Chapter : 153
Selenea’s team moved with an unbelievably systematic precision.
Janet immediately noticed where the core of the Artificer was located.
“Ah, it’s at the very top of the Artificer’s head. There should be a golden orb there!”
“Then we should attack from above! Be careful, everyone—if we can’t finish it in one strike, it will counterattack!”
Though she was known for being timid and delicate in nature, Estelline’s voice was loud and clear.
On the opposite side, Veraine, who was drawing the Artificer’s attention, shouted in understanding:
“Got it. But I don’t think my clone can hold for long… We have to do it now!”
At the same moment, the Artificer moved its massive body, and a chilling sound echoed through the testing chamber.
Anita froze, staring in disbelief. The other team members were no different.
“If only we could get close, we could attack from above… but getting close is impossible!”
Martina sighed. Rosetin hesitated before stepping forward.
“I-I think I can clear a path if we get within a certain distance…!”
“Then do it! It’s a gamble anyway!”
Rosetin’s expression flickered with momentary hesitation but he quickly nodded.
“Alright!”
Soon, thick vines and branches began to pierce the floor of the testing chamber.
The vines twisted and intertwined, thickening as they went, stretching forward as if opening a path toward the Artificer.
Of course, a top-tier Artificer wasn’t about to let Rosetin’s created vegetation reach it.
Kwah-wang—!
A dazzling light shot from the Artificer, cutting the advancing vines off completely.
“I can’t do any more!”
“Then… what do we do?”
At that moment, Estelline spoke, half-doubtful:
“How about this—if Selenea lifts Martina from the far end, what do you think?!”
“Lift her?”
“Yes! Selenea can control the wind, right?!”
Rosetin’s eyes widened. Selenea froze for a moment but quickly nodded.
“Right. It should work! I’ll try it.”
What happened next unfolded in an instant.
Before Selenea’s words even finished, Martina launched herself without hesitation.
She climbed along the vines Rosetin had created and leapt toward the Artificer.
The Artificer, sensing its enemy, turned its head with a metallic creak.
The dragon-like figure made entirely of scrap metal moving only by turning its head looked somewhat grotesque.
But Martina showed no fear at all.
Her speed increased rapidly. Around her body, a blue barrier shimmered—it was Selenea’s ability.
“Be careful, Martina!”
Opposite her, a bright light gathered at the very center of the Artificer’s head.
The light, swelling rapidly, was soon fired with a massive explosion.
“Martina! Watch out…!”
But Martina, soaring through the air, arched gracefully and dodged the beam.
It was a very long leap.
For anyone else, they would have crashed to the ground by now, but Martina remained suspended in the air, quickly closing in on the Artificer.
The air around her flowed upward with tremendous force.
“Selenea! My goodness!!”
It was the moment Estelline shouted at Selenea in shock.
Grrrrrr—
The Artificer, unable to strike its target, began drawing in magical energy again.
It tried to aim, but
Creak—
The sensor-equipped head faltered and froze in place.
Then, like a broken machine, it spun once uselessly in place.
The target that had been right in front of it—Martina—had vanished completely.
Creak—Clank—
The Artificer made a strange, frozen sound.
KWAANG—!!!
Suddenly, an enormous noise filled the testing chamber.
Black, smoky clouds rose from the Artificer. Beyond the smoke, something shattered with a crackling sound.
“Did we… take it down?”
“Don’t say that, Janet! Don’t you know those words are a bad omen?”
Janet’s surprised voice and Veraine’s reproach echoed faintly in the chamber. At that moment,
Ding—
A notification sounded from the ceiling.
Everyone looked up. A new inscription flickered above.
Team 3-2 (Selenea Tigeris) – 3,700 points
Originally 2,700 points, now 1,000 points were added.
“…Martina?”
Rosetin opened his mouth in astonishment. Something emerged from the smoke.
It was Martina, covered in soot but smiling brightly.
“Janet was right! The core was exactly at the top of the head!”
In her hand, she held the half-dismantled golden orb.
The orb soon fully disintegrated and scattered into the air.
Another notification sounded.
Beep—
<00:00>
The countdown on the ceiling stopped.
The test was over.
The prospective students who had finished the trial gathered in the open area on the first floor of the tower to wait for the other teams to finish.
Hanod stood slightly apart from the others.
At that moment, someone approached him quietly.
