《Black Belly Enchantress》


 Chapter 1: Bonneville Familys Young Miss

    Loud thunders, heavy rainfalls, flahes of terrifying lightnings and the sky couldn''t even be blacker than black.


    In the residence of Bonneville family, everyone was gloomy as they looked at the coffin. Although the atmosphere was so heavy, the exquisite carving designs of the coffin couldn''t be overlooked.


    Inside the coffin, there was a young girl in a white dress. At a one glance, it wasn''t hard to guess her age at all. She looked not older than 13 years old. At such a young age, it was truly a pity that she''s already lying in a coffin. Even though her perfect face with fair white skin were indeed pleasing to the eyes, right now, everyone was not in a mood to appreciate this beauty that would surely bring a catastrophe to a nation when given a time to be matured.


    Not long after, when everyone was silently chatting in the hall, there was a movement inside the coffin. Suddenly, the coffin opened by a hand that looked so tender and as white as snow.


    Everyone in the hall looked at the young girl in the coffin with their eyes wide opened as if they had seen a ghost. A moment after, the girl in the coffin turned her head carrying the ink-like hair with her emotionless pitch-black eyes that looked as deep as an abyss to the people around her, she was also dumbstruck from what she had seen but her face expression was as cold as before.


    She thought to herself, (I clearly remember that I was in the middle of my mission then I suddenly fainted. And now... what kind of prank is this?!) She was so confused. Suddenly, a somewhat hoarse voice echoed within the hall.


    "Y-young Miss!"


    The owner of that voice was from a young girl with a pale face wearing a maidservant dress. Her eyes were also so red, obviously it''s because this young girl had been crying for who-knows since when.


    Everyone regained their senses when they heard the sudden call but before they could even react, the girl that was in the coffin earlier was already standing in front of them with an expressionless face.


    *gulp*


    The unexpected scene scared out of their wits. There were even some people from other noble families that could not help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.


    Seeing this scene, a man on his late twenties immediately grabbed the young girl''s arms and checked all over her body. His hands were trembling and his face showed his anxiousness.


    "Daughter, it''s you! It really is you!!! Thank goodness, you''re alive! You''re alive!"


    His voice was like a thunder that instantly caused an uproar within the hall. Who would have thought that the Young Miss of Bonneville family who was also the daughter of a Marquess in their empire died and even laid down in the coffin for almost an entire day suddenly got up. Some of them even thought that this mighty Bonneville family was just making a play to amuse them.


    After the shocking scene happened, the Bonneville family made an excuse that their doctor was at fault. Although they didn''t know what exactly happened, they were still overjoyed that the young miss of the family was alive.


    The maidservants of the residence were preparing a banquet for their guests and also for their Young Miss who woke up all of a sudden. Even though everyone in the mansion were in high spirits, there were also two people inside a room who looked so depressed and also another person sitting on the bed with an expressionless face.


    "Young Miss..."


    Seeing that the Young Miss whom she was following for couple of years was not saying anything since the very beginning, she was turning anxious. Who knows what happened to her miss that made her so silent like this?!


    After hearing the voice of the maidservant, the young girl on the bed raised her head slightly but all of a sudden, she felt pain in her head. Some fragments of memories were rapidly flowing in her mind that made her subconsciously cover her head with her jade-like hands while gritting her teeth.


    Seeing the actions of his daughter, the man worriedly approached his daughter and asked, "Dear, are you alright? What''s wrong?"


    Hearing the voice of the man in front of her, she raised her head once again but her face still showed some pain due to the headache.


    When the man saw her pained face, he was startled for a moment and ran outside with panic to call a doctor.


    He rarely came back home all these years because he''s a Marquess of the Yndrevis Empire. He even set aside having bonding moments with his daughter. But after he received the news that something mishap had happened to his daughter, he hurriedly went back home only to see that his daughter was already lying on a bed with an already unmoving body and without any pulse present.


    He was extremely regretful. Not being by his daughter''s side all this time made him regretful that he blamed himself for what happened to her. His wife, when she was still alive, their residence was so lively because of her. Her looks were also so perfect just like a masterpiece made from the heavens, there was no single flaw at all. Even her attitude towards everyone showed her gentleness. Such a pity that she died not long after she gave birth to Eirlys, the current Young Miss of Bonneville family.


    After receiving the fragments of memories from the previous owner of her body, the young girl sighed. (I was originally the genius of a secret organization. Never would I have thought that I would be transmigrated into a world so magical like this. Seems like I really died in the middle of my mission. What a joke! That was the first time I failed in conducting a mission and I even died on top of that.) She mockingly laughed to her own self within her mind.


    After thinking about that did she only notice the girl in front of her who was staring at her since the very beginning. From the memories of the previous owner of the body she possessed now, she softly called the name of the maidservant in front of her.


    "Hazel.."


    Suddenly, the tears were rapidly flowing on her face after she heard that her Young Miss called her name. While crying, she said, "Young Miss, that really scared me! I thought you weren''t my Young Miss anymore and was possessed by another soul!"


    Eirlys'' face twitched after hearing the words of the maidservant in front of her and thought, (Well.. what she said were mostly right.. uh whatever.)


    Suddenly, the door of the room was opened and the man earlier was now guiding the middle-aged man behind him while walking hastily.


    "Please check her condition carefully."


    "Yes." The middle-aged man courteously replied and lightly walked towards Eirlys. He grabbed her wrist and checked her condition. He slowly said with a clear yet low voice, "Her pulse is just normal and her body is not so weak nor is it on its best condition. She just needs some rest and everything will be fine."


    The man earlier heaved a sigh of relief and answered, "Good!"This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He immediately walked towards Eirlys and put his hands lightly on her shoulders. He smiled faintly and said, "You should be tired now. You go ahead and rest. If you want anything, just don''t hesitate to tell me or Hazel, okay?"


    After she heard her father''s words, she nodded slightly. Although she felt a bit hungry for not eating for almost a day, she still endured it because she was not used to have a paternal love in her past life. She was feeling a little bit strange at that moment.


    After the two men walked out of the room. Eirlys turned her head towards Hazel and told her to bring her some food. Hazel immediately ran to the kitchen after realizing that the Young Miss actually didn''t eat anything since yesterday after the mishap happened to her. She returned with plenty foods on the tray and Eirlys ate it right away. After eating, she excused Hazel and slept soundly on her bed.


    ***


    Inside the main hall of Bonneville residence, there were three people sitting there while wearing serious expressions on their faces.


    "Lord Bonneville, are you sure of this? You''ve gained many accomplishments for the Empire and even His Majesty, the Emperor, thinks highly of you now. Are you really sure you''re going to leave your position as a Marquess?"


    "General Hill, I have already decided and calculated things thoroughly."


    "Lord Bonneville, you''re still young, you''re not even thirty yet. You''re the well-known prodigy in your early years and now, the whole empire needs you."


    "But my daughter needs me the most."


    After hearing the words of the man, the two could not refute at all. They knew how anxious the Marquess was after receiving the news that something bad had happened to his daughter. They could only lower their heads at this moment.


    "Later, our family will have a banquet. You two should accompany us here. How about that?" The man in font of them smiled and asked them with a calm face.


    The two could only exchange glances to each other then replied, "Alright."


    ***


    After sleeping for nearly 4 hours, Eirlys got up on her bed and stretched her body. She took a bath and when she was about to go to the cabinet to choose some clothes, the door of the room opened.


    Hazel smilingly walked towards her and bowed slightly. "Young Miss, you''re finally awake. The master instructed me to help you dress up and we''ll then proceed to the dining hall for the dinner tonight."


    Eirlys was stunned for a moment but Hazel had not caught of this sudden change of her expression. Eirlys might look like only 12 years old at this moment but she was already 26 years old in her past life. She couldn''t imagine herself being helped by another girl to dress up. However, she had no choice but to agree, of course, it was to avoid suspicions and she was also not used to the clothings in this world. The culture here was like the ancient western style in her past life.


    After getting dressed, she looked at the mirror and flabbergasted. Although her body was that of a young girl, some developments could already be seen and her face was so beautiful that even she herself couldn''t help but praise it in her heart, (How fortunate of me to transmigrate in this world and even being gifted with such a perfect body and appearance.)


    But even so, she also thought to herself that a beauty could also bring disasters. Even in her past life, her appearance could also be considered as a top-notched beauty but in order to not catch the attention of the people too much and to conceal her identity, she always used a face mask whenever she was in public.


    Her true identity was the highest ranked agent of an anonymous organization, she was actually just second to the president whom the only one she treated as her superior. However, her identity in public was that of a prodigy doctor working in one of the famous hospitals in the whole world.


    It could be said that her talents in medicine and in combats were both god-like level. Thinking up to this, she also remembered from the memories of the previous owner of this body that this world had mages and warriors. Both could be learned through attending classes in academies.


    She couldn''t help but feel excited when this popped up on her mind. It was like the novels that she had read before where the main characters fought till they reached the highest peak. She laughed to herself because thinking about it was indeed amusing and the most funny thing was that she even transmigrated to this kind of world just like what happened to some of those main heroes and heroines in novels.


    She slightly shook her head to throw those funny thoughts from her mind and after walking for a while, they arrived in the dining hall with so many people who were already sitting on their chairs. Some personalities from noble families were present.


    She immediately caught everyone''s attention but she didn''t pay any mind to them and just walked towards her father and greeted him with an expressionless face, "Father", she flatly said and slightly bowed her head.


    "Good daughter, you''re being too formal. Come, have a seat." Albert said with a wide smile on his face. Although this daughter of his was not the same with her peers who were so energetic and talkative, he''s still satisfied with her calm temperament.


    The banquet went smoothly and everyone was happily talking, eating and drinking wine. Eirlys, on the other hand, was just quietly eating and didn''t say a single word since the moment she sat down on her chair.


    Everytime the younger generations from other noble families tried to talk to her, she only gave a slight nod with her cold black eyes. The original owner of the body was actually not used to socialize with others and everyone in the whole empire knew of this. The other people just overlooked this attitude of hers as if they had expected it from the very beginning.


    The banquet ended and everyone went back to their own residences. Eirlys was also called by her father to go to the study room. This made Eirlys to be a little nervous. She was thinking of the possibility that her father might be suspicious of her but fortunately, she was just overthinking things.


    In the study room, a man was standing near the window while looking outside. The moon was so bright and the stars could also be seen shining within the dark sky.


    "Eirlys, do you want to be a mage or a warrior?"


    The sudden question of her father made her eyes lit up. She was so excited at this moment. It was a good thing that her father was looking outside and could not see her expression... but little did she know that her father actually had very high senses and the moment he asked her, he found out that her heart was actually beating faster than normal and her mood was lighten up. When he thought of this, he smiled and turned around to look at his daughter whose face was as expressionless as before.


    "Father.. I haven''t thought about it yet. But I would like to test my magical aptitude first."


    Hearing the answer of his daughter, he was very pleased and smiled widely. "Alright, prepare yourself for tomorrow. Although testing aptitude could only be done when a person is already thirteen years old, there are some things that you should prepare first."


    Eirlys thought for a moment first and hurriedly answered, "Yes, father."


    "Alright, go back and rest."


    "Yes."


    After saying a word, Eirlys made her way out of the study room and headed back to her own room. When she left, another man appeared out of nowhere. He sighed and said, "You didn''t tell her after all."


    "Now isn''t the time. She''s still too young." Albert answered with a serious tone without even glancing the man beside him.


    "Mn, that''s true. By the way, I heard that you''re resigning from your position as a Marquess in this empire. What''s your plan?" After the man got this news, he was shocked by his brother''s decision. He never thought that he would let go of such position because of his daughter.


    "Eirlys still has 4 months before turning 13. With these remaining months, I''ll nurture her and make sure she''ll have a strong foundation before attending to an academy." He took the chair beside him and sat down.


    "It is only four months, what''s with that resignation? Shouldn''t you just have a temporary leave?" The man beside him asked curiously. Although this Albert was his elder brother, he could not see through him at all.


    "Arnold, you clearly know the situation in our clan right now, don''t you?" Albert looked at Arnold with sharp eyes.


    "So you''re going back and help us?" Arnold asked him straightforwardly. He really hoped that this elder brother of his would help them right now.


    "That''s right. After four months." Albert nodded.


    "How about Eirlys?"


    "She won''t be coming back here and will stay at the dormitory of the school she''ll be attending. Although I want to nurture her by my own self, this will also hinder her achievements in the future. I want her to grow up, see the outside world and experience a lot of things without anyone helping her. Only by doing that would she progress faster. I know it would be hard for her, but I believe in her abilities. She''s the daughter of Eira after all. She is our pride." Albert said with confidence but he still had some worries. Howver, he still firmly believed that his daughter would soon become as excellent as her mother. No, it might be even higher than what her mother reached back then.


    "Experience the world by her own self, huh?" Arnold murmured with doubt. Although he didn''t have any interaction with Eirlys, he was still fond of her since she''s his niece.


    "That''s right, how''s the investigation regarding with the sudden changes of the sky earlier?" Albert remembered that when he was having sorrows earlier because of his daughter, his attention was still caught by the sudden changes of the nature.


    "There are no traces yet. I''m afraid it would be difficult to find this child before he matures." Thinking about it made Arnold to be worried.


    "Right. I just hope that he will side on us in the future." Albert sighed and stood up. He looked in the bright moon and said, "Finally, after thousands of years, another mortal will soon ascend to become a deity in this lower realm."

 Chapter 2: Preparations

    There were two paths of cultivation in this world.


    The first one was the cultivation of being a warrior. The qualifications to be a warrior was tough and could only be gained through vigorous trainings. A well-built body should be maintained.


    The other one was known to be the magical cultivation which was the path to be a mage. Being a mage was not like being a warrior which needed to have a very well-built body that would only be gained through training, instead it only needed a person to connect himself to the elements around him and control it. It would also depend on their talent. It was widely known that having low aptitude means that one''s future achievements would also be low.


    Many people tend to test their magical aptitude first. When their magical aptitude is quite high then they would choose the path of mages and if not, then being warrior most definitely suited to them only if their physique is on its perfect condition.


    Although many people wanted to become mages, the warriors could also not be underestimated. The mages were good at long-ranged combats while the warriors were good at close-ranged combats. When a mage fights head on against a warrior, he would not get too close to his enemy as much as possible for him to have enough time to cast his spells.


