Chapter 17 - Leah

“The competition is called the School Qualification Tournament. This tournament is used by Sinara Academy to determine which students will represent our school against the five other academies on the continent in the winter. It will be held during the last semester of the year.

All beginner and intermediate students will compete in the tournament to determine who is the best magician. Advanced-ranked students, who are out of the school collecting beast cores, will not participate. All students must compete in this tournament unless they go to the Administration Building and fill out a forfeit form. The deadline to forfeit is this Friday.

The rules for the tournament are simple. It will be held as a singles match, fought until one side is incapable of resisting, or if the panel determines that a match is leaning too heavily toward one contestant. Contestants may also yield at any time during the match.

All types of magic are allowed, but you must not aim for vital areas or cause severe injuries. Weapons are also allowed, but they must be blunt and cannot target vital areas. If a contestant kills their opponent, intentionally or not, they will be dismissed not only from the tournament but also from Sinara Academy.

The top ten students in the tournament will qualify to represent Sinara Academy in the Xiosu Rising Star Tournament. This tournament was created by the Founders of the five Kingdoms to promote youth growth and to showcase the most talented students from each school.

The top six will be the primary contestants, while the remaining four will serve as reserves in case of an accident. Those participating in the tournament will be exempt from class work. As long as you are still in, you will not have to attend classes.

Many of the continent’s great mages and warriors made their names known after participating in the Rising Star Tournament. All major powers within the continent gather in Felsia Kingdom during the winter for this event.

These powers send numerous people to scout and potentially recruit the most talented individuals. It’s not uncommon for kingdoms or major guilds to offer nobility or significant resources to attract these promising students. After all, every kingdom and guild seeks to find those with the most potential to become great warriors or mages.

I know it may sound daunting to make the top ten, especially since many of you have only been here for two months while others have been here for years. But don’t lose hope! There have been instances where a Knight rank student defeated a King rank student and became a representative. This class surprisingly has three King ranked students already. I have high hopes for you all and look forward to seeing your hard work!

Now, let’s discuss the Civil War in the Sunder Kingdom during the ye…”

'A competition, huh? Zer and I should be fine making the top ten, but I’m worried about Winst… Even though he is at the peak of Knight Rank in earth magic, he has only just started training in swordsmanship… Well, it just means we’ll have to train him harder!'

Even though the lecture had begun, Azrael’s mind was already full of thoughts about the upcoming tournament. He glanced at Winston with concern. As thoughts of harder training filled his mind, his expression slowly turned into an evil grin.

Winston, focused on the lecture, began to feel a sudden cold sweat. Turning his head to the right, he saw Azrael and Zer, who had changed seats to sit beside him from the second row, looking at him with mischievous grins. Seeing their expressions, he immediately knew what they were planning!

‘Tho… Those bastards! They’re thinking about how to make training harder for me! Fiends! Devils!!’

Seeing Winston’s face turn pale, both Zer and Azrael couldn’t help but laugh inwardly.

‘I didn’t expect there to be someone other than Zer and me in the intermediate class… I wonder who it is.’

Azrael was honestly surprised that someone else in the class was at King Rank. Unfortunately, except for Winston and Zer, he hadn’t had much contact with anyone. In the end, it didn’t matter who it was; he would have to defeat them like any other foe.

“So, what do you think about this tournament, Az?”

“It should be fun. I’ve got a basic grasp of the strength of the intermediate-ranked upperclassmen. You and I should be able to handle the ones affiliated with fire, water, and darkness.”

“There’s an earth element upperclassman who will be a challenge. His name is Wright. He likes to form an earth barrier around him for protection while he casts an attack spell. It’s annoying to deal with. Also, I heard there are two really strong wind element females. One is an upperclassman named Cynthia. She uses her element’s speed to travel quickly while looking for a weakness in the enemy. The two are supposedly dating. The other is Han Byul, the third person in our class to be at an intermediate rank. I know her pretty well. Her name’s Han Byul and she…”

“What?! Han Byul?!”

The three were heading out of the forest after a grueling training session. As they were returning to their dorm, Azrael’s surprised outburst caught Zer’s attention. Zer, who had never seen Azrael show such emotion, looked at him with curiosity, wondering about his connection to Han Byul.

“Hmm… Az, what kind of connection do you have with Han Byul?”

“Um… well, about that…”

“He totally hugged the Princess in front of all the freshmen at the opening ceremony!”

“WHAT?!?!”

