HTNSA 117

Chapter 117

“Is that possible…? Then it’s truly a miracle that no one was hurt.”

“It’s all thanks to Eila. She used large-scale magic to wipe out more than half of the monsters.”

Seran, the Mage Tower Master, curled one corner of his lips and agreed with the prince’s words.

“It was truly incredible. Even in the Mage Tower, there are few mages capable of casting a spell of that magnitude.”

At their praise, the dean and the professors all turned to Eila with looks of astonishment.

“Is Eila’s skill really at that level?”

“What kind of magic did you use?”

As the professors murmured among themselves, Seran answered:

“It was a wide-area spell known as Flame of the Sun. It was often used during wars long ago.”

“Is that true?”

“How could someone her age have such skill…”

Everyone fell silent, staring at Eila in disbelief. At that moment, Darian cleared his throat to draw their attention.

“That’s not what’s important right now. What we need to uncover first is why such a massive horde of monsters targeted these students.”

“Ah, you’re right. If what His Highness says is true, this… this could never happen naturally.”

As the dean nodded deeply, Eila also nodded and spoke up.

“Yes, and strangely, I felt as if the monsters were specifically targeting me. I can only think that someone must have orchestrated this.”

“But who would target you, and for what reason? Did you do anything that might have made someone hold a grudge?”

“…There is something that comes to mind, but we will need to investigate to know for sure.”

Eila said this while looking directly at Prince Darian.

“So I ask you, Your Highness, please uncover the truth behind this incident.”

At her words, Darian nodded solemnly.

“I swear it. This is not something we can simply overlook. Controlling so many monsters… It’s clear that some vile dark arts were used.”

Hearing their conversation, the dean’s face filled with worry.

He had thought that since the students returned safely, the matter would be resolved quietly, but it seemed the situation was becoming far more serious than he had expected.

He cautiously interjected:

“But will there be any evidence left? To confirm that someone interfered, we would need to investigate the monsters themselves.”

“There is no need to worry about that.”

Darian replied shortly and turned to Eila.

“Miss Eila had the foresight to request that we capture the corpses of the slain monsters, as well as to take one mid-tier monster alive. My subordinates should be bringing them in now.”

“I see…”

While they were speaking, Eila’s mind was elsewhere.

She could not get Rosia’s flustered face from earlier out of her head.

‘Judging by Rosia’s reaction just now, it’s almost certain she’s the culprit.’

Until now, no matter what Rosia plotted, Eila had no choice but to endure because she lacked power.

But this time, it was clear to everyone that she was the victim.

‘It’s all thanks to Rosia recklessly making a move.’

Of course, there was a possibility that Rosia had thoroughly erased all traces.

Even so, Eila was determined to do everything she could to drive Rosia into a corner.

‘How dare she endanger not only me but others as well… I won’t let this slide, Rosia.’

Clenching her fists tightly, Eila made up her mind.

* * *

The students who had testified about what happened in the forest left the tent not long after.

Many students crowded around, asking what had happened, but Eila and her group kept their mouths shut as if they had agreed to remain silent.

As they finally slipped out of the crowd, Felix looked at Eila with concern.

“Are you alright? You’ve been through so much today.”

Eila looked back at him with a faint smile.

“It wasn’t just me who went through it, you know. You worked hard today too.”

“Can you walk? Do you want me to carry you?”

“No, I’m not that exhausted.”

Eila waved her hand dismissively, ready to part from the group and head back to the tent, when suddenly, a heavy voice stopped her from behind.

“…Eila.”

It was Cedric. Eila’s eyes twitched slightly as she turned to him.

“What is it?”

“I have a favor to ask. Could you spare some time for me after the subjugation festival is over?”

“…Is it something you can’t tell me now?”

“I think it’s going to be a long conversation.”

After a brief silence, Eila nodded. She sensed it was something she could not avoid.

“Alright.”

In truth, she had already noticed that Cedric’s gaze had changed after seeing her cast large-scale magic.

‘Of course he would be confused. I’m not even the legitimate daughter of the Blanche family, yet I used such a large-scale spell.’

Even Prince Darian and the Mage Tower Master had witnessed it. It would not be long before rumors began to spread.

The only fortunate part was that, with this significant achievement, her early graduation request would likely be accepted without trouble.

‘Of course, it still depends on passing the graduation exam with high scores.’

But Eila, who had overcome far more challenging situations, was confident she could easily pass the graduation exams.

What worried her more was whether she would be able to secure the lands of the Count of Arma before anyone else.

‘That’s the only way I can bring Yuria to my side.’

In the darkness, Eila’s eyes shone with determination.

* * *

The Subjugation Festival quietly ended after the first day.

Normally, the festival would last for three days, with points tallied to determine final rankings.

However, due to the abnormal events on the first day, Eila’s group had wiped out nearly all the monsters in Litsia Forest.

Additionally, the incident of the large-scale attack targeting the students needed to be investigated, so the dean and faculty decided they could not continue the festival.

With the festival ending after just one day, Eila’s group, who had achieved overwhelming results, naturally secured first place.

The students returning to the academy began to regard Eila’s abilities with even more respect.

“I had no idea Eila’s magic was that powerful. I can’t believe she used a level-five flame spell.”

“Doesn’t that make her stronger than most mages in the Mage Tower? What’s the point of even attending the academy?”

“I heard from that senior Ruban, who was in the same group, that Eila’s skills are better than most professors. It’s not just her flame magic, either—she’s great at other magic too.”

“Yeah, I heard that too. From the way he talks, it sounds like he’s completely smitten with her.”

“Seriously, I’ve never seen such a huge gap between first and second place before.”

As the students recalled the final scores with admiration, Freya scowled as she walked down the hallway.

“It’s Eila this, Eila that, everywhere I go.”

“…”

“How could her magic skills grow that quickly? It doesn’t make sense. Rosia, don’t you have anything to say about this?”

Freya now understood. Rosia’s magic had never failed.

It was simply that Eila’s abilities had exceeded their expectations, causing their plan to fail.

Rosia turned to Freya, frowning deeply.

“…Are you sure about keeping Senior Kadin quiet? If he testifies against us, things will get messy.”

“Don’t worry about that. If Kadin brings up our involvement, it would mean making enemies of the Count of Arma and the Duke of Blanche.”

“…”

“No matter how out of it Kadin has been lately, even he wouldn’t do something that foolish.”

Freya reassured her, saying that with the families involved, Kadin would never dare to speak out.

Rosia still frowned, uneasy.

“You got rid of all the evidence, right?”

“Of course. What do you take me for?”

Freya twisted her lips into a smirk.

“No matter how many investigators the imperial palace sends, they can’t pin this on us.”

Rosia looked up at Freya for a moment before turning her gaze forward again.

Though she still felt anxious, she still had a pillar of support she could trust.

‘No matter how determined Eila is, she can’t overcome that person’s power.’

Right after the incident during the Subjugation Festival, Rosia had immediately written a letter to the Empress.

Darian’s unusually strong response to the matter had made her anxious, fearing that the Empress might have turned against her.

But fortunately, the reply she received shortly after was reassuring.