?


    The academy festival was alive with a contagious buzz. It was the third day of the academy festival, where outside people were also allowed to enter the academy. Of course, simply not every random person could enter there. They needed to pay for it.


    Truly a capitalistic system it was.


    However, this year''s atmosphere of the festival was slightly different fromst year''s. If before, the academy had a rather unique and satisfying atmosphere, right now, a slight cloud was masking it.


    Of course, the liveliness of the festival was still there, but a shadow was cast over it--darkness that slowly spread itself.


    It was the fight over dominance that was started by god knows who.


    ''Wow, look at the spread dark mana.'' Callius thought to himself while wandering around the academy grounds. ''Certainly, this is not normal.''


    It was different from the mana he had observed. If before someone was aiming to attack, right now, it was a lot more sinister.


    The ce was filled with both adults and the students of the academy, and since this was his first day inside there, he didn''t know the difference much aside fromparing it with his knowledge of the game.


    ''Look at this; everyone''s attention is on this side.'' He looked at the crowd gathered around the center of the festival.


    Even a special stall was set for this. The attention that he would have supposed to get as the ranked-one student was nowhere to be seen, and it was a lot better this way. He already knew which club he was going to join after all.


    ''They put quite an effort.'' Knowing that there was no way this would be natural, he raised his head and approached the crowd.


    Students and outsiders had gathered from every corner to witness a remarkablepetition unfold between two senior clubs. Conversations hummed in the air as people spected about the oue.


    "Did you ever think we''d see something like this? It''s almost like a sh of ideologies," murmured a freshman to apanion, their words carrying a sense of intrigue and uncertainty.


    All eyes converged on the tform, anticipation palpable.


    "Look at those intricate spellsbined with natural elements. It''s like a living artwork," someonemented, the awe in their voice momentarily piercing through the atmosphere''s unease.


    The first club, known as the "Harmony Envoys," stepped forward. Led by Anisa, a determined senior, they began their presentation. Anisa''s voice resonated as she spoke about their club''s mission—to explore the symbiosis between magical arts and herbalism. The air was infused with serene energy as they demonstrated spells that intertwined with the nurturing properties of herbs. They conjured cascades of sparkling water infused with healing properties, crafting a breathtaking tableau of life and magic.


    "Certainly, they are talented, as Aliya said," Callius mumbled to himself, with his [All Seeing Eye] observing the way they used mana for herbalism. They were not named characters in the game; therefore, he didn''t know much about them.


    He was slightly familiar with Alchemy and Herbalism thanks to his knowledge from the game, but that would fall shortpared to the real world.


    The apuse that followed was genuine, a testament to themoner seniors'' dedication and innovation.


    "Now, let''s see if the other club can match up," another personmented as the noble seniors took the stage.


    ''Ah….That Ethan guy is here.'' Callius thought to himself, seeing the boy in the front. He was one of the small viins that the yer would defeat since he was the one who tried toy a hand on the heroine.


    ''A NTR threat, was it? Such a stupid reason.'' Of course, it was not simply a stupid reason, but the heroine the yer would save was someone we would meet for the first time in the game, and that was stupid.


    ''There are such things happening all around the world constantly. If you are such a good person, then instead of sitting there and ying with those girls, you should have done your duty as a hero.'' Callius disliked the idea of blindly trying to save a random girl without measuring things first.


    Sure, ''bad'' things might happen, but unless you are not the main character of such a game, you may be overwhelmed, and certainly, real life was not a game.


    While he was thinking to himself, one by one, the seniors slowly made themselves onto the stage.


    As the noble seniors took their turn on the stage, the "Eclipse Eirs," led by none other than Ethan, it was evident that they had brought their own brand of spectacle to the festival.


    "Let''s see what trick they have up their sleeves," Callius muttered under his breath, his [All Seeing Eye] keenly focused on the proceedings.


    He was aware of the possibility that the nobles might resort to underhanded tactics, given the stakes of thepetition.


    Ethan stepped forward, his confident demeanor and charismatic presence drawing the crowd''s attention. The "Eclipse Eirs" began their performance, weaving spells that were just as impressive as those of their rivals.


