BEM: Chapter 37 – Awards Ceremony

Awards Ceremony

Among the events at the Meltor Kingdom’s magic contest, the Pupil Tournament wasn’t such a great one .

Magicians who participated in the contest sent out their disciples for the Pupil Tournament . Speaking bluntly, it could be called a child’s playful banquet . This year was a bit unusual, but it wasn’t a competition which high ranking magicians or nobles would attend .

However, that awareness was turned upside down due to just one person—the King of the Meltor Kingdom, Kurt III .

“W-What? His Majesty himself?!”

“Doesn’t he usually stay at the palace?”

“If this happens, my face needs to be like jade… I can’t look ugly in front of royalty . ”

“Attendant! Prepare my dress!”

“Where is the Pentarium?”

The nobles of Meltor were in an uproar after they heard the sudden news .

Even though Kurt III had risen to the throne under the halo of the Magic Towers, he held all the military and administrative powers . So, the officials didn’t dare oppose him, especially after some of the noblemen, who had tried to act for their own interests, had been beheaded .

‘Now is the time to bow my head . ’

‘I don’t want my head to fly away…!’

‘It is best to wait for the next generation . ’

If they couldn’t win, it was best to become close to the king .  They had to bow their heads in order to live for a long time in a society like this .  In the end, the nobles gave up on fighting against Kurt III and tried to look good to him . Funnily enough, the actions of the nobles strengthened the king’s power .

However, Kurt III concentrated on governing while pretending to listen to their flattery .  All the gifts were sent to the treasury to maintain the budget while the young women filled with greed were sent back to their families . Kurt III was the example of a perfect ruler, with no flaws at all .

So, why had the perfect ruler suddenly decide to hand out the prizes for the Pupil Tournament?

Anyone with a brain would think there was something special about the awards ceremony . That’s why so many nobles had gathered in the main hall of Pentarium, where the final match of the Pupil Tournament had been held . When the magicians heard that the disciple of the Blue Tower Master was involved, the scale of the ceremony grew to a bizarre level .

It was natural that the face of the young man, Theodore, was pale, since he was the center of the ceremony .

“Professor, isn’t the audience in the stands really strange?”

“Hrmm… I can see that . The bureaucrats of several departments have come flocking . Huh, this place has become a spectacle . The three most powerful families of the kingdom have gathered . ”

“Uhh, why is this situation…”

It was an event involving the king, but the big shots had gathered in only a few hours!

Theo had never even met an earl, so he couldn’t help feeling alarmed . His skin was already prickling from having multiple gazes on his face, so it was more torturous at the thought of all these high-ranking people watching him .

Theo thought up to there and suddenly looked towards the right .

“!!!”

Sylvia was looking at him .  She didn’t know what to do for a moment . Looking embarrassed, she then waved her hand stiffly . He almost smiled at her awkward movements but nodded without doing so .

Sylvia was relieved by his actions and smiled brightly .  She seemed more concerned about Theo’s reaction than that of the people in the stands .

‘Indeed, there is no need to be nervous until I come out . ’ Theodore’s tension was released thanks to Sylvia .

Theo looked more relaxed than before as he waited for the king with Vince .  He recited the basic etiquette in his head and prepared himself to be ready for whatever happened .

Before long, the king emerged from behind the curtain .

“Presenting His Majesty!”

As they heard the booming voice of the servant, the people gathered lowered their bodies simultaneously . The movements of the bodies were similar, but the difference in the bows showed each person’s status .

Commoners lay flat on the floor, while nobles bowed at a 90 degree angle .

Magicians, however, knelt down on one knee . Their right hands, placed by their hearts, indicated the circles and, in other words, the magic system . One knee against the ground was to show loyalty, while the standing leg was meant to honour the magic, not the king . If this were the Empire, they would be punished for disloyalty . However, that was not the case here .

This was Meltor, a kingdom where magicians were the cornerstone . It was a unique etiquette that could only be seen here .  As everyone remained silent, a man’s voice rang out, “Everyone present, raise your heads . ”

It was indeed the voice of the king .  There was power in his voice . In the past, magicians had stated that the power of words were a lie . They thought that the shorter the chant, the stronger the spell would be .

It was currently treated as an old saying, but Theo could now understand it .  The people were guided by Kurt III’s words and raised their heads unconsciously . Their minds were overwhelmed by the king’s dignity, and they raised their heads before they could think about it .

Similarly, Theo raised his head and saw the king for the first time in his life .

The king had golden hair and purple eyes which shone mysteriously .  His appearance and atmosphere meant one could see at a glance that he had a noble lineage as well as the elegance of a king .  He gave off such an intangible presence that Theo was convinced everyone would recognize the king even if he wore rags .

‘This person is the king, Kurt III…!’

As Theo felt unfamiliar feelings, Kurt opened his mouth again, “It has been a while, Tower Master Blundell . Three months, perhaps?” It was a very familiar tone .

