"Everyone, please allow me to borrow the deputy headmaster for a bit."
Inside the Gaora VIP Hall, Headmistress Isolde grabbed Deputy Headmaster Korvus by the wrist, and both disappeared into thin air the next moment, reappearing within one of the private rooms inside Gaora City Hall.
The headmistress then cast a sound isolation spell before turning her attention to her older deputy, gazing at him coldly.
"So? Care to explain what’s going on in the academy?" Isolde began. "I left for a while to act on the emperor’s will. Yet, the moment I return, I see such a talented student branded as a one-star. Did we or did we not swear to ensure that the younger generation, no matter their status in life, would get a fair chance to rise? That we would protect them from the aristocrats and give them a safe space to grow? I expected better of you, Deputy Headmaster Korvus. If even we give in to the corruption of greed and fame, the empire will fall. You, of all people, should know that."
Korvus broke into a cold sweat.
Due to his age, Isolde had always treated him with respect, despite being a notch above him in both combat prowess and rank.
She rarely reprimanded him, and when she did, it was usually over something minor, often resolved with a simple apology and a sheepish scratch at the back of his head.
This was the first time she had been angered to such a degree.
"P-Please allow me to explain, Headmistress," the old man stuttered. "I have not broken my oath to the emperor. You know I wouldn’t."
Isolde narrowed her eyes but seemed somewhat convinced by Korvus’ words.
The old man had always been borderline mad when it came to patriotism, so unless his mind had been subtly tampered with, there truly should be no way he would fall to corruption.
"Then tell me, why was such a talented youngster of the empire being treated like garbage in my academy?" the headmistress demanded, her tone slightly less cold.
"H-Had I known his true competence, I wouldn’t have allowed this to happen. I-It’s his mana affinity. Hal Fennec’s mana affinity is the lowest possible for a wizard, at one percent."
Isolde’s frown deepened at Korvus’ explanation, confusion starting to set in.
One percent mana affinity?
Then how had Hal managed to learn and cast so many spells, and of different types and elements at that?
"Have you reconfirmed his mana affinity?"
The old deputy’s heart began to race.
He had somehow developed a slight dislike toward Hal for constantly being the reason behind the delay of Ennya Kasai’s training. And since the testing devices had never failed before, Korvus had never even considered reconfirming Hal’s affinity.
The young man had also never brought up the matter, despite having had a few chances for private conversation.
But the main reason was that the old deputy simply hadn’t thought that paying much attention to Hal was worth it.
After all, he had plenty on his plate himself.
Korvus was fortunate that Isolde was an exceptionally perceptive individual who could understand the weight of his responsibilities.
"Aihh... then what about his mana-bound artifact? Why is he , mastering all kinds of spells when he should be focusing on a path?"
"T-That, Headmistress... he drew a home decoration called Clown Box that didn’t offer any advantages, and that was why I didn’t bother investing time in him all this while... As you know, I’m very busy too..."
"No boosts? Clown... Box?"
Isolde could hardly believe what she was hearing, her confusion only deepening.
Then how was Hal Fennec so strong at such a young age?
Fortunately, her deputy finally said something that clarified a few things:
"A-Ahh! But he did mention to me that his artifact wasn’t as simple as it seemed, though he didn’t exactly explain how it was helping him. I just find it hard to believe that the ancient and mystical Arcane Repository would fail to reveal the true effects of an item it produced."
The headmistress nodded in agreement.
Hal Fennec’s claim was indeed a bit strange, but it was also the only logical explanation.
"Aihh... fine, fine... at the very least, while we didn’t exactly treat him correctly, we did so according to the academy’s rules, correct?" Isolde sighed.
"Yes!" the old deputy responded eagerly. "I only treated him that way because that’s what the rules dictated. The more talented ones receive better treatment, regardless of their origin or current status in life."
"Good," nodded the headmistress. "Then at the very least, our relationship with him shouldn’t be sour."
Meanwhile, back at the stage, the battle between the top sophomore and the worst freshman on paper was reaching its conclusion.
Hal and Vyse gazed at each other, both bruised after multiple ferocious back-and-forths.
The Midnight Specter leaked translucent black mana all over, and so did Hal’s Spirit Bear.
Hal was forced to dismiss his summon, as he didn’t want to risk the destruction of his permanent durability card.
This move took the top sophomore by surprise.
"Oh? Are you finally reaching your limit?" Vyse probed with a playful tone, masking the utter disbelief in his heart.
He truly could not believe that a guy who had just awakened his mana this year could push him this far.
"Hahaha," Hal chuckled, finding the older student a bit likable. "Not even close. I’ll give you a chance. How about we end this soon?"
He was telling the truth.
Hal was nowhere near his limits, but the way he said things made it seem like he was just acting tough.
What he truly wanted was to avoid revealing any more of his prowess in this top sixteen match.
He had already shown quite a number of spell cards, and while he had many more, there were also many more matches ahead.
His advantage lay in his unpredictability, and with each new spell card he used, that advantage diminished.
He wanted to finish things by revealing only two more spell cards—ones that would beat Vyse at his own game.
It would be a satisfying end to the battle for both Hal and the audience.
"I think I’ll pass on that," Vyse responded with a smile, feeling his victory drawing near.
"I think you won’t," Hal playfully retorted.
A massive golden magic circle appeared in front of him the next moment.
Not as huge as Liora’s but quite similar in scale.
The top sophomore’s brows rose at the sight, finding it hard to resist Hal’s offer.
’What is he plotting?’ Vyse thought. ’Or perhaps I’m overthinking it?’
The Radiant Decimation spell that Liora had used earlier required a large amount of mana to cast.
It was the bane of the darkness element, just as the darkness element was its own bane.
Maybe Hal was betting on the fact that Vyse’s Dark Reversal would break first.
"Heh, fine. I normally don’t do this, but I’ll take you up on your offer."
"Haha! I knew you would."
The next moment, a golden smite of light shot horizontally across the stage, heading straight for Vyse, who stood with the same calm and collected smile.
A massive dark plate appeared in front of the top sophomore and began absorbing Hal’s attack.
Would the plate shatter first, or would it manage to absorb all of the decimating light?
The clash between light and darkness lasted for several moments before one side finally prevailed.
Vyse’s Dark Reversal successfully absorbed Hal’s Radiant Decimation.
"Well then, I guess that’s that. I expect you in my student union’s office, Hal Fennec."
The next instant, the obliterating wave of light shot back toward Hal, completely enveloping him.
"What a Dark Reversal from competitor Vyse!!! Hal Fennec gets obliterated after all his courageous claims!"