    The energy in the air was palpable as the club members unleashed their magic, eliciting cheers and apuse from the audience.


    "Wow….What a sight…."


    "Indeed….I never expected such a thing could be achieved using earth and wind magic in such a way for herbalism…"


    However, amidst the spectacle, Callius could notice subtle discrepancies.


    ''Their spells do have unusually consistent precision. The magic they are using is supposed to be at least 4-th rank, and there is no way they are this proficient in such magic.''


    It was almost as if they were following a script.


    His analytical mind zeroed in on the intricacies, and that''s when he caught a glimpse of something—something that set off rm bells in his mind.


    "An artifact."


    Callius realized, his suspicion growing stronger. The noble seniors were incorporating an artifact into their spells, enhancing their performance. Such tactics were against the rules of thepetition, but he knew that they had managed to mask it effectively.


    His [All Seeing Eye] allowed him to spot even the faint traces of illusion magic woven into the spells.


    It was a restricted artifact, one that granted a temporary boost to magic, but its usage was prohibited in officialpetitions.


    Looking around, aside from the members of ''Harmonic Envoys'' moners club) and the referee, there were no other people noticing this.


    The members of themoner club had their expressions a mix of awe and frustration. It was clear that they recognized the nobles'' advantage but were unable to pinpoint the exact source.


    The spells cast by the noble seniors were nothing short of mesmerizing. Their magic intertwined seamlessly, forming intricate patterns and dazzling disys of light and sound. The audience was drawn into the spectacle, their cheers and apuse echoing across the academy grounds.


    "Did you see that? The way theybined the elements was simply astonishing!" one of the noble attendees eximed to theirpanion.


    "Indeed, they''ve really outdone themselves this time. The Aether Arcanists have truly raised the bar," thepanion replied, their eyes fixed on the stage.


    Meanwhile, among themoner club members, whispers of frustration and unease rippled through the group.


    "This doesn''t feel right. There''s something off about their magic," amoner senior muttered, casting a wary nce toward the noble seniors.


    As the noble seniors concluded their performance, the apuse was thunderous, their sess seemingly assured.


    "What do you think? Do themoners really stand a chance against the noble club?" a noble student asked their friend, a confident grin on their face.


    "Highly doubtful. Did you see the brilliance of the Aether Arcanists? Their performance was on an entirely different level," the friend replied, nodding.


    But, of course, themoners didn''t take this loss well. After all, there was a clear attempt to cheat.


    "What is this? You are clearly cheating?" Alex shouted, instantly showing that he was on the side ofmoners. He was not a member of the club, but he was watching everything from the front rows.


    Following him, Anisa and the other members also refuted, but Calius could see Alex''s puny tricks. There was no way he wouldn''t know, seeing his pitiful act. Since he was looking at things as an outsider, it was easier for him to see those tant detailsmoners couldn''t see.


    ''He is their agent.''


    The refutation by themoner club members was met with raised eyebrows from the noble seniors. Ethan, in particr, wore a smug expression as he spoke, his voice carrying a hint of condescension.


    "It''s apetition, after all. One side excels, and the other falls short. It''s not our fault that our spells resonated more with the audience," he remarked, his tone dripping with arrogance.


    The audience seemed to be swayed by his words, nodding in agreement and murmuring among themselves. Themoner club''s protest was met with dismissive gestures and a patronizing pat on the shoulder from the noble seniors.


    "They''re just sore losers, unable to ept defeat gracefully," a noble attendee remarked, rolling their eyes.


    Callius simply watched with a smirk as he saw the noble seniors sessfully shift the narrative. They portrayed themoners'' club as crybabies who couldn''t handle defeat, tarnishing their reputation before the audience.


    "It is now up to you, Aliya."


    He mumbled, slowly leaving the training grounds.


    DING


    But, just at that moment, he felt a notification sounding from


    ------------------------------------


    You can check my discord if you want. You can see the illustrations of characters there.


    The link to the discord server is in the description of the book.