In past Spring Cups, Eden Academy had never lacked genius students who shone brilliantly in the early stages of the trial, scooping up a heap of rewards.
Almost no one ever complained about such behavior.
After all, the essence of the Spring Cup was competition itself, and those prodigies had earned their prizes with pure strength—they deserved everything they got.
But right now, Elena and Hysteria's performance on the magic screens had utterly shattered the spectators' composure.
Trials that were pure nightmare fuel for everyone else were like casual strolls for these two. Just by walking around, magic scrolls, wondrous artifacts, and top-quality mana stones practically leapt into their pockets.
Though the screen showed two adorable, lovable girls, many in the audience still felt an instinctive, bloodline-deep resentment against such ungodly luck.
"A match with no suspense but endless surprises," a teacher couldn't help but sigh.
The magical screens displayed the current standings: for item collection, Elena's team alone had amassed more loot than the second to tenth-place teams combined. As for map progression, the illegally teamed-up seniors from Golden Court were still circling the forest aimlessly, while Linen had already blasted his way straight to the entrance of Mist Castle.
And regarding monster kills—the mysterious magic swordswoman, Princess Noraviel from the imperial family, was mowing through enemies like grass, absolutely dominating the battlefield.
Suddenly, a younger teacher asked curiously, "It's rather strange, isn't it? Her Majesty the Empress clearly only has three children, so why does a fourth princess exist? Princess Noraviel's strength is so impressive, yet I've hardly ever heard of her name."
Silence instantly descended. Everyone around him tacitly shut their mouths.
Gust spoke up lightly, his voice calm and cool:
"It's extremely rude to discuss a young lady's private affairs in public. Besides, although Princess Noraviel and the other two girls are performing splendidly, the story's ending was written long ago—Linen-kun's victory is inevitable, isn't it?"
This was a simple fact. Item collection and monster kills were mere side scores. It had happened in previous years that the Spring Cup winner had lost due to lower total points, but this time, such a scenario was virtually impossible.
No matter if it was monster slaying or treasure hunting, both activities required time—exactly what Linen's speedrun-style method denied his rivals. Once he grabbed the Spring Cup, the competition would end immediately. Given his current pace, overtaking his lead would be next to impossible for anyone else.
Though the competition was continuing fiercely on the surface, the suspense had already evaporated.
"No kidding. This year's Spring Cup is pure chaos. In just three short hours, we've seen an infinite-mana human artillery battery, illegal teaming, melee mages, and luck demons."
Someone immediately chimed in beside him.
Meanwhile, Headmaster Sorgana seemed casually detached, one leg crossed elegantly, but beneath her facade, sweat poured down furiously.
She had instantly recognized the arcane map Elena and Hysteria were using as her own handiwork—the one originally intended for Linen.
After witnessing Linen's seemingly endless magical bombardment, Sorgana knew it was impossible that Elena and Hysteria had stolen the map from him.
This meant Linen hadn't just seen through her prank from the beginning—he'd never planned on using the map himself at all! Instead, he'd intended it as a gift for those two girls from the start!
Damn brat, you're courting girls with my prize items?!
You cunning little dragonspawn from House Norton!
Sorgana was practically fuming with rage.
No way would she let him succeed. Trying to build good relations with those girls, huh?
Just wait—once I find the chance, I'll absolutely sabotage your relationship, turn them against you forever!
They'll reject you as harshly as your lying mother!
No—wait. That tsundere woman Tivira was obviously pretending to reject Linen while secretly supporting him. But Sorgana was different. She'd sow discord until those two girls hated Linen genuinely from the heart, rejecting all his requests without hesitation—until their hatred became irreconcilable!
Sorgana trembled violently, consumed by her wicked thoughts.
Pranks were one thing—but this time, your Headmaster-sama is genuinely furious!
Meanwhile, inside the trial illusion, Elena and Hysteria continued steadily towards yet another high-reward spot marked on their map.
"This is seriously absurd. Someone actually made their own signed photo into a reward? And it's clearly just a kid! Could any guy actually like such an undeveloped brat? Totally worthless!"
Hysteria complained loudly, twirling Headmaster Sorgana's signed photo between her fingers. She was completely oblivious to the irony—that Sorgana was merely reverted to childhood, whereas she herself was the genuine flat-chested article.
"Elena-chan, don't keep messing with the Headmaster's photos. If you don't want them, just throw—well, on second thought, someone might misuse them, so better just destroy or keep them."
Elena gently advised from beside her.
"You think I haven't tried?"
Flames ignited in Hysteria's palm, but the photo remained completely undamaged.
"All these signed photos have Tier-5 protection magic! That loli-granny's trial designs are absolute garbage, but her photos have defenses like a fortress!"
Elena merely hummed quietly in response, falling silent again.
Hysteria instantly felt a surge of irritation.
She didn't even need to ask—Elena's thoughts were obviously drifting to that annoying Linen again.
Ever since learning the precious map Linen gave them was accurate, Elena's body might be here with Hysteria, but her heart had long since flown off toward Linen.
Even though Elena was physically beside her, every few minutes she'd bring up Linen's name again.
This feeling left Hysteria inexplicably irritated, coupled with an odd, hard-to-explain humiliation.
Why must you keep thinking about him, keep saying his name, even when you're clearly with me?!
Just then, a violent explosion abruptly shattered their thoughts. The entire forest seemed to shake.
Before they could recover, another explosion sounded, followed quickly by a third, fourth, and more—
The continuous blasts shaking Misty Valley immediately drew everyone's attention.
"Linen-kun's in trouble!" Elena's face instantly turned pale.
"Elena-chan, don't overreact!"
Hysteria finally couldn't take it anymore. "Even if you're worried about that annoying jerk, you don't have to connect every little disturbance to him, do you?"
"No, that's not it! I... actually..."
Elena's face flushed bright red as she pulled a compass-like artifact from her pocket.
"I secretly placed a tracking artifact on Linen-kun. And those explosions came from his direction!"
"The explosions definitely involve Linen-kun—we have to help him!"
Hysteria's expression finally shifted as she understood the seriousness. Those blasts were undeniably powerful, easily strong enough to eliminate a contestant.
If anyone was going to eliminate that annoying jerk, it had to be Princess Hysteria herself! Everyone else, get out of the way!
But...
"How can we even help? Those explosions sounded really far away."
Hysteria asked uneasily.
Elena answered by pulling a silver, glowing Arcana scroll from her spatial ring.
A Tier-6 Arcana Scroll—Winding Path Teleportation. This could open two connected spatial gates; if precise coordinates were known, it could theoretically cross half the nation instantly.
And the one and only Misty Valley map was right here in their hands.
This was among their biggest gains so far.
"Elena-chan, you're really gonna use that? Wasn't that scroll supposed to be your life-saving trump card?"
Hysteria was genuinely shocked.
"Linen-kun might need us," Elena replied firmly.
"But this is a Tier-6 Arcana Scroll! Do you even realize how valuable it is?"
"He helped us. Now we need to help him."
"Wait—wait! Maybe those explosions were just that idiot clearing a path again!"
Hysteria sputtered out an explanation she herself didn't really believe.
Even if contestants were eliminated, they wouldn't really die here—using such a valuable item felt like such a waste…
Rip—!
With a decisive sound, Elena tore open the scroll. Instantly, a silver-glowing teleportation gate appeared before them.
"I'm going ahead!"
After declaring this, Elena vanished through the gate.
"Wait for me!"
Hysteria hesitated briefly, gritted her teeth, and jumped in after her.
"It's already used anyway! It's not because I care about that annoying jerk! I just don't want anyone else eliminating him before I do!"
Dizziness overcame her, and when she emerged from the portal, Hysteria stared upward at an enormous, gloomy fortress cloaked in mist, towering ominously before them.
Compared to this oppressive castle, the forest mist had seemed sunny and pleasant. The eerie atmosphere made even fire-loving Hysteria shiver instinctively.
"Elena-chan… you sure that annoying guy's here?"
"Probably…"
Even Elena seemed unsure.
"I only guessed his location from the explosions' direction and timing… but I never imagined we'd end up here…"
The Earl of Mist Castle.
