Cadmus was grateful that they were moving again, and usually, he would have preferred that they wouldn’t talk on the way at all. However, this time, he had heard two things from them that he wanted to expand upon.

One: They were both members of Camelot.

“So, you’re both Avalonians?” Cadmus asked.

Morgana smirked proudly, “We’re not just Avalonians. I’m a part of the royal family, and Gwen will soon be too. She’s going to be marrying Arthur after they both graduate so that they can strengthen the bond between the Avalonian crown and the house of Eviere.”

“It will be an honour to marry His Highness,” Gwen said simply.

“You and your brother both have the surname of ‘Le Fay’ though,” Cadmus pointed out to Morgana, “And Gawain seemed to follow behind Pendragon as though he was his subject.”

“Don’t you know anything about my father?” Morgana asked, as though she couldn’t believe that anyone could be so stupid, “King Uther Pendragon only ever had one wife, but he also had multiple mistresses, and our mother was one of them. So, Gawain and I are only half-related to Arthur, but we’re still counted as members of the Royal Family because our father is the King.”

Cadmus nodded. Now that he looked closer, he could see that Arthur and Morgana had the exact same piercing blue eyes. Though, to be honest, Avalonian royalty was of no interest to him. Instead, he changed the topic and asked the question he had been most curious about since last night,

“And is it true that there was a tournament held to decide the next King, and that Arthur ended up winning even though he was only thirteen?”

Morgana’s lips curled in clear distaste, “Yeah, threw the entire country for a loop—both the tournament being held in the first place, and Arthur actually ending up winning. Everyone was feeling sorry for him since he was the crown prince and all, and no one thought that he would be able to win and reclaim his ‘birthright’. I mean, yeah, he passed the qualifying battle royale, but he barely managed that, and no one thought he would get very far after that.”

“Then how did he win?” Cadmus asked, “Isn’t Avalon the nation of chivalry and knights? How did a child like him manage to defeat those who should have been far older and stronger?”

Morgana shrugged, looking annoyed just with the mention of Arthur, “I didn’t participate, so I don’t know the whole story; but some commotion started outside the tournament grounds after the qualifying rounds ended, and I’m pretty sure Merlin was involved with it—”

Morgana abruptly stopped speaking for some reason. Then, she narrowed her eyes at Cadmus, her lips slowly spreading into an amused smirk.

“Oh… so you’re another one of those Merlin fanboys, huh?” She asked almost tauntingly, “To think the cruel and heartless Necromancer had such a lame side to him…”

Cadmus found himself at a loss, “I’m sorry?”

“Your expression,” Morgana said, pointing at his face, “You looked curious about Arthur, but not too interested. However, as soon as I mentioned Merlin’s name, your expression completely changed. You’re a fan aren’t you?”

Cadmus considered her words. Perhaps she was right. As soon as she had mentioned Merlin’s name, his interest had been piqued. After all, Merlin was one of the greatest mages of the modern age, and his understanding of magic was thought to be far more comprehensive than almost any other mage in history.

Although, he wondered if ‘fanboy’ was the right term. It was Merlin’s magic and knowledge that interested Cadmus more than Merlin the person himself.

“Don’t be mean, Morgana,” Gwen scolded. She gave Cadmus a gentle smile, “I think it’s cute.”

Cadmus wasn’t sure how he was supposed to respond to that, so he simply said, “Thank you.”

Then, he turned to Morgana again, the previous story she had been telling about Arthur swept aside.

“Have you ever personally met Merlin? Has he ever taught you any magic?”

Morgana seemed a little disappointed with his reaction, but she obliged him all the same,

“Yeah, I’ve talked to him a few times. I mean, he is my father’s court advisor. But no, he hasn’t taught me any magic.”

And with those words, Cadmus lost any interest in whatever Morgana had to say. If she hadn’t been taught any of Merlin’s magic, then he didn’t care how she knew Merlin. He was going to say so, but then Morgana followed up with something interesting.

“If you want to meet someone who’s close to Merlin, then go talk to Arthur. He’s known Merlin since he was a kid, and Merlin’s always liked him.” She seemed to remember something, “Actually, now that I think about it, Merlin really, really, started showing how much he liked Arthur during that tournament two years ago.”

“What happened?” Cadmus asked, his interest piqued again.

“Like I was telling you before, after the qualifier rounds ended, the tournament went on a week-long break for some reason—or it might have been two weeks, I don’t remember. What’s important is, there was some kind of commotion outside the tournament grounds that involved a lot of the tournament participants. I never investigated what went on there, but I’m pretty sure Merlin was involved. Then, when the tournament began in earnest, Arthur stepped into the ring with this fancy new sword of his, and blew everyone away with it. Like I said, I never investigated what happened there, but I’d be willing to bet anything that something happened between Merlin and Arthur back then, and that’s why Merlin helped Arthur win by giving him that new sword.”

