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Throughout the meal, Isaiah ignored Cygnus and would only respond to the major. The master did not mind though because he had all the time to get him to his side. It was just a matter of time.

Cygnus stood up from his seat with his usually warm appearance again, "Brother, let's go it's time for the next round of the exam. I still have to win." He grinned with a face full of confidence.

Linius stood and they all walked out of the canteen. The walk towards the arena was surprisingly silent. Isaiah was also confused as to why he needed to go with them. He was not interested in watching any of the matches anymore.

They returned to where the major was seated only to see that Celes was already there waiting for them. Linius narrowed his eyes but he still took his usual seat and his entourage stood in their positions. Isaiah chose to sit at the back so as not to disturb them.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be with the other elders and watching the match right now?" The major asked without sparing a glance at the person beside him.

"That was the plan but the atmosphere there right now is a bit tense and I am not good with that kind of situation." He was blatantly lying but the major didn't care. What he was interested in was the real reason why he was there.

Linius did not speak after the elder answered. He was not going to take the initiative to make a conversation after he already did. His aversion to talking to any of the mages from the tower was getting greater and greater.

Sensing that the other person was not going to speak, Celes decided to just speak to him directly. It was no use if he too will remain silent because he won't accomplish his goal for coming to see the major.

"The elders are curious about the real power behind Rigel and they wanted me to ask if you can provide us with any information about it. We will be needing it to assess your brother's full potential and so that we will know how to bring out this potential," the elder did not beat around the bush.

Isaiah who was behind them shivered unconsciously as he felt the killing intent that the major suddenly emitted after the elder said those words. He wasn't sure if the elders were doing it on purpose or not, but to approach the major with that kind of mind was never a good idea.

He had learned from Duke Blackwell that the Gineharts prioritize family over anything. They could kill, if anyone would attempt to touch even a single hair on the members of their family. This only applied to the main branch though, and if they considered you a family, you were lucky but if they considered you an enemy, then better find another way if you ever crossed paths with them.

"How bold and blatant, if not for my brother begging me to come here, do you really think that I would allow him to enter this filthy place?" The major looked like he was seated casually but the deadly aura he was emitting says otherwise.

Celes was not that affected by the aura but he could feel that if he said any more words, the major would surely point his sword on his neck, without hesitation. He could not see what the major's expression was right now but there was a high chance that he was already glaring at the place where the other elders were seated.

"We are only thinking of your brother's future. If we don't know the extent of his magic, we won't be able to help him grow," Celes attempted to explain. He knew that it was dangerous but the elders wouldn't stop if he did not go there to ask.

"Grow?" The major sneered, "If you ever know that kind of information, you won't help him grow, rather you would use him and exploit him but know this, before you can even do that, I'll be getting him out of this miserable place." The major tilted his head and looked at the elder's eyes, "Don't be mistaken, just because I allowed him to be here it doesn't mean that I am allowing him to stay here forever."

Celes gritted his teeth and sighed. The man was really persistent and those words were clearly challenging the authority of the tower. Those who have entered the tower won't be able to leave. Once they've signed those contracts they would forever be bound to the tower. And because of the incident with Grand Mage Jagan, that contract was modified.

Since he couldn't get any information from the major, he should now leave. At least he could tell those people that he tried but failed. Finally, he stood up and bid them goodbye because he did not want to stay there for another minute.

"Does Rigel know about your plan?" Isaiah asked from the back. He could now breathe normally after the major retracted his deadly aura.

"He doesn't need to know. I'll let him enjoy his stay here but he will not be living in this kind of place. This is also the reason why I am requesting for you to look after him while he is here." Linius looked behind him to show his sincerity.

Isaiah averted his gaze. He knew the importance of family because Duke Blackwell had reiterated it to him so many times. Now that the major was asking sincerely, he was having a difficult time rejecting it.

After a while he finally gave up, "Alright. I'll do it. But if I can't stand him any longer, I'll quit."

Linius laughed at the young man's answer. "Of course, you can quit anytime." The man returned his attention to the arena with a grin on his face. 'It would be difficult for him to quit. The master will make sure that he won't be able to quit.' He thought to himself.

The matches began once again until all the winners were the only ones left. One of the perks of becoming the winner of the exam was that they can choose who they want to become their master. As for those who were at the top, the elders will choose among them.

Eight participants remained after all the matches and they will be facing each other. Four matches, four winners until only the strongest will remain. Among the participants, there was Lilia who already fought with Cygnus. Elder Celes's direct apprentice was also there since she insisted on participating.

The first match ended quickly with Lilia coming out as the winner and in the second match Celestine was the winner. Cygnus also won his fight. In the semi-finals, Celestine and Lilia faced each other. This fight somewhat became the highlight of the match.

Both have strong magic and both were aggressive that none of them intended to lose. They both fought without holding back but in the end, it was Celestine who came out as the winner. Cygnus also won easily and without sweating.

Before the final match would commence, the host announced that they will be having an hour break to replenish their strengths. Cygnus took this time to return to where his brother was and wait there until his fight.

At the same time, the elders were in anticipation of the upcoming fight. The indignation they felt after Celes returned and told them what happened was now gone. They fell into a silent consensus that even without the help of the major, they would still make him an asset for the tower. If he won against Celestine, no matter who he would choose, it would still be at their advantage.

"Who will you choose as your master if you win?" Linius asked as they waited for the match to continue.

"Isn't it obvious?" The master gave the major a grin. "Since he is part of the elders, there is nothing wrong if I choose him as my master, right?"

Linius fell silent, "He might reject you though." He already had an idea who the master was talking about.

"I will show him something interesting that will force him to accept me," Cygnus chuckled. It was not much and it was not even a fraction of his power but he was willing to use it as long as the person he was targeting would show himself.