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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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Chapter 44
Superior Mage Selection Tournament
Before the tournament began, the center of attention was undoubtedly Princess Violet and Lioness.
The core of the First Prince's faction and the future of the Second Prince's faction.
Everyone anticipated that the highlight of this tournament would be their duel.
But now that the tournament was over, things had changed.
The star of this tournament turned out to be an entirely unexpected individual.
“Supreme Mage: Violet.”
Clap clap clap clap clap—
When Princess Violet ascended the podium, applause erupted from all directions.
The Rainbow Staff, the symbol of the Supreme Mage, was awarded to her.
“Of course, Her Highness became the Supreme Mage.”
“She’s the master of Glacia; the result is only natural.”
People did not dwell much on her obvious victory.
Among the eight Superior Mages, the title of Supreme Mage is given to the best.
No one doubted that Princess Violet would take that position.
However, the gazes of the spectators at the ceremony were drawn less toward the expected first place…
“And who is next?”
“That person is the one from the rumors…”
...and more toward the completely unforeseen second place winner.
“Superior Mage: Kaylen. Lioness.”
Starting with Kaylen, the names of the seven Superior Mages were announced one by one.
Seven mages ascended the podium together.
Among them, Lioness, who shone brilliantly, stood out.
“Lord Lioness is as dazzling as ever.”
“How can a human have such beauty… He seems even more radiant than an elf.”
The general public cheered for his appearance, enchanted by his looks.
But the gazes of the “real” ones were focused elsewhere.
“That’s the one who came in second.”
“Kaylen, is it?”
The greatest surprise of this tournament.
A man who, as a mage—not a Meister—defeated all the Mana Suit-wielding Meisters and pushed the princess to her full power in the finals.
“His appearance… it’s more like a knight than a mage.”
“Doesn’t seem like anything special, though.”
A tall, imposing figure, with a physique more suited to a knight than to a genius mage.
While his looks were clean and refined, standing next to Lioness, he seemed comparatively unremarkable.
“Just a few months ago, he wasn’t even a notable student, I heard.”
“Not notable? Apparently, he was closer to a failing student.”
“They say he’s from a declining baronial family.”
“Goodness. It’s incomprehensible.”
A group of middle-aged and elderly men murmured as they observed Kaylen.
Although they appeared ordinary, the mages present kept glancing nervously at them.
“Why are they here at the awards ceremony?”
“Is it true? It really is them, right?”
“This is the first time I’ve seen so many Tower Masters gathered for a tournament awards ceremony.”
The frontmost seats at the awards ceremony—always invited, yet often left vacant.
This time, however, half of the 32 seats designated for the Kingdom of Bormian’s Tower Masters were filled.
“Indeed. It’s surprising to see so many here. They must be busy running their towers, yet they made the trip. Truly unexpected.”
“Haha. Busy, yes, but none of us could compare to the Master of the Red Tower.”
The Magic Towers
Initially, these towers were communal research hubs where like-minded mages gathered to collaborate.
But the present-day Magic Towers had evolved into something entirely different.
They now commanded their own Chasers of the Accursed and possessed the capability to independently develop mana suits, positioning themselves as powerful Meister collectives.
After the widespread emergence of dungeons, the traditional concept of territorial boundaries crumbled.
Nobles tried desperately to protect the lands they inherited from their ancestors, but the relentless waves of monsters proved overwhelming.
Thus, the territorial system based on linear boundaries shifted to a point-based system, centered around key strongholds.
Cities formed around these Magic Towers, which became indispensable for survival.
Inevitably, they rose as the new centers of power.
Unless one was a king or a duke of considerable standing, it was nearly impossible to challenge their influence.
If a Meister collective reached the level required to be recognized as a “Magic Tower,” even the leader of the smallest tower would be treated with the same deference as a marquis.
Meanwhile, the leaders of the larger, “major” Magic Towers wielded authority surpassing that of dukes.
“To think half of the 32 Tower Masters have gathered here…”
The 32 Tower Masters of Bormian Kingdom.
Even when a Meister from their tower won the tournament in the past, they seldom attended the awards ceremony.
Yet, this time, they had come in person, just to see one individual.
Although most of the attending Tower Masters were from smaller or mid-sized towers, their presence alone was unprecedented.
“Haha. I couldn’t believe the reports, so I came to see for myself. I needed to confirm it with my own eyes.”
“Indeed. That student—once considered a failure, and from a declining baronial family—has now drawn so much attention. Could it be that he made a pact with a demon?”
“Haha. A pact with a demon? That’s quite the entertaining theory.”
“But if that were the case, he wouldn’t receive blessings so easily.”
The awards ceremony continued.
The priest from the Holy Order bestowed blessings upon all the winners.
Even Kaylen, who had collapsed shortly after his loss in the finals and still had a pale complexion, began to regain color as the blessing was administered.
“Haha. It was just a jest. If he had truly made a pact with a demon, how could he possibly evade the gaze of the Holy Order?”
“Come to think of it, I heard he has ties with the Fairy Tower…”
“They say the mana suit he used in the finals was crafted by the Dwarven Queen.”
“Oh? In that case, could he already be a member of the Fairy Tower?”
The Tower Masters, exchanging lighthearted banter, shifted their attention to the Fairy Tower.
Their gazes subtly turned to Irene, who sat among them as the representative of the Fairy Tower, acknowledged for its unique structure governed by seven leaders.
Under the weight of their stares, Irene responded with a faint, wry smile.
“No, he isn’t one of ours. Not yet… at least.”
“‘Not yet,’ you say?”
“Undine whispers. She senses a strong aura of water emanating from him.”
