[BL] Alpha, You've Got the Wrong Mate!

Chapter 389: 389 — A Monster’s Birth (13)

Throughout the tournament, Ilyan’s gaze often drifted toward the omega seated beside the High Priests.

Only then did he realize that Raniel, too, held the title of High Priest—at least in name. Despite occupying one of the seats reserved for the Temple’s highest authorities, the young omega barely uttered a word. Whenever he did, the others either dismissed his opinions or continued their discussion as though he hadn’t spoken at all.

Ilyan couldn’t understand why.

Was it because of Raniel’s age? Or was there another reason hidden beneath the Temple’s polished facade?

"All the best, Archmage!"

The cheers from the crowd pulled him away from his thoughts.

Ilyan glanced toward them and offered a gentle smile, earning even louder applause from the spectators gathered around the arena.

He had already won his first match and now waited for his second opponent to be announced.

The tournament followed a simple system.

At the beginning of the day, every participant received a numbered token. During the first round, a priest or one of the Temple servants would randomly draw two numbers, and those participants would face each other in the arena.

Once the first round concluded, only the names of the victors remained. Their names were copied onto a new list, and from then onward, a pair of dice determined the order of the matches. One die was sufficient while the remaining competitors numbered six or fewer, but once the list exceeded that number, a second die was added so that every participant had an equal chance of being called.

Round after round, the list grew shorter as the strongest advanced toward the finals.

The tournament lasted from sunrise until sunset, and throughout the day, the Temple freely distributed food and drinks to everyone who attended, whether they were participants or mere spectators.

As the final rounds approached, exhaustion gradually settled over the arena. Some contestants bore bruises while others limped back toward the waiting area after narrowly claiming victory.

Ilyan, however, barely touched the food that had been prepared for him.

His eyes unconsciously searched for the silver-haired omega seated high above the arena.

For some reason, the thought of disappointing Raniel worried him far more than the possibility of losing the tournament itself.

Once Raniel noticed the alpha looking toward him with hopeful eyes, his heart quietly sank.

He knew exactly what Ilyan was searching for. Some sort of approval. Even a little bit of reassurance.

Without thinking much of it, the omega gently curved his lips into a faint smile, hoping to reassure the alpha that everything would be alright.

The smile lasted only a brief moment before he lowered his gaze once more, careful not to draw the attention of the other High Priests.

Still, that single expression was enough.

The tension in Ilyan’s shoulders eased almost immediately, and a relieved smile spread across his face.

For reasons he couldn’t explain, seeing Raniel smile at him filled him with far more confidence than the cheers of the thousands gathered around the arena ever could.

And with that, Ilyan won.

The referee grasped his wrist and raised it high into the air as the crowd erupted into loud cheers.

The alpha panted heavily, sweat rolling down his temples while his gaze remained fixed on his opponent, who lay on the ground with Ilyan’s blade resting inches from his neck, both hands raised in surrender.

Only after several moments did Ilyan lower his sword.

His breathing had yet to steady when his eyes instinctively searched the platform where the High Priests were seated. He hoped to find Raniel smiling at him.

However, the omega’s seat was empty. The other High Priests had disappeared as well. There was no trace of any of them. As if they had vanished through thin air.

"Where did they go?..." Ilyan murmured under his breath, his grip around the sword loosening.

Before he could step away from the arena, the spectators rushed toward him, surrounding him from every direction. Congratulations echoed around him while countless hands reached out to pat his shoulders or shake his hand.

"Archmage!"

"What an incredible match!"

"You truly deserve the title!"

Their voices blended together until they became nothing more than meaningless noise.

Soon, several Temple priests approached him, carrying an ornate trophy crafted from gold and diamonds. Hianshu had plenty of them, after all.

One of the priests smiled proudly as he placed it into Ilyan’s hands while the crowd erupted into applause once more. Yet the weight in his hands felt insignificant.

His attention never left the empty platform where Raniel wasn’t present.

For some reason, that single realization unsettled him far more than it should have.

Something just didn’t feel right.

***

The next time Ilyan encountered Raniel was during the funeral of High Priest I.

"Apparently, he had been dead for quite some time now. But you know how the High Priests are. They keep everything so secret that it feels as though even the Temple walls had no idea about it," Vincent muttered beside him.

"Hm..." Ilyan answered absentmindedly.

Vincent frowned, noticing the lack of interest that his friend had in the conversation.

"Are you even listening to me?"

Following Ilyan’s line of sight, his eyes landed on Raniel.

The omega stood beside High Priestess II, dressed entirely in black. It was the first time Ilyan had ever seen him wear anything other than white. Against the dark robes, Raniel’s long silver hair seemed even brighter than usual, almost glowing beneath the pale daylight.

A faint smirk tugged at Vincent’s lips.

He knew something. Something he had deliberately kept hidden from his friend all this time. A secret he discovered solely because he was the son of the High Priestess II.

Although the woman never acknowledged him as her son, he still had the name and power to obtain all the information he wanted to.

"Yeah," Ilyan replied quietly, barely paying attention. "Give me a moment."

Without waiting for an answer, he made his way through the mourners until he stopped before the omega. Slowly, he pulled a neatly folded handkerchief from his pocket and held it out toward him.

"You can use this," he said softly.

Raniel turned his head in his direction for the briefest moment.

However, before their eyes could meet, he immediately looked away, lowering his gaze toward the coffin as though simply looking at Ilyan would be crossing a line he was forbidden to cross.

The gesture made Ilyan’s smile slowly fade. A small frown settled on his face as countless questions crossed his mind.

Why was Raniel avoiding him? Had he done something wrong? Or had someone forbidden the omega from speaking to him again?

But who would do such a thing?

High Priest I, the one who had opposed their relationship the most and restricted their interactions, had already passed away.

"Ra—"

"And what exactly are you doing here?" High Priestess II interrupted, raising a single eyebrow the moment her sharp gaze landed on him.

Ilyan straightened his back.

"I simply wanted to—"

Before he could finish, someone grabbed his arm and roughly pulled him away from the funeral hall.

"Who?!—" Ilyan exclaimed, only to freeze when he recognized the familiar face before him.

"Vincent?" His brows furrowed. "Why would you do that? I was talking to—"

The other alpha glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was close enough to overhear them before lowering his voice.

"Listen, Ilyan. You are a very good friend of mine, which is exactly why I am telling you this." His expression shifted to a serious one. "You need to stay away from Raniel from now on."

A look of confusion spread across Ilyan’s face.

"But why would I do that?" he asked, unable to understand where this sudden warning had come from.

"Just listen to me." Vincent’s voice remained firm, leaving no room for argument. "You will thank me later."

Ilyan searched his friend’s face, hoping to find some kind of explanation hidden behind those words.

However, there was none. Realizing it was pointless to continue arguing, the alpha let out a quiet sigh and nodded.

"Alright."

His one word seemed to satisfy Vincent.

However, deep inside, Ilyan had already made up his mind. Once the funeral came to an end and everyone returned to their duties, he would find Raniel and ask him himself.

After all, no matter how much Vincent insisted, he couldn’t bring himself to believe that Raniel truly wanted to avoid him.

And with Raniel’s eyes concealed beneath the white blindfold, it became all the more difficult for Ilyan to understand what the omega truly felt.

His expressions were subtle to begin with, and without being able to look into his eyes, the alpha could only rely on fleeting changes in his voice and the smallest movements of his face—none of which were enough to tell him what was truly going through Raniel’s mind.

Just when he started opening up to me, you’re telling me that he doesn’t want to interact with me anymore? Nonsense!

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