Cadmus nodded. Now he no longer doubted Arthur’s story. No matter how young he’d been, if the legendary Merlin himself had helped him, then Arthur’s victory had been all but assured.

In any case, it was important to figure what that sword had been that had allowed Arthur to win against people up to four years older than him—in a country where combat ability was valued no less. It was likely that Merlin had given to him, and if Cadmus was unlucky, then he would have to face off against Arthur and that sword as well.

Still, that was a worry for later. For now, there had been a second thing he had wanted to expand upon as well:

“Gelida, you said that we’re all scholarship students here?”

Gelida, who had been leading the group forward, turned back and nodded cheerfully,

“Yeah! Apparently, Morgana created her own spell, just like us, and Gwen says that she knows a very rare and valuable branch of magic, which is what netted her a scholarship as well.”

Cadmus looked towards Gwen, feeling no need to speak to let her know of his curiosity.

Gwen smiled, “My speciality is healing magic. It takes a lot of mana, and I’d prefer to keep my formula a secret for a little while longer yet, so I apologize, but I can’t show it to you right now.”

Cadmus blinked, “Healing magic? I thought healing magic had not been created yet because no one believed that magic could create life until now.”

Gwen nodded, “Indeed, that is true. However, even before, no one believed that life—especially life as small and unsophisticated as cells—couldn’t be manipulated. My magic simply speeds up the body’s self-healing process. It is more along the lines of ‘magic-induced self-regeneration’ rather than true ‘healing’.”

“I have never heard of such a spell,” Cadmus said. Then, a hazy bit knowledge that he’d read years ago popped into his head, “Wait… I do remember one Avalonian mage who delved into this subject. Were you…?”

He couldn’t finish his sentence, the thought of it was just too incredible. Gwen seemed to notice this, and she nodded with a warm smile on her face,

“Yes, I was taught this magic by the Lady of the Lake. She only shared a few of her most basic formulas with me, but even that was enough for the Academy to offer me a scholarship.”

The Lady of the Lake… another one of the greatest mages of the modern age. She was infamous for being extremely reticent with her magical knowledge, And yet, here Cadmus was, talking to someone who had actually learned magic from her!

“I would be delighted to see you use her magic soon,” Cadmus said genuinely.

Gwen smiled again, “I hope I don’t disappoint.”

He doubted that she would ever manage to disappoint, especially since the magic had come from the Lady of the Lake herself.

“Okay! So, left or right? What do you guys think?” Gelida asked.

It took a moment for Cadmus to understand what she was talking about. They had reached a fork in their path, and Cadmus had been so immersed in this conversation that he hadn’t even noticed when they’d gotten here.

He looked down at Alice, and she pointed left.

“Left,” Cadmus said.

Morgana gave him a curious look, “You sound confident. Why?”

“Alice has already been on top of the wall and seen where we have to go,” Cadmus said, seeing no reason to hide it.

Morgana’s gaze fell on Alice again, and Alice retreated back down his breast pocket.

“Actually let’s stop here for a second. It’ll give me a chance to demonstrate my magic to you.”

Cadmus immediately felt his suspicion rise at her words. The reason they were sharing their magic was so that, if they encountered an enemy, they would be able to stay out of each others’ way. Simply telling the effect of one’s magic was enough for that.

However, Morgana intended to show her magic to him? For what purpose?

“Ooh!” Gelida said, excited clapping her hands, “I haven’t seen her magic yet either! I can’t wait!”

Morgana smirked with pride and drew her magic circle with a swiftness that only those with immense amounts of experience with magic could. She took a few moments to finish, and when she was finally done, Cadmus leaned in to take a closer look.

It was one of the most alien formulas he had ever seen—which meant that it was magic related to a field that he hadn’t spent much time studying. Still, he could see a few arrangements of symbols that gave him some idea of what this spell would entail.

“It’s a type of… magical sword?”

Morgana nodded, “Indeed. And it’s a far more efficient and powerful alternative to that mundane weapon hanging from your waist. Honestly, unless you’re a magical knight you shouldn’t have that. And—”

She powered her magic circle and a blade, so black that it actually seemed to absorb the surrounding light, sprung from it. It looked almost immaterial, and whisps of black energy emanated from it, but it still had the vague shape of a blade.

