When Crown Prince Eil André was young, he took a very different path from previous princes.
Instead of enrolling in the Royal Capital Magic Academy or the Royal Capital First Military Academy, he chose the Zhenbei Military Academy in the north.
That place was essentially the second-largest power center of the Empire's military outside the capital.
Back in the days of Emperor André II, the first Winter War between the northern territories and the beastfolk broke out under his deliberate guidance. The Northern Duke's private army suffered heavy losses.
The military seized the opportunity to step in, establishing the Zhenbei Military Academy behind Zhenbei Pass to recruit talent from the north.
As a result, although the northern region was rich in warrior talent and known for its fierce culture, most of its elite fighters were absorbed into the military.
Among the four dukes, the Northern Duke ranked at best third in overall strength.
In contrast, the Southern Duke—whose power base was the most stable—likely held the strongest military force.
As for economic strength, the Eastern Duke, despite having the smallest territory, led in trade and commerce.
Back to Eil André.
In his first year at the Zhenbei Military Academy, he won first place in the academy's annual competition.
In his second year, he formed a team and conquered the Autumn Martial Exercises, earning a ticket to the Spring Martial Tournament.
In his third year, he returned to the Royal Capital with his team and, after a fierce campaign, defeated the Royal Capital First Military Academy—ending their seven-year championship streak and claiming the team title.
That achievement catapulted his reputation in the north to its peak.
After graduation, Eil André joined the army at Zhenbei Pass, starting from the bottom and steadily climbing the ranks.
Now in his thirties, he was already a peak sixth-tier warrior and one of the seven major generals stationed at Zhenbei Pass, commanding an elite vanguard force.
Among the generals, his position was only below the lieutenant general who oversaw the entire front.
And since the vanguard suffered the highest casualties each Winter War, it also had the highest priority in recruiting replacements—giving it even greater influence.
Normally, after each Winter War, Eil André would return to the Royal Capital and remain for two to three months—building connections within the military and maintaining relationships with various factions—before heading back north in May.
But this year, he left a full month early.
No one knew why.
After hearing this from Sylvie, Ron didn't dwell on it and returned to the control room.
Inside, Mia was sitting with her arms crossed, visibly upset.
"I was foolish… truly foolish…" Ron sighed dramatically beside her.
"I knew Soren André's commentary was cursed—but I didn't know his words during the draw ceremony were cursed too…"
"Ron!" Mia slapped her thigh, embarrassed and annoyed.
"Stop rubbing salt in the wound!"
Eileen chuckled softly.
"Well, you've already been eliminated. Just focus on being a commentator now—I'll stay with you."
"Hmph!" Mia huffed, but clearly accepted it.
Ron sat down with a grin and began reviewing the day's data.
Andy, the representative of the commoner players, remained undefeated.
Not only had he never lost a match—even in best-of-three or best-of-five formats, he hadn't dropped a single round.
Every match was a clean sweep.
Even against Gold-tier opponents.
Many who knew Andy remarked that ever since entering the Magic Duel tournament, he had completely transformed.
The moment he stepped onto the stage, his aura became oppressive—nothing like his usual harmless demeanor.
After reviewing the top players' records, Ron concluded:
The championship would likely be decided among:
Andy
Wardson
Rowell
Others were strong, but still slightly behind—unless they performed exceptionally in a crucial match.
With that, Ron lost interest in the knockout stage.
Mia was already out, and he didn't particularly care about the rest—as long as the tournament ran smoothly and completed his main quest.
Over the past few days, total attendance has surpassed 10,000.
However, peak simultaneous attendance was only around 7,000–8,000.
So Ron decided to reserve the Grand Arena only for the semifinals and finals.
The upcoming round-robin stage would remain in the sixth-floor arena.
Thinking about it, Ron couldn't help but feel amazed.
It had only been two months since the Magic Duel halls opened.
Yet the tournament had already exploded in popularity.
Why?
Simple.
Because he spent money.
A lot of it.
From leveraging the Spring Martial Tournament for promotion…
To launch high-reward achievement challenges…
To organize Andy's arena matches…
To the controversy stirred by that professor—and Ron's counterattack…
Finally, the joint announcement with the Royal Capital Magic Academy, along with massive prize pools—
All of it pushed Magic Duels into the spotlight.
Without that "help," Nora probably wouldn't have had to work so hard.
Ron chuckled.
Rain battered the windows outside.
Meanwhile, in the City of Chaos—
Ron controlled his puppet body and stepped out of the research lab.
Unlike the stormy Royal Capital, the weather here was bright and sunny.
Edith led him to the elemental isolation chamber.
"The experiment is complete," Illya said.
Nearby stood Harper and two new, rather unremarkable-looking mages.
They were both third-tier researchers recruited from Disode Magic Academy, previously stuck in low-level lab roles.
After Edith casually mentioned Ron's private lab conditions, they immediately joined.
With their help, progress had accelerated significantly.
Many repetitive tasks no longer required Illya or Harper.
"So, what's the result?" Ron asked.
Illya and Harper exchanged complex expressions.
"The results match our earlier findings," Illya said.
"When mana is used to cast magic, it doesn't disappear—it converts back into elements."
"Additionally, elements can indeed transform into each other, but only through mana or magic as a medium."
Ron narrowed his eyes.
"So my earlier guess… might be correct?"
He had speculated that elements weren't the most fundamental unit—that something like "sub-particles" existed.
Could that "sub-particle"… be mana?
Harper spoke slowly, visibly excited:
"The explosions during mana-to-element conversion… likely happen because we're using the wrong method."
"There must be an unseen step in the process."
"If we can identify it, we might unlock the true secret of mana transformation."
Ron smiled lightly.
"Progress is good."
(Truthfully, if not for the side quest, he wouldn't care at all.)
Now that the experiment had reached a stopping point, Ron immediately pulled Illya back to engineering work.
The two new researchers could handle follow-up tests.
Inside the lab, Illya took out a blueprint Ron had given her.
"I've reviewed this design," she said.
"But I have a question."
"What's the difference between this… and a staff?"
"If both use the same explosion spell, shouldn't they function the same?"
Ron shook his head.
"The difference is huge."
He pointed to the trigger.
"See this? It's a modified version of your magic circuit dial."
"When pressed, it completes the internal circuit and releases the spell through the barrel."
"And because of its straight structure, it's much easier to aim."
"Unlike a staff, which requires the user to control direction with mana."
Illya froze.
"You mean…" she said slowly,
"This is for… ordinary people to use?"
"Of course," Ron smiled.
"If it were for mages, staffs would be enough."
"But this—"
"This is for people who can't use magic."