"Asella."
A cold voice reached Asella's ears as she walked from the waiting room toward the arena.
Her knight escorts and handmaidens stepped back.
Click, click.
Camilla approached Asella with sharp heel sounds.
Asella looked at her without responding.
"Not even greeting me now? Where did you learn such manners? Are you determined to run wild?"
"I'm about to appear before His Majesty. Would you please stop interfering?"
"Ha, listen to that attitude! Do you think you can impress His Majesty with magic you practiced without me? My disciples have already finished their demonstration! They showcased 4th Circle magic!"
Reaching the 4th Circle was already considered mastery for a mage.
Camilla's skill was undeniable, as she took such accomplished individuals as her disciples.
Mages who couldn't enter the Magic Tower sought to train under her.
Of course, few could endure Camilla's harsh temperament for long.
Only three mages participated in today's competition.
The Imperial Palace already had a Sage. That was the reality—the Wolgwang Palace faction couldn't exert much influence.
But today was different.
The mages who could have supported Asella in a complementary role had been handed over to Georg by Camilla.
Asella couldn't help but feel disappointed.
Camilla didn't believe in her as a daughter.
She was merely a means to obtain imperial power.
Until now, Asella had been the best option because she was easy to control, but if that changed, Camilla would simply switch to her second choice, Georg.
To Camilla, Asella was merely that level of existence.
"Mother, may I ask you something?"
"Do you think you have the right to question me?"
"Mother, why do you need an emperor? You're already enjoying power as the empress."
Camilla snorted at Asella's question.
"A child like you wouldn't understand! Only with the emperor's power can I finally achieve my noble ideals."
The current emperor, though old, still had sharp judgment.
The reason he took Camilla as empress was only to create Asella as a weapon, and he had essentially abandoned her in the small Wolgwang Palace.
Did Mother think she would become the real power and wield authority if Asella became emperor?
Asella found such simple thinking absurd.
"Georg is useful. He has ambition and talent for succession. Being full of pride, he won't eliminate threats preemptively as long as they benefit him."
Camilla argued forcefully.
"Asella, I've raised you as a mother all this time. Becoming the next emperor was your dream too, wasn't it? What has bewitched you to act so recklessly?"
When Camilla shouted, Asella blinked.
Her hand unconsciously tightened around her staff.
It was an instinctive reaction from her special training.
"...The dream of becoming emperor."
I was only trying to fulfill your dream.
"...Huff."
Asella regulated her breathing.
She recalled her physician's words.
Breath count is important.
It regulates heartbeat and relieves tension.
...Indeed, she felt somewhat more stable even in Camilla's presence.
Opening her eyes, Asella announced with an expressionless face, hiding her emotions:
"Watch my magic, Mother."
Leaving the fuming Camilla behind, Asella walked out of the corridor.
"Next, a magic demonstration from Wolgwang Palace! The great Emperor's third princess, Princess Asella, will perform personally!"
After the announcer's introduction, Asella stood at the center of the arena.
The terrain from the group competition had disappeared, leaving only a clean stage.
Asella raised her staff, visualizing the magic circle she had learned from Seymour.
—Flash!
The magic activated.
The formula Asella visualized in her mind took gentle form through her staff.
Her golden mana sparkled brilliantly, drawing a perfect circle without the slightest distortion.
"Oh, how elegant."
"Isn't the Sage teaching Princess Asella?"
The Emperor's siblings each offered their impressions as they watched the magic.
Asella finished drawing all three circles and moved to the casting phase.
As mana flowed into the three drawn circles, they began rotating with intense sound.
Light particles gathered between the magic circles, which had formed a triangular pyramid space, creating a shape.
It was a statue depicting the Emperor in a majestic pose.
"Bringer, a transportation magic."
"A convenient magic that brings distant objects. I heard it's quite difficult, being 3rd Circle."
"Ho ho, Princess Asella must have learned much from the Sage. Isn't that right, Brother?"
At the Heavenly King's praise, the Emperor remained silent, slowly stroking his chin.
Certainly, the magic Asella demonstrated showed genius talent for her age.
"Not unique, though."
Sage Seymour had already reached the 4th Circle by age ten.
As if it were natural that the comparison was with a great figure who had made his mark in human history once in two hundred years, the Emperor withheld his admiration.
Just as he had only shown contempt for Georg's knights in the group competition, his standards were clear.
"If this is all, I'm disappointed."
The Emperor rested his chin on his hand indifferently.
Asella was the Imperial magical weapon created even at the cost of embracing the witch Camilla.
With no less than two magical talents.
