Chapter 31: Dazzling magic rising into the sky

On the central plaza of the academy, the crowd surged like waves.

By the shores of Clear Lake, the stage for the magic performance competition had been set up, illuminated brightly by lights, though it still stood empty for now.

Vigus sat on a distant bench, as always dressed in her dark purple robe, a book resting on her lap as she watched absentmindedly.

Meanwhile, Siegfried paced back and forth in front of her, constantly chattering about things he found interesting, gesturing animatedly about some novel magical device he had just seen, then vividly recounting “exclusive gossip” about a certain contestant.

But Vigus had no interest.

‘So noisy.’

Vigus frowned, annoyed by his voice.

From morning to afternoon, he hadn’t stopped talking once.

“Can you be quiet for a bit?”

Vigus said expressionlessly.

“Of course.”

Siegfried agreed readily, then instantly fell silent as if someone had pressed a pause button.

Vigus let out a long breath, thinking he had finally settled down.

But before long.

“I wonder how things are going on Simon’s side? This was your idea, Vigus. Aren’t you concerned at all?”

“These things depend on the people involved, don’t you know?”

Vigus replied helplessly, her soft voice tinged with faint annoyance at being disturbed.

After speaking, she sighed lightly again, as if tired of the endless discussion.

“I’d actually prefer if Simon could understand Alice’s feelings.”

After that, both fell silent.

****

“I knew you were fooling me, Siegfried.”

A voice broke the silence between them.

The competition was about to begin, so Simon had brought the shopkeeper over.

Amid the bustling crowd, it was easy to spot them sitting on the slightly secluded bench.

Lila followed behind Simon, the bracelet already on her wrist, its gemstone reflecting the surrounding lights in dazzling colors.

After Simon spoke, he noticed that they were unexpectedly still silent.

If it were only Vigus, that would be normal, but even Siegfried said nothing.

This was beyond Simon’s expectations.

He frowned slightly in confusion.

“What’s wrong? Why is no one talking?”

“Nothing,” Siegfried explained.

“We were just thinking about something.”

He pulled Simon aside, coughed a couple of times, and glanced at Lila before whispering,

“So… how’s your progress?”

Hearing that, Simon panicked slightly.

“What progress? There’s no progress.”

Siegfried looked at him suspiciously.

“Then what were you doing this morning?”

Simon thought for a moment.

“Probably just eating and walking around. That’s it.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all.”

Siegfried wore an expression of utter disappointment.

In truth, Simon understood what they meant.

But at this moment, his heart was tangled with too many concerns.

Like a knotted thread, he wasn’t ready to lay his feelings bare, or even let others know at all.

The seed of this fluttering emotion was still buried deep within him.

Whether it would sprout remained unknown.

He knew he wasn’t worthy yet, perhaps he didn’t even dare hope for a response.

He still needed strength.

Not strength from dark magic, but another kind, the strength to protect himself, and to protect the shopkeeper.

For now, it wasn’t enough.

He feared rejection, feared refusal, and feared disappointment even more.

“There are seats over there. Let’s go sit there.”

A clear voice interrupted Simon’s thoughts.

He looked in the direction Lila pointed.

There was indeed an empty space, faintly visible through the gaps in the crowd.

As someone who had already grasped sword intent, Lila had long noticed Siegfried’s glance earlier, but she showed no reaction.

She didn’t know how he viewed her as the shopkeeper, but according to Conflor’s persona, she should act as if she hadn’t noticed.

“Alright, let’s go before someone else takes it.”

Siegfried said.

The group moved to the audience seating.

A breeze passed through the crowd, the lights flickering faster, occasionally sweeping across people’s faces.

Amid the noisy, chaotic atmosphere, most of the audience fixed their gaze on the stage, eagerly awaiting the start of the competition.

Simon, however, stole a glance at the shopkeeper beside him.

The white-haired girl was also watching the stage with anticipation, her hands folded neatly on her knees, her eyes unblinking as she stared at the brightly lit platform, curiosity shining within them.

Under the lights, her fair face looked even softer.

Simon froze slightly.

He couldn’t stop himself from looking at her, just like he couldn’t stop his heartbeat.

He took a deep breath several times, forcing himself to calm down, and turned his gaze back to the stage.

To be honest, Lila envied this magic.

The dazzling magic of this other world, yet as a transmigrator, she couldn’t use it.

It wasn’t quite regret, but it was certainly a pity.

As music began to play, the host stepped onto the stage, and the competition finally began.

Of course, it started with a long speech.

After the host finished, the performances officially commenced.

The competition used a scoring system where contestants performed first and were then judged.

There were eight judges, with the highest and lowest scores discarded, and the average of the rest becoming the final score.

To Lila’s surprise, the first performer was Anne.

But if not for Alice’s invitation, she probably wouldn’t have cared who was participating at all.

