HTNSA 112

Chapter 112

It had already been a long time since magic had stopped working properly on Kedrick. If Eila were ever in danger, he would surely throw himself forward to protect her.

And when that happened, removing Kedrick would be easy.

After that, if she could take care of Zerath as well, even Calios would no longer be able to ignore her.

Because she would be the only heir left in the family.

‘As for the frail duchess… well, she can be dealt with anytime.’

There were countless ways to eliminate Irene. Poison, or a staged accident—no one would find it strange.

Now, Rosia had only one person left whom she could trust: Calios, who was still under the influence of her emotion-manipulation magic.

She planned to lure him in completely and take full control of the Blanche family.

‘Calios is a meritocrat. If I outperform Eila in this Subjugation Festival, he’ll start seeing me in a new light.’

At that moment, a teammate’s voice came from behind.

“Rosia, we should probably start our strategy meeting.”

Rosia slowly turned around, only to meet the suspicious gaze of Cardin watching her from the side.

Seeing his eyes, she let out a short, dry laugh.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You know why better than I do.”

“Ah, are you disappointed that you ended up on the same team as me instead of Eila?”

Despite her mocking tone, Cardin’s expression remained emotionless, as if to say he didn’t care no matter what she said.

Did he know that was the expression she hated the most?

“It’s better this way. I get to keep an eye on you.”

“You’re going to watch me? And why’s that?”

Rosia scoffed as she looked up at him, and a faint look of contempt flickered across his eyes.

“You’re really asking because you don’t know?”

Rosia was momentarily at a loss for words, but she soon shook her head and let out a light sigh.

Cardin’s thoughts were in a realm she could never understand.

“Do you really hate me that much, senior?”

“….”

Cardin furrowed his brow slightly instead of answering.

Seeing that handsome face contort, Rosia instead smiled in satisfaction.

She preferred this. Rather than him being indifferent, she would rather have him react to her words, even if it was with disgust.

“You know, the more you act like this, the worse things will get.”

That was why she provoked him, saying things she didn’t even need to say.

The moment her words ended, Cardin’s face twisted violently, and deep disgust filled his eyes.

Seeing that, Rosia wore a satisfied smile.

Now, she knew for certain that Cardin would never love her.

‘Then this is better.’

If she could not be loved, she would rather be hated to death. That way, she could at least remain in his memory forever.

Rosia knew she had already crossed a river she could never return from.

‘I’ll make sure you never forget me. I’ll make you think of me until the day you die.’

After all, he had never once looked at the gentle, kind Rosia she once was.

That was why she wanted him to hate her. If that was what it took for him to truly see her, that was enough.

Rosia suddenly realized she was no different from a moth drawn to a burning flame.

Yet even knowing this, she couldn’t stop herself.

‘If I can’t be happy, then you can’t be happy either.’

Perhaps the moment she began studying forbidden magic to win him over, her fate had already been sealed.

Rosia was determined to keep going until he finally turned his gaze toward her, even if it all ended in tragedy.

The image of Cardin grieving over Eila’s death came to her mind, and a satisfied smile formed on her lips.

After the Subjugation Festival’s team assignments were finalized, the next morning dawned quickly.

A lively atmosphere buzzed among the rows of tents.

Many students were cheering for their friends, placing bets on who would win—some even wagering money in secret, away from the professors’ eyes.

“I’m betting on Sir Cardin!”

“Isn’t Sir Rainel’s swordsmanship even better, though?”

“Nah, you can’t underestimate the underclassmen this year. Felix is the son of Duke Ajenta, you know!”

“You’re right, I’m really excited. Who will take first place this time?”

Leaving behind the lively chatter, Eila quietly gazed at the forest spread out before her.

To calm her nerves, she went over the plan she had discussed with her team the day before.

Perhaps feeling anxious, Ruban glanced around at his teammates and asked:

“We’re heading west immediately after we enter, right?”

Felix nodded promptly.

“Yes, as soon as the horn sounds.”

“It feels like the fog is even thicker than yesterday… this is worrying.”

Just as Ruban said, the Ritsha Forest was shrouded in heavy mist, and the miasma from the monsters seemed stronger than before.

“Kedrick and I will clear the path, so you two just focus on running.”

“Got it.”

“Okay.”

While they were checking their equipment and mentally preparing themselves, the departure time arrived.

Bwooooo—!

The birds perched in the trees took off in a flurry, startled by the sound of the horn.

At that signal, the waiting students charged into the forest all at once. Eila’s group also swiftly moved west.

Thankfully, since it wasn’t a direction other teams were targeting, they advanced deep inside without interference.

“No wonder this place is home to vine-type monsters, the paths are getting denser the further we go.”

Ruban muttered, shrinking back at the eerie atmosphere as they moved further in.

Just as he said, the deeper they went, the darker it became, with the trees turning black, corrupted by the miasma.

A little further in, the group found vines coiling around a massive tree.

They were Belvain, vine-type monsters crawling over the trees, writhing as they moved.

“It’s Belvain!”

The moment Ruban shouted, Felix stepped in front of Eila, taking a defensive stance.

Meanwhile, Ruban quickly began chanting a fire spell, and Eila created a barrier to prevent the flames from spreading to unintended areas.

“Fireball!”

A flash of light, and a fierce flame instantly engulfed the Belvain.

Just as the Belvain twisted in agony and began to withdraw its vines—

“Watch out!”

Kedrick shouted, blocking something flying toward them.

It was Chingko, a mid-tier monster that often rode on vine-type monsters to attack.

Perhaps attracted by the noise, countless Belvain and Chingko began surrounding them.

Ruban shouted, sounding oddly excited.

“Wow, I’ve heard about this, but the scale is incredible!”

“Quit yapping and focus!”

Kedrick snapped sharply, gritting his teeth.

Thankfully, since they had been on guard, the team managed to fend off the surprise attack without trouble.

Felix and Kedrick then moved in perfect sync, charging at the monsters simultaneously.

Watching them from behind, Eila was secretly impressed.

‘They’re always at each other’s throats, but in moments like this, they work together perfectly.’

At that moment, a Chingko on a tree swung its tail, aiming an attack at Kedrick.

Kedrick swiftly twisted his body to avoid the attack, lowering his stance before swinging his sword.

The Chingko tried to flee by climbing onto a Belvain, but Felix didn’t miss the chance and drove his sword through it.

Kyaaak!

A short shriek rang out, and then—

“Inferno Blaze!”

Ruban’s fire magic split the air.

As the flames caught on the vines, the fire quickly spread uncontrollably, due to Ruban’s still-lacking control.

Taking advantage of the chaos, the remaining Chingko tried to escape using the Belvain as cover. But it didn’t end there.

To finish off the remaining monsters, Eila used wind magic.

“Air Riel.”

Whoosh!

Eila perfectly controlled Ruban’s flames with her wind magic, preventing the fire from spreading to the surrounding trees.

Thanks to that, the flames engulfed the fleeing monsters in an instant.

Kyaaak!

The Belvain, losing its strength, turned to ashes atop the tree, while Kedrick and Felix unhesitatingly cut down the remaining monsters.

When they finally caught their breath, the area around them had been completely cleared.

Considering the size of the monster horde that had appeared moments ago, the speed of their subjugation was astonishing.

As soon as Ruban caught his breath, he turned to Eila, exclaiming with admiration.

“You’re seriously incredible! I was shocked when you controlled my fire spell with your wind magic just now!”