Unbelievably, they'd become the first contestants to reach this final site—though the gates remained firmly shut, and the castle wasn't their goal anyway.
At that precise moment, a blue meteor streaked through the sky, crashing violently before them, throwing up a cloud of dust. Shielding their eyes from the debris, the girls waited until the dust settled. Before them stood a beautiful golden-haired knightess, wielding an invisible sword pointed straight at them.
"Are you the wicked women who caused His Highness to break his promise?"
Meanwhile, moments earlier, having slain the last nearby Tier-3 beast, Novie slowly withdrew her invisible-barrier-covered sword from the bear's chest. Flicking the blade to clean off blood, she whispered softly into the air:
"Have I provided enough offerings?"
Continuous high-intensity combat had left her voice faintly weary, yet she bore no wounds—a testament to her extraordinary combat skills, and more crucially, the incredibly innovative equipment she wore.
Every piece was an Arcana Artifact—not individually powerful, but combined for astonishing effects.
Besides the Holy Sword cloaked in invisibility, she wore a battle-skirt enchanted purely with "Deflection" magic, a hairpin with a cleansing barrier, and an amulet to guard the soul.
"Can't have my little maid fighting covered in blood, after all."
That's what the designer had said.
Invisible ripples distorted the air, and a warped voice audible only to Novie resonated from the void, brimming with satisfaction:
"Yes, child. Astonishingly swift, your offerings are sufficient. We have drunk deeply of mana-rich blood. Thus, we shall grant your wish."
"For him, I will do anything," Novie whispered resolutely, fatigue-filled eyes shining with determination.
Because he was her brother, her master—the one to whom she'd vowed eternal service.
Forever.
...
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in a distant mage tower, a black-robed sorcerer gazed into a crystal orb, cackling in twisted delight as everything unfolded precisely as he'd envisioned.
Yes… exactly that tone, my beloved child. Exactly that greedy yet humble obsession—truly a delicacy of the highest order. And you, step by step, shall become the keystone in our grand plan to drown Eden and Zijinghua in blood!
Upon the sorcerer's back, embroidered into the dark robes, were the unmistakable insignia of the Tower, accompanied by an image depicting a great hand controlling a dancing puppet.
The Tower of Chronomancy—School of Heartshaping!
These Arcana Masters weren't known for destructive prowess. Instead, they corroded their enemies' minds from afar with psychic Arcana, quietly killing from a thousand miles away.
Staring down at the crystal orb, observing the girl who'd now become obedient to his every word, a disdainful smirk curled upon the mage's lips.
Those morons from the Withering faction had thoroughly disgraced the Tower, forcing him to activate this trump card far earlier than intended just to clean up their mess.
The fourth princess of Zijinghua, Noraviel—without the Norton surname—though personally acknowledged by the Empress herself, had become one of the most revered young ladies alive. Yet precisely because those countless cowards dared not target the Empress herself, all their hidden daggers had converged upon this isolated princess.
He didn't know exactly how all those incompetents had failed so miserably, but it took him practically no effort to pierce the pitiable soul-defense of the pendant around the girl's neck, convincing her that he wasn't an outsider but rather the Holy Spirit residing within her sword. By offering sufficient sacrifices, all her wishes would come true.
Under the subtle yet prolonged manipulation of a Heartshaping master, perhaps even the princess herself no longer knew how far her desires had drifted from their original course.
The Tower's original scheme was to activate this pawn much further in the future, when the fourth princess—like the Silver Dragon Princess Quinn before her—had become a pillar of the Empress's authority. Only then would they deal the proud Red Dragon Empress a crippling blow.
But now, due to the Withering faction's catastrophic failure, he'd been forced to play this card early. Thankfully, the potential gains remained substantial.
With the princess's own hand, Eden Academy would suffer immense, unexpected losses, driving a wedge between the two great Arcana Masters—Gust and Sorgana—and the Red Dragon Empress herself. A magnificent bounty in a single stroke!
"Pathetic worms, forever crawling in the dirt," the black-robed mage sneered. "Those fools at Eden are probably still wasting their precious efforts hunting suspicious intruders, inspecting traps and magical beasts."
