Chapter 8—| Under Magical Surveillance.
Chapter 8—Under Magical Surveillance.
"A countryside commoner capable of shattering a sky-blue crystal pillar of the Academy...!
This is unheard of. Tell me, young man, where does this strength come from? Tell me, young man. No noble lineage possesses such mana."
Kaelen thought about what to say to the king. At that very moment, Kaelen’s system activated before his eyes.
[ Alert: The sovereign is using a passive skill (Gaze of Truth). ]
[ Status: The system is blocking the detection of your divine skills. ]
After seeing this message from the system, Kaelen remained calm, maintaining a respectful but firm posture.
"My current strength is the fruit of my hard training and determination, Your Majesty. Nothing more."
The king let out a light laugh, visibly not entirely convinced, but he asked no more questions. He stood up and walked closer to the window overlooking the arena:
" No matter your secret for now. The Academy needs people like you this year. That is why this season is so strict. A great threat looms over our kingdom, and the current nobles have become too weak, arrogant, and have lost the rhythm of battle. If you finish first in this exam, I will grant you a reward that even a duke cannot afford. You may leave now," the king spoke.
Kaelen bowed and left the room. Walking down the hallway to return to the dorms, he noticed two silhouettes waiting for him in the shadow of a pillar. It was the hooded man and the mysterious red-eyed boy.
The red-eyed boy stepped forward first, a provocative smile on his lips as always. Passing next to Kaelen, he bumped his shoulder slightly and whispered in an icy voice:
" Don’t think you’re too special just because you broke a glass toy, commoner. In the next phase, the crystal won’t be there to protect you. I can’t wait to see the color of your blood," said the red-eyed man.
As for the hooded man, he said nothing. He just directed a dark gaze at Kaelen through his hood before turning around and disappearing into the hallways. It was as if the two of them had an understanding.
Kaelen stopped for a moment, watching the red-eyed boy walk away. A confident smile rose on his face.
During all this time, the King was observing Kaelen’s actions, his every move, through a magical mirror. Kaelen had a gut feeling, and he entered the men’s restroom. It was from there that the King’s vision no longer continued, because he could not watch what he was doing in the restroom.
He summoned the system.
"Gling!"
" I’ve noticed that I’m being spied on," Kaelen stated.
[ System: Yes, it is the King. He has his eye on you. It’s a test, so play along. And be prudent. ]
He immediately understood the stakes of the situation. He left the restroom as if nothing had happened.
The others were already in the great hall to eat. Lyra was waiting by the large door. He reached Lyra:
" You took your time. I thought they locked you up. Just kidding, tell me what the king wanted," Lyra said, completely excited.
"No, nothing. Just talking about the morning incident."
" Awesome, you were called by the king; that’s a big deal! Uh. Now let’s go eat," Lyra said.
They crossed the large door together and sat down at one of the large tables in the refectory. Kaelen still felt a strange sensation on the back of his neck, the invisible sign that the King’s eye had not let go of him. He had to follow the system’s advice: pretend to be just an ordinary candidate and play along.
" So, tell me! The king looks so imposing up close, right? He didn’t threaten you?" Lyra asked in a low voice, starting to eat.
Kaelen took his utensils, displaying a relaxed face and a slightly forced smile, deliberately raising his voice so that any magical spy could hear him:
"Not at all. His Majesty just wanted to know how the crystal could have shattered. I explained to him that my mana went wild because of the stress from the instructors, that it was an accident. The king was very understanding and simply encouraged me to do my best to honor the kingdom and my people."
Lyra looked at him, a bit surprised by his very formal answer. But she understood, and she nodded with a smile.
At that moment, a discreet notification appeared in the corner of his eyes:
[System: The pressure of the magical scan is decreasing. The King seems to accept your explanation. Above all, stay on your guard. ]
Against all odds, the other mysterious S-Rank came to sit right in front of them with his plate. After a heavy silence, he leaned his head forward:
" Hello. I am Tsubaki-Iwanome; nice to meet you."
Kaelen replied:
"Nice to meet you; I am Kaelen, and this is Lyra."
Tsubaki whispered in a low voice so that the others wouldn’t hear:
"Stop your act, Kaelen. I know you’re playing a comedy for the one listening to us."
