Every year on April 27, the Empire commemorated the day Emperor Louis Fermont founded the nation and proclaimed himself emperor. On that day, every province held grand celebrations, and the three-day Martial Magic Tournament was the main event.
The Martial Magic Tournament was a major competition that tested young people's training. Anyone under eighteen in the province could enter, whether they studied magic or Battle Qi.
The tournament's top three contestants would have the chance to compete in the Martial Magic Tournament held the following month in Koennas Ancient City, the Imperial Capital. The king would attend in person and reward the winners.
It was said that if a commoner placed in the top three at the Imperial Capital's tournament, they could even be granted a noble title and change their status overnight. Unfortunately, for nearly a century, this rule had been little more than an empty promise—even at the provincial tournaments, few commoners ever managed to stand out.
As the birthplace of Louis the Great, Tesri Province's young people had enjoyed remarkable success at the Martial Magic Tournament for the first few centuries after the Empire was founded. However, during Marquis of Eli's decades as lord of Dorn City, the province had lost its former glory. Some people whispered that the city lord's policies were to blame. Of course, no one dared say so openly.
Starting in mid-April, anticipation for the tournament filled Tesri Magic Academy. In class, the professors began making casual references to combat experience and strategy, while student groups discussed and studied memorable matches from previous years.
Overall, though, the students at the Magic Academy weren't optimistic about their chances. As Mr. Victor had said, competitions between Magic Apprentices and Squires were always more difficult for the former. The fact that Squires had greatly outnumbered Magic Apprentices at tournaments in the Imperial Capital over the years was proof enough.
Of course, none of this had anything to do with Donald. Aside from going to Dorn City once in the middle of the month to check on the Loli Sisters' work and enduring two rounds of torment from that dwarf, he had continued to live a very regular life.
Magic was certainly mysterious and fascinating, but learning it was, in practice, incredibly tedious. Drawing Runes, building Magic Models, and meditating all required endless repetition to improve one's skill.
Even for Donald, that tedium could be a trial. But just as he had treated his meticulous work at the Library as a form of spiritual discipline, he now considered overcoming boredom another such discipline.
It wasn't until Wesley reminded him that he remembered the Martial Magic Tournament was tomorrow.
"I still think you should beat Carl up. I kind of regret not signing up. I really miss seeing Carl get beaten up." Wesley wasn't usually one for fighting, but for some reason, he couldn't stop thinking about giving Carl a beating.
"Then you can take my place. With your Intermediate Magic Apprentice skills, you might even take first place." Donald knew Wesley had advanced a month ago. Lately, he seemed to be trying to construct a complex thirty-six-element attack spell, something only an Intermediate Apprentice could master.
After more than a month of practice, Donald could finally cast his Twelve-Element Defense Magic as smoothly as a six-element spell, summoning it at will. He had managed it in such a short time partly because studying all Five Elements had boosted his Spiritual Power, but more importantly, after a month of meditation, the Divine Elements of both water and fire had finally neared three hundred. His advancement was imminent.
Donald calculated that he ought to advance to Intermediate Magic Apprentice after the three-day tournament ended. He still hadn't decided whether to practice the rest of the Low-level Apprentice spells until he had mastered them or move straight on to Intermediate Apprentice magic.
Lucia had finally come to see Donald, but Captain Kaz had remained at her side the entire time. Sure enough, the two hadn't gotten another chance to be "alone together."
Early on the morning of the twenty-seventh, more than two thousand teachers and students from the Magic Academy set off for Dorn City in hundreds of carriages, forming a long procession. Lucia didn't appear.
When the Magic Academy's party reached the tournament grounds, the crowd parted to let them through. Donald followed the others into the vast open-air arena, where deafening cheers filled his ears. It seemed that although the Knight Academy had achieved better results in past tournaments, the public still favored the Magic Academy.
Tens of thousands of ordinary spectators sat in the higher rows farther from the arena. The front section was divided between the province's two academies, but nobles occupied more than half of it.
In the front row of the nobles' section, the twin sisters sitting beside Adarua waved enthusiastically at Donald as he entered. He waved back, wondering how they had ended up sitting there. Then he remembered that at the start of the school year, Natia Vida had sent him the king's congratulations. It seemed these visitors from the north held a high position in the Empire.
Once everyone from the Magic Academy had taken their seats, the tournament finally began.
The Magic Academy's younger students had, at most, just formed their Divine Elements, so they couldn't cast spells and none would enter the competition. Students at the Knight Academy, on the other hand, could enter regardless of grade. So the tournament opened with matches between the Knight Academy's younger students. Opponents for the later rounds would be drawn once those matches were over.
There were many competitors among the Knight Academy's younger students, and their bouts weren't very exciting to watch. So those matches took place simultaneously in more than a dozen small rings marked out around the arena, with contestants facing off in pairs.
This was the first time Donald had seen Richard and Kelly wearing their uniforms of armor. After more than six months of knight training, Richard had grown even more powerfully built. In armor, he already looked quite imposing. Kelly's armor had been specially made for a woman, and it showed off her long, athletic figure.
