*Smash!*
The ink bottle hit the floor and shattered. Dark blue ink splattered everywhere, staining Freya’s hem and shoes.
At the same time, the out-of-control Light Snake grazed Freya’s shoulder and flew past, slamming into the back of an empty chair in the row behind her.
It vanished silently, leaving only a faint scorch mark on the wood.
“I-I’m so sorry! Freya! I’m sorry!”
Irina immediately rushed to Freya’s side.
Her face was pale, and tears welled in her pink eyes, which were filled with genuine panic and guilt.
‘At least it seems that way…’ Freya thought.
“I didn’t do it on purpose! I really don’t know how… I couldn’t control it… Your dress… Let me help you wipe it…”
She clumsily pulled out her handkerchief and reached for the ink stains on Freya’s dress.
“There is no need.”
Freya avoided her hand. Her voice was calm, but her eyes were cold as she looked at Irina.
“It was just an accident, Irina. Don’t worry about it. I will handle it myself.”
She bent down and cast a simple Cleaning Spell, removing the ink from her body, though a small, barely noticeable smudge remained on the hem of her dress.
“I’m really sorry…”
Irina was still sobbing, her shoulders trembling slightly.
She looked pitiable.
The Professor and other students gathered around to comfort Irina, telling her it was just a normal accident in a Practical Class and that she shouldn’t feel pressured.
Everyone was moved by Irina’s distraught appearance, while they overlooked the victim’s coolness and… detachment.
Freya watched Irina, who was being comforted as if she were the one who had suffered a great grievance. The chill in Freya’s heart grew deeper.
An accident?
A coincidence?
The strange fluctuation hidden within that Light Snake — the one that had triggered a reaction in her Heart Crystal — was certainly not something a normal loss of control could produce!
Irina had done it on purpose!
She was testing her!
Using an extremely subtle, seemingly accidental method, she was probing for a reaction from the Mana Heart Crystal!
And she had succeeded —
Although Freya had masked it well, the momentary throb of the Heart Crystal had likely been caught by Irina, or perhaps by some detection method hidden on her person.
What a sinister scheme!
What a masterpiece of acting!
“All right, it was just a minor accident. Everyone, return to your seats.”
The Professor spoke, and the class continued.
Freya sat back down, her expression returning to calm, but a storm was raging in her mind.
Irina was even more dangerous than she had imagined, and she was getting impatient!
She actually dared to use such a method in the middle of class, right in front of everyone!
It seemed the pressure or the temptation from the Holy Temple was becoming unbearable for her.
What made Freya even more uneasy was the way Irina controlled that mottled, distorted energy… It seemed different from any magic system she had encountered before, carrying an aura of evil.
Was that really light magic spiraling out of control?
Or was it… something else?
For the rest of the class, Freya was distracted.
She had to find out as soon as possible exactly what methods Irina was using and what else was hidden behind her.
The bell finally rang.
Freya packed her things and prepared to leave, but Irina approached her again. Her eyes were still red as she whispered.
“Freya… to show how sorry I am… May I — may I treat you to afternoon tea? I heard the new Starlight Terrace in the Academy is quite nice…”
She lifted her tear-filled face, looking at Freya with expectation and trepidation.
Again?
Freya sneered inwardly, but on the surface, she simply shook her head.
“No, thank you, Irina. I have things to do.”
She did not want to give Irina any more opportunities to get close or probe further.
“Oh… Well, all right then…”
Irina lowered her head in disappointment, her shoulders slumping as if she had been struck.
Freya ignored her and walked straight out of the classroom.
As soon as she reached the hallway, she saw Lyra crouching in the shadow of the stairwell corner like a puppy waiting for its master.
She was holding a half-eaten, sugar-dusted donut, and crumbs were stuck to the corners of her mouth.
Seeing Freya, her eyes lit up. She jumped up, shoved the rest of the donut into her mouth, and ran over with puffed-out cheeks.
“Boss! You’re out of class!”
She spoke unclearly, leaning in close to Freya. Her red eyes sparkled as she looked her up and down.
“Huh? Boss, why is your dress a bit dirty here?”
She pointed to the faint ink mark on Freya’s hem.
Freya looked around and lowered her voice.
“We will talk when we get back.”
Lyra understood immediately and nodded.
She followed obediently by Freya’s side, but her gaze grew alert, like a guard dog sensing danger.
The two returned to Freya’s dormitory, closed the door, and set up a Soundproofing Barrier.
“What happened, Boss?”
Lyra asked impatiently. Her nose twitched as if she had smelled something unusual on Freya.
“On you… besides the smell of ink, there is a tiny bit of… very strange residual energy. It’s faint, but it feels… uncomfortable.”
