Though quiet, Aoife's voice resounded deeply throughout the hall as all eyes fell on me. I stood by the front of the hall, alongside Leon as his expression didn't show any changes.

That said...

I knew he was pissed.

'He's so mad.'

The thought made me happy.

Aoife wasn't done yet. Opening the letter she took out another piece of paper that was wedged into the letter.

"For those that have objections, here's an official statement by the referee."

She went on to read,

"Though both Leon and Julien's power was extraordinary, and I felt the need to intervene given the strength and nature of the contestants, it was Leon who ended up injuring me, leaving a long slash across my arm."

"?"

"What?"

"Doesn't that mean...?"

There was confusion in the hall as Aoife read the letter.

However, the confusion was merely momentary as Aoife continued.

"The injury occurred because I had no choice but to focus all my attention on Julien's attack, which I judged to be the greater threat. As a result, I couldn't fully defend against Leon's strike, which ended up injuring me."

The eyes of almost every person in the room fell on me as Aoife spoke.

I kept my emotions in check, maintaining a steady composure without revealing any outward signs of change.

"....However, I would also like to mention that had the two attacks been left alone, the two sides would've been both gravely injured."

Aoife's voice continued to carry throughout the hall as she finished reading the entire letter. "In such a scenario, it would be safe to say that the match would end up in a draw. Though the extent of the injuries the two would sustain is hard to predict, it's not the good kind. I chose to interfere because of this, and I based the winner on whose attack was strong. However..."

Aoife paused, her expression changing slightly.

"...If my decision was solely based on what the final results would be, then I would deem the fight to be a draw. Unfortunately, such scenario never occurred as I had to step in. In such case, Julien can be the only winner."

The letter ended there as Aoife raised her head away from it and looked toward my direction.

Her expression was a little complicated, but seeing her blink slowly, I knew she was congratulating me in her own way.

I nodded faintly at her.

Clap-

A sudden clap resounded across the entire hall.

It was unknown who started it, but soon enough, another clap echoed. Another clap then followed it, and soon enough, the entire hall erupted into a loud applause.

Clap, clap, clap-

"Well done. Congratulations."

"It was a good fight."

The claps weren't meant just for me.

It was meant for Leon and everyone else who participated in the tournament.

Basking the warm and numerous applause of the nobles and participants, I could only calmly accept them as Gael raised his hand to silence the crowd.

"Good."

It was only when the hall turned quiet again that Gael appeared satisfied.

"Now then..."

Gael clapped his hands.

"Should we talk about the rewards?"

The hall immediately became silent once again. If there was one other part that everyone was interested in, it was the rewards announcements.

Everyone was curious as to what the top places would receive.

I was too as my back straightened.

"We will give you two options."

Gael said slowly, alternating his gaze between Leon and me.

"We will first list out the series of rewards that we deem fit for you. If you are unsatisfied with the rewards then you may negotiate with us later. Is that okay...?"

"I

I nodded quietly, showing my approval.

In all honesty, I didn't know what to expect from the rewards. At least, I was certain it wasn't going to get a bone.

'Pebble's bone was an advanced payment for the Summit. There's a chance that my rewards will be a little less than expected.'

In that case, I needed to think about my own rewards and what to request.

"We will first start with Julien's rewards."

Gael spoke, his tone lowering a little as he stared at me.

"I will save all the congratulations later. For now, here's a list of rewards that you will

receive."

With a nudge of his finger, a man rushed to the stage with a metal plate. On the plate were two

scrolls.

Gael received one and unfurled it.

"Julien Dacre Evenus of the Evenus Household. The rewards that you will receive are what the Megrail house deems fit for you based on your observed abilities. I will now state the first

reward."

With a pause, Gael said,

"Two months in the Curse Chamber."

11

All noise immediately ceased from the hall as the first reward was revealed.

I held my breath upon hearing the first reward, and my heart sped up. The Curse Chamber was one of the things that I had considered requesting when considering the rewards.

It was essentially a room filled with the curse element.

....It was similar to the area near Ellnor, but unlike there, this was man-made, with several 'Curse' users, inscribing runes that would inject the 'Curse' element in the air.

I would without a doubt see a massive increase in my abilities were I to practice there.

'Yeah, this is perfect. Especially since I've received two spells from Atlas.'

I could barely keep my composure.

But to make matters even worse, or in this case better, for me, the reward list wasn't over yet.

