Chapter 234: Mage Royale [I / Bonus - ]
The golden crystalline seed flashed brilliantly under the harsh sunlight, radiating a thick swirling aura of elemental mana and power that immediately caught the attention of every single combatant in the courtyard.
Standing near the front rank beside Rowena, Aeli instantly recognized the artifact.
She remembered the moments inside the Secret Realm when Silas had snatched the golden seed right out of the air before Valerius, could even lay a finger on it, right before she had used her spatial magic to warp him away to safety.
’That was fun.... I hope we can go again someday.’
"This Realm Seed was originally advertised by the god to expand our territory by a full five miles in all directions," Silas explained clearly, holding the golden crystal up so everyone could see it. "Right now, due to some reason, it can only expand our physical boundaries by one mile... But that minor limitation doesn’t matter at all compared to its second, far more important property."
The entire crowd leaned forward, their eyes locked onto the glowing item in his hand.
"This seed carries a permanent high-density elemental blessing," Silas announced. "Whoever absorbs it will instantly gain the ability to command Sand Magic, along with a massive permanent elemental affinity boost for earth too."
The moment those words left his mouth, an electric wave of intense anticipation surged through the ranks.
Every single Mage standing in the front and middle rows perked up instantly.
Their eyes sparkled with fierce competitive desire, even their chests were heaving with excitement.
In a territory where combat utility and strength determined how useful they could be to their Lord, gaining a rare high-tier elemental affinity like Sand Magic was a goldmine!
It was their ticket to becoming deeply relevant and useful in Silas’s eyes!
Silas looked over the eager faces of his spellcasters, letting out a quiet internal sigh.
At first glance, the most logical choice was to simply hand the Realm Seed directly to Rowena or Aeli.
Rowena was one of his primary offensive casters, and giving her Sand Magic would expand her utility immensely. But Silas immediately shot that idea down in his own mind.
’Rowena already has her World Weaver staff, her gravity magic, and her high-tier runes,’ Silas reasoned quietly. ’And Aeli is already my go-to with starlight and even spatial magic. If I just hand every single game-changing treasure to the highest-ranked women every single time, I won’t be able to beat the inevitable feeling of favoritism among the lower ranks.’
Silas looked at the lower-ranked C-Rank and B-Rank Mages standing near the back... girls who worked tirelessly on daily patrols, camp defense, and basic territorial maintenance without complaint.
’If I were a regular soldier in this territory and saw the Lord constantly dumping all the best loot onto the same top-tier women, I’d naturally feel left out...’ Silas thought with his golden-ringed eyes softening. ’I’d feel like my hard work didn’t matter, like I was just background filler who wasn’t loved or valued by the Lord. That’s not what I want. That’s not how I run this place.’
He had summoned these girls right from their original places, tearing them away from everything they knew.
He wanted every single one of them to feel valued, to feel like this Keep was truly their home, and that every girl had a genuine path to rise up and stand beside him.
Silas closed his palm, slipping the Realm Seed safely back into his Inventory.
He clapped his hands together with a sharp sound that cut through the whispering crowd.
"Rowena. Aeliana," Silas called out.
"Yes, My Lord?!" both women answered in unison, stepping forward while practically buzzing to face each other in a duel for the seed.
"Stand down," Silas ordered calmly, waving his hand. "Neither of you is taking this seed. In fact, none of the top-tier commanders are participating."
Aeli and Rowena blinked, pausing in surprise, but they immediately bowed their heads in respectful obedience without a single word of complaint.
Silas looked past them, his eyes locking onto the lower-ranked spellcasters in the back ranks.
"Lower Mages, step forward," Silas commanded, a confident grin spreading across his face. "If you are a Mage class... raise your hand right now."
Apart from Aeli, Rowena, and Kaelia, about ten women scattered throughout the formation raised their hands into the air, looking up at him with wide, uncertain eyes.
Silas smiled warmly at them.
"Today is your time to shine," Silas announced, his voice booming across the sunlit courtyard. "I hereby announce the Mage Royale! All ten of you will enter a battle royale tournament. The winner will not only receive the Realm Seed and its Sand Magic affinity... but you will also earn the official title and position as my Second Secretary!"
The ten lower Mages froze in absolute shock.
For two seconds, silence hung over the courtyard as the weight of his words sank into their minds.
