Chapter 594: A Cold Heart

“Hmm…”

“Is something wrong, Principal?”

“Did something happen to the live recording stones at Sector E in the forest?”

“What do you—”

Amelia stopped mid-sentence as her eyes caught the flickering, unstable image on the holographic screen in front of the principal.

The projection crackled and glitched, showing nothing but shifting lights and blurred shapes.

“Maybe a huge fight broke out? A sudden surge of magic can mess with the recording stones sometimes,” Amelia suggested, trying to sound calm but clearly unsure.

“If that were the case, the connection would’ve cut off and reconnected after a while,” Principal Leihlah replied, her eyes narrowing. “But that’s not what’s happening here.”

The academy had poured a fortune into those roaming recording stones — even brought in help from foreign magic towers to engrave the stabilizing runes.

Each one was built to adapt to extreme environments, able to balance itself even during magical disruptions.

It would take someone on the level of Riley, Rose, or Alice going all out to cause interference like this.

And if that really was happening, Leihlah would have felt it immediately.

There was no way a battle with that much mana output could go unnoticed by an archmage of her level.

Yet, out of all the areas being monitored, only Sector E was completely veiled. No readings, no signals, no trace of magic — just static.

Leihlah’s expression darkened.

Her mind could only come to one conclusion.

Something… or someone, doesn’t want us to see what’s happening there.

A faint hum filled the room as a purplish energy began to ripple around Principal Leihlah’s body.

Her usual brown hair slowly turned pitch black, and her blue eyes shifted into a deep, glowing violet.

Two crows appeared on her shoulders, their eyes gleaming with the same unsettling color.

“Inform Dean Gklae of the situation,” Leihlah said, her voice sharper than usual. “Get the maintenance crew to check the other recording stones, and contact Professor Ferdinand and Professor Eldric as well. Have them prepare the academy knights and raise safety protocols. Also…” she paused for a moment, “…if you can, try to reach Riley.”

“Y-Yes! I’ll get on it right away!”

Professor Amelia didn’t waste a second.

She bowed slightly before rushing out of the principal’s private office, her footsteps echoing down the marble hallway.

Even as she ran, confusion lingered on her face.

The principal rarely acted so quickly—or so tense.

Whatever was happening, it clearly wasn’t something simple.

Inside the room, Leihlah’s two current guests finally tore their eyes away from the floating screens. Aera, with her fox-like eyes and calm smile, tilted her head slightly.

Beside her, Duke Raymond crossed his arms, studying the principal’s sudden transformation.

“Did something happen?” Aera asked, her tone smooth but curious.

Leihlah’s expression didn’t change. “No. Nothing worth noting. But due to certain… circumstances, I’ll have to leave you two here for the time being.”

Aera’s brow lifted slightly as she covered her grin behind her fan. Her eyes glimmered with amusement.

Doesn’t that just mean something did happen? she thought, her gaze narrowing.

Although Aera quite liked the idea of the principal leaving the room, it didn’t really make things any better.

After all, Duke Raymond was still there.

“Fufufu,” Leihlah chuckled softly, as if reading their thoughts. “I like those curious looks you two have, but trust me, there’s nothing worth your concern. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the competition together…”

Before either could respond—

BZZZT!

A crackle of purplish lightning filled the room, and in a blink, Leihlah was gone.

Only the faint scent of ozone and the soft rustle of her magic lingered.

The air grew heavier the moment Leihlah vanished from her chair.

Aera stole a glance at the duke, who stood with his usual cold, unreadable gaze fixed on the fading trails of purple light.

Much like her, he had little interest in academy politics—but even he couldn’t ignore something serious enough to make the principal personally intervene.

That left the two—Aera and Raymond—alone.

And the silence between them was far from friendly.

“I wonder what could’ve happened?” Aera said, her tone light, almost playful, trying to melt the frost that seemed to fill the air.

Raymond turned his head slightly toward her, his expression as emotionless as ever.

He said nothing, then faced his holographic screen again.

Whatever was happening, it was serious enough that even he wasn’t paying attention to the ongoing matches—or his own daughter, Rose.

Aera’s lips curved into a faint smile as she watched him.

Being ignored by Raymond wasn’t new to her, and she didn’t particularly mind.

He was always like this—cold, distant, but never careless.

With a quiet sigh, she refocused her screen to check on her own martial team.

The live feed came into view—then her smile slowly faded.

Almost her entire team was already down.

Even Hajey—her son—had been eliminated.

Her fan lowered slightly as her eyes widened. “…What?” she whispered under her breath.

The quiet hum of the room suddenly felt much louder.

….

Inside the monster-filled forest, a group of students ran deeper between the trees, panic written all over their faces.

“W-We need to get out of here!”

“What should we do!?”

“None of our barriers are working!”

“Knights! Try to block their attacks!”

“No way! You saw how easily they broke through the princess’s barrier! There’s no point—our gear isn’t strong enough to stop that kind of magic!”

