Day six of the training.
Sleep.
Leveling in the outer novice area of the Demon Beast Forest was, to be honest, unbearably dull—even comparable to tightening screws on an assembly line, making one drowsy.
Under Annabell, their “Max-level Booster,” the rookie mages collected their training assignments with almost no gameplay experience.
Although Annabell only wanted to clock out as soon as possible and wore a face that said “stay away,” some junior girls with maxed-out self-persuasion skills called it “cold on the outside, warm on the inside” and a “textbook example of a tsundere.”
This left Annabell quite speechless.
She genuinely thought these newbies chanted too slowly, and she was in a hurry to go save her wife, so she just used an instant-cast spell to one-shot the monsters for them.
Of course, she also had the purpose of casually pulling a few affection level blind boxes.
Although the rarity of these common cards was low, dropping only worthless items like “primary mana recovery potion” and “refined bandage,” even a mosquito leg is meat—who understands the joy of freeloading?
Exactly!
Even the other senior leading the group, an upperclassman, started looking at Annabell with a hint of fervor.
Rumors said that Miss Annabell of the Duke’s Estate was harsh to others, an out-and-out villainess. But now it seemed it was nothing but baseless accusations.
“Geniuses are all like this. They’ve been high and mighty since childhood and don’t know how to socialize with us commoners. So Lady Annabell might seem to despise us on the surface, but deep down, she’s using her own way to gently protect everyone…”
That senior transformed into the number one “Male Mother,” frantically imagining things beside the campfire.
The newly admitted, naive junior girls nodded in agreement.
“That’s right, that’s right! Even though Senior Annabell looks at me like I’m trash, I’m not sad. Instead, my heart races. That must be because I’ve sensed her hidden kindness!”
“Yes, yes! Being stared at by those blue-red dual pupils is just addictive!”
“Heehee, you might not believe me, but I deliberately faked a twisted ankle today and successfully tricked the senior into giving me three ‘contemptuous snorts’! So worth it!”
“No wonder you call for the senior’s help even when you encounter the weakest Slime. You’re such a schemer!”
That senior, using Annabell as a topic, successfully infiltrated the group and became the “know-it-all” in the junior girls’ eyes. As for the other male mages in the camp who dared not speak, they could only draw circles in the corner.
“Now the next Student Council President of our Sky College will definitely be Miss Annabell.”
“There’s even a fanatical club called the ‘An Sect’ that has recently sprung up in the college. Their purpose is to protect the senior’s cold smile with their lives… although the senior herself doesn’t know about it at all.”
Several junior girls listened with great interest, stars shining in their eyes.
The senior secretly gloated, took a sip of water, and decided to drop a bombshell.
“But do you know? Our Flower on High Peak, Lady Annabell, actually has an engagement.”
Upon hearing this, the campfire erupted in wails.
“How can it be?!”
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”
“I don’t accept it! Which reckless bastard dares to defile my goddess?!”
Like seeing their dream house demolished, the junior girls were devastated. Some even wanted to draw their staffs and duel on the spot.
Seeing that the atmosphere was just right, the senior smiled mysteriously.
“Everyone, don’t rush to draw your blades. This engagement has long been a mere formality.”
“Senior, tell us quickly. What happened?”
“If the senior is really forced to marry, I’ll drop out tomorrow and become a bandit!”
The senior lowered his voice.
“Why is it a mere formality? Because the young master of that Charlotte Marquis Family is a complete waste! I heard he can’t even cast the most basic magic.”
“Think about it—what is our lady’s status? How could she tolerate marrying a loser? I’ve heard inside news that as soon as this training is over, the lady will go to that family herself to… break it off!”
Just as everyone was about to cheer for the broken engagement, a sudden fierce rustling came from the bushes at the edge of the camp.
Everyone stopped gossiping, raised their staffs cautiously, and looked toward the noisy direction.
***
Fifteen minutes earlier.
Swords clashed, magic flew, and large strips of leaves were sheared off.
“You still want to run?!”
“You’ve been hit by my shadow poison sting. Let’s see where you can escape today!”
In the dark forest, a group of masked, black-robed assassins were wildly chasing through the mountains.
Several dozen meters ahead of them, a “young boy” with a face so beautiful it was hard to tell male from female was stumbling through the bushes, clutching a wound on his shoulder that oozed black blood.
It was Charlotte, who had secretly slipped out of her family!
Charlotte was now covered in wounds, sweat soaking her golden hair, and her stamina had long reached its limit.
She had lost all her magic power, making her no different from an ordinary person. How could she outrun these professionally trained dark-element cultivators?
The only reason she had persisted in fleeing until now was her extraordinary willpower and the foundation she had built since childhood.
“Father… Mother… I absolutely cannot die here…”
Charlotte gritted her teeth tightly. Under the moonlight, she touched the jade elf pendant hanging around her neck, her face full of determination.
Why had she risked her life to enter the Demon Beast Forest alone?
It was because of this pendant.
Ever since the test ceremony, this jade pendant had occasionally emitted a faint glow.
When she stepped into the range of the Demon Beast Forest, she could clearly sense something calling to her from a certain place deep in the mountains—a resonance that struck her very soul.
Strength.
Go!
Her intuition told her that the secret to her lost magic power, and the opportunity to return to her peak, were all there!
If she could retrieve her power, she could protect her family and stand proudly before that person.
But she never expected the collateral relatives to move so fast.
No sooner had she left the territory than these deadly assassins followed on her heels.
“No, the opportunity is right in front of me… I absolutely, absolutely cannot give up!”
Charlotte endured the numbness from her wound and the increasingly intense dizziness.
“There’s light over there…”
Through the gaps in the trees, Charlotte saw a flickering campfire and faint figures in the distance, and her heart suddenly leaped with joy.
People meant hope to survive!
With her last breath, she threw herself with all her might toward the light source.
But as luck would have it, her already weak ankle stepped on a smooth stone covered in moss.
Suddenly, Charlotte lost her balance and fell heavily forward, rolling twice in the dirt, completely exhausting her last ounce of strength.
Whooshing sounds of breaking air approached. The black-robed assassins had finally caught up.
They skillfully spread out, surrounding Charlotte on the ground. Several daggers gleaming with cold light pressed directly against her throat.
“Run? Why aren’t you running now?”
“Young Master Charlotte, the former genius, is now nothing more than a dog lying on the ground panting, a stray cur!”
The assassin leader sneered.
“You bastard made me chase you through this damn forest for half the night! Now, take your regret and go to hell!”
The assassin raised his dagger high.
Charlotte closed her beautiful eyes bitterly, awaiting death’s arrival.
‘Is this… finally the end? Annabell… I’m sorry… I won’t be able to see you again…’