    The disadvantages of mages are their own body which could be considered as usually fragile as well as the time needed to chant their magical spells while the disadvantage of warriors is the long-ranged attacks which makes it difficult for them to get closer to their enemies..


    Thinking up to this, Eirlys stood up and was about to open the door when a knock and voice from outside sounded. "Young Miss, the Master said he will be waiting for you in the study room."


    Eirlys opened the door and walked out from her room. "Alright, I''m going now."


    The maidservant named Hazel immediately nodded and smiled.


    ***


    After entering the study room, she immediately saw her father standing there wearing training clothes. Before she could say anything, her father commanded, "Go back and change your dress with training clothes."


    Eirlys immediately complied to her father''s instructions and when she came back, she saw him standing outside the study room''s door. Her father, Albert, said, "Follow me."


    They headed to the secret training grounds through a secret pathway. Eirlys couldn''t help but feel amazed because of this magical place. It had a barrier surrounding it and the gravity was also stronger compared outside. This place was indeed the best place to train.


    "Here, I will only treat you as a disciple, nothing more and nothing less. Do you understand?" Albert''s domineering voice sounded within the training grounds.


    Eirlys was astounded by what her father said but she also clearly understood the meaning behind those words. She half-kneeled and spoke, "This disciple pays her respect to master."


    After seeing his daughter behaved like this, he approvingly said, "Good, stand up. I''ll test your agility and strength first. Now get ready."


    Eirlys immediately understood her father''s intentions and said, "Then if you may please.."


    "Alright." After saying a single word, Albert started to move his legs and targeted Eirlys'' neck. Eirlys'' actions were also nimble and immediately dodged to the other side. She also made her attack with a kick towards her father''s waist. Seeing this, Albert was stunned for a moment and before he could react, Eirlys'' kick arrived on his waist.


    "Good! Good! You actually have some skills. I lowered my guard just now without knowing that you are this agile." Albert laughed heartily. Although her kick wasn''t that strong, her fast actions alone were worthy to be praised.


    Of course, this kind of thing was just normal for Eirlys. She was the ranked one agent in their organization after all. But still, she could not say such thing to her father and could only nod her head with a straight line smile on her face that also seemed like not a smile....at all*.


    [AN: *This mc doesn''t know how to smile naturally.. so, just imagine her trying to smile but failed to do so in this part..LOL]


    "Alright, I will be serious this time." Albert warned.


    "Then please pardon me for being impolite." Eirlys answered arrogantly while taking the initiative to attack.


    She already knew some martial arts in her previous life. Without guns and blades, she could still fight. After exchanging attacks with her father for almost an hour and a half, she took a rest first and sat on the nearest bench.


    "I''ll give you quarter an hour to rest. Then we shall continue after that."


    "Understood."


    Seeing his daughter''s temperament and remembering her actions earlier, he was naturally pleased. His confidence in his daughter''s future had actually risen. He didn''t say anything else and walked outside the training grounds.


    Eirlys just quietly sat there and let her thoughts ran wild. She clearly stated last night in front of her father that she would like to test her aptitude on becoming a mage first. This implied that she prioritize the magical cultivation path but unexpectedly, her father actually trained her body as if she was being trained to be a warrior.


    Nevertheless, she still understood her father''s intentions. Having a frail body would be troublesome if she ever fight a warrior in the future. So training her body would also be a good thing if she were to take the path of magical cultivation.


    After the given time was up, Albert walked inside the training grounds while holding wooden swords. He threw one of it to Eirlys and calmly said, "We shall spar using swords. Although you are taking the path to be a mage, using swords in close-combat battles would help you a lot just in case. For now, you should familiarize yourself with swords."


    "This disciple understands." She nodded her head while swinging the wooden sword in her hand without a slightest bit of difficulty at all. It was like she was already used to it.


    After witnessing his daughter''s actions, he was dumbfounded once again and after he regained his senses, he said to himself: (Seems like I really missed the growth of my daughter all these years.)


    He just sighed and looked at this daughter of his. After a short while, he said, "Alright, we shall start now."


    "Mn."


    He immediately thrust the wooden sword to Eirlys'' chest. Eirlys movements were also fast. She dodged to the right side and the wooden sword that was touching its tip on the ground earlier was raised by Eirlys and counterattacked to make Albert''s sword fly away.


    Unfortunately, although her actions were fast, she was still a 12 year-old girl after all. Her strength was not enough to free the wooden sword from Albert''s hands. Albert had naturally high skills in using swords since he was a marquess that led an army not too long ago.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    After their first exchange of attacks, Albert didn''t dare underestimate this young lady in front of him again. They continued their confrontation. Of course, Albert restrained himself from using too much force as he was afraid that he would accidentally harm his own daughter.


    Albert swung the wooden sword in his hand horizontally as he targeted Eirlys'' neck. Eirlys immediately bent her upper body backwards to dodge it and used a special footwork to distance herself from Albert. After stabilizing herself, Albert didn''t continue attacking anymore and said, "Good. This is the end for today''s training. You go back to your room first and refreshen yourself."


    He turned around and walked towards the door without waiting for her reply. After he opened it, he turned his head slightly to Eirlys'' direction and added, "Ah, right. Don''t forget to go to the dining hall for lunch." Having finished speaking, he continued walking until his silhouette was nowhere to be seen.


    ***


    After taking a warm bath and getting dressed up, she immediately went towards the dining hall.


    Albert was sitting there wearing his new set of clothes. He was already there long ago and was just waiting for his daughter to show up.


    Eirlys formally greeted her father and sat on the chair nearest to him. Albert really didn''t mind his daughter''s tardiness since she''s a lady in the first place. Unlike with men, women had many different things to do.


    Albert saw his daughter''s expressionless face and sighed in his heart.


    "Eirlys, I presume that you already know what my intentions are for this training. Isn''t that right?" Albert said straightforwardly.


    "Yes. But there''s this one thing that I am not sure of. May I ask my father about this?" Eirlys asked courteously to her father.


    "Sure, speak it up. What is it?" Albert quickly replied. He was also curious as to what would be this thing that his daughter is thinking of now.


    "Can I dual-cultivate?" Eirlys spoke out without hesitating at all.


    Albert looked at her with a shocked expression visible on his face and he thought: (Indeed, they really are the same.)After seeing the silhouette of the woman in his mind whom he had been missing all these years, he shook his head slightly.


    "I cannot?" Seeing that her father shook his head, she immediately asked him to confirm this.


    Albert immediately laughed because his daughter actually misunderstood his actions. He lightly pat Eirlys'' head and said, "I am originally planning to tell you this four months later. But since you already asked it, then I''ll tell you about it. Actually, your mother came from a powerful clan but you''re still too young so I can''t give you the details about it for now. All I can tell you is that all of the people in that clan can dual-cultivate. Although you are not with them at this moment, you still have inherited the clan''s bloodline from your mother and can naturally dual-cultivate if you want to."


    Eirlys was stunned by the words of her father. Although she was confused why there were only two of them within this residence with Bonneville family name, she didn''t ask anything about her relatives. She already knew that her mother had long passed away, so she didn''t mention it at all. Even the previous owner of the body she currently possessed, didn''t mention this all these years.


    She hesitated for a moment and asked, "Does that mean I have many relatives and you know of their whereabouts?"


    "Mn, that would be the case." Albert nodded his head.


    "Then where are they?" Completely disregarding their main topic which was about ''dual-cultivation'', she continued asking about the family of her mother.


    "This... I told you earlier, this is not the time to tell you about it. You''re still too young." Albert immediately explained within just one breath.


    He calmed himself and added, "Although right now is not the time, I''ll make sure to tell you about it in the future and that also includes my own origins."


    Eirlys was once again stunned by what she heard. There were too many secrets in their family that even her was not allowed to know about it yet.


    Seeing that his daughter didn''t reply, he comfortingly said, "I want you to become stronger first before I tell you everything that you should know as my daughter. This is also for your safety that''s why you have to get stronger as soon as possible. Is that clear?"


    There was a strange feeling within her heart after she heard of this. She thought of something in her mind and replied softly, "I''ll do my best, father."


    "Good. I know you won''t ever disappoint your father. Alright, enough of these things. Come on, fill your stomach with some delicious foods." Albert said smilingly to his daughter, Eirlys.


    ***


    Four months passed within a blink of an eye. The winter had long ago started and spring was also approaching. Snowy roads with snowdrops could be seen outside. Looking at the snows falling from the skies could make one''s heart calm.


    [AN: ''Eirlys'' name means ''snowdrop'' (white flower). It is now her birthday (late winter). Also, her mother''s name, ''Eira'', means ''snow''. Eira was also born in winter season.]


    Despite of the cold weather, the Bonneville residence was so lively and everyone was so busy. There were also carriages that could be seen not too far away from the residence which were also heading towards the Bonneville''s gates. Obviously, this happy occasion was to celebrate Eirlys'' 13th birthday.


    Thirteenth birthday was one of the most important events for the younger generations since it would be the start of their new journey where they had to separate with their families and experience the world outside. This also included the first year of attending classes in academies.


    Every thirteenth day of a month, all of the headmasters of every school would be gathered in a place where the entrance exam will be held at. These included the top schools for both mage and warrior paths. Every school only had one path and it was either for mages and warriors.


    The main hall of Boneville''s residence was now full of noblemen and noblewomen. There were also some noble youths who were so refined and elegant yet still gave off their domineering auras.


    The former Marquess, Albert, was so busy in welcoming the guests. Suddenly, the chamberlain outside called out, "His Highness, the Third Prince has arrived! Her Highness, the Princess has arrived!"


    Albert was stunned for a moment and immediately regained his composure. He walked with large strides and welcomed the people from the royal family. Although he was confused as to why the people from the royal family personally came, he still warmly received them.


    After waiting for a couple of minutes, Eirlys appeared and could be seen at the stairs walking down with light footsteps.


    She looked like a goddess that was descending into the mortal world. Added to her fairy-like face with a snow-like white tender skin, the black dress that she was wearing made her even more attractive. Everyone else in the main hall was astounded because of the peerless beauty that could absolutely bring chaos to the whole country. Eirlys was only thirteen this year and she was already this beautiful? How about in the future when she matured? Everyone of them didn''t dare imagine what the possible future would be.


    After her right foot stepped away from the stairs, Albert immediately extended his hand to guide his little treasure daughter in front of the hall and received the congratulatory gifts and speeches from various powerful noble families. There were even shameless ones who proposed for a marriage right on the spot.


    However, Albert also rejected all of them right away without a slightest bit of hesitation.


    [AN: Just imagine a mother hen protecting its chick XD]


    The whole banquet went grandeously without any difficulties and whatsoever.


    When Albert and Eirlys were seeing off the guests outside the gates, the Third Prince and the Princess who made their appearance in the banquet walked towards them.


    "Sir Bonneville.." They greeted Albert with a slight bow.


    "Your Highness, Third Prince and Your Highness, Princess Vienna. Please don''t call this one like that. This lowly one already resigned as a Marquess and is currently just an ordinary citizen in Yndrevis Empire without any rank of an official at all." Albert courteously said to them.


    "Sigh, then may I call you Uncle Bonneville instead?" Princess Vienna asked while smiling at Albert and glancing few times to Eirlys beside him.


    "Haha, of course! Of course! This little one is very honoured to be called as Uncle by Her Highness, Princess Vienna." Albert loudly laughed as he was etremely happy because he realized that these people from the royal family were not doing things difficult for him.


    Princess Vienna happily nodded her head to Albert then turned her gaze towards Eirlys. She said, "Since Eirlys already turned thirteen this month, Miss Eirlys should be joining the upcoming''s entrance examination the next two weeks, isn''t that right?"


    "Yes. What Her Highness, Princess Vienna said is right. And because the examinations this year will all be held here in Yndrevis empire, there''s no need for me to prepare anything much." Eirlys spoke with them politely with a clear voice.


    "Mn, that''s right. Then may this princess know of what cultivation path you will be taking?" Princess Vienna asked with full of interest.


    "Princess is thinking too much. Whatever path this little one will be choosing would not make any difference at all. I''m afraid that my talents are only mediocre." Eirlys spoke without answering the question directly.


    After hearing his daughter''s words, Albert on the other side curved up his lips and thought: (The temperament of this child is really the same with her''s...)


    He shook his head slightly and said, "Your Highness, Third Prince, Your Highness, Princess Vienna, it is so cold here outside. I''m afraid that the both of you would get cold if we stay here any longer."


    "Right. Then we shall now take our leave." Seeing their carriage outside, the Third Prince and Princess Vienna nodded their head slightly to Albert and went in the carriage.


    After seeing them off, the pair of father and daughter went back inside the residence.

 Chapter 3: Assassination

    Almost two weeks had passed after the grand banquet took place in the Bonneville''s residence and there was only a day left before the entrance examination. The capital of Yndrevis Empire was already so lively although it was still early in the morning.


    Meanwhile in the study room, Albert was facing his daughter with an extremely serious expression shown on his face. There was only a week left and his daughter would be parted away from him from then on.


    After the examination, the youngsters would be given a week to prepare and after that, they would then depart from their homes.


    He could not do anything about it and just helplessly sighed.


    "Relax yourself today. You can go back to your room and rest your body and mind now. We will set off to the capital later."


    "Alright, father."


    The capital, which is also known as the biggest city of Yndrevis Empire, Chaze City, was located at the middle part of the empire. The Bonneville''s residence was located at the mid-southern part region, particularly in the second biggest city of the whole empire, Fligrawn City.


    Before, when Albert was still a Marquess, he was assigned and had a march located at the southeast borders near the city of Graudon.


    It took him almost 3 hours riding a single horse to travel from the southeast borders to Fligrawn City. Though the distance was huge, the horse''s speed really helped him a lot as he hurriedly went back home at that time.


    Two hours had passed, Albert and Eirlys departed from the residence and headed towards the Chaze City. Eirlys just dressed a simple black attire, but she still emanated an unsurpassable elegance. Albert on the other hand was wearing dark blue garments with some embroideries on it. Although his clothes were not that eye-catching, his handsome face still stood out of the masses.


    The carriage they used had some gold designs on it which were completely emphasized due to the dark colors of the carriage.


