"I wonder what Dark Demon will draw?"
Watching Joseph Bruno get pinned to the ground by nine little piglets, the audience couldn't help but turn their eyes to the other victor on the stage.
If this gentle, refined blond youth were also pounced on and slobbered over by piglets like Joseph Bruno, that scene would be…
Well, say what you will—they really wanted to see it!
People always love to watch an immortal tumble down into the mortal dust.
And so, brimming with mischievous glee, the audience grew all the more interested in Dark Demon's prize-drawing.
"Classmate Dark, it's your turn," Judy reminded him.
Dark had no choice but to pick up the little golden hammer again.
In truth, he too was very much looking forward to the prize hidden within this Easter egg.
For all that Joseph Bruno looked rather disheveled at the moment, the Magic Guide Card he'd obtained was no simple thing.
One could tell from the sentience of those nine piglets that they weren't merely simple magical constructs, but nine genuine Magic Guide Spirits.
This type of Magic Guide Spirit Card was of the same nature as Senior Angelia of the Magic House's "Fairy Choir"—it belonged to the "legion" category of Magic Guide Spirit Card, exceedingly precious and rare.
If it could further be paired with that special Magic Card—"Great Liberation"—one could, in an instant, obtain a full nine individual Magic Guide Spirits.
Of course, compared to its practical value, its research value was perhaps even higher.
A Magic Guide Card similar to it was Diana's "[Bear Den]."
And the Ultimate Move of the "[Bear Den]"—"[Three Little Bears]"—had an effect similar to "Great Liberation," able to turn three little bears into independent individuals after the "[Bear Den]" collapsed.
"If I could get my hands on a Magic Guide Card of this type, perhaps I could use it as a foundation to try researching the synthesis of a 'Wishiwashi.'"
Dark steadied himself for a moment, then brought his strength to bear all at once.
"Crack!"
The little golden hammer struck down hard upon the top of the Easter egg.
The magic attached to the little golden hammer was thereby triggered, blossoming into a seven-colored magic array that spread ceaselessly outward.
And then the enormous egg began to shatter from the top, the brilliant light bursting from the cracks making Dark squint despite himself.
By the time he opened his eyes wide again, only a third of the eggshell remained.
His gaze shifted, and at once a trace of astonishment crossed his face.
At the bottom of that eggshell lay three whole cards.
"Could it be that even the number of prizes comes down to luck?"
Dark couldn't help but steal a glance at Joseph Bruno beside him.
It seemed this senior's luck wasn't very good.
Thinking this, Dark reached his hand into the eggshell, first drawing out the gate card.
Unlike the white card Joseph Bruno had drawn, the gate card in Dark's hand plainly gave off a faint blue halo—it was a higher-tier blue gate card.
This meant that not only could he bring one additional person into the secret passage, but he could also enter and exit twice each month.
"Not bad at all."
Dark couldn't help but feel pleased.
As long as it didn't interfere with his studies, he'd most likely choose to enter the secret passage on weekends.
And with four weeks in a month, two chances was just about right.
"So then, next are these other two prizes."
Dark looked at the two cards, a flicker of helplessness crossing his face, but he still reached out his hand.
Both of these Magic Guide Cards had blank faces, their nature unknown.
Dark casually picked one, pinching it between two fingers and flicking it up into his grasp.
Sure enough, he then felt a wisp of magic power being drawn away.
That Magic Guide Card automatically began its smelting, then triggered on its own, suddenly shooting out a beam of white light. Dark gave a helpless smile and, neither dodging nor evading, let the white light released by the Magic Guide Card wash over him.
And then he suddenly felt his whole body grow light, his entire form shooting straight up into the sky!
The instantaneous change made Dark start with alarm.
"A Suspension Charm, a Floating Charm, or a Flying Charm?"
The sensation of hanging in midair beneath his feet was far from pleasant.
Dark watched his field of vision climb ever higher, a touch of dizziness in his eyes.
Humans are full of yearning for the sky, but once they truly reach the heights, they often develop a certain dread.
Though Dark wasn't quite acrophobic, he still felt himself shudder.
He lowered his head slightly and looked down, noticing that the spectators in the stands were shrinking at breakneck speed, cries of alarm ringing out one after another.
That surge of sound flooding his ears actually calmed him down instead.
His first instinct was to reach for his card pack, but he immediately realized that the Spell Card whose exact nature he didn't know was already in his hand.
So he channeled magic power into it accordingly, and soon received feedback from that power.
"It's a 'Flying Charm'!"
The "Flying Charm" was also a type of universal spell, but compared to the Five Great Spells in the appendix of the first-year textbook, its complexity was undoubtedly a good deal higher.
In the course of studying the Magic Guide Language, Dark had come to understand that this was a spell far beyond what someone at his own stage could master.
Thus, upon learning that this was a "Flying Charm," his alarm at once turned to delight.
There had been nothing to fear in the first place.
Even if he truly couldn't handle it, the professors below the stage would step in to rescue him.
What's more, the very key to breaking out of this predicament was in his hand.
