"He returned to the infirmary after the fight and has remained unconscious ever since."
"Is that possible?"
Virelle looked at Enrico, who was lying on the bed, unconscious and showing no signs of waking up anytime soon. Angela was the one taking care of him, taking all the necessary precautions to avoid putting any further strain on his body.
"Idiot disciple..."
"The young master is very careless, but it wasn't his fault that the damn Fire Cancer manifested at that moment."
"It wasn't just the Fire Cancer... All that blood that came out of his body before Lira landed her final blow wasn't caused by the cancer."
Virelle had noticed that Enrico seemed to have some other problem.
"... If he has another illness, I'll curse the Solcren Ferreira family for it."
Whenever she thought about how Enrico's family had only begun acknowledging him after he became stronger, Virelle grew irritated. They didn't even know he was suffering from an illness, and now there was a possibility that a second condition was affecting his body.
To her, that demonstrated just how much Enrico had been neglected by his own family. Angela stood near the bed with a worried and slightly saddened expression.
"The worst part is that this is normal in this world when someone doesn't show any potential during childhood."
Virelle looked to the side for a moment before turning her eyes back to Enrico.
"I don't understand why you act this way, Angela. If these people have no potential, they should at least use their intelligence to stand out from the others."
"Not everyone is like Enrico, Miss."
Virelle rolled her eyes. She knew that, but she still retained certain remnants of her former aversion to the weak, even though she now took care of all her students, including those who showed little potential.
"How long will it take him to recover?"
"Given the condition of his body, at least an entire day. It will be impossible for him to fight in the rematch against Lira, since he's still in this condition. Well, at least he may already be among the top fifteen, depending on the results of the fights."
Virelle shook her head with a small smile. It was still difficult to guarantee Enrico's qualification, but his chances were better than before. His victory against Sakura had been quick, and he hadn't suffered any damage during the fight. Without a doubt, it was a decisive victory, earning him ten points between the victory points and the additional bonuses from that fight.
"That's good, but I think we have something to discuss."
"How long have you been here, old man?"
"I just arrived."
Hao had just entered through the door. He had wanted to come earlier, but he had needed to speak with the queen, who had become very interested in the magic Enrico had used against Sakura. He had even needed to admit that he didn't know what it was, since he had also witnessed that ability for the first time.
"I had to bring someone who was very interested in that magic with me."
Virelle raised an eyebrow.
"Who are you..."
"So, this is young Enrico? It's a pleasure to meet a young man with so much potential."
Both Virelle and Angela were surprised when Queen Sofia entered the infirmary, a certain curiosity evident in her eyes. The two gave a slight bow as the sovereign of Vesparello passed by them and approached the bed.
"Have you discovered what kind of magic that was?"
Virelle shook her head. She herself had been researching it in several books, but so far, she hadn't found anything.
"No, Queen Sofia. It's something we've never seen before, so it's possible that it's a unique type of magic."
"When will he wake up?"
Virelle thought for a moment before answering.
"Possibly tomorrow. We don't know exactly what time, but he should wake up by then."
Hao approached the bed and placed his hand on Enrico's head. The three women immediately realized what he intended to do: try to discover more about the young man's abilities through his magic.
"Blocked... I really can't break through the barrier that god placed inside him."
Sofia immediately narrowed her eyes upon hearing those words.
"A god? What do you mean, Hao?"
Hao continued looking at Enrico with his hand on his chin as he answered.
"Your Majesty will find out soon enough. Our king intends to invite the five kings of the continent to a meeting that will take place in a few months. He even sent me to deliver the invitation to you personally."
Sofia sighed at the director's answer, but the curious gleam in her eyes made it clear how interested she was in discovering more about the matter.
"Interesting. I hope it won't be a waste of time."
"It won't be. You can be certain of that."
The queen of Vesparello had a natural curiosity about new things. Although that magic was far from arousing the same level of interest in her that the continent's only Circle Ten user would provoke by presenting something unknown, it was still a novelty capable of capturing her attention amid the tedious routine of her life.
'I hope it's interesting enough to put an end to this boredom, just as these elimination rounds have... Why did I decide to become queen again? Oh, that's right. My family.'
All the members of her family belonged to royalty. The problem was that her older brother had decided to abandon his responsibilities and leave for who knew where. Since Sofia was the only remaining person considered fit to take the position, that responsibility had fallen upon her.
"It's a shame he's not awake. I hope I can talk to him tomorrow, when he's feeling better."
"Your curiosity is quite great, Queen."
"It doesn't even come close to that of your brother, Director Hao."
Sofia was right. If that idiot brother discovered that a new unique magic had emerged, he would probably try to pry open Enrico's mind to discover how it worked, even if that meant coming into conflict with King Alaric and provoking a war. Considering that man's abilities, he might even manage to open the young man's mind and repair it right afterward, as if nothing had happened.
Hao let out a heavy sigh.
"I'll keep this a secret from him. I don't want my student to go through something like that."
Virelle maintained a serious expression as she listened to everyone mention the most powerful mage on the continent. Her eyes, filled with an unmistakable threat, slowly turned toward Director Hao.
"You'd better. Otherwise, I'll become a Circle Ten user just to kill him if he lays a hand on my disciple."
Hao could barely contain his urge to laugh upon hearing that. As always, Virelle couldn't tolerate anyone who might hurt the people she cared about.
"Then you'd better hurry up, you annoying prodigy."
Hao and Sofia left the infirmary a few moments later, leaving Virelle and Angela alone with Enrico, who remained unconscious.
Virelle adjusted the blanket to cover her disciple's body, while Angela remained concerned about what she had just heard regarding the director's brother.
"They're right, Miss. That man..."
"Don't worry. I just need to become a Circle Ten user before he finds out anything."
Surprised, Angela watched Virelle sit on the bed, deep in thought. Her mistress was truly willing to reach that level to protect her own disciple. Upon realizing this, Angela formed a small smile and began thinking about doing the same.
"Professor, may we come in?"
"I want to see my Ketsumei!"
"That's right! They've already left, and you've already checked the master's condition. Now we can stay by his side."
"I watched the broadcast, and Enrico used a new spell. When will he wake up?"
"I can't believe he's evolved again! Damn it, I'm falling behind."
The two sighed as they watched Enrico's companions enter the infirmary, all displaying a mixture of concern and excitement over the new power he had revealed.
"Everyone, be quiet! The young master is resting!"
Angela's stern voice immediately made everyone tremble, prompting them to respond in unison.
"Sorry..."
The situation seemed to be under control, but there was still a possibility that Enrico would miss out on the fifteen selected students because he hadn't participated in the sixth round.
Meanwhile, Lira watched the competition results and reflected on the points she had earned.
"How many points did I get because he didn't show up?"
"Six points, since you had won the first fight."
"In that case, I'll give him half of my points. After all, you saw that fight was quite intense, and he seemed even stronger in the fifth round."
"What?"
The decision surprised the referee. Enrico was still at risk of missing out on the top fifteen, but the following morning, Lira kept her word and gave away half the points she had earned. The queen and the others who had realized what had really happened in that fight agreed with her decision.