“Twenty-five credits, the bidding starts now.”
Luomiao looked at the girl before him with a calm expression. “This is only slightly more expensive than a rebirth, and it’ll save your dignity. Surely… you can’t be so poor that you can’t even afford these few credits?”
Elena was trying to maintain her composure.
But how could she hide the agitation burning within her?
The corners of her eyes, the twitch of her brows — every minute expression betrayed her internal struggle.
“Don’t make that face, like you’re being bullied. I much preferred your arrogant and untamed look from earlier.”
“You despicable assassin!”
Elena finally remembered where she had seen this man named Luomiao before. It was at the opening ceremony!
She was actually being cornered by a disdained assassin with a bleak future, using a petty method like credits to restrict her!
“There is no such thing as noble or lowly methods. It is simply a matter of what one can or cannot do.”
Kalenina showed her no mercy. “Only those who are incompetent and get outplayed would try to hide behind a mask of morality to salvage their pride. If I were you, I would never surrender. After being resurrected, I’d find a way to try again. Think of a humiliating elimination as just paying tuition for a life lesson.”
“Exactly, man. You took the words right out of my mouth.” Luomiao thoroughly enjoyed this coordination.
In a world dominated by women, being part of a double act with another man against a girl was quite the experience! Thinking about it felt surprisingly refreshing!
“You two!” Elena’s face finally flushed red.
It stung; it burned. Even though she wasn’t physically wounded, it felt as if she had been slapped across the face.
The mana inside her body, which had been nearly stagnant, showed signs of moving, only to be suppressed by Silence once again.
The culprit even wagged his fingers, signaling her to raise the bid!!
Since walking out from the depths of the forest, the girl who represented the wisdom of her tribe had never had her mental state shaken like this.
“You must have made some underhanded deal. Someone must have leaked information to you…”
Elena’s thoughts were beginning to turn extreme.
She was indeed restricted.
But what about the others?!
How did those tiny explosion cards break through the formation’s defenses, leaving her teammates exposed to a sneak attack?
It made no sense!
Unless Kavenir had the ability to foresee the future, how could they have gained such a massive advantage!
But… that was Tier 10 magic!
A miracle that even the Academy Principal would need complex chanting and the power of alchemical cards to perform!
“It’s just lucky cleverness. We’ll see.”
Calming herself, Elena suppressed her rage, seemingly carving the two people before her into her memory. “I will pay back this humiliation until every last one of you is kicked out of the academy!”
“Good!” Luomiao clapped. “What spirit! Full marks!”
Kalenina added, “It seems even a so-called noble elf, once provoked, is no different from the scruffy feral cats on the streets of Russell. You think you’re brilliant, yet you lack basic psychological fortitude. Hmph, what a laughable outsider.”
As a Russellian, Kalenina wouldn’t give this outsider any face.
This was a past etched into her bones and an unwavering stance she had to maintain as a royal successor. Any hint of mercy toward these outsiders was a betrayal of her ancestors’ bloody history. It would be an act of compromise toward the nations and races that had carved up Russell’s territory after the Abyss War.
“That’s great!” Luomiao’s expression grew even more cheerful. “When you’re captured next time, you’re not allowed to cry!”
Elena, you really have no idea what the Leader’s Team’s status is among the first-years right now!
There are “talents” under contract everywhere. For just a few credits, there are plenty of people willing to cause trouble for the White Queen Team!
“There’s one day left. Good luck!”
*Crack!*
With the sensation of a protective spell being shattered, Elena’s consciousness forcibly broke through the silence and returned to her body.
Before she could even open her eyes, she felt the sharp pressure of a blade against her neck.
“This one is seeing a beauty who can fall asleep on a battlefield for the first time.”
Ibuki Mio teased her, but the long sword in her hand didn’t loosen in the slightest.
“You guys…”
Looking around, Elena realized she had been tied up and pinned to the ground. The formation she had prepared had long been wiped clean.
“Assassins, warriors…”
She looked at Annie and Ibuki Mio. While she was struggling to understand, she noticed something. Compared to before, the plants around the camp were terrifyingly sparse!
“Impossible… how many alchemy cards did you use!?”
Seeing this, Elena finally realized the truth behind how her team’s formation was broken!
That single explosion hadn’t been a strike from one card; it was the simultaneous detonation of several alchemical card backs!
The density was enough to blast away the forest around the formation, causing the elf’s link between magic and nature to fail!
That was the key to breaking the formation!
“It is not something you need to know.”
Annie stepped forward, holding a piece of wet camp tarp in her hand. “You’re too loud.”
“Indeed, this one agrees.” Ibuki Mio understood immediately and pinched Elena’s cheeks.
The warrior’s powerful grip forced her jaw open, making the girl open her mouth helplessly. She watched as the woman dressed as a maid coldly stuffed the tarp into her mouth, pushing it deep against the base of her tongue.
“Mmph! Cough!”
Elena tried to struggle, but because Ibuki Mio was pinning her down with a knee to her back, she couldn’t move at all.
“While this one would love to finish off your team right here and leave with the Relic…”
Ibuki Mio picked up a rope and bound Elena’s mouth tightly, ensuring she couldn’t make a sound. “If I did that, Your Excellency might feel this one’s work isn’t meticulous enough. Besides, that would be far too easy on you.”
Ibuki Mio smiled much like Luomiao did and pointed toward the center of the camp.
A wooden stake stood there. Beside it was a wooden sign with neat handwriting.
[I provoked the Leader’s Team and was tied up here. Could someone please save me? Thanks, meow!]
“Mmph! Mmmph!!”
Elena struggled frantically!
This was an absolute insult!!
But how could Ibuki Mio tolerate her continued noise?
A hand-chop landed on the back of the girl’s neck, causing her to lose all strength instantly.
“Did I just hear a snapping sound?”
Annie looked at the slumped Elena. “Be careful. If her neck breaks, she’ll be counted as eliminated.”
“Ah, this one made a slight error. I truly shouldn’t have used the same force I use for chopping roof tiles.”
As Ibuki Mio spoke, she picked Elena up with one hand, dragged her a short distance, and tied her to the stake.
Humming a little tune, she secured Elena to the post and hammered the sign into the ground in front of her. “Now, stay here and watch closely.”
Dusting off her hands, Ibuki Mio turned to leave.
“You should probably rest until the assessment ends. Let everyone who comes by later see the consequences of provoking His Excellency.”