This was supposed to be a safe competition.

A monitored trial.

Yet right now, nothing felt safe at all.

Panic spread through Snow’s group like wildfire.

No one could stay calm—the situation was too sudden, too unreal.

For their team, Princess Snow was their strongest hope, their ace, the one who was supposed to carry them to an easy victory.

But even she, one of the top S-rank students in the academy, couldn’t handle what was happening.

Janica, another S-rank on the team, barely managed to react in time when the first volley of black, bolt-like arrows tore through the trees toward them.

The sound they made wasn’t normal—it was like the air itself screamed as they passed.

“Duck!” Snow shouted, throwing up a half-formed ice barrier in front of them.

It shattered instantly.

The students stumbled back, terrified.

Their emergency bracelets flashed uselessly on their wrists, unresponsive no matter how many times they tried to activate them.

That could only mean one thing—whatever was attacking them had managed to cut off the academy’s monitoring system entirely.

Snow’s breathing grew heavy as she looked around.

The forest felt wrong—too quiet between attacks, too still. Even the usual magical creatures had vanished, hiding from whatever was out there.

“It’s too real…” one of the students whispered, voice trembling.

Snow’s hand tightened around her wand, her pulse racing.

No… this isn’t part of the competition.

She could feel it in her bones—death was close.

Seeing everything fall apart, Janica finally snapped.

“Everyone, calm down!”

Her voice cut through the chaos like a whip.

The students froze, eyes wide, breath heavy.

In her arms, she carried Snow—her white uniform now soaked in blood, the fabric around her shoulder completely torn.

Snow’s right arm was gone, dark crimson dripping from the wound, staining Janica’s sleeves as she held her tightly.

The sight made everyone’s stomach turn.

The fear that had been floating in the air suddenly became painfully real.

“Tch…” Janica clicked her tongue, ignoring the students’ horrified looks. “I know you’re scared. I am too. But this isn’t the time to panic.”

“T-Then what should we do, Senior…?” one of the younger students asked, voice trembling.

“E-Even someone like you is struggling.”

“A-And the princess…” another whispered, eyes darting to Snow.

Snow, pale and sweating, forced herself to speak. “Don’t… mind me, everyone. This isn’t something I can’t handle,” she said, trying to sound strong. But even her words were shaky, her breath uneven. She couldn’t even stand now, and the faint glow of her magic flickered weakly at her fingertips.

Janica frowned. “Rest for now, Snow. You’ve done enough. Don’t push yourself any further.”

“No…” Snow’s voice was weak but firm. “We need all the power we have right now. Whoever’s attacking us—they’re not ordinary monsters. I have… a suspicion.”

Janica’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”

Snow lifted her head slightly, her expression grim. “It’s most likely the Elven team.”

The group went silent.

“The elves?” one of the students repeated, disbelief in their tone.

“Yes,” Snow said, her voice trembling. “I can’t be completely sure—I’ve only met elven dignitaries once when I was young—but one of the black arrows that hit near me… it had markings. Engravings I’ve seen before. Elven runes.”

She paused, her breathing shallow. “If they’re behind this… then something’s seriously wrong with this competition.”

The students exchanged uneasy glances. Even Janica, who usually kept a cool head, felt her chest tighten.

If Snow was right—if the elves really were behind this—then this wasn’t just an accident.

“But why would they try to harm us?” one of the students asked, his voice cracking. “Their team’s already ranked near the top… and if they’re that strong, they could’ve just destroyed a magic crystal to win. Why go through all this trouble?”

“That… I don’t know,” Snow said quietly, her tone trembling but steady enough to keep their attention. “But whatever the case, it seems they’re set on taking us out completely.”

Her gaze lowered. She couldn’t understand why.

The elves had no reason to target them—not directly, at least.

But if she had to guess, it could’ve been political… or something far more personal. Just her presence alone could’ve been enough to provoke someone.

Still, something didn’t add up.

If their goal was to harm her, then why do it like this?

Why attack in such a reckless, indiscreet way that would draw attention from the academy once it was discovered?

Her thoughts were a blur, pain clouding her focus, but she forced herself to stay calm.

The others were looking to her—to their princess—for guidance.

“Everyone,” she said, her voice weak but firm, “I know you’re all scared. I am too. But if we let fear control us, we won’t make it out of here alive.”

The forest rustled softly around them, shadows shifting between the trees.

Every sound felt like it could be another attack.

“Th-Then what should we do, Princess?” another student asked, gripping his sword tightly, his hands shaking.

Snow stayed silent for a moment, thinking. Her head felt heavy, her vision blurred, but she couldn’t afford to stop now.

They needed direction—anything that could give them a chance.

Thankfully, the barrage of black arrows finally stopped.

The sudden silence was almost unbearable.

The air was thick with tension, and no one dared to speak or even move too loudly.

Are they… deliberately waiting for us to run?

Snow’s jaw tightened. It was clear now—their enemies were toying with them.

Whoever was behind this wasