"Emeralda, have you shared this information with anyone else besides us?" Sequoria asked immediately.
Her eyes were filled with concern, though her expression remained calm as she stared intently at Emeralda. She shook her head.
"Apart from Minister Scuro. He was the one who told me to ask Ativ whether he knew anything about the Derived Magic used by The Silent Gate, since Scuro knew that Ativ's family is famous for its extensive knowledge of Dark Magic and its derived forms."
She paused briefly before continuing.
"I haven't told anyone else. As soon as I reported what I'd learned to Scuro, he instructed me to inform only the queen and the three of you, since you're the people closest to Her Majesty."
Sequoria let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"Excellent work, Emeralda. Scuro is right—it's best if this information remains known to as few people as possible. Otherwise, it could create serious mistrust among the palace guards, the servants, and, above all, the ministers themselves."
Her voice grew more serious.
"It also risks alerting the mastermind behind the assassin that we've begun narrowing down the suspects and are getting closer to uncovering his identity. And considering how cautious this individual has already been, I would rather not give him a reason to become even more careful and difficult to track down."
"Lady Emeralda, did Mr. Ativ tell you anything else about the assassin's Derived Magic?" Katerina asked.
Her face had already returned to its usual calm and unreadable expression.
"Yes," Emeralda replied. "Katerina, Ativ also explained that the user doesn't necessarily need to touch the target location with one of his limbs. Any uncovered part of his body is enough to establish a portal."
She hesitated for a moment before adding,
"Even something detached from his body works. Ativ specifically mentioned fallen or torn-out strands of hair as an example."
The atmosphere in the room grew even heavier.
"And according to him," Emeralda continued, "there's apparently no limit to the distance the portals can cover. Creating a portal linking two nearby points costs the same amount of mana as creating one that connects this arena to the farthest edge of the continent."
"That's… troublesome," Aislyra muttered thoughtfully.
"If even a single strand of hair is enough to establish a portal, then there's still a possibility—though a very small one—that he managed to infiltrate the palace without inside help."
She crossed her arms while thinking aloud.
"With precise enough control over Wind Magic, someone could potentially carry a strand of hair from outside the palace all the way to my sister's room. Her windows aren't always closed, and a single hair would be incredibly difficult to notice."
Then her eyes narrowed.
"Still, I consider that scenario highly unlikely. Very few people possess enough mastery over Wind Magic to control something so small and light with that level of precision. And I absolutely refuse to believe The Silent Gate himself is capable of something like that."
Emeralda nodded in agreement, being one of the very few individuals truly capable of such precise manipulation through her mastery of wind.
"I agree," Sequoria said in her wise and composed voice. "However, I don't believe this is the right moment to obsess over the matter."
She folded her hands neatly in front of her.
"It remains extremely unlikely that The Silent Gate will attempt another attack during the tournament. There are simply too many exceptionally powerful individuals gathered here— some of which who would willingly risk their lives to protect the queen."
Her tone became more analytical.
"And right now, we still lack enough information to identify the mastermind without descending into pure paranoia. Therefore, I believe the best course of action is to continue enjoying the tournament while remaining extremely vigilant."
Then she added,
"Once the tournament ends, we can conduct a thorough investigation into everyone connected to the palace staff."
After saying that, she turned her gaze toward Lucas, silently conveying:
The final decision is yours.
Until now, Lucas had remained completely silent.
The idea that someone among the ministers—or among the people surrounding them—might be trying to kill him deeply unsettled him.
Of course, when he had first met them a month ago, such suspicions had seemed natural.
But the more time he spent with them, the more distant that possibility felt.
The six ministers, the members of the royal family, and even many of the palace servants all seemed like genuinely wonderful people—individuals who sincerely cared about the kingdom and its citizens and who constantly tried to support "Alberia" in their own ways.
Lucas didn't want to doubt them.
Even so, he also knew he could not completely dismiss the possibility.
That was why Sequoria's suggestion felt like the most reasonable choice to him as well. It perfectly matched his current state of mind.
"My mother is right," Lucas finally said in a regal voice that now sounded almost completely natural to him. "I also believe another attack during the tournament is unlikely, but remaining cautious is definitely the wisest choice."
