Everyone looked toward Sterai Shine with awe and admiration.
He bowed to the audience, then turned toward his father, the Head of the Shine Family, and gave him a deep bow before deciding to leave.
Whispers immediately spread throughout the crowd.
"He completely removed the effects of magic and aura!"
"Doesn't that mean he can't be harmed anymore?!"
"The champion of this tournament has probably already been decided!"
Amid the murmurs, Shion Lan waited for the final contestant—the one he knew would be a problem for him.
The announcer announced the sixteenth and final qualifying match, and among the names came the one Shion had been waiting for.
"...and Glass Sano of the Second Year!"
Shion thought,
'Glass... He inherited the heritage of the Sano Family and possesses the power of Absolute Freezing. However, that ability doesn't merely freeze the results—it freezes the very foundation itself.'
In the arena, Glass calmly looked at his opponents with icy blue eyes.
He unsheathed his blue sword, which radiated an intense chill.
His opponents had already agreed to attack him together.
"(Crimson Flames)!"
"(Wind Blades)!"
"(Giant's Fist)!"
"(Tiger Claw)!"
Spells and techniques rushed toward him from every direction.
Without the slightest hint of panic, Glass simply raised his empty hand.
After chanting a short incantation, he unleashed a tremendous spell.
"(Sano Family Art: Absolute Freeze)."
In an instant...
Magic and aura throughout the area froze in place.
Every incoming attack was rendered completely inactive.
When the contestants tried to gather their power once more, they discovered that their energy would not move at all.
Only the fire-element user managed to move slightly.
He immediately activated another technique.
"(Red Sword)!"
Flames wrapped around his blade, raising its temperature until it glowed crimson.
He charged straight at Glass.
With a casual movement, Glass blocked the burning sword using his icy-blue blade and calmly said,
"(Sano Family Art: Frozen Shatter)."
The student retreated before the technique could reach him and prepared another attack.
Glass effortlessly blocked every assault that followed.
When the fifth clash arrived...
The crimson sword, now covered in ice, shattered into countless fragments.
Glass looked toward the remaining contestants and asked calmly,
"Is there anyone else?"
No one answered.
Instead...
They all surrendered.
The announcer immediately announced,
"Everyone has surrendered! The last contestant standing in this match is Glass Sano! He is now qualified to compete tomorrow!"
Unlike Sterai, Glass did not acknowledge the audience.
Instead, he silently observed his future opponents, paying particular attention to Kin Light and Shion Lan.
The announcer then addressed the spectators.
"The sixteen qualified contestants have now been decided! Tomorrow will be the elimination round, and the matchups will be determined by lottery! We hope everyone has enjoyed today's tournament. Until next time!"
And with that...
The first day of the tournament came to an end.
"Finally... it's over!"
Shion looked toward his mother.
"Won't you come tomorrow?"
Rita Lan looked at him awkwardly.
"Do I have to come every day?"
Shion smiled warmly.
"You only need to come for two more days. Then the tournament will be over."
Rita sighed in annoyance.
"Even though I spend all my time inside the manor, being here makes me nervous."
Solan Neumann smiled gently.
"Auntie, you're now the mother of the head of the Lan Family. You should have more confidence."
Rita pouted.
"I want to go home."
Shion let out a helpless sigh as they walked together.
"The academy has prepared accommodations for the guests, so we'll be staying here."
His mother nodded.
When they left the battle arena, they found many people waiting for them.
"Lady Lan! Lady Deacon wishes to invite you to drink tea with her."
A servant stepped forward.
"Lady Injet wishes to invite Lady Lan and Lady Neumann to become acquainted."
"Lady Lan..."
"Lady Neumann..."
The servants arrived with various invitations.
Rita felt internally overwhelmed by the situation and had no desire to go anywhere.
Shion spoke in a sharp tone,
"To think that servants would show such disrespect toward the heads of noble families and ignore their authority... It is extremely irritating."
It seemed everyone had forgotten this matter.
Before any of them could apologize, Shion looked at them with cold eyes and said,
"I don't think we are able to accept any invitations."
However, one final servant approached and said,
"Young Master Lan, may I have a word with you?"
Shion looked toward him and was surprised by the emblem he carried.
"The Torano Family?!"
The head servant bowed.
"The Head of the family wishes to host you. It will not take much of your time."
Shion did not understand what was happening, but he replied,
"I need to focus on the tournament right now. I can extend an invitation to the Head of the family as an apology."
The servant nodded.
"I will deliver your message, Young Master Lan."
Shion thought,
'I don't think there has ever been any cooperation between me and the Head of the Torano Family. Even during our last meeting when I was being investigated after the incident at the Neumann Family Providence, he did not have a good impression of me. So what changed?'
But Solan's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"I am part of the Lan Family! If you attempt to approach me again, I will cut off your head!"
Polter appeared to protect his lady.
Shion noticed the situation and asked,
"What is happening?"
Solan stepped forward and pointed toward one of the servants.
"This idiot approached me after you rejected the invitations and said that I am not part of your family, so you have no right to decide on my behalf!"
Shion looked at the trembling servant, who was being pressured by Polter's aura.
"Which family do you serve?"
The servant swallowed nervously and answered,
"I... I am a servant of the Stroman Family!"
