Once Sylvia's breakthrough was complete, I threw myself onto the floor to wait for her to assimilate it. At the same time, I stared at the hole that had just appeared in the ceiling of the room.
"It won't be long before people come to see what happened…" I murmured.
While traces of fire could still be seen in the sky, I let out a tired sigh.
In the rest of the world, those who understood what that phenomenon meant were already beginning to make their own plans.
On one side, the Emperor of Demor, Alric, stood in front of the large window of his palace.
"Is that… It's coming from the Sterlings, right? Did Sylvia break through the limit?" His voice trembled between envy and fear.
The news spread like wildfire. In the Empire of Lucratis, where they were preparing for an imminent war, faces turned grim.
"Your Majesty… it appears that Sylvia Sterling has achieved the Transcendent state."
"Prepare gifts and a letter explaining that we had nothing to do with what happened to Astrid," ordered the sovereign of Lucratis, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"But, Your Majesty, I don't think that's necessary. We…"
"You already know what those people who think they're gods are like!" he snapped. "Even if a few have appeared in our empire, they never intervene in anything. But it's quite different when it comes to a woman like the 'Witch of the Eternal Flame.' She has family there; she won't stay silent if we start a war against the place where she lives."
"Father…"
The Emperor of Lucratis looked at his son, who had recently returned. Seeing the seventh circle on him, he smiled, setting aside his annoyance at having to postpone his conquest plans.
"Are you ready for the fight over the Inheritance?"
"Of course, father. I don't think there's anyone my age who comes close to my current level," the young man replied with absolute confidence.
The Emperor nodded and asked again:
"What do you think of the Demor Empire? You were there—did you have any contact with the Sterlings?"
"Hmm… Sylvia Sterling attended the Emperor's birthday banquet, so I got to see her. She seems quite close to her two 'grandchildren.'"
"Get close to them once the Legacy opens. Look for their weaknesses."
The Prince of Lucratis nodded.
…
I looked at Sylvia, who was still getting used to her new power. This was really going to take a while…
I could sense carriages starting to arrive at the mansion, making it clear that nothing had gone unnoticed.
"Maybe I should have put up a barrier…" I whispered under my breath.
It was something I did now. If she was interrupted at this moment, it would be much harder for her to solidify her foundation in the future. Even so, I didn't stay until she finished and returned to the Academy instead.
Astrid received me with a puzzled look, though she didn't ask any questions.
It seemed my words from last time had had some effect.
An awkward silence settled between us.
"I really should just teleport her far away from here myself… If I keep living with this woman, I don't know what I'll end up doing," I thought.
Anyway, I'd deal with her later. Right now, it seemed something interesting was happening at the academy.
Although the event had been paused due to the scandal caused by Sylvia's pillar of light a few moments ago, it had already resumed.
I said goodbye to Astrid and headed to the same place where my duel with Julius had taken place.
The only difference was that this time Cassane and Julius were the ones standing on the combat platform, and their opponents were quite interesting.
Klaus immediately waved me over when he saw me. Almost all the seats were occupied.
Professor Elena seemed to be in charge of this match.
Their two opponents were the students who had come from Pradiles. I must say I didn't feel a friendly gaze from them when I entered the arena.
Though, as far as I knew, there shouldn't be any reason for that…
Still, Julius and Cassane had a very strong synergy when fighting together. It seemed that the time they spent fighting beasts during the last exam had really changed the way they fought.
Their opponents weren't easy, but there seemed to be something behind both groups, because neither side looked at the other with any particular fondness.
The strongest among them was a fifth-circle wind mage; he was quite skilled at supporting his companion, who used aura of the same level and wielded a sword bigger than himself.
The coordination of the Pradiles students was aggressive.
While the aura swordsman charged with brute force that made the platform tremble, the wind mage created currents that deflected Cassane's ice projectiles.
However, Julius wasn't falling behind. His now more refined combat style served as a mobile shield, allowing the "Ice Queen" to prepare her more complex spells.
"They don't seem like ordinary students," Klaus murmured beside me, without taking his eyes off the exchange of blows. "That pressure… it's like they're used to killing."
I nodded, focusing on what was happening in the arena.
Clearly, Cassane had improved her control a lot since I helped her. Her movements were much more fluid, and the ice no longer seemed like a burden on her body, but a natural extension of her will.
But it seemed the difference of one level between her and her opponents wasn't easy to overcome with technique alone.
The wind mage from Pradiles was a nightmare for her. Every time she tried to freeze the ground or launch ice stakes, a blast of compressed air would deflect her attacks or make them explode prematurely.
Julius, for his part, was sweating as he blocked the slashes from that giant sword that seemed to weigh tons.
"They're toying with them," I murmured, noticing how the Pradiles swordsman was holding back his aura right before each impact, only to wear down Julius's endurance.
Even though Julius was a fifth-circle mage, his fire seemed to fizzle out in the face of the visitors' superior technique.
The fight ended in the blink of an eye.
The enemy wind mage closed his hands, and the air around Julius vanished, sucking out the oxygen and instantly extinguishing his flames.
Before Julius could react to the vacuum, the swordsman moved with a speed that surpassed any academy training.
BAM!
The flat of the enormous sword struck Julius in the stomach with brutal force.
He flew straight into the arena wall with the dry sound of bones breaking, leaving a trail of blood on the marble.
Cassane, seeing her companion fall so easily, tried to unleash a desperate blizzard, but the wind mage simply blew.
A blast of compressed air, solid as a rock, hit her square in the chest.
The "Ice Queen" was dragged across the ground, her uniform tearing against the pavement as her body slammed into the stone pillars until she fell unconscious, her ice magic shattered around her.
A sepulchral silence fell over the stands.
Seeing a fifth-circle mage like Julius get humiliated like that was something no one had expected.
The Pradiles students weren't even sweating. The swordsman planted his weapon into the platform floor and, without even glancing at his fallen opponents, fixed his gaze on the stands.
"Is this the best the Demor Empire has to offer?" his voice rang out, filled with absolute contempt. "What a waste of time."
Klaus immediately reacted to his words, grabbing his sword and wanting to go down to fight them.
I stopped him, placing a hand on his shoulder. I knew perfectly well there was no point in falling for such a cheap provocation.
But the one who definitely didn't like those words was our sword fanatic, who was staring at the aura warrior from the Pradiles Empire with lethal interest.
"Why don't you try that against me?" Valeria said, as her silver sword—with its notable sharpness and hardness—was drawn with a metallic sound that cut through the air.
Her opponent, however, was not interested in a one-on-one fight. He wanted his wind mage companion to fight alongside him. And it was no surprise, considering the tactical advantage the mage provided by deflecting attacks and enhancing his speed.
The Pradiles students weren't looking for honor; they were looking for the most efficient and crushing victory possible.
To my misfortune, another person joined Valeria. Seraphine, with pure courage and only a second-circle level, said she would fight with her.