That night, the figure of the Imperial Princess lingered before her eyes, and from then on, she became a nightmare that haunted her.
Every night when she slept, Ophelia felt as though a phantom was still violating her delicate body.
Every night when she dreamed, she would recall the absurdity of that night.
Velis Egbert, that hateful, damned woman!
She, who had devoted herself entirely to the study of magic, now bore an everlasting scar in her heart!
And to seal that scar away, she had to make the culprit lose everything—to bring her down so thoroughly that she’d be cast out like a stray dog, never to rise again!
This had been the obsession lingering in Ophelia’s heart ever since that day.
She had thought this inaugural speech would be the first step of her revenge, but instead, it only made the nightmare in her heart loom even larger, and the scar cut even deeper.
Velis glanced at Ophelia with a hint of a mischievous smile, her predatory gaze seeming to devour her all over again.
Just like that night.
The moment Ophelia’s eyes met hers, she trembled and lowered her head, collapsing from her seat.
Startled, the person beside her quickly leaned over to help her up.
And thanks to this troublemaker Ophelia, Velis had managed to uncover even more of the overwhelming power of her True Eye.
[Note 2: The host of the True Eye can see through the essence of all things.]
She hadn’t expected that a simple phrase like that could turn the ordinary into the extraordinary!
Not only could it see through the flaws in magic and spells while forming improvement plans in her mind, it had even significantly increased the speed at which she could cast magic!
And Velis vaguely sensed that the power of this phrase went far beyond that!
Moreover, the True Eye was still at its lowest rank for now—once it leveled up, it would likely have even more functions!
Suppressing the excitement in her heart, Velis took a deep breath and continued her speech.
Although Ophelia’s appearance had caused a stir in her inaugural speech, looking at the situation now, she had weathered it well.
The other’s reckless behavior had not only made her inauguration more convincing, but had also shifted her public image somewhat.
Those faculty and students who had only heard rumors before should now harbor far less hostility toward her.
“Therefore, to achieve the great glory of our Empire, it rests upon the young people of our generation!”
“They are the pillars of our nation! And as the Imperial Princess, to understand their needs and aspirations, coming here to serve as a teacher is one of the quickest and most direct paths!”
Sure enough, after Ophelia’s disruption was deftly defused by Velis, no one dared to rise and challenge her for a long stretch of the speech.
Hadn’t they all seen that genius girl of the Lyons Family, who at this very moment looked like she was questioning her entire existence?
Though Velis wasn’t as terrifying as many had imagined—in fact, she was a peerless beauty rarely seen in a millennium…
The way she had, with just a few words and actions, crushed a rising star of the Empire into sweating and trembling, was still somewhat frightening.
However, those present had no idea what had transpired between Velis and the girl named Ophelia.
If they had, they would have understood that the terror the girl displayed came from a blow struck at both her mind and her body.
“Having spoken on the empty principles of serving the Empire and society, this Princess would now speak on principles concerning myself, and the students I will teach.”
“As everyone knows, on the Vistoria Continent, every intermediate and advanced magic, as well as swordsmanship and faith-based arts, is something everyone treasures like a precious gem.”
“But this Princess believes that such outdated notions only hinder the Empire’s progress, and hinder those with knowledge and talent from scaling the peaks!”
“Only by sharing what we have can we improve one another, and only then can our Okam Empire prosper for all eternity!”
“And for the individual, this is also an opportunity!”
Velis took a deep breath and made her decision.
“Therefore, if I become a teacher at this academy, every so often—whenever circumstances allow—I will share a magic array I know with my students, teaching them everything I have!”
A single stone stirred a thousand waves. The moment those words fell, the entire hall erupted in commotion.
“What? Is Her Highness the Princess telling the truth?”
“A Princess of the Empire must know countless magic arrays—if I could learn even a fraction of one, I’d benefit for a lifetime!”
“Dammit! Why am I a professor? If this is real, I’d gladly give up my reputation to become the Princess’s student!”
