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190th Episode: The Moment of Reception (1)

Only a few days remain until the Magical Banquet.

The signs of meticulous preparation by the academy officials and the villagers are evident throughout Aligieri as this moment has approached.

In fact, Aligieri, which appears to be an ordinary village, reveals its charm even with minor embellishments.

Many people, believing it to have changed significantly, view this as the optimized aspect for showcasing extravagance.

By now, 90% of the famous guests invited to the festival have already arrived.

When including the spectators who have come to watch the festival, the number is beyond description.

All accommodations in the village are already saturated.

Those who quickly secured a room are fortunate, while others are forced to camp in the back mountains.

Having come to watch the festival, they cannot simply return home.

The Land of Wisdom left by Great Sage Dantia, Aligieri. The festival taking place here is nothing less than a memorial service dedicated to him.

The Holy Cross Sect respects Dantia as much as a deity.

The grand ceremony will be held in just three days, followed by a significant week of events.

Participants are acutely aware of how much attention this event draws.

Those directly participating in the events will find it hard to sleep comfortably.

Their nerves are so heightened that they spare no moment in preparation.

Luska Mad Eye was no different.

“….”

Standing in the sunlit forest, Luska was lost in thought.

With closed eyes, he focused and sought to disconnect himself from the world.

The sounds of branches rustling in the breeze, birds flapping overhead, babbling brooks beside him, and the waterfall cascading nearby were all completely blocked out.

Thus, Luska slowly descended into his own world.

Human consciousness possesses boundless potential. Regardless of the uniqueness of brain structure, everyone has a mental realm.

As one accumulates knowledge, new pages manifest in that realm, ultimately resembling a library.

For a wizard eager for knowledge, the volume can become so vast that they cannot remember it all.

However, the mental realm revealed to Luska was showing something entirely different.

[Uhhhhh… Found…!]

A vista unfolded before him.

Although blurred and hard to see, he could hear someone preparing to overwhelm him.

Yet, none of this existed among the stacked pages of knowledge.

Luska was not a wizard but a combat specialist.

Instead of probing the library of accumulated knowledge, he awakened his combat instinct to the maximum sensory level.

Thus, the pages momentarily appeared and were replaced by another scene.

That was… what would transpire in a few seconds.

“Hahaha! I found a gap!”

As soon as he heard the same voice from his mental realm, Luska turned his head immediately.

He then dodged the surprise attack from Mary, who had leaped at him with bared teeth.

“Ugh!”

Mary, having bitten the air, tumbled face-first into the grass.

Although it seemed her face would hurt severely…

“Hehehe! Found a worm!”

Lifting her face once more, she had a caterpillar in her mouth.

Her face seemed like it was made of steel, showing no signs of pain.

Luska asked with a grimace.

“Is that really that tasty?”

“Yep! Super delicious! Do you wanna try some?”

“I’ll pass.”

“Why? I can cook it up really nicely for you.”

“No means no!”

Even with a firm refusal, Mary was still smiling.

Her bizarre personality, which seemed impossible to adapt to for a lifetime, now felt trivial.

Having encountered it so often, Luska wondered if he might become just like her. A hint of fear crept in.

“But hey, buddy. How did you dodge that just now? You had your eyes closed.”

Even a fool like Mary could feel some curiosity.

It seemed incredible how Luska could dodge naturally, as if he had eyes on the back of his head.

But he couldn’t provide the answer she sought.

“I still don’t know myself. Ever since I had that strange dream recently, my mind has been a bit off.”

“Should we call Professor Stella?”

“No need for that. It’s not like I’m hurt or impaired. It’s just…”

It feels like my mental prowess has been maximized. In a way, I’ve gained a useful ability.

In combat, one is required to have not only overwhelming physicality but also exceptional mental strength.

When focused, one can clearly see the opponent’s movements and engage in combat with optimal actions.

Even outside blood-strewn battles, the same applies to athletic competitions.

Yet Luska seemed to cross beyond that realm…

“I think I can see the future.”

