Chapter 636: Day of the tournament 3

A few days before Emperor Leopold’s unexpected visit to the academy—

Amelia Grace, the granddaughter of Principal Leilah and her personal secretary, stood frozen in her office, clutching a communication orb so tightly her knuckles turned white.

Her expression twitched between disbelief, dread, and the faint hope that she’d simply misheard something.

“E-Excuse me… can you repeat that again?” Amelia stammered, voice trembling. “I’m sure—you must be recounting it wrongly, right?”

On the other end, Desmond, one of the academy’s foreign-affairs officers, let out a tired sigh.

“No, not at all, Professor Amelia. The message came directly, accompanied by a signed imperial letter. The wax seal is authentic—I checked it myself three times.”

Amelia felt the world tilt.

She had been calmly going through the final confirmations for the expected VIP visitors—foreign dignitaries, noble families, top guild representatives… the usual mix that attended a grand festival.

But she never expected something this absurd.

“Haha… Desmond, I know you like to give me pranks sometimes, but this isn’t funny, you know…” She laughed awkwardly, hoping he would suddenly shout “Got you!”

“I’m not kidding this time.” Desmond’s voice sounded just as strained. “Honestly, I think it’s insane too. Even I had trouble believing it when I saw it. But… Amelia, I really think you should inform the principal immediately. Just in case.”

“W-Wait a second! You should be the one to inform her! You have the direct letter, don’t you? Since you’re in contact with the imperial palace, shouldn’t you be the one to… to explain everything properly to her?” Amelia shot back instantly.

She knew it was a cowardly excuse.

And Desmond knew she knew.

But Amelia truly didn’t have the courage to face Principal Leilah with this news—especially after being explicitly tasked to keep the empire’s presence in the academy as “non-influential” as possible.

After all, Duke Brilliance was already here.

Another high-ranking imperial dignitary showing up would have been bad enough… but this?

If this news was true, then not only would the academy’s balance be shattered—the entire continent’s eyes would be glued to Lumen in ways they absolutely were not prepared for.

And Amelia really, really did not want to be the one responsible for delivering the incoming headache to her grandmother.

What exactly went wrong????

Amelia genuinely could not understand how everything spiraled so suddenly.

One moment she was going through routine confirmations, and the next—her entire department was collapsing.

“Look,” Desmond said from the other end of the orb, sounding completely done with life. “My job is just to relay messages and assist with handling the guests. But this—this is way beyond my pay grade. So be a good boss and handle it yourself if you have to.”

“You can’t just pass your job to—”

“I’m not deflecting my job,” he cut her off sharply. “Because as of this moment… I quit.”

“Huh?”

“My resignation letter should arrive at your office in a few days. Ah, and please tell the HR manager I don’t need the compensation payment since I’m quitting immediately. Haha. Well then, goodbye!”

“W-Wait! DESMOND—!”

But the communication orb flickered and went dead, leaving Amelia staring at her pale reflection in the polished surface.

She was so shocked she could see her hands trembling slightly.

“T-This is bad…” she whispered.

Then her expression twisted into a hysterical smile.

“Haha… haha… hahahah…”

It wasn’t joy.

It was pure nervous breakdown laughter.

And then—another soft glow lit up the room.

Purple light.

Her heart froze.

The principal’s direct communication line.

“Of all times…” Amelia whispered weakly as she hesitated. She had no choice—she pressed accept.

“Amelia,” Principal Leilah’s calm but stern voice echoed from the orb, “what is this sudden wave of messages I’m getting? Several foreign affairs staff have resigned simultaneously—especially those assigned to the empire. What happened?”

“Uhm… that is…” Amelia’s throat tightened.

She wanted to cry.

No—she wanted to walk out of the office and quit on the spot.

For the first time in her entire life… Amelia truly wished she could resign immediately.

…

Hmm…

Emperor Leopold scanned the gathered crowd, his expression unreadable, though Amelia could swear there was a faint amusement buried deep in his apathetic eyes.

“Looks like my presence has brought unnecessary tension, Leilah,” he said calmly.

“N-No, not at all, your majesty… I’m sure everyone is just as surprised and unprepared as I am…” she replied, forcing a smile that twitched at the edges.

“I see. So you’re saying my presence is a burden then.”

“Haha— no, surely you jest, your majesty. There’s no way I would think that. It’s just that your presence is… too grand and overwhelming for everyone to properly handle…”

“I see.”

With a small nod, the emperor returned his attention to the stage below as if their exchange was nothing more than idle talk.

Leilah, sitting right beside him, released a shaky breath.

A thin leak of mana seeped out from her body as she unconsciously tried to calm herself down.

Normally, she wouldn’t even be here—being a judge for an event like this wasn’t part of her responsibilities.

She was supposed to be overseeing the logistics and handling the behind-the-scenes chaos, not babysitting an emperor.

But she didn’t have much of a choice.

If she didn’t personally sit here with him, half her staff would probably quit from sheer fear.

As principal, she had to take responsibility… even if it was slowly killing her nerves.

On the emperor’s left, the other professors sat stiff as statues.

They couldn’t even muster a proper greeting, much less a casual conversation.

The aura rolling off Leopold was simply too much for ordinary humans like them to comprehend—heavy, divine, and overwhelmingly absolute.

And behind him stood two imperial knights radiating enough killing intent and skill to make even veteran adventurers rethink their life choices.

The professors could only sit there, sweating buckets, wondering what kind of world-shattering disaster the emperor could cause if he gave just a single order.

