Chapter 71 - Entrance Ceremony of Blood (6)

The winter wind blew fiercely as they left Eternia's territory.

Silveryn stopped the carriage. The Holy Knights encircling her as escorts also halted their horses. Everyone looked puzzled at the sudden stop in the middle of the snow-covered forest path without warning.

Silveryn opened the carriage door and stretched as she came out.

"Mmnh. Ah, disperse here."

The Holy Knights looked at each other with bewildered faces.

The dispatch captain approached her with confusion.

"Lady Silveryn, what do you mean..."

"Can't understand simple words? You and I part ways here."

They couldn't understand what whim this was. What had upset her?

The further they got from Eternia, the sharper and more capricious Silveryn's temper became. Demanding green grapes in winter, claiming she couldn't sleep without fur blankets—her requests were impossibly demanding. The holy knights did their utmost to accommodate her, but things only got worse.

The dispatch captain showed his reluctance at this unilateral announcement.

"Then to the Holy City..."

"I'll go on my own. I have places to visit."

"It is our duty to escort you until you arrive at the Holy City. Wherever you go, we will accompany you."

"Watch your words. Who's protecting whom? I'm sick of this. If anything, I'm the one protecting you."

"T-that's..."

The Holy Knights knew Silveryn didn't need protection. The escort was just for appearance's sake. However, from the Order's position, they couldn't simply tell an Archmage to make the long journey alone. It was meant as a sign of respect for the Archmage, but with her speaking this way, they had no response.

Silveryn crossed her arms and looked down at the dispatch captain.

"What are you doing? Not leaving?"

"..."

Anger flickered in Silveryn's eyes. Then her mana began raging like a released beast.

"We have our orders..."

"Will the world end if I arrive a day or two late? You parasitic vermin. Get out, get the hell out. Do you even know what the entrance ceremony means? Think it's just some children's party? Can you understand how it feels to miss your only disciple's entrance ceremony? I feel like burning everything I see right now, so if you don't want a dog's death, get out."

Silveryn's hair began floating slightly. The ground heated up in response to her mana. The white snow field quickly melted and steam rose from the earth.

Transcendent mana that could instantly cook the frozen winter earth according to her mood swings erupted. It was on a completely different scale from any mage they had encountered in their lives. Even the Holy Knights, who had spent decades in life-and-death training, felt their breath stop in terror.

Sweat streamed down the dispatch captain's back. Further accommodation and accompaniment seemed impossible.

He signaled his lieutenant to withdraw. The Holy Knights swiftly reformed their ranks.

"We deeply apologize for our many offenses. We will go ahead and pack down the snowy path to the Holy City."

Only then did Silveryn's mana begin to calm.

The Holy Knights didn't delay further and departed ahead, leaving Silveryn's carriage behind.

Silveryn watched until they disappeared, then took off her shoes and threw them into the carriage.

She then removed all accessories except her necklace and placed them in a jewel box.

Seeing this from the rear carriage, one of the maids quickly gathered Silveryn's towel and stayed by her side.

"...Let's go."

Silveryn walked barefoot off the path and into the forest.

The forest path she took eventually led to a gorge. A cold wind blew. Despite being barefoot in a thin dress, Silveryn felt no chill.

After walking through the gorge for a while, an abandoned ruin appeared. Silveryn walked to its center. There was a large hexagonal bath. The water inside was frozen solid.

Unconcerned, Silveryn loosened her dress straps. As her clothes slipped down, her slender snow-white body was revealed without a thread of clothing.

As she looked down at the bath for a moment, the ice cracked and then hot steam and bubbles rose from the bottom of the water.

Silveryn held the glass vial containing Damian's blood in one hand and immediately immersed herself in the water.

Taking a bath after so long made her feel like all her accumulated fatigue was flying away.

The Purification Bath.

And beyond these ruins laid the Star Altar.

A place where ancient magic, thought to have been cut off hundreds of years ago, was secretly passed down. They had to avoid the Order's eyes. Though they served the same god, their methods were completely different from the Order's.

This was where she had come to receive Damian's oracle.

To enter there, one had to purify their body in the bath.

Silveryn held up the glass vial with both hands and gazed at it contentedly. After giving it a light kiss, she held it against her cheek to feel its pulse for a moment.

"...It would have been nice if you could come too."

***

Someone approached Rupert as he stood taking deep breaths alone.

Startled by an inexplicable chill, he turned around.

Sion stood behind him, her hand on her sword hilt.

"...W-what?"

"Don't we have something to discuss?"

"What discussion?"

"Combat Department representative, that's not your seat, is it?"

Rupert narrowed his eyes and said smoothly.

"...Just accept it already. I earned this position. I won it fair and square by defeating you at Mount Grace's summit."

"Want to prove that right now?"

Sion pushed up her sword with her thumb. The blue blade was revealed. Sion was the type of woman who would swing her sword regardless of consequences, even in the middle of the entrance ceremony.

Rupert quickly backed down in surprise.

"Ah, wait, I know, I know. Calm down. I was just testing because of some strange rumors."

"..."

