The special hall in the royal palace was large enough to fit a thousand people, and there was a giant magic circle on the spotless, polished, pure-white floor of the hall. Many people, whose clothing made it clear that they were researchers, hurriedly moved around the edges of the circle. The long-distance, large-scale teleportation spell was about to commence.
Teleportation magic created an entrance and an exit that allowed for traversal of the space between the two points. In order to cast the spell, the caster had to be able to confirm the locations of both ends with their own eyes, which limited its range to the caster’s field of vision. However, after many years of research, a new type of long-range teleportation had become possible, though it was limited by several factors, including the necessity of etching the magic circle at the exit in advance. This magic—called a teleportation gate—was the fruit of the labor of many generations of researchers, and it made it possible to move hundreds of people and objects at once. Fearing potential military applications, the existence of the magic was kept secret, and the only country that could make use of the teleportation gate was the place where it had been invented—the kingdom of Garlant. In addition, it was only ever used to transport the king or the crown prince, or else in an emergency.
On this occasion, King Bernard and Crown Prince Alexis were going to be transported to the training facility at Bahal so they could observe the magic academies’ training camp. After a short time, the adjustments were complete, and just afterward, with good timing, Bernard, Alexis, and the captain of the royal guard, Gaius, showed up.
“Is it ready?” Bernard asked.
“The transport can be made at any time,” the head researcher said, respectfully bowing his head.
Gaius gave directions to the other members of the royal guard there who would be traveling with them, and they moved into position within the magic circle.
“Then, Layce. Watch over things while I’m gone,” Bernard said.
“As you wish, though I’m quite reluctant to do so,” Layce replied irritably.
Bernard seemed jumpy around Layce, and he looked like he wanted to get out of there as soon as he could. That was because a bit of a dispute had just occurred.
As a general rule, a member of the royal family went to every one of the training camps. It was exceptionally rare for the king to attend because he was usually busy with governmental affairs, so Alexis generally took on the responsibility of going. But this time, Bernard had suddenly said that he also wanted to go. This meant that Alexis would’ve been the one to stay behind and substitute for the king for a while, but the crown prince had also insisted on going. In the end, it was decided that the two of them would go together.
However, with both the king and the crown prince absent, their extensive duties would all fall on Layce’s shoulders. It was no wonder that he was dissatisfied. That wasn’t Layce’s only cause for discontent either; while Bernard had said that he was going because he wanted to see his son’s gallant figure for once, the real reason was so he could secretly meet with Yui.
“The moment you cause any trouble for Yui, I’m resigning right away,” Layce said, staring coolly at Bernard. Despite Bernard’s attempts to hide it, he had sensed why the king actually wanted to go to the training camp.
Unable to withstand Layce’s glare, Bernard averted his eyes. “Understood,” he said.
This sight would’ve made anyone question who was really the more powerful person. But ever since Layce had become prime minister, this had become another scene of everyday life, and by now, no one thought it very strange at all. The royal guards nearby only looked at Bernard with pity; none of them stepped in to help him. They probably didn’t want to enter Layce’s field of view when he was in a bad mood.
Gaius often came face-to-face with Layce, so he wasn’t greatly affected by him, but he was a bit hesitant as he interrupted the two of them. “Your Majesty, once you and His Highness move into position, we can depart. What would you have us do, sir?”
“We’ll go right away!” Bernard exclaimed with gusto. “Alexis, hurry up!”
“Y-Yes, father!”
Bernard hurriedly got away from Layce and rushed into the magic circle, blatantly—but also prudently—taking advantage of the opportunity to escape with his life.
The long-range teleportation gate required a large amount of magic energy to activate, so there were more than ten casters standing around the magic circle. When they saw that everyone who was to be transported had entered the circle, they all simultaneously began charging the gate with magic. A large pillar of light arose, tall enough to reach the ceiling, and the next moment, everyone inside the magic circle—all several dozen of them—vanished.
The group that had teleported from the hall in the palace was now, in the blink of an eye, standing in a magic circle inside the training facility at faraway Bahal. As soon as they arrived, they were led to a circular arena in the facility, where they took their seats in the stands. The students’ mock battles were about to begin.
In contrast with the other observers, the royal family had their own private box seats, and the interior was not a shade less luxurious than a high-class hotel. An entire wall of the room was taken up by a window, through which they could look out over the arena. Many other observers had already taken their seats diagonally and to the side of their room. A few of them noticed that the king was looking over at them, so they turned to him and bowed. He raised his hand in response, then returned inside.
“There sure is an impressive lineup of attendees this year. Is it always like this, Alexis?” Bernard asked.
“Impressive? Who are you referring to?” Alexis said.
“The grandmaster of the guild and a cardinal of the church are here too.”
Hearing that, Alexis’s eyes widened in surprise. He looked out the window at the observers’ room, and sure enough, the people his father had mentioned were there. “You’re right. They never usually come...and there are more than ever this year. Do you know anything, Kieran?”
Kieran oversaw recruitment and promotions in the army—he came every year to observe the training camp. He flipped through a bundle of documents in his hands, then pulled out a few pieces of paper and held them out to the king. “I imagine that the reason there are so many observers is because of these students,” he replied.
Bernard quickly looked over the three pieces of paper before him. “Cecil O’Brian and Carlo O’Brian. And a first-year student, Ivo Arman. Because of them?”
“Yes. The O’Brian brothers are sons of a count. They’re incredibly intelligent, and they have excellent magical and physical abilities. They are also of impeccable character, and no one around them has anything poor to say about them; they’re popular and well-liked among both under- and upperclassmen. They’ll be fifth-year students next year, which means they’ll be graduating, so it seems that many organizations are attempting to acquire them. However, their aspiration is to join the army.”
“They’re close with Filiel, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Yes, they have stated that they wish to join the army in order to serve at His Highness’s side.”
Every last detail of Filiel’s and Alexis’s personal relationships was reported to Bernard. It was necessary to investigate the backgrounds of everyone the princes knew and determine whether they’d be appropriate friends. While it was unfortunate that they couldn’t simply make friends normally, as long as they were part of the royal family, it was an essential measure in order to make sure no one dangerous could get close to them. However, Theodore suppressed all information about Yui before it ever made its way to Bernard.
“I’m happy that such promising students are at Filiel’s side,” Bernard said. They must’ve had a wealth of options at their disposal, but out of all of them, they had chosen Filiel. As a father, he was as joyful as he could be that there were people who were there to support his son. Maybe I should meet with them once, he thought.
“The final one is the first-year, Ivo Arman. This is his first time participating in the camp,” Kieran said.