With a complex expression, Irene turned her gaze toward Kaylen.
Until recently, Kaylen exhibited a unique mana balance. He didn’t align with any one elemental attribute; instead, his mana was a perfect symbiosis of multiple elements.
But after the final match against Princess Violet, everything changed.
He emerged as a flawless Water Meister, a transformation so striking it even drew admiration from elemental spirits.
“The sudden dominance of water… What on earth happened during the finals?”
Irene’s thoughts lingered on the climactic match.
She had witnessed the battle up to a point. But when a brilliant flash erupted and an immense surge of mana burst forth from Princess Violet, the fight’s conclusion became a mystery.
The brilliance had overwhelmed even Irene’s sight, a sign that mana-infused light had been at play.
“Did Glacia possess such power? Or is there something more to this?”
When the blinding light finally faded, the scene was simple yet perplexing:
Princess Violet stood victorious, while Kaylen lay defeated.
It had only been a fleeting moment.
Yet in that instant, something profound had occurred. Kaylen had lost, but his constitution had transformed, marking him as a complete Water Meister.
“Undine, you say?”
“Then… a Water Meister?”
“Strange. This is the same person who conjured flames potent enough to match the princess…?”
The Tower Masters were intrigued by Irene’s revelation.
Until the final match, Kaylen had demonstrated exceptional proficiency in all elemental attributes. Many had anticipated he would become a Fire Meister, especially after his breathtaking display of fire magic against Princess Violet.
Yet now, the whispers of water?
It was an unexpected turn, but coming from Irene—a known elf adept in controlling water spirits—it was credible.
“The presence of water is undeniable,” Irene declared. “He is the kind of talent that belongs in the Fairy Tower. We will do everything in our power to recruit him.”
Her words carried a veiled warning to the other Tower Masters: do not attempt to poach him.
The Fairy Tower’s highest directive was to secure exceptional Water Meisters at any cost.
Still, Irene harbored a personal concern:
“If it’s come to this, the promise of making him an Advanced Spirit Summoner may not hold…”
Kaylen’s previous method involved stimulating his spirit affinity through exposure to various elemental attributes. But now, with water dominating his being, she doubted whether his old approach would still work.
“…Even so, that’s a separate matter. Securing him for the Fairy Tower takes priority. If we want to keep Myorn here, bringing him into the fold is crucial.”
As one of the seven leaders of the Fairy Tower, Irene set aside her personal desires and focused on the greater strategy.
Though the Fairy Tower, one of the eight major Magic Towers in the Bormian Kingdom, had declared their intentions, the other Tower Masters were undeterred.
“The Fairy Tower is a formidable opponent, but…”
“For them to move so quickly speaks volumes about Kaylen’s potential.”
“We thought he was destined for fire, but water? We must join this recruitment battle.”
Some Tower Masters from the Water Towers looked particularly greedy.
“No matter how grand the Fairy Tower might be, it remains a tower of non-humans. They’ll never fully embrace a human as their own.”
“If we offer him the chance to become the greatest among humans, he’ll see the value in joining us.”
Their avaricious gazes bore down on Kaylen.
Here was a prodigy of unparalleled talent, personally vouched for by spirits.
Already a 4th-circle mage in his youth, capable of destroying a mana suit with his bare hands—he had only begun to showcase his potential.
If Kaylen, now a Meister, unleashed his full power… the possibilities were staggering.
“Prepare a place to meet with him.”
“It seems I’ll need to step in personally.”
The Water Tower Masters, eager to secure Kaylen, began summoning their mages and setting plans in motion.
However, they weren’t the only ones bustling with activity.
“...He’s the mage who conjured fire capable of challenging Glacia. There’s no rule saying he’s only suited for water magic.”
“We should also conduct our own tests. Perhaps he’ll reveal potential in other elements.”
Masters from other elemental Towers, unwilling to let such a once-in-a-century talent slip through their fingers, also resolved to approach Kaylen.
From her seat at the forefront of the award ceremony, Princess Violet watched the scene unfold, a faint smirk playing on her lips.
“So, it really is water.”
This was her first time seeing Kaylen in person since their final match, and Violet could sense a distinct change in him.
The mana that radiated from him felt familiar, entirely different from before.
Why can I sense water mana from him? What happened when he lost consciousness?
She had asked him directly when they met earlier, but his response had only deepened her confusion.
“What happened?”
Kaylen’s reply was equal parts frustration and disbelief:
- “What happened? I should be asking you the same question. I was overwhelmed by an immense surge of water mana, and before I knew it, I blacked out.”
- “I thought I was done for. Even the Ice Prison couldn’t contain it. I truly believed I was going to die.”
- “And now… something’s wrong with my body. What did you do?”
His words left Violet without a proper explanation.
What could I say? she thought. Where did all that mana go? Glacia was nearly drained…
Her thoughts turned to Glacia, her S-tier mana suit.
Equipped with five top-tier mana stones, Glacia had the rare ability to self-recharge, a feature befitting its elite status.
Yet, this self-replenishing mechanism required some baseline mana to operate.
After regaining consciousness, Violet had inspected Glacia, only to discover its mana reserves nearly depleted.
Refueling it had already consumed a fortune in mana stones—enough to make even a princess wince.
For the time being, Violet realized, she would have no choice but to dedicate herself to dungeon raids just to recover the expenses.
“Sigh… No rest for me anytime soon.”
As the de facto financial manager for the First Prince’s faction, Violet bore the full burden of her extravagant decisions.
Her resigned sigh underscored the reality:
She had created the problem herself, and now she had to fix it with her own effort.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Kiteretsu]
[Proofreader - Kyros]
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