“Princess Field, please come to the stage.”
The Mage Teacher saw their small interaction below the stage and couldn’t help but show a gratified smile.
Because the relationship between Alice, Liyakade, and Field looked very close.
And with Alice as the main force against the Demon King, being able to get along well with Liyakade and Field, both extremely powerful, would naturally allow them to work together even better against the Demon Race.
Of course, the bond between Liyakade and the others wasn’t just close friendship; their connection was much deeper than what the Mage Teacher saw.
Field nodded, gently placing her jade hand on the Crystal Ball in front of her.
A crimson light burst forth, as if the heat of magic within the Crystal Ball could be felt.
“…LV.45, that’s a fast improvement too.”
The Mage Teacher also sighed and recorded it in the booklet.
Now, among the first-year students, Field’s level was second only to one person—naturally, Liyakade.
Field glanced back at Liyakade. After the recording was finished, she quickly walked off the stage and returned to Liyakade’s side.
“How about it? I haven’t been slacking off during this time, you know. I’ve been training hard.”
After stepping down, Field sat next to Liyakade, naturally linking arms with her jade hand.
“That’s amazing, Field.”
Liyakade and Field exchanged a gentle smile.
“You’re almost catching up to me. In the future, even Her Highness Sistem might not be your opponent.”
“Of course. I’ll definitely defeat Sistem someday.”
Field naturally hadn’t forgotten this matter. Though the grudge against Sistem had faded, it was because of this that Liyakade entered her heart.
So, defeating her sister was no longer due to resentment, but rather an agreement between Field and Liyakade, and a promise for the day they met.
“Hey…don’t talk about defeating me right in front of me, okay?”
Sistem’s faint voice came from behind the two, as if she had become part of their PLAY as well.
Finally, the Mage Teacher called Liyakade’s name.
“Liyakade!”
“I’m coming.”
Liyakade responded, releasing Alice and Field’s hands, and stood up from her seat.
She turned back to look at Alice and Field, exchanging a gaze with each, then walked onto the stage.
“Liyakade, you seem to be the core of your team.”
The Mage Teacher looked at Liyakade walking onto the stage, full of recognition.
“No wonder you’re the Festival Flower of our Academy.”
“Since the Light Element Mage is already in your team, you must prepare to face the Demon King in the future.”
“By then, you will certainly be the main force in subduing the Demon King.”
The Mage Teacher earnestly instructed Liyakade.
“Teacher believes you can do it. Now, let’s test your current level.”
Liyakade’s strength and talent were recognized by all.
Under her leadership, they would surely defeat the Demon King one day.
“Thank you, Teacher.”
Liyakade appreciated the Mage Teacher’s words.
Following her guidance, she placed her hand on the Crystal Ball.
Azure light shimmered within the Crystal Ball, accompanied by a gentle breeze.
However, at the center of the Crystal Ball, within that azure glow, a faint streak of scarlet could be seen.
Only Darkness, standing beside the Crystal Ball, noticed this trace of crimson.
“LV.57.”
The Mage Teacher nodded and recorded Liyakade’s level.
Although it wasn’t a massive leap like Alice and Field, this level was only slightly below Sistem.
Given more time, Liyakade could reach the level to fight the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon Race.
“This generation truly overflows with talent.”
Looking at Liyakade before her, the Grade Director couldn’t help but sigh.
[Where did this mongrel even come from…Clearly demon blood flows in your veins, yet you willingly live among humans and even fight against the Demon Race for their sake…You traitor…]
Although Darkness outwardly maintained her composure, inside she was cursing Liyakade.
On stage, she stared at Liyakade’s back with a gloomy and obscure gaze, wishing she could attack her right then.
Clearly a Demon Race, yet with such a deep bond with the possessor of the Light Element, even leading her against the Demon King.
What a disgrace.
In Darkness’s eyes, Liyakade had completely betrayed the Demon Race.
If that’s the case, then let’s get rid of Liyakade first!
“Where…is it?”
However, after Liyakade awakened again, her perception of killing intent grew sharper.
Even if only for a moment, Liyakade still sensed it.
That gaze, filled with slight killing intent, watching her.
She turned in that direction.
It seemed to be coming from the platform.
On the podium, the Mage Teacher and Grade Director continued presiding over the tests.
Was it an illusion…Or was that person hiding there, lurking in someone’s shadow or a corner?
“Liyakade? What’s wrong?”
Field looked at Liyakade, who had suddenly stopped in front of them, gazing at the stage with a serious expression, and sensed something was wrong.
