It was well known that stars, circles, and inheritances were intangible concepts—things one could only sense, never touch. Yet what Shion saw at that moment defied all common sense: a real, solid magic circle pulsing in his palm. Astonishment filled him as he wondered why such a circle had been implanted into the body of the First Prince. But before he could find an answer, he noticed something strange… the prince's magical power suddenly weakened, retreating back to the level of the Third Circle.
Shion frowned, muttering inwardly: "Could it be that this ring is replacing his natural magic circles? But… isn't an artificial device like this harmful to his body? Why would he resort to using it at such a young age?"
The realization struck him almost immediately. It was his sister's eyes—the undeniable talent and skill within them—that had placed him under unbearable pressure. And so the prince had forced himself to use the ring, chasing after her brilliance.
But knowing the reason brought no solution. Shion was torn: should he return the ring to the prince and avoid direct conflict, even if that meant earning the enmity of the Second Princess whom he had just helped? Or should he deliver it to the king, for such tools were forbidden within the kingdom, at the cost of provoking the First Prince's wrath? Or perhaps hide it, and drown in an endless web of complications?
His eyes flicked to the physician at his side, his partner in this moment, and he knew the man would certainly seek to avoid the First Prince by handing it over straightaway.
All such thoughts were shattered when the Second Princess, Gina, rose from her bed. Gone was the shy girl of moments before—her gaze now sharp, cutting toward her brother, then toward Shion. But when her eyes met his, her heart jolted, and she scolded herself: "Not now! This is no time for such feelings!"
Summoning her courage, she closed her eyes and declared firmly:
—"Shion Lan, since you obeyed my command and extracted that ring from the First Prince, Jaiden Gaul, I shall reward you later. For now, you may leave. No one dares lay a hand on you!"
She threw a glance at the physician, who bowed nervously. Realization struck Shion—she had just saved him. An involuntary smile curved his lips, and the princess's cheeks flushed crimson at once. Shion bowed his head gratefully.
—"Until we meet again, Your Highness."
He left the chamber, the physician trailing behind. Gina, left alone, pressed her hand to her chest, whispering under her breath:
—"Damn him! Why does this feeling seize me whenever I look at him?!"
She could not understand herself. Only recently, Shion had seemed nothing more than a pitiful boy with a face that inspired no trust. Yet today, at the gates, he had appeared utterly changed—his bearing more composed, the air around him calm and kind. And when his eyes had shifted, the atmosphere transformed once more into something noble and majestic, drawing her in too closely, unsettlingly intimate.
Her fingers tightened; the ring was still in her hand. Fury welled up inside her. She thought of her brother, clenching her teeth. "Is that fool insane? Using such an artifact means he had help from someone outside the kingdom!"
Channeling her gifted eyes into the ring, she saw foreign symbols, marks that belonged to no noble family of their land. Her breath caught as the thought struck her: "Could it be…?!" Rage ignited within her gaze as she looked toward her brother.
—"I must inform Father… so that traitor can be executed!"
Meanwhile, Shion hurried toward the combat arena, muttering under his breath:
—"Damn it, the first hour has already passed… the names of the top contenders are out! I just hope Baro and Fiore are safe and managed to climb, even just a little."
Though he knew the early contenders were relatively weak, he hadn't placed heavy expectations on his disciples. Baro had trained under him for more than a month, while Fiore had only received some light guidance. Still, he had hoped they could at least secure the ninth and tenth places.
When he reached the stands, his eyes darted to the board—and nearly choked from shock.
—"So my worry was pointless! They're monsters!"
Baro Ferrer stood proudly in fifth place, Fiore Tai in ninth—already among the top contenders on the very first day. Though it was only the initial evaluation, with two more days ahead, both had displayed skills far beyond his imagination.
Relief swept through Shion, yet a bitter smile tugged at his lips. "How disgraceful… last year I competed with underhanded tricks and barely scraped into tenth place on the final day. But my students, with only scraps of my guidance, have already achieved results I never could."
He lifted his gaze to the arena, where the highlights of the first day were being displayed. At that moment, the spotlight shone on fourth place: Vioni Lucius. She fought with the element of ice, wielding a thin rapier-like magic wand.Despite its frail appearance, her rank was proof that she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the kingdom's finest talents.
