“Scrolls? What’s going on, Ertis?”

Prodia glared at Ertis with a menacing gaze.

However, he seemed genuinely clueless.

“I completely forgot, really. Scrolls are toys for kids.”

Upon hearing that, Ed seemed slightly offended.

“The product is quite expensive to be considered a child’s toy.”

“Maybe for regular people who can’t use magic. But using a scroll at the magic tower means I admit I’m an idiot.”

At that moment, Ertis noticed Prodia’s cold gaze directed at him.

He realized immediately. He had to defuse the situation quickly before it escalated further.

He promptly pointed his palm towards the sky.

Whoosh!

In an instant, three high-grade scrolls appeared.

Ed, who had been watching from the side, was almost popping his eyes out.

‘He created that expensive item in just a few seconds…!’

A Grand Mage is indeed different.

Ertis offered the scrolls to the three people.

“Here, I’ve set the coordinates to the Count’s residence. Tear it and you’ll teleport immediately.”

Prodia and Luca quickly accepted the scrolls.

However, Ed was different.

“I would like to go with the Grand Mage, sir.”

“What are you talking about? Just take the scroll and use it.”

“How could I use such a trivial scroll when I have a golden opportunity to experience the Grand Mage’s teleportation?”

“Huh?”

Then Prodia swiftly intervened.

“Then both of you come with us. Luca, shall we go ahead and move?”

“Good idea, sister. Shall we go then?”

Saying so, the two hurriedly tore the scrolls.

Ertis shouted out in desperation.

“Wait, are you leaving me here…!”

But it was already too late.

Bright light spilled out of the torn scrolls, and the two vanished to the Count’s residence in a flash.

Poof!

And only Ertis and Ed were left.

Ed excitedly spoke to Ertis.

“It’s truly an honor. I look forward to our journey, Grand Mage, sir?”

Moments later, Ed, who had arrived in the Count’s garden wrapped in Ertis’s arms, cursed inwardly.

‘Damn it! I should have noticed when the two ran away!’

He never thought that the way to move via teleportation was to hug the caster!

Frustrated, Ertis scolded him.

“I told you to take the scroll when I asked nicely.”

“Ah, it’s my first time teleporting. I guess I got motion sickness.”

Ed sidestepped skillfully.

There was no point in offending Ertis, known for his terrible temper.

Fortunately, Ertis quickly lost interest and turned away.

Watching his back, Ed found it unexpected.

‘Hmm. He doesn’t seem as insane as I thought.’

Ed quickly followed Ertis.

“But Grand Mage, sir, may I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“Why did you form a contract with Prodia Duser Yeongae? With your skills, you could easily win on your own. Haha.”

At that question, Ertis stopped walking.

“… Grand Mage?”

Slowly, Ertis turned towards Ed.

This time, however, his gaze was terrifying.

Unconsciously, Ed shrank back.

‘What, what’s going on? The atmosphere changed all of a sudden.’

It was not an illusion. Ertis approached, emitting a menacing aura.

“Was that your motive? To uncover Prodia’s secret?”

“Aha… what are you talking about?”

“I’m warning you in advance. If you mess with her and get caught, you’ll die by my hands.”

Ertis’s expression was no joke.

Ed tried to lighten the atmosphere.

“Why would you think so? How could I dare to mess with Prodia Duser Yeongae?”

“Really had no such intention?”

Startled, Ed forced a smile.

“You misunderstand.”

“Alright, it was my misunderstanding. Let it continue to be so.”

Saying so, Ertis turned away from Ed.

But Ed didn’t stop there.
“Do you, by any chance, have feelings for her, Grand Mage?”

“……What?”

Ed grinned at Irtis, who frowned in response.

“I see, I must have been mistaken. You seemed to worry about her so much.”

“Prodia is my contractor. It’s only natural to protect her until I win.”

“Ah, I see.”

Nodding, Ed listened as Irtis added.

“Anyway, that was not a warning but an order. Don’t touch Prodia.”

With that, Irtis retreated into the earl’s residence.

‘Hmm… No matter how I look at it, that doesn’t seem to be the case.’

Does he not even realize it himself?

The guy who claims he’ll become the husband of a princess and is participating in the tournament.

‘Truly, a bunch of misfits here. The best strategy would be to extract the essence and then flee.’

Ed smirked and also headed for the earl’s residence.

Inside the reception room where everyone had gathered.

Ed suddenly made a shocking declaration to Prodia.

“Miss Prodia, before fulfilling our contract, we must first assess both of our capabilities.”

His words rendered Irtis speechless.

“You want to test my abilities? Seriously?”

Irtis gathered mana in his palm.

Then, Ed quickly gestured with his hand.

“Whoa, let’s not jump to conclusions. I didn’t mean that kind of capability.”

Ed swiftly turned to Prodia.

“Didn’t you say earlier that if we teamed up with your contractors, we wouldn’t lose?”

“Yes, I did.”