Chapter 15

Princess Irina is confused.

Though there were many reasons for the wavering in her once-clear eyes, the most fundamental reason boiled down to the girl beyond her.

‘Does this even make sense?’

No matter what magic or attack she used, it was all effortlessly nullified without a single blink.

What’s more, at some point, the girl had even pulled out a notebook and began calmly recording each spell Irina cast.

“『Lightning』!”

-Pop!

“…Casting time: 2 seconds. Power: Mid-tier of the third rank, perhaps?”

Watching her magic being evaluated in real-time made Irina tense up, even though she knew this training wouldn’t affect her grades.

She still felt reluctant to attack someone younger—much younger.

But as the girl remained completely unscathed despite Irina’s relentless assaults, a hint of pride and competitiveness started to surface.

Decisively, if she couldn’t land a single blow, the girl might be disappointed in her.

After all, who would want to teach an incompetent mage who can’t even scratch their opponent despite giving it their all?

‘This won’t do.’

Irina wanted to prove that she had the potential to excel in the upcoming trials.

She wanted to show that her sister Lilian wasn’t wrong to look up to her.

And so, she finally unleashed a triple-overlaid spell.

“『Divine』”

“『Ice Spear』”

“『Giga Gravity』”

A massive spear of ice formed in midair, wrapped in divine light, while gravity heavily compressed the small figure it targeted.

“…Here I go.”

With one swift motion, her staff sent the icy lance crashing down, spreading freezing cold everywhere.

Crack. The giant shard of ice shattered upon hitting something solid, scattering tiny sparks of light around.

-Wobble.

“Ugh…”

The nausea rose due to exhausting all her mana for the final strike. Fatigue rapidly overtook her body, stealing her strength to stand.

Still, even as she collapsed onto the ground, she refused to lower her head. She needed to see the result of her desperate effort.

-Swoosh!

Her sweat-soaked arm swept through the air, dispersing the frosty mist. What she hoped to see was any sign that her ultimate move had affected the girl, even slightly.

Instead, Irina faced reality—a reality where her efforts fell short. The sound of approaching footsteps crushed her last hope that the girl might have been hurt, even a little.

“Binding you with gravity magic and mixing physical form with divine power… It would definitely work on bulky monsters.”

The flawless young face spoke these words before clicking her fingers. Simultaneously, streams of mana flowed into Irina’s body.

-Swish.

“…It’s warm.”

The soothing warmth spread through her, erasing her fatigue. Even her depleted mana began to recover.

Yet, despite this relief, the disappointment in herself lingered.

Even after using every spell and method she knew, Irina felt unsatisfied. Though she never underestimated the girl, failing to land a single effective hit left her disheartened.

Nevertheless, she couldn’t afford to sigh or let her guard down because:

“Now, let’s see how well you can defend.”

“…Defend?”

“Now that we know your limits in offense, it’s time to test your defense, isn’t it?”

Because the girl who had effortlessly countered all of Irina’s attacks now declared her intention to retaliate—with lethal intent.

Moments later, the small figure turned away briefly before returning to her original position and signaling Irina to prepare.

This declaration left Irina flabbergasted. Realizing the gap between them, being asked to endure the girl’s attack was enough to unsettle her.

However, battles don’t wait for perfect preparation.

“I’m going.”

-Bzzt.

An eerie energy radiated from the diminutive figure. Then came the incantations:

“『Accel』『Heated Sunlight』『Lost Star』『Wolf of Void』『Poison Thorn』…”

One after another, powerful spells emerged from the heavy flow of mana, distorting the very air around them. Could the training ground withstand such overwhelming forces?

The multicolored magic circles decorating the ceiling like a galaxy filled Irina with immense pressure, causing her hands to tremble.

‘I misjudged.’

Only now did Irina realize judging the girl by appearance was a mistake. She should’ve recognized the significance of someone so young bearing the mark of an ancient dragon sooner.

Over time, she had subconsciously underestimated her due to their close interactions, forgetting the transcendent level that initially caught her attention.

Snap. A tiny finger touched the air, and countless magic circles lit up simultaneously. Despite being fortified with top-tier defensive spells and divine protection, survival seemed unlikely.

***

“Ugh…”

Gradually, Irina’s blurred vision focused on the sky above. Awareness of her own breathing returned alongside her senses.

“Oh, you’re awake?”

“…Professor?”

Footsteps approached. The next thing Irina saw was Professor Letter extending a long candy.

“Don’t bite it; let it melt. It tastes better that way.”

“…Yes.”

As she unwrapped the candy, Irina recalled fainting. She also remembered the professor’s spells piercing even divine protection.

Fortunately, the spells vanished the instant they broke through her defenses, sparing her from their full force. Losing consciousness from residual effects was preferable to direct impact. Had she actually been hit, she’d likely have vanished without a trace.

‘What experiences has she gone through…?’

Facing the seemingly innocent girl munching on candy, Irina heard a voice closer to a child than an adult.

“Most third-rank spells were blocked. You’d need upper-mid fourth-rank spells to break through. We’ll start by identifying weaknesses in fourth-rank magic…”

Just realizing the monstrous potential hidden within such a delicate form prompted Irina to ask—not out of disappointment but sheer curiosity.

“Professor….”

“Yes?”

“How…how are you so strong?”

Wide eyes. A momentarily tilted head.

Then, unexpectedly, the reply came as a groan.

“Never doing that crazy stuff again… Thinking back, I almost died that time… If I’d known it was the north, I wouldn’t have glanced at the desert side…”

Letter clutched her head with both hands, looking terrified. Irina merely turned away, sensing there was more to the story.

‘Can it really recover from this?’

The training ground looked like a real-life wasteland, though its purpose was for combat practice. Still, it seemed somewhat abused.

Later, it was Irina tapping Letter’s shoulder in panic that brought her back to reality.

“We’re starting dinner in ten minutes, Professor.”

“Oh, it’s already that time…”

Standing up, Irina offered to treat the professor to dinner. There were still many things she wanted to discuss, and she couldn’t accept private lessons without reciprocating somehow.

“How about ice cream for dessert?”

“…!”

Fortunately—or unfortunately—Irina’s offer wasn’t rejected. That day marked Irina learning that tempting Letter with sweet desserts could get her favors.

***

-Thud! Thud!

-Murmurs.

-Heavy footsteps.

“This place feels chaotic.”

“It’s because preparations for the Trials are underway. Please follow me to your quarters.”

Jade bowed to the distinguished guest who had just arrived at Premus. Almost simultaneously, a refined voice questioned him.

“But why is that man over there?”

“What man are you referring to?”

“That one drinking tea among the workers. I know him well.”

“And he shouldn’t be here.”

Lilian Ardenia smiled amusingly and walked toward the man she once studied under.