Freya’s heart skipped a beat.
Lyra’s sense of smell was indeed sharp!
She briefly explained the incident where Irina lost control of her magic in class, emphasizing the strange fluctuation hidden in the Light Snake that resonated with her Heart Crystal, as well as her own suspicions.
“I knew that crybaby was up to no good!”
After hearing the story, Lyra almost jumped in anger, a fierce light flashing in her red eyes.
“She dared to play tricks in class! Boss, do you want me to ‘visit’ her tonight? I promise I’ll do it without anyone knowing!”
“Don’t be impulsive.”
Freya held her back.
“Moving against her now will only alert them and play right into their hands. We need to know exactly what methods she is using and… whether she has any other purpose for coming to the Central Academy besides testing me.”
“Oh, right!”
Lyra slapped her forehead and quickly told Freya about her discovery in the Library Area earlier that afternoon.
“That crybaby is definitely looking for something! Boss, do you think what she’s looking for is related to that weird energy she used today?”
Freya fell into thought. Irina’s activities in the Library Area, the bizarre test in class, her affinity for the Holy Temple’s Stigma, and her desire for the Mana Heart Crystal…
There seemed to be a connection between these fragments.
“Lyra—”
A flash of determination appeared in Freya’s eyes.
“We need to find out as soon as possible which materials Irina accessed in the Library Area. Can you do that without alerting anyone?”
“No problem!”
Lyra was full of confidence.
“Even though I can’t just take those books and read them, I have ways to ‘see’ who moved them recently and roughly what the content is!”
She was referring to her secret tricks and techniques from the Black Market.
“Good. But be careful; the surveillance there is strict,” Freya warned.
“Also, regarding the energy Irina used today… I need to look up some more obscure, perhaps even forbidden, magical records. Perhaps it isn’t pure light magic.”
She felt a larger, darker web slowly spreading around her.
And Irina was only the first venomous spider to surface.
While Freya and Lyra discussed their next move, in the exclusive dormitory for Royal Academy exchange students on the other side of the Academy, Irina Ewell stood by the window.
She was playing with an inconspicuous black stone carved with fine patterns.
the cowardice and innocence on her face had long since vanished, replaced by cold calculation and a faint excitement.
“I felt it… though it was weak, it definitely exists… that resonance that is both ‘of the same source’ and ‘mutually exclusive’…”
She muttered to herself, a greedy light shining in her pink eyes.
“Freya Christo Dale… your Heart Crystal is indeed one of the most perfect ‘keys’… Just wait, soon… you will ‘willingly’ offer it up…”
She turned and looked at an ancient manuscript spread out on the table.
It had been “borrowed” from a hidden corner of the Central Academy’s Library Area and had no title on its cover.
The pages depicted obscure patterns and text.
On one page, a heart-shaped crystal was drawn, entangled by countless runic chains and emitting a hazy light. Beside it was a note in ancient script—
“Chaos Core, Beginning of the Holy Key.”
The night concealed the growth of the conspiracy, but it also witnessed the budding of resistance.
The next morning was the Practical Class.
The training ground for the combat class was located at the Whistling Canyon simulation training field behind the Central Magic Academy.
This was a massive open-air area covered by a powerful magical barrier.
It simulated various terrains such as mountains, jungles, and streams, and could even adjust the weather and mana environment.
It was a place for students to hone their practical skills, engage in team combat, or conduct high-level magic experiments.
The morning mist had not yet fully dissipated, casting a damp, cold veil over the rugged rocks and lush simulated vegetation.
Many students in Academy combat uniforms were already gathered in the open space at the entrance, talking in low voices and warming up.
The atmosphere was much more active and tense than in the theoretical classes.
Freya had changed into a deep purple combat uniform.
Her long hair was tied high in a sleek ponytail, and she wore a standard-issue magic wand and several spare mana crystals at her waist.
Lyra followed her, having also changed into dark, practical clothes with a leather vest bearing the Central Academy emblem — a “visitor” badge she had managed to acquire temporarily.
Her long white hair was also tied up, and her red eyes curiously scanned the surroundings and the eager students, her face filled with obvious excitement.
“Wow, this place is huge!”
Lyra took a deep breath.
The faint smell of ozone and burning left behind by various elemental magic clashes made her spirits rise.
“It’s much more spacious than the underground fighting pits in the Black Market! Boss, can we fight later… uh, I mean, observe the combat?”
“It’s ‘safe observation,'” Freya emphasized, her gaze quickly scanning the crowd.
She saw many familiar faces, most of whom were the top students in combat ability at the Academy.
“Huh? Boss, why don’t I see that crybaby?”