"Your Majesty Alaric, the envoys from the Lucratis Empire continue to insist," the advisor reported, breaking the heavy silence of the hall. "Why don't we simply hand the girl over, my lord?"
The expression of the most powerful man in the Empire darkened immediately. He had been trapped at a crossroads for days, besieged by the demands of the neighboring empire's prince.
"If we do that, they'll see that we yield to them," Alaric replied in a cold voice, "even to the point of handing over the daughter of one of our most powerful military subjects. It won't take long before they demand something more."
"But they're already threatening war," the envoy insisted nervously. "Don't you think it would be the best solution?"
Alaric fell into a sepulchral silence. He murmured something so quietly it barely stirred the air in the chamber:
"If only she were to disappear… perhaps that would bring some relief to this situation."
In his mind, the Emperor was already weaving dark plans as he recalled that the Imperial Academy exams were just around the corner. An "accident" during the combat trials would be the perfect solution.
However, when he remembered the incident of the "invisible death" from a few weeks ago, fear ran through his veins like icy poison.
He immediately shook the idea from his head; if a force capable of erasing clergy and nobility without leaving a trace was lurking in the shadows, toying with the fate of Cassane Windsteel might be a death sentence of his own making.
That incident still caused him intense headaches. Alaric was fully aware of the connection between those who had died, which made the idea of using corrupted beasts not only dangerous—but suicidal.
…
Monday arrived without warning, and the Academy's halls buzzed with students hurrying to the site where the trial would take place.
This day was especially crucial for everyone. Unlike theoretical lessons, this test represented a unique opportunity: even those lacking outstanding innate talent could stand out and rise in rank, without immediately needing to increase their magic circles or aura level.
Within the rigid system of the Demor Empire, graduating with a higher rank not only brought immense prestige to one's noble house, but also opened doors to opportunities otherwise unattainable once they left the institution.
The line to board the train that would take them to the hunting grounds grew shorter by the moment. Before entering, each member of every group was given a bracelet that would record their performance during the exam and allow them to return once the trial was over.
My group was already quite far ahead in the line, so I headed toward them to take my place.
"Cassian, over here!" Margareth called, raising her hand to catch my attention.
Once I reached them, everyone greeted me in their own way. Without wasting time, Margareth stepped forward and handed me a sword, forcing me to take it. I looked at her with genuine confusion.
"I knew you wouldn't bring a weapon, even though you've shown you can use one," she said, clearly annoyed, crossing her arms. "You're not going to be dead weight for our team, Cassian. If you have the ability to help, then do it."
Without giving her words the slightest importance, I took the sword and fastened it at my waist with complete indifference.
A few meters away, Cassane was still watching me with a visibly irritated expression; it seemed my earlier refusal hadn't sat well with her.
"Well, now that we're all here, let's get moving," Margareth intervened, trying to refocus the group. "The exam officially starts at noon, but it wouldn't hurt to enter the forest now and get used to the terrain."
I nodded silently. The rest of the team began to move, eager for what was to come, while I simply walked behind them, feeling the unnecessary weight of the steel at my side.
…
When we arrived, we saw the professors dividing the groups so everyone could begin earning points.
Sera and her team were sent to the right, while Klaus was directed to the left.
As for us, we were assigned a section of the forest and given a brief explanation of what to expect. We were warned not to lower our guard, even if the beasts seemed easy.
Leia grew increasingly nervous as we ventured deeper. Despite not being our first exam, it was the first time we were made to fight in a real hunting ground.
We encountered several beasts along the way, but most were dealt with easily by Cassane and Julius.
Margareth always made an effort to earn support points. Nicolas, on the other hand, showed no interest, while Leia was often overwhelmed by fear.
The first day passed without incident. By then, we were quite far from where we had started, so we decided to camp in a relatively open area.
The campfire was uncomfortable. It was obvious we weren't a united group—each of us was acting on our own.
Margareth seemed discouraged by this lack of cohesion. As for me, I appreciated how determined Julius and Cassane were to handle everything themselves.
It makes things much easier when you can just watch and do nothing.
Suddenly, as if to shatter the calm, the silence of the night was broken by a metallic hiss. From the shadows emerged two Obsidian-Scale Vipers—level four beasts with bodies as thick as tree trunks and scales that shimmered with an oily sheen.
They were imposing creatures; their volcanic stone-like skin made them practically immune to heat. Julius charged forward with a burst of fire, but the flames slid off the black scales without leaving so much as a mark, leaving him visibly frustrated.
Cassane, for her part, had it just as hard. Although her ice magic was powerful, these vipers were at her level and possessed brute strength that shattered her frozen spears before they could pierce their defense.
The situation turned critical when one of the beasts cornered Julius, forcing him to retreat clumsily. Cassane tried to form a barrier, but the dry air and the serpents' vigor made her control over the cold unstable.
"Nicolas, Margareth, move! We can't hold them off alone!" Julius shouted, losing his usual air of superiority.
Margareth, seeing the opportunity, began casting support spells to reinforce Julius's armor, while Nicolas used his speed to distract the second viper. Even Leia, trembling, used her sound affinity to disorient the beasts with sharp vibrations.
As for me, I remained leaning against a tree, watching the scene with complete detachment.
Julius's fire continued to be useless against the volcanic scales. Frustrated and at his limit, he was forced to draw a short-range dagger and aim for the gaps between the scales, dangerously exposing himself to the creature's fangs.
Finally, after a distraction from Nicolas that nearly cost him an arm, Cassane managed to freeze the ground beneath the remaining viper. Nicolas seized the moment of immobility to deliver a decisive strike, allowing Cassane to finish both with ice spears driven straight into their skulls.
When the hissing of the beasts ceased, the camp fell into a heavy silence. Julius panted, covered in dust and with his uniform torn, as he sheathed his dagger with hands trembling from barely contained rage.
"Do you find this amusing, Varkas?" Julius roared, turning to face me. "Those things nearly killed us, and you didn't even lift a finger!"
He approached me, his face burning with hatred, but Cassane stepped in his way. Her gaze remained cold, though it no longer carried the same superiority as before; now there was only deep exhaustion.
"That's enough, Julius. It's not worth it," Cassane said flatly, not even looking at me.
Her words were more cutting than any shout, but to me they were nothing more than background noise. Margareth looked at me with clear disappointment, while Leia and Nicolas shared expressions of absolute contempt toward my "cowardice."
"As you say, Cassane," I replied with a languid smile, settling down to sleep. "In any case, I don't understand what you expected me to do without a shred of mana or aura against a level four beast."
Julius clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles cracked. He was about to lunge at me, but the logic of my words—wrapped in false humility—seemed to stop him cold under the others' gaze.
"This is ridiculous!" Julius spat, turning away to kick a dry branch. "I can't believe I lost to you in that duel!"
His shout echoed through the silent forest, filled with a humiliation that still burned inside him. For him, losing to someone "without mana" was a stain no victory over level four beasts could erase.
"It was pure luck, Julius," I replied calmly, without even opening my eyes. "The ground was slippery, and you were in too much of a hurry. Don't overthink it."
That answer was like rubbing salt into an open wound. Julius let out a frustrated growl, unable to find a reply to my insolence, and walked off into the shadows of the camp to brood alone.
Cassane gave me one last suspicious look before turning away. She wasn't as impulsive as Julius; she knew something didn't add up in the way I acted, but she couldn't quite pinpoint what.
I adjusted myself more comfortably, feeling the group sink into a tense, fractured silence. Yet despite their hostility toward me, it was clear that the danger had forced them to form a real bond.