As Azrael struggled to explain, Winston cut in and started recounting the event to Zer. “Man, you should have seen it. When Azrael saw Han Byul, his face turned pale, and he immediately rushed toward her, pushing everyone aside. Right before he reached her, he suddenly yelled ‘CHRYSTAL!!!’ and hugged her. It was awesome, man!”

Hearing this, Zer questioned its validity. Despite losing some of his composure, he found it hard to believe Azrael would do something like that. With a doubtful expression, he looked toward Azrael, who, to Zer’s surprise, nodded slowly with a flushed face.

“Wh… what? For real?! You really did that?! Pfft… AHAHA! Oh god, I’m going to have to ask Han Byul about that next time…”

“Oh god… please don’t, man. I’m already embarrassed enough for causing that scene and mistaking her for someone else…”

Azrael could only bitterly smile as Zer and Winston laughed so hard they fell on the ground. After letting them enjoy themselves, the trio finally headed back to the dorm. They said their goodbyes in the lobby and went to their room to prepare for the next day.

For the next week, the three trained with renewed determination, aiming to be at their best for the tournament. During this period, Azrael switched from using a wooden sword to a staff to regain his familiarity with it. Gradually, the staff began to feel like an extension of his own body.

“Hey Az! I was told that your weapon is finally done! Let’s get Zer and head to Leah!”

“Oh, it’s done finally? Let’s go.”

It was Saturday. Azrael had been meditating to purify his mana inside the room when Winston burst in with excitement. Hearing that his weapon was ready, Azrael immediately stood up and agreed to go. After waiting fifteen minutes for Zer to come down to the lobby, the three headed to the capital in a carriage.

“Ho… As expected of the Wozeal family…”

Inside the carriage, Zer looked around with approval at the interior.

“Don’t you have fancy carriages too, Zer? Your dad is the Prime Minister of the Rhostaz Kingdom, after all.”

“We may have some money, but nowhere near as much as the Wozeal family. I believe they’re currently ranked as the second richest family on the continent.”

“WHAT?!”

Azrael turned around in shock, staring at Winston. Laughing at Azrael’s reaction, Winston flashed a V sign.

“Told you that you don’t need to worry about anything monetarily anymore, man.”

“You know, Winst… There’s this castle I’ve been eyeing…”

Hearing Azrael’s joke, Winston playfully put him in a headlock, rapidly moving his fist over Azrael’s scalp. While Azrael struggled to escape, Zer watched and laughed. With the trio joking around, fifteen minutes quickly passed, and they arrived in Leah. Azrael gazed out of the window, taking in the city with interest.

The capital was built on a large hill, its white walls standing tall and majestic. The buildings were arranged in a circular pattern, with the roads spiraling upwards. Despite it being early in the day, the roads were so packed with citizens that the carriage barely moved.

“Wow, Leah is amazing…”

“Is this your first time here, Az?”

"Yup.”

“It’s as busy as usual. I hate how narrow the roads are here. In Sol, the roads are much larger and the city is easier to traverse.”

“Well, you have to admit that Leah would be a nightmare to attack. Even if enemies got past the walls, the narrow roads would make it easier to defend against a larger force. The city’s elevated position and tall buildings are perfect for archers and mages. I’ve been trying to convince my dad to build some of our forts and cities like Leah…”

It was clear how much Zer admired Leah’s design. Azrael nodded in agreement. Leah was a fortress, almost impossible for an invading force to breach.

After an hour of navigating the city, the carriage finally arrived in front of the armor shop in the business district. Stepping out, Azrael stretched and relieved his muscles. Once they were all out, they entered the shop.

The shop was modest, about twenty tat

amis in size. The owner had tables lined with displays of sheaths, greaves, helmets, and other armor. Swords, spears, lances, axes, and various other weapons were hung on the walls.

Despite the shop’s simple appearance, all items were of top quality, each crafted with graceful designs that showcased the blacksmith’s skill.

“Oh, Master Winston, we’ve been expecting you. The weapon you commissioned is in the back. Please wait a moment while I fetch it.”

A shop assistant emerged from the back, bowing to Winston before going to retrieve the weapon.

While they waited, Zer and Azrael examined the weapons in more detail. As they admired the items, the clear sound of a bell signaled the opening of the door. Turning to see who had entered, time seemed to freeze for Azrael as he gazed upon the newcomer.

At the entrance stood a girl who seemed to radiate light. With her short green hair and sky-blue eyes, she looked like an angel descended from the heavens.

Seeing the three, she showed a slight look of surprise before smiling warmly.

“Why hello there, Azrael. I didn’t expect to see you here.”

In front of Azrael stood Han Byul, more beautiful than the moon and shining even brighter than the sun.