A Prelude to the Hunt
That evening, a banquet was held in the main building of the Benheim estate to welcome the mages of **Lucen**.
As a mere formality, the branch family mages were also invited. Our table was tucked away in the far left corner of the banquet hall.
I took a seat next to Brock and sipped from my water glass.
"Looks like Lucen only sent their direct line," Brock babbled.
It wasn't hard to tell; the Lucen mages were all clad in dark crimson robes.
Seven in total. A decent number—neither too many nor too few.
"Hey, Raygan. Do you think the Head of Lucen is strong?"
"Of course he is."
"I guess so. He's probably a 7th Circle mage, just like our Lord Stern, right?"
Brock mumbled through a mouthful of food, his eyes drifting toward **Kaiden Lucen**, who sat at the head table in the distance.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to gauge Kaiden's level. Having recently reached the 3rd Circle, sensing the flow of mana was much easier than before.
Looks like... the early stages of the 7th Circle.
Having only recently inherited the leadership of his house, his mastery fell slightly short of Stern's, but there was no doubt he deserved the title of Archmage.
Just then, Kaiden offered Stern a gift with an easy, affable smile. His lips curved upward, but his snake-like red eyes remained entirely cold and devoid of mirth.
Stern, on the other hand, merely crossed his arms with an expressionless face, offering nothing more than an occasional nod.
They're feeling each other out.
According to Lunia, because the Benheim and Lucen territories bordered each other, visits between the two families were frequent, but their relationship was far from amicable.
In the early days of the Empire, they had even fought territorial wars.
Perhaps that was why Lunia always got fired up and ranted whenever the topic of Lucen came up.
"They are ghosts bound to a foolish obsession with bloodlines. Even when the Archduke of Demonic Magic rose, they refused to join hands with 'mongrels' and were wiped out in an instant. Isn't it hilarious?"
Lucen was the epitome of a snobbish, aristocratic magic family.
"And don't get me started on their daughter. Do you have any idea how much she annoyed me? She was incredibly irritating."
"Hello, Lunia."
A sharp, ringing voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
A red-haired girl in a dark crimson robe had approached Lunia, who was sitting near the center of the hall.
Lunia frowned at the girl's greeting, responding with clear reluctance.
"...Right. Hello, **Petra**."
**Petra Lucen**.
The very person Lunia used to shudder at the mere mention of.
"It's been a while. You're still as petite as ever."
Petra offered a sweet, superficial greeting and slid into the seat next to Lunia. Lunia dragged her chair a few inches away in annoyance.
"I heard you reached the 3rd Circle? Me too. I broke through just the other day."
"Congratulations."
"Don't you think we'll have a good rivalry going?"
"Sorry, but I'm not obsessed with Circles like you are."
Petra's brow furrowed.
"Oh, please. Who said anything about being obsessed? I simply wish to reach greater heights as a mage."
"Sure. I'll cheer you on."
Lunia replied half-heartedly, taking a sip of her drink.
I thought that would be the end of it.
"Lunia, I can already manifest seven swords simultaneously. How many runes can you write at once?"
"I don't know. I've never really tried."
"Then why don't we try it right now?"
"No, I'm tired today."
Lunia looked as if she wanted nothing more than to peel Petra off her.
She really is a nuisance.
I could finally understand why the pre-regression Lunia had shuddered at the name Petra Lucen.
It was a classic case of like repelling like. Lunia didn't particularly care for people who were as nosy and pushy as she could be.
But that didn't mean Lunia had truly hated Petra.
"At least she was a far better mage than her father. She fought to the very end before she died."
Even after the Lucen family was annihilated by the Archduke of Demonic Magic, Petra Lucen had apparently rallied the surviving mages and continued to resist.
She had even joined forces with Lunia at one point, but in the end, she was defeated by the Archduke and beheaded, her head put on display.
"A bitter end."
"Very bitter."
I recalled exchanging those brief thoughts with Lunia in my past life.
Perhaps because of that, I held no ill will toward Petra Lucen.
"By the way, how is your brother doing? Has he reached the 4th Circle yet?"
