Liyakade watched the Storm Spear gradually form in the air. She didn’t panic or flee; instead, she took a few steps forward—advancing rather than retreating.
“Hoho, not running away but coming closer to me instead?”
“…They even have this kind of trope in this world,” Liyakade muttered, but her movements were anything but hesitant. As she slightly closed the distance between herself and Sistem, she stretched out her palm toward the Storm Spear suspended in the air.
“What?”
Sistem immediately sensed something was off. Just like before, Liyakade manipulated the surrounding wind elements to flow in different directions.
Although this couldn’t completely dissolve the charging Storm Spear, it did slow down its release speed.
This interference could only be done by someone sharing the wind element, after all—it’s the fastest among the four basic elements.
With a flick of her delicate hand, Sistem forcibly launched the Storm Spear. Although this action reduced the spell’s power and accuracy, if Liyakade continued to interfere, it would buy her time to get closer.
The closer Liyakade got, the stronger her interference would be, eventually preventing the spell from being cast at all, forcing Sistem into close-quarters combat.
And close combat was Sistem’s greatest weakness.
In the original story, Sistem’s role in the protagonist group was that of a traditional backline mage. Unlike her sister Field, a Magic Swordswoman who could enchant weapons with fire element, Sistem’s physical abilities were quite ordinary.
Liyakade knew this well, which is why she chose to close in on Sistem. In ranged combat, if she exchanged magic evenly with Sistem, having the same element but being lower level, she naturally stood no chance.
In fact, Liyakade was already one step behind just moments ago. She had barely blocked the wind blade when Sistem had already started casting the next spell.
“Bang—”
The incompletely charged Storm Spear was noticeably weaker, slower, and less accurate. Seizing the exact moment Sistem released the magic, Liyakade slipped through a narrow gap to the side, successfully dodging the attack.
However, the residual force of the Storm Spear still slashed a cut across Liyakade’s hood. Without hesitation, she removed it entirely and tossed it aside.
Her long silver-white hair fluttered in the wind, strikingly conspicuous under the night’s glow.
“Hm?”
Sistem had intended to continue attacking but stopped the moment she saw Liyakade’s face, lowering her hands that were gathering magic.
“You’re that first-year newbie, aren’t you?”
“No! I’m not!”
Liyakade’s heart jolted. Hastily, she ran her fingers through her hair, sweeping the strands at the side over her face to hide it. “I’m just an outsider assassin!”
Damn. It would’ve been fine if she were mistaken for an unknown assassin; as long as she escaped, no one would know she was Liyakade.
But now, Sistem had seen her face—and seemed to recognize her. This was a problem.
Sistem was the Disciplinary Committee. If she caught Liyakade trying to sneakily alter the Midterm Exam Paper, Liyakade would definitely be punished—and worse, her ill intentions toward Alice might be exposed, plunging her into isolation once again.
“Oh?” Sistem’s smile turned playful.
“It was too dark earlier to see clearly. Now I notice, you’re wearing the Academy Uniform, right? Also, I often see a white-haired student near my useless little sister.”
“That hair color… I’ve only seen one person like that in the whole Academy.”
“No, I’m an assassin!”
Realizing that Sistem was already close to guessing her identity, Liyakade interrupted her deduction, deciding to strike first. Suddenly, a fierce wind howled as the surrounding trees rustled violently from the rapid fluctuations of wind elements. Liyakade was ready to unleash her full power.
“It’s fine, you can leave.”
Sistem didn’t flinch at the raging wind rushing toward her; she simply smiled meaningfully, making no move to defend herself.
“Really?”
Liyakade was baffled by Sistem’s sudden 180-degree change in attitude. She had no idea what Sistem was really up to.
“Really.”
“Ahahaha, then I won’t disturb you, I’ll just elbow my way out…”
After getting another affirmative from Sistem, Liyakade gave an awkward chuckle and withdrew her aggression.
“Hmm, but tomorrow I will report to the Academy that a student named Liyakade was out past curfew and trespassed into the Hidden Chamber.”
Before Liyakade could turn and leave, she heard Sistem’s voice behind her again.
“How could you! I told you, I’m not a student! I’m just an assassin!”
Liyakade stubbornly insisted.
“Who’s this Liyakade you’re talking about? I don’t know her at all.”
“Ah? You don’t know the student named Liyakade, and I’m just reporting someone you don’t know to the Academy. Why are you so anxious?”
Sistem tilted her head in puzzlement, as if she truly didn’t understand why Liyakade was so desperate.
“Ahem… She did nothing wrong, and you want to frame her with some baseless accusation. I’m just worried that, as the Disciplinary Committee, you shouldn’t falsely accuse people so casually.”
Liyakade argued passionately. “You can’t assume I’m her just because we share the same hair color. White hair is pretty common.”
“Common where, may I ask?”
Sistem rolled her eyes helplessly. In the entire Kingdom of Calderra, she had only ever seen one person with hair like Liyakade’s since childhood—Liyakade herself.
Despite already guessing her identity, Liyakade was still acting all secretive. Was she pretending to be clueless, or was she genuinely ignorant?
“Besides, even if I don’t report you, the Academy can still find out.” Sistem shrugged and added, “You just broke the Seal Technique in the Hidden Chamber, then rewrote the enchantment seal after you left, right?”
“Y-yeah, that’s true.”
Liyakade hadn’t expected Sistem to have been watching her all along. Clearly, her actions were far from flawless, and she had underestimated the Disciplinary Committee’s level of surveillance.
“But so what?”
“Do you really think the Seal Technique you performed is exactly the same as the original?”
Sistem retorted.
“What do you mean?”
“All Seal Techniques in the Academy are encrypted. You might think you wrote the exact same spell, but in reality, there are subtle differences inside the spell.”
“Only teachers and the Disciplinary Committee can spot them. When others see it tomorrow, they’ll know immediately, and by tracing the magic residue you left behind, they can still catch you.”
“W-what!? That’s impossible!”
Hearing this, Liyakade instantly panicked. She had already checked multiple times to ensure the Seal Technique she rewrote was identical, yet there was still a mistake.
Seeing Liyakade flustered, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Sistem’s lips.
Encryption… of course, that was just a lie.