Chapter 93: A Word Of Warning!

Shinji's POV:

I made it. Aside from maybe that last match, I can say without a doubt that every opponent I have faced in this tournament paled in comparison to the sparring matches the professor made us do. Come to think of it, I heard that Aiko and Kenji disappeared last night. I can only hope they are okay since I have no way of finding them. I still can't figure out why they wanted to join that professor. Such were my thoughts as I stood between the winners of the other two divisions.

We were currently standing inside the center of the empty stadium arena. The previously separated platforms had merged into one big cage that covered the entire colosseum arena. We were currently standing in front of the sage and the representatives of the other two. At the end of this ceremony, we will likely be given invitations to join various factions of various people and places.

Just as I could feel a strange sensation inside the back of my mind I was approached by one of the representatives for the sage of the fay.

"Suzuki Shinji! You have dishonored this sacred festival! Do you admit your crimes!"

"W-What?" I said in bewilderment. I don't recall ever breaking the rules unless.

"If you are talking about that trial a few days ago, then-"

*Smack*

"DO NOT PLAY GAMES WITH ME CHILD! ADMIT YOUR GUILT!" He said after slapping me.

"I do not know what you are talking about sir!" I said as I could feel my frustration building. I can't afford to offend someone backed by a sage.

The whole point of me joining this competition was to find a backer that can protect me from my family, but that will be meaningless if I offend this guy. I would be picking a fight with someone far more dangerous.

"YOU HAVE UTILIZED THE FORBIDDEN AID OF SPIRIT MAGIC IN YOUR DESIRE FOR FAME AND GLORY!"

"Is this true?" The sage of the runes asked as he approached.

"It is indisputable!"

"Oh yeah! Then where is your proof?" The professor asked.

"What proof? Hey! Wait, who are you?" The representative was caught off guard as the mad professor suddenly showed up out of thin air right next to him.

After going missing for two days. He suddenly showed up out of nowhere to crash the ceremony. I only hope he has enough sense to not go overboard in front of one of the world's top three mages.

"I'm the new guy, who is in charge of protecting today's winners! *Pop*" He said as he pulled out a string on a cone that shot out confetti.

"THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!" the white-haired elf yelled.

"What do you think Mr. sage? Should we just take his word for it or is it okay to judge someone purely based on his biased opinion?"

"Do you have any proof?" the sage asked the elf.

"ARE YOU TRULY GOING TO LISTON-!"

"DO YOU OR DO YOU NOT?" the sage raised his voice as his presence gave of a suffocating pressure.

"I-I do!" The elf said as he grew pale at the sight of the sage.

"YOU IMPERTINENT CHILD! SHOW US YOUR SPIRITS!" The elf yelled at me to show little flower and little thunder.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"YOU! FINE! If you do not want to show us, then I can just force them out!"

This is bad. Little flower and little thunder are spriggans. If they get outed here, then it would be no different from having a bounty placed on our heads for every fairy and spirit user to claim.

"It's fine! I can corroborate the fact of him having a spirit contract. Isn't that right brat!"

"…"

"SO, YOU ADMIT HE IS GUILTY!"

"Nope!"

"Young man! Are you making light of us?" The sage spoke as the pressure returned, however it didn't seem to bother the professor in the slightest as he said.

"Just because he has a spirit contract doesn't prove he utilized it during the matches! There are no rules saying participants in the other divisions are banned from having any contracted spirits. Moreover, there was a judge present in every match along with a visual feed of the matches shown around the arena. I find it hard to believe any significant rule violation wouldn't have been discovered by now."

"Then how would you explain the last match?" The brown-haired representative of the arcane sage spoke up.

"Explain what exactly?"

"A spellcasters power relies heavily on their tier. That boy is just a 3rd tier caster while his opponent was a 4th tier, how do you explain that?"

"Where you not watching or are you just butthurt your kid lost?"

"WHAT?!" The mage said as anger could be seen on his face.

"Oh, come now! Did you really think that just because they live so far away nobody would know who the 'Lunaria' is? Also, while we are on the subject, I never heard anyone point out her rule violation!"

"I THINK THAT'S ENOUGH YOUNG MAN! NOW, if you could be so kind as to leave the stage, so that we can end the ceremony!" The sage spoke to the professor.

"Okey dokey! But one word of warning! If any of you step out of line again! I'll kill you!" He said right before teleporting somewhere.

The elf looked disgruntled, while the brown-haired representative seemed shaken. The only one who seemed calm was the sage.

"Ehm! Apologies for the disturbance! Now young mages step forwards!" The sage spoke while he gestured to me, the green haired elf so androgenous I can't tell his or her gender, and the red furred wolf beast kin who I also can't tell the gender of, to step forwards.

"YOU HAVE ALL, FOUGHT VALIANTLY TO GET TO WHERE YOU ARE TODAY! I PRAISE YOUR EFFORT, SKILL AND INTELLECT THAT BROUGHT YOU BEFORE US TODAY ON THIS MOMENTOUS OCCASION! YOU HAVE PROVEN YOURSELF AS THE BEST OF THE BEST AS YOU'VE RISEN ABOVE YOUR PEERS! BE PROUD OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENT AS PRECIOUS FEW STAND WHERE YOU STAND NOW AND KNOW WHICH EVER PATH YOU MAY CHOOSE TO FOLLOW, YOU ARE WITHOUT A DOUBT DESTINED FOR GREATNESS! AND WITH THAT I WISH YOU THE BEST AS YOU HEAD TOWARDS A BRIGHTER FUTURE!"

As I looked out at the cheering spectators I had a thought. If I never met him, had I never received his brutal and often insane lessons and had he never saved me time and again whether it was from my father or that Blackbeard, I would never have reached this far. If not for him, I wouldn't have even dared to imagine a future like this.

As people of different ranks and places cheered and applauded, I couldn't stop my tears from flowing. To think a trash like me would be praised by someone as great as a sage. This is something even my bastard father couldn't achieve. And it's all thanks to him.