Morgana struck the dirt ground once, leaving a noticeable gash in its wake, and then she swung right at Cadmus. Cadmus stood stock still, having not even realized what had happened until after Morgana’s black blade had passed cleanly through him.

“—Seeing your abysmal reaction time, I doubt that you are one.”

Cadmus slowly put a hand on his chest, and noted how he was lacking any sort of a wound, and how he didn’t feel any pain at all. In fact, he hadn’t even felt the blade touch him in the slightest, and yet, he had clearly seen it swing right through him.

Of course, if it had been solely that, it wouldn’t have been so surprising; it could just as easily have been illusion magic after all. However, Morgana had clearly struck the ground before him, and the blade had left a mark, which meant it wasn’t illusion magic. So why had the blade not cut him as well?

“It’s a creation of my own—a blade that I can turn material and immaterial at a mere thought. I call it [shadow blade],” Morgana explained, looking supremely proud of herself, “Had I wanted, I could have killed you just now on a whim. And we’re allowed to kill in this tournament, so I wouldn’t have even gotten in trouble.”

Cadmus gave Morgana’s magic circle another look. A blade that could turn material or immaterial at a simple thought? That meant that there was a mind-link array present in the circle. That was the only way she could have possibly connected her spell to her thoughts.

And he was proven correct when he spotted it nestled in the top right corner of the circle. He had failed to see it at first glance, but he should have spotted it sooner. The mind-link array was very delicate, and incorporating it into a larger formula took a lot of skill and knowledge.

“Very impressive,” Cadmus said honestly. Then he tilted his head curiously, “Why did you say you could kill me though?”

Morgana narrowed her eyes, looking almost indignant, “…Because I could have.”

“But you couldn’t have,” Cadmus pointed out, “Perhaps Gwen would have stayed with you if you had—I don’t know the nature of your friendship—but Gelida would certainly have turned against you for suddenly striking me down without any discussion. There would simply be no way for her to trust that you wouldn’t do the same to her in the future. And while you may not know the extent of her skills, you still know that she is a scholarship student, and you know the effects of some of her spells, so I doubt you would want to face her in direct combat. It was the only reason I let my guard down around you in the first place.”

Morgana stared at him for a second. And then, all of a sudden, she seemed far warier than just a second ago. She quickly erased the magic circle she had been flaunting just now, and Cadmus tried to understand why Morgana’s attitude had changed so quickly. He had only pointed out the obvious after all.

“You know…” Morgana said, “You have so many questions, and you seem so unaware of the world around you, that it’s easy to forget that you’re still the Necromancer.”

“…Is that so?” Cadmus asked, wondering what she was insinuating.

Gelida clapped her hands to gain everyone’s attention, “Let’s move on everyone! I’ll explain my magic on the way!”

Cadmus found no reason to disagree with that. They set off on the left path that Alice had pointed out, and Gelida said,

“Morgana showed her magic, so I want to show mine too, but I’ll need fire to do so—”

Almost as though the universe had heard her request and decided to grant her wish, a trap of flames came into view.

It was a basic trap, with three magic circles for [fire] lined up on each side of the wall that periodically shot a stream of flames onto the path. The challenge was clearly to find a way to walk through the flames to get to the other side, as destroying those magic circles, like any rational person would, was not allowed since the walls the circles were inscribed on were not painted red.

It didn’t even take a second’s thought to figure out that holding up a [anti-flame shield] on both sides would be more than enough to accomplish the job. [fire] was the most basic of spells, and therefore definitely weak enough for even the simplest iteration of [anti-flame shield] to protect the caster from it.

“Oh, this is perfect!” Gelida said enthusiastically, “I can use my spell to get us through and demonstrate it to you guys at the same time!”

Cadmus watched as she quickly drew out her magic circle. She was even faster than Morgana, which was rather impressive.

Once she was done, she stepped to the side and presented it to them with a giant grin on her face.

“Here it is, my original ‘cold spell’! I call it [anti-heat]! There are two variations to it, but in both cases, the spell creates a spherical ‘zone’ where it erases the heat within and cools the zone down to a specific temperature. The smaller the zone I create, the faster I can cool everything down within it, and a smaller zone also means that I can create a cooler zone.”

She took her place behind the circle, and aimed it at the flame trap before powering it up. A small, shimmering sphere appeared in front of the circle, looking almost like a marble. And then, it rapidly expanded to a size where it could encompass an entire group of people.

Nothing seemed to happen. The [fire] magic circles still periodically spat out fire, and nothing about the air within the sphere suggested that anything had changed.

However, Gelida didn’t look disappointed at all.

