"You're right. You did win. But we need to talk about something else first."
A magical binding rope was used to tie Emrys's hands behind his back.
Emrys forced a smile and glanced at Clover, who had bound him. Then he looked back at Desmond, whose expression remained stern.
"Let's go," Desmond said, walking ahead.
Other teachers assisted Clover as they held Emrys by both arms to escort him away.
Everything happened so quickly that Emrys couldn't resist. He wanted to ask why he was being treated like this when all he did was win the competition.
Until the memory he feared returned to him-
the fear that the world would become alarmed by his true power.
In everything he had been thinking about, he had made a huge mistake by forgetting the most important reason why he wanted to hide his true level and strength.
But if he hadn't revealed his power, he might have already lost and been expelled from the institution.
And now, the consequence was far worse and more complicated-something he could no longer escape from.
So he didn't ask anything anymore. He already knew the answer.
When they stepped outside the building, the students there saw Emrys being surrounded by teachers, his hands tied behind him as they walked.
"Where are they taking him?" Loan asked as he looked toward Sai. "Are they planning to kill Emrys now?"
Eris folded his arms and exhaled. "And why would they do that?"
"He must've done something wrong-that's why the institution is arresting him," Sai replied seriously, his eyes fixed on the boy being taken away.
Eris turned to him with a stern expression.
"And what exactly did he do wrong?"
"He just won the competition, right? What's wrong with that?" Loan added.
Sai sighed. "The way you ask questions, it's like you don't like what you're seeing either."
Eris and Loan both fell silent, then grinned at the same time.
"Maybe you're right," Eris said.
"That's true. Serves him right. If he did something wrong, then it's better if he gets punished," Loan added with a quiet laugh.
On one side, leaning against a streetlight, was Jin Dui. He had just woken up earlier and hadn't witnessed the last battles, only the headmaster's announcement about the end of the first competition.
He wasn't far from Sai's group, so he clearly heard everything they were saying.
Calmly, he walked away as if he didn't care. Like him, the other students were also leaving one by one to finally rest after the exhausting battle.
__
The institution's tribunal.
A wide and private hall, similar to a place where criminals were judged and sentenced.
But in this case, since it was within the institution, it existed to judge and punish students who violated important rules.
In an elegant room where King Sauro was staying, he had just woken up and was currently having coffee on his balcony with an attendant beside him. Then there was a knock at the door.
A guard opened it, and a teacher walked straight to the balcony. He bowed to the king, who was facing away, before explaining his purpose.
When King Sauro heard it, he immediately set his cup down on the small table. He sighed and looked at the scenery beyond his balcony.
"So, your headmaster wants me to be one of the judges for the boy Valestron? Because of his offense of using magic forbidden by the institution's administration, is that correct?"
"That is correct, Your Majesty."
"Tell me, what kind of magic did this Valestron use that requires a tribunal in the presence of a noble?" the king asked, elegantly sipping his coffee.
"According to Headmaster Hanzuo, the boy Valestron used an extraordinary power that could deceive even the Book of Knowledge by hiding his true level and strength."
"Hm. This does sound like an interesting case," King Walder said. A teacher had also visited his room to deliver the same message. "Very well. I agree to be one of the judges in this tribunal."
And unlike the two kings, King Xien responded with far more than agreement.
"I want to be the only one to judge that Valestron! Let him prepare himself. I will give him the punishment a worthless child deserves for daring to challenge a noble."