After some idle banter, Lucia finally asked the question that both she and Cecil wanted to ask her mother.

"Mama, why are you here?"

"Hmmm...Well, mommy wanted to see how her children were doing~"

"Uhm... mother, is that really all?" Cecil asked, completely unconvinced.

"Hmhm~ well, that's basically it, but I also wanted to inform you two about the reason for the upcoming joint tournament and why they changed things this year."

"Oh...okay."

The two listened on in silence as Anna began explaining. Basically, the reason for the tournament's changes this year was because apparently on the 1st day of the New Year, the Tempest Kingdom of the Human Continent, Midgard, had suddenly launched a brutal assault on the beastmen kingdoms near the borders.

It was an awful assault that completely caught the beastmen powers off guard. The armies of the human kingdoms swept through almost all of the beastmen border kingdoms in a very swift and clean preemptive attack that left no room for the beastmen to even retaliate. At the moment, the humans have stopped their attacks, but reports from the Orca Empire stated that the humans were rounding up all the beastmen in the conquered territories and were planning on shipping them into Midgard, intent on turning the captured people into slaves.

Cecil frowned upon hearing the news from Anna. He felt that it was a shame that the Midgard Continent and Urrugdrasil Continent were now at war. He had wanted to take Lucia on a trip to explore the Midgard Continent and look for his family once they were done with the Academy, but thanks to the current situation, it looks like he'd have to push back that plan.

"Well... looks like I can't do that now..."

"Do what, Cel?" Anna asked after he accidentally voiced his thoughts out for everyone to hear.

"Uhh... I wanted to take Lucia on a trip to the Midgard Continent and look for my family after we finished with school and all... I was hoping to graduate early after I've learnt all that I needed from here. I mean, there's no point to sticking around for the full 4 years."

"Hmmm, I see... we'll talk about it again after you graduate."

"Okay... so what's up with the tournament changes?" Cecil asked. "Why go and have a joint tournament when there's a war going on?"

"Ahh, yes, let's get back on topic. Well, you see, the Orca Empire was the one that suggested this. Since it was rare for the two continents to actually go to war, the Empire wanted to open the World Tree's heritage grounds and send in some of their young talents to bring back some treasures or some other things to help them with the war."

"Huh? Why not just ask for reinforcements from the other races' Kingdoms?"

"They're too prideful for that. You see, the beastmen are prideful warriors that won't back down nor ask for help when presented with a fight. The 'assistance' that they asked for was only to help them open the World Tree's sacred grounds."

"I see... and how is this related to the tournament?"

Anna took a small sip of her tea before continuing, "Opening the heritage grounds is a feat that needs to be performed by the rulers of each of the 6 guardian races of Urrugdrasil; the merfolk, elves, werebeasts, dwarves, giants, and the dragons whose representatives are us, the beastkins. Each representative race holds a unique key and secret method that is used to open the grounds. After opening the entrance you would naturally have to pick the people to go in."

"Alright, so the tournament is there to help select the most suitable candidates to go inside the grounds and retrieve the treasures within... doesn't that mean it's not only the Magic Academies that are participating?" Lucia asked.

"Oh, no no~ only the Magic Academies are allowed to send people in."

"Why's that, Mama?"

"Because only individuals with an age below 20 may enter the premises~"

"I see... so that's why the Kingdoms turn towards the Academies who obviously house the most amount of talented young individuals who are eligible enough to enter the World Tree's Sacred Grounds..." Cecil said with understanding.

"Yes... so, Cecil, Lucia... I want you guys to go in without the burden of having any connections to any kingdom or faction."

Cecil and Lucia didn't understand what she meant. What kind of burden was she talking about?

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, Mama?"

Anna smiled gently at the two. She took them into her gaze before softly saying, "I know that the both of you are strong... much stronger than anyone from your generation. Cecil, I have to thank you for that."

"Eh? Oh... don't mention it, mother..."

"Anyway, I know for a fact that if you two were to enter the sacred grounds, then you both are bound to take hold of many treasures and opportunities... These treasures, I want you to keep for yourself. You have neither the obligation nor the need to hand over those treasures to the Kingdom or anyone else. Do you understand?'

"Huh? Isn't that a given? Why would we give something of ours over to someone else?" Cecil asked.

"...once you two are selected to participate in the Joint Tournament, I'm pretty sure the Kingdom or some other factions will try and contact you."

"Why?"

"The treasures from the sacred grounds are tempting enough to make even a transcendent-level character go after them, but unfortunately for them, they've already lost the chance to actually enter the place due to their ages."

"So, they'll turn to us."

"Precisely. Not just those transcendent characters, but also the Kingdoms and other factions will try to lure you to their side, with false rewards and flowery promises."

"...they're mistaken if they think they'll be able to persuade us," Lucia replied with a frown.

"Yes, that they are, but it's not just persuasion that they'll use. Threats, blackmail, kidnapping, and practically any other underhanded method may be used if you decline their offer."

"Then I'll just crush the problem as they come by," Cecil declared coldly. "If they think they can threaten me or Lulu, then they've got another thing coming!"

"Hahaha~ that's just so like you Cel~" Lucia laughed in response to his muscle-headed solution.

"Yes, you could do that... but what happens if it's a problem that you can't simply 'crush'? What will you do then? For instance, what would happen if they kidnapped Lucia and threatened you with her?"

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"Huh?"