"No, not yet."
"Ah. If I'm lucky, I might beat him to it."
Petra kept prattling on, and Lunia, seemingly unable to take any more, abruptly stood up.
Her iris-colored eyes swept toward the corner table where the branch family members were gathered.
Brock's shoulders flinched and tensed.
"H-Hey, Raygan. I think Lady Lunia is looking at me, isn't she?"
Of course, it was a delusion.
Without giving Brock so much as a glance, Lunia pointed her chin directly at me.
"Petra, your progress is nothing to brag about. Raygan over there reached the 3rd Circle just a month after starting magic."
"...What?"
Startled, Petra whipped around to stare straight at me.
Great. Now I'm dragged into this.
Lunia had tossed a live grenade my way just to get Petra off her back.
"The 3rd Circle... in just a single month?"
Petra stared at my face in sheer disbelief. She turned to Lunia, demanding confirmation.
"Is that true?"
"I'm telling you, it is. And Raygan is a commoner by birth."
"A commoner..."
For the Lucen family, who practically worshipped noble bloodlines, this must have been a massive shock.
Lunia pressed on.
"He was even granted an **Elixir** recently."
"An... Elixir? As in, the legendary elixir?"
"Yep."
Petra's jaw dropped.
And she wasn't the only one. A collective murmur rippled through the banquet hall. The Elixir was a treasure of the Benheim family, almost never given to outsiders.
Lunia, clearly enjoying Petra's sheer astonishment, decided to double down.
"On top of that, Raygan fought my brother in a duel and beat him twice."
"Hey! Lunia!"
Arno, who was sitting nearby, yelled in shock, but it was too late. Most of the hall had already heard Lunia's bombshell.
Whispers broke out.
Arno's face flushed a deep crimson. His expression was a volatile mix of humiliation from his defeats and the sheer helplessness of being unable to refute his sister's words.
Soon, a barrage of sharp, piercing gazes fell upon me.
Just as I was about to let out a heavy sigh...
"..."
I felt Kaiden Lucen staring intently at me from the head table.
It was no ordinary look.
It was a strange gaze, laced with a mixture of wariness and greed.
I didn't want to draw attention to myself so soon.
I had no desire to establish contact with the other Archmages, including the Archduke of Demonic Magic, just yet.
While Stern was favorable toward me, Kaiden and the other Archmages were still wild cards.
"..."
In that moment of awkward silence...
Stern, the Head of the family, stood up from his seat on the dais. He cast a very faint smile toward me, the epicenter of the commotion.
Then, as if to put an end to the situation, he clapped his hands to draw everyone's attention.
"Quiet, everyone. I shall now explain the rules of the **Hunting Festival**."
Thanks to Stern's timely intervention, the spotlight shifted from me to him.
"The Hunting Festival is a tradition honoring the founder of Benheim, who made his living hunting magical beasts."
Stern waved his fingers in the air, and a series of runes connected like constellations to project an image.
It was a map of the forest where the festival would take place.
"The festival will begin tomorrow at dawn and last for two days. The participants are the mages of Benheim and Lucen who have not yet reached adulthood. The rules are simple: hunt the illusory beasts and compete for the highest number of subjugations."
Stern's voice echoed through the hall.
"There are three tiers of beasts: low, mid, and high. A low-tier beast is worth 1 point, a mid-tier is worth 5, and a high-tier is worth 20. You can identify their tier by the color of their illusion."
Stern took a small mana stone from his robes and dropped it onto the floor.
Projections of a wolf-like beast, a bear-like beast, and a tiger-like beast materialized.
The illusions glowed green, blue, and red, representing low, mid, and high tiers respectively.
"Once a beast is defeated, the proof of your kill will be automatically recorded on your participant's token. Furthermore, the top three mages with the highest scores will receive special prizes prepared by both the Benheim and Lucen families."
The eyes of the young mages sparkled with excitement.
Prizes prepared by two of the greatest magic families would undoubtedly be of unimaginable value.
Stern smiled with satisfaction at their reactions and explained the final rule.
