“Damn it, why?”
‘Why is it that every time I get a little happy, something like this happens?’
Lomio sat in the courtyard of the dormitory in silence. The thoughts regarding the possibility of Sylvia being a source of dragon materials continued to haunt his mind.
Although there was no specific description, if it really was that kind of thing, it was honestly a bit disgusting. Unfortunately, those were exactly the things he lacked!
“My integrity… sigh.”
“What’s wrong? I rarely see you wearing such an expression.” Cafnir walked into the courtyard.
Lomio looked up and noticed a strange emotion on his friend’s face. He spoke up and asked, “What did the Academy say?”
“The situation is strange. The Headmaster seems to have been unaware of what happened this time.”
“Unaware?” Lomio was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. “Do you believe that?”
“I don’t.”
Karenina certainly would not believe such a facade. “The setup of the entire Southern Valley is a massive field magic zone. It is impossible for the Academy to be unaware.”
“The Headmaster might have some kind of plan.”
“Exactly right.” Lomio couldn’t help but be surprised by his good buddy’s reasoning abilities.
Although the game *Blazing Luck* was overall a failure and the content was mostly centered around yuri tropes, the production team had still included many “clever details” to ensure players wouldn’t get “bored,” all for the sake of a so-called “sophisticated” feel.
Of course, that was the nice way to put it. To put it bluntly, they were just filler to justify their salaries.
“You were thinking about this just now, weren’t you?”
Karenina still remembered the scene she saw when she first walked into the courtyard. Lomio’s elbows were resting on his knees, his body leaning forward, and his fingers were interlaced against his forehead. His entire being was shrouded in a heavy, somber shadow.
Even when facing a Rank 5 magical beast, this man had maintained a certain degree of leisurely nonchalance. Now, however, he looked as if he were struggling with something. Was he reflecting on the exam?
“Could those Dark Mages be part of the Academy’s plan?” Karenina found it somewhat unbelievable. “What would be the benefit?”
“A screening, of course. And not just any ordinary screening.” Lomio curled his lips into a cold smile. “If you were a Rank 10 powerhouse, how do you think you would die?”
“Hmm?” Karenina’s brow furrowed. “Old age. Beyond that, it’s hard to imagine.”
Rank 10. That was the rank of the Headmaster, Altemis. It was her throne as the Elemental Empress.
Although she herself didn’t seem difficult to get along with—aside from managing the Academy and having some secret collection hobbies—that power was still far beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. It was effectively a non-human realm.
“What surprises me is the Academy’s attitude.”
Lomio leaned back into the soft sofa and rested his hands behind his head, shifting into a comfortable position.
“Think about it. A performance exam prepared for freshmen. The location is a massive field magic zone, which is theoretically an absolute safe zone. And the result? A group of Dark Mages jumps out. What is that? A serious security breach, or even an enemy attack.”
Lomio’s tone was light. “According to normal procedures, the exam should have been stopped immediately. The Academy’s combat mage corps and professors should have locked down the scene at once to conduct a carpet search. And we, the witnesses, should have been isolated immediately to undergo the strictest individual investigations and questioning.”
Lomio spread his hands. “But what happened? Nothing happened. That beautiful Headmaster, Lady Altemis, just stood there like an award presenter and read out our grades. And the professors? The way they looked at me… it wasn’t so much an investigation as it was… wariness and restraint.”
“The Headmaster might be playing a very large game of chess.”
These words truly struck a chord with Karenina. ‘No matter what, the Dark Mages have already appeared… this inference isn’t wrong.’
However, as a member of the royal family, she only felt a chill run down her spine.
Yes. The absence of “Authority.”
The Academy, the top institution on the continent, showed a strange calmness—one could even call it tacit consent—in the face of such a serious incident. It was as if all of this was within their expectations. Or rather, they simply didn’t care.
Why?
A terrifying thought surfaced uncontrollably in her mind. Unless… unless there was a massive problem within the Academy itself! A problem so large that the infiltration of a squad of Dark Mages seemed insignificant!
“If this was a tolerated event, then what is the purpose?” Karenina’s voice was somewhat dry. “What could threaten the Headmaster? Or does she want…”
“Time?” Suddenly, she had reached an answer.
“I think so too, but for now, I don’t dare speak recklessly.” Lomio waved his hand with a playful expression. “Just keep an eye on it. After all, I’m just an ordinary student who loves academic credits and wants to graduate peacefully. These things that exceed my capabilities will have to wait for the future to be verified.”
‘An ordinary student?’
Karenina looked at his face and felt it was incredibly hypocritical. ‘If he is an ordinary student, then what am I? What about those noble children in the examination hall who were harvested by him like leeks?’
“I understand.”
Karenina took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Her gaze changed. The previous scrutiny, wariness, and confusion turned into an unprecedented clarity and determination.
“Annie will continue to gather intelligence within the Academy.”
“Aha, as expected of my buddy.”
Lomio stood up, his mood having improved significantly. “I’ll go take a shower first; I’m covered in the smell of blood. Then I’ll get a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow will be another hopeful day where I can work hard to earn credits.”
After saying that, he stood up and stretched.
‘Sleep? Impossible. It’s impossible to sleep peacefully in this lifetime.’
What Lomio wanted to do now was only one thing. That was to enter the Phantom Sea Secret Room and either be beaten to death by Tai Lan or beat Tai Lan to death!
Although the probability of the former was higher, his life was infinite. What was there to fear?
Earn credits… power.
Before the true storm arrived, accumulating power at all costs was the only way to survive.
‘Russell…’
For some reason, Karenina thought of the current state of Russell. After the Abyss War a century ago, Russell suffered a massive loss of talent. Furthermore, due to the conflicting opinions of the kings within the royal court, it had fallen apart.
The vast territory that had been passed down had shrunk to only about half of its original size. The originally prosperous areas were now where the capital of the Duchy was located. The economic lifeline was being held firmly.
Therefore, the current Russell had almost no competitiveness aside from selling resources and practicing retro-inherited magic.
If a person needed credits, wouldn’t a country need them as well?
“It truly is impoverished and weak.”
Karenina had not forgotten her ultimate goal. She wanted to retrieve the Frost Dragon Soul and heal the Empress—the curse on her mother’s body.
But what if the one who was ill wasn’t just an Empress?
‘No, I can’t think about it anymore.’
Even if only for a fleeting moment, a thought still flashed through Karenina’s mind.
‘Perhaps… there is no need for an old king guarding a broken kingdom on that throne.’