    Because they deliberately used a first class carriage, they didn''t meet any obstructions at all on their way. When the people saw it, they knew that the individuals inside behind those exquisite curtains were not the ones they could afford to offend.


    After traveling for nearly 3 hours, the carriage stopped in front of a restaurant. Albert instructed the coachman to wait for them at the parkings of carriages.


    The completely refined handsome man walked inside the restaurant together with a girl whose face countenance was so perfect as if it was carefully made by the gods.


    The people inside were astonished by the pair of a man and a young girl. There were some people from noble families inside who were also dining in recognized the two newcomers. The pair of father and daughter didn''t pay them any attention at all and just walked towards an empty table.


    Seeing that the two were seemingly not interested in associating themselves in the crowd, the people also did not heed any attention to the two anymore and just continued doing and thinking their own businesses.


    Albert and Eirlys were just silently eating the dishes that were served for them. When they finished eating, a man who was obviously from a noble family greeted Albert courteously.


    Although the news of him resigning from being a marquess was already spread in the whole empire, the people were still very respectful to this man who had gained many merits when he was ascending from lower ranks to the title of marquess.


    Albert naturally acknowledged the man in front of him. He was known to be a modest warrior in public while being fierce and heartless to the enemies in the battlefield. At such a young age, he had already gained the favor of the emperor. The noble families and even the commoners were still confused why he suddenly left his title as a marquess.


    "It''s been a long time Lord Bonneville. I have not attended the happiest occasion of your daughter, Lady Eirlys. I hope Lord Bonneville won''t take an offense." The man apologetically said to Albert.


    "Oh please, Mr. Williams. Don''t say that. We have our own personal businesses that we could not afford to disregard. Of course, I didn''t really mind your absence that day. You''re just overthinking it." Albert refused to make him apologize any further while waving his hand.


    "That''s a relief." The man called Mr. Williams sighed and turned his head to Eirlys. He added, "This must be Lady Eirlys. You''ve grown bigger now and even prettier."


    "Mr. Williams is overpraising me." Eirlys answered modestly.


    "Haha, not only are your looks unsurmountable, but even your attitude is also good. Oh, that''s right. You should be joining the entrance examination tomorrow, am I right?" Mr. Williams seemed to like the behavior of Eirlys and when he remembered something, he asked her about it right away.


    "Yes, I am indeed joining it tomorrow." Eirlys straightforwardly answered.


    "Good! I really hope that you will be attending to the same school with my son."


    Mr. Williams really want to push his son to Albert''s daughter. He knew how outstanding the man in front of him is and he also believed that this young girl sitting with the same table as Albert is also extraordinary and could not be underestimated.


    "We could only leave that to fate, Mr. Williams." Eirlys jokingly said to him.


    Hearing the young lady''s answer, he laughed loudly. He really liked the temperament of this little dragon. He didn''t stay any longer and bid farewell to Albert and Eirlys.


    After resting for a while, the two continued traveling towards the Chaze City.


    ***


    At the Imperial Palace...You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The emperor was tapping the table in front of him while thinking deeply. Suddenly, a person appeared behind him.


    "How is it?" The emperor''s index finger stopped its motion on the table and asked the man behind him.


    "Reporting to His Imperial Majesty, Lord Bonneville and his daughter are now in the Blackstone City and are still moving towards the capital." The man replied while bowing his head. He didn''t dare to raise his head at all.


    "Did you find out the reason of Bonneville''s resignation?"


    "This subordinate is incompetent. This servant asks His Imperial Majesty to give a punishment." The man nervously answered.


    The emperor sighed and waved his hand, "You''re dismissed."


    "Yes." The man disappeared without a trace.


    ***


    It was already almost dusk and finally, Albert and Eirlys arrived outside the gates of Chaze City. They decided to find an hotel first to stay overnight and just wait for tomorrow''s event.


    Eirlys'' senses greatly improved these past few days after she turned thirteen years old. As an agent, she already had great senses, she never thought that it would be improved after transmigrating to this world.


    Her room was just next to her father''s. She knew that she would be safe with her father nearby but she still did not let her guard down from the possible unexpected events.


    When she was lying on her bed, she closed her eyes while only half-sleeping. She was already used to it since some of their missions before didn''t only last for just a day. So half-sleeping was absolutely necessary when doing missions.


    Not long after she closed her eyes, a black shadow could be seen outside of her room. She opened her eyes immediately but her body remained still to not alert the man outside.


    She swept her eyes around the room and used her hearing sense to its highest level to know if there were some other people accompanying the man near the window.


    After confirming that there was only a single enemy, Eirlys heaved a sigh of relief. But when she spotted that the man actually made a hole near the window, she immediately covered her nose and mouth with her bare hands and shouted in her heart. (Damn it!)


    She already knew that the man outside was not trying to kill her through slicing her body to halves or whatsoever, instead, he was trying to poison her!


    She quickly found a thick cloth and covered her mouth and nose using it. She walked to the window with light steps.


    Fortunately, she''s also an expert of assassination. Sneaking attack and concealing her presence through controlling her aura, breathing and heartbeat were also some of her expertise.


    When she arrived near at the window, she didn''t act immediately.


    Although she was already used to blood, seeing and smelling it, she still found it irritating and since the time she transmigrated to this world, she hadn''t killed anyone yet. Stopping herself from killing anyone as much as possible was what she was trying to do the most at the moment.


    She pondered for a moment and a sudden flash of light could be seen in her eyes after a while.


    Seeming like she made up her mind. She pushed the straw in an instant that was in the hole near the window.


    She didn''t know how the man made a hole there without anyone noticing any noise it probably made in the process. After all, the whole room was made of some kind of rock. Eirlys couldn''t really figure out how the man did such thing.


    The man outside who was previously blowing the straw carefully to not allow himself being poisoned and complete his mission flawlessly, was now coughing loudly because the poison that he was blowing not long ago, had entered his mouth.


    Only now did Eirlys find out that the poison that the man was trying to use on her was a vey fatal one. If the man was given enough time to cover the whole room with this poison, the poison would surely have entered Eirlys'' internal organs and would definitely caused only one result, an instant death!


    Hearing the rapid footsteps outside, Eirlys immediately walked to her bed and just laid down there as if nothing happened at all.


    The owner of the footsteps arrived at the door and immediately opened it. When he saw that Eirlys was just lying there unharmed, the worries in his heart were thrown away.


    He immediately went to see the man outside who was now lying there motionlessly. He spotted the hole near the window as well as the straw with some poison beside the man.


    He finally realized the intentions of the black dressed man and those strangers that he met outside earlier to keep his attention away from his daughter.


    He calmed his heart for now and thought for a while. Since he could not bring his daughter back to their clan, his only hope was the academy that would be the safest place for his daughter and could also be the place for her to get stronger.


    ***


    Somewhere near the borders of Yndrevis Empire...


    In the dark room, a tall figure was facing towards outside of the window. It looked like he was appreciating the view outside but the truth was he was just deep in thought.


    A black robed man appeared near the door and just silently waited there for that man near the window to speak first.


    "Report." A cold voice resounded within the dark room. It was from the man near the window who spoke out.


    When the man standing near the door heard this, his body shivered and his legs went limp that caused him to kneeled down immediately. He didn''t dare to raise his head and said while stuttering, "Th-the mi-mission.. f-failed."


    "Useless trash!!!" The man angrily roared as he turned around to look at the man who was kneeling down on the floor. "You can not even get rid of a little girl?!"


    "T-This... w-we were a-able to lure.. t-the Marquess out. W-we thought t-that our c-companion finished h-his task already t-that time.. b-but he w-was nowhere to b-be found when w-we arrived in our m-meeting p-place..." The man in the floor tried to explain while his whole body was trembling in fear.


    "You piece of trash!!! Go die!!" After hearing the man''s explanation, he became even more angry and killed the man in front of him on the spot.


    "Jason!" He shouted once again.


    "This subordinate is here."


    "Clean this trash up and kill those worthless garbages who handled this mission!"


    "Understood."


    ***


    Albert already cleaned up the corpse and the traces of it. He didn''t ask anything to Eirlys and just let her get some rest.


    In the room beside Eirlys'', a sound barrier was set up while there were two people who wore gloomy expressions inside. They were Eirlys'' father, Albert and the newcomer, Arnold.


    "It''s a good thing nothing happened to her. Seems like your enemies here are now finally making their moves." Arnold worriedly said.


    "Right. That''s why we should send her to an academy as soon as possible," Albert solemnly replied.


    He would be much more reassured if his daughter will stay in school. The students in every academy where highly protected from the people outside especially those students in top ranked academies. He was clearly aware of this.


    "Then.. do you want to get rid of these people first before going back? Although the people in this realm were not that powerful compared to those old hags in our place, there are still some of them here who have some abilities and are just silently waiting for the opportunities to show up. Who knows.. you''re enemies may not be that easy to deal with and might harm Eirlys in the future."


    Arnorld was of course worried for his niece''s safety. When they depart from this place, they did not know how much long it would take them to come back and reunite with Eirlys.


    There was no sound could be heard after Arnold said those words for a moment and suddenly..


    "Don''t you think it would also be good for her?" After thinking for a while, Albert spoke out with a calm voice.


    "W-wha... Y-you!!!" Arnold was stupefied by his elder brother''s words.


    He immediately understood what Albert was trying to say. He knew that this guy is completely heartless when facing enemies, he didn''t think that he would also be this heartless towards his only daughter!


    "If there are no people who will corner her, she could not release her full potential at all. As what everyone says, one can only gain something when there''s a trial. The more challenges one faces, the more one progress. If I clean up those ants now, who would obstruct her in the future? Don''t worry, she''s my daughter. I know what I am doing and I''m only doing this for her own best."


    "You... I really can''t believe you!" Arnold angrily shouted to him.


    "Alright. You can leave now. We can discuss this after we go back to my residence." Albert waved his hand lazily to shoo his younger brother away.

 Chapter 4: The Day of Examination

    The Chaze City was bustling in noises. One could see the stalls everywhere which were built not long ago. Some people were walking back and forth while the others were busy calling for the customers.


    Eirlys'' eyelashes trembled slightly then she slowly opened her eyes. She got up from her bed and walked towards the closed window of the room. She opened it by her bare hands and stretched her body. She then looked at the azure sky outside and breathed deeply.


    When she was about to close the window, she noticed the mess situation outside. There was a young man who''s pointing his finger right at the old man''s face while yelling at him loudly. It immediately caught the attention of everyone around the area.


    Seeing that there''s actually an entertainment that she could watch from the window, Eirlys took the chair beside her bed and sat on it.


    "You, old beggar! This young master here clearly told you earlier that you have to serve your best dishes to this young master! Why is it that it tastes so bad?! This young master nearly vomited because of it!!" The young man angrily shouted at the old man in front of him.


    The young man''s appearance was not that bad and his age was just around thirteen years, just the same with Eirlys'' .. but well, if we were talking about his personality.. just nevermind.


    The clothes that he was wearing clearly showed his status. Obviously, he was a conceited young brat from a noble family who was yet to mature.


    The old man, on the other hand, was only wearing simple yet tidy garments. The people around them completely recognized him, he''s the owner of a small store that sells some foods and beverages.


    The old man''s body shivered from fear. He knew that most of the young masters and misses of noble families were very unreasonable. He immediately knelt down and pleaded the young man who was standing arrogantly in front of him, "Young master, it-its not what you think-"


    However, before he could even finish his line, the young man''s anger exploded and shouted at him once again that was even louder than before. "You lowly ant!! You actually dared to answer this young master!"


    The old man was stupefied by the young man''s words. When he was about to reply to defend himself, the young man roared angrily once again, "Men! Turn this damn store upside down!


    Before the young man''s bodyguards made their move, Eirlys finally got up from her chair in an instant.


    She took out some needles in her pocket and stored a little amount of magical energy in each of them. Her line of sight then landed on each of the young man''s bodyguard figures.


    She flicked her hands and the needles were thrown in different areas. Another set of needles could be seen again in her hands, however, these needles in her hands contained poisons. She moved her hands once again to throw them in the same direction as earlier.


    When the needles hit the first set of needles, each of them then bounced to either left or right directions and hit the exact blood vessels of the young man''s bodyguards. This happened quite fast and the men were caught off guard.


    "Aaahhh!!!!!"


    The bodyguards fell on the ground while wailing like pigs. Their complexions turned pale and there were even some of them whose skin already turned purple.


    Their wailing sounds were so loud that you could not even imagine of what kind of pain that these robust men were experiencing. The fact was the men felt as if their internal organs were slowly getting eaten by thousands of insects.


    Witnessing the scene in front of him, the young master had gotten even angrier. He stomped his foot on the ground and roared, "Who is it?! Just who is it that dared to provoke this young master?!"


    After doing her part, Eirlys then sat on a chair again leisurely while watching the scene outside.


    After the wailing sounds lasted for about three minutes, a group of people arrived wearing their armors with a sword hanging on their waists.


    The leader glanced at the people on the ground who were still wailing. After a while, he gave instructions to his subordinates. "Bring these people to the headquarters and ask the physicians to check their conditions.


    "Understood." The soldiers behind replied.


    The leader nodded his head to them and turned his gaze towards the young man and the old man, "The both of you, follow me."


    The young man could only follow the warrior in front of him while gritting his teeth in anger. He suffered such huge humiliation! But he could not do anything for now and could only follow the high ranked warrior''s orders. Going against the members of Imperial Palace''s people was said to be the same as seeking for troubles.


    The young girl within the room lazily yawned and stood up. There''s no entertainment to watch anymore so she just took a bath and readied herself for later''s event.


    .....


    While putting a light makeup on her face, a voice sounded behind the door of her room, "Eirlys, I''ll go now to the restaurant in front of this inn to reserve a table and order some foods for our breakfast. When you''re done preparing yourself, just find me there."


    "Okay. I got it, father." Eirlys replied and stuffed her make up back to the small cloth bag. She then adjusted her black dress as well as hair hairpin on her head. When everything''s set, she quickly walked towards the restaurant on the other side of the road.


    .....


    When he saw his daughter''s figure at the door of the restaurant, Albert waved his right hand to catch the attention of the young girl. Eirlys immediately noticed it and headed towards her father''s location.


    Meanwhile, a handsome young man could be seen sitting at the very corner of the restaurant while smiling. No one really noticed this young man. Even Eirlys and her father didn''t notice him. He wore extraordinary clothes that would surely catch the attention of everyone if he didn''t deliberately hide his presence within the crowd.


    Eirlys on the other side unhesitantly sat on a chair opposite to her father''s seat. She dug in right away to fill her stomach without speaking anything to her father.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Seeing his daughter stuffed many foods on her mouth yet chewing it elegantly, Albert didn''t know whether to cry or laugh.


    After eating for a while already, Albert called his daughter''s name and set up an invisible sound barrier. As the barrier was invisible, no one obviously noticed it. It could also hide their movements from other people who''s watching at them through manipulating their sense of sight.


    Eirlys raised her head right away after hearing her father''s call.


    "Listen to me, Eirlys. There''s a secret spell that I would like to teach you right now." Albert didn''t explain his intentions directly.


    "Secret spell? For what, father? And also... I haven''t learned any spell so.." Eirlys answered while hesitating.


    "Eirlys, I know that you''ve secretly learned to level up your spiritual essence just by yourself. That thing is already enough for you to do this secret spell that I''m going to teach you." Albert said without explaining everything to her completely. He only wanted his daughter to cast this spell when she''s taking the aptitude test.


    "Father..." Eirlys didn''t expect that her father was actually aware of this. "Then.. what spell is it that you want me to learn right now?" She asked with hesitation.


    After hearing his daughter''s question, he couldn''t help but sigh. "Okay, I''ll tell you the truth. I''m actually worried about your safety. We haven''t tested your magical aptitude yet. If.. if your magical aptitude results will be an exceptional one, then it''s a good thing to celebrate. But.. what if your results will go out beyond of ordinary?"


    "Father, you mean... there''s a possibility that the results of my magical aptitude test will be above normal?" Eirlys asked him full of curiosity.


    "Yes, there''s a big possibility for that to happen."


    Eirlys didn''t reply right away and pondered for a moment. She had always been curious about her parents'' origins. And after hearing her father''s words now, she could someway somehow picture out their extraordinary families.


    "Then what if it goes the other way around? What if my affinity levels are just normal? Then wouldn''t that mean that my future results will be lower than ordinary? Father, it might cause me to fail in joining an academy."


    Eirlys was naturally worried about it. Her true intentions all along were to join an academy and make herself stronger to ensure her safety in this world. If she failed to do this, then she could only seek shelter on her father. And that''s not something she wanted her life to be. Always relying on others only meant that the person is weak.


    Albert already thought for a moment and said, "Don''t worry about that. This spell could only limit your aptitude into exceptional levels. In other words, this spell could only work if your affinity levels are really above ordinary whereas if it doesn''t exceed the highest level that a normal person can get, then the spell wouldn''t work at all."


    His words were half truth and half lies. But he deliberately said these as he was deeply concerned for his daughter''s safety as she was currently so weak. This is the only way for him to convince her to use the secret spell while taking the aptitude test.


    After thinking for a moment, Eirlys nodded her head and replied unhurriedly, "I know that father is only doing this for my own good. I would of course listen and comply with my father''s wishes."


    Seeing his daughter''s obedience, Albert''s mood lighten a bit as the worries in his heart faded away.


    Eirlys mastered the magic spell after spending almost an hour practicing it.


    They then proceeded to the biggest main hall within the capital. There were many armed warriors walking back and forth as well as mages who were observing silently in every side of the area surrounding the huge hall.


    Erilys and her father introduced themselves to the warriors guarding at the gates and they were immediately allowed to pass after confirming their identities.


    Seeing the surroundings after walking through the gates, Eirlys gasped in amazement. There were gardens around the hall that made the scenery fresh to look at. The pathways'' floor was made of marbles that could even reflect your figure when you look down to it. There were also many detailed sculptures that were placed at the hall''s walls. But what made Eirlys to be stunned is that when you try to look at the hall from the outside near the gates, you could not see its peak at all. The clouds were encircling the hall that made it look even more majestic.


    Albert wasn''t affected by the scenery at all since he had gotten in this place multiple times already. He then led his daughter to the hall''s huge door while walking neither in fast or slow pace. Eirlys also walked at her father''s side towards the hall.


    The hall could gather hundreds of thousands of people inside. Although it looked so spacious at the moment, the people standing in the hall were already tens of thousands in number.


    There where also some people at the highest floors who were sitting at the VIP seats. Those seats were specially prepared for the aristocrats, nobles and royal families as well as the distinguished guests from other empires who held different titles.


    Two huge platforms could be seen at the further distance from the hall''s door. There were also some people who were seated near the platforms. They were the headmasters from the different academies.


    They were of course invited to such event since they would be the ones to pick their desired disciples and send them invitation letters to join their academy. It would be up to the youngsters of what academy they would like to join in the end.


    After waiting for an hour, a loud voice suddenly echoed from outside of the huge hall. "His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor has arrived!"


    The people in the hall instantly turned silent and moved their gazes towards the door.


    After seeing the majestic figure, most of them immediately knelt down while some just bent their backs to show their respect to the emperor. There were also some who didn''t kneel nor at least bow down their heads as they had either the same rank or higher rank with the man approaching. Most definitely, they were from other empires who also held extraordinary titles.


    The emperor walked with a domineering aura surrounded him. This made the atmosphere within the hall to be somewhat heavy that made some weak people to have sweats on their foreheads.


    The emperor then retreated the heavy pressure while putting a satisfied smile on his face. "You''re all excuse from the formalities."


    Everyone sighed in relief after hearing the emperor''s words. Many of the citizens in Yndrevis Empire were afraid of their current emperor as he was strict and ruthless.


    There was actually a time that after confirming the official''s deeds that were against the empire''s rules, the emperor immediately beheaded the official right in front of the other officials. The other officials were so scared that some of them even knelt down and confessed their wrongdoings right on the spot. This scene made the emperor even angrier but he could not do anything and just gave them heavy punishments that would not cause their deaths for the least.


    Although the current emperor was ruthless, his righteousness could also be seen. He was only ruthless to people who had sinned and also to the enemies. Obviously, he''s doing all of his best for the empire even though it would cause him a lot of enemies from doing so.


    The people then went back to what they were doing earlier but in a lot quieter manner. The number of people inside was getting higher and higher. All of them were from the different empires.


    The highest number of people were of course from the Yndrevis empire. There were also many people in the other four empires from noble families who could easily afford the travel expenses.


    There were actually some cases that because of not having enough gold coins, other youngsters could only wait for years until it would be their empire''s turn to hold the entrance examination event. Most of them were the commoners and other people who didn''t have extraordinary backgrounds. That was why some unfortunate people already reached the age of 17 when they took the examination.


    When everything was set, another voice echoed within the room which came from the middle-aged man who''s floating at the very center of the hall.


    "Everyone, listen up! To those who will be taking the examination today, organize yourselves at the front of the platforms. For the mages, all of you proceed to the left platform at your front and as for those aspiring warriors, proceed to the right platform. For the examinees'' families and friends, stay back and don''t get closer than a hundred meters from the platforms."


    Everyone then organized themselves as per the middle-aged man''s instructions. There were too many people at the front of the left platform compared to the other platform. Probably they wanted to take their magical aptitude first before deciding whether to choose the path of mages or warriors.


    Another two middle-aged men appeared and a barrier was then set up between the platforms. It was to prevent from having some disturbance while the tests were going on. Both of them proceeded to call the names of the testees and the examinations then started for both sides.

 Chapter 5: Its Not a Great Talent, Its a Demon Level Talent

    It was already evening and there were only few thousands of examinees left who were not yet called.


    The number of remaining testees in the right platform was also getting caught up with the people in the left platform.


    It was because some youngsters who examined their magical aptitude test earlier were now trying their luck in the aptitude test for the path of warriors.


    Most probably, the results in their magical aptitude test were only mediocre and there were even some unlucky ones who didn''t have any talent in the magical cultivation path at all.


    Another name was called in the left platform and everyone within the left side of the hall quieted down.


    A girl in a purple dress could be seen walking towards the left side of the platform. Eirlys was confused because of the sudden changes of the atmosphere. But after hearing the conversations of the people around her, she finally recognized the girl who was now in the platform. She stayed her gaze towards the girl''s figure and thought deeply.


    The young girl was the eldest lady of Arundell family in Xaundris empire. Her father was one of the empire''s dukes. The Xaundris empire was just next to the Yndrevis empire.


    She was known throughout the continent because of her gentleness and she also had many friends from other prestigious families. Her communication skills could be said as superb which was the complete opposite for Eirlys'' case.


    Not long after the young girl''s right hand stayed on the top of the crystal ball, some changes around her body could be seen. Her body was radiating light, and a couple of fist-sized crimson red could also be seen encircling around her body. There were also some small green dots shining surrounding her.


    Everyone on the left side of the hall was stunned at this moment. They didn''t imagine that this seemingly harmless girl was actually a genius!


    After seeing the results, the middle-aged man then said, "Chloe Arundell, 13 years old. Light and fire elemental affinities, exceptional levels for both. Has an average level affinity of earth elemental essence."


    The announcement caused an uproar!


    Everyone''s gazes were locked at the young girl''s figure as they could not wait for the second test. They were looking forward to this girl''s spiritual power and her limits in storing magical energy multiple times.


    The middle-aged man once again spoke out, "Please proceed to the next test."


    The next test was very important, especially for the mages. The spiritual power of every mage could be said as the pillar of their path. Having a strong spiritual essence could help one to easily cast a magic spell. If one had a low spiritual essence, regardless of what levels their elemental affinities were, it was still considered as useless. There were actually some cases that one''s spirit shattered because it could not withstand the strong spell that the person used.


    For the magical energy, one could restore magical energies in his body as much as possible and it depended on his own limits on how many times he could restore the magical energies. Controlling elements around one''s body was what was the most important in this test.


    Chloe took a deep breath and quickly stored magical energy in her body before nodding her head towards the middle-aged man. After confirming that the girl was ready, the middle-aged man raised his hand.


    Humm~~


    A strange sound could be heard within the left side of the hall. Chloe was still standing in the platform while restoring the magical energy in her body that was also slowly drained because of the pressure.


    She could feel that the atmosphere surrounding her was so heavy. She couldn''t figure out what exactly it was. It''s like there''s a heavy boulder on her back and she could also feel that the gravity was stronger than normal.


    It had been ten seconds, and she restored magical energy in her body 6 times already. The middle-aged man on the other side raised his hand again just like what he did earlier. The heaviness of the atmosphere around Chloe then leveled up.


    Huumm~~~


    Another sound could be heard again but it was stronger than the first one. Chloe was still resisting herself from falling down.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    The other examinees just stared at her. They had high expectations for this girl.


    The heavy atmosphere continued to increase until it was the fifth time that the middle-aged man raised his hand. Chloe already had bent her knees slightly and also had clenched her dress long ago.


    Another 10 seconds had passed and this was the sixth time that the middle-aged man moved his hand up.


    The young girl in a purple dress couldn''t balance herself anymore and before the middle-aged man raise his hand for the seventh time, she fell down on the floor while grasping for breath heavily.


    Almost all of the people were stunned at this scene. Only after the results had been announced did they regain their senses.


    "Spiritual power reached level six. Successfully restored magical energy 38 times in 60 seconds. 6-7 times for 10 seconds."


    Loud cheers could be heard within the hall.


    Usually, an examiner could only get level 4 of spiritual power and 2-4 sets of magical energy within 10 seconds. They didn''t expect that the young lady could actually have outstanding results in the second test.


    In the middle of the cheering noises, the middle-aged man angrily spoke, "Quiet!"


    Most of the people quieted down but there were still some who continued speaking but only in a lower voice.


    Not long after, another voice then sounded, "Eirlys Bonneville, proceed to the platform."


    Eirlys was caught off guard and after realizing that it''s her turn, she then headed towards the platform.


    Before she could step her foot on the platform, she heard a low voice beside her. "I wish you a good luck."


    She immediately turned her head only to see that the young girl in purple dress was actually smiling at her. She then thought to herself. (Seems like the rumors about her are true.)


    Eirlys only replied with a slight nod to Chloe before walking again. Eirlys could not really remember anything in the previous Eirlys'' memories of having interaction with Chloe at all.


    That was why she had gotten to a conclusion that Chloe was just as friendly as what the rumors portrayed her. She also didn''t sense any danger when facing her earlier which made her had a good impression of Chloe.


    Eirlys stopped walking in front of the crystal ball. She took a deep breath and turned her gaze to the middle-aged man.


    The middle-aged man nodded and said, "Please put your right hand on the top of the crystal ball. Relax and feel the elements around you."


    As per the instructions of the middle-aged man, Eirlys placed her hand on the crystal ball and closed her eyes to focus on her surroundings.


    After a few seconds, her body suddenly emanated a dark smoke with flashes of light that seemed like electricity. A strong wind was also twirling around her. Some green specks of light could also be seen as well as oval-shaped crimson lights which size could be compared to a normal person''s fist. Some droplets of water were also moving around her.


    The people who were watching this scene had their eyes wide opened with their mouths shaped letter "O". Some of them even rubbed their eyes and looked at the scene in the platform for the second time. There were even some people who were pinching their arms and legs to confirm that they were not in a dream or in an illusion.


    If one were to describe this kind of result, it is really a breathtaking one!


    The middle-aged man was also wearing a shocked expression but his face could be said as better compared to the most of the people in the left side of the platform.


    After gaining his senses, the middle-aged man coughed and said, " Eirlys Bonneville, 13 years old. Darkness, lightning and wind elemental affinities, all are excpetional! Average for fire and earth elemental affinities."


    The whole atmosphere were dead silent. Some of the people didn''t even dare to breathe heavily. They just stood there like statues and suddenly, a small cough broke the silence.


    "Cough. Lady Eirlys, please proceed to the next test."


    Eirlys walked unhurriedly to the right side of the platform with some lines written on the floor that seemed like a magical formation.


    She stood right on the center of the magical formation then she looked at the middle-aged man and nodded her head.


    The middle-aged man also nodded then he raised his hand and said, "Begin."


    Humm~~


    The strange sound once again echoed within the left side of the hall. Eirlys on the other hand just stood there without moving. It seemed like she wasn''t affected at all by the force that was pushing her down. She continuously restored the magical energy within her body.


    Time passed by and it had been a minute and a half since the second test started. It was the 9th time that the man raised his hand and Eirlys still stood there while her knees were already bent. There were already some drops of sweat that could be seen on her beautiful face. She restored her magical energy as fast as possible.


    The middle-aged man raised his hand for the 10th time. Eirlys gritted her teeth and when the middle-aged man was about to raise his hand for the 11th time, Eirlys could not take it anymore and she fell on the platform while grasping her breath.


    Everyone in the left platform was stunned once again. The middle-aged man as well as the headmasters and some distinguished guests in the above floors nodded their heads in satisfaction.


    "Level ten spiritual power. Successfully restored magical energy 108 times within 100 seconds. 10-11 times for every 10 seconds."


    Clamour~!


    After the announcement rang out, everyone could not stop themselves anymore from clapping and cheering.


    Albert on the other side smiled and sighed. If he hadn''t taught Eirlys about the secret spell, he''s afraid that the result wouldn''t be just like this. He specifically let Eirlys to train within the past four months in his training grounds because of the second test. But he never would have thought that the results would far surpass his expectations.


    Although the results in the first test were restrained because of the secret spell, it still caught everyone''s attention.


    Dual-element mages are so rare, what''s more.. Eirlys got three affinities with exceptional levels!


    The headmasters'' eyes were burning in excitement especially those ones in the top schools. They would definitely do their best to invite such demon! This can''t be considered as great talent at all, rather.. it is a demon-level talent that would only appear once every hundreds of years!

 Chapter 6: Little Tyke

    Before the examination ended, the headmasters weren''t allowed to recruit students yet. They just gritted their teeth with impatience while waiting for the event to end. They were so desperate to invite the young girl with demonic talent.


    Albert and Eirlys were also heading back to the Bonneville''s residence while the examination was still going on. Based on the performance of Eirlys, Albert believed that it would be troublesome if they wait for the examination to get end. The headmasters of different academies would surely give him headache.


    On their way, they met countless of officials from different academies. Albert didn''t have enough time to entertain them and so he made a lot of excuses and just received the invitation letters from those officials.


    There was only a week left before Eirlys would depart from the residence. Albert started to prepare some important things for Eirlys. Eirlys on the other hand was also busy.


    In the past 4 months, aside from training with her father, she also wandered around the market to buy some herbs and other equipments that she needed. And to hide her identity, she bought and always wore a common face mask and dressed in simple and tidy clothes whenever she went to the market.


    She was very capable on identifying herbs with its uses. Back then when she was still doing her missions as an agent, her job was only to command her subordinates to complete their missions. Usually, every member of a team in their organization knew how to cure their own wounds or any bad conditions on their body. However, Eirlys, in her previous life, was the one who usually treated their wounds and illnesses of their body.


    Since they didn''t have any medicines with them, they could only rely in their surroundings. Fortunately, Eirlys knew enough knowledge in medicine. She only needed to pluck some useful herbs somewhere for the treatment of her subordinates.


    This was one of the reasons why all of the people in their organization respected her so much. Although she always wore an indifferent expression on her face, she still showed her concern through her actions although they were ranked far lower than her.


    It had been 5 days after the examination happened and the Bonneville''s residence had received countless of invitations already. All of those invitations were from the academies all over the 2 continents.


    They were all eager to make Eirlys as their student. There were even some that actually want to seek an audience at the Bonneville family''s residence but unfortunately, they were all rejected by Albert.


    In the room, there was a young girl in a light blue dress who was busying herself in front of a cauldron. The whole room was filled with the scent of different herbs. This kind of scent could make a person feel light and relax.


    "Young Miss, the Master ordered me to relay a message to you. Master said that the Young Miss should make her way to the training grounds as soon as possible. Although I don''t know where it is, the Master said that the Young Miss can go there without anyone accompanying her." Hazel''s voice sounded at the door. She didn''t dare to open it as she was ordered these past few days to not disturb the Young Miss as much as possible.


    "Alright. Just a moment, I''ll head there right away after I''m done here." Eirlys answered while still focusing on stirring the liquid elements in the cauldron.


    "Yes, Young Miss. Then please excuse this servant."


    After making another set of potions, Eirlys tidied things up and made her way to the secret training grounds.


    "Eirlys pays her respect to master." Eirlys saluted respectfully.


    "There''s no need for formalities this time. There''s something that I''d like to give you as congratulatory gift as your father." After saying those words, Albert took out a big nest with an egg. The egg''s size could be compared to a human''s head. It has an azure color with some purple lines on it.


    "This is..." Eirlys couldn''t believe her own eyes. She could remember this kind of egg''s appearance. According to the book where the descriptions of different magical beast were written, the egg in front of her was somewhat the same with the legendary water elemental azure dragon. But she could not remember some purplish lines on the egg drawn in the book.


    "This is a type of a dragon. But as you can see, it is different from the water elemental azure dragon. I know that you have been reading books in your spare times but I believe that you definitely could not remember an azure egg with purple lines on it in those books. Well actually, it isn''t recorded yet in any books since the people in this place haven''t discovered this type of dragon as of now. Or should I say, it came from another world and it is pretty much possible that it is its first time of this kind of dragon to be in this place." Albert explained softly as he caught the doubt in Eirlys'' face earlier.


    "Then does that mean that no one could ever recognize it in the future?" Eirlys asked curiously.


    "Perhaps yes.. but I''m not sure if there are some experts in this world who came from our realm. But it''s unlikely to be that way since it''s highly prohibited that the people in higher realms to go here." Albert pondered for a moment and answered.


    "Then how about you, father..." Eirlys looked to her father with her eyes sparkling in curiosity.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    "Ah, right. We shouldn''t be talking about these things for now." Albert shook his head and looked deeply to Eirlys. "Eirlys, all of your questions will eventually be answered in the future. All you have to do now is to improve yourself. When you are strong enough, you''ll know and understand our situation."


    "Father..."


    "Alright. Now now.. I still have something to give you." A face mask appeared on Albert''s hand. It''s quite different compared to the ones in the market though. Eirlys could feel some magical energy on it.


    "A face mask?" Eirlys mumbled without turning her sight from the face mask.


    "That''s right. This face mask is not simply an ordinary face mask. Come on, try it." Albert gently put the face mask on Eirlys'' face without waiting for her reply.


    After putting it on, some changes could be seen immediately. Eirlys'' skin was not as white as before. Her eyes turned to sapphire from black and her previously ink-like straight hair was now wavy blonde hair. Her face countenance also changed. Eirlys completely turned to a different person.


    "How is it?" Albert smilingly asked his daughter.


    He could see her checking her skin and hair. She even touched her face many times already. After seeing this, Albert took out a mirror and let Eirlys look at her own self.


    Eirlys was so stunned and exclaimed, "Woah, this is great! It''s like I completely changed my body!"


    She had a lot of identities before for her job and so she was known to be an expert in changing her identity everytime she appears in public.


    Back then, she was so confident that nobody could ever recognize her with her face masks as well as her make up skills but after witnessing the scene now, her confidence from before completely shattered. It could be said that her changing of appearance in her previous life was like that of a child''s play when it is compared to the face mask that her father had given her.


    "It''s good that you like it. You''re planning to hide your identity when you attend to an academy, am I right?"


    "Yes, father. This... is it okay? I mean, it would be disrespectful of me for not using my own identity, right father?" Eirlys bit her lower lip while asking nervously. She didn''t expect that her father actually saw through of her plans.


    "Haha, what are saying now? Of course, I won''t blame you for that. Actually, I was also thinking of the same thing. I know it would be troublesome if you appear in public as Eirlys Bonneville. So I bought this face mask especially for you. I assure you even your maidservant, Hazel, couldn''t recognize you if you ever pass by into her when you wear this." Albert laughingly said to Eirlys.


    "Eh? Really? Could it be that even my own aura would change?"


    "Yes." Albert put a satisfied look on his face and continued, "Alright now. Take off the mask and subdue this magical beast."


    Seeing that there were some small cracks appeared in the egg''s shell, Albert immediately reminded Eirlys.


    "Alright, got it." Eirlys took off the face mask and sat cross legged near the nest where an egg laid.


    Crack~ crack~


    Few more cracks appeared and there were even sounds of the egg cracking.


    Eirlys already knew what she should do and started her incantation for forming a contract with a magical beast.


    After finishing her chant, a light appeared as the egg opened and a little guy''s head was peeking from inside. Its fist-sized head was like that of a puppy. And the furs on its body were also visible. It''s eyes were also watery and it looked so adorable.


    Eirlys was dumbstruck as she could not tell if this little guy was really a dragon or what? (What the hell? It doesn''t look like a dragon at all! A puppy.. It looks more like a puppy waiting for its mother to feed it some milk!)


    Albert on the other side seemed to have expected this scene and calmly said, "It just looks like that when it is newborn. It will eventually transform itself to a mighty dragon. Just wait for that moment to come."


    (So it''s actually like that. Thank goodness. I thought my father was just making a prank or something.) Eirlys heaved a sigh of relief.


    "Oh? So that''s the case, haha." She laughed awkwardly and tried to calm herself down. Should I just bring it always with me or use my magical energy to hide it in my body?" She then added.


    "No, not now. Until it transforms itself to its true appearance, you should not keep it in your consciousness as it could affect its progress."


    "Oh, alright then." Eirlys nodded and rubbed the dragon''s head with her hand. It actually enjoyed this kind of contact just like a puppy.


    "Little Tyke..." After thinking deeply while rubbing the head of the newborn dragon, Eirlys muttered.


    "Hmm?" Albert seemed to have heard Eirlys muttered something.


    "I''ll call it Little Tyke from now on." Eirlys firmly said while her eyes sparkled in joy.


    "Cough. Uh, Eirlys.. don''t you think it''s kinda.. you know, disrespectful to the dragon race if you call it like that?" Just thinking of how the mother of this dragon would react if it discovered that its son was actually given a name ''Tyke'', Albert suddenly felt goosebumps.


    "Eh? What''s the matter, father? That name suits it well, don''t you think? Just look at its appearance, it''s like a stupid puppy. I really can''t compare it to any dragon or whatsoever at all." Eirlys questioningly gazed at her father.


    Albert was stunned by his daughter''s claims. He couldn''t help but put his palm on his forehead to support it while he swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He could not imagine the situation if the dragon race were to hear his daughter''s words.


    Just thinking about it made him feel a chill running through his spines. "Cough. Eirlys.. uh, you better not say those words in front of any dragon.. alright?"


    "Mn, got it." Eirlys stood up while carrying Little Tyke like a baby. She then continued, "Is there anything else, father?"


    "Uh, right. You should make Little Ty.. cough, the dragon familiarize itself to you as its master. And also be careful not to leak the poisons that you''ve been brewing in your room."


    "Eh.. father. You.. you actually knew all this time?" Eirlys didn''t know that all of her actions within the past few days were known by her father.


    "Of course, that''s only natural since I am your father. And oh, you should pack your things here." Albert threw a storage ring to Eirlys and smiled.


    "A storage ring!!" Eirlys excitedly exclaimed while examining the storage ring. "And the space inside is actually so huge!"


    "Mn. I already put there the things that I have prepared for you. If you have anything else to bring then just put it there." Albert dotingly said to his daughter.


    "Alright. Thank you, father!" Eirlys immediately put the storage ring on her index finger. The size of the storage ring was originally big but after wearing it, its size shrunk and it fitted on Eirlys'' finger.


    "There are still 2 days before you leave in this residence. You don''t have to go here to train. Just prepare and relax yourself within these days. It will be a long journey for you to go to that academy. You''re now dismissed."


    "Mn. Understood."


    Eirlys went back to her room. Little Tyke was sleeping soundly on her arms.


    (Uh, so... where should I put this little one?) Eirlys pondered for a while. (Uh, whatever. I''ll just let it sleep with me.)


    After putting the little dragon on her bed, she continued brewing potions and various kinds of poisons.

 Chapter 7: Waltridge Academy

    Within these two days, Eirlys spent her time brewing, eating, sleeping and even playing sometimes with Little Tyke. It was really relaxing without training with her father.


    She also checked all of the things that her father placed in the storage ring that she had just received. There were a lots of clothings, dried foods as well as books and weapons. There were also some talismans and few weird objects that she couldn''t recognize.


    After checking it, she turned her line of sight to Little Tyke who was lying on her bed with its belly facing the ceiling and its paws placed beside its ears.


    Eirlys couldn''t help but chuckle after seeing this scene. She walked towards it and rubbed its belly while giggling. Believe it or not, she''s actually fond of fluffy and furry animals since her previous life. Back then, she would occasionally visit some animals that were taken care of public departments to relax herself.


    After playing with its belly, she heard the knock from the door with Hazel''s voice.


    "Young Miss, the Master is waiting for you in the main hall."


    "I understand. I''m heading out now." Eirlys took Little Tyke from the bed and walked towards the door.


    Before she opened it, she glanced at the surroundings of her room. She''s quite reluctant to leave this place. After glancing around her room, she shook her head and opened the door. She saw Hazel smiling with teary eyes while looking at her.


    "Young Miss..." After seeing her young miss walking out from the door, she couldn''t stop her tears anymore from falling.


    Eirlys usually had an indifferent expression but after seeing her maidservant behaving like this, she felt sad in her heart. "Hazel, it''s alright. It''s only temporary and I will surely come back."


    "But..but it''s.." Hazel was about to say something but then she remembered the Master''s words. She just swallowed back the words that almost left her mouth and just stand there silently while looking down.


    "Alright now. I have something to give you." Eirlys took out a sapphire-jade bracelet. She also added, "You should take care of it and when I come back, if it''s still with you, I''d grant three wishes of yours. How about that?"


    Eirlys put the bracelet on Hazel''s hands. The bracelet wasn''t just an ordinary one. It actually has an energy within it.


    After reading a book with some types of magical formations, Eirlys tried to put some in her things. Fortunately, after a few attempts, she succeeded in doing so.


    The bracelet in Hazel''s hands had a protection magical formation. Whoever wears it would have his or her body be protected if there are some attacks from a cultivator that would hit her.


    But setting the magical formation could drain one''s energy that was why there weren''t many mages who would do so. Additionally, there was still a possibility that the magical formation could not withstand the enemy''s attacks.


    When Hazel saw the bracelet in her hands, she immediately shook her head and refused, "No, Young Miss. I can''t accept this. This is too precious."


