End of the Preliminaries

Among the audience that loudly berated the young duke, Shui watched the scene indifferently. After helping Emily recover from mental collapse, he had a much better idea of how it worked and what caused it, so he tested his theory on the young duke and it was a success. If there was no intense emotion to exploit, then it wouldn't have been as easy, but luckily the young duke turned out to be a perfect guinea pig.

"Not bad," Alia commented.

The sudden outburst of the young duke was suspicious, but even Astar, whose soul was comparable to Shui's, was unable to make sense of it. Alicia was also unable to confirm that Shui was responsible despite her sacred treasure, so it could be called the perfect crime. With a stronger push in the right direction, he could have sent the young duke to commit suicide, but he didn't want to risk his father's anger being drawn to Emily.

As the young duke was dragged away, Emily thought it was all too much of a coincidence, but in the midst of contemplation, the time for her speech came. She was sent to stand on an array that would amplify her voice so that it could traverse the city. While walking to the array, Emily didn't know what she would say, but as she looked up at the audience, and thought of all those who had supported her, a strong resolve filled her heart.

"As you may already know, my name is Emily. Formerly of the Valet merchant family, and disciple of the deceased Nikolai Nien of the Staile clan, who was ninth on the Alterna Array Master Minor Ranking. I have faced, many obstacles throughout my journey, and although I couldn't overcome them without help, I made it past them and stand here now. I still feel that there's not much I can do alone, but I swear, at this time, that I will improve. To pay back those who have supported me, with kindness, and to reward the villains who schemed behind my back, with regret. I shall never back down from hardship, nor will I submit to injustice. I may look down, but I will never keep my head low. I may lose those I care about, but I will carry them in my heart until the end. For all the sacrifices that have been made to get me here, I will move forward. That, is my oath."

With the end of her speech, a discreet wave caused by a ripple of the natural laws advanced from the city and into the open world. It had no special effects; it was just proof. She did not swear an oath to her ancestors or the heaven and earth, but to herself; one that received approval from the natural laws. Anyone with the perception to notice this, could only admire the little girl on stage.

"That was amazing, Emily. You've made all of us proud, I'm sure of it."

Emily's speech silenced the crowd for a moment, but once one clap was heard, everyone else followed the trend, creating another thunderous sound that rocked the city. Later on, travelers who heard this sound from outside the city would come to ask if a disaster had occurred, to which the citizens would laugh and remember this day.

After her speech, the preliminaries were wrapped up and Emily had to speak with officials about her condition. It was only once they informed her that she realized that she was on the brink of becoming a tier 4 array master, but she wasn't very surprised since she had a feeling that her array techniques had vastly improved since obtaining Dull Harmony. When asked if she would suppress her advancement in order to enter the main evaluation, Emily found it hard to answer. Simply being an array grandmaster was more prestigious than making it in the Minor Ranking, but she had placed the main evaluation as her goal for so long that, it was difficult for her to give up on it.

After the final round, Shui left the amphitheater, but waited for Emily. She was probably the most popular person in the city, but as long as he was with her, those that noticed her could be limited to her immediate vicinity.

Shui waited for Emily to appear, but the first one to greet him wasn't her.

"Sir Shui. I'm glad to see you again," said Grandmaster Astar with a polite smile.

"So am I, Grandmaster. Emily is still in the amphitheater in case you're curious."

"I thought that would be the case since you're waiting here. I do want to have a chat with her if possible, but the main reason I'm here is because of you."

"Me?"

"That's right. I've heard of how your battle went; you're a more frightening young man than I expected."

"I'm still inferior to you. I didn't think you would be in trouble, but I was surprised when I heard how you overwhelmed such a force without a scratch."

Due to his talents and unique abilities, there were few who Shui felt had strength that was worthy of his admiration, and as an array master himself, he believed there was much he could learn from Astar.

"It was the natural result considering the gap between us. Still, if it was that impressive, would you be interested in learning from me?"

"...Are you asking me to call you 'master'?"

"The title isn't of much importance. What do you think?"

"Why ask when you already know the answer?"

Shui could admit that he respected Astar, but his standard for a master was not something that Astar could satisfy based on just ability. Although he told Emily that Nikolai was his master, even during the trial he considered him a teacher at best. In terms of skill and knowledge alone, perhaps only Alia was worthy of the honour.

Astar didn't know how high his requirements were, but he knew Shui well enough to guess what his stance would be.

"I simply didn't want to give up before trying."

"Fair enough. Still, we both know that Emily is the one you really want."

"You make it sound as if I don't appreciate your talent."

"But it's true, isn't it? You can admit it, she's my proud little sister after all."

"Fine, it's true. That girl is a prodigy, I'm eager to see how she grows."

"Indeed. However, should you really be wasting your time here? Based on what I can see, it seems the Array Association Head is also after her."

"There's no need to worry. I think the difference between tier 5 and tier 6 is self-explanatory."

It was a bold statement, but he had the right to make it.

"That's a good point. By the way, where are your disciples?"

This was the first time he had encountered Astar without Alex and Alicia trailing behind him like baby ducks, so Shui was slightly curious.

"Oh, they have their own businesses to attend to. They told me to pass on their congratulations to Emily."

"I see, but won't they be at the banquet?"

With the preliminaries over, there was an official banquet for those involved that would be held on the night of the same day at the Array Association. Shui didn't have high hopes for it, but he figured most would attend so he planned to escort Emily.

"They will, but I suppose they wanted to say something before that time."

"And you?"

"Me? No no, I'll leave events like that to the younger generation."

Shui was fairly certain that there would be many older figures at the banquet, but he didn't press Astar any further.