"Combat between participants is strictly forbidden. Cooperation, however, is permitted. But keep in mind: if two or more mages hunt a single beast together, the points will be divided fairly based on contribution."
With that, Stern stepped down from the dais.
The banquet resumed its lively atmosphere, but the conversation was now entirely dominated by the upcoming festival.
Amidst the buzzing chatter, Brock approached me with a tense expression.
"Raygan, you heard him, right?"
"Heard what?"
"We have to hunt at least one beast in this festival. It's an unwritten rule."
Brock's voice was laced with heavy anxiety.
"And what happens if we don't get any?"
"Then we won't be here next year. We'll be kicked out of the main estate. It's proof that we have no talent."
I understood.
For the direct line, the Hunting Festival was a stage for honor.
But for the branch family, it was a ruthless arena of survival where they had to prove their worth.
"Don't worry, though. I scored five points last year. Just stick with me, and you won't go empty-handed."
Brock grinned, trying to sound reassuring, but...
I don't think it'll be that hard.
My experience fighting magical beasts was practically limitless.
Hunting mere illusions instead of actual beasts would be child's play.
Honestly, I didn't care much about getting a high score. The prizes prepared by Benheim and Lucen were tempting, but preparing for the black mages was my top priority.
"So, anyway, last year, your big bro here aimed a spell right at the beast's neck—"
Brock, who had been boasting proudly, suddenly shut his mouth.
"Hello."
Lunia had slipped up behind me. Petra followed closely behind her like a shadow, her face twisted in a deep scowl.
"We're teaming up, right? Tomorrow is going to be so much fun."
Lunia spoke with a playful lilt in her voice, and I nodded.
"Fun?"
Petra chimed in, her voice dripping with disdain.
"Lunia, are you seriously planning to fool around with a lowborn like him? You must think the Hunting Festival is child's play. What is this, house?"
Lunia turned to Petra and let out a pitying sigh.
"House? I suppose it would look like that to someone as talentless as you."
"What did you say?"
"I can guarantee you that Raygan will score far higher than me. And he'll absolutely leave you in the dust."
Lunia declared, crossing her arms proudly.
Petra's eyebrows shot up.
"What could a lowborn like him possibly do?! So what if he got his hands on a single Elixir? It's not that big of a deal!"
Petra shrieked.
It wasn't particularly threatening, but hearing someone call me "lowborn" to my face repeatedly was starting to get annoying.
Instead of looking at Petra, I turned to the frozen Brock.
"Hey, Brock."
"Y-Yeah?"
"Did you say you got five points last year?"
"I... did?"
I let out a dry chuckle, casting a sidelong glance at Petra.
"Then I guess I'll aim for twenty-one points. One high-tier beast, and one loudmouth."
The air instantly froze.
Petra's face turned from red with anger to pale with shock.
"Ahahaha!"
Lunia burst into laughter, her shoulders shaking.
"You...! How dare a mere lowborn...!"
Just as Petra was about to scream at me...
Click, click. The sound of footsteps echoed.
Everyone's eyes turned toward the sound.
Stern had stepped down from the head table and was walking across the hall toward us.
A collective breath was caught.
"Raygan."
But Stern's business was neither with Lunia nor Petra. It was with me.
Pat. Stern placed a hand on my shoulder.
The entire hall fell into a stunned silence. The Head of the family was showing personal interest in an outsider mage who didn't even share their bloodline.
Kaiden's eyes narrowed, while Brock grinned as if he had expected this all along.
"Do you see them?"
Stern squeezed my shoulder.
His gaze drifted toward the Benheim elders seated at the high table. I didn't know their names, but one thing was certain: several black mages were hiding among them.
Stern leaned in and whispered softly in my ear.
"Tomorrow, let the hunt begin."
There was no way I could mistake the meaning behind those words.
I let out a silent, bitter chuckle and gave a small nod.
Just as I thought.
This entire Hunting Festival was a stage set by Stern.
He intended to use the festival as bait to draw out the black mages and wipe them out in one fell swoop.
In other words, this event was the real hunt—designed to excise the rot festering within Benheim.