The Qualifiers for the Magics War had finally drawn to a close. After a single day’s reprieve, the Main Tournament was set to begin.
Fourteen teams had fought their way through the preliminary rounds. Of those, the two teams with the highest total point counts would be awarded seed rights, placing them on opposite sides of the bracket.
Team Forst had finished the Qualifiers in first place overall. Following close behind in second was Team Algren.
This meant that if the two favorites for the title were to clash, it would only happen in the Finals.
Currently, the prevailing sentiment was that Team Forst held the advantage. This was largely because Ray was an Ordinary; many felt they couldn't openly voice their support for Team Algren because of his background.
Of course, with Amelia and Ariane being members of the Three Great Noble Families, the team wasn't exactly lacking for supporters.
"So they made it through as expected..."
Albert Alium was relaxing in his room.
He was making the most of his day off. For the sake of the battles to come, he had decided to spend the day resting. In truth, he had wanted to do at least a bit of training, but Lucas had given him strict orders to do nothing today.
Told that resting was also a vital part of training, he was currently looking over tournament data.
The bracket for the Main Tournament had already been released.
His eyes remained fixed on one name: Team Algren.
He had suffered a bitter defeat against Ray in their duel, against Amelia in the Magics Chevalier qualifiers, and against Ariane in the Magics Chevalier main tournament.
Until he entered this Academy, he had already resigned himself to the limits of his own talent. He had believed that he could never hope to rival the blood of the Three Great Noble Families.
But after meeting Ray, Albert was starting to change.
He had begun to look inward, asking himself what he needed to do to grow as a Sorcerer. Not much time had passed since he first resolved to change.
He didn't expect to see results immediately.
However, he had grown enough to know one thing: he never wanted to suffer defeat at the hands of those three like he had before.
It was true that he might lack innate talent.
Even so, Albert was seeking a different path through sheer effort. To reach the summit, hard work was indispensable.
He might have given up on his talent, but he hadn't given up on effort. While it wasn't guaranteed to be rewarded, Albert understood perfectly that it was the only thing he could do for himself.
"Phew..."
Leaning back into his chair, Albert stared out the window.
Winter had arrived in earnest, and it was the time of year when snow wouldn't be surprising. Today was overcast, and a faint, steady rain was falling.
According to the forecast, however, the weather was expected to clear up for the upcoming matches.
That meant there would be no handicaps caused by the elements.
They would be able to challenge the Main Tournament in peak condition.
Just as he was considering picking up a book, a knock sounded at his door.
"You may enter."
"Excuse me."
As members of the Upper Nobility, House Alium employed many live-in servants. The person who entered was the elderly woman known as the Head Maid.
It was rare for her to come to his room personally. If it were a simple message, she would have sent one of the younger maids. Albert sensed immediately that this was a summons of particular importance.
"The Head of the House is calling for you. He requests your presence in his study."
"Father is calling for me?"
"Yes."
"I understand..."
He felt a twinge of unease.
While his father was the Head of House Alium, it was no exaggeration to say that his mother held the real power.
His mother was a staunch believer in bloodline elitism; throughout his education, she had constantly drilled into him how noble and high-born their blood was.
His father, by contrast, had always seemed indifferent toward him.
Because of this, Albert felt a sense of awkwardness toward the man.
They weren't particularly close, but they weren't on bad terms either.
If Albert had to describe their relationship, he would call his father a stranger connected only by blood. Their bond was that distant.
For such a father to call for him... what could he possibly want?
Albert arrived at the study and gave the door a polite knock.
"It is Albert."
"Enter."
"...Excuse me."
He stepped inside. His father sat before him, wearing glasses and running a hand through his graying hair. He seemed to have been working on paperwork as usual, judging by the mountains of documents on his desk.
Albert walked forward and stood before him.
It had been a while since they had seen each other, but as Albert looked at him, he realized once again how little he understood his father.
"The Magics War. I hear you're competing."
"Yes. We successfully made it through the Qualifiers."
"I see. And your teammates are a classmate and that Lucas Forst, I believe?"
"They are both exceptional Sorcerers."
"I watched the broadcast. They certainly are."
Albert was stunned.
He had never dreamed that his father, who had never shown the slightest interest in his life, would go out of his way to watch his matches.
In the first place, Albert hadn't even told him he was participating in the Magics War.
The same had been true for the Magics Chevalier.
His mother had constantly boasted that he should show off his talent. When he had nearly beaten Ariane before losing in the Magics Chevalier, she had praised him highly.
She had spoken with joy, saying he was a truly gifted son for coming so close to defeating Ariane Algren of the Three Great Noble Families.
Yes—even his mother believed that, ultimately, they couldn't win against the Three Great Noble Families. When Albert had heard those words, his heart had been filled with a complex, bitter emotion.
His father, however, hadn't said a word to him then.
Why the change in heart now?
"You carry yourself differently since you started at the Academy, Albert."
"Do... I?"
"Yes. There is no doubt. You must have some inkling of it yourself, don't you?"
"That is—"
His father's eyes locked onto Albert's. He had no reason to make excuses. He decided to speak the simple truth.
"...I believe it is because I've found friends I truly value."
"I see... I thought you only associated with other nobles. Based on that phrasing, am I to assume they are not?"
"Yes. That is correct."
It seemed his father wasn't as indifferent as Albert had assumed. That thought began to take root in his mind.
"Ray White. After losing that duel to an Ordinary, did you begin to reflect on your own path?"
The words cut straight to the heart of the matter. The details of that duel had not been made public. He must have used some private channel to obtain that information.
Is he going to lecture me for losing to Ray?
Albert braced himself for a reprimand, but the words that followed were entirely unexpected.
"...Yes. Meeting Ray and losing that duel changed me."
"I see. That is—"
His father paused for a moment before continuing.
"—a very good thing."
"...Eh?"
Albert stared at him, dumbfounded.
His father looked out toward the distance as he spoke.
"I have long had my doubts about bloodline elitism. This Magics War is a reflection of that. I was one of the people who pushed for it, after all."
"You were?"
"Yes. This tournament was realized through the consensus of the Three Great Noble Families, the Upper Nobility, and the Seven Grand Sorcerers. The goal is reform—to change this stagnant world of Sorcerers."
"I had no idea..."
It was a revelation. More than anything, Albert was shocked to find that his father wasn't a conservative traditionalist. Since he had never interfered with his mother's strict education, Albert had assumed they shared the same views.
"Father, are you not a believer in bloodline elitism?"
"...Talent certainly exists. One only has to look at the Three Great Noble Families and the Upper Nobility to see that. However, that is not all it means to be a Sorcerer. There are many other factors. But I was hesitant to promote that view in this world. Then, a proposal came from above, and I decided to lend it my support."
"I see... I didn't know there was such a background to it."
His father’s face softened, just a fraction. It was an expression Albert had never seen before.
"I knew you were struggling. I knew you were troubled by your own talent. But it seems you've found a way to change by meeting that boy."
"Yes. Thanks to Ray, I'm finally moving forward."
"Good. Then continue to apply yourself. I look forward to you becoming a Sorcerer worthy of leading House Alium."
"Yes, sir!"
Until now, Albert had intended to inherit the house simply because it was his duty as the eldest son.
But now, it was different.
Albert vowed then and there that he would truly succeed as a Sorcerer and become a man who could hold his head high as a member of the Upper Nobility.