Neither of them had particularly strong opponents. Richard traded a few blows with his opponent before winning through overwhelming strength. Kelly used her nimble footwork to evade her opponent for a while, then waited until he grew impatient, tricked him into losing his balance, and kicked him out of the ring.
After winning, both of them waved toward the Magic Academy's stands. They hadn't found Donald yet, but they knew he was there.
Several more rounds followed, producing the top eight. Richard advanced without trouble, and to Donald's surprise, Kelly also made it through, though not without a scare.
After that, those eight younger students, the Knight Academy's fifty-six older students, and sixty-four students from the Magic Academy would be mixed together and draw lots to determine their opponents. Until the competition reached the Top Eight, the tournament officials would handle the draws.
From this point on, the arena was no longer divided into separate rings. All matches would be held one-on-one.
Donald quickly received his draw: the twenty-seventh match, against Aubrey, a fourth-year student at the Magic Academy.
The matches went by quickly. As expected, the Magic Academy lost far more often than it won against the Knight Academy.
Kelly entered the twelfth match. The moment Donald saw her opponent, he had a bad feeling.
It was Dick, one of Carl's lackeys.
As soon as the match began, Kelly tried to close the distance quickly, but Dick had already cast Stone Spike Spell by the time she was halfway across the ring. It slammed into her armor with a dull thud, and Kelly crumpled to the ground.
As she struggled to get back up, another Stone Spike struck her right arm, the one she was bracing herself with. She cried out in pain. Her arm had to be broken.
Donald had already risen from his seat when Kelly fell. Now, hearing her scream, his heart clenched. He charged into the arena without a second thought, even shoving aside one of the officials keeping order along the way.
Donald rushed into the ring and lifted Kelly into his arms. Her right arm was clearly broken, twisted at a strange angle. Her beautiful face was drenched in sweat from the excruciating pain, but when she saw the concern in Donald's eyes, she still struggled to smile.
Dick wore the carefree expression of a winner and even waved toward the Magic Academy.
Several officials hurried over, preparing to drive Donald from the arena. Fortunately, Merkel arrived in time and began speaking quietly with them.
Donald held the injured Kelly in his arms, with Richard already at his side. In the middle of the arena, surrounded by ten thousand people, the three teenagers from Lant Island looked so small and alone.
The young man looked around at the crowd. A nameless fury was stirring inside him. He had always backed down when provoked. It was the survival philosophy of the weak. But his retreat had only made those who hated him even more brazen. The draw had clearly been rigged, and Dick had surely been ordered to strike Kelly again even after she was no longer able to fight.
If conflict was unavoidable, and he was no longer the weakling he had been six months ago, then it was time to change his approach.
Donald held Kelly a little tighter and said in his usual gentle voice, "Don't worry. I'm here."
Even with the broken bone driven into her flesh, even with the relentless pain, the girl in Donald's arms still felt incredibly happy. The young man before her had just rushed to her side without hesitation. He had said those words to her.
The girl closed her eyes peacefully. Yes, he was here.
Carrying Kelly, Donald headed toward the VIP seats. As he passed Dick, he spoke coldly. "I hope you win a few more rounds."
His voice was so cold it seemed it might freeze into ice the moment it left his lips. Hearing those words and seeing Donald's expression, Dick felt a flicker of fear. Even he couldn't understand why. After all, in his eyes, Donald was still just an ordinary person who couldn't even form a Divine Element.
Donald carried Kelly to Adarua. In front of the astonished nobles, he asked, "You can do something, right?"
"It's just a minor injury. She'll be fine in a few days," Adarua replied indifferently. To him, broken limbs were no big deal for a warrior—not worth making a fuss over.
"Adarua." Donald stared straight at the dwarf without moving his eyes.
The Gnome sisters had never seen Donald look so cold, or even a little angry. He almost seemed like a great demon king.
"Uncle Ada!" the two sisters called out together. They took out the same Green Potion Donald had seen before and fed it to Kelly.
After Kelly drank the potion, her expression did indeed relax a little.
Adarua suddenly smiled in satisfaction. The young man had always reminded him of those Gnome sages, their heads full of odd ideas and prone to startling people without warning. But they all overthought things and were indecisive. Now that someone had finally crossed Donald's line, the emotion he showed was exactly to a dwarf's taste.
"That's more like it! Whoever dares lay a hand on your people, you take them down!" Adarua took Kelly from Donald. Golden Battle Qi blazed around his hand as he supported her injured right arm. "Don't worry. She'll be fine in a moment."
The VIP seats erupted in an uproar. It was hard to tell whether they were more shocked by the dwarf's display of strength or by his words.
Kelly's injury was only a small interruption to the tournament. The competition paused briefly, then continued.
After leaving Kelly with Adarua and the Gnome sisters, Donald returned to his seat in the Magic Academy's section.
"When you face him and Carl, don't hold back!" Wesley whispered from the seat beside him. Donald nodded silently.
When the twenty-sixth match ended, Donald stood without a word and walked toward the center of the arena.
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