Chapter 31

“The rules of the Grand Convergence are simple.”

Hermai Merhes opened his mouth.

“The rule of the Ten Treasures is partially valid. The one who has taken the most treasures still wins.”

The old magician held up three fingers.

“There are three undiscovered Treasures. There will be three contests, one for each Treasure.”

“…It's a little different from before, Dean.”

Ferbias voiced his complaint.

Three contests?

The Grand Convergence of 400 years ago was an all-out war where all factions clashed at once.

That's why he had brought so many troops.

At Ferbias' question, Hermai spat out coldly.

“It's a special case that has occurred only twice in the thousand-year history of the Empire. It would be strange if it were exactly the same.”

“…Well, fine.”

Hermai's aura was fierce.

Ferbias backed down obediently.

There was nothing to be gained by provoking him further.

“Then, if it's a contest, what kind of contest?”

“That is your part, since it is the Grand Convergence you wanted.”

Hermai's eyes were still cold.

“There are three factions and three contests, so you can take turns deciding what to compete on. As long as it's not too biased, I will permit it.”

Huh?

Ferbias let out a small, disbelieving laugh.

Each faction gets to decide the contest?

It was too different from 400 years ago.

His eyes began to glint with a golden light.

“…And who decides the standard for 'biased'?”

“I do.”

The old magician stroked his beard.

“I, Hermai, entrusted by the Great Emperor Continua, will judge.”

“Then the order of the contests, are you going to draw lots or something?”

“Not bad. We'll decide by drawing lots.”

“Haha, for goodness sake……”

Hermai answered nonchalantly, and Ferbias put a hand to his forehead.

He shook his shoulders silently and laughed, a small mutter escaping.

This isn't even funny.

The muttering soon stopped, and Ferbias Caseptus raised his head.

“This is a fucking joke.”

“……”

“……”

Silence filled the air.

Even the rain and wind had subsided.

The gazes of the fifteen hundred soldiers, the dark clouds, and all the princes and princesses wandered lost before slowly turning towards the great magician standing in the sky.

Hermai stroked his beard and said.

“Did I hear that correctly?”

The corner of his mouth was twisted.

“It didn't sound like a remark to be made to the representative of His Majesty the Great Emperor?”

“You probably heard correctly.”

Ferbias Caseptus replied with a soft laugh.

“Because I couldn't stand the sight of you shitting on the authority of His Majesty the Emperor Father.”

“Your words are harsh, First Prince.”

“And your pranks are severe, Dean.”

The golden eyes, resembling the Great Emperor's, fiercely glared at Hermai.

The Dean's aura was still like a great mountain, but Ferbias was not intimidated in the slightest.

He said, as if growling.

“How in the world is this a Grand Convergence?”

His voice was more than just irritable; it was filled with indignation.

Ferbias pointed a finger at the sky.

“Splitting it into three and tacking on all sorts of rules? Does it become a Grand Convergence just by having a grand name? This is just a bunch of kids playing house!”

The intention was too obvious.

It was to keep Ferbias, who had been on a solo run, in check.

He had expected it to some extent, but this was too much.

“There's a limit to being blatant, Dean. If you're going to prattle on about being entrusted by the Great Emperor, then be fair.”

“Surprising, First Prince. I wouldn't expect you, of all people, to point a finger at me and talk about fairness.”

“I feel no guilt about your disciple. That mustached bastard was taking money from all over the place from the beginning!”

The Dean and the First Prince did not back down an inch from each other.

One was a member of the Eight Sages, the other the eldest of the Great Emperor.

As the two most powerful figures after the Emperor argued, no one dared to intervene.

“If you were going to do this, you shouldn't have approved the Grand Convergence in the first place. You've just given foreign countries another reason to laugh at the Imperial Family!”

“You remind me of the Great Emperor in his youth.”

Hermai Merhes let out a small laugh.

“Just as ill-mannered.”

“Are you saying you'd even commit sacrilege against the Emperor, you decrepit old Hermai?”

“Has there ever been an act that dishonors a father more than a son's shameful behavior?”

“If you say that, I also know a son who displayed shameful behavior. A mustached man who took money……”

“Shut up, Ferbias. Even if you're hot-headed, you need to be able to distinguish right from wrong.”

A few streaks of lightning struck down.

They were purple.

It was not a natural phenomenon, but a manifestation of the great magician's anger.

At its majesty, Ferbias could not speak any further.

“You are not yet the emperor, you brat. Do you want to see the Imperial Academy of Magic officially support another faction?”

“Hnngh……”

Ferbias instantly softened.

His golden eyes still blazed, but his lips were sealed.

It was because he had realized he had gone too far in his excitement.

His opponent was Hermai Merhes.

No matter what, he was not an easy man for Ferbias, who was not yet thirty, to confront.

“……”

“The insolent brat has quieted down.”

The Dean fiddled with his wooden staff.

He felt displeased.

As he got older, many of his emotions had dulled, but strangely, whenever his one and only adopted son and disciple was touched, his anger would flare up.

“But yes, it's not an entirely preposterous story. I agree to some extent.”

This was the Succession War of the Great Empire of Cordis.

It was no exaggeration to say that the attention of the entire continent was focused on it.

Dignity was not created by mere appearances, but it could not be ignored either.

“It would be shabby to call it a Grand Convergence if only one Treasure is exchanged. As it happens, the Great Emperor also said. That you may wager as many of your Treasures as you wish.”

“-Wager, you say?”

The one who asked back was the silver-haired princess, Leniar.

“You heard correctly. The one who proposes the contest may also put forth their own Treasure. Those who participate must put forth the same number of Treasures. These will all become the victor's.”