"Next up, you will receive a high-ranking manual. Considering that your current manual is of low grade, we will personally provide you with a better one to further improve your

abilities."

"...."

Once again, I was left with no words.

This...

They were being really generous.

"Thirdly, you will be given monetary compensation."

I almost lost interest at this point since I didn't think they'd give me much, but I was quickly

proven wrong.

"Fifty-million Rend."

I almost felt my heart leap out of my chest as my face almost melted on the spot.

Fifty-million...?

Ah. "And lastly, for your final reward, you will be given exclusive rights to be the first one to bid for the unlicensed Mirror Crack that has been recently found. You will be the first one to be allowed to negotiate with us on the terms, with the negotiations starting in three years

time."

I almost wanted to scream on the spot.

This...

It was exactly what I was intending to ask for. I had previously asked Atlas and Deliah but was firmly rejected. Who would've thought that they'd remember...? Although I wasn't guaranteed it, the chance to be the first one to make an offer was huge.

If the price was just right then I could have the entire crack for myself.

Then...

"....

I stopped my thoughts and took a deep breath.

'Good. This is really good.'

".... Are you satisfied with your rewards?"

Gael's voice shook me out of my thoughts and when I raised my head, he looked at me with a

thin smile on his face.

I stared back into his eyes for a moment before nodding.

"I am satisfied."

How could I not be?

"Then I take it that you won't be negotiating with us for other rewards?"

"...I will not."

I pretty much had everything that I wanted.

Well, not everything, but I knew that what I wanted wasn't something I could just ask them.

Regardless of how nice they were being to me, I knew that they were not as they seemed on

the surface.

"Good."

Gael seemed satisfied as he turned his attention toward Leon.

"Leon Ellert of the Evenus Household. It is now your turn to receive your rewards."

Gael leaned forward to pick up the remaining scroll.

"Since the verdict is out, you have placed second place in the Summit. Your rewards may not

be as plentiful as Julien's, but I can assure you that you won't be disappointed."

...Gael went on to list Leon's rewards.

In short, they were.

A new sword.

A manual.

Money.

And the right to train with the Royal Army for several months.

It was a good series of rewards.

Enough to make me feel like the difference between the two of us wasn't that big. No, maybe

it wasn't.

'I guess they just want to show off in front of the whole world that this was how they rewarded

those that won.'

I couldn't really complain since I benefitted a lot from this.

"Now that I've announced the reward for the top two contenders, it's about time that I

announce the remaining results."

Gael proceeded to announce the third, fourth, and fifth-place contestants, his voice steady as

The revealed their rankings.

They were as follows,

Aoife third.

Caius fourth.

Kaelion fifth.

Having qualified for the semi-finals, Caius was guaranteed a top-four spot. He was initially

supposed to fight for the third spot with Aoife, but his injuries ended up being too much for him, forcing him to forfeit the match.

In the end, it was Aoife who ended up ranking third.

Kaelion was able to make quick work of the remaining competition and reach the fifth spot.

Their rewards were also announced.

They weren't as good as the ones that belonged to me and Leon but they were still rather

good. Enough to make anyone jealous.

'Well, not me for sure.'

I was really happy with what I received.

Leon also appeared satisfied as he turned his head to meet my gaze, giving me a faint nod.

I nodded back at him.

'Guess what?'

'....What?'

'I beat you.'

Leon's face stiffened as I looked away from him.

He proceeded to clench his fist tightly, but that only served to further fuel my ego which was

now at an all-time high.

Fuck, I could even see my nose growing from how high my ego was. "....That will mark the end of the closing ceremony. It was a pleasure having all of you here,

and I hope to see you again next time in the following Summit. Thank you all for coming."

Eventually, Gael concluded the Summit, and the room erupted in applause. Seizing the moment, I quietly slipped away and made my way back to my room.

I had the nagging feeling that I'd have a hard time leaving if I didn't sneak out.

The eyes of the nobles present were anything but pleasant.

Slipping out of the hall and breathing the fresh air that lingered in the sky, I took a deep

breath, my eyes lingering over the moon.

'It's good to be back in the normal world.'

The Mirror Dimension...

It was a little bit too stuffy.

Staying for a while was fine but for long periods of time...? It felt extremely suffocating.

"I should get some sleep. I need to think ab-"

Ding!

A sudden chime rang in my mind. Shortly after, a notification flashed before my vision. [Angel of Sorrow: You were able to overcome the event.]