The tower masters were basically treated as the most distinguished people, with no one else having a higher status than them as they accounted for more than 70% of the national power .  So, it wasn’t unreasonable for the king to treat Blundell like this .

“Hahaha! It feels like it was the day before yesterday for this old man, Your Majesty . ”

“If you hadn’t missed the meeting without any notice, it really would’ve been the day before yesterday . ”

“C-Cough!” The smiling Blundell immediately became silent at the sharp criticism . He now looked like a child who was being scolded .

Kurt III looked at Blundell’s awkward expression and changed the topic while smiling .  “Did you take a vacation to look after your disciple? This king came here because I wanted to see her . ”

“Ah, right . I will definitely show her to you . ”

“So, you kept her a secret for 10 years?”

“Cough!”

It seemed like Blundell received damage every time he opened his mouth . As Blundell fell silent, Kurt looked down at the two people before him .  One was the disciple of the Blue Tower Master, and the other was the one who had knocked her down .

These children would support Meltor in the future .

“Then I will proceed with the awards ceremony . ”

He hated pretentious things, so he started the awards ceremony without any congratulatory remarks .

According to instruction, the person in charge of the Pupil Tournament came forward . He called the identification number and then announced the names of the mentors and the amount of prize money given to the participants .

In the end, there were only two names left, leaving only two children in the center of the stadium .  Kurt made the host step back and picked up a handmade plaque .

“Sylvia, Blundell Adruncus’s disciple, come forward . ”

“Yes, Your Majesty . ” Sylvia moved forward at the call and bowed slightly .

Even though she was told to rise, it was blasphemy to look directly at the king’s face .  Kurt accepted the bow and spoke while handing her the plaque, “As the runner up of the Pupil Tournament, I will give Sylvia ‘Jack Frost’s Staff’ and the title of a baron . ”

“Sylvia, disciple of the Magic Tower, thanks Your Majesty . ”

“Yes, I look forward to your future growth . ”

It was an exceptional reward, but no one objected to Kurt’s declaration .  Once beyond the wall of the 5th Circle, the title of baroness had no great significance to Sylvia . Moreover, she could gain gold and artifacts from Blundell .

Then Kurt called out Theodore’s name next, “Theodore Miller, Vince Haidel’s disciple, come forward . ”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Theo barely managed to reply in a calm voice as he rose from his spot .

“As winner of the Pupil Tournament, I will give Theodore 200 gold, the ‘Protection Bangle,’ and the title of a baron . ”

“Theodore, Bergen’s student, thanks Your Maje—”

“Additionally…”

Theo shut his mouth hurriedly when he was interrupted by Kurt .  After receiving 200 gold, an artifact, and a title, Theo hadn’t expected that there would be anything else .

“After he succeeds the title of Baron Miller, Theodore Miller will receive the title of a viscount . ”

‘Viscount promotion!’

Theo’s eyes shook at the shocking declaration, but his mouth was a step ahead of his brain .

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”As Theo lowered his head, chatter quickly spread through the stands .

A promotion… it was an honour that wasn’t possible unless many merits were accumulated . Yet it was given to the winner of a small contest? It was an unprecedented situation, so some of the nobles couldn’t hide their confusion .

Regardless of whether people understood it or not, Kurt looked at Theodore and Sylvia with warm eyes and finished the awards ceremony .

“This Meltor Kingdom of ours is surrounded by the Harkan Mountain Ranges in the north-east and by the Andras Empire in the north-west . In order to defend our homeland from the savage imperialists who desire war, we need to raise people like these two young magicians . The Magic Society should spread today’s events and don’t slack off… Understood?”

The people gathered in the stadium replied simultaneously to their ruler:

“Yes, Your Majesty! As you command!”

 

***

Finally, Kurt III left Pentarium .

Afterwards, the nobles swarmed around him like a tide, and the most magnificent event in Theodore’s history came to a close .

Theo and Vince finally went to the restaurant they hadn’t been able to go on the first day . They then returned to their accommodations shortly after the sun set, and Theo lay on the bed while holding his belly . He usually preferred to eat less, but his mouth hadn’t listened at the restaurant in the capital .

Vince laughed at him before saying, “I don’t need to hear you speak to know that the meal was satisfactory . Isn’t that so?”

“…It is exactly like you said . ”

The two people looked at each other and laughed lightly . It had been a great day .

There was no better way to enjoy his victory . Vince even took out a few bottles of expensive wine, but they didn’t get drunk .  It was because both of them were magicians .

Not long after, the moment they had been waiting for came .

Keeok .

A red tongue crawled out from a hole in Theo’s palm .  It was the grimoire which ate magic books .  Gluttony had woken up .

–Hungry .  Bring meal .

Gluttony swallowed books and absorbed their knowledge .  After satisfying its hunger, it would take the time to answer one of its owner’s questions .

The two people had been waiting for this time .  Theodore and Vince’s contract… The moment for the first question and answer had begun .