“…It's rather complicated.”

“How could it not be, when deciding the seat of the emperor.”

Leniar touched her lips.

She had understood the gist of it, but it was too much to say she had grasped it all.

She couldn't get a feel for what kind of variables and loopholes this rule might have.

“What if……”

The silver-haired princess asked again.

To understand this rule more deeply.

“Let's say I propose a contest and put forth this ‘Azure Sky Brilliance’.”

“To join this contest, the others would have to put forth one Treasure each.”

“What if both of them put forth a Treasure and participate?”

“The victor would take four Treasures. A large number moves in a single contest, doesn't it?”

The number of Treasures, two each for Secundus, Leniar, and Ferbias.

One for Shion.

They had struggled for dozens of days to obtain these, but in a single fight, four, no, perhaps even more could be exchanged.

The complexions of the princes and princesses changed.

“What if a participant doesn't have a Treasure to put forth, or doesn't want to?”

“Then they must forfeit.”

“What if everyone except the proposer forfeits?”

“The proposer takes the first one.”

This isn't bad.

Color returned to Ferbias' face.

Then the story was different.

Wouldn't he be able to overturn a slight disadvantage?

“I can explain more, but what's the use, this isn't a school. Learn by doing.”

Ferbias regained his fervor.

Secundus consulted with Kateka, and Leniar was lost in deep thought.

Hermai looked down at the princes and princesses.

“Haven't we dragged this on long enough.”

“Hmm. Just as the Dean says.”

Secundus strode forward.

He already felt like he was losing to Ferbias and Leniar.

He couldn't let just the two of them talk.

The giant, who was three heads taller than others, shouted as if to show off his particularly loud voice.

“Isn't this just saying we should fight in order! I don't know why my brother and sister are making it so complicated!”

A hearty laugh.

At their leader's laugh, the two hundred young men laughed along.

Ha, haha, ha-!

It echoed as if in one voice, as if they had practiced.

The commanding laugh was so loud that it crossed the fifteen hundred soldiers and reached the dark clouds.

“Now, Dean. Let's hurry up and draw lots! How long are you going to dilly-dally!”

“You have a refreshing way of speaking.”

Hermai Merhes laughed heartily.

He had also been thinking that the talk was getting too long.

Ferbias clicked his tongue softly.

There were still many things to think about and protest, but he did not want the situation to be settled in this way.

“As it happens, I've prepared lots.”

A thud sound was heard.

Three pillars, like some kind of support beams, fell from the dark cloud Hermai was riding.

Hermai stroked his white beard and gestured with his chin.

“Choose one each.”

Ferbias was the fastest.

There was a slight hint of haste in his steps.

Secundus followed nonchalantly, and Leniar, after observing the two, slowly moved.

After they had each chosen a pillar, Hermai swiped his staff.

Let's see what you've got.

What they had thought were pillars were, surprisingly, some kind of scrolls.

He didn't know for what reason a scroll larger than Secundus was made, but at Hermai's gesture, the scrolls unrolled.

Inside, numbers were written.

There was really nothing but ‘1’, ‘2’, and ‘3’.

It was so simple it was insincere.

The princes and princesses who had drawn the numbers also looked as if they were let down.

When they glanced up, Hermai cleared his throat.

“It was so much trouble to make the Ten Treasures. There's no reason for the lot-drawing to be grand as well.”

“…Still, if you were just going to write a single number, why such a ridiculously large scroll……”

“Ahem! Now, the order must be set!”

Hermai changed the subject.

Considering his age, I decided not to press the matter further.

Leniar let out a small sigh and then opened her mouth.

‘1’ was drawn by Secundus, ‘2’ by Leniar, and ‘3’ by Ferbias.

“Secundus is first, I am in the middle, and older brother Ferbias is last.”

“You're good at summarizing, sister.”

“As the Dean said, we've dragged this on long enough, haven't we?”

Secundus stroked his chin.

He raised his thick neck and looked at Hermai.

“Hmm. I am first, Dean! When does the contest begin?”

“That, the Great Emperor has decided.”

Hermai answered from atop the dark cloud.

“Tomorrow, right after the sun has fully risen.”

At the words announcing the Grand Convergence, Secundus nodded his head.

The time had truly come.

The end of the fight to decide the next emperor was near.

“Tomorrow morning. I have to decide what to compete on before then. This is busy.”

“Are you dissatisfied?”

“It can't be helped, can it.”

Instead of grumbling, he showed a slight smile.

Secundus Debius was a man who had never learned how to make excuses in the first place.

He gestured with his head towards his two younger brothers who were on his side.

“For now, we should get a good night's sleep. Let's go, Kateka, Zionis!”

The Third Prince Kateka Keshulei followed his brother with short steps.

The two hundred young men had already set up camp and were waiting for them.

I also joined them.

My blue eyes shone sharply.

‘…So it's Secundus, Leniar, and Ferbias, in that order.’

Ferbias stood with a dissatisfied expression, and Leniar was contemplating something with an unreadable face.

Hermai was looking down at the princes and princesses.

The scenery from the Grand Convergence of the Succession War 19 years ago, from my memories.

I couldn't help but smile.

‘Even this is the same as before, to a startling degree.’

It was the same back then.

Ferbias had forced the Grand Convergence to happen, and Hermai, to keep Ferbias in check, had bound him with rules.

Except for Leniar and Secundus' non-aggression pact, even the order of the lot-drawing was the same as before my regression.

It was exactly as I remembered.

So how could I not smile?

‘There are no changes to the flow of the Grand Convergence.’

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