"Mama! I'm not that weak! I definitely won't be kidnapped!" Lucia retorted indignantly.

"Of course you aren't, sweetie~ but I'm just presenting a case, never mind Lulu, but what happens if your friends from Little Kings are the ones that were kidnapped? And the kidnappers blackmailed you to work for them in exchange for sparing their lives?"

"..."

"Ah..."

The two foxkin became silent upon hearing such a situation. The two were individually strong and they believed that they could handle any problem that was thrown at them despite being at such a young age, but that couldn't be said the same for their friends.

"...Well, I guess, you two are pretty stumped too, huh?"

"..."

"Then don't worry! Mommy here will guarantee yours and their safety!"

"Mama!!! Why couldn't you say that earlier?!" Lucia whined.

Cecil bitterly smiled. This was the first time that he was put into a situation where even he couldn't find a solution to the problem. It vexed him, but he could see why his foster mother did this. She wanted them to think for themselves, it was obvious from the start that she would back them up, otherwise, why would she go through the trouble of explaining anything to them?

"Hmhm~ I just wanted to see how smart my two children have become after so long~ but apparently, you two still need to learn much more~"

"...yes, mother," Cecil replied as he bowed his head deeply. Lucia saw this and did the same, though she still didn't understand why her mother put them through such a thing.

"Okay you two, here's a little present from Mommy. You're bound to enter a faction or side. Otherwise, the kingdom and any other affiliation with power won't look too kindly upon you two. Not to mention that you'll be scrutinized and strictly monitored after you come out of the World Tree without turning anything over~"

Anna pulled out two objects from inside her robe. Cecil saw that the objects were a pair of white rings.

"Mama?! Wh-Wh-Wh-What are those for?!" Lucia squealed as her face turned a couple shades redder.

"Huh? Oh, you~ Fufufu~" Anna gave a teasing look towards her daughter, this caused Lucia to heat up even more and her face turned redder and redder.

"It's not what you think though, fufufu~"

At her mother's words she immediately froze up.

"Eh?"

"These are 'White Rings', they're the gifts I'm giving to you both."

"White Rings? What're they for?" Cecil asked as he took the rings, keeping one for himself and passing over the other to Lucia.

"You two do know about spatial rings by now, right?"

"Yes, of course. We each own one. The Academy gave it to us."

"Look at your rings, they're black in color."

"Yeah... they've always been black."

"White Rings are also spatial rings, but unlike the black ones, these are made solely for personal use only."

"Okay... but aren't all spatial rings like that?"

"Ahahaha~ of course they are, but that's not what I meant," Anna giggled a bit and paused to eat one of the desserts that she prepared for their little reunion tea party.

"What I'm saying is, Black Spatial rings aren't anything private. If someone else was to take or steal your ring, they'd be able to rummage through your belongings. White Spatial Rings, or White Rings for short, don't allow this."

"Oh? Now that you mention it..." Cecil thought back to his previous experiences using the spatial rings. There was the time where he looted those troublemakers back at the Whitewood Plantation. There were also the times where his entire party would take turns to use the Little Kings' spatial ring to withdraw or store their supplies and money.

"In order to use the White Ring, you'd have to bind it to yourselves first."

The two kids were confused at Anna's words as they turned puzzled looks to her.

"Hm?"

"Bind the ring using a drop of your blood that's been infused with mana. Go on, try it."

"Okay."

"Mhm."

Lucia took out her Butterfly and made a small cut on her index finger, once she saw that a drop of her blood had flowed out, she handed the kodachi over to Cecil, who also did the same. They focused and channeled as much mana as they could into that singular drop of blood. When the blood became infused with their mana, it started glowing. Lucia's glow was a dark violet color, while Cecil's was golden.

They then dropped the blood onto the white rings in their hands. The blood drop soon disappeared into the ring, like the ring itself was consuming the blood. After the blood was completely absorbed, the rings began to change color. The once white rings changed to the respective colors of the mana that Cecil and Lucia had infused into their blood. Cecil's white ring turned golden while Lucia's turned a dark violet.

Anna exclaimed happily when she saw the binding process finish, "There, now you both have your very own personal spatial rings~ I'm glad that the camouflage function worked~ now no one will be able to tell that it was originally a white ring~"

"?"

"Don't worry children! Now that it's functioning properly, you won't have to worry about other people finding out that you have white rings! Just so you know, this is Mama's personal, specially-made, custom-colored, 'white' spatial ring!"

"O-Okay?"

"Now, only you two will be able to access the spatial rings in your hands. No one else will be able to! Also, if you happen to lose it, remember this spell!"

Anna handed over a piece of parchment to Cecil and on the parchment Cecil saw a short phrase for a spell incantation.

"You can use it too, Little Cel~ just recite the incantation and the spatial ring will immediately teleport back onto your hand!"

Cecil memorized the incantation and immediately he threw his ring across the room. This act caused Anna to be surprised. Cecil quickly chanted the incantation and the ring that was still in the air flashed with a small white light and disappeared, he then felt that he was gripping something in his hand. He opened it up and the golden ring was laying there in his palms.

"Wow, so convenient!"

"Ah...ah..." Anna was trying to mouth out some words, but nothing came out.

In order to test the incantation, Cecil actually chucked a nation-level treasure across the room like it was an ordinary rock. Lucia began giggling when she saw her mother's disbelieving expression.