Suddenly, as if cutting through the heavy silence surrounding their section, the emperor spoke.

“I’ve heard Raymond is around the academy…”

Leilah straightened immediately. “Yes, I can confirm that Duke Brilliance is here in the academy. Should we call for him?”

“No. He’ll surely come running the moment he hears I’m here,” the emperor said, almost too casually. “I simply find it fortunate he’s present. Could you prepare a private room for us later, Principal?”

“Yes, of course…”

Even as she answered, Leilah’s mind spun in circles.

She was curious—more than curious—about what business the emperor and the duke would be discussing. But she forced herself to stay quiet.

Poking her nose into affairs above her level was the fastest way to die of stress… or get erased entirely.

Besides, she had a feeling it probably had something to do with Riley.

Haah…

Just thinking about the chain reactions this would cause made her stomach twist.

The explanations, the reports, the meetings, the politics she’d have to survive after this… she felt like she was already halfway to the grave.

All the trouble and stress she’d been collecting were crashing down like a pile of rubble, burying her sanity piece by piece.

And Leilah was pretty sure that even the most advanced healing or calming magic in the world wouldn’t help her looming mental breakdown.

Truly, the emperor’s presence was far, far worse than the Grand Duke’s appearance last year…

While Leilah was dying inside, the emperor remained blissfully unaware of the chaos he caused.

His eyes drifted across the crowd until they landed on a pink-haired girl with golden eyes—her energy soft yet unmistakably transcendent, almost like Luther’s.

That must be Alice…

He assessed her quietly, giving a small nod to himself.

Yes… now it was clear as day.

Riley’s harem was proving to be far more beneficial to the empire than he had originally imagined.

….

As the host began to introduce the judges one by one, he forced out a loud laugh to help smooth over the tension still clinging to the air.

“Hahahaha… well then! That was quite the introduction for our judges, right? I’m sure everyone’s surprised, but please, please be at ease!”

Although his voice cracked here and there—betraying his own nerves—one could still see the professionalism in his posture.

He steadied himself quickly, doing his best to treat everything with casual confidence, helping the crowd relax along with him.

“A-Anyway! I’m sure you all know the rules by now, since I’ve explained them earlier, so let’s not delay this event any longer! Everyone—let us welcome our first contestants!”

At his enthusiastic announcement, the large doors on the opposite end of the circular stage rumbled open.

Two figures stepped out, the bright arena lights spilling onto them as the crowd leaned forward.

“Hailing from the Del Luna Kingdom—one of the academy’s most promising prodigies, and one of the rare students capable of wielding both magic and swordsmanship to the level of mastery! A young lady who has proven her strength time and time again, with flames so brilliant even mana itself struggles to coexist with them!”

The audience’s breath collectively caught.

“Everyone! Please welcome the one and only Crown Princess of the Del Luna Kingdom—Princess Stacia Alger Del Luna! Currently ranked 2nd among the academy’s freshmen! Her feats and battle prowess are no joke—one move, and the entire stage will be swallowed in roaring crimson flames!”

As Stacia stepped fully onto the arena floor, cheers slowly erupted and built in volume—first scattered, then rising into a wave of excitement.

Her calm golden eyes scanned the crowd, the tips of her fingers lazily brushing the hilt of her sword as if the cheers were nothing but a gentle breeze to her.

Her presence alone ignited the atmosphere.

Stacia took a moment to gather her thoughts, her calm gaze sweeping across the roaring colosseum.

She assessed the crowd, the arena, the judges… but eventually, her attention settled on the man seated in the very center of the judges’ platform.

Emperor Leopold.

He sat casually, almost lazily, but the weight of his presence felt like a silent pressure over the entire stadium.

Stacia dipped her head in a light, respectful bow.

The emperor responded with a faint nod of his own—simple, unhurried, acknowledging.

She wanted to offer him the proper greeting befitting a foreign ruler, but here, as a student of the academy, her noble status held no real meaning.

Rules were rules.

Titles were stripped.

Right now, she wasn’t the princess of Del Luna—she was a competitor.

And strangely enough, the emperor’s presence didn’t intimidate her at all. If anything… she saw an opportunity.

Good… he’ll be watching.

Stacia quietly inhaled, then turned her head just as her opponent walked out from the opposite entrance.

Flamme.

“As for her opponent!” the host continued, voice rising again. “Hailed as the undisputed number one among all fresh-years in the academy! A girl blessed with extraordinary magical knowledge and spiritual affinity—capable of forming contracts with multiple spirits! Many call her a one-woman army, a master of spirits! Although rumor has it her personality is… quite shrewd, no one—absolutely no one—can deny her strength! Straight from the Imperial Magic Tower itself, welcome Flamme!”

A bright display flashed above the arena:

[Stacia Alger Del Luna — Rank 2] VS [Flamme — Rank 1]

As Flamme stepped onto the stage, she clicked her tongue with an annoyed sigh.

“Was the part about my personality really necessary…?” she muttered under her breath.

Then her eyes lifted toward Stacia.

“Yo! Ready to lose?”

Stacia didn’t flinch. She simply smiled back—gentle, polite, almost graceful.

“I hope we have a good match.”

“Oh, we will. Just don’t disappoint me~”

The tension thickened instantly.

Even though the two of them were friends, in this moment, not a speck of friendship could be seen in their eyes.

The stadium buzzed in anticipation.

The match was about to begin.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep