Everyone stared at the arena without blinking, a raging tide surging in their hearts, washing away even their reason.
It had to be admitted, Aurelian's performance had shaken every single person and completely conquered the entire audience.
'But this… was way too fast.'
'Are you sure she's a mage?'
Suddenly, the nobles recalled the crystal-clear moonlight longsword Aurelian had just created.
'Oh, she really is a mage.'
Creating a weapon out of thin air on the arena was indeed something only a mage could do.
But what shocked people was that, as a mage, Aurelian's close combat skills were unbelievably proficient.
Although the challenging student was indeed somewhat ordinary, no matter what, he was still a senior who had been tempered by six years at the academy.
Yet, he was defeated by Aurelian in a single strike.
Even those students below the stage who hadn't gotten a chance to go up, after watching this battle, had only one thought left in their minds.
This princess from the Calenica Empire… seems kind of strong.
Seeing Aurelian win so easily, the diplomatic ministers had smiles on their faces, as if they themselves had achieved this battle that brought enough honor to the empire.
Their backs unconsciously straightened, and when they looked at the students on both sides, there was a hint of pride in their eyes.
Meanwhile, August's mind kept echoing Viktor's answer, and he had no interest at all in lingering on Aurelian's brilliant Viktory.
'Each one, I'm just a little good at?'
That sentence was obviously modest.
If translated normally… Then that sentence should mean…
'Sorry, I'm good at everything.'
He found it hard to believe, but Aurelian's performance had truly shocked everyone.
What August saw wasn't just Aurelian's superb technique, but a kind of composure that felt like a seasoned battlefield veteran.
Her decisiveness, even the calmness of finishing the fight in a single strike.
It was as if she knew every weakness of her enemy, knew how to counter, and chose the most efficient way to kill.
Is this really something a mage could teach?
Of course, Aurelian naturally couldn't kill anyone.
At this moment, a team of medical staff wearing white soft uniforms rushed onto the arena. They even brought a stretcher, placed the student onto it, and pulled open the clothes over his chest where he had supposedly been pierced.
This shocked everyone once again.
Because there was no wound on the student's body.
'Very strange.'
Clearly, everyone had seen him get pierced through the chest by the blade, and even that student had already collapsed weakly onto the ground.
'Could this also be the power of magic?'
But what kind of mage fights in close combat? And one who's this good at it... how are warriors supposed to live?
As August was thinking, Aurelian had already walked back.
She wore a smile, as if going down there had only been to vent her emotions a little, and even her attitude toward the king had improved somewhat.
Under the watchful eyes of many nobles, Aurelian passed by Joanna and stood in the corridor of the arena.
She didn't look at that female student again, only nodded slightly toward Hilda who was sitting to the side.
After that, she returned to her seat.
At this point, no one dared to question Aurelian's combat ability anymore.
And how old was she?
It was said that this imperial princess was only fifteen.
Meanwhile, most of the students here who had reached the sixth year were already adults.
August spoke in a tone of admiration, "That was a wonderful battle, Princess Aurelian. Your swordsmanship is excellent."
Aurelian responded with a smile, "Thank you."
"It's because my teacher taught me well."
Hearing this, August's thoughts drifted back to Viktor again.
If even the student was this strong, then just how powerful must the teacher Viktor be?
At this moment, Hilda didn't forget to stand up and show respect to Aurelian, bowing slightly, "Thank you, Princess. Thank you for fulfilling my wish."
Aurelian only returned a faint smile.
Joanna turned her head and glanced at Aurelian, then lifted the sword in her hand and softly said to Hilda, "Sister, I'll leave first."
"I still need to prepare for the next match."
Hilda let out an "Ah," froze for a moment, and replied somewhat casually, "Mm, do your best."
Joanna lowered her head, carrying her longsword, and quickly left the place.
Considering that Aurelian had already revealed her strength, this princess naturally wouldn't participate in battle again afterward.
Even if she wanted to go up and continue competing, the instructors wouldn't want her to take the stage again.
Clearly, Aurelian's strength had already far exceeded the average level here.
The matches continued. One student after another stepped onto the arena, displaying their talents with all their might in front of the nobles.
The sky grew darker and darker, and finally, the last match arrived.
Joanna faced another strong student.
Just like Joanna, the opponent had won several matches in a row.
Whoever won between them would take first place in this assessment.
At this moment, their battle had already gone on for quite a long time.
The student in front of her was putting a lot of pressure on her.
After all, the opponent was also one of the top students in the sixth year.
The fight dragged on again, both sides locked in a stalemate on the arena, each searching for an opening.
At this moment, Joanna noticed that the opponent's stamina had also been heavily consumed. His breathing became rough, and his movements slowed slightly.
She immediately felt that she had found an opening. With a step forward, she charged at her opponent, slashing out with her blade midway and thrusting toward him.
However, the opponent's lips curled slightly. Seizing the moment, he lightly flicked his sword.
In the next second, Joanna's body became unstable, and the longsword in her hand was instantly knocked away by a huge force.
She lost her balance and fell onto the arena with a thud.
The blade fell from the air, landing to the side with a clang.
The student opposite her remained calm, neither arrogant nor impatient, and put away his sword.
"Your skill is very strong. If I weren't a year older than you, the outcome might not have been certain."
"Good match."
The students watched as the battle came to a conclusion, and the winner wasn't Joanna. They couldn't help but feel surprised.
Even Hilda frowned slightly when she saw her sister's performance at this final moment.
Only August spoke from the side, "Hilda, your sister is quite impressive. She has good potential."
Despite receiving the king's praise, Hilda's expression was still somewhat gloomy.
After all, a loss was a loss.
She wasn't as skilled as the other.
But during the king's visit, along with people from other countries, Joanna had made such an obvious mistake.
Naturally, this made her mood hard to lift.
Below, the instructor also added a point to the winning student.
After the final match, this student took first place on the scoreboard, while Joanna ranked second.
The instructor below announced, "The first place in this assessment is... Yaso Hidd!"
The winning student, full of smiles, walked onto the stage to receive the award.
As for second place, there was naturally no reward at all.
Joanna gripped the hilt of her sword tightly. Her defeat left her looking somewhat downcast.
With her head lowered, she left the scene alone.
Seeing this, Hilda took a deep breath, then gave Aurelian and the king a slight smile, "My apologies, I'll excuse myself for a moment."
She stood up and hurried after Joanna.
At this time, the king also smiled and said to everyone, "Then, we should be leaving as well, shouldn't we?"
After all, bringing the diplomatic group here was only to watch the academy's assessment matches.
Now that the matches were over, there was naturally no need to stay any longer.
Seeing the nobles and the king present, the students didn't dare linger either and left one after another.
After all, it was already quite late.
The king stood up first, and the noble lords followed, rising to their feet.
August turned his head and asked Aurelian, "It's already late, Princess Aurelian. I'll arrange accommodations for you."
Aurelian stood up with a smile.
From time to time, she turned her head to look at Viktor, as if asking him for help.
'Teacher, how should I respond now?'
But Viktor acted as if he didn't see Aurelian at all, still sitting there quietly.
Yet no one noticed.
At some point, the crow on Viktor's shoulder had disappeared.
At this moment, the sound of a cane striking the ground rang out. Everyone's attention was drawn over.
Because all these noble lords knew very well.
What that sound meant.
Even King August looked over.
They saw Duke Festian stand up, leaning on his cane, and say to August, "Your Majesty, there's no need to trouble yourself."
"During this period, let the princess and her group stay at my estate."
———
Unnoticed by anyone, a pitch-black crow bathed in moonlight silently flapped its wings and flew into the night sky.
Its wings stirred a faint breeze in the darkness as it flew over brightly lit streets.
In the end, it slipped into a deep, narrow alley and landed in a corner covered in shadows.
Not far from the corner, Vega heard a voice of complaint coming from inside, "Why did you perform so poorly today?"
The voice sounded familiar.
It should be that female instructor and her younger sister.
Starting to lecture her?
Maybe the two would lose control of their emotions and even start fighting in a moment.
Vega casually guessed in the dark corner. After all, the tone of complaint sounded quite harsh.
So it narrowed its eyes and poked its head out.
But what happened next didn't match his expectations.
At this moment, Hilda was kneeling on one knee.
Under the moonlight, her face looked both serious and full of care.
Joanna was leaning against the steps, the determination and restraint she had on the arena already gone from her face.
Hilda held a cotton ball in her hand, applying medicine to the wounds on Joanna's body.
Hilda carefully treated her sister's wounds, while Joanna accepted it expressionlessly.
Her sister's scolding voice still sounded especially clear in the quiet night.
"You could have done better. What exactly was the reason?"
Joanna kept her lips tightly shut, letting the moonlight fall across her cold face.
Hilda finished tying the bandage on her sister's leg. When she looked up, she saw the faint wound on Joanna's arm.
"Give me your hand. There's an injury on your arm too."
Joanna obediently stretched out her hand, letting her sister bandage it.
After finishing all this, Hilda stood up, while Joanna raised her head to look at her.
"Next time, don't train with such high intensity again. Relax yourself once in a while."
Then Hilda spoke again, "His Majesty and the others should be leaving. I'll go see them off."
"Rest for a bit, and go back to the dorm early."
After saying that, she turned and left, casting one last reluctant glance at her sister.
Joanna also looked in the direction her sister left, feeling somewhat guilty.
At this moment, she stood up again, moved her body a little, sheathed her longsword, and prepared to leave.
Suddenly, Joanna stopped in her tracks.
At some unknown time, in front of her, a small pitch-black crow had appeared.
Strangely, it only had one eye.
A sheen flowed across its small body, and a strange dark aura gradually seeped out from it.
She felt it... the atmosphere in the alley had become extremely heavy. A powerful pressure wrapped around her body like rolling clouds.
It was a terrifying force, cold to the bone.
At this moment, her body was so cold she couldn't even move.
Finally, the crow's faint voice descended from above, full of temptation and danger.
Like a cold glint in the night, piercing into Joanna's mind.
"Hello there, strong little girl."
"Do you… desire power?"