Shion's expression became cold.
"So a second-rank family dared to insult the Pure Spirit who can reach the ninth level?"
The servant trembled under the pressure.
But Shion continued,
"Solan Neumann now belongs to the Lan Family. Since I do not wish to accept your invitations, leave my sight immediately."
After seeing Polter's aura, everyone departed.
The group then moved toward their residence.
...
On a night filled with stars...
The Crown Princess Jina Joul looked toward the sky, counting the stars while thinking about Shion, who had been with Solan.
She could not help but frown.
"Why did he choose a dead girl? I mean... shouldn't he at least look at a living girl?"
She remembered how Solan had leaned against him and rested her head on his shoulder.
She remembered how Shion kissed her head as if she were his wife.
For a moment, Jina forgot herself.
She imagined herself in Solan's place.
Her cheeks immediately turned red, and warmth spread through her chest as she imagined Shion approaching her and embracing her.
"Shion..."
She quietly whispered his name.
Until suddenly, Celisia Joul shouted at her,
"What are you doing right now?!"
However, Jina ignored her.
"I'm tired. I will get some sleep."
Celisia tried to speak again, but Jina stopped her.
"You don't need to say anything. I just want some rest... and don't mention Shion."
She went to her bed.
Yet she could not stop thinking about him.
She remembered their meeting at the beginning of the year, when he treated her kindly and interacted with her naturally, as if she were simply a girl.
But everything had disappeared like a dream.
...
On the same night, a red-haired girl was sitting with her stepmother, who was calmly sipping tea.
Her stepmother spoke,
"My little Pearl, I want something from you."
When Pearl Jewel heard her call her by that, she trembled with anger and wanted to kill her immediately.
But she looked at her sarcastically.
"My little Pearl?! Since when have you started addressing me this way?!"
Her stepmother smiled.
"Alright, Pearl Jewel. I want to make a deal with you, just like merchants do."
Pearl looked at her with displeasure.
"Do you think that because we need each other, we would actually make a deal? You know as well as I do that making a losing deal is better than making a deal with each other!"
Her stepmother replied,
"Shion Lan. If you want him, I can help you."
The woman watched Pearl's expression carefully.
She noticed a slight sparkle in her eyes accompanied by a faint tremble.
She thought,
'As I expected... she loves that boy. I can use this to obtain the things her mother left behind.'
However, unfortunately for her, Pearl answered,
"There should be no relationship between Shion and me, even if I wanted one. Therefore, your offer means nothing to me."
Her stepmother asked,
"What is stopping you? I can—"
Pearl interrupted her.
"Maki Delisho! Have you forgotten that you tried to bind me to the son of the Shine Family before?!"
Maki replied,
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
Pearl interrupted again.
"I don't know where you got this audacity from! Leave this place immediately!"
It seemed Pearl would not allow her to say another word.
Therefore, Maki decided to leave.
She said,
"Forgive me, my daughter. I only wanted to help you as compensation."
The moment she left the room...
Pearl could no longer hold herself back.
She saw a decorative vase in the room and threw it against the wall to relieve her anger.
Grinding her teeth, she tried to calm herself.
"Maki Delisho... I swear I will take revenge on you."
Her eyes were deep, hiding a life filled with countless secrets.
Suddenly, she remembered her mother.
A woman who smiled with brilliance and beauty.
She was the type of person who embraced the sadness of others without any restrictions.
Pearl sighed while making calculations inside her mind.
"If I am right, Shion should at least reach the top four in the tournament. My share of the guild's stocks will increase, and then I will be able to begin executing my plan."
She remembered Shion and said,
"Do I love him? I don't think I have the right to possess feelings toward him, because I consider him a tool... A tool to take revenge on that hateful woman and my father who hurt me and my mother one day!"
She clenched her fist.
"Shion is not my lover. He is only a deal I depend on to take revenge against my family!"
But she remembered his expression...
His warm smile.
Her expression softened slightly.
However, she shook her head.
"He has someone he loves, and who loves him, even if she is only a spirit. I should not involve myself in his life!"
She ran toward her bed, hiding herself as if she were trying to escape from her own feelings.
Everyone at the residence was resting...
Except for fourteen students who were training and making sure of their techniques.
Each one stayed in a different location to prevent accidents during training.
A crimson aura mixed with a blue aura surrounded Kin Light as he experimented with a new technique.
In another room where the temperature had fallen below zero...
Glass Sano sat while thinking about his opponents and the strategies available to him.
Harry Gill released his anger on a training dummy that he imagined had the appearance of Shion, striking it with violent blows.
Baro Ferrer continued merging his techniques in another attempt to master his new attack.
Fiore Tai began meditating to gather aura inside his body.
Cole Leon trained with various dark techniques.
Sterai Shine began attempting to use the techniques and spells he had obtained from his heritage, with the Guardian Spirit assisting him.
Braj Torano decided to reveal his skills tomorrow, already seeing some competition.
Violet Knight trained her aura and attempted to use a new technique.
The remaining contestants followed the same path.
However...
Shion and Solan sat together on one of the academy benches.
While Solan embraced his arm, Shion looked toward the sky.
He contemplated the arrangement of the stars, summoned the different techniques stored in his memories, and continued training in the Veins Domain.