"Sadly for them, until the very moment the Tower's retribution strikes, they'll never realize the true infiltrator isn't physical at all—but boundless psychic energy!"
Pouring mana into the crystal orb, the sorcerer spread his arms, voice thunderous with excitement:
"Come forth, Princess! In accordance with our contract, I grant you power. Now fulfill our shared desire—bring destruction to this filthy academy that stole your brother away!"
The invisible Holy Sword exploded with immense magical power, instantly revitalizing the princess's exhausted body. The next moment, an aura vastly surpassing her previous strength surged around her.
Yet at that instant, the sorcerer's face visibly paled. Compared to the massive strain of casting protective blessings from so great a distance, the sacrifices he'd collected were nothing but drops in the ocean.
Still, just as he was preparing to savor the glorious slaughter, the princess's cherry-red lips parted slightly, uttering a single indifferent word:
"No."
?
The black-robed mage slowly raised a question mark.
He wondered if he'd heard incorrectly.
"Excuse me, Princess… Now that you've received this power, aren't you supposed to do something to make this academy regret, such as spreading terror, darkness, and despair?"
"Don't wanna."
The mage's anxiety spiked sharply:
"Didn't we agree to destroy this worthless academy? According to our pact, I'd shield you from those teachers' scrutiny and grant you power, so you could freely slaughter their students and fill Eden with pain?"
"Maybe next time."
Novie merely replied in a flat tone. In the next instant, the black-robed mage, utterly drained of energy, lost the ability to speak further—forced helplessly to watch Novie wield the power he'd provided.
He'd been scammed!
"Fuck!"
In fury, he hurled the crystal orb to the ground, shattering it violently. Yet, unwilling to surrender, he immediately picked it up again, examining it closely. Realizing something, he glared at the glowing pendant, eyes nearly popping out in rage.
"There's something wrong with that pendant!"
He cast a quick detection spell, nearly causing himself to collapse from sheer rage:
"Protecting the soul was only its surface-level enchantment. Underneath that is actually a high-level Reflection spell?! Was this artifact's creator insane?! Who in their right mind puts Reflection magic on their own soul?!"
Elsewhere, newly empowered by the distant mage's blessings, Novie calmly adjusted to her strengthened state, turning her gaze towards a specific location.
Originally, destroying Eden Academy had indeed been her plan. But after seeing the brother she longed for again, her thoughts had changed.
Words could deceive; actions never lied.
After seeing those two girls who appeared on the surface to have a bad relationship with her brother but actually seemed terribly close, realization dawned on Novie.
The reason her brother refused to return to the palace, the reason he'd left her—it wasn't because of the academy at all. It was because of those two women, wasn't it?
Regardless, everyone's ultimate destination was the castle. She'd wait there.
Bending her knees slightly, Novie charged mana into her feet, unleashing a surge of wind-enhanced power. Like a meteor, she launched herself skyward, crossing vast distances swiftly until she reached the castle.
Just as she was about to land, she saw a silver teleportation gate open, bringing the two women she'd intended to find directly to her.
"Hey, who exactly are you anyway?" Hysteria immediately sensed danger, asking sharply.
But Novie only stared coldly, eyes narrowed slightly as she observed the girl before her:
Black-and-white slim-fitting skirt. Thin yet stretchy, tightly wrapped around slender legs. Comfortable-looking black stockings. And that distinctive thigh ring.
Perfect. She actually dared wear clothing personally designed by Brother himself, clothing he'd promised would only ever be made for Novie alone.
Now, she really had no choice but to kill this girl.
At that precise moment, an enormous explosion sounded from the forest. Linen emerged from the dust, stepping out just in time to see the three-way confrontation.
Hysteria immediately breathed a sigh of relief, calling out:
"Idiot, hurry up and help us! This girl's totally nuts!"
Novie also turned, displaying a sweet, brilliant smile:
"Onii-chan, are you going to side with them against me? If it's you, I'm perfectly willing to stand here and let you kill me."
Linen's eyes briefly met Elena's, who had remained silent all this time, simply staring quietly at him with those gentle, luminous eyes that seemed to speak a thousand words. He couldn't help but furrow his brows.
Looks like I came at a bad time.