The Emperor had hoped for something more impressive.
"Haha, merely 3rd Circle magic. Even the court mages who prepared the group competition arena could use Bringer."
Georg, sensing victory approaching, clenched his fist.
"If it's transportation magic, she should have shown Teleport instead of Bringer. How pathetic!"
Lauga scolded the excited Georg.
"Teleport is a 5th Circle large-scale magic. It requires many materials and multiple mages. Talk sense."
"Magic is for mages to play with. A ruler doesn't have time to worry about such trivial matters, Lauga."
"Ugh, young pedant."
Lauga waved her hand as if smelling something foul. Georg crossed his arms, hiding his anger.
As if oblivious to the lukewarm reaction from the audience, Asella immediately activated the next spell without stopping her staff.
"She has more?"
Georg frowned and concentrated.
This time, four magic circles were being drawn.
A 4th Circle spell.
"Wow, how did she construct that?"
Lauga, who had been watching Asella's movements closely, tilted her head in confusion, having missed a moment of the movement. Asella's magic circles were overlapping in a strange formation, creating a geometric structure that was difficult to comprehend.
"What spell is that?"
"I have no idea. The form and formula are unlike anything I've seen..."
The Heavenly Kings and princesses were also puzzled, unable to identify it.
Then, smoothly.
Asella drew one more magic circle and passed it through the center.
"5th Circle?!"
"No, not directly connected. If I had to classify it, upper 4th Circle... I wonder how she devised this construction formula."
"Wait, could it be..."
One of the Heavenly Kings with expertise in magic nodded with a tense expression.
"It's a new magic. Princess Asella has developed a magic."
The Emperor's eyebrows rose slightly.
Asella, still maintaining calm and steady breathing, murmured softly.
"Recall."
—Crack-crack-crack!!
The golden mana completed its violent rotation. Particles gathered from the magic formation structured like a tesseract.
The effect was similar to transportation magic.
When the casting was complete, something that hadn't been there before appeared.
A magic that brings something not present.
But what Asella brought was...
"A hatchling?!"
"W-what?!"
It was a dragon hatchling.
The small red lizard, only as big as a palm, looked around as if seeing humans for the first time.
Flap, it spread its tiny wings and perched on the shoulder of the Emperor's statue.
It burped mana, spewing flames along with it.
"Good heavens, did Princess Asella just use transportation magic on a 'living being'?!"
"Isn't that Teleport?!"
"Teleport is magic where the caster moves or opens a gate! There's no magic anywhere that moves other living beings!"
The audience instantly became noisy.
Asella felt confidence rising from her successful casting and slightly raised the corner of her mouth.
Seymour had told her she had talent for space-related magic like Bringer, Teleport, and Summon.
Broadly speaking, space-time.
Something only possible for those with a different view of perceiving the world.
Recall was her own magic developed for today's competition.
She had developed a magic that didn't exist anywhere in the world, so surely the Emperor would give her high praise.
That's what Asella thought.
But.
"Your Majesty, we must silence everyone who witnessed this magic here."
"Indeed. If this leaks outside, chaos will surely ensue."
The Heavenly Kings and princesses were making a fuss.
The Emperor too was glaring at Asella with a serious expression.
It was a cold gaze, as if weighing her value and fate.
"Why?"
Asella didn't quite understand the situation.
In reality, most of the audience—knights, attendants, and others—were applauding.
Those who became serious were only a few high-ranking individuals.
Those with high understanding of magic.
"...Ah."
Asella finally noticed her mistake.
The Emperor nodded.
"Indeed, that is a dangerous magic."
***
"Why are they reacting like that?"
The Head Handmaiden asked worriedly.
I was watching Asella's magic demonstration from the heir apparent's viewing area.
"I can roughly guess the reason."
Asella's magic demonstration was sufficient to demonstrate her competence.
Too competent, that was the problem.
"Haha, Asella. Arrogant like your mother, I knew you'd make a mistake. Know your place—how dare someone so insignificant aim for succession rights?"
Georg gleefully mocks Asella.
Honestly, this made me quite angry.
I know how hard Asella works in Seymour's classes.
It's not wrong to have worked hard.
[No. 012: Destruction of the Empire 52% → 92%]
After working so hard to successfully perform magic, receiving such a reaction would make anyone want to overturn everything.
I stepped forward.
"Teacher?"
The Head Handmaiden remained behind me.
"Prince Georg, I have something to say."
"What?"
Georg turned to me with a frown.
You seem to be the rascal of the Imperial family.
I was a well-known rascal in my hometown too.