Anne bowed to the judges and began her performance.

Fire magic surged in her hands, branches of flame extending outward, growing higher and higher until, at a certain height, a blossom bloomed at the tip, its petals shimmering with dazzling light.

Flame flowers, formed from flowing fire, multiplied continuously.

Then Anne tossed them into the sky.

The fiery blossoms burst outward in radiant clusters, overlapping one another, breathtakingly beautiful.

The audience erupted into thunderous applause and cheers.

After the performance, the judges gave a score of eight points.

Anne bowed and exited the stage.

Lila was surprised, she hadn’t expected the very first performance to be this impressive.

And she couldn’t help but envy that brilliant magic.

Still, being able to live again was already a blessing.

There was no need to ask for more.

Unfortunately, many of the performances that followed weren’t as spectacular as Anne’s.

“The next one is Alice.”

Vigus said calmly, she already knew the performance order.

Since it was her employee performing, Lila naturally focused her attention.

Alice stepped onto the stage, her silver hair shining under the lights.

After bowing to the judges, she began.

A chill aura surged around her, condensing into beautiful crystalline ice structures that refracted multicolored light, she looked like a princess of ice.

Under her control, the ice transformed continuously.

First, it became a flock of ice birds, lifelike and detailed, their feathers distinct as they flapped their wings, as if ready to break free from the stage and soar into the sky.

Then, in an instant, they transformed into a towering castle, complete with battlements, spires, and even intricate frost patterns on the windows, all vividly detailed.

As the ice melted, green sprouts emerged from the remnants of frost, blooming into flowers that turned the stage into a sea of blossoms.

Alice’s performance ignited the crowd, and thunderous applause echoed once more.

“Alice is amazing!”

Lila said sincerely.

“Of course. She’s a genius with three attributes.”

Siegfried spoke proudly.

“So this is Alice…”

Simon said.

He didn’t feel jealous, he had always known how hard Alice worked, and he was genuinely happy for her.

The judges gave her a score of nine, the highest so far.

Lila had thought Alice would win, but at the very end, another contestant named Lena also scored nine.

As a user of light magic, her performance was especially dazzling in the night.

Light magic and Holy Light were not the same.

Light magic came from manipulating light-element mana in the air, while Holy Light likely originated from divine blessing.

Its most notable trait was healing.

The deity who granted it was known as the Goddess of Holy Radiance.

‘That blue-haired idiot goddess.’

Lila thought helplessly.

In the end, the judges decided on a tiebreaker.

This time, Lena went first, unleashing her light magic without restraint, more magnificent than auroras, longer-lasting than meteors, more radiant than dawn.

She received a score of 9.5.

Lila couldn’t help but worry for Alice.

Then Alice stepped onto the stage again.

This time, she created a massive ice crystal shaped like a heart.

Vines born of wood magic wrapped around it, blooming into flowers.

Then a powerful wind scattered the petals, sending them spiraling into the sky, where they intertwined and transformed into a starry field of blossoms.

The ice crystals shattered into countless shards, reflecting the stage lights onto the dancing petals.

Like fireworks made of flowers, blooming across the sky.

Dazzling beyond words.

When the performance ended, Alice looked nervously at the judges.

The final score…

9.9.

Alice let out a long breath, smiling as she looked toward the audience.

She had spotted Simon and the others earlier.

But instead of seeing Simon cheering for her, she saw him turned sideways, talking to the shopkeeper.

Even from a distance, she could see the faint smile on the shopkeeper’s lips.

When had they become so close?

A strange bitterness rose in Alice’s heart.

She had been the one to invite the shopkeeper, so why did it feel wrong now?

She should be happy, she had won.

Yet somehow, she couldn’t feel happy at all.

She didn’t even know how the ceremony ended.

By the time she realized it, the trophy was already in her hands.

“Alice, what are you thinking about?”

Anne asked, noticing something was off.

“Nothing… I’m just too excited…”

Alice replied quickly, snapping back to reality.

When she looked at the audience again, she saw all four of them smiling at her.

Siegfried and Simon gave thumbs up, and even the shopkeeper looked genuinely excited.

Was she mistaken earlier?

****

Watching the floral fireworks bloom from the audience, Lila’s heartbeat paused for a moment.

It was truly beautiful.

Magic used only for destruction would be such a waste.

If only such beauty could last forever.

“What do you think? How should we celebrate for Alice later?”

Lila turned to Simon and the others.

This moment was exactly what Alice had seen earlier.

“Maybe we can gather at the shop and celebrate properly.”

Simon suggested.

Lila nodded.

“I can make a small cake. Let’s do that.”

She made the decision.

At that moment, as people watched the floral fireworks fade, from different angles, from different perspectives.

They all, without exception, fell into silent contemplation.