Then, the entire group of ten women threw their hands into the air, bursting into wild ecstatic cheering and screaming.
"AAAAAHHH! MY LORD! THANK YOU!"
"A SECOND SECRETARY POSITION?!"
"I’M GOING TO WIN THIS IF IT KILLS ME!"
They shouted with unbridled joy.
Why wouldn’t they? Silas was offering them a direct path to rise from common ranks to an official executive position right beside him.
An hour later, the entire population of the territory had gathered at the far southern edge of the Keep’s walls.
Using the unused, open space between the inner boundary and the outer perimeter, Eluned had used her SSS-Rank nature manipulation to construct a temporary combat arena.
Vines, thick earth pillars, and woven wooden bleachers had grown directly out of the dirt, forming a compact circular stadium that sat neatly beneath the towering stone walls.
Up in the elevated Lord’s viewing box, Silas sat in a plush carved wooden chair overlooking the sunken dirt arena below.
Sitting directly on his right, leaning her entire body against his shoulder and clinging tightly to his arm, was Eluned.
The ancient Nature Goddess pouted heavily with her silver-green hair brushing against his neck.
"I don’t like this, My Lord..." Eluned whined softly, squeezing his arm against her chest. "Why do we need a Second Secretary? I’m already here to take care of you!"
Morwenna, sitting directly on Silas’s left in her black leather coat with her boots kicked up on the stone ledge, turned her head and glared at the nature deity.
"Stop acting like a damn baby, plant-girl," Morwenna scolded her drily, taking a sip from a wooden cup. "Another woman handling paperwork in the Keep isn’t going to hurt anybody."
"What if the Lord gets horny?!" Eluned countered dramatically, puffing out her cheeks as she looked up at Silas with wounded eyes. "He didn’t even dual cultivate with me yesterday!"
Morwenna let out a sharp, incredulous snort, rolling her gray eyes. "That’s because you were completely passed out drunk on his floor, you brainless weed!"
"I was not drunk! I was absorbing environmental spirit energy!" Eluned huffed angrily, and within seconds, the two divine beings were bickering back and forth right over Silas’s lap yet again.
Silas simply sighed, long accustomed to their daily squabbling, and looked back toward the entrance of the viewing box.
Rowena stepped up to the table, carrying a small leather ledger.
The elegant mage bowed respectfully to Silas with a warm genuine smile gracing her face.
"Thank you for giving the lower girls such a wonderful opportunity, Lord Silas," Rowena said softly, her blue eyes shining with admiration. "It really means the world to them. Though... I must admit, a small part of me wishes I could have competed for that secretary spot as well."
Silas chuckled warmly, reaching out and gently patting Rowena’s head, stroking her smooth hair.
"Don’t worry, Rowena," Silas told her, a playful glint in his golden eyes. "I have something special prepared for you too."
Rowena blinked, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink as her heart skipped a beat.
"R-Really, My Lord?"
"Really," Silas nodded. "Just wait until after this royale is over."
"Understood!" Rowena beamed, bowing deeply before stepping back.
Meanwhile, standing right behind Silas’s plush chair, Aeliana leaned down, her long, slender fingers gently massaging his shoulders, working out the tension in his neck with practiced, soothing care.
"The arena is secured, My Lord," Aeli whispered softly into his ear. "The contestants are ready."
Silas looked down into the wide dirt-filled arena below.
Standing in a wide circle in the center of the ring were the ten lower-ranked Mages, dressed in various robes, leathers, and casting tunics.
Among them were a mix of distinct personalities and elemental classes.
There was Valeria... A fierce, short-fused Pyromancer with fiery red hair tied in a messy ponytail.
The second was Lia... she was a calm Wind Mage holding a sleek wooden focus staff and the third was Thalia... who was a quiet Earth Shaper who kept her eyes fixed on the dirt beneath her boots.
The fourth mage there was Seraina... a boisterous cheerful Lightning Caster stretching her arms near the barrier and the fifth Calia who was soft-spoken Water Specialist fidgeting nervously with her sleeves.
Morrigan was the sixth... She was a sharp-eyed Shadow Weaver standing quietly in the corner shadows.
’I wasn’t even aware we had shadow mages until I looked at their classes again, she could learn a thing or two from Tasmin.’
Seventh was Eliora who was a stern Ice Sculptor clutching a crystal orb, Eight was Venma... A confident Arcane Blaster twirling a bronze catalyst ring on her thumb.
