"The existence of our Faction is still a secret and that is what makes it more unstable.
You need to be careful."
Alaric spoke with a solemn look on his face, then, his expression turned sour as he suddenly recalled something and continued, "Not to mention there is that Vaan as well. That's a wild card that is out of our calculations, so play carefully around him."
Hearing those words, Leif's expression changed as well, "Does Grandfather really think of Vaan as a threat?"
"…" Alaric stayed silent.
Seeing this, Leif's frown deepened, "He is merely a 2nd Circle Mage who is in his 20, at best, his talent is comparable to other Prospective Heirs, he is nowhere near me.
Rather than focusing on him, isn't it more beneficial to plan our actions in the upcoming Elemental Clash and decide how to act when I face Elric?
Should I just defeat him and steal his glory, or should I let him win to keep in the delusion that he is better than me and I am merely his loyal follower?"
Leif questioned, from his tone, it was clear that he didn't put Vaan in his eyes, he saw no reason to do that, his grandfather, however, was different.
"I still cannot understand the Principals behind the Advance Magic Circles he created, I have analyzed all the approaches possible, however, the Circles go against the very Basics of the Magic,
That so-called Advance Circle is fundamentally wrong.
Other mages cannot use it."
"What…?" Hearing those words, Leif narrowed his eyes.
"Are you sure about this? Maybe grandfather missed something?"
"I have been studying Magic longer than you have lived and from my experience, I can confidently say that the 'Advance Magic Circle' is nothing but a trap.
A trap designed to buy time for Vaan."
"A trap…?" Leif was confused.
"I know Astra better than most people, she is an extremely family-oriented woman, it something could strengthen the family, she would do her best to do it.
Vaan's Magic Circle does just that, but even then, she isn't coming forward and talking about the Magic Circle because she knows this as well.
Researching that flawed Magic Circle is nothing but a waste of time."
Alric spoke, then, his expression turned serious and he continued, "And the fact that Vaan suddenly changed and can now use a Flawed Magic Circle he created out of nowhere,
I am worried about it.
I would even say that the threat he poses is much stronger than the other Prospective Heirs. Leif, listen to me, I am sure that those people would be using their power to force Vaan to join the Academy together with you lot.
Use this opportunity to get close to him, even if you have to switch sides, go through it. We already know most things about Elric, Vaan however, is still covered in mystery, try to learn more about him. Try to understand how he thinks, his future goals, the reason for his change, and if possible…
The way to use that Advance Circle he uses."
Alric suggested and Leif, who finally realized the seriousness of the situation nodded solemnly.
"As for whether you should go all out and defeat Elric or not in the upcoming Elemental Clash,
Lay low.
It is still not the time to reveal yourself, let Elric enjoy his time for now.
Let him gather all the fame and support he can, then, we will simply appear at the end and reap the rewards of his efforts."
"I understand." Leif nodded again.
"Anyways, you did a good job learning Vortex Ascension, I didn't think you would Master one of my strongest 4th Circle Spells so quickly.
That Spell, especially when combined with Tempest Slam, is an extremely strong combination that made me one of the strongest 4th Circle Mages in my time.
Use it well."
"I will, grandfather." Leif nodded.
"Alright, I won't take more of your time, train hard and I shall take my leave." Saying those words, Alaric walked away, Leif glanced at his Grandfather's back for a while, then, he bowed his head before starting to practice his Magic again.
…
"Haa!"
A black-haired woman shouted, 4 Magic Circles shined brightly around her, then 4 crystal-shaped spikes were formed, at a ridiculously fast speed, the spikes moved in 4 different directions, piercing through the four Golems' heads without any resistance.
*Thud* *Thud* *Thud*
The four Golems fell on the ground and stopped moving and seeing that, a smile appeared on Lirael's face.
"You finally learned Crystal Bullets." Vaelen, who was watching his sister practice spoke with a satisfied look on his face.
