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He was the most well known and respected of all kings.

It was possible he’d been buried in his homeland, but no one even knew his real name, let alone his origins, so that seemed unlikely.

Records stated that he’d just appeared out of nowhere during the war.

However, people had recognized him as human from the descriptions of his most famous weapon, the Sword of Seven Sins, and the size and shape of the Crimson King’s Armor.

But his most famous trait had been his fiery red hair, which had blazed brightly like the sunset.

[Somewhere here, then, a shard of the Dubhe must exist.]

A shard of the Dubhe...?

[One of the seven pieces needed to restore the Sword of Seven Sins.]

I fell silent for a moment. Right, the Sword of Seven Sins was in a half-broken state. I had forgotten about it since it was still quite useful.

[This is perfect. While you’re here, you should retrieve it.]

Is that really necessary? I don’t see how restoring the Sword of Seven Sins will benefit me.

[Inheritor, I know you are not the type to rely on weapons, but obtaining a shard of Dubhe doesn’t mean only the sword will become stronger.]

What more does it do?

[Restoring the Sword of Seven Sins means restoring my own existence. As I’ve said before, even simple things like conveying information are restricted in my current state. As more shards are obtained, those restrictions will gradually weaken.]

Then could you also tell me about my master?

The Martial God chuckled bitterly.

[That’s still a long way off, but as we gather the shards, I’m sure you will eventually find out.]

Mmm...

Actually, I had other ways to obtain information now. The Martial God was no longer my only option; I could ask either the Lord of Blood and Iron or Lise.

However, a thought occurred to me. The one who knew the most about the forgotten age had to be the forgotten Martial God. After all, he had witnessed it firsthand.

The Nameless King’s tomb, huh...

There was someone I could ask.

I stood up and quickly slid open the partition door, crossing into the section with Hector.

The large compartment was occupied only by Hector and Sellen, and the scene inside was oddly amusing.

They sat at opposite ends of the space like strangers being made to share the room against their will.

Sellen had her forehead against the window and was staring outside with a bored expression, and Hector was engrossed in a book.

“You’ll get motion sickness if you read in a carriage.”

“I’m not prone to motion sickness, so I’ll be fine,” Hector said. He calmly closed his book with a soft thud, then looked up at me and asked, “Do you need something?”

“I have a question for you.”

I jumped straight to explaining the situation to him. After listening carefully, Hector thought for a moment.

“You want to access the Nameless King’s tomb... It’s not impossible, but it will be very difficult.”

“Why?”

“Well, the Founding King is usually considered to be Keshinus I, but some believe the Nameless King is the true founder. After all, it was the Nameless King who united the seven races to form the empire. That’s why his tomb is located in the deepest part of the imperial palace grounds.”

“That means...”

“Basically, it’s off-limits to anyone but royalty.”

What a pain. I thought for a second before asking, “You said ‘basically,’ so there must be exceptions, right?”

“Correct. If you’re accompanied by a member of the imperial family, you can enter.”

The imperial family...

To ordinary citizens, they might as well be untouchable, but this was where the Bednicker name was useful. House Bednicker was one of the most powerful houses in the empire. Not even royalty could look down on them.

“Elder Brother, do you think you can pull some strings for me?”

“I didn’t realize you were so interested in the Nameless King,” Hector said, sounding slightly surprised. But then, with a troubled expression, he added, “I could... but it’ll be difficult to do right now. The only person I’m on good terms with is Lantus, and he’s likely not in the capital at the moment.”

Lantus... That was the fourth prince. He had even attended the Bednicker Blessing Ceremony.

“Hmm...”

While I was still thinking about what to do, Hector said, “That doesn’t mean there is no other way. Coincidentally, our destination is the academy.”

“What do you mean?”

“There are two royals currently attending the academy.”

“Oh? Who are they?”

“The third prince and the fourth princess. If you get close to either one of them, you should be able to gain access to the Nameless King’s tomb.” Sounding slightly hesitant, Hector continued, “Of course, getting close won’t be easy given the academy’s environment, your status as a transfer student, and the three-month time limit.”

“Mhm.”