“The future?”

It was an inexplicable matter even to him, and he couldn’t articulate it well.

Instead, he wanted to ask her.

“If I can handle this well, I might win the Tactical Banquet.”

“Is it like foresight magic?”

“It’s completely different. I’m not a wizard.”

As Luska shook his head while saying this, a curiosity sprang up.

“But Mary, why are you here? You wouldn’t have freedom during the festival period, would you?”

“Oh, my darling called me here.”

“Darling…?”

“Yep! Darling.”

Who on earth does that ‘darling’ refer to?

Usually, when Mary refers to her classmates, she calls them “friends.” So, it’s expected to hear “Hey, friend~” whenever she sees them.

But ‘darling’ was something entirely new. Isn’t that something typically said to a woman?

“Wait, could that darling mean…?”

“Right! That friend! The one you know so well.”

Luska sighed, realizing his gut feeling wasn’t wrong as he rubbed his head.

Did she really understand what the term ‘darling’ implied when she used it?

But the one who said it was Mary, a child whose madness drives her to rush into fights if a day goes by without one.

There was no way she meant it sincerely.

‘It can’t be. No way…’

Luska stayed optimistic but then curiously asked again.

“But why did that Radon guy call you?”

And why to a place like this?

The moment that thought crossed his mind, more figures appeared.

“Luska, you’re here too?”

“Sister, you got called as well?”

“A rather familiar crowd has gathered here.”

Jenny, Angela, Nebia.

Like Mary, they had also shown up at the call of their friend.

It seemed they intentionally summoned Luska to the training area.

“I came here because Radon suddenly called me. He said he urgently had things to discuss…”

“Given the combination of people here, it certainly seems like a meeting is in order.”

Angela and Nebia harbored deep doubts.

Just then, at the right moment, Radon appeared.

“You guessed it right. An important meeting is about to take place.”

The man of the hour himself, Radon, arrived right on cue.

While Luska felt joy at his timely arrival, he found himself submerged again in curiosity because of the two mysterious individuals Radon brought with him.

“Radon, who are those people?”

One was wearing the armor and helmet of the Divine Royal Family’s knight commander, while the other was a woman with her mouth covered by a scarf.

They both removed the concealed decorations covering their faces without further ado.

“Who on earth are you…?”

It was perfectly natural for Jenny to ask, since she had never seen such faces.

But Mary was different.

“Huh? It’s the Spirit King Auntie!”

“Spirit King?”

“And that one is… the wooden doll disguised as the knight commander!”

“Knight commander?”

Everyone was startled collectively at the remarkably huge term that slipped from Mary’s mouth.

What was the Spirit King? What did a knight commander with a wooden doll mean?

Indeed, aside from Mary and Radon, it was something that most of them wouldn’t know.

These two happened to be the Spirit King Shaikar and her subordinate spirit, Spike, whom they had randomly encountered during their last mission.

“So that’s how it is…”

“That’s how it went down!”

Radon and Mary explained the events from their mission to their friends.

Initially, everyone was incredulous, but after experiencing Shaikar’s strength firsthand, they came to accept it.

“Is it really that legendary… Spirit King?”

“Can you still not believe it?”

At Shaikar’s gesture, a large tree began growing on Jenny’s shoulder.

Of course, it was a light-hearted prank, and it quickly returned to normal, with all three saints having the proper etiquette.

“F-first meeting. I am Angela Whitegreen, a saint from the Holy Cross Sect.”

“And I am Nebia Chromag as well.”

The appearance of a divine entity left the two saints at a loss for words.

They felt a slight tremor in the etiquette taught in the sect.

“Um… are you two the saints following Maria?”

“Yes…”

“That’s right.”

“Two of you as well… This generation of humans seems quite blessed.”

They learned that the previous saint, Maria, had been raised under Shaikar’s care.

Being closely related to the sect, the two saints became quite sensitive.

“Excuse me, but…”

“What is it?”