Dark immediately brought the "Flying Charm" before him, trying to channel his "intent" into the card along with his magic power, so as to adjust his direction and speed.
After several sudden accelerations and turns, he abruptly discovered that controlling this "Flying Charm" was far less difficult than he'd imagined. He soon grasped the essentials of maneuvering it, and couldn't help but let joy show on his face.
"Woo-hoo—"
...
Dark's sudden ascent into the sky truly left Alvit in the stands so nervous her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.
Had she not clearly seen Dark calm down at a visible rate, she would very nearly have fainted on the spot.
"Honestly, are you really that scared?"
Claire cast her a glance, the picture of composed serenity.
"Meow." The fat cat in her arms let out a rather resistant cry—its flesh hurt so much.
The Eldest Princess, squeezed between them, kept her mouth clamped tightly shut.
...
Apart from the initial fright, the atmosphere inside the Dueling Arena was rather good.
When the audience suddenly noticed that the blond youth who had been sent skyward was already able to fly freely, their earlier cries of alarm all turned into cheers.
Dark flew two more circles in the air, then plunged sharply toward the ground, and after an "L"-shaped dive in midair, drifted gently down and returned once more to the stage.
Like a magician who had finished his performance, he gazed at the stands with a smile on his face.
And so the applause grew all the more fervent.
But this round of prize-drawing was not yet over.
Dark tucked away the "Flying Charm" Magic Guide Card and reached out once more for the last remaining card.
With the experience of the "Flying Charm" behind him, not only was he free of worry, but his anticipation had grown even keener.
"I wonder what this one will be?"
Just as Judy had said, this truly put one's card luck to the test.
When Dark's fingers touched this third card, however, they didn't produce the earlier sensation—no magic power was drawn away.
This instead made him furrow his brow, feeling an instinctive twinge of disappointment.
But then he immediately lifted the card before his eyes, only to find that a few characters had appeared upon its face.
—[Transfiguration Spell]
...
"It's actually a Transfiguration Spell!"
Dark's eyes lit up at once, his heart filled with delight.
"No wonder…"
If the difficulty of the "Flying Charm" fell somewhere between the second and third years, then the "Transfiguration Spell" was a Spell Card one only had the chance to learn in the fifth or sixth year.
Moreover, "Transfiguration" was not a universal spell—a portion of the spell had to be written by the Magic Guide Master personally.
Therefore it couldn't serve as a half-finished card that began its "automatic smelting" merely by absorbing a bit of magic power.
This also meant that Dark wouldn't trigger it on the spot.
Otherwise, he'd genuinely be afraid of turning into a kitty or something right then and there, and from then on carrying around one or two humiliating nicknames like "Dark the Kitty."
"In any case, this unfinished 'Transfiguration Spell' should serve as a stepping stone to earn a private lesson from some professor."
Dark nodded in satisfaction and tucked away the "Transfiguration Spell" as well.
Then he looked up at Judy, revealing a faint, meaningful smile.
The visibly disappointed Judy hurriedly adjusted her expression and stretched out her hand. "It seems both contestants are quite satisfied with the prizes they've each obtained. Here, as the host of this Dueling Festival, I once again extend my congratulations to them.
Congratulations to the first-year of the Noble House, Dark Demon, and the sixth-year of the Magic House, Joseph Bruno, on winning the final victory of the First Easter Dueling Festival!"
"Duang!"
The piano's tune shifted abruptly, and the music in the arena instantly surged with passion.
Dark Demon and Joseph Bruno then withdrew from the stage one after the other.
...
And after these two had left the stage, the audiences at the various branch venues everywhere also took their leave one by one.
"It's over again."
Alvit's face fell with dejection, reluctant to part.
But once the Dueling Festival ended, the connection between the branch venues and the main venue would sever.
No matter how much she lingered, it would be to no avail.
Claire walked over. "Let's go. We've got things to attend to next."
"You're right." Alvit composed herself and straightened her expression.
What Dark had displayed in this Dueling Festival wouldn't have too great an impact on the kingdom's situation for now—but that was only because the time hadn't yet come.
If they failed to take it seriously and let matters keep fermenting, the future would be unpredictable.
Just as she had said before—some things, once they stuck to you, could never be shaken off.
"Haah."
Eliza caught hold of her two little sisters who were trying to slip away, and couldn't help but heave a sigh.
Outside the branch venue, the capital sky was still drizzling with a fine, unending rain.
...
And while both the First Prince and the Eldest Princess were setting things in motion, City Lord Montielfali of the Free City finally made her decision as well.
"Aurora, prepare for the handover of internal affairs."
"Handover?"
Aurora hesitated—a rare thing for her. "Isn't there still five months left?"
City Lord Suna Montielfali couldn't help but turn her head toward where the Kingdom Capital lay, and said quietly, "If you're still set on your idea, then we'll have to start preparing as early as possible."
As clever as Aurora was, she naturally caught on at once.
She couldn't help but lower her head, a faint blush showing on her face, and murmured softly, "Mm."
