Entering the central battlefield of the magic tower, Valença was reading a magic book about how to manipulate and create lava magic. She was unsure if she wanted to learn a new spell, but she wanted to have cards up her sleeve, and some of the spells Val'Drakar used she could shape in her own way and make even better.
"At least this way, I'll carry something of his forward."
Enrico was already on his way to free the dark elves, and she was going to help with that. But the desire to help those sealed elves was strong—not just because of the one who had been her mentor, even if only for a week. She also wanted to do it because their story had made her want to help; it would be like becoming a new guardian, not to replace Val'Drakar but to continue his legacy.
"Maybe among them they'll be able to create other guardians, but until then, I will protect them. That's the conviction I've had these past few days."
This duty as a young woman would be temporary until she found someone worthy of the position. Even if she stopped being their guardian, she would still keep helping. And there was only one reason she wouldn't focus on that role for too long.
"Good morning, Valença, come sit here."
Enrico had a smile as he waved to her from the bleachers. The reason she wouldn't be a guardian for long was him—she wanted to stay by Henrique's side and live a life together, even if it was embarrassing to admit. Valença sat down next to him, slightly blushing at the thought, but it wasn't her fault. She had simply had a dream of them in a house together with several children.
"Damn dream, why are you making me think this way?"
"So, master, you're going to explain it to me, right?"
"Yes, I will. You just need to wait."
With suspicion, she glanced at Yumeha whispering to Enrico, and the only thing she could think was that they were too close. Someone sat between her and Enrico, and when she realized it was Serenya, she saw the girl crossing her legs and putting on a beautiful expression clearly meant for Enrico to admire.
"Subordinate, I like—"
"Hello, dear."
Two hands came down around Enrico's neck, and both Serenya and Valença gave irritated looks. Aoi had appeared behind him, whispering in his ear, which made him shiver. Enrico had a simple thought in his mind:
"Don't think about anything, just enjoy."
"Hello, Aoi, I was worried after you ran off yesterday. What happened?"
"I just got excited, dear, and sent a message to my mother. As soon as she found out, she wanted to talk to you. So, when she comes, we can talk about our wedding."
Serenya and Valença clenched the table in front of them so hard that it cracked. Yumeha watched while biting her finger, and Rina, also behind him, was already ready to make her hundredth proposal for him to be her Ketsumei.
"First of all, Yumeha will be the first."
He pointed to Yumeha, who immediately began to shine at his words. Valença and Serenya's moods dropped—was it possible he already liked someone?
"Well, of course, but I'll be the second."
"But Aoi, he has to be my Ketsumei, so the second should be me. And if you do that, it'll be harder to take Yumeha's first place."
Hugging her friend, Rina begged Aoi not to make this up and not to take her spot. Yumeha's face turned demonic at the mention of someone taking her place. The two others didn't understand what was going on—until Seraphina and Grakka arrived. When they finally asked about Enrico marrying Yumeha, the girls' doubts were cleared. They now understood it was a contract.
"But marrying many people is allowed?"
Seraphina, who had been jealous, now had doubts because she'd never seen it before—though she had also never asked anyone about it and didn't care to know. Next to her, Grakka flexed his muscles.
"Of course. Many in my tribe marry the strongest, so since our friend Enrico is strong, he deserves it."
"But isn't that just in your tribe?"
"As far as I know, humans do it too. I've heard of a woman who has thirty husbands."
Seraphina's head was spinning. She didn't want to share Enrico, but she thought she had little chance compared to the others, so she hesitated. This doubt didn't exist for Valença and Serenya, who thought at the same time
"Then I still can."
Since he already had a marriage, they'd have to try—but that didn't mean they'd stay under Yumeha. They would take that first place. The demonic aura around Yumeha grew as she sensed a threat from the one who should be her partner and the other shameless one.
"Enrico, I feel like I can advance to the second circle, so can we have a rematch—this time for real?"
The moment was interrupted when Kai sat between Yumeha and Enrico, looking very excited, which shifted the threatening atmosphere from the girls toward him. After that, all the students from each class gathered; his friends from Class B, where Seraphina was, also arrived. Today was the day their punishments ended, and now they could challenge each other again—even though it didn't matter much, since they could advance anyway. Today was special.
"Alright, students, I will explain the rules of the class battle."
Principal Hao was the first to enter, followed by the teachers. Hao and Virelle looked at Enrico with great expectations, knowing he had reached the second circle.
The first rule was that the battle would last one hour. The second was that students could team up to fight others, but their rank would not increase. Third, students could ally with anyone, even from a lower or higher class, to increase their chances. The last rule was that killing was strictly forbidden. Seraphina wrote this down, expecting more rules, but was surprised, so she decided to ask Enrico a question.
"If our ranks won't go up, then why would someone want to team up to beat someone else?"
"Because of the reward. The winning class, besides getting money—which is great for commoners—will also get training from the principal himself."
"Really? That's good. But if you move up in rank and your class wins, won't you miss out on that reward?"
"You'll still get it, so don't worry. The best outcome is if you move up to the class that wins."
Of course, every year, the winning class was always Class S. But even so, the mages—especially those from the magic tower—used this battle not only to evaluate future mages but also to look for hidden gems. Seraphina nodded and turned her attention back to the principal, who showed a map of the combat zone.
It was a place called Echo Cliff—an open area on the edge of a precipice with constant wind and sounds that could easily be heard if one focused. It was 40 meters wide and would be divided into completely random zones within the cliff, which had several bases. In the past, it was used for defense fifteen hundred years ago, before Sanos was a city. At the top was the finish line. They would be placed at most ten meters apart, with the lower classes starting in front.
"So that's where our ancestors stood."
Kai admired the place greatly—it was something everyone in Sanos respected and knew about, a sacred site to demonstrate the power of the new generations every year, and for friendly battles between continents every three years.
"And lastly, this won't just be broadcast to our continent. With my power, I'll transmit everything that happens to the continents we've recently allied with."
All the students were surprised—some nervous, others eager to take advantage of the opportunity to show what they could do. Hao glanced briefly at Enrico and raised his hand to the students.
"Alright, let's begin."
Everyone was confused—weren't they supposed to walk there like in past years, or be teleported once they arrived? Enrico realized Hao was about to snap his fingers and stood up. At the sound of the snap, all the students vanished. Virelle smiled at the principal, already knowing why he did it. When Enrico opened his eyes, he realized he was falling into a pit.
"That damn old man just wants to impress the other continents."
Grabbing onto the wall, he dug his fingers in with force and hung there. He had to admit, the old man knew how to cause chaos. Placing his foot against the wall, he grinned excitedly and looked up, spotting a good place to grab onto further away.
"This will be good training."
Licking his lips with excitement, his feet burst into flames, propelling him upward.