“…This way.”
Hanod rose naturally but silently.
It was an administrator wearing the academy’s emblem on their uniform.
They quickly turned a corner of the tower, and Hanod discreetly followed.
Passing a narrow path surrounded by bushes, a low, unused tower appeared, with stone stairs leading underground.
The administrator glanced back at Hanod before disappearing down the stairs.
Hanod confirmed no one else was around before following.
The stairs were long.
The air grew damp and musty as he descended.
Hanod casually brushed aside spider webs that brushed against his skin and quickened his pace.
After some time, when he finally stepped onto the basement floor:
“Your Highness!”
Someone seated inside jumped up. Hanod calmly turned his head.
A figure stood in the middle of the dim basement.
The administrator who had guided Hanod respectfully bowed and stayed near the wall.
“Please speak freely.”
Hanod carefully surveyed the surroundings.
A few candles flickered on the walls, and an old table with two chairs sat in front of him.
He walked in slowly and sat in one of the chairs.
The person opposite quickly followed suit. Hanod immediately asked:
“What about Marquess Solv?”
Without formalities, the other held their breath briefly but then answered solemnly:
“Since the last report, we’ve confirmed two more meetings with Joseph. I don’t know if he was Joseph’s spy from the start or recently defected.”
Hanod maintained a neutral expression, but his fists tightened involuntarily.
“…I’ve had Marquess Solv by my side for sixteen years.”
When he was three years old, Marquess Solv entered the royal academy as a tutor for the Sorad palace.
He began teaching Hanod and his elder brother exclusively.
Hanod had known Anita, Solv’s granddaughter, since she was five.
Though their status and nationality differed, Hanod considered Anita a close friend.
He trusted Marquess Solv just as much.
“When my brother passed, I saw with my own eyes Solv tearing his clothes and clawing at his chest, crying in despair.”
“Your Highness…”
Roen, across from him, breathed a sorrowful sigh.
He belonged to Sorad’s secret intelligence organization, the Cheonghwa Unit.
“What did His Majesty say?”
At this, Roen regained his composure.
“His Highness ordered that you preserve yourself in Lision. Although Joseph’s forces have grown, he believes you can still handle it…”
“Roen. My uncle would not hesitate to turn his blade against His Majesty if needed.”
“……”
“His Majesty has already lost most of his loyalists. How many people are unaware that it was my uncle’s doing?”
“……Your Highness.”
“From the moment my father died, all means to restrain my uncle disappeared. I even lost my elder brother recently. And now, if I am still in Ervia…”
Hanod trailed off, pressing his forehead. Roen spoke in a firm voice:
“Your Highness, His Majesty wishes to cede the kingdom to you, not to Joseph.”
Hanod lifted his head.
“He regrets not striking Joseph earlier. If he had known how cruel Joseph truly is, he would have passed the throne to the first prince much earlier.”
A shadow flickered across the table. Hanod frowned and sighed.
“…But isn’t it already too late?”
This was the reality he faced.
His uncle, the second prince Joseph, had grown too powerful.
His father, the first prince and rightful heir, had died by Joseph’s hand.
Though there was no evidence, no one doubted Joseph’s responsibility.
And recently, he had lost his elder brother as well, likely Joseph’s doing.
Reading Hanod’s thoughts, Roen spoke:
“Your Highness, who doesn’t know that all of this is Joseph’s doing? That is why you must preserve yourself even more!”
Roen rose with steady eyes, kneeling formally on one knee.
“Though Joseph’s power grows daily, he cannot extend his reach to Ervia.”
“…Roen.”
“Besides, Lision is a secluded area even within the Ervia Empire. Being a prestigious institution, you have every reason to be here. There is no safer place than this!”
Hanod sighed, conflicted.
“And what about Anita Solv?”
Roen flinched at the question, raising his head.
“If Marquess Solv has defected, then his granddaughter Anita Solv would likely not be different. What should we do about her in this situation?”
Roen’s eyes trembled, but he answered calmly:
“With time… we can handle it.”
Hanod grasped his throbbing head.
‘I need information on Marquess Solv, and the entire Solv house.’
Only then could he determine whether Anita knew about this situation and if she, too, had defected.
‘What should I do…’
As a sigh rose in his throat, a calm voice sounded from behind:
“You need information on the Solv Marquesses?”