“Alice…”
Liyakade called Alice quietly.
“Use the move you used in the Dungeon before.”
“Eh? Okay!”
Although surprised, seeing Liyakade’s serious face, Alice obeyed without hesitation.
Alice brought her hands together.
A curved Magic Circle swept swiftly along the ground, illuminating all the shadows ahead.
The surrounding students noticed the Magic Circle flashing under their feet, exclaiming in surprise.
Some sharp-eyed students realized it was Alice’s magic and turned to look at her.
For a moment, the Great Hall buzzed with activity.
“Hm? What are you doing?”
The Mage Teacher also noticed the Magic Circle sweeping past her feet.
She set down her pen and paper, looking at Alice and the others with confusion.
“It’s nothing. I just wanted to see the new magic Alice learned, but I didn’t expect the range to be so large. It even spread to the stage. Sorry, Teacher.”
Liyakade bowed to the Mage Teacher, sincerely apologizing.
“…Don’t disturb the test so casually. And this is the Academy’s Great Hall. How can you just release magic here?”
The Mage Teacher felt puzzled.
She’d just been praising Liyakade for being mature and leading her group well.
Why was she suddenly misbehaving now?
“Alright, alright. Maybe Liyakade didn’t expect the magic’s range to be so big either.”
The Grade Director tried to smooth things over with her elderly voice.
“Sigh, just don’t let it happen again, you all.”
The Mage Teacher sighed helplessly, then continued the test.
[It hurts…it hurts so much!!!]
The face of Darkness, who had been swept by the Magic Circle, twisted in pain.
It felt as if her arm had been burned by flames, a scorching pain surging through her.
She endured the agony, struggling to maintain her composure and suppress the urge to escape from the shadows.
[What’s going on? Why did she suddenly use magic!?]
[Is this one’s perception really that sharp?]
Darkness quickly figured it out by watching the three below the stage.
It was Liyakade who had Alice use magic.
She hadn’t expected that just a bit of killing intent would be noticed by Liyakade.
Moreover, she hadn’t thought Liyakade would have Alice release magic even with so many people around, unconcerned about causing a commotion.
Fortunately, the gap between Alice and herself was huge, and the attack wasn’t directly aimed at her.
Otherwise, Alice might have forced her out of the shadow.
However, even a weak sweep of the light caused Darkness some damage, increasing her sense of crisis.
Given Liyakade’s sharp intuition, Darkness didn’t dare reveal any more killing intent.
She forcibly suppressed it and shifted her gaze elsewhere.
“…So it really was an illusion?”
Liyakade stared at the stage.
The feeling of being watched was gone.
No, maybe it wasn’t an illusion.
Perhaps Darkness had already shifted away before Alice’s attack.
But the fact they’d been watched was definitely real.
“What exactly is it, Liyakade?”
Field stood up in confusion and gently patted Liyakade’s shoulder.
“Did you…sense that person?”
“Yes, I felt someone watching us just now.”
Liyakade nodded seriously.
“But…since Alice didn’t force her out, maybe she already moved.”
“I see? So that person’s target is us after all.”
Hearing Liyakade’s explanation, Alice immediately understood why she suddenly asked her to release magic.
But she still wasn’t LV.35 yet and couldn’t track the traces of the Demon Race.
Since the Magic Circle hadn’t forced her out, she probably wasn’t here anymore.
“Liyakade, this time you were reckless.”
Sistem joined the conversation.
She wasn’t too pleased with Liyakade’s sudden command for Alice to use magic.
“Isn’t this a case of alerting the enemy?”
“Your perception might also be related to your bloodline. After all, the rest of us didn’t feel anything.”
Sistem continued analyzing.
“You could have pretended not to notice, then quietly told us. By observing a bit longer, that person would have let down her guard and revealed herself. Then you could have had Alice attack.”
“Now, that person will definitely be more cautious.”
“Sss…”
After hearing Sistem’s analysis, Liyakade rubbed her drooping hair in frustration, admitting Sistem made sense.
“You’re right. I was impatient.”
“Eh? Her Highness Sistem, Miss Liakade, what are you talking about? Surveillance? Who? Why does it suddenly sound so serious…”
Chloe, who was sitting with Sistem, was completely lost by their conversation.
She had no idea what they were talking about.
After all, when Chloe came that day to tell Liyakade and the others about the rumors, they’d already finished discussing the Demon Race and never told anyone else afterward.
“It’s nothing, just an annoying underling.”
“Eh…really?”