    "Don''t say that. Just take it as my gift for you and wait for me until I come back." Eirlys firmly said.


    Eirlys had a good impression of her personal maidservant ever since she had transmigrated into this world, so she won''t hesitate to give such thing even though Hazel was just one of the maidservants in the Bonneville''s residence.


    "Young Miss... alright. This servant accepts it." After hesitating, she wore the bracelet on her left wrist.


    "Mn, good! Alright, I''ll go now." Eirlys smiled at her then she headed to the main hall.


    Hazel was stunned after seeing the Young Miss smiled like that. It had been a while since she saw her Young Miss genuinely smiled at her. Suddenly, tears flowed down once again on her cheeks while some trace of sadness could be seen within her eyes.


    ***


    "Father."


    After seeing his daughter coming over, Albert nodded and said, "You''re finally here, are you sure you have everything you need with you?"


    "Yes, father. I already checked it twice. I guess I haven''t forgotten anything." Eirlys nodded her head.


    "Good, I''ll see you off at the gates. Let''s go."


    Albert stood up and walked to the main door. Eirlys immediately followed him.


    After reaching the gates, Albert took a deep breath and turned around to Eirlys who was standing behind him. "Eirlys, this father believes in you."


    "Mn, Eirlys will definitely do her best, father."


    Albert sighed and moved forward. He hugged Eirlys tightly. Both of them were just silently hugging each other without caring about the time.


    The pair of father and daughter finally released each other reluctantly.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    "Alright, you can go now. Don''t forget to wear your face mask after getting in the carriage." Albert reminded her.


    "Yes, I''ll set off now father." Eirlys bowed deeply to her father.


    "Mn. Have a safe journey, daughter."


    Eirlys smiled at her father then looked at their residence one more time. She engraved it in her heart and said to herself, (I''ll definitely come back. Everyone, wait for me.)


    Eirlys got in the carriage and sat in the soft cushion. She placed the little dragon on her lap then took out the face mask. She closed her eyes for a moment then she put the mask on her face.


    After seeing the carriage going farther and farther away from the Bonneville''s residence, Albert walked inside the residence and after a few seconds, there was no trace of him could be seen anymore.


    It had been half a day since Eirlys departed from the residence. She was heading to one of the ranked 3 schools in the two continents, Waltridge Academy. It was in the territory of Xaundris Empire. The empire was just next to the Yndrevis Empire and it was located near the southwest borders in Yndrevis Empire.


    Since the Bonneville''s residence was located at the mid-southern part of the empire, Eirlys only needed to go southwest from her residence.


    On the way, Eirlys didn''t notice that she was actually being followed by many people in the shadows earlier. Fortunately, they were all gone now because someone was secretly cleaning them up for her. Little did she knew that it was because of her father that her expected chaotic journey would go smoothly.


    A day had passed and finally, Eirlys reached the borders of Yndrevis Empire and was finally heading towards the silhouette of Xaundris Empire''s gates.


    After a while, Eirlys bid farewell to the coachman of the carriage and she then entered the gates. The atmosphere around her was quite different compared to the Yndrevis Empire''s. Although she couldn''t pinpoint out what it was exactly, she still felt it. Maybe it was just her overthinking things or having homesick. Either way, she really felt that something was absolutely different.


    She had an urge to fill her stomach with some delicious foods so she went finding a restaurant first. Her pocket money wasn''t that many since it would not be useful when she enters an academy. It was only enough for her travel and food expenses.


    After eating she rented a carriage and hired another coachman. No one tailed her anymore because of her father hiding and protecting her in the shadows before she entered the Xaundris Empire''s gates.


    ***


    In the forest outside of the Yndrevis Empire''s borders, a man in black and another younger man were standing while staring at the Xaundris Empire''s gates from afar.


    "You should''ve atleast tell her a few things about it before we go back," said the younger man.


    "There''s no need to. I don''t want her to be worried about family matters. It''d be the best if she will just focus on her progress." The man in black said while taking of the mask on his face. He was Eirlys'' father, Albert.


    "That makes sense though. Oh, right. I already settled the servants as per your wishes. They are heading back to their homes now. Seems like some of them are very satisfied with the money you gave them but there''re some who were reluctant earlier to leave. Fortunately, I convinced them."


    "That''s good. It can''t be helped if some of them wish to stay since they had been working for me for couple of years already." Albert sighed.


    "Right. Since everything''s set now, are we heading back?"


    "How''s the situation there?"


    "The other side is finally taking action."


    "Alright, we''re heading off."


    ***


    Eirlys had no idea about the conversation of her father with her uncle at all. She was just leaning at the cushion on carriage wall while patting Little Tyke''s head who was sleeping on her lap.


    Finally, the carriage stopped and the coachman said, "Young lady, we are here."


    Eirlys got off from the carriage while carrying the little dragon on her arms. After seeing the narrow road with large gates at the end of it, she nodded and said, "Mn. Here''s a token for you."


    The coachman caught the gold with his hands and hurriedly said, "Thank you so much, young lady. I''m going back now."


    Eirlys nodded her head to him and turned her gaze again at the gate. The gate was so huge and she could not see what was inside. But above the gate, the majestic carved words could be seen ''WALTRIDGE ACADEMY''.


    This academy was quite known in every empire. If one wishes to be a student in this academy, status and treasures are unnecessary. Pure talent was what the officials wanted in their students. They actually didn''t have that many students. In fact, the number of their students didn''t exceed a thousand at all.


    Eirlys immediately walked to the gate and she met a robust man guarding there.


    "This young lady here, aside from the officials and distinguished guests, we only allow people who have an invitation letter. May I ask this young lady to show it to me so that I can confirm it and let you pass?" The robust man said in a very respectful manner. He knew that whoever had an invitation letter was undoubtedly a genius.


    Eirlys took out an invitation letter from her storage ring and handed it over to the robust man without saying anything.


    After receiving the letter, the robust man checked it and handed it back to Eirlys, "You can pass, young lady."


    "Thank you, sir." Eirlys replied respectfully and made her way inside.


    Large buildings appeared in her line of sight. There was a huge building right at the center. After seeing this, she immediately walked in large strides towards the building.


    Before she started to travel all the way here from Bonneville''s residence, she gathered some informations about the Waltridge Academy.


    The academy didn''t care at all of the identities of its students. As long as one has the approval or an invitation letter from the headmaster, he or she could enter the academy regardless of his or her status.


    However, if a person tries to steal an invitation letter from another and has then discovered by the officials, there''s a possibility that he would be given a heavy punishment, at most, a death penalty, depending on the seriousness of the crime one committed.


    After entering the first floor of the building, Eirlys saw a middle-aged woman sitting on a counter while closing her eyes. Eirlys immediately made her way to the woman''s direction then she stopped and stood in front of her.


    The woman opened her eyes slowly as if she had known earlier that this young lady in front of her has a business with her. She didn''t glanced at Eirlys and just said, "Invitation letter."


    Eirlys took out the invitation letter once again and gave it to the woman.


    After checking the letter, the woman nodded and lazily said while handing over a piece of paper, "Fill this up. If you''re done, just say so."


    "Alright." Eirlys just casually replied as she took the paper and started to fill it up in front of the woman.


    The woman closed her eyes once again. But it wasn''t a minute yet when she heard Eirlys spoke out, "I''m done."


    The woman took the paper and she read its contents. It was mentioned there the name, age, birth date, and etc. After checking that there was no single blank at all, the woman waved her hand and called out, "Rachel, bring her to room 845."


    Another woman appeared and said, "Understood." She then turned her gaze to Eirlys. "Follow me." She didn''t wait for Eirlys reply as she walked upstairs.


    Eirlys just followed her closely as she looked at her surroundings to familiarize herself.


    As they left, the first floor of the building was tranquil once again.

 Chapter 8: Roommates

    They were now on the 5th floor and Eirlys was only silently following the woman in front of her. After walking for who-knows-how many minutes, they made a stop in front of a door which had an "845" written on it.


    Eirlys immediately gave thanks to the woman as they parted. She glanced once again at the surroundings then she knocked the door.


    "Come in."


    She was startled for a moment and thought, (Aren''t they not too cautious? What if it wasn''t me who was knocking and instead a person who has an evil intention?)


    She shook her head slightly and opened the door.


    As she looked inside, she saw three girls who were just as the same age as her. The two were smiling at her while the other was just silently reading a book while lying on her bed. The room was somewhat spacious. Though it contained four beds and four small tables.


    It was no wonder that every gap of the doors here was too wide, so every one room was actually this huge. She then started thinking that it would be better if they had just divided the rooms into two. Two people would then occupy each room. Why put four people within a single room if it''s this spacious? If Eirlys brought her own bed, she could still put it here without disturbing anyone.


    As she was absorbed with her own thoughts, a girl coughed and said, "So you''re our new roommate, right? Pleased to meet you. I am Vanessa Springfield."


    After hearing the girl''s words, Eirlys was awakened from her wild thoughts and she instantly replied, "Hello, I''m Iris."


    She was wearing a face mask, so it''s only natural that she wouldn''t introduce herself as Eirlys Bonneville.


    As she turned her gaze towards the girl beside Vanessa who also smiled at her earlier, she was startled again. (Isn''t she that Chloe Arundell?)


    As her gaze was still fixed on her, Chloe also made an introduction with a huge smile, "Hello, Iris. I''m Chloe Arundell."


    Eirlys really didn''t know what to say and she just nodded her head as an acknowledgement to Chloe.


    As she was about to move to the vacant bed next to the other girl who was reading a book, she heard Vanessa behind her asked a question, "Eh? Iris, don''t you have any luggage or something? Where did you put your clothes and your other belongings?"


    Eirlys didn''t know what she should reply at first. She really didn''t want to talk too much as she hated it. She would rather sit in a corner and mind her own business and be absorbed in her own world.


    As she sat on the bed comfortably, she just said these words: "I don''t like carrying heavy things so I just put them all in a storage ring."


    When they heard this, they were stunned as they looked at Eirlys. Even the girl who didn''t spare a glance to Eirlys earlier was also startled. (Did she just say a storage ring? She has a storage ring?! A single storage ring could be considered as treasure nowadays since it''s gatting rarer and rarer. From which high-class family did this girl come from?!)


    The girl who was lying on her bed shot a glance to Eirlys. From earlier, when Eirlys was still outside the room, she felt something strange from her. She, however, could not say what exactly it was that made her feel like that.


    Eirlys didn''t have any idea that her roommates were actually thinking of different ''possible'' hilarious things about her especially the two who were so friendly to her; she''s pampered child from a very rich family, a spoiled brat, a conceited girl, a lady who doesn''t pay any heed to everyone and etc.


    If she had known any of these, Eirlys would surely vomit blood on the spot. She was already accustomed of not having long conversations to anyone aside from her father. Even her superior back then in her past life could only get to hear a few sentences from her.


    She didn''t know that her actions today caused a great misunderstanding.


    Since her butt still felt some ache because of her long travel and she was also so tired, she just lay in her bed without saying or doing anything else.


    After seeing their new roommate who seemed so tired laying in bed, they didn''t ask her any further and let her get some rest.


    ***


    In the room located at the highest floor of one of the buildings in Waltridge Academy, a man on his twenties was talking with a middle-aged woman. Surprisingly, the woman was the one whom Eirlys had met earlier.


    "Are you sure that it''s her?" The man asked the woman in front of him.


    "Yes, headmaster. Although the portrait you gave me doesn''t match the appearance of the girl earlier, the invitation letter that she handed over to me was definitely the one that I gave to the Bonneville''s residence. It seems like the young girl is planning to conceal her identity." The woman spoke out respectfully.


    It was impossible that the invitation letter in the Bonneville family''s hands was taken by someone. So she came with a conclusion that the girl earlier was the Bonneville family''s young miss disguising herself as another person.


    As it turned out, the man was actually the headmaster of the famous school. No one ever imagined that the refined old man in public was in fact a young man only on his mid-twenties.


    After hearing the words of the woman, he nodded his head and said, "Alright, you did a great job. Just let her do as she likes. Don''t leak this information. Do you understand?"


    "Yes, headmaster."


    ***


    Eirlys didn''t feel anything strange around her and so she continued half-sleeping on her bed. Suddenly, she heard the talkative Vanessa said something to her.


    "Iris, it''s already dusk now. Are you going with us to the dining hall for dinner or you''ll take a bath first?"Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Eirlys opened her eyes as she got up. She replied, "You guys can go there without me. I''ll take a bath first."


    "Alright." Vanessa replied with high spirits.


    They walked out from the room and only Eirlys was left inside.


    She didn''t bring anything with her as she walked to the bathroom.


    Earlier, she only took out a bedsheet for her to sleep and didn''t plan to arrange her things in this room. It would be better if she just bring her belongings with her everywhere since she had a storage ring.


    Before taking off her clothes, she didn''t forget to pull off the face mask and put it beside the bathtub. She then comfortingly soaked her whole body in the warm water with only her head could be seen above the water surface.


    After a few minutes, she''s done and dried herself up. She just wore a plain black dress and simply tied her hair in a ponytail with a piece of cloth. She slightly adjusted her dress and picked up the face mask. She then put it on her face and her entire body changed. She turned back to the young girl known as ''Iris''.


    .....


    Eirlys was now in the dining hall. The dishes'' counter was divided into three. The dishes in the first one were free for any students. They could get as much as they want there but the foods there were not that delicious and nutritious at all.


    The other two parts were not free. The dishes in the second part could be said as delicious just like the foods in the restaurants whereas the foods in the third part were considered as precious. Only the highly skilled people who were also well known in the academy could eat there.


    The Waltridge Academy didn''t allow the students to exchange money with foods, instead, the points that the student earned in the academy were what used as an exchange for the dishes in second part and third part in dishes'' counter.


    The points could be gained by completing missions in school. It was like being a mercenary. If they completed a mission successfully, then they could gain points.


    Some missions were easy and some were quite hard. There were even some that were considered as X-level missions which were the most difficult missions that whoever accepts it should stake his cultivation on line. Of course, the rewards were also extravagant that was why many students were still tempted to it in spite of its possible negative outcomes.


    At most, they would be crippled. There weren''t any students who died in a mission. In the shadows, the instructors who were assigned to ensure the safety of the students would show up anytime if the students get into trouble that might cause to end their lives.


