“Hmm?”

The Headmaster’s words struck Vale with a mixture of concern and confusion.

While he understood the importance of the Tower Ascension, Vale knew well that their Academy would gain more attraction to the audience if they won the duel.

After all, the purpose of this Competition wasn’t just to have ‘friendly’ interaction with the other Academies or to gain various Mystical Items but also to attract people to enroll in their Academies.

The duel tournament, or the Clash of Champions, was undoubtedly the best place to show off.

Vale realized that his own personal strength and readiness for the Tower Ascension were crucial, even if it meant making difficult decisions in the tournament.

“Headmaster Jean, may I know the reason why?” Vale asked, using his telepathy.

Headmaster Jean was a bit taken aback since, with the distance they have, Vale shouldn’t be capable of replying since he should be out of range!

He realized that Vale’s Magic Zone was bigger than he expected!

“The other factions could use their influence to change the result of the competitions, but not in the Tower Ascension…” Jean replied after some thought.

‘Ugh… That’s messed up…’ Vale couldn’t help but shake his head after hearing this. The Headmaster didn’t have to say more as he understood what was going on. 𝑖𝘦𝑎.𝗇t

“I understand, Headmaster. I’ll be careful.” Vale could only reply as he saw Maya’s group leaving the resting area of the participants.

They weren’t planning to watch the rest of the event in the resting area, and they seem to be headed to the audience stand where Vale and Luna are watching.

“Very well… If you need something for the Tower Ascension, tell your Senior Gabbi about it…” Headmaster Jean said as they ended the telepathy.

Vale sighed as he realized that this Competition wouldn’t really be fair even though they had already become closer to other factions.

He then waited for his friends to arrive at their stand and said some comforting words to lighten their mood.

“It’s fine… I think that something’s wrong with this contest. We’re unlucky.” Maya replied to Vale. Philip and Crystal were in the same mood.

They easily accepted their defeat, but anyway, they didn’t believe that the people controlling the results behind the scenes could do it in all competitions in every batch.

***

Similar to the Dark Arts Academy’s strategy, those who had participated in the group hunt would not enter the duel tournament.

This way, they ensured that their student would not reveal their set of Spells to everyone and have it countered the next day.

It didn’t take long before the Group Monster Hunt Competition ended with the win of the Holy Arts Academy, followed by the Knights Academy and the Beast Arts Academy.

Furthermore, five groups had actually encountered Imps capable of using berserk!

The officials were, of course, questioned because of this. However, they answered this question by telling people that Imps would normally act like this in certain circumstances depending on how they were attacked…

“Whatever… Let’s just destroy them in the duel tournament. Vale, no mercy… Alright?” Crystal suddenly said as she held Vale’s arm. She looked at Vale seriously as if she wanted him to kill his opponents.

Vale smiled at this and nodded confidently. “I’ll win… Even if the judges will not be fair.”

Maya wanted to comment, but after opening her mouth, she realized that she wished Vale to win no matter what, so she closed her lips and nodded…

***

Clare and Teresa were entrusted with the crucial task of safeguarding the ordinary citizens of the kingdom from the growing presence of Arcanists within the city.

They understood the potential risks that accompanied the increase of Arcanists. It was often correlated with a rise in criminal activities.

Their duty was to protect the vulnerable people who could not wield Arcane Energy. It may sound simple, but it could be very exhausting.

During their patrols over the past two days, Clare and Teresa encountered numerous instances of illicit activities.

They came across cursed objects being sold, capable of causing harm to those who lacked Arcane Energy.

They also discovered rare ingredients being peddled, stored improperly, and posing a potential threat as they could turn into poisonous substances.

There were even some mutated pets being sold, and they recognized them as failed experiments of rogue Alchemists. Those beings are dangerous and must be burned to ashes…

There were also prohibited items that were being sold, like treasure maps leading to a Master Alchemist’s Laboratory or Spell Books… They were just things used to scam those Practitioners who were just starting in their journey.

Dealing with such matters had become a routine part of their duties. However, they were primarily assigned to ensure the safety of the audience stands during events held at the Coliseum and other gathering places…

As the latest event concluded, Teresa’s attention was drawn to Vale, who was leaving with his friends.

“Hmm? He was marked by a Divine Sense…” Teresa murmured, her voice laced with curiosity.

Clare heard this and shifted her focus. She then followed Teresa’s gaze until she spotted Vale, the individual they suspected of being Clovis.

“Ahh… He’s indeed marked. How come he can’t remove it?” Clare questioned aloud, her mind racing with possible reason.

Teresa pondered the question for a moment before offering her insight. “Perhaps he has chosen not to remove it…” She suggested, recalling how Clovis had also refrained from removing the Divine Sense mark until he was no longer being watched.

Clare nodded… “Then we will know for certain if he is truly Clovis once he decides to remove it. Should we follow him from now on?”

Teresa’s brows furrowed as she considered the implications.

“I’m not so sure… Jean might notice it later and remove it. That’s precisely why I didn’t use the Divine Sense mark on him when we first met him and only the Inspection Ability. Jean would fail to detect the Inspection of the Divine Sense but not the Tracing Mark it could leave behind.” She explained, her voice tinged with caution.

“However, who put that mark on him?” Clare suddenly asked.

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