The next day, the Academy lived for only one thing.
Nurino.
Nurino.
The tournament.
The festival.
The main event of the year.
Wherever I walked, I heard the same things:
— Are you going to participate?
— What about you?
— They say even royal instructors are coming this year…
— The trials will be at the highest level!
— Is it true that Mira Helvard is participating too?!
The noise was so loud it felt like the Academy had turned into a marketplace.
I entered the classroom—and the conversations instantly grew louder.
Everyone was discussing strategies, elemental combinations, chances of victory.
And then—
BAM!
A loud voice cut through the entire din:
— Zenhald! — Elinia called out.
The classroom fell silent at once.
All eyes turned to me.
Even the teacher looked up.
— Are you entering the Nurino tournament? — she asked directly.
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I nodded.
At that exact moment, a wave of whispers rolled through the room—dense, nervous.
— He’s participating?!
— Then there’s no chance…
— He’s the one from the battle…
— They say he wiped out a demon regiment with a single strike…
— But a tournament is different… there are rules…
I didn’t react.
Elinia smiled—calmer than usual.
— Then our class has a chance, — she said confidently.
The whispering intensified.
Lucille adjusted her glasses, looking straight at me like I was an unpredictable experiment.
Finn leaned back in his chair, trying to look relaxed, but I saw his fingers trembling—just slightly, but enough.
Siren and Tara exchanged glances, as if mentally recalculating their odds of victory.
I decided to ask:
— And you? Are you participating?
Elinia blinked.
— Of course. I am a princess, after all.
— And a princess cannot afford anything less than first place.
The class chuckled softly—the tension eased for a moment.
I thought about it… then said:
— In that case, I’ll try to at least make it to the semifinals.
Finn almost choked on air.
— Semifinals?! — he whispered. — You’ve got to be kidding…
Elinia smiled faintly.
— We’ll see, Zen.
— Maybe we’ll meet in the final.
Her smile was light—but I understood.
It was a challenge.
And I liked it.
The teacher, who had been pretending to work with papers the whole time, sighed and stood up.
— Since you’re all thinking about Nurino anyway…
— I’ll say it plainly. The entire next week will be free attendance.
The class exploded:
— Yesss!
— So we can go to the capital early?!
— I’m going to train day and night!
— Finally, a real tournament!
The teacher raised his hand, demanding silence.
— But!
— Everyone’s task is to participate—or at least attend.
— This is a unique chance to see the best mages in the kingdom.
He looked straight at me, a little longer than at the others.
— For some… it’s also a chance to show what they’re really worth.
I caught the hint.
The class buzzed again, discussing teams, bets, levels, rules.
Elinia glanced at me from time to time, as if trying to understand how far I intended to go.
And I was thinking about only one thing:
The Nurino tournament was the perfect place.
A crowd.
Chaos.
Thousands of people.
And among them—the traitor.
The perfect place to drag a rat out of the shadows.
