—The VIP Room of the Sacred Martial Arts Tournament Venue
"How boring. Is the next competitor really Rose's favorite?"
Mille-Feuille Renren Lorelei, Second Princess of the elf nation of Lorelei, stifled a yawn as she addressed the elven butler standing behind her.
"Yes, Your Highness. Given the circumstances, there is no doubt about it."
Placing his right hand over his chest, the elderly butler bowed respectfully.
World Mage Academy Babel—the prestigious global institution where Mille-Feuille studied—was currently on summer break. She had traveled incognito for a sightseeing trip through the nearby Holy Amelia Kingdom, the homeland of her classmate Rosemary.
Rosemary had once told her that the biggest spectacle in the Holy Amelia Kingdom was the Sacred Martial Arts Tournament. When Mille-Feuille visited Luzahal to watch the matches, she unexpectedly ran straight into Rose. Finding Rose's suspicious demeanor impossible to ignore, she ordered her butler to look into the matter, quickly discovering that a swordsman backed by Rose was competing. That prompted her to come and see for herself.
"And this is the greatest tournament in the Holy Amelia Kingdom? Honestly, the competitions hosted by Babel are on a completely different level."
The elf race received Gifts on par with the human race. Mille-Feuille's own Gift was "Elucidator"—a rare power capable of deciphering even the fundamental truths of the world. Martial tournaments were normally her favorite form of entertainment, events she would watch with genuine delight.
Yet these finals were an utter disappointment. She had only watched a handful of bouts, but it was no exaggeration to call them bottom-tier. The match featuring Prince Gilbert's supposed Guardian Knight candidate was especially dreadful. The opponent showed no will to fight whatsoever, turning it into a completely one-sided affair. It was undoubtedly a staged show, the opponent likely bought off beforehand.
"Good grief. How could anyone ever stoop to such a shameless display?"
What joy was there in winning without real strength? If it were up to Mille-Feuille, she would rather die than keep a knight who felt no disgrace over such cowardice by her side.
"Is it about time?"
A host clad in formal black attire stepped up onto the martial ring. And the moment she laid eyes on the black-haired youth emerging from the entryway—
"—Kh?!"
A terrifying chill unlike anything she had ever felt tore through her body. Her legs gave out, sending her crashing to the floor on all fours as she violently retched.
"Y-Your Highness...?!"
An attending maid hurried to rub Mille-Feuille's back while the butler offered her a cup of water.
"W-W-W-What in the world is that monster?!"
She had never seen such a sinister aura in her entire life. It might have possessed the shape of a person, but it was definitively not of the human race. It was something from a vastly higher plane of existence!
A Spirit King? No, she had seen Djinn, the Spirit King of Wind contracted to her older sister, and this was on an entirely different scale! The difference between them was greater than that between a gnat and a dragon.
(Rose, just what on earth did you form a contract with?!)
Desperately suppressing the intense nausea still churning in her gut, she began observing the monster.
Curiously, the creature was perceived as a member of the human race. What was more, he was treated as utterly worthless, branded as the bearer of the Gift "The Most Incompetent in the World."
An overwhelming sense of disbelief slipped past Mille-Feuille's lips:
"What is the meaning of this?"
During the bout, she had caught a fleeting glimpse of rage from that transcendent being. It had been directed at that insolent nobody named Dick. Yet why had he allowed such worthless trash who dared disrespect him to live? Out of mercy? No, those humans had crossed far too many lines for mercy to be an option.
"Was it... for Rose's sake?"
Intentional killing was strictly forbidden in this tournament. Doing so would result in immediate disqualification, and Rose, who had endorsed him, would undoubtedly face severe penalties. Had he held back solely to protect her?
As the realization struck her, an agonizing urge to claw at her own throat surged within her chest.
"Why is it always, always Rose?!"
She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Yes. It was raw, ugly jealousy. To the elves, contracting with a supernatural entity was the most sacred honor imaginable, and the status of that entity directly determined an elf's worth. That was why elves spent their entire lives seeking a supernatural being worthy of a pact.
He was unmistakably the strongest transcendent ever encountered in elven history. A contract with such a being rightfully belonged to an elf. And yet, Rosemary—a human, a member of the very race transcendent beings typically despised—had somehow formed a bond with him. Nothing could be more absurdly unfair.
Then again, Rose had always been like that. Even when deemed fundamentally incompatible with a spirit summoned in class, that very spirit had ignored everyone else and taken a liking only to Rose, who had merely been watching from the sidelines.
"Your Highness, is that person not human?"
"Steven, did he look like a normal human to you?"
"Yes. To my shame..."
I see. The stifling pressure that made Mille-Feuille retch had gone completely unnoticed even by Steven, a fellow elf. That meant Rosemary, whose human senses were far duller than an elf's, couldn't sense it either. In all likelihood, Rose still believed him to be nothing more than an exceptionally strong human.
"Steven, investigate everything about him! Use any means necessary!"
"Understood."
Placing his right hand over his chest with a respectful bow, Steven slipped out of the room.
No matter what it takes, I will form a contract with him. By any means necessary. If she succeeded, Mille-Feuille's name would be etched into history as the contractor of the mightiest supernatural entity the world had ever known.
"Rose, this time, I won't lose to you!"
Mille-Feuille declared with burning resolve.