The Academy Coliseum should have been a solemn place for semi-final duels—echoes of magic, shouts of victory, the tension of warriors about to clash. Instead, it looked like a political rally crossed with a royal wedding fair gone feral.
Flags hung from every balcony. Choirs warmed up their voices. Sky dragons wheeled above with smoke trails that read like bad break-up notes. Merchants screamed out slogans. And everywhere Rei turned, someone was shoving propaganda about who should be the "One True Wife."
Rei pinched the bridge of his nose. "This… isn't a duel tournament anymore. It's a marketing war."
The System, which had only half-rebooted after the Emilia Incident, flickered in his vision like a drunk firefly.
[System Reboot: 63% Complete.]
[Warning: Campaign Propaganda detected.]
[Sub-Quest Generated: Survive the Wife Elections Without Brainwashing.]
[Reward: A coupon for earplugs.]
"…Earplugs? That's the best you can do?" Rei muttered.