Kaelen opened his eyes slightly, surprised. Before he could answer, Tsubaki continued in the same icy tone:
"Did you feel the eyes of that old king on your neck too, ever since you walked out of his office? His spying magic is active throughout the entire room. But I noticed that you also have a way to detect it."
At that instant, Kaelen’s system sent a direct flash:
*********
[ Warning: The individual in front of you possesses a high-rank spiritual detection skill.]
A smirk formed on Kaelen’s lips. He understood immediately that this other S-Rank was not the only one hiding heavy secrets in this game.
The hooded man stood up abruptly just as he had appeared, putting his cape back in place. Before walking away into the shadows of the refectory, he dropped one last sentence:
"See you in the arena. The King isn’t looking for students... He is looking for sacrifices for his next phase. See you in the arena."
Lyra let out a long sigh "Humm" of relief as soon as he was far away."What was that, Kaelen? That man gives me the creeps. What did he mean by that?"
Kaelen watched the silhouette disappear, his fists clenched under the table, a gleam of excitement in his eyes.
"Nothing serious. Just that the game is finally getting interesting," Kaelen said.
They finished eating before going to the dormitory to rest a little because the second trial would not take long before starting. Lyra accompanied Kaelen to his door:
"See you in a bit," Lyra said.
" Yes, see you soon."
Lyra went into the girls’ quarters, and she slammed the door behind her. Kaelen, in his room, rested for a moment on his bed. Lying on his side, he thought back to what the king had told him.
Suddenly, the silence of the room was broken by the familiar sound echoing directly in his mind.
" Gling ! "
[System: Situation analysis complete. ]
[The sovereign has activated a hidden quest for the entire Academy. ]
[ Survival Quest Detected: The Sacrifice of the S-Ranks. ]
Kaelen immediately sat straight up, his eyes fixed on the blue system screen floating above him.
" A survival quest? Explain that to me," he thought, frowning.
[Details: The third test will not only measure your skills. The King has secretly modified the rules to test the endurance of the three S-Rank candidates to their limits. If you reveal the full extent of your divine power, the King will consider you a threat to be eliminated immediately on the spot. ]
Kaelen closed his eyes to sleep for a few hours, taking advantage of this moment of calm before the storm.
The next morning, a massive bell rang throughout the entire academy grounds, announcing the start of the next phase. Kaelen got up, put on his black and gold uniform, and joined Lyra, who was already waiting for him in the hallway.
The remaining candidates were all led not into a room but toward the massive outdoor training ground of the Academy. In the center of the courtyard, the Director awaited them, surrounded by several professors in silver armor:
"Congratulations on surviving the first stages," the Director said, his voice echoing throughout the courtyard.
"Yesterday’s mana test revealed the best talents among you. Today, it’s time for practice. The third phase is a real combat trial."
No sooner had the director finished speaking than a terrifying roar resounded from the boundaries of the training ground, making the stone walls tremble.
Heavy wrought-iron claws opened with a sinister creak, lifting several enormous cages sealed with magical runes.
Inside, ferocious Mana beasts, immense shadow wolves with fiery red eyes, growled and savagely clawed at the bars.
Panic instantly set in among the lower-ranking candidates, their faces turning pale at the sight of creatures of such a level.
The director raised his hand, his voice becoming colder as he detailed the rules:
"You will be divided into three separate groups, each entering through a different gate of the Eclipse. Your mission is to cross this hostile area and reach the center of the arena. The teachers are in front of you here, and the beasts will stop everything.
Cooperation between players is allowed, but remember, only the strongest will succeed in this challenge. With that, good luck.!"
At that precise moment, Kaelen’s system displayed an alert message before her blue eyes:
{Warning: The King has secretly placed high-rank detection crystals inside the arches of the gates.}
********
[Hidden quest update: The group assignments have been changed. You, Tsubaki, and the red-eyed boy will be separated. The beasts have been altered by my royal magic to specifically target the mana signatures of S-rank individuals.Kaelen looked at the atmosphere and clenched his fists; a confident smile rose on his lips as he made the immense doors.
The king was really pulling out all the stops to set a trap for them.
The real game was finally beginning...