Prodia tore open the envelope marked with the royal red seal.

It was an official document issued throughout the empire.

She read the letter with Irtis.

[To all applicants wishing to participate in the Avem Empire Buma Selection Tournament.

Follow the following items before the start of the competition.

Conducting a confession and oath ceremony.

Place: Daeshinjeon.

If you do not comply, you will be denied entry to the competition.]

The expression of Irtis, who was reading the letter, crumpled instantly.

“Daeshinjeon?”

It couldn’t be helped.

Go to Daeshinjeon and perform the ceremony.

It was harmful for a wizard to go to Daeshinjeon. Because magic and divine power conflict with each other.

Prodia was equally perplexed.

She seemed to know what this document meant.

“……They’re going to weed out the impure ones before the competition starts.”

Prodia’s eyes were on Irtis as she spoke.

“Why are you looking at me?”

Irtis asked, pointing at himself with his finger.

“You’re not saying the impure one is me, are you?”

“Well…… you’re one of them.”

“What?”

Irtis’s reaction was disbelief.

“Excuse me? Who made a contract with the impure wizard?”

“It’s not because you’re a wizard.”

She picked up the letter and pointed at a phrase.

[Performing the oath ceremony.]

“What could the royal family possibly want us to swear before the tournament?”

Their eyes met.

Even without her saying, Irtis seemed to know the answer.

“……It’s to prevent danger.”

They probably want a vow not to harm the empire and the royal family.

Prodia nodded her head. It seemed she thought the same.

“Not everyone who aims to become a Buma will participate, so thanks to that, the competition will decrease. But instead…….”

She glared at Irtis as she laid the letter on the table.

“My contractor will also find it difficult to participate in the competition.”

Tsk.

Irtis was angry but had nothing to say.

In fact, his mind was still filled with thoughts of revenge.

He wanted to strangle the master of the tower, who had deceived him, right away.

Irtis had long since surpassed the tower master, so it wasn’t difficult.

But if the old man died, the truth he wanted to know would be buried.

So he had no choice.

He was going to enter the competition, destroy everything, and somehow win.

After that, he planned to take revenge on his parents who abandoned him.

But this and that, everything was blocked.

Bear and endure? Patience was never in Irtis’s vocabulary.

Besides, becoming a Buma. To become the puppet husband of the princess, his hands and feet cut off.

The fact that he had to participate in that competition right now was already an insult to his pride.

Now he’s to face a deity in Daeshinjeon?

How much more does he have to endure?

He couldn’t control his boiling anger.

Blood dripped from his fist, tightly clenched.

Watching him silently, Prodia sighed.

‘It’s going to be quite hard to tame him.’

Prodia approached Irtis and grabbed his hand.

“What?”

Irtis was on guard.

But Prodia was not intimidated at all.

She took out a white handkerchief and wrapped Irtis’s hand.

Startled.

Irtis felt a strange sensation.

No one had ever so easily touched his body before.

Of course. Who would deliberately touch a sharp blade?

Red blood slowly seeped into the white handkerchief.

Something seemed to spread inside his chest too. He felt weird.

Prodia spoke to him.

“Use healing magic quickly.”

“Mind your business.”

“Are you going to be stubborn again?”

“What……?”

He was not used to being nagged like this.

Irtis looked at Prodia coldly.

But instead of being scared, she went further.

“Was it a bit harsh to call our great wizard stubborn?”

This woman, she’s clearly provoking him now.

“Don’t call me a great wizard, it’s embarrassing.”

Then, Prodia looked into his eyes and said,

“I understand, Irtis.”

“!”
Again.

When she called his name, something fuzzy spread again inside his chest.

This is also unfamiliar.

How long has it been since he didn’t feel fear in the voice that called his name?

It wasn’t this feeling even when Matopju called his name.

Irtis stared blankly at Prodia without realizing it.

Then Prodia added with a playful smile.

“Originally, I intended to start training right away, but that won’t do. Shall we have a little special lesson first, Irtis?”

(This is a time divider.)

There was a large room set aside for tournament training inside the Count’s residence.

Under Prodia’s direction, Irtis had been meditating here for an entire hour…….

He was in meditation.

The appearance of Irtis, sitting crosslegged with his eyes closed on the cushion, was like a picture.

But soon, as if it was natural, he started to nod off.

Then Prodia struck his shoulder with a cane she held for the sixth time.

Thwack[Dash]!

“Cough!”

Irtis woke up with a start from his sleep.

Behind the harsh sound, exotic meditation music was playing.

Woo woo woo eeeing~

He scowled.

‘Where on earth did she get that music?’

Instead of calming the mind, it would sink him into dreamland.