Finally, the last two women that were here were Kadi... she was a cheerful, sweet-natured Mage with sandy-brown hair who was currently chatting nicely with the others and Aurelia who was a tall and elegant Light Weaver stretching her fingers.
Before the start signal, the ten women were chatting and bickering amongst themselves about who was going to take the win.
"I’m taking that secretary desk!" Valeria declared with sparks popping from her knuckles. "Fire reigns supreme!"
"In your dreams, hothead," Lia countered smoothly while adjusting her staff. "Speed and precision win battles."
Ka, the sweet sandy-haired Mage, smiled warmly at her competitors, waving her hands gently.
"Now, now, girls," Kadi said in a sweet, comforting voice. "Whoever wins today, it really doesn’t matter! As long as we all get this amazing opportunity to show our Lord what we can do, we should all be happy for each other!"
The surrounding Mages nodded, touched by her kind wholesome words.
Up in the viewing box, Silas stood up from his chair, walking to the stone railing.
He raised his hand with his voice echoing across the entire stadium like a thunderclap.
"COMBATANTS! READY YOUR MANA!" Silas announced loudly. "LET THE MAGE ROYALE... BEGIN!"
The second the word "BEGIN" left his lips...
BOOM!
The sweet wholesome and kind-hearted smile on Kadi’s face instantly vanished, replaced by a crazy grin.
STOMP!
Kadi slammed her right boot violently down into the dirt arena with explosive force.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A massive, jagged fissure tore through the solid earth at supersonic speed, racing straight toward Calia, the soft-spoken Water Specialist standing nearby.
The fissure reached Caelia’s boots in a fraction of a second and—
BOOM!
The ground beneath Calia exploded violently upward in a roaring fountain of shattered rock and pressurized dirt.
The explosive force knocked Caelia completely out cold on impact, launching her unconscious body through the air to land heavily outside the ring parameters.
FWOOSH!
A fierce howling gale of wind and pulverized dust blasted across the arena, blinding the remaining contestants.
Dense, glowing brown earth mana erupted frantically out of Kadi’s eyes, swirling around her body like a miniature dust storm as her messy sandy hair flew wild in the wind.
She threw her head back, letting out a loud crazy laugh that echoed off the stadium walls.
"HEHEHEHEHEHE! HAHAHAHA!" Kadi cackled crazily, her eyes glowing with pure, unbridled combat madness as she locked her gaze onto the remaining eight terrified Mages. "I WILL BE THE ONE TO BECOME MY LORD’S MOST PRIZED MAGE!"
The remaining contestants gasped, instantly scrambling back into defensive stances as the sweet-faced girl transformed into a demon of earth magic!
"Attack her first!" Valeria screamed, her palms igniting with superheated crimson fireballs!
FWOOSH! FWOOSH!
Valeria unleashed two massive roaring pillars of fire straight toward Kadi.
At the same time, Lia raised her staff, firing three razor-sharp wind-blade arcs.
SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!
They were aimed at Kadi’s flanks.
"TOO SLOW!" Kadi shrieked with a wild wide-eyed grin.
STOMP!
She slammed both hands flat against the dirt.
RUMBLE!
A massive ten-foot-thick wall of solid bedrock erupted out of the earth in front of her.
BOOM!
The fireballs slammed directly into the stone barrier exploding in a towering mushroom cloud of black smoke and roaring flames.
The wind blades sliced deep grooves into the rock, but failed to break through.
ZIP!
Morrigan materialized out of the smoke directly behind Kadi’s back, her hands coated in sharp dark shadow needles.
"Got you," Morrigan whispered sharply.
THWIP!
Kadi didn’t even turn around!
CRACK!
Two thick spikes of compressed earth erupted directly out of the ground beneath Morrigan’s feet, thrusting upward like spears!
BANG!
Morrigan barely managed to cross her arms in a shadow-shield block but the raw force blasted her off her feet, sending her crashing hard against the arena’s wooden boundary fence.
Up in the viewing box, Silas watched the explosive battle unfolding below with his mouth slightly open in utter shock as he stared at the sandy-haired Mage who had been acting like a sweet angel thirty seconds ago.
"Well," Silas muttered, rubbing his chin as he listened to Kadi’s wild cackling echoing through the arena. "She certainly has enthusiasm."