“I would personally recommend aiming for the third prince. I’ve heard that the fourth princess, Ferith, doesn't enjoy socializing.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“...Yeah.” Hector glanced at me and suddenly cleared his throat. “W-well, as the older brother, I can help the youngest with—”

At that moment, the coachman peeked his head in.

“Hector, sir? Do you have a moment?”

“What’s the matter?”

“We will soon arrive at the academy, and we will need the Bednicker seal to be allowed entry.”

“...All right.”

Hector left, though he looked somewhat reluctant to do so.

Just as I was about to follow suit, I was stopped—Sellen had suddenly grabbed me.

“Hey,” she said.

“What?”

“What business do you have with the Nameless King’s tomb?”

I met her clear, glass-like eyes and replied, “I’ve always been kinda interested in the Nameless King. Visiting his tomb has long been a dream of mine.”

“Says the guy who didn’t even know where the tomb of the Nameless King was,” Sellen said, not believing my lie.

...Good catch.

I kept my mouth shut since I had nothing to say in response. Sellen hesitated briefly before continuing, “Don’t get close to the imperial family.”

“What? Why not?”

“I warned you.”

With that, Sellen leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, making it clear she was done talking.

“...”

If it were anyone else, I would just take it as a warning not to act recklessly in front of the imperial family, those of the royal bloodline. After all, I had been well known as a troublemaker in the past.

But this was Sellen. There was likely a more significant meaning.

...Is something up with the royal family?

Before I could dwell on that thought, the carriage came to a stop and the coachman’s voice rang out.

“We’ve arrived at Kartell Academy!”

* * * * *

* * * * *

The Twilight River, which ran through the empire, had several branches, the widest of which stretched an impressive five kilometers across.

Kartell Academy had been established on an island located in the middle of that river.

The island itself was large, almost too large for the academy alone, though it hadn’t always been so big.

The island had expanded over time through multiple construction projects, eventually reaching its current size and its current shape: a long, narrow strip of land. After all, the river could not be blocked.

After crossing the bridge, the only way in and out of the island, we finally stood at the entrance of the academy.

“Wow...”

“This is insane.”

As we took in the sight before us, oohs and aahs came from all directions. Even I was at a loss for words to describe what this structure was supposed to be.

Was it a castle? A tower? A temple?

Usually, when a building gave off so many different impressions, it felt chaotic and muddled. But I wasn’t well versed in architecture, so all I could think was how amazing it looked.

“Our honored guests have finally arrived,” came a soft voice as an old man stepped forward.

He had deep wrinkles and a long beard reaching down to his navel, and he wore thin glasses and a gentle smile. He was just missing a wide-brimmed hat and an ancient wooden staff to perfectly match how I imagined magicians.

...I’m getting emotional.

I felt a slight sting at the tip of my nose.

All the magicians I’d encountered since my regression had been so shady and evil, so seeing such a classic, normal-looking magician brought a great sense of relief.

Hector and Barter bowed politely.

“Greetings, Headmaster. I am Hector Bednicker.”

“I am Barter Goodspring.”

The Headmaster gave a deep chuckle, “It’s an honor to see not one but two of the empire’s future stars.”

The headmaster of Kartell Academy... That meant this kind, smiling old man was none other than Alderson Maveur, the Archmage of Violet—ranked seventh among the Archmages of Seven Colors.

Alderson looked at Hector and asked, “How is Sir Asad doing?”

“He’s in good health.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Asad, House Bednicker’s hermit and protector, was also an Archmage of Seven Colors, ranking fourth as the Archmage of Emerald.

Naturally, as fellow Archmages of Seven Colors, they knew each other.

“I see there’s more people than I expected. I wasn’t expecting the Goodspring group, so this is a little troublesome...”

As Alderson said, there were more than twenty people on the Goodspring side. Combined with the ten people on our side, there were thirty in total, which was quite a large number to accommodate for transfers.

Alderson stroked his beard while chuckling heartily. In a cryptic voice, he said, “Well, we’ll manage somehow. For now, follow me.”

We all followed Alderson through well-paved roads and polished street lights until, eventually, we reached a tower-like building.

“This is...?”

“The Kartell Academy’s famed Tower of Trials,” Alderson answered.

It was tall. Really tall.

Roughly... 200 meters, maybe?

A building of this scale could easily be called a magic tower.