    As Eirlys was still new to this academy, she didn''t have any points at all so she could only go to the first part of the counter and ordered some decent dishes there.


    After filling up her tray, she looked for an empty table in her surroundings and she instantly found one at the corner of the hall. She immediately made her way there without paying attention to anyone.


    As she was about to approach the table, a group of students blocked her way and their leader said with an arrogant tone, "You''re not allowed to sit at this table. It is already reserved for someone. Just find another table for your own."


    Eirlys was already irritated inside but her face still showed no expression. She said, "Step aside."


    The leader of the group was stunned by Eirlys'' indifference. He got angry and said, "Are you deaf?! I already told you to go find another table because this one here is already reserved for someone!"


    Eirlys showed a cold expression and asked, "What are you? A manager here? Is this a restaurant that someone could just reserve a table as he wants?"


    The young man was so angry after hearing the words of Eirlys. He replied, "How dare you say those words to me?! I am a young master from Treyarch Empire! How could I be someone managing a restaurant?! And this is obviously a dining hall of Waltridge Academy."


    Eirlys waved her hand and said, "There you go. Since you''re not, then don''t block my way. I''ll sit there in any case because I want to."


    Before she finished her words, she was already sitting on the chair beside the table and put her tray on it.


    The commotion earlier caught everyone''s attention in the hall. They were just silently watching them as if they were witnessing a good show but they didn''t expect that the young girl was actually not afraid of the group of students who were blocking her earlier. What''s more, the girl could actually move so fast like lightning just like that.


    Feeling humiliated, the leader of the group shouted at her, "You!! Stand up! Now!"


    Eirlys seemed to have not heard the young man''s words as she continued eating slowly.


    The young man couldn''t stop himself anymore as he approach Eirlys and was about to slap her. Suddenly, a small hand appeared and stopped his hand as it grabbed his wrist.


    He tried to move his hand but he could not. It was as if the small hand was a mountain that he could not move away.


    He looked at the girl who was grabbing his wrist tightly and exclaimed, "You..."


    He was surprised to see this girl. He knew her as she was so famous in the academy. She was the known genius from the Skyrim Empire. The empire was just in the same continent of the young man''s homeland. So he clearly knew how great the girl is that was in front of him.


    He was about to say something but the young girl spoke out in a cold tone, "Doing shameless things like this would just bring shame to Granz Continent. Now, get lost."


    When he heard those words, cold sweats appeared on his forehead. He immediately nodded his head as if he was a chicken specking rice at that moment.


    The young girl let go of his hand and turned her gaze to Eirlys. She didn''t say anything to her and walked to the chair opposite to hers on the other side of the table.


    The group that was previously so imposing was now running away as fast as possible. They were afraid silly by the sudden appearance of the young girl.


    After seeing the show ended just like that, the other students didn''t look at Eirlys'' location anymore and just continued chitchatting and eating.


    Eirlys raised her head to see the young girl. She didn''t spare a glance at her the entire time since she showed up. Only now did Eirlys look to her. She was surprised to see the young girl in front of her. This girl was her silent roommate!


    Since both of them loved being silent, no one said a single word as they eat. The people in the nearby tables suddenly felt a cold atmosphere. What the hell is going on?! They then turned their gazes towards the source of the chillness around and saw the two young girls silently eating in the same table as they emanating an extremely cold aura.


    The people around them suddenly felt chill running down their spines after seeing the scene. Although the two girls looked so peaceful in their vision, the atmosphere around them was so heavy that they would suffocate if they stay any longer. The words that popped in their mind were... Terrifying! Completely terrifying!


    As they were about to leave, a cheerful voice suddenly rang out.


    "Hey, you two. Why are you guys not saying anything to each other?"


    The voice was so familiar to the two who were silently eating so they looked up almost simultaneously. They saw their other roommate, Vanessa, making her way to them with Chloe accompanying her.


    "We originally planned to not disturb the both of you but this one here was so worried since the commotion started. We didn''t interfere earlier since we knew that Iris isn''t someone that''s easy to trifle with. But who would have thought that Kracie will make a move all of a sudden." Chloe claimed as she walked side by side with Vanessa and pointed at Vanessa''s face when she said the first sentence.


    "Yeah! I was so worried earlier. I thought something bad will happen." Vanessa sighed and turned her head to Chloe. "Chloe, you shouldn''t have stopped me earlier. Just look how Kracie stole the spotlight for being a cold ''prince'' saving the calm and indifferent beauty," Vanessa continued as she pouted her lips.


    Fortunately, the heavy atmosphere was lifted up by the sudden appearance of Chloe and Vanessa. The people around them heaved a sigh of relief and they continued eating.


    The four talked for a bit, or to be precise, the two friendly girls kept on talking and asking questions to the other two who dislike noises.


    Vanessa admitted first to the academy 4 months ago and Kracie followed after just a month ago. Chloe also arrived just yesterday since the Arundell residence was just near the academy as it was also allocated in the same empire. So based on their ages, Vanessa was just few months older than the three. Followed by Kracie, then the two who had just took the examination a week ago, Chloe and ''Iris''.


    As they talked, the other two had just either nodded their heads or replied with few words in flat tone. After their chit-chat, the four went back to their room.


    The four didn''t know that all this time, someone''s gaze was locked at their direction when they were eating in the dining hall.

 Chapter 9: Bet

    "Oh? You''re already awake?" Vanessa rubbed her eyes as she turned her head to Kracie''s direction.


    After hearing Vanessa''s voice from behind, Kracie just replied coldly without turning her head, "Obviously."


    Vanessa couldn''t help but shrug her shoulders as she got Kracie''s reply. She didn''t care at all. They had been together in the room for a month already and added to her splendid adaptation ability, getting used to Kracie''s coldness was just as easy as eating.


    "I''m done using the bathroom. Who''s next? Hurry up. I want to eat breakfast with everyone."


    A voice rang out and a figure could be seen as the bathroom''s door opened.


    "Me!! Eh? Wait, where''s Iris?" Vanessa jumped out from her bed and looked around her. She couldn''t find Iris within the room.


    "She went outside," Kracie said while busying herself in front of a mirror. Everytime she speaks, it seemed like her words were so precious that she didn''t want to waste it for anyone. Even if a god asks her to do so, she still would not talk much.


    "Aiya, maybe she has a friend here in school and is now meeting him or her... ah! perhaps she has a..mphh!" Vanessa''s talkativeness activated once again.


    With her wild thoughts, she instantly came up with various conclusions. But before she could complete her last sentence, a hand covered her mouth.


    "You''re mouth is getting hyped again, huh. I thought last night wasn''t the usual you. Seems like I was wrong."


    Chloe''s enticing voice sounded behind Vanessa that caused the talkative girl to shriek.


    "Haha, look at you," Chloe laughed so hard because of Vanessa''s reaction.


    Vanessa couldn''t help but pout her lips. Although she was the oldest in the room, her mind was still that of a little girl. Unlike with Kracie and Eirlys, who were like cold old hags. Fortunately, Chloe wasn''t that naive like her although she liked socializing also.


    "Ah, right. Kracie, did she tell you that she''s gonna eat breakfast with us?" Chloe asked Kracie who was currently sitting on a chair.


    "She didn''t," Kracie replied as she looked at Chloe.


    "Alright," Chloe answered as she thought of something. (Come to think of it. I can''t remember her name and even her face back then in the examination at all. And she''s also being secretive. Although her attitude was like that of Kracie''s, I think she has many secrets since she isn''t that known at all.)


    As she was immersed with her own thoughts, she had completely forgotten that she wasn''t done preparing herself yet. Only then did she regain her senses when she felt that someone was staring at her.


    "Ah.. hehe," she just laughed awkwardly as she looked at Kracie whose sharp eyes were now looking at the other direction already.


    ...


    The three were finally heading to the dining hall after preparing. When they arrived, they were surprised to see the other students. There were only few students who were eating in the hall. They also remembered that there were some students earlier who were getting downstairs in a hurry.


    "How unusual..," Vanessa mumbled as she saw the small number of students around.


    Kracie on the other side didn''t pay any attention at all as she walked to the second part of dishes'' counter. Probably, she''s already hungry. Vanessa followed her while Chloe made her way to the first part in the dishes'' counter.


    After getting their foods, they found a table and started eating.


    From the other students'' conversations, the three discovered that there was a commotion happening outside that was why many students weren''t in the dining hall eating.


    "Hey, I have a bad feeling about this..." Vanessa stopped eating as she said those words.


    "Mind going there?" Chloe asked.


    Vanessa nodded then she asked the other girl, "Kracie, are you going with us?"


    "Yes," Kracie answered as she put down the bowl soup. Surprisingly, she''s already done eating.


    The three were now making their way downstairs.


    ***


    Few minutes ago, at the front of the biggest building where students'' dormitory and dining hall were inside.


    "You''re still not going to admit your mistakes from yesterday?" the young man asked as his chin facing up to the sky.


    Eirlys didn''t spare a glance at him and just quietly stand there as if everything has nothing to do with her.


    The young man had brought a lot of companions with him this time and they formed a big circle to trap Eirlys inside. As he said yesterday, he was a young master from a noble family in Treyarch Empire. He''s from Dawson family and his name was Xander. He had been admitted to Waltridge Academy since a year ago. In the past few months, he''d been making ruckus here and there. But no one complained as they were afraid, not of him, but of the person who was his ''friend''.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "My my, what is this? Bullying the weak? And the other side is only a single lady on top of that. Don''t tell me all of you there are going to beat up the young lady? Haha, my, didn''t know that there are actually students here who use underhanded tricks like this."


    A voice suddenly rang out. Xander turned his head and saw a young man wearing red robes as he leaned on a wall. He was smiling with full of mockery.


    "I don''t know who the hell you are but I advise you to keep your nose out of our business here," Xander said with his eyes full of rage.


    "Oh? Is that so? Sorry but, I''m only here for the young lady there," the young man rebutted without glancing at Xander and pointed at Eirlys location.


    Xander''s face turned red because of anger. (Why are these people so disrespectful to me! They don''t even glance at me when I talk to them!)


    "Anyways, since the both of you still have a ''business'', I will just give a proposal first to end this quickly fair and square," the young man made his way in front of Xander''s group encircling Eirlys.


    "What is it then?" Xander asked in impatience. Although he had made many ruckus lately, this was still the first time that he had brought a large number of subordinates with him. He was originally afraid that the genius young girl from last night would show up again. Fortunately, Eirlys was only by her own today.


    "How about the both of you just have a duel, as simple as that. Of course, the young lady''s opinion should be considered first since she''s younger than you and probably... she ''might'' also be weaker than you," the young man in a red robe said as he emphasized the word ''might'' in front of the crowd.


    After hearing the young man''s words, Eirlys'' face twitched because she clearly understood his intentions. He might look like he''s helping the weak but the truth was he''s deliberately making them have a fair fight to test her strength.


    Eirlys could just laugh in her heart. Although she didn''t know if the young man was her friend or foe, she should still have to give her thanks to him since he helped her solve the situation in a ''nice way''. Of course, she would rather have a fair duel with Xander than have a big fight where she would kick Xander''s ass and all of his subordinates. If she ever do that, she might as well burn the whole academy since it only shows that she wanted to provoke all of the people here.


    Xander''s subordinates look at their leader for further commands. Xander nodded and waved his hand, "Disperse."


    "I believe the miss here will agree with that proposal," Xander added as he looked at Eirlys.


    Eirlys glanced at him and said, "Okay. But that''s rather boring, don''t you think? How about we make a bet?"


    "A bet?" Xander''s eyes lit up. How could he had forgotten such thing! He immediately added, "That''s great! Haha, if you win I''ll give all of my points that I earned! It''s approximately 250,000 points!"


    The people that were watching the show was shocked by Xander''s words. 250,000?!! Isn''t that too much? Just how did he earn that much points!


    After hearing Xander''s words, Eirlys nodded with satisfaction and said, "Alright, then if I ever lose, I''ll give this to you." A light flashed and a dagger could be seen. She extended her hand for everyone to see it.


    "This kind of aura... what kind of dagger is that?"


    "The energy within it seems to be so powerful!"


    The surroundings were filled with noises as they exclaimed their thoughts.


    "I didn''t know you actually possessed the Bloody Cursed Dagger. Interesting," the young man in red robe said as he looked at Eirlys with eyes full of interest.


    Eirlys was stunned by what she had heard. (This guy is really dangerous.) She thought that none of the students would recognize the dagger in her hand. She only had known the existence of the dagger since she asked her father about it.


    By what her father said, the dagger was originally from the middle realm and was took away and brought in the lower realm. It was discovered thousands of years ago by the people in the middle realm and that was the cause why the chaos happened and it actually lasted over tens of years.


    When the other students heard the young man in red robe said those words, their mouths were wide opened as they didn''t know of how they should react. They of course knew about the story of the legendary Bloody Cursed Dagger that the older generations told them when they were young.


    But even so, most of them seemed to have doubts in their eyes as they couldn''t believe such thing.


    "It doesn''t matter if it is a Bloody Cursed Dagger or not. As you can feel, the energy within it is genuinely powerful. So, it should be okay to make as my bet. Isn''t that right, young master Xander?" Eirlys wanted to end this up quickly so she said these words to finish the deal.


    "Of course! Of course! Young miss is being generous! Then the bet is officially made!" Xander''s eyes were full of fascination as he looked at the dagger in Eirlys'' hand.


    "Good. Tomorrow noon at battle stadium. Let''s have our duel there." Eirlys didn''t wait for Xander''s reply as she slowly walked towards the main building''s door.


    "Wait! Isn''t young miss being unfair? You already knew my name but I don''t know yours all this time." Xander''s voice sounded.


    Eirlys was about to go inside the building but after hearing Xander''s complaint, she stopped on her tracks. "You dare encircled me with your subordinates earlier and yet, you even didn''t know my name?" Eirlys mockingly said as she turned around. "Iris. Iris Clinton," When she said her ''full name'', she turned around once again and continued walking forward.


    ***


    "Hey, Vanessa, hurry up!"


    Chloe was fully irritated with Vanessa''s slow pace. Their room was in the 5th floor and the dining hall was in the 7th floor. It would make them at least 5 minutes if they go to the 5th floor from the first floor. But since they were originally from the seventh floor earlier, it would take them around 6-7 minutes to walk downstairs to the first floor if they would not stop walking.


