It didn’t take long before the event of the Royal 8 Challenge begun.
Lady Ophelia had signed up under the pretense that I was her niece at the first section of the process.
She ntioned to that they had to verify strength but also mana viability, which was a criteria ant to test if your potency and total reserves were below par and if you didn’t reach the requirent to enter the test, then they’d just tell you to leave.
This was probably the best thod to filter out the weeds within the grass field because I would be mad if so random kid miraculously beat everyone to beco the Royal Blade.
However, with this test, I did struggle to do it at first because they had given this mana orb and an evaluation bar.
What happened was that I kept breaking the orb, and the ter kept skyrocketing upwards and downwards after each break. The tester who couldn’t believe their eyes at the scene, eventually they let through because of how much expensive equipnt I broke, so they had to cut their cost and assud I was enough to participate.
When I had exited, I gave Ophelia the thumbs up and she smiled proudly, as if she expected to pass this test. (I didn’t think I would.)
We arrived at a massive building that was part of Aethel Academy, although it was separate from its main location. I never knew this place existed in the novel. The building itself had multiple structures within it, each one larger than it appeared from the outside. I could sense a powerful energy emanating from them, and I guessed that all the trials for becoming a ’Royal Blade’ were held inside.
"Let’s go inside, Julian. I heard you were the only one to pass the evaluation test."
"Really? But there were so many others at the reception earlier."
"Unfortunately, they didn’t make the cut."
"Oh..."
I felt surprised at how easily I had passed the test. Maybe it was because of Ophelia’s influence, but I knew she could only take so far. This was where her influence ended.
We entered the massive building, greeted by a sign that read ’Ziverard’s Mage House of Concepts.’
I figured this was where the famous mage was born and raised.
As we walked through the doors, we were t with a receptionist. Unlike the chaotic lobby outside filled with kids, this room was eerily empty except for the lady at the desk.
I couldn’t help but ask Lady Ophelia where everyone else was.
"Lady Ophelia," I whispered, "where is everyone?"
She placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"As I ntioned, you were the last to pass the evaluation. The others have already moved on to the next stage."
I swallowed hard feeling the my body slightly tremble from the nervousness, I was really doing this and there was no turning back now.
The receptionist looked up as we approached, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of Lady Ophelia.
"Marchioness Florence…" she said, bowing her head respectfully. "How may I assist you?"
"This young man is Julian Ryker Uzziel, he’s here for the Royal 8 Challenge."
Lady Ophelia spoke in a soft cunning voice.
The receptionist nodded, tapping sothing into her crystal-powered interface.
"Ah, yes. Our final participant." She turned her attention to , her gaze softening slightly.
"Welco, young sir. May I see your identification, please?"
I fumbled in my pocket, producing the small crystal card Lady Ophelia had given earlier. The receptionist took it, running it through a scanner that glowed with a soft blue light.
"Everything seems to be in order," she said after a mont. "Julian, you’re participant #10,000, so just like with everyone else you’ll want to proceed through one of the three portals there."
She gestured to a set of portals at the far end of the lobby.
"The introduction ceremony is about to begin."
Lady Ophelia squeezed my shoulder one last ti.
"This is where I leave you, Julian. Rember what we discussed. Stay focused, trust your instincts, and above all, be true to yourself."
I nodded, my throat suddenly felt tight with emotion, I had never received this kind of support before in my past life, and thankfully I’m glad to be getting it now.
"Thank you, Lady Ophelia. For everything."
"Make us proud, Julian."
She smiled warmly and left the building.
Haah…
"This is it…"
As I made my way towards the end of the lobby, I stepped through the middle portal.
WHAM...
**
In the massive hall that housed 9,999 participants, all were here for one prize and one prize only.
To be the Royal Blade of the Royal Family’s daughter.
In a tradition that has been passed since the dawn of the golden age of magic, the Aureus family has kept faithful to their traditions of having a blade that represented the kingdom’s pride and honor.
The tradition of having a skilled swordsman as the ’Royal Blade’ was not necessarily mandatory, but more of a symbolic gesture to showcase the power and importance of a blade in the kingdom. It represented the heart and spirit of the kingdom itself.
That is the true representation of a royal blade.
In Ziverard’s Hall, the Royal family sat alongside the Evera family, while below them sat counts and marquis nobles who had paid to witness their children compete for the title and position of the Royal Blade.
"I never imagined there would be such a large audience for a re position..."
Francine’s eyes looked over the crowd of kids competing, so were tall, so were extrely short, so exerted a magical power and the rest stood there like normal waiting for her father’s introductory speech.
"Francine, you’re the first female with pure Aureus blood in our family for 100 years! Your grandfather and great-grandfather were too focused on producing sons to ever have a daughter."
Queen Azura bead, showing her affection for Francine through hand gestures. Although she happily accepted her mother’s explanation, it was a fact she had heard countless tis before.
Thud…thud…thud…
As the Royal family took their seats, a familiar presence could be felt from the stands.
-This energy… could it be?
"Mother, sister I’m here…"
Suddenly, the son of King Paul and Queen Azura appeared in the seating section.
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