The entire hall suddenly plunged into darkness, a sudden turn of events that left everyone stunned.
What happened?
Erika Chiba had only taken a few steps when her body tensed up immediately, and she moved closer to Chiba Yeyou, adopting a defensive posture.
"Are you still suffering from the aftereffects of the last incident?"
Chiba Yeyou found it somewhat amusing to see Erika Chiba looking so nervous.
This is a military facility, not something that can be easily infiltrated, especially at this time. The security measures here are several times stricter than those at the Nine Schools Competition venue.
"Uh, it was just a subconscious reaction."
Erika Chiba, somewhat embarrassed, came to her senses and explained. After being reminded by Chiba Yeyou, she realized that this was not the First High School; the security was very strict, and the safety level was naturally much higher. She had indeed been a bit too nervous.
"Bang!"
Just as the two were talking, a beam of light suddenly appeared on the stage of the venue, revealing the figure of a woman. This left the elites from various universities in the venue somewhat puzzled. Although their confusion deepened, the wariness on their faces completely disappeared. After all, the name of the military facility was enough to reassure them.
"See? It's just a little trick."
Chiba Yeyou gestured to Erika Chiba.
"Does this woman want to say something?"
"How come I didn't know there was this part?"
Erika Chiba, who knew some of the procedures for the ball, was now puzzled.
"No, look behind this woman. Oh, right, this guy used Mental Interference Magic. It's not very advanced, but it's quite sophisticated. See, that should make it clear."
Chiba Yeyou she spoke, Erika Chiba patted her on the shoulder.
Erika Chiba instantly spotted Retsu Kudou, a serious-looking old man with a full head of white hair, hiding in the shadows.
"Was this a large-scale spell that covered the entire venue?"
"That's right. The reason these guys didn't react is simply because they weren't observing carefully enough, and they weren't on guard to begin with. If you looked closely, you could have seen the people behind them."
Chiba Yeyou explained to Erika Chiba, but it was a bit strange; didn't anyone explain the situation to her before she went on stage?
Perhaps it would be better to say something like, "Welcome to Kudou's address."
It seems something has changed?
Chiba Yeyou looked at the old man thoughtfully.
Retsu Kudou whispered something in the woman's ear, and then the woman stepped out of the shadows, revealing Retsu Kudou to the outside.
Retsu Kudou didn't speak directly, but smiled at Tatsuya Shiba before looking at everyone in the room and preparing his speech.
It seems that some people are well aware of Tatsuya Shiba's true identity!
I just don't know how much you all know about me?
Chiba Yeyou couldn't help but smile, finding it quite amusing.
"First of all, I apologize for making you all play this prank on me. What I just did was more of a sophisticated magic trick than magic, but as far as I know, only six, not just seven, people saw through it."
Retsu Kudou originally intended to say six people, but his gaze suddenly turned to Chiba Yeyou's side, and he then changed his answer to seven people.
While important figures like Chiba Yeyou and Retsu Kudou, who are elders of the Ten Master Clans, would likely not have paid much attention to him, Erika Chiba, the daughter of the Chiba family who was by his side, certainly did.
The fact that Chiba Yeyou was able to detect and help Erika Chiba shows that he realized it the moment he activated his magic, which explains his calm and composed reaction. This made Retsu Kudou a little curious about Chiba Yeyou.
"In other words, if I were a terrorist and wanted to launch an attack using poison gas or bombs..."
"Then you'll die at least twice before you even make a move, "Chiba Yeyou silently retorted in her mind.
"Only seven people can stop me from taking action."
Retsu Kudou's words caused all the elites present to change their expressions.
"My fellow students who are learning magic, magic is merely a means, not an end in itself."
"The magic I just used was large in scale, but extremely weak in intensity."
"But you have all been misled by this weak magic, and few of you have even become aware of my existence. Efforts to improve your magical abilities cannot be neglected, but I hope you all remember that such efforts alone are not enough."
"A great magic spell used incorrectly is no match for a small magic spell whose method is meticulously crafted. I look forward to your meticulous refinement, juniors who are learning magic."
The elites present were stunned at first, but then they couldn't help but feel sincere admiration for Retsu Kudou's speech and spontaneously began to applaud.
"As expected of a great educator, his way of speaking is truly unique."
Chiba Yeyou also clapped and praised.
"A great educator?"
Hearing what Chiba Yeyou, Erika Chiba looked at Chiba Yeyou with some curiosity.
"Um."
"He's a prodigy who taught Miya Yotsuba, Maya Yotsuba, and Koichi Saegusa."
Chiba Yeyou truly admired the old man; this was a classic case of a great teacher producing a great student.
"That's not..."
Erika Chiba looked at Chiba Yeyou with surprise, wanting to confirm if they were the three people she was thinking of.
"That's right, just what you think."
"Hiss!"
"He's definitely a formidable person."
Erika Chiba immediately agreed with Chiba Yeyou's assessment.
Standing at the pinnacle of magicians in this country, that is a Grandmaster!
"Looks like this is the real purpose of this social gathering!"
Chiba Yeyou sighed.
"Yes, that should be it."
Erika Chiba nodded in agreement.
After Retsu Kudou's speech, the people in the room gradually steered the conversation back to what had just happened, and the restless atmosphere caused by seeing beautiful girls or handsome boys calmed down considerably.
Before long, the social gathering began to end. After all, everything that needed to be said had been said, and the students from various universities had learned what they needed to know. Those who didn't know each other wouldn't say anything more, and the social gathering was over.
"I think he must be one of them."
Just as Chiba Yeyou was walking out of the venue, she heard a familiar voice. Turning around, she saw Mayumi Saegusa and Mari Watanabe.
" Chiba Yeyou!"
Mari Watanabe waved to Chiba Yeyou, signaling him to wait for them.
The group quickly walked to Chiba Yeyou's side.
"Just now Mayumi Saegusa said you must have discovered the magic from earlier, right?"