But then the City Lord Montielfali suddenly put on a stern face. "Don't get too happy too soon. I'm not going to ask for a marriage—I'm going to break one off."
Aurora: "Huh?"
...
Dark Demon did not realize the far-reaching influence this Dueling Festival had caused.
In fact, even if he had realized it, he most likely wouldn't have paid it much mind.
Because it lay outside the scope of his considerations.
His purpose had always been clear.
After withdrawing from the stage, Dark summoned DemiDevimon and liberated it from the [Curse Cage].
Having reverted to being a familiar once more, DemiDevimon regained the tracking skill unique to familiars.
With DemiDevimon's help, Dark soon found Diana and Rose.
And sure enough, Senior Pandora was accompanying them as well.
"Dark, Dark, what card did you draw at the end? Why didn't it trigger?"
Diana bounded over like a little bear, and Dark halted his steps to keep from colliding with her.
The crowd surged, and Rose and Pandora followed close behind.
Pandora looked at Dark and laughed. "That's right, we were looking forward to seeing you get pounced on by the piglets."
Dark gave a helpless, wry smile. "Fortunate enough, I suppose—the last card was a 'Transfiguration Spell.'"
Hearing this, Diana couldn't help but blink. "Then why didn't you transform?"
Pandora lowered her head and smiled. "A 'Transfiguration Spell' records the art of transfiguration, and that's no universal spell. Under normal circumstances, it requires the Magic Guide Master themselves to personally write it before a suitable Spell Card can be smelted from it."
Diana instinctively clutched her head. "You mean you have to write it with the Magic Guide Language?"
Pandora said gently, "Yes. You'll all begin learning it from the second year. The Magic Guide Language is a discipline that runs through a Magic Guide Master's entire life, so don't slack off while learning it—especially you, Diana."
Diana couldn't help but stick out her tongue, pretending she hadn't heard.
Rose let out a soft laugh.
The four of them continued onward along with the flow of the crowd and soon left the Open-air Dueling Arena.
The setting sun dipped westward, the evening glow drifting lightly, casting a distinctive red upon everyone's face.
"Today's Easter has been unexpectedly peaceful."
Dark glanced back at the Open-air Dueling Arena that resembled a Roman Colosseum, a meaningful look in his eyes.
...
When the crowd had nearly dispersed.
Joseph Bruno, who had stepped down from the stage at the same time as Dark, made his way instead to an appointed spot in the contestants' passage.
Only "Lia Goethe" alone waited within the passage where but a faint glimmer of light remained.
Though Lia Goethe had wagered on both men, she had, as one would expect, placed her bets separately, never letting either know of the other's existence.
Tom Nixon's defeat had been within her expectations—though the process had differed somewhat.
She had originally assumed Tom would founder at Winnie Skadi's hands, but had never expected him to meet his Waterloo before Dark Demon.
Fortunately, Joseph Bruno had, as anticipated, claimed the final victory.
"Hello, Madam Goethe." Bruno walked up before Lia Goethe, a trace of a smile surfacing on his somewhat effeminate face.
Lia Goethe raised her head, revealing that same countenance Dark had seen at the antiquarian bookstore, and smiled. "Congratulations on your victory."
Bruno took out the gate card directly and said, "Rest assured, I took care before touching it and didn't activate it."
Lia smiled faintly. "That is truly most appreciated."
But Bruno held up the gate card and gave it a shake. "You promised me that as long as I helped you win this gate card, you'd guarantee I could keep my post at the academy. I'd like to see concrete proof."
Lia Goethe stared into his eyes and said, "I never lie."
But in the very next instant, Joseph Bruno felt a sudden dizziness in his head, his vision blurring.
By the time he came to, the gate card in his hand was already gone.
Lia Goethe had casually activated the gate card, completing the binding.
A little figure shaped like a key popped up upon the card's face and bowed. "Identity verification successful, identity verification successful! Hello, my master, please register your name."
Lia Goethe observed the little figure with great interest. "So it incorporates an intelligent system similar to a familiar? It really does bear some resemblance to the Sorting Card. I wonder what other functions it has besides opening doors?"
"I've heard it also has a communication function."
Joseph Bruno's voice had noticeably lowered. His fingers had already slipped into his card pack, and the look he directed at Lia Goethe was full of wariness.
Lia Goethe gave the gate card a shake at him and said gently, "Don't be tense. I keep my word—you'll be the only one to successfully remain at the academy this year."
Joseph Bruno pressed further, "The proof?"
Lia Goethe shook her head. "No proof is needed. You'll come to know it in due time. You ought to trust that your own learning is enough to keep your post. Otherwise, even if I wanted to help you, I couldn't. Oh, and—whatever you do, don't make a move. You understand."
The hand Joseph Bruno had slipped into his card pack did not withdraw, but neither did he make any rash move.
Lia Goethe was about to continue speaking when she suddenly arched an eyebrow.
And then...
"Beep—"
From within the gate card in her hand came a sound that stirred nostalgia.
It was exactly the same as the sound of the Sorting Card receiving a notification.
She looked at the card's face, and a letter popped out.
____
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