Alderson flashed a smile. “As I mentioned, we need to thin the numbers a bit. Consider it an entry exam... Whichever fifteen of you ascend the highest will be accepted into the Academy.”

“Um, then... what happens to those who don’t make the cut?”

“I’m sorry, but they will not be allowed to enroll. They will have to return home.”

There were immediate sounds of distress from the Goodspring side.

“Th-that can’t be.”

“This isn’t what we were told!”

“We came all this way...!”

Meanwhile, our group was calm, likely because we were more familiar with situations like this. Cutting people off based on rankings... we’d all experienced that in House Bednicker’s training camps.

I turned my gaze back to the tower.

The height was daunting, but it didn’t look like it would be too difficult to climb.

But... something feels off.

There was something about the name and the overall unclear situation that was nagging me.

Hector must have felt the same uneasy feeling because he asked, “What matters isn’t how fast we climb but how high?”

“That is correct,” Alderson replied. He looked around and explained, “This tower is 217.1 meters tall and has five floors. There are stairs inside, so climbing up the tower shouldn’t be too difficult.”

About 200 meters. It was tall, sure, but for the people here, it wouldn’t pose much of a challenge.

In other words...

“...Is there something inside?”

Alderson smiled warmly.

“It wouldn’t be fun if I explained everything, now would it? There is no need to rush. You will figure it out once you are inside the tower.”

“Um...”

“You have until the end of the day.” Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, “Ah, and one last thing: Anything you find inside the tower is yours to keep.”

“By ‘anything,’ you mean...?”

“Anything from simple gold coins, precious metals, and jewels, to books and even magic items I personally crafted. Various rewards have been prepared,” Alderson explained.

“...!”

The crowd buzzed with excitement once more, and Anderson let out a boisterous laugh.

“Think of it as a fun attraction and enjoy yourselves. Hohoho.”

With that, the young heroes rushed toward the tower, and I couldn’t help but be impressed. It seemed not all magicians had loose screws.

Feeling a bit guilty for holding such a prejudice toward magicians, I followed the others inside.

***

Shortly after the young heroes left...

A young man approached Alderson. This was Morland, one of the professors at Kartell Academy.

“This is a bit excessive for a joke, Headmaster,” said Morland.

“Hmm?”

“Half of them won’t even make it past the first floor.”

Alderson let out his signature chuckle.

“We can’t know that for sure, Professor Morland. One should never underestimate the potential of young’uns.”

Morland sighed. “I’m not underestimating them...”

At first glance, it might seem like Alderson had high hopes for the young heroes, but actually, that was not the case.

Every student at Kartell Academy knew well what kind of place the inside of the Tower of Trials was.

Each floor of the five-story tower was filled with various challenges, puzzles, and traps meticulously prepared by Alderson.

While they weren’t life-threatening enough to cause serious injury, they were certainly capable of leaving young dreamers feeling defeated or even traumatized.

“What’s the harm? It’s a win-win for both parties, ain’t it? I get motivation from witnessing the bold challenges and attempts of the spirited youth, and in return, they have the chance to earn rewards worthy of their great efforts... I’m all about fairness.”

“...”

He wasn’t wrong.

What was hidden in the tower was nothing short of a treasure trove.

Inside were magic tools that Alderson, Archmage of Seven Colors, had personally made, as well as various collectibles that had been acquired at a high price... and even the item that Alderson cherished the most.

However...

For someone who values fairness so much, why have all the rewards been placed on the fourth and fifth floors...?

Morland was well aware that no matter how talented a young hero was, passing the third floor was practically impossible.

Even most of the Academy professor’s class had given up halfway through the fourth floor.

With a voice full of excitement, Alderson said, “All right, let’s not waste time! Let’s quickly head to the control room. I’d like some of Professor Betty’s black tea. There are also some cookies left over from Etiqu’s Refreshments. It’s the perfect combination to watch with.”

Morland sighed once again as he followed along.

Pity for the young heroes, but there’s nothing I could do...

All he could do was hope that not too many participants would feel disheartened afterward.

***

A sign greeted us as we entered the tower.

[Welcome to the Rainbow Floor!]

[※ Rule Number One ※]

[Conversation is prohibited on this floor.]

[Violators will face penalties.]

...Deja vu?

____