Shion's gaze swept the noble balconies. One tier stood out—the Second Princess Gina's—and there, among her retinue, he spotted Kin Light, the Moon Duelist, and Nell, and the cluster of nobles who clung to the princess. He also noticed the man who had confronted him earlier; his face was shadowed and sullen. A private chuckle escaped Shion: That man must have recognized the "monkey" at a glance in the mirror.
The place Shion had sent him to earlier was another arena, one equipped with a mirror used to conjure a replica of a student so that the original could be tested against his own double later. If the student lost to his reflection during his time at the academy, the consequences were harsh. Shion turned his attention away from that thought and scanned the crowded stands, eyes settling on the stage where Vioni Lucius fought. He searched for Sol and Vivi and, after a moment, found them and took the seat beside Sol, who watched the duel with rapt attention.
Watching Vioni, Shion thought to himself, Vioni Lucius is an ice specialist—her magic gives her both formidable defense and a lethal offense. If Baro unleashes his full strength against her, it'll be a brutal fight… but he stands a chance. She's truly talented.
"Huh?!" Shion and everyone nearby were taken aback. Sol, startled by Shion's sudden appearance beside her, shot him a worried look. "What happened to you?" she asked—he had been gone a long time with a guard, and she had feared for him. Shion forced a smile. "There was an issue with the Second Princess. I helped her before coming," he said, then stole a glance at Vioni, who had just threatened his pupils.
Sol frowned, memory flickering. "That's strange… wasn't she wearing different clothes earlier? Could it be—" She and Vivi looked at Shion, puzzled; he shook his head in mock offense. "I am a gentleman—I would never divulge anything indecent!" he protested. Yet an ugly thought had flashed through his mind too: Did those two brutes assault her? If they did, I'll break every bone in their bodies. Hatred for such acts was part of what had fueled his loathing for his father. On the surface Shion remained calm, but inside he was boiling; the crowd shared his fury.
"Did those wretches try to lay hands on her?!" someone shouted.
"Did you see that? In front of the whole academy! If I find them, I'll kill them!"
"What do you expect from riffraff? They're no better than wild animals!"
The commentator's voice cut through the rising uproar. "Now moving on to fifth and ninth places—these two have been close throughout Day One, but have finally split to prepare for Day Two."
Baro and Fiore appeared on the field as Vioni's segment closed; both stood stunned by the scene they'd just witnessed. Baro spoke up: "As Master Shion said, we should focus on missions—they'll earn us large point gains. Some are dangerous, but that's better than hunting other players and making enemies inside the academy."
"Understood!" Fiore answered, and they moved. The crowd murmured at their seriousness—if they were so earnest, perhaps they were truly worthy.
Shion tried to parse the odd events, feeling Kin's gaze land on him. Kin's expression suggested he had accepted Shion as their teacher: He's really changed… could he actually be their instructor? They've made it into the top ten! The look made Shion uneasy, so he refocused on the arena.
Baro and Fiore set out to complete the tasks assigned—simple things like collecting ingredients or clearing an area were the baseline, needed to pass; hunting monsters or other contestants raised rankings more but increased risk and reduced alliances. Baro and Fiore, however, had been tackling the dangerous tasks to boost their ratings. Shion watched their movements closely. They were to fight a monkey-like beast, the same sort Vioni had defeated. Though neither was a ranged mage nor had much training, Baro pushed on, his stamina honed from sparring with Shion; Fiore—whose talent Vivi had praised—moved with a gift that showed itself in the short time they fought.
They defeated the beast quickly. Baro drew attention with the technique "Light Spear," a move he'd learned from Shion.
"Isn't that the Light Spear?!" someone gasped.
"Impossible—it's supposed to be a simple move, it shouldn't look that strong!"
"There are differences in the technique now—his strikes are faster and harder!"
"He said he has a teacher named Shion, right? I want to see him!"
"See him?! Do you realize how dangerous that is? If the student's skill is this high, the master must be something else entirely. Vioni's mother is a five-circle ice mage—her power rivals six circles!"
"Maybe that man is stronger than we think—we should cultivate ties with him!"
"Do you even know him, fool?!"
The crowd buzzed at Baro's performance. Sol and Vivi glanced at Shion, who flushed with embarrassment at the remarks. Won't people die of frustration if they learn the kingdom's "scum" is their teacher? he thought with a wry pain.
Then, inevitably, the Second Princess's golden eyes locked onto him from her box. She stared hard, as if studying him through and through. Shion met her gaze—there was nothing left to say.