Chapter 420: Deciding A Tutor "So you’re in need of a magic tutor?" The Emperor asked as he lowered his chin and fixed his royal gaze sharply on Azel who sat on the opposite side of the grand desk. The office was quiet. With all the destruction from the First Calamity, the Academy collapse, the funerals, the reconstructions, and the endless political disputes, the Emperor was busier than he had ever been in the last decade. But somehow... he still made out time to speak with Azel. That alone made Azel’s stomach twist slightly. ’I wasn’t even there for the whole battle...’ Azel thought as the Emperor’s eyes bored into him. ’But everyone was praising me... stuff like coming back from the dead, one-shotting Nari, ending the whole thing with a single blow... Sure, I did all of those but did they have to tell the Emperor everything?!’ He could practically feel the Emperor’s gaze pressing onto his soul, as though trying to dissect him, crack open his chest and peek inside. He had been trying to pry the answers out on several occasions for the past two weeks but Azel didn’t give it to him. "Yes, for my daughter," Azel finally said. And immediately, the Emperor’s expression shifted as recognition flashing in his eyes. ’Ah that little girl that he carries around... I received reports of her from Dorian in the Academy too. With enough guidance, I believe she will grow to be a splendid mage.’ Aldric thought. "I’m certain that if she had a very good magic instructor," Azel continued, "she would become a very powerful mage." The Emperor stopped writing. His pen hovered midair. Slowly, he looked up, dark circles beneath his eyes sharp and pronounced. Every time he looked into those eyes... he felt uneasy. "Tobias," the Emperor said suddenly. A teleportation glow appeared instantly beside him, revealing a mage wearing star-embroidered robes. He bowed so quickly it was almost a blur. "Gather the best tutors within Starbloom City," the Emperor ordered. "Tell them they will each be paid forty gold ares by the Emperor himself if they come for auditions. Prepare a room for the evaluations. I want only the best of the best present." "Yes, Your Majesty! It will be done instantly!" Tobias vanished with a pop of teleportation magic. The Emperor then turned to Azel again, his expression was unreadable as usual but he looked undeniably intrigued. "Shall we get some robes," he asked, "and evaluate the instructors for your daughter?" Azel had no idea whether the Emperor was doing this because he genuinely wanted to help... or because he wanted to sharpen Azel and Lillia into Empire-shaping weapons. Honestly? Probably both. ... In less than an hour, six instructors were gathered in a spacious room of the castle used for combat examinations and ceremonial tests. They stood in a row, each attempting to look composed, professional, and competent. Except for one. A particular elf... he had once been regal and graceful, always wearing ornate robes and carrying himself like nobility. Right now, he was nearly unrecognizable. His face was lined with wrinkles, his hair was unkempt as well and his once spotless robes were faded, patched, and borderline ragged. His posture, once upright and proud, now slouched as if the world’s weight lay on his shoulders. Sir Alvinus Seatra. The Elf who had banned Azel from Elemental Affinity class. But this version of Alvinus? He looked like a man who had lost everything. ’Why... why did the princess leave me here...?’ Alvinus thought bitterly, staring down at his trembling hands. His beloved princess... his student, the Elf King’s daughter had returned to the Elven Kingdom without telling him a thing. When he attempted to follow, a magical communication from the Elven Court appeared: [YOU ARE BANISHED UNTIL YOU LEARN WHAT IT MEANS TO BE HUMAN.] ’How can an Elf understand humans...?’ Alvinus thought miserably. Still, he tried to survive. He learned quickly that humans were... frighteningly racist, even more so than him actually. Especially toward anything that wasn’t human enough for their tastes. He had been chased out of a village after someone started screaming about a "witch with long ears." ’I’m not even a woman...’ Alvinus rubbed his face tiredly. He eventually made it into the Empire hoping to beg the Emperor for an audience, but the Elf King had apparently informed the Emperor of his banishment and he was turned away. He resorted to disguising himself as a human using illusion magic, joining an adventurer party to make a living. And then... One of his party members falsely accused him of rape. There were forged letters, forged items, false testimonies. Everything was so meticulously faked that the Guild revoked his license instantly. He lost his income. He lost his reputation. He lost his last family... his party. And here he was. ’Two weeks... it’s only been two weeks. How can life change this much in just two weeks...?’ He dragged his hand down his face. There were five other instructors here, but Alvinus was the only one visibly shaking. ’With my luck, I’m sure the person that the Emperor organized the whole event for is someone that I have offended.’ He thought with a shake of his head. Of course it would be someone he had offended. "Welcoming... The Emperor and Azel Thorne," the teleport mage announced. Alvinus’s soul left his body. The Emperor and Azel entered the room wearing matching deep-blue robes with their hands tucked neatly in front of them. Their presence alone filled the air with pressure. As they sat down in the judge’s seats, a butler approached, pouring drinks into glass cups with elegance. Alvinus gulped. ’I’m... fucked.’ But. Fifty gold ares. Fifty. Not even a royal tutor earned that much in one payment. He couldn’t give that up... even if Azel fed him to a dragon afterward. He straightened himself, trying to appear calm. It didn’t work. "Now then," the Emperor said clearly. "first person, please come forward and give your presentation." A middle-aged human man with streaks of white in his hair stepped forward. His robe was neatly pressed, and he carried a staff with a carved wind symbol at the head. "I am Thomas Verity," he began, bowing. "I am a Four-circle Mage. I currently have a dual affinity in Earth and Wind..." Alvinus wiped sweat from his brow. This was only the first candidate and he felt like he was going to faint before it even became his turn.