“Heh, a bunch of fools. Do you really think there’s someone that selfless in this world? I’d wager what Her Highness the Princess calls ‘sharing’ is nothing but common, well-known techniques!”
“Across the continent’s academies, unless someone is a personal disciple or a trusted follower, who would ever share their precious magic arrays with others?”
As soon as those words were spoken, the faculty and students present all calmed down.
Right!
Throughout history, aside from the saints and Grand Sages, no one had ever truly been willing to publish the magic arrays they possessed!
Because unless it was someone trusted, teaching others one’s techniques carried not only the risk of leaks, but also another fear…
That the other party would play the Farmer and the Snake, and in the end, use the very techniques taught to them to betray their benefactor!
Throughout the ages, countless such cases of biting the hand that feeds had only deepened everyone’s reluctance to casually reveal their own arts.
With that in mind, it was clear that what Velis had said was either low-tier techniques she no longer used, or obscure and common magic arrays!
If not for that man’s reminder, they would have foolishly believed that this infamous Princess truly had such good intentions!
Velis looked at the now-settled crowd and merely let out a cold laugh, saying no more.
Her gaze drifted toward the one who had reminded the crowd, and she saw he was a professor of the academy. Now facing Velis’s stare, he guiltily turned his head away.
Sure enough, in the subsequent part of the speech, that man took Ophelia’s place and badgered her relentlessly.
“Does Her Highness the Princess have any proof of these claims? What evidence is there?”
“Your Highness’s words, I dare not agree with. Might I ask…”
“Plausible but vague. As a soon-to-be academy instructor, Your Highness would do well to be practical. Instead of speaking grand principles, why not give everyone a live demonstration?”
Velis suppressed her anger and patiently answered each question, but the man—though fear was written plainly on his face—kept mustering his courage to make trouble.
The whole scene was truly bizarre.
Fortunately, Velis handled every challenge without mishap.
Using the True Eye earlier had consumed a good deal of her mental energy, so the latter part of her speech was no longer impassioned, and she seemed somewhat drained.
But Velis concealed it well—among those present, only a scant few could tell her state.
And in this setting, they didn’t dare step forward to expose her.
By now, those who dared to speak out in provocation were all deliberately placed faculty and students, and professors.
As the speech drew to a close, following tradition, the professors took turns asking academic questions as part of the procedural assessment.
As the Imperial Princess, Velis answered them all admirably using her previous knowledge.
But when it came to Vice Dean Mark, he walked to the front and stood beside Velis.
He first greeted those present, then bowed with exceptional reverence to Emperor Lubas. Turning, Mark finally looked at Velis.
“As the final question—Lady Velis, if you can answer this, the inaugural speech will be concluded, and you will become a mentor of our Royal Academy!”
Mark’s conciliatory words did not put Velis at ease; instead, she became more guarded.
Wasn’t it the fierce hunter who struck only at the final moment when the prey let its guard down?
From the corner of her eye, Velis glanced at her father, the Emperor, seated high upon the dais, then smiled faintly at Mark.
“In that case, please enlighten me, Vice Dean.”
“Enlighten? I wouldn’t dare!” Mark’s face showed a hint of timidity, and he hastily shook his head.
Then light began to glow from his hands, and everyone below fell into puzzled silence—what was the Vice Dean about to do?
“As a teacher, beyond instructing students, one must, as Your Highness said, be like light itself—unafraid of darkness, and never blinded by illusion.”
One magic array after another began to overlap in Mark’s hands. He held them without releasing, the process slow and deliberate.
Everyone was stunned by Mark’s magical prowess, and only Velis seemed to understand what he was doing, a mysterious smile curling at the corners of her lips.
“This is a camouflage array concealed beneath many ordinary magic arrays from across the continent, with only a single core array hidden within. Lady Princess, can you tell me—what is this concealed array?”
The moment Mark spoke, even the professors furrowed their brows.
Even they, having watched Mark cast the spell, hadn’t noticed when he’d mixed in another array!
And Velis raised her beautiful, clear ruby eyes, as if she could see through everything.