— My dearest sister's ability to seek out talent and find a worthy use for it inspires both terror and respect simultaneously. Come then, Erephir, His Majesty must learn of the state of affairs in the country from your own lips.
Uttering a short spell and snapping her fingers, the middle daughter transports herself and the red-haired knight directly to the palace. Soon, the leader of Carneol had to stand before a man whose portrait tirelessly adorned the first page of this divine comedy, but who until this moment had never appeared to the reader in person.

Having listened to Erephir, he decides...
— If the shedding of human blood is unavoidable, this tournament must be conducted with the necessary minimum of decorum befitting the status of holy Stalia; otherwise, sacrifices may be made in vain, which is absolutely unacceptable. Its participants are to appear by their own will, and cities of the empire must be avoided so as not to give the enemy further reason to descend upon thousands of innocents. Based on this, it will be held in Laplace — a land where the element of fire is highly esteemed, and where another goal of this operation is located nearby: Carneol shall undertake its search in the lead-up to the deadly contest. Naera, I charge you to send volunteers there as quickly as possible; I grant the other two groups the right to use royal wyverns for a more rapid journey.