[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 44

    Superior Mage Selection Tournament

    Before the tournament began, the center of attention was undoubtedly Princess Violet and Lioness.

    The core of the First Prince''s faction and the future of the Second Prince''s faction.

    Everyone anticipated that the highlight of this tournament would be their duel.

    But now that the tournament was over, things had changed.

    The star of this tournament turned out to be an entirely unexpected individual.

    “Supreme Mage: Violet.”

    Clap clap clap clap clap—

    When Princess Violet ascended the podium, applause erupted from all directions.

    The Rainbow Staff, the symbol of the Supreme Mage, was awarded to her.

    “Of course, Her Highness became the Supreme Mage.”

    “She’s the master of Glacia; the result is only natural.”

    People did not dwell much on her obvious victory.

    Among the eight Superior Mages, the title of Supreme Mage is given to the best.

    No one doubted that Princess Violet would take that position.

    However, the gazes of the spectators at the ceremony were drawn less toward the expected first place...

    “And who is next?”

    “That person is the one from the rumors...”

    ...and more toward the completely unforeseen second place winner.

    “Superior Mage: Kaylen. Lioness.”

    Starting with Kaylen, the names of the seven Superior Mages were announced one by one.

    Seven mages ascended the podium together.

    Among them, Lioness, who shone brilliantly, stood out.

    “Lord Lioness is as dazzling as ever.”

    “How can a human have such beauty... He seems even more radiant than an elf.”

    The general public cheered for his appearance, enchanted by his looks.

    But the gazes of the “real” ones were focused elsewhere.

    “That’s the one who came in second.”

    “Kaylen, is it?”

    The greatest surprise of this tournament.

    A man who, as a mage—not a Meister—defeated all the Mana Suit-wielding Meisters and pushed the princess to her full power in the finals.

    “His appearance... it’s more like a knight than a mage.”

    “Doesn’t seem like anything special, though.”

    A tall, imposing figure, with a physique more suited to a knight than to a genius mage.

    While his looks were clean and refined, standing next to Lioness, he seemed comparatively unremarkable.

    “Just a few months ago, he wasn’t even a notable student, I heard.”

    “Not notable? Apparently, he was closer to a failing student.”

    “They say he’s from a declining baronial family.”

    “Goodness. It’s incomprehensible.”

    A group of middle-aged and elderly men murmured as they observed Kaylen.

    Although they appeared ordinary, the mages present kept glancing nervously at them.

    “Why are they here at the awards ceremony?”

    “Is it true? It really is them, right?”

    “This is the first time I’ve seen so many Tower Masters gathered for a tournament awards ceremony.”

    The frontmost seats at the awards ceremony—always invited, yet often left vacant.

    This time, however, half of the 32 seats designated for the Kingdom of Bormian’s Tower Masters were filled.

    “Indeed. It’s surprising to see so many here. They must be busy running their towers, yet they made the trip. Truly unexpected.”

    “Haha. Busy, yes, but none of us could compare to the Master of the Red Tower.”

    The Magic Towers

    It was an unexpected turn, but coming from Irene—a known elf adept in controlling water spirits—it was credible.

    “The presence of water is undeniable,” Irene declared. “He is the kind of talent that belongs in the Fairy Tower. We will do everything in our power to recruit him.”

    Her words carried a veiled warning to the other Tower Masters: do not attempt to poach him.

    The Fairy Tower’s highest directive was to secure exceptional Water Meisters at any cost.

    Still, Irene harbored a personal concern:

    “If it’s come to this, the promise of making him an Advanced Spirit Summoner may not hold...”

    Kaylen’s previous method involved stimulating his spirit affinity through exposure to various elemental attributes. But now, with water dominating his being, she doubted whether his old approach would still work.

    “...Even so, that’s a separate matter. Securing him for the Fairy Tower takes priority. If we want to keep Myorn here, bringing him into the fold is crucial.”

    As one of the seven leaders of the Fairy Tower, Irene set aside her personal desires and focused on the greater strategy.

    Though the Fairy Tower, one of the eight major Magic Towers in the Bormian Kingdom, had declared their intentions, the other Tower Masters were undeterred.

    “The Fairy Tower is a formidable opponent, but...”

    “For them to move so quickly speaks volumes about Kaylen’s potential.”

    “We thought he was destined for fire, but water? We must join this recruitment battle.”

    Some Tower Masters from the Water Towers looked particularly greedy.

    “No matter how grand the Fairy Tower might be, it remains a tower of non-humans. They’ll never fully embrace a human as their own.”

    “If we offer him the chance to become the greatest among humans, he’ll see the value in joining us.”

    Their avaricious gazes bore down on Kaylen.

    Here was a prodigy of unparalleled talent, personally vouched for by spirits.

    Already a 4th-circle mage in his youth, capable of destroying a mana suit with his bare hands—he had only begun to showcase his potential.

    If Kaylen, now a Meister, unleashed his full power... the possibilities were staggering.

    “Prepare a place to meet with him.”

    “It seems I’ll need to step in personally.”

    The Water Tower Masters, eager to secure Kaylen, began summoning their mages and setting plans in motion.

    However, they weren’t the only ones bustling with activity.

    “...He’s the mage who conjured fire capable of challenging Glacia. There’s no rule saying he’s only suited for water magic.”

    “We should also conduct our own tests. Perhaps he’ll reveal potential in other elements.”

    Masters from other elemental Towers, unwilling to let such a once-in-a-century talent slip through their fingers, also resolved to approach Kaylen.

    From her seat at the forefront of the award ceremony, Princess Violet watched the scene unfold, a faint smirk playing on her lips.

    “So, it really is water.”

    This was her first time seeing Kaylen in person since their final match, and Violet could sense a distinct change in him.

    The mana that radiated from him felt familiar, entirely different from before.

    Why can I sense water mana from him? What happened when he lost consciousness?

    She had asked him directly when they met earlier, but his response had only deepened her confusion.

    “What happened?”

    Kaylen’s reply was equal parts frustration and disbelief:

    - “What happened? I should be asking you the same question. I was overwhelmed by an immense surge of water mana, and before I knew it, I blacked out.”

    - “I thought I was done for. Even the Ice Prison couldn’t contain it. I truly believed I was going to die.”

    - “And now... something’s wrong with my body. What did you do?”

    His words left Violet without a proper explanation.

    What could I say? she thought. Where did all that mana go? Glacia was nearly drained...

    Her thoughts turned to Glacia, her S-tier mana suit.

    Equipped with five top-tier mana stones, Glacia had the rare ability to self-recharge, a feature befitting its elite status.

    Yet, this self-replenishing mechanism required some baseline mana to operate.

    After regaining consciousness, Violet had inspected Glacia, only to discover its mana reserves nearly depleted.

    Refueling it had already consumed a fortune in mana stones—enough to make even a princess wince.

    For the time being, Violet realized, she would have no choice but to dedicate herself to dungeon raids just to recover the expenses.

    “Sigh... No rest for me anytime soon.”

    As the de facto financial manager for the First Prince’s faction, Violet bore the full burden of her extravagant decisions.

    Her resigned sigh underscored the reality:

    She had created the problem herself, and now she had to fix it with her own effort.

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]