"Honorable dragon, how do you want us to approach this situation?" The King of Tinada asked hesitantly. The other royals nodded silently at his query.

They were all curious since I said I understand that normal mages cannot be stopped immediately. My plan was rather simple, it was to bring the change gradually as I mentioned before.

"I will be hosting an event here, a tournament of sorts if you will. The tournament will take place once every five years, for the first twenty years. Each empire, dynasty, and kingdom will initially be given five slots for their candidates. Those said candidates will take part in the ascension ceremony. Should they survive and ascend as orthodox mages, they will then compete against the other contestants for more places in the next tournament. Each win grants the winner one more place and each loss deducts one. Simple, right?" I asked and glanced at the leaders who fell silent.

Their brows frowned as they began to contemplate what I just said. The Emperor of Yadour was the first to ask;

"Are the candidates limited to humans only?"

His question genuinely surprised me and caused me to glance at the dark-skinned man with interest. The current era belonged to humans. Other races were not that tolerated, they were either enslaved or pushed out and forced to live in desolated places.

"No, you may send any type of candidate to take the ascension test."

The Emperor nodded and thanked me before he fell silent. The next to ask was the Emperor of Lumia;

"Honorable Dragon Lord, we have had the chance to take a glimpse at the giant pillar on the way here. I simply would like to confirm, are the names carved there all belong to those who failed the Ascension?"

"That is indeed correct. The names belong to those who laid their lives for the betterment of your race, they belong to those who did not hesitate to sacrifice themselves to give you a chance to live. It'd be best to give them the respect they deserve."

Hearing that, the royals all nodded with solemn expressions on their faces.

Next was the Empress of Zasal. She seemed to hesitate for a second before speaking;

"My lord, If possible, I would like to know what are the chances and the criterias needed to survive the Ascension?"

"The chances are slim, but the prize is high. Should you succeed, you will be reborn anew. You will no longer be, a simple human. The most crucial criterion is to have a strong will. An affinity with the mana comes after that."

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"Thank you for your explanation, my lord."

I glanced at the remaining Royals and asked;

" Any more questions?"

The king of Rimor, what is the word to speak this time he raised his hand and hesitantly, spoke up;

"What happens after the 20 years period?"

My mouth curved upwards into a terrifying grin causing them to hold their breaths in surprise.

"Well, by that time. It's best if I don't hear of any old mages running about in your nations. You understand what I mean, right?"

All the leaders hurriedly nodded their heads. My smile widened in satisfaction.

"Good. Then do you have any more questions?"

"My lord, when will the first tournament and Ascension ceremony take place?"

"Ah, yes. Six months from now. That should be enough time for you to go back, discuss, and prepare your candidates. Any objections?"

No one dared to speak up.

"Good, then we shall end this meeting here. The church will be holding a banquet tonight to welcome you. You may retreat now and take some rest. I'll be seeing you at night." I said.

Understanding that it was their cue to leave, the royals stood up one after the other and gave me a deep respectful bow before they hastily left.

"You guys go and get some rest as well. You worked hard." I smiled and nodded at the mage trio.

"Thank you, my lord."

"Do take some rest as well."

"I look forward to seeing you tonight as well, my lord!"

They all replied, to which I simply smiled and waved them away. It was then that Lana approached me with a curious expression and asked;

"What about the missing Wind mage, my lord?"

"I'll head out to find them myself after the royals go back," I explained causing Lana to nod in understanding.

"You should go and prepare yourself for tonight as well," I added. Lana gave me another nod before she replied;

"Well then, if you would excuse me. I will be seeing you tonight, my lord."

"En."

And with that, the strange redhead left the platform and made her way to the church, leaving me behind in the company of my thoughts, once again.

I wasn't sure how well the tournament plan would turn out, but it was worth a shot. Twenty years was not that long for a dragon, and it should be enough to see some changes. The nations will be keeping each other in check, though I'm curious about how their standing will be by the end of it all. Will Lumia still retain its number-one spot as the strongest nation? Or would I see a dark horse emerge? I was honestly enjoying myself.

Still, I wasn't sure if five places were enough. What if no one survived? It was a gamble, but one that I was willing to take. I was sure that the nations would send the best candidates they could find, ones with strong wills and high mana affinity, which means their success rate would be higher.

Then again, anything could happen, so it was something to look forward to. I lowered myself and curled my tail around me before I closed my eyes to rest. The servants of the church were bustling about, preparing the venue for tonight. The smell of food wafting through the air made my stomach rumble. Thankfully no one was close by.

'I wonder what Sidus, Immy, and Essie are doing. It's been a while since I last saw those kids.' I sighed. Essie disappeared for a long time after grandma took her under her wing.

Sidus and Immy were still on their journey across the continent. I wasn't too worried about them though. They were already deadly individually, not to mention when they team up.

A sigh escaped my mouth, "Looks like I can't fall behind. That'll be shameful as the oldest."