    "Damn these stairs!! They are so long! Why are our rooms so big?! That''s probably the cause why the stairs here are these freakingly long!" Vanessa was trying her best to walk as fast as possible.


    They didn''t know that the stairs had a magic spell that made it so long. It wouldn''t be that long if it was just ordinary stairs. The headmaster of the Waltridge Academy deliberately put a magic spell there for the students.


    He knew that the mages hate it when they use too much of their ordinary energy that was part of their body since they were born. Unlike with warriors who were much used to move their bodies here and there.


    When they finally reached the first floor. Vanessa heaved a sigh of relief as she wiped the sweats on her forehead.


    "I told you earlier. You should''ve used your magical energy," Chloe rolled her eyes.


    "No way! That time when I took the examination specifically that damned second test, it felt like I was in hell! There''s no way I''d use too much of magical energy for my body. That was traumatic!" Vanessa''s body shivered as she said those words.


    "Stop talking. Let''s go," Kracie said as she walked to the main door leisurely. It was as if she was just walking free in the garden.


    Seeing this, Vanessa didn''t know whether to laugh or cry.

 Chapter 10: Xander vs. Eirlys

    Chatter~ Chatter~


    The battle stadium was full of noises as the students were chatting while waiting for the duel that was made just yesterday. There were not that many students but since the battle stadium was smaller than an ordinary stadium, it looked not so spacious right now.


    This small stadium was just made for the students. There was no rule in the Waltridge Academy that prohibited its students to fight as long as it''s in the battle stadium and be announced beforehand. The school provided this battle stadium for the students to have a fair fight that would be witnessed by the other students.


    The sun was almost at the center of the sky already but the two figures that everyone was looking forward to see had not arrived yet.


    ***


    Yesterday, when Eirlys bumped into her roommates as she entered the main building of the school...


    "Iris!" Vanessa immediately ran to Eirlys as she saw her walking to their direction.


    The two asked Eirlys about everything that happened while Kracie was just listening to their conversation. They were also heading to their class.


    "Iris, are you sure about this? We can help you if you want to back out. And also we have Kracie here, that bastard can''t lay a single finger on you as long as she''s here... and yeah, Chloe and I will also stay by your side," Vanessa worriedly said to Eirlys after knowing the whole thing.


    "No, I''ll fight with him tomorrow and please don''t worry about me," Eirlys stubbornly replied as she shook her head.


    "You really are a troublemaker, aren''t you?" Chloe on the other side couldn''t help but sigh.


    They were roommates, and they also treated themselves as already friends, so it''s only natural for them to be worried about each other''s matters. After all, having friends in an academy like this is rather difficult since competitions could be seen everywhere. That''s why they were determined to be friends since they enjoyed each other''s presence.


    "Just let her do what she wants," Kracie suddenly blurted out.


    "What do you mean by that, Kracie?" Vanessa gazed at Kracie with full of doubts.


    "It''s not yet clear of who''s gonna win tomorrow''s match. And also, I want to know Eirlys'' strength," Kracie said casually.


    After hearing this, Eirlys couldn''t help but smile as she shook her head once again, "Heh, you''re rather straightforward."


    "I''m just curious about your strength. Also, if I were given a chance, I''d rather talk to you using fists. After all, I could better understand a person when having a battle with him than talking with him."


    Vanessa and Chloe were stunned after hearing those words. Aside from Kracie''s unique ''socializing skill'', this is also the first time that they heard her talk this much!


    "Haha, why do I feel like we''re somewhat similar," Eirlys didn''t have the same reaction with Vanessa and Chloe at all, instead, she just laughed because she really found it amusing.


    ***


    "Look! It''s Xander!" one of the students sitting on the spectator seat shouted.


    "Right! I hope that young lady Iris would also come. She didn''t back out, right?"


    "Yeah, there''s no news of her backing out in this match."


    "Ah, I saw the commotion yesterday. Too bad, she''s going to fight Xander. She''s quite pretty, y''know!"


    "Haha, look at you, really a womanizer one!"


    While everyone was busy chatting with their friends, a blonde-haired figure in a black dress could be seen making its way to the platform.


    "Hey! It''s that Iris lady!"


    "Woah, she really showed up!"


    "Ah, she really is beautiful. That black dress suits her a lot!"


    Cheering noises could be heard as they saw Eirlys walking to the side of the platform. On the other side, Xander was already standing there facing Eirlys.


    "I guess we should invite the young master in red robe yesterday to be our judge," Xander said as he faced Eirlys not far from him.


    "Mn, I''m also thinking of the same thing." Eirlys nodded her head as an agreement.


    Not long after, a voice which was not that loud nor low could be heard.


    "Since you want me to, then I''ll gladly be your judge for this match."


    A young man in fiery red clothes walked towards the center of the platform.


    "Right! That guy was the one who recommended Xander and Eirlys to have a fair match."


    "Really? He looks like a scholar though. Look at his thin body. Although most mages don''t have a robust body, at least it''s not that skinny. And he''s a guy on top of that!"


    "Hey, you can''t just judge a book by its cover. Ah! Goodness, look at his handsome face! It looks so soft! Must be someone from a high-class family."


    "Eh? Aren''t you also judging him by his looks?"


    "Uh.. that''s not what I meant..."


    The girls in the stadium were also making noises as they saw the young man in red clothes at the center of the platform. Xander''s face twitched after hearing them.


    "Should we start now?" Xander asked with impatience.


    "Wait a minute, I invited someone to be the other judge. He''s not here yet," the man in red clothes answered as he looked upwards.


    After a while, he added, "He finally arrived."


    A person could be seen descending from above. He wore a uniform that the Waltridge Academy''s instructors used everytime they were in class.


    "An instructor? To think that he can actually invite an instructor for this match. He must be not simple."


    "I agree. I also discovered that he was only admitted here a few days ago. No wonder he''s not that known yet."


    Different views and guesses were voiced out within the stadium but the young man in red clothes didn''t pay any heed to them. He bowed towards the instructor as he put his right fist on his chest as a salutation. "Good day, instructor Darren."A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    "My my, I made you wait, Austin," the instructor waved his hand.


    "No harm, instructor. We should start now, shall we?" the young man in red clothes whose name was Austin suggested.


    "Alright."


    Instructor Darren sat down on a chair that was prepared for him not long ago then he nodded his head towards Austin.


    Seeing this, Austin cleared his throat and said, "Today''s duel will be fought between a second-year student, Xander Dawson and a first-year student, Iris Clinton!"


    Austin looked at Eirlys and Xander then added, "This is just a friendly match so I hope that both sides know your limits. Since everything''s prepared, we shall now officially let the battle begin!"


    Clamour~~


    Loud shouts could be heard within the hall.


    Xander took the initiative to attack first. Since he thought that he had a great advantage as a senior, it would be best if he ends the match quickly to save his reputation.


    Basketball-sized fireballs were thrown towards Eirlys from Xander''s hands. Xander didn''t know what were the elements that Eirlys possessed so he didn''t dare get close to her.


    Eirlys on the other side controlled the wind element as it covered the water then blocked every single fireball that was thrown to her. She also materialized the lightning essence and formed it into tens of swords behind her which were so majestic. She looked as if she was a goddess of war.


    Everyone gasped in amazement as they looked at Eirlys direction. A dual-element mage! And it''s lightning and wind elements on top of that! They didn''t know that there''s water mixed on wind element as it vanished together with the fire.


    Xander was stunned for a moment but he immediately regained his senses. He stopped attacking using fireballs and moved his body agilely as he dodged the lightning swords that were thrown to him.


    As he continued dodging for a while, he chanted words once again and the huge fire appeared as it encircled around him. He didn''t continue dodging anymore as the swords made of lightning were completely blocked by the fire.


    Eirlys also didn''t continue firing sword-shaped lightnings and just stood there without moving while the wind was still twirling around her.


    From a certain spot of the stadium, the roommates of Eirlys could be seen as they also watched the match on the platform. No one knew of what were the three thinking at that moment as they were only silently watching without blinking their eyes.


    From another side of the stadium, a man on his twenties was standing there as he watched the fight. Nobody realized about his existence at all.


    "Three elements and all are exceptional levels, huh. She even tried to conceal the third element. Heh, no wonder that old man insisted me to meddle these two brat''s matters yesterday," Austin murmured. He was just carefully watching not that far from the platform.


    Xander was still surrounded with fire. He took a deep breath and said, "Seems like I underestimated you."


    "That can''t be helped since you haven''t seen me fight with someone ''til now."


    What Eirlys said was the truth. It''s only natural for them to look down on her since she had just joined the academy recently. It was already beyond their expectations that she already knew some incantations when she had just turned 13.


    Generally speaking, one can only start to take the path of magical cultivation once he turns that certain age because that would be the time when a person''s body will be rebirthed. His body would be able to restore external energies from nature from then on.


    In Eirlys case, she had learned the two spells after working so hard within 3 weeks, right after her birthday. Added to her comprehension skills, she at least learned the two spells that she had used earlier. She hadn''t fully mastered it though, that''s why a mage master could clearly see some flaws in her attacks.


    Xander also had thought that when it came to numbers of magic spells and mastery, he indeed had an advantage for learning things over a year already.


    Xander finally started attacking once again. The temperature within the stadium rose up as the fire surrounding him became bigger and bigger.


    Instructor Darren also stood up and formed a barrier surrounding the platform. Finally, the students who were watching the battle felt that the unpleasant atmosphere gradually disappeared.


    Eirlys didn''t dare to just watch the situation, she made the wind to move around her with water concealed within it.


    She originally thought of using the dark element as it would greatly help her in decreasing the temperature. But she immediately discarded this thought as she knew that it would be difficult to hide the dark element when she''s fighting.


    As she was immersed in changing the temperature surrounding her, suddenly, a huge fireball appeared hanging above Xander as his hand was raised up as if he was holding the huge ball.


    "I''ll give you a chance. Concede and admit your mistakes," Xander''s powerful voice sounded within the stadium.


    The students around didn''t have that much reaction as if they had already anticipated this to happen. Vanessa, on the other hand, was having a cold sweat as she watched the scene on the platform.


    "That bastard! This is just a friendly match! If that red ball hit Iris, she would be gravely injured!"


    "Kracie, what do you think? Should we interfere?" Chloe was still calm outside but her heart was already beating abnormally in her chest.


    "Interfere or not, we still could not stop that huge fireball," Kracie said as she looked deeply at Eirlys'' side as if she was contemplating things. She also added, "All we have to do is wait."


    Eirlys looked at Xander who was smiling evilly at her. She didn''t think that the pressure was just used to take her attention away from Xander who was secretly casting a spell earlier. She actually made such a mistake.


    Since she couldn''t just run to avoid the huge fireball, she came up with a plan and inhaled deeply.


    The spectators couldn''t help but shake their heads as they thought that Eirlys would admit her defeat, however...


    Suddenly, Eirlys waved her right hand as she took out the dark-blue sword from her storage ring.


    "A sword?"


    "What is she gonna do with that?"


    Chatter~ Chatter~


    Everyone was surprised by the sudden action of Eirlys. Their eyes were full of doubts.


    Then all of a sudden, the figure of Eirlys could not be found any more in her original position earlier.


    The huge ball that was hanging above Xander earlier was already thrown off as it moved down towards the floor.


    Boom!


    The platform blasted and everyone could not see anything within the barrier.


    "Instructor Darren.."


    Someone was just about to say something to the instructor but Darren waved his hand to him and said, "Don''t worry, everything''s fine inside. You just have to wait and see the results for this match."


    "What?"


    Everyone''s head turned once again towards the direction of the platform. After a while, the smoke was slowly disappearing and they could see two silhouettes inside.


    "What??!!"


    They saw the figure of Eirlys who was standing as the sword in her hand was pointing to the young man''s neck who was currently half-kneeling on the ground as he supported his body from falling using his bare hands.


    As he was grasping his breath, he slowly said. "Thank you...for earlier. I admit.. defeat."


    Hearing this, the whole stadium became quiet. After a while, as if the scene in front of them finally processed within their minds, loud cheers resounded in the stadium. There were even some who continuously shouted Eirlys'' name ''Iris'' as they cheer for her.


    Although the stadium was so lively because of it, there were still some who couldn''t believe their eyes.


    "Just.. what happened earlier?"


    "I also don''t know. I just saw the wind surrounding Iris disappeared with her from her original position then suddenly the huge fireball was thrown without any target at all."


    "Then that means.. it''s teleportation?! Could it be that she''s a space mage?!"


    "That''s impossible. I took the examination just recently and I can''t remember anyone who has space elemental essence affinity."


    The students who were full of uncertainties in their minds couldn''t help but ask different questions.


    Everyone stopped shouting when a powerful cough suddenly rang out.


    "Austin, you can announce the result now." Instructor Darren said to Austin who was making his way to the center of the ''broken'' platform.


    "For today''s match between Xander Dawson and Iris Clinton, young lady Iris has won!"


    Clamour~~


    Cheering noises could be heard once again.


    In the platform, Xander could be seen bowing his head to Eirlys.


    "Young lady Iris, it was I who was at fault since the very beginning. I hope that young lady Iris would forget the bad times." Xander apologetically said to Eirlys.


    "No worries. As long as you won''t bother me again, then everything will be fine." Eirlys casually replied. She also added, "Ah right. It would be best if you don''t use such powerful spell if it''s not necessary."


    Hearing this, Xander''s eyes lit up and said, "Yes! Young lady''s words, I will take it to my heart. Thank you."


    "Alright then."


    As she turned around, she saw her roommates who were running towards her.


    "That nearly scared me to death, you know that?!" Vanessa immediately blurted out as she arrived in front of Eirlys.


    Her pace was surprisingly faster than the last time. Probably because she had learned her lesson. If they were just faster enough yesterday, then everything that happened today shouldn''t have added to history.


    "Good thing you''re fine," Chloe sighed.


    Eirlys smiled faintly as she nodded at Chloe.


    The three then looked at Kracie who was just silently looking directly at Eirlys'' eyes.


    Not long after, she said, "Explanation."


    Eirlys chuckled after hearing this. "Alright, I''ll explain when we get back."


    The four then headed back to the school''s main building leaving behind everyone who was staring at their silhouettes with eyes full of questions.