"...That's quite enough," Spire uttered in a tired voice.
Not understanding the meaning of his words, everyone’s eyes turned toward Spire. Gathering everyone's gaze upon himself, Spire fixed me with a stern expression.
"...After all, I have already witnessed your wordless magic, your magic circle, and your lightning magic. Frustratingly, every single one of those is something that current elves cannot use. That alone suffices to infer the high level of Fiddiq Academy. Let us admit that my son's behavior— looking down on you for being a half-elf— was foolish. Furthermore, I myself apologize for having looked down on beastmen and dwarves."
Spire clearly acknowledged their own faults. Pier and Brest looked surprised by this.
"...Brest. Apologize," Spire ordered.
At his command, Pier and Brest raised their faces with reluctant expressions.
"Wait a moment. Even so, the fact that elves are a superior race remains unshaken. Father is surely a superior mage to that woman over there," Brest argued.
Spire sighed and slightly opened his narrow eyes.
"...Just because only a handful— those above even the Senate— are superior mages does not logically make elves a superior race. After having witnessed magic that elves can no longer reproduce, you ought to show some respect," Spire said in a low voice, outright rejecting Brest's argument.
At that, Brest bit his lip and fell silent.
Spire turned his gaze to Brest, who had quietly closed his mouth. Then, perhaps trying to protect her son from blame, Pier stepped forward as if to shield him.
"...I am still not convinced. Just because we happened to see magic from a field unknown to us does not mean that humans, beastmen, or dwarves can become mages equal to elves," Pier declared.
Even Seabas and the others looked dumbfounded at her words. Spire let out a deep, tired sigh and turned to Pier.
"...Then what do you propose we do?"
To that question, Pier pointed at me without hiding her hostility.
"Let us have the esteemed members of the Senate view this woman's magic and evaluate it. If even the senators acknowledge her skill, then— there exist mages among humans with sufficient power..."
"One cannot convene the Senate for such a foolish reason," Spire interrupted, not letting Pier finish.
With a face that seemed to suppress her anger, Pier fell silent. Glancing at her, Spire turned toward me.
"...It seems we have become somewhat heated. I apologize," he said.
"No, that may be unavoidable," I replied to Spire, though inwardly I was troubled.
In the end, unless the parties themselves were convinced, the common sense that elves were a superior race would not change.
As I pondered what to do, a good idea suddenly came to me.
"...I see. Let us proceed as Pier suggested earlier," I said.
Spire furrowed his brows at my words.
"...What?"
As Spire asked back, I repeated Pier's proposal.
"Before the esteemed members of the Senate, I will demonstrate my magic," I announced.
Hearing this, Spire's narrowed eyes opened slightly. Then, Glenn let out something like a scream.
"N-no, no, no! You don't have to go that far, do you? Come on, let's just return as quickly as possible," Glenn said.
Shenley and Eliza followed suit.
"Th-that's right! It's probably better not to make too big a stir..."
"I think convening the high-ranking nobles of the elven kingdom would be a major incident!"
Everyone except Strass opposed the idea.
"But I think gaining recognition from the nation's highest authorities is the quickest way..." I replied.
Still, the three shook their heads left and right so vigorously it seemed to make a sound.
"...It appears my opinion was mistaken," I admitted, dropping my shoulders in defeat.
A sense of agreement came from Shenley and the others. Disappointing. I had thought this would be the fastest approach...
As I felt disheartened thinking this, Spire raised one hand as if for a high-five and showed me his palm.
Wondering what he meant, I turned my gaze to him. Spire smiled wryly and shook his head.
"...As it happens, a major event— one that occurs perhaps once every several decades— is currently underway in the elven kingdom," he said.
"A major event?"
I replied vaguely, tilting my head at his seemingly unrelated words. Even Glenn, who had once lived in the elven kingdom, seemed unaware of this, wearing an expression similar to mine.
What kind of event could be taking place in the elven kingdom?
Everyone's eyes gathered on Spire. Receiving their gazes with a smile, Spire placed one hand on his chest.
"This event is originally meant to be conducted only by the current sitting members of our Senate. It is customary not to speak of its circumstances or process to outsiders. However, as if perfectly timing this moment, the king has relaxed restrictions on information to the outside. Even observation has been permitted— provided that a Senate-related person guarantees one's identity."
Observation permitted. Those words made the meaning even less clear.
"...Is it some kind of sacred festival or something?" I asked back.
Spire let out a soft laugh.
"Well, it is certainly sacred. After all, it is the council to decide the new king."