“I’m just curious… what brings you here?”

When Jenny cautiously asked, Shaikar wore a smirk on her face.

“Don’t get the wrong idea. This is just an avatar for reconnaissance, not my true form. I previously stated I wouldn’t interfere with human matters, and there’s no reason for me to step directly into it.”

“Wow! So you’re here for the festival as well?”

Mary chimed in, completely out of touch with the atmosphere.

Just as Luska was about to rush to cover her mouth… Shaikar laughed and spoke.

“Hahaha! This little one is quite consistent.”

“Yep! I’m a little one… Wait, what?”

Mary’s lively face turned pale.

Simultaneously, the already tense atmosphere grew icy.

Everyone worried about Mary’s outburst, but… that concern was unnecessary.

“Hey, little one. Have you been doing well?”

“Ah… I’m not a little one…”

“Every time I see you, it reminds me of Maria in her infancy. You’re so incredibly similar and adorable. Right, little earthworm?”

“Waaaah! I’m not! I’m not a little one!!”

Mary, unable to formulate any logical or physical rebuttal, was close to tears.

Indeed, Shaikar was in charge of Mary’s etiquette education.

“I don’t have the luxury to get involved in human festivals. I’m merely here out of curiosity.”

“What kind of curiosity?”

Luska, who was consoling the teary Mary, asked.

At that moment, Spike stepped forward to elaborate in response to a sidelong glance from Shaikar.

“At the command of Lady Shaikar, I infiltrated as the knight commander to investigate the imperial family. I also looked into the forces manipulating the royal family from behind and what they might be planning for this festival.”

At that moment, Spike’s expression darkened.

“This Magical Banquet… it could very well turn into a festival of bloodshed.”

*

‘They look so similar.’

Gerard Chain Silver was welcoming the most precious being in the empire right before him.

While they might not hold the position of emperor or empress, their bloodline can wield immense power.

Gerard reflected as he beheld Princess Mirona Kirien Divine.

`It’s strangely similar. To the previous saint…`

Her glossy, flowing red hair and sparkling eyes bore an uncanny resemblance.

Just observing her stirred memories.

“Nice to meet you for the first time, Sir Gerard. I am the 3rd Princess, Mirona Kirien Divine.”

“The head of the Chain Silver Family… Gerard Chain Silver.”

Gerard, who had never been flustered even when receiving the emperor, found it impossible to maintain his composure this time.

Of course, it was improbable that they were the same person, but merely observing this similar figure stirred up feelings of guilt within Gerard.

‘If only I had protected the saint back then…’

Thirty years ago, Gerard prioritized the lives and safety of the empire’s citizens.

However, after many battles took a toll on his judgment, he thought only about the citizens.

He went mad seeing them die off one by one.

So he ignored “brother’s” advice and emphasized to the saintess the grim state of affairs at that time.

The altruistic saintess ultimately threw herself for the citizens, and as a consequence…

‘It’s all my fault. All of it…’

A staggering thirty years later, the mistakes of the past still haunted Gerard like a nightmare.

If only his brother were alive, he would owe him an apology.

“Um… Sir Gerard?”

“Yes?”

“You don’t look so well…”

“Hahaha… I’m fine.”

Successfully masking his distress with a tenuous facade, Gerard’s heart sank once again.

“But Princess, who is the student standing behind you?”

The student had white hair, but their face was obscured by a mask. Yet, strangely, an air of familiarity lingered about them.

‘That face is…!’

During last winter’s break, Jenny had displayed swordsmanship… it was eerily similar to that performed by “brother.”

Perhaps there’s someone related to “brother” at the academy. Ever since then, Gerard had held onto that hope.

So, as soon as the Magical Banquet period began, he rushed to the academy faster than anyone.

“Ah, this person is the student council aide. They’re wearing a mask due to facial injuries.”

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask for one favor?”

Curious about what that favor could be, Gerard cautiously replied.

“I’d like to have a one-on-one conversation with that student.”

 

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