Magic's Return: I Can See The Spirits

"Tsk, fucking bastard." 

Vaan cursed as he walked towards a different end of the Hall. 

Eliza just left the Hall and allowed him to stay here, he wanted to rub this on Elric's face, however, he knew that he wasn't allowed to do that. 

The moment he made even a slight scene, Eliza would be coming for him. He already had a punishment in due, he didn't wish to add more to the list. 

"Tsk." 

Elric, who was walking towards the other end had a similar expression on his face as well. 

He wanted to deal with that annoying bastard today when he had a chance, however, after Eliza's warning, there was nothing he could do. Elric's eyes fell on Elara, who followed behind Vaan with a worried look on her face, and seeing that, his face turned sour. 

It would have been him next to her instead of Vaan if that bastard hadn't decided to interrupt them. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. 

And as if putting the final nail to the coffin, Elara suddenly held Vaan's hand and, 

"Vaan, you should calm down. A Mage shouldn't lose his temper like this." She spoke. 

Elric, who saw that could feel his rage boiling up. 

Vaan, on the other hand, gently pulled Elara close to him and started kneading her shoulders. "I understand, I am not angry, I just… 

Alright, let's not talk about it. 

You are okay, right? He didn't harm you or anything like that, did he?" Vaan questioned with a worried look on his face. 

"N-No he did not." 

"That's good. You need to be careful around him, he is not a good person." Vaan warned and Elric, who was hearing their conversation couldn't help but clench his fists in anger. He really wished he could send Vaan flying right now, however, there were just too many eyes here. 

"I-I do not understand why the two of you do not get along… I would be happy if you did…" Elara spoke. In her mind, Elric was still the same gentle person who always helped her out. 

If Vaan was someone Elara felt her heart flutter whenever he was around, Elric was like a reliable older brother who provided her with a sense of ease. 

For Elara, it would be a great day if these two people got along with each other, however, both Vaan and Elric knew that was not going to happen. 

"Don't worry, you will soon realize what sort of person that bastard is. I won't let him fool you for long." Vaan replied and before Elara could come up with something to defend Elric, Vaan continued, 

"Anyways, let us now focus on what is ahead of us, okay? Are you prepared for the Tournament?" 

"I-I am…" Elara spoke, her eyes oozing out with strange confidence as she did. 

A playful smile then appeared on Vaan's face as he continued, 

"Hehe, I actually brought the Magic Drink with me. So if you feel like you need to use your trump card in any battle, ask me, okay?" 

Of course, the 'Magic Drink' he was talking about was nothing but alcohol, Elara understood that as well, this time, however, a determined look appeared on her face and, "I won't be needing it." 

She spoke confidently. "I can handle everything on my own." 

Vaan nodded proudly, "Of course you can." 

After all, he had trained this adorable girl himself. He knew better than anyone that these mages who were pretty much ignoring Elara's existence and were not even treating her as an opponent…

They were making the biggest mistake of their lives. 

It was finally the time to prove that. 

The Fourth and the most interesting Tier of the Elemental Clash was about to start. 

…

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are back after our not-so-long break, unlike the Second Tier, where we were mostly amazed by Young Master Vaan's one-sided dominance, the Third Tier showed us many cutting-edge fights where Mages fought for supremacy, in the end, Vilsan Vesta manages to steal the championship and became the face for tonight. 

It has been quite a day so far, now, however, things are about to get even more heated up, it is time we move to the last, most entertaining, and the most competitive tier among all, 

The Fourth Tier!" 

"YEEAAAHHHHHHH!!!" 

The crowd cheered. 

"Now without any further ado, let's call the first two mages, Branden Wallflames, and, oh? We have a big name already, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome one of the few Direct descendants of the esteemed Vesta Family, Elric Vesta!"

"YEAAAHHHHH!!!" 

"LORD ELRICCC!!!" 

The crowd cheered, unable to contain the excitement. Elric stepped into the ring, his opponent glared at him with a determined look on his face. He already knew that the chances of him winning wouldn't be high, after all, Elric was one of the Directs Descendents with unlimited access to the Vesta Library, it wouldn't be wrong to say that he was one of the most knowledgeable 4th Circle Mage in the world. 

And in the world of Mages, knowledge represented power. 

Not to mention Elric was a runner-up in the previous year, with the winner being Vaelen Vesta, who was now an Intermediate Mage. This fact alone made Elric the tournament favorite. 

Branden cursed his luck for being up against the tournament favorite in the first round if only he could have had Elara as his opponent just like last time. He could have won without putting in any effort. 

"Are the two of you ready?" The judge questioned as he glanced at the two Mages. Elric and Branden nodded. Branden decided not to think about the identity of the man standing in front of him and give his all. 

The two mages absorbed the Mana in their surroundings, the Mana then circulated throughout their Mana Circuits, and soon, 4 Circles appeared in front of them. 

The two mages unleashed their spells, combining their knowledge and creative ideas to contend against each other, however, it didn't take long for most people in the audience to predict the result of the battle. 

Elric was overwhelmingly stronger than Brendan. 

It wasn't that Brendan was weak, rather, he could be considered one of the stronger 4th Circle Mages since he managed to come here, Elric Vesta, however, was in a completely different league. 

His mastery over the Earth Element was so strong that no matter what Branden did, his Fire Spells couldn't break through Elric's strong defense. In this battle, although Branden was quite older than Eldric, the difference in experience between the two Mages was clear, and the odds were in Elric's favor. 

His efficient spell casting made Brenden look like an inexperienced Mage who was born just yesterday. 

Even Vaan, who didn't like Elric one bit, narrowed his eyes when he saw his battle, he had to admit, that no matter how hateful he was, Elric was indeed quite skilled.

Elara might not have as easy a time in the tournament as he initially thought she would. 

The Battle continued, and just as everyone expected, 15 more minutes later, Elric took advantage of an opening in Braden's defense, the Fire Element, which was already known for its weak defense couldn't stop Elric's perfectly timed attack, Branden was mercilessly crushed by a huge boulder and Mages were forced to take action before things for worse. 

"Winner, Elric Vesta." 

The judge announced the details, the audience cheered in excitement. 

There were some who were worried about Brenden's health, most, however, didn't care considering the Vesta Healers were already there. 

After all, those people could even bring a person on the verge of death back, let alone someone who was injured in a fight. Although it may take him a few months to recover, everyone knew the he wouldn't be dying. 

Elric returned without any change in his expression, it was as if winning was the most natural outcome, an arrogance that was backed up by his skills. 

Other battles followed up as well. 

Many mages showed eye-catching performances, Leif Vesta was one of them. Defeating an opponent who was strong enough to give a hard time to even Elric Vesta. He was one of the few non-vesta mages who were that strong, someone like him should have gone farther into the tournament, however, he could only curse his luck that he met Leif, who was quite strong as well. 

Anyway, more and more matches ended, just as everyone expected, the Vesta Mages continued to win, of course, there were a few exceptions as well, one of them was actually a big surprise, 

Lirael Vesta, a Direct Descendant, lost. 

Her opponent was one of the tournament favorites who was invited by the Vesta Family to work for them last year, he, however, rejected his offer and continued his life as an independent Mage. 

Lirael could only curse her luck and return, 

"Heh, quite a pathetic performance for someone who is that good at using her mouth. To think a Direct Descendent of the Family would lose in the first round, how shameful." Vaan commented, trying to reopen Lirael's already wounded pride. 

Lirael paused, then, she glanced at Nux and, 

"Let's talk after your fiancee's battle ends." 

Yes, it was now Elara's turn.