At Spire's words, Glenn raised the first voice of surprise.

"...Surely the king is not...?" Glenn muttered anxiously.

Spire slightly tightened his expression and shook his head.

"No, of course His Majesty remains hale and hearty. However, the king has also grown quite old now. The day when he cedes the throne will likely come within the next few decades. Therefore, His Majesty gathers the successor candidates and intends to decide before the Senate who shall become the next king."

At that explanation, Glenn nodded in understanding and lowered his gaze downward. After showing a demeanor as if lost in thought for a moment, he glanced briefly at him.

"...? Is something the matter?"

When asked that, Glenn started to say something for a moment, but immediately shook his head and lowered his eyes.

"...No, it is nothing."

At Glenn's demeanor, Strass and the others also wore puzzled expressions. But Spire gave only a glance and, showing little concern, opened his mouth.

"...So, the council to decide the new king takes place over roughly one to two years. In that process, one of the elements compared as a criterion for judgment is one's ability as a mage."

Saying that, Spire muttered a single word quietly. I did not catch it, but it seemed he performed an incantation in the elven language.

Then, turning his palms upward before his own chest, he produced a small blue flame. Despite its small size, the flickering flame seemed to be of considerably high temperature. Brest wore a surprised expression, as if that flame held some meaning for elves.

Perhaps aware of everyone's gathered gazes, Spire slightly opened his narrow eyes and raised his gaze from the flame.

"This is a magic called 'Elven Fire.' It is also the first magic that every person in this country learns. Our country dwells deep in the forest and lives receiving the forest's blessings. So they say that we first learn to handle fire magic so as not to burn the trees and flowers," he murmured.

After whispering that, Spire extinguished the flame.

"This Elven Fire grows paler and bluer the more one understands the principles of magic. And the more skillful one's handling, the smaller the fire can be made. My fire is blue, but the king's fire is even smaller— a white fire. That is to say, even I, a mage positioned high among the elven kingdom, does not even reach the feet of the king's magic."

At those words, the elven people nodded deeply. It seemed that for the people living in the elven kingdom, the power of the king's magic was that great.

Judging that they had understood, Spire looked at them in turn with serious eyes and continued his speech again.

"Precisely for that reason, we cannot help but be cautious when deciding the next king. After all, the king is the symbol of their country. A crucial existence that becomes the sun of Aqua Vitae. And the other day, all the candidates for the next king were gathered at the Royal Castle, but because two candidates who had been abroad delayed the start, the candidates have not yet even demonstrated their magic."

Saying that, Spire shrugged his shoulders. At that, Glenn groaned with a difficult face.

"...However, is it acceptable for us to intrude upon such an occasion? Moreover, I think it seems unlikely that Aoi-kun could demonstrate her magic there and gain recognition from the Senate..."

Glenn asked the question he had been worried about on her behalf. Spire showed an expression as if hesitating slightly, then eventually opened his mouth and answered.

"...Well, they do not think it is the form everyone desires, but there does exist a venue for exchanging opinions about magic, involving members of the Senate and those whom the senators recommend. This stems from the fact that magic has become too diverse and that in recent decades, more elves have gone abroad. Simply because they cannot make comparisons using the same magic, they wish to evaluate magic using the knowledge and experience of people from all positions."

Hearing those words, he finally managed to understand the situation.

"I see. That is convenient. Moreover, the principal of Fiddiq Academy and its faculty, and furthermore, the perspectives of humans, beastmen, and dwarves are added... This can only be seen as some kind of fate. Please, by all means, let them also participate in that venue," he requested excitedly.

What a stroke of luck. He had thought it would be grateful just to learn magic from mages equivalent to high-ranking nobles of the elven kingdom, but now he seemed likely to even see the magic of the king and the royal candidates. Furthermore, to even hold opinion exchange meetings with highly skilled mages— was this not the best possible environment he could imagine?

Thinking that, he turned to look at everyone, but Strass and Eliza's expressions were somber.

"...Is something the matter?" he asked.

But the two turned their eyes as if looking into the distance, the light gone from their eyes.

"...This is definitely dangerous."

"...It feels like it is likely to become a diplomatic issue."

The two muttered something under their breaths. And Glenn, breaking out in a cold sweat, looked at them.

"S-surely, it is not a place of conflict, is it? You understand that, don't you, Aoi-kun?"

"Of course. I wish to compete fairly and squarely in magical technique."

"He feels you do not understand at all."

When she answered immediately, Glenn also turned his gaze somewhere far away with the same expression as Strass and the others. Did he have something on his mind?

As she thought that, for some reason Seabas looked at her with a serious expression.

"...Aoi, in a place where the king is present? No, will she be alright? Surely, if the king and candidates are there, she would not do anything reckless..."

And Seabas muttered something under his breath. I had not behaved that strangely in front of Seabas, so why was he so wary?

From her perspective, everything that had occurred at the Steil estate was the Steil family's fault. No, admittedly, it might not have been a flexible response, but it should have all been legitimate self-defense.

Feeling slightly uneasy, he turned to Shenley and called out, seeking support.

"...She does not think she has done anything that strange in this country," he said.

"Y-yes. That is right... Probably, she thinks so too."

Kind Shenley gave the support she had hoped for, but the lack of confidence in her voice troubled her.