"Gale Varianne is second place but refused to be representative if he couldn't be first. Victor, who was next, refused for the same reason. That's why I'm here. They're like you—prideful and straightforward. You saw them, right?"

Gale and Victor were those who had lost to Sion in previous confrontations. It was understandable they would refuse to stand on stage, unable to accept being beneath someone due to pride.

But Sion wasn't talking about them.

She frowned and shook her head.

"I'm not talking about those losers."

"...What? Losers? What do you mean? You're first, Gale is second. That's all I heard?"

Rupert's eyes gradually widened as he digested Sion's words.

"Ah... could it be, could it be that rumor was true? That there was someone who competed with you at the mountain’s summit?"

"Tell me everything you know."

"Hey, hey, calm down. I just heard rumors. I don't know anything. You saw it yourself, so you must know better, right?"

It was unlikely Rupert knew anything. Deflated, Sion let out a light sigh.

"No, but Gale would be really angry if he heard himself being called a 'loser’."

"Not my problem."

"Why are you all so desperate to kill each other? Is it some kind of self-hatred? Gale is just as eccentric as you. I heard rumors he's planning to challenge you again soon."

"Tell him to come anytime."

Finding no more value in the conversation, Sion left.

***

Cecil walked to the back row of the campus grand hall where the entrance ceremony was being held. People were still moving about chaotically in the back.

Just as her friend had told her, she found “Candy” wearing his mask in the most secluded corner.

He was standing absentmindedly, holding up his palm to catch the light particles falling like snow.

He looked like an ordinary boy lost in the mystical scene.

Seeing him made Cecil laugh wryly.

After searching so hard without finding any clues, as if he had evaporated, it felt almost deflating to see him appear so casually.

Why was someone who should be playing the ceremony's protagonist standing in the most remote corner like an uninvolved person?

Worried he might run away if she approached too directly, she carefully walked up to him.

"...What are you doing here alone? Don't you have friends?"

He slowly turned his head toward Cecil.

"..."

Cecil met his eyes for a moment before speaking.

"Still not talking?"

"...It's been a while."

The corners of Cecil's mouth turned up slightly.

"You know what? The Planteras back there are glaring at you menacingly? They must not see you as a student because of the mask. You should probably take it off soon."

He responded indifferently, "They saw me as a Plantera, not a person. So they just let me pass."

"Haa, how long are you going to wear that tacky mask?"

"You don't recognize luxury goods."

"Luxury? Who made it? Name the craftsman. I'm the Magic Engineering Department 'top seat’ so I know well."

Cecil emphasized the words "top seat".

He pretended to think for a moment before answering smoothly.

"I heard they're famous. Erz… sebet?"

"That's funny. Yes, sure. You're really strange. Do you like that mask that much?"

"Yes. When I wear it, peddlers don't bother me."

Cecil blushed as she laughed.

"Hehe, true. You look the most like a peddler, who would bother you?"

He responded stoically, "...Magic scholars do."

"You talk so much, you seem like a different person. Is Candy really in there? This won't do. Give it here. That."

Cecil suddenly held out her hand.

"...?"

"The special candy."

"...If you take all my goods, how will a peddler like me make a living?"

"Quickly."

He rummaged through his pockets for a while before saying.

"...Sold out right now."

Cecil felt increasingly excited.

She had thought there was little chance of meeting him, and even if they met, she didn't think they could have such a normal conversation. Yet contrary to all expectations, she was casually chatting with him.

"Your social skills aren't bad for someone without friends. Since you're cute, I'll acknowledge you as Candy."

"..."

"By the way, what did you do with the Frost Wind Bomb I gave you?"

"Used it in an appropriate place."

"How was it after using it? Pretty good, right?"

"Yes."

Cecil squinted her eyes and said, "...I contributed to you getting 'overall first place,' right?"

"..."

He stared at Cecil. His eyes seemed to ask how she knew.

With Cecil's information network, finding out who the real top seat was had been easy.

Cecil grinned and pressed close to him. Then, she tapped the nose of his mask with her index finger.

"Don't try to deny it. 'I'm flustered' is written all over your face. You owe me."

"...I'm not first place."

***

Someone approached Lilith as she sat sobbing alone.

It was her friend Matthias.

Startled by her tear stains, Matthias stroked her back.

"Lilith, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly crying?"

Lilith wiped her tears with her forearm and pushed away Matthias's hand from her back.

"It's nothing. What do you want?"

"How is it nothing? Can't you tell me?"

"It has nothing to do with you. Why did you come?"

Matthias sighed and said, "That masked guy you mentioned. I think he's here."

"...What?"

"He's back there in the banquet hall. He's the only one wearing a mask. Is it because of him?"

Lilith wiped her tear stains again with her palm. Then, she rushed to the back of the banquet hall, leaving Matthias behind.

She searched the banquet hall earnestly, like looking for a lost lover.

And through the gaps between the bustling people, she really saw that man.

Her heart sank.

Dark red hair. Wooden mask. Not a fake. Without a doubt, it was that man.

Lilith pushed through the crowd with difficulty to approach him.

Only when she got close could she see.

The masked man.

And Cecil was pressed close to his side, wearing a bright smile.

Lilith dropped the handkerchief she had been holding.