“This is the first variation of [anti-heat],” she explained, “When I use this variation of the spell, I only steal heat from the atmosphere within the zone. The rest is left as is. This is good because it allows me to make the zone colder and larger than I otherwise would have been able to with the second variation. Check it out!”

Cadmus experimentally stuck his hand through the translucent skin of the sphere, and was shocked to find his hand struck by a biting cold. It was strange sensation, having his fingers exposed to such extreme cold, and yet having the rest of his body feel as warm as ever (or at least as warm as it could get during the Laurucian autumn).

“It’s -10 degrees in there,” Gelida said as Cadmus pulled his fingers out.

Gwen and Morgana had a go as well, before Gelida stopped feeding mana to her circle and changed a few arrays within. She powered it up again, but this time, the sphere appeared and only expanded to the size of an average person’s head.

“The second variation steals heat from everything inside the zone. But, of course, it’s far less colder, takes more time to absorb the heat than the first variation, and it only gets worse the larger I make it. That’s why this small size is ideal for this variation.”

She held her spell up to the first circle for [fire] lined up on the right wall. When the next periodic gout of flames erupted from it, the flames met the sphere, and as soon as it entered the sphere, it abruptly vanished.

Cadmus’ mind screeched to a halt. Gelida’s spell had managed to steal enough heat from the fire to douse it in an instant? His mind took a moment to process it all,

“Gelida… the [fire] magic circle creates normal flames, and normal flames are at least hotter than 600 degrees. To absorb all that heat in an instant to a degree where it can longer sustain itself… if you used that on a human…”

An average human’s body temperature was 37 degrees, and if this spell worked even a fraction of how well Cadmus suspected it did, then that spell even touching a human was beyond dangerous.

Gelida looked confused for a second, before she seemed to realize what he was insinuating and laughed, “Oh, I get it. No, it’s not like that! Like I said, the spell can only bring the temperature down to a certain level. Right now, my spell can only bring the temperature inside down to 45 degrees Celsius.”

Cadmus blinked, that was far higher than he had expected.

Gelida seemed to notice his reaction, “Yeah, this variation of the spell has a much higher limit than the first one. It’s hard to call it ‘cold’,” she shrugged, “However, it still makes everything inside colder than before, so, you know, the title still fits. Our bodies are already colder than that though, so I can’t make them colder, but, if, say, our bodies had an internal temperature of 50 degrees, I would still only be able to cool it down to 45 degrees. That’s how this spell works.”

“And that’s why it’s suited to fight fire,” Cadmus realized, “Because even 45 degrees is too cold for fire to continue existing.”

Gelida grinned.

“And you created this spell?” Cadmus asked.

He was impressed beyond belief. This was on an entirely different level than Morgana’s [shadow blade]. Yes, Morgana’s spell was unique and original, but it was still built by using a lot of common building blocks that other spells used. The mind-link array and applying an effect on a magic blade were some examples of that.

Even Cadmus had utilized a lot of the steps of creating a golem to create Alice. But this [anti-heat] spell…? It was something else—something completely unique! Cadmus had never seen anything like this before.

Gelida laughed sheepishly, “Well, kind of. This spell was my dad’s magnum opus. I just modified it so that it could be used for combat.”

Cadmus wondered why he had never heard of a mage with the last name of ‘Olvo’? To have created something like this… Gelida’s father deserved to be recognized for his talents.

“Okay, so that’s my magic!” Gelida announced, “Let’s continue on!”

She held up her [anti-heat] spell right against the [fire] magic circle, and when it lit up to spew another stream of flames, it was killed before it could get out far enough to do any harm. Thus, everyone was simply able to walk to the safe space between the first and second rows of the [fire] magic circles by hugging that side of the wall.

They did this two more times for the rest of the [fire] rows, and made it to the other side of the trap with almost laughable ease.

“You look disappointed,” Morgana said to Cadmus as Gelida erased her magic circle.

Cadmus tilted his head curiously, “I don’t believe I am though?”

But even as he said those words, he could tell that they were a lie. However, he didn’t understand why he was currently suppressing a sigh. It was a good thing that this round was easy, right? This way it would be easier for him to pass and reach his end-goal.

Morgana raised an eyebrow, “Is that so? Well, if for any reason you were expecting to see some amazing magic here, then you came here with the wrong mindset. This is only the first qualifier round, and it’s mainly to weed out the truly hopeless people from the tournament. This labyrinth simply isn’t built for people like us.”

Oliver winced. He knew that his luck would run out sometime, and it seemed that time was now.

The only upside? It seemed that the enemy competitor in the maroon-red cloak looked just as surprised to see him in this corridor as Oliver probably did.