"Just this spell alone should be enough to place you in a decent position in the Elemental Clash."
"But it is still not enough for me to win," Lirael spoke with a grim look on her face.
"You worry too much. It doesn't matter even if you do not win. Your opponent is Elric, he is 6 years older than you, there is no need to beat yourself out if you can't defeat him."
"Yes, I know, the plan is to get a position that would not negatively affect our Faction's image." Lirael nodded. Then, suddenly, her face turned serious and she questioned, "Who do you think would be the four winners of the tournament, brother?"
"Does it really matter? It is just a simple tournament, people take it much more seriously than required.
Do you truly believe the Head of the Vesta Family could be chosen by a competition that is held annually?" Vaelen sounded carefree.
"The Elemental Clash may not directly choose the next heir of the Family, however, it is a stage where the Vesta Children can show their might to the world.
This is not only used to show the might of the Vesta Family but also for a Prospective Heir to gather more forces and strengthen his factions." Lirael's reply was clear.
She understood the Elemental Clash and its importance much more than her brother.
After all, she was the planner of their team.
"Don't we already have our factions?" Vaelen questioned.
"Brother, sometimes I believe you act like this just so you could annoy me." Lirael shook her head.
Vaelen grabbed his sister's hand and laughed out loud, "No no, why would I annoy my cute little sister?"
"Because you enjoy it."
"I admit that, however, I do not do it to annoy you. I wouldn't want to be hated by my sister, now would I?" he spoke as he pulled Lirael's cheeks with a big smile on his face.
"…"
Lirael didn't say anything and just allowed her brother to do whatever he wanted.
Not like this man was going to stop even if she told him to.
And… she didn't exactly hate it either.
Thinking that, Lirael closed her eyes, stopped thinking about everything, and rested her mind for a moment.
…
"You are not training?"
Risia questioned as she walked into her Magic Training room and saw Elric sitting on the floor without doing anything.
"Is there any need to? Isn't my victory pretty much guaranteed?" Elric replied.
Risia narrowed her eyes then, she walked towards her child and sat next to him, "A journey of a Mage is always filled with uncertainties, Elric. You should always prepare for the worst-case scenarios."
"Mother, you don't believe those words yourself either, do you?"
Elric questioned as he laughed out loud. "There is no way I will lose this time."
"How arrogant," Risia commented.
"I call it confidence." Elric was ready with a reply.
"So what are you doing here? You only sit on the floor like this when something is bothering you or you are deeply contemplating something.
What could possibly be bothering my child who is about to win the Elemental Clash?"
Risia questioned with a small smile on her face.
"I am thinking about how to defeat that bastard," Elric spoke with a cold look on his face.
"Vaan?"
"Correct. I am wondering if there is any way to defeat him in the tournament."
"There is none." Risia shook her head.
"That is why I am thinking of one."
"It is nothing more than a waste of time. His Advance Circles make him invincible amongst the 2nd Circle Mages."
"That annoying Magic Circle again." Elric spat.
Then, he glanced at his mother and, "Have you still not understood the principal behind that circle?"
"Astra wouldn't have revealed it to the general public if it was that easy."
"Tsk." Elric snorted.
"Just focus on winning the Elemental Clash, Elric. You will get many chances to deal with Vaan in the future."
Elric's eyes shined brightly, his rage and hatred for Vaan couldn't be more apparent.
…
"…"
"…"
Astra and Vaan turned silent as they glanced at the red-haired woman in front of them. Then, a proud smile appeared on Vaan's face as he lifted his chest,
"What do you think, Mother?"
He questioned as he turned towards Astra.
"Have you prepared the 150 Elemental Stones you promised to give me?"
Astra chuckled, then, looking at her disciple, a satisfied smile appeared on her face and suddenly, a pouch appeared in her hands and she passed it to Vaan.
"Take it."
The meaning behind her action couldn't be any clearer,
In Astra's head, the result of the Elemental Clash was already decided.
"Tomorrow will be fun."