A satisfied smile appeared on the former queen's face, though traces of concern still lingered within her eyes.
"Even so," Sequoria added, "Aislyra, just to be safe, you should go speak with Fortore and ask him to assign additional Royal Knights to guard the queen."
The moment those words were spoken, Emeralda immediately shot Aislyra a look overflowing with envy.
Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the Ranger's jealousy, Aislyra simply nodded toward her mother and calmly left the room.
Sad, Emeralda lowered her gaze toward the floor, looking utterly defeated. However, she immediately lifted her head again when she heard her queen speaking directly to her.
"Emeralda, thank you very much for bringing us this information. It's been incredibly helpful," Lucas began in a gentle voice filled with sincere gratitude.
Then, after briefly glancing at the clock on the wall—which now read 10:30 p.m.—he added,
"And now, if you'd like, you may return to your room. It's getting late, and the main tournament begins tomorrow. I imagine you'll want to get a proper night's rest before your match."
His voice became even kinder as he spoke.
Those words seemed to snap Emeralda fully back to reality. She immediately performed a respectful curtsy before the queen.
"There's no need to thank me, Your Majesty," the Ranger replied. "The idea came from Minister Scuro, and the information itself was provided by Ativ. If anyone deserves your gratitude, it should really be one—or both—of them."
Then she gave a small nod.
"Still, you are absolutely right. It's quite late, so I'll gladly follow your advice and return to my room to rest immediately."
After saying that, Emeralda departed, while Lucas, Katerina, and Sequoria waved farewell to her.
The remainder of the evening passed peacefully.
A short while later, Aislyra returned accompanied by four additional Royal Knights. Among them were the vice-captain Gilciso and his right-hand man Orlando—the same two knights who had been defeated during the first day of the preliminaries but had already fully recovered from their injuries.
Not long afterward, Sequoria also retired to her room, followed soon after by Aislyra and Katerina.
And so, Lucas was finally left alone.
For some time, he continued thinking about the possible identity of the mastermind behind the assassination attempts against him. Yet no matter how much he reflected on it, he simply could not bring himself to genuinely suspect any of the people he had come to know.
Unable to reach any conclusion, he eventually decided to go to sleep.
Even so, that night, the Silent Gate still lingered within his thoughts…
…even in his dreams.
The sun had risen not long ago, shining brilliantly over the capital.
Every seat in the arena stands was occupied.
At the center of the arena stood the same enormous "screen" that had appeared at the end of the preliminaries, together with the strange devices that had projected the images of the sixteen victorious participants.
The air itself seemed to tremble beneath the overwhelming anticipation surging through the crowd. Every spectator was eagerly waiting for the arrival of the announcer who had guided them through the two preliminary days of the tournament.
"I'm really happy you managed to come today, brother," Sequoria said with a radiant and joyful smile as she looked toward the person seated beside her.
"Of course," Luvrio replied in his gentle voice, though traces of excitement could still be heard beneath it. "There's no way I would have missed the start of the main tournament—especially considering that our brother managed to pass the preliminaries once again this year."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"I deliberately rushed through all the experiments I needed to complete in the Forest of Yggdrasill so I could make it back in time."
Lucas, seated to Luvrio's left, smiled softly as well, genuinely happy to witness such a warm exchange between the siblings and to see the deep bond they shared.
After another couple of minutes of waiting, Chiacchera finally entered the arena, followed closely by Pinusal.
The instant the two appeared, a massive wave of applause rolled down from the stands and crashed across the arena floor.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm delighted to announce that the main tournament bracket will soon be revealed, so you'll finally discover who will face whom today—and perhaps even begin predicting the matches that await us in the coming days… BUT FIRST!" Chiacchera shouted in her shrill, energetic voice as she strode toward the center of the arena.
Once she and Pinusal reached the enormous "screen," she continued,
"I say we first welcome the sixteen winners of the preliminaries—the fighters who have stirred the hearts of the audience over the last two days and who I'm absolutely certain will continue doing so from this moment onward!!!"
With a loud mechanical snap, all sixteen gates surrounding the circular arena opened simultaneously, and the victorious participants from the preliminaries emerged at the same time.
