tilted his head.

“It’s a kid.”

“Tch…”

Yuri elbowed him.

“Hey, Jared.”

“Yes?”

“Look at that.”

“What?”

“Look at his ears.”

Jared shifted his gaze. Beneath the short hair that reached the boy’s neck, long pointed ears peeked out.

“Ah…”

Jared’s eyes widened. He looked back and forth between the boy’s face and ears.

“Could it be…”

“That’s exactly right.”

“May I ask your age…?”

“Probably older than your grandfather’s grandfather.”

“Ah…”

Jared bowed his head.

“My apologies. I sincerely beg your forgiveness.”

“You need to learn not to trust only what you see.”

“Yes, sir…”

Yuri was also quite surprised. Though other races existed on the continent besides humans, their numbers had dwindled so much that they hid away in secret refuges.

Currently, they were nowhere to be found on the continent.

But not all had vanished. Some still wandered without taking refuge in the World Tree Forest.

The last elf on the continent. And at the same time, one of the Ten Great Mages.

“I am the Grand Mage Inariel.”