“Where is Varian?”
William asked with a frown.
“Sarah’s junior?” Philia asked. She seemed to have heard his name. It was the guy who dueled the second years…right?
“Hm. He’s my junior’s junior. He’s pretty good, though not good as me.” William said with a sincere face.
“…” Philia was silent for a moment before saying. “Were you peak level 5 in the first semester?”
“….” William’s smile froze.
“Cough cough. That’s not the point.” He waved his hand and said. “I searched for him everywhere. Eliminated or not. I can’t find him. No one saw him either.
Where the hell is he?”
William was worried that something bad happened to his junior’s junior.
Someone else was also worried.
Not for the same reason though.
‘Are you kidding me?’ Evander sat silently with the Sovereigns as he maintained an expressionless face.
But inwardly, he wanted to get up and smash the table.
Why?
Because he read the message Richard, Varian’s butler sent.
[Master, young master didn’t appear. He’s not eliminated. Nor is he in the other regions. He isn’t a messenger either. I’m afraid…]
“Hey Evander, are you fine?” The man in envoy uniform, controlled by Sovereign Kreo asked.
“Ah! Me?” Evander said before he gave a natural smile. “Thanks for the concern, Sovereign Kreo. I’m perfectly fine. In fact, never felt better.”
‘I’ve never felt more tense. What the hell is going on?’ Evander almost jumped up from his seat.
But he maintained the same stoic but polite expression and tapped on his comm.
[Richard, are you sure? Maybe some didn’t come out.]
[I’ve cross-checked twenty times already. Other than Sarah, Ashtarh and Charles, only Varian is not out. There are no deaths this time and everyone else is out.]
‘Fuck!’ Evander slumped into his seat.
“Oh my. Hosting a banquet must be exhausting.” Sovereign Vianne covered her mouth and chuckled.
“Ah-haha. Indeed, it’s pretty exhausting…I hope I didn’t cause you any inconvenience.” Evander laughed awkwardly.
‘Exhausting my ass! I can sit all day for a month and not feel tired. B-But this stupid disciple, I’m afraid…no, I’m sure something is gonna happen. Argh! Now what are you going to do?’
“Speaking of you, Evander, how did your disciple do? I didn’t see him in the group, is he eliminated?” Sovereign Ares asked.
“…” Evander stiffened as he considered the million possible ways to answer.
Finally, he sighed inwardly and opened his mouth. “Actually, he…”
“Sarah!”
“Ashtarh!”
“Charles!”
Following silver lights, three members appeared in the center of the banquet hall.
Not even a second passed, and three silhouettes shot at them with tremendous speed.
“…A-unt Anna, I’m sorry.” Sarah said before she fainted.
Anna’s breath stopped as her throat went dry. She looked at the dried marks on Sarah’s cheeks and sighed.
“Miss…you did your best.”
Anna’s body disappeared and she appeared in the emergency treatment room.
“Get the best potion!” She yelled.
“B-but she can do it just fine with a 7-star potion.” The officer in charge stuttered.
“I will pay! Get her the best potion!” Anna roared causing the officer to shiver before he hurriedly nodded.
She placed Sarah in a healing pod and sighed deeply.
What pained her was not Sarah’s loss. Fuck that competition!
But the pain Sarah endured because she lost.
“Miss…don’t you realize you’re competing with cadets a year older than you?” Anna whispered softly. “I’m already proud of you.”
But the person you want to make proud of…
Anna’s eyes narrowed and her space sense locked onto Evander in the center of the banquet hall.
He was currently looking in this direction. His gaze seemed to pierce through the walls as his eyes rested on Sarah’s position.
His eyes fluctuated for a moment before he nodded at Anna and went back to talking with the Sovereigns.
Crack!
Anna crushed the glass vial in her hand. ‘Can’t you at least come see her once? She’s lonely. The only people she is close with is me and Varian….Varian?’
Anna just realized her space sense didn’t sense him. Given her familiarity with his aura, her space sense would automatically prompt once it feels his aura.
But her space sense was already enveloping the entire banquet hall and still there was no response!
Anna was worried for a moment, but she decided to check on him after Sarah woke up.
At the same time in other healing rooms.
Prince Carl and Princess Hua saw Ashtarh’s injured body in the healing pod with a complicated expression.
“He got so many injuries…” Princess Hua bit her lip.
“It’s Charles. It’s just ridiculous that Charles not only healed but also injured Ashtarh to this point.” Carl said in exasperation.
“But didn’t you see Charles’ injuries? They’re more horrendous. At least Ashtarh fainted after arriving here, but Charles was already unconscious.” Hua sighed.
Indeed, Charles’s skin was missing in many parts and there were various burns in his body.
By the time he arrived, there was lightning mana wrecking havoc in his body. Old Eve Xander quickly dispelled the lighting and took him to treatment.
“Lightning mana…wait, what the hell?” Prince Carl exclaimed with wide eyes.
“What happened?” Hua asked, a bit anxious.
“The last blow Charles took was a lightning one. But neither Sarah nor Ashtarh are lightning awakeners. And that lightning mana…being a level 7 lightning awakener, I feel it’s not an awakener’s mana.”
“…You mean?!” Hua raised a brow.
“Yes. It’s an explosive or something. Perhaps it’s actually Sarah or Ashtarh who used it…but I don’t know, it feels weird.” Carl couldn’t put a finger on it, but he always had the feeling that something wasn’t right.
“Well, Ashtarh didn’t have any flags. So, it’s either Sarah or Charles. They’ll announce shortly.” Hua said.
“Hm. that old man Richard did ask us if Ashtarh had the flags. I think they’ll verify the flags and announce anytime now.” Carl nodded.
“But people are just too excited. Look at the hype.” Hua smiled lightly.
The banquet hall was noisy as everyone discussed the winner.
The three of them were all severely injured, but one of them must be the winner.
They were all waiting for the announcement and the relevant personnel were already checking the flags.
The relevant person was an old man.
Richard. Varian’s butler.
At this moment, he was looking at the sky and sighing deeply.
He went to Anna, Princess Hua and Eve Xander.
The three of them gave the same answer.
‘We have no flags.’
Six flags…the last three contenders didn’t have a single flag.
Logically, the conclusion would be that no one won any flag.
Richard would’ve also thought the same.
No. He wanted to believe it. He wished it was true.
But he knew something most others didn’t know and weren’t paying attention to.
There was one last person who still didn’t come out.
And there was also only one person who was still missing in the participants.
‘I’m done. I’m done. Let me die.’ Richard maintained a composed smile outwardly as he dragged his body to the center of the banquet hall.
“….”
The banquet hall suddenly fell silent. Everyone looked at Richard as they anxiously awaited the announcement.
‘No way what I think is gonna happen. No one won. Yes. The winner is none.’
Richard coughed lightly and opened his mouth. “The winner is—”
A silver light flashed right beside him, causing everyone in the banquet hall to stand up in shock.
Richard stiffened like everyone else as a young man stepped out of the space crack.
“The winner is me.” Varian raised the flags and declared.