Colorful fireworks exploded in the sky above the arena, but the sounds of the explosions were almost completely drowned out by the thunderous screams and ecstatic applause erupting from the crowd.
Even though they stood on opposite sides of the arena and were separated by a great distance, Scuro's and Buio's gazes immediately met.
The already grim expression on the Defense Minister's face darkened even further, while a confident and arrogant grin slowly spread across the face of the vice-captain of the Dark Knights.
Before long, all sixteen finalists had gathered at the center of the arena in front of Chiacchera and Pinusal.
Chiacchera waited a few moments longer, allowing the participants to bask in the storm of applause, before resuming her role as announcer.
"Well then, now that everyone is finally here, before revealing the tournament bracket, I'd like to briefly explain how the main tournament will proceed, as well as the prizes awaiting the winners!"
She raised one arm theatrically before continuing.
"Today, only the quarterfinals will take place, for a total of eight matches. Tomorrow, however, both the semifinals and the matches that determine who advances to the final stages will be held, meaning the fighters may need to battle twice in rapid succession, so contestants should prepare themselves accordingly!"
She paused dramatically.
"On the third and penultimate day of the tournament, the match deciding third place between the two defeated semifinalists will take place first, followed by the grand final itself! And finally, on the last day of the tournament, the victor will participate in a ceremonial match against our beloved queen, followed afterward by a magnificent celebration parade attended by both Her Majesty Alberia and the tournament champion!"
Another powerful wave of applause swept through the arena.
"Of course," Chiacchera continued enthusiastically, "we all remember that the winner of this tournament will not only earn the honor of facing Her Majesty Alberia, but will also receive a grand prize of one million dorae!"
The crowd erupted once more.
"But the rewards don't stop there! Second place will receive four hundred thousand dorae, along with a voucher valid for an entire week of free lodging and meals at any hotel or inn within the Kingdom of Yggdora!"
She pointed dramatically toward another section of the audience.
"Third place will receive one hundred sixty thousand dorae and a luxurious weekend voucher for the most prestigious thermal spa in the kingdom—' Liquid Gold!'"
The audience cheered loudly again.
"And even the fighter who finishes in fourth place will receive sixty-four thousand dorae, as well as a voucher for a full-course dinner at any restaurant in the kingdom!"
She paused once more, building suspense with a mischievous grin.
"And normally, that would be the end of the rewards… BUT! This year, there will also be a special consolation prize!"
Immediately, the spectators leaned forward with curiosity.
"At the conclusion of the tournament, every participant in the main tournament who does not finish within the top four will still receive seven thousand dorae each as a participation reward!"
At those words, smiles instantly appeared on both Musashi's and Roterberg's faces, even though most of the other participants didn't seem especially interested in the prize money.
However, the atmosphere immediately became tense again, because everyone present understood that the moment they had all been waiting for had finally arrived.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the time has finally come to reveal today's matches!" Chiacchera exclaimed, the excitement in her voice reaching its peak.
Then she raised her hand dramatically and shouted,
"Magiimmagi, get moving!"
For a brief moment, complete silence engulfed the arena.
As though responding directly to the presenter's command, the two projector-like devices activated simultaneously, and the tournament bracket appeared across the enormous paper screen.
At a glance, everyone could easily understand the structure of the tournament: the winner of the first match would face the winner of the second match, the winner of the third would face the winner of the fourth, and so on. It was a traditional elimination bracket.
The quarterfinal matches were as follows:
First Match: Katerina VS Gaius Julius Caesar
Second Match: Miyamoto Musashi VS Roterberg Waffen
Third Match: Aislyra Elenlora VS Emeralda Ventora
Fourth Match: Agratà Presa VS Aurola Battista
Fifth Match: Heve Flamente VS Enea Draghi
Sixth Match: Brasto VS Fortore Biancqua
Seventh Match: Buio Raguidel VS Macro Basento
Eighth Match: Scuro VS Lucrio Elenlora
The reactions to these matchups varied greatly from fighter to fighter. Yet despite their differing reactions, one thing united all sixteen of these incredibly powerful fighters:
Every single one of them was fully prepared to give everything they had in the battles that awaited them.