Every competition of the Academy Battle, in which about thirty prestigious academies from around the world participated, was held at the Stella Dome.

This special space was half real and half virtual, allowing participants to summon anything they desired, from landscapes to imaginary magical objects.

It also reflected the unique identity of Stella.

The Class 9 Archmage Eltman Eltwin replicated the 'Otherworld' by pouring all his knowledge and magic into it.

Though replicating another world seemed nonsensical, to magic users of Class 8 and above, such 'common sense' didn't apply, and no one questioned it.

'... Can this barrier really prevent a curse?’

Florin, the king of all familiars and elves, and the closest entity to the Heavenly Spirit Tree, asked with an uneasy expression.

Currently, the Stella Dome featured a massive stadium, with commoners and noble spectator seats strictly separated.

Additionally, Eltman Eltwin personally allotted a VIP section to Florin. It was located at the highest point in the stadium, and only allowed transparency from inside.

The opaque glass film was possible due to the special material provided by Edna and developed by Alterisha, but in addition, Eltman’s ‘Spatial Barrier’ enchanted it, so this place was like a completely separate world.

With a different dimension itself, how could the curse leak out?

Thanks to this setup, apart from Assistant Orenha, no one was around Florin, providing a pleasant environment to enjoy the competition.

"You don't need to worry about curses here at all."

"It's fascinating..."

Florin touched the opaque barrier like a child. A stark contrast to her usual imposing demeanor, causing Orenha's lips to subtly curve upwards.

"Do you like it?"

"... Eltman. It's been a while."

As the opaque barrier parted, Stella Academy's Principal Eltman Eltwin walked in.

Thinking about being interrupted in their private time, Orenha's expression briefly stiffened, but Florin greeted her friend with a smile.

"To develop something like this is impressive."

"It's not entirely my original magic. Well, 99% is my magic, but..."

"Did you receive help from someone else?"

As Florin widened her eyes at the unexpected notion of Eltman Eltwin seeking assistance, he nodded and chuckled, revealing a modest smile.

"Yeah. Our student developed a very unique theory called 'Parallel Array.' It turned the magical community upside down. Have you heard about him? He’s called Baek Yu-Seol."

"Oh... Yes, I've heard. I'm really curious about that student."

At the mention of Baek Yu-Seol, Orenha's fingertips trembled.

Baek Yu-Seol’s achievements were excessively outstanding to be considered an ordinary student.

It might seem utterly incomprehensible, but the truth that he was a mage who had lived for centuries provided enough plausibility.

Defeating dark mages?

Parallel Array?

All of his achievements were remarkable.

However, it was not as if such astonishing achievements never appeared in the world. Most were limited to old archmages.

The more prominent Baek Yu-Seol’s achievements became, the more convinced Orenha was of his hypothesis.

‘No doubt. At this point, all Divine Slayers have either been arrested or killed due to the relentless pursuit by elite High Elf judges. Except for one, the unidentified assassin who put Florin’s friend Celestia into a deep slumber.’

At this point, Baek Yu-Seol, who was heavily tainted with divine energy was undoubtedly a Divine Slayer.

Unless you kill a spirit and take its heart, it was impossible for a human to possess such energy.

'Is he starting to act slowly, thinking no one will recognize his true identity?'

‘If so, it’s a big mistake.’

He had already seen through his identity, and in this place, every Elf King had personally attended.

Evading her sharp insight was absolutely impossible.

'Whatever happens, it's anticipated. Was the life of the teenage student thriving under the name Baek Yu-Seol enjoyable?’

‘Was being called a genius thrilling?’

‘Well, it's truly regrettable. It will come to an end today.'

While Orenha smiled alone without anyone knowing, Florin conversed with Eltman.

"What an extraordinary student."

"I can’t believe I learned something new from a student in our academy. I still have a long way to go. Well…”

Florin touched the opaque barrier and asked, "This item... Can it be obtained elsewhere?"

Eltman sadly shook his head, "Sorry, that's not possible. It's only achievable in this virtual space called Stella Dome. The kind of magic it involves is difficult to implement in reality at my level..."

"That's disappointing..."

It couldn’t be helped.

She was grown accustomed to being alone, but having the opportunity to witness such a spectacle was something.

"Anyway, I need to stay vigilant, so I'll be going. Enjoy the rest of your time."

"Thank you for your consideration."

After Eltman left, finally, their alone time returned.

Florin continued watching the thrilling matches of 'League of Spirits' unfolding in the stadium and then turned to Orenha.

"Assistant."

"Yes, please speak."

"Surely, you mentioned that there's a Divine Slayer here?"

"Of course."

She slowly turned her head, and locked eyes with Orenha.

She was covered in a black mask and a veil, so he couldn’t gaze directly into her beautiful eyes, but the chilly gaze was as sharp as ever.

"There should be no lies in that statement."

It sounded like a warning, but Orenha had confidence in his intentions, so he firmly nodded.

"Of course."

Two days into the Academy Battle.

Unlike the lvsl duels, League of Spirits matches tend to be quite lengthy.

Each match could last anywhere from a minimum of 10 minutes to a maximum of 30 minutes, and with 30 teams in total, it took considerable time to accumulate points.
Still, no one complained.

In fact, even ordinary spectators who had traveled a long distance to see the prodigy boys' matches were quite numerous, so the longer the matches, the better for many.

Meanwhile, with nothing else to do, what would she engage in?

————

"What are you going to do?"

Slouching on the chair, Baek Yu-Seol crossed his legs, and arrogantly lifted the coffee cup to his lips. He even put one arm on the backrest.

"Oops."

For a moment, Baek Yu-Seol’s tongue almost slipped, causing the foam to slightly disarray, but fortunately, he didn't drop the coffee cup.

Jeliel lowered her head with an expressionless face, and said nothing.

Maybe she was thinking about something.

Like the fact that she misunderstood him as a 'Dark Mage'...

'She must have been confident since the moment she handed over the Soul Orb to me.'

Baek Yu-Seol had been neglecting it until now. The mysterious artifact, the Soul Orb, hidden beneath the pendant gifted by Jeliel.

It was considered a precious treasure even in the Cradle of Heavenly Spirit Tree.

it was not something easy to handle.

The fact that she handed it over to Baek Yu-Seol suddenly implied that someone doubted him as a dark mage.

This could have been instigated.

"Are you not going to say anything?

"It's something I decided on my own."

However, the loyal Jeliel did not disclose the client's identity.

It would be troublesome if she was suspected as someone in a troubled position...

'He’s probably one of the Elder-level figures in the Heavenly Spirit Tree.'

Accessing the Soul Orb was impossible for anyone other than an Elder-level High Elf.

It was impossible for anyone to even approach the Soul Orb without being at least an Elder.

"Well then. How do you plan to take responsibility?"

As he said that, Jeliel lifted her head, and their eyes met.

No one would care if he was just a student with nothing, but now he was someone with considerable influence.

A fellow student at Stella, a co-developer of the item, the founder of Parallel Array.

… Even though he hadn’t achieved anything personally, getting on the bad side of someone with such prestige in Stella could be quite troublesome.

So, it seemed she wanted to get hold of Baek Yu-Seol.

Now that she knew his identity as a dark mage, she probably wanted to manipulate him as she pleased.

The character named Jeliel... was not someone who made a move normally, but only when she found a competent chess piece which could be controlled as she pleased.

Coercion, forgery, manipulation, and violence.

She was not much different from Jeremy as she committed all sorts of despicable and dirty acts from behind the scenes, and gradually dragged the other person down to the depths, turning them into slaves.

She was truly a woman he didn’t like in many ways.

"With just a word from me, even the Starcloud will be greatly shaken. Your father has probably worked hard... It's truly pitiful because of his daughter's mistake..."

Jeliel bit her lip slightly but didn't respond at all.

But by now, her mind must be in turmoil.

As someone who knew the setting and how she loved her father, he understood that this statement could be fatal to her.

If her father's honor was greatly damaged, and he became disappointed...

Jeliel wouldn’t be able to endure it.

"Well, it's a bother even talking to you in the first place. Just bring your father. How do you think he'll react? Trying to manipulate a person into a corner, even resorting to threats..."

"Enough, please stop."

Jeliel's pupils began to shake.

She appeared genuinely pitiful.

A girl with a breathtakingly beautiful appearance, who seemed like she could lose consciousness at any moment, might captivate the heart of any ordinary man.

However, with the protection of the charm immunity of the Blessing of Yeonhong Chunsamweol, he could remain quite composed in such situations.

"I'm willing to pay any amount for compensation... Please keep it a secret from my father."

"Are you sure about that? Just not revealing this fact to the public, including your father, would already result in a tremendous additional tax burden."

"It's okay."

Even if she had to pay a hefty price, it seemed she detested the idea of her mistake being exposed to her father.

Well, he had no intention of making a deal with Chairman Melian either.

It was better to firmly constrain Jeliel through coercion here.

In the future, for the sake of Edna and Eisel, who were destined to suffer terribly during the exchange student episode at the Astral Flower Magic Academy, this was the better choice.

"Alright, it's decided then?"

He was going to make somewhat excessive demands from her.

Flipping the stigma of being a dark mage was undoubtedly frowned upon even in magical society... but still, these demands were beyond reasonable.

However, even if it was Jeliel, she wouldn’t readily comply.

So, he would have to use the method he once employed.

Snap!

Anella, who was waiting in the background, revealed herself.

"Yes!"

"Did you bring the item?"

"Of course!"

She dramatically brought out a bag resembling 007, placed it on the table, and with a clicking sound, pulled out a piece of paper.

... Although it might seem impressive, it was just a cheap 'magic parchment' bought from a stationery store.

However, anyone would know that magic parchment had special functions.

"This is..."

Having swiftly written a 'pledge' on the magic parchment, Baek Yu-Seol extended it towards Jeliel.

"Let’s make a bet with Soul Chess?"

"... A bet, did you say?"

"Yes. If I lose, I'll cleanly forget about it, but if I win, you'll have to accept these conditions. How about it?"

He had nothing to lose even if he broke the pledge, while the other party faced a cruel and unjust deal where breaking the pledge resulted in the loss of all mana.

Unaware of even this fact, Jeliel silently read through the pledge, and having finally confirmed all the terms, she placed it on the table and nodded confidently.

"Alright. I accept these conditions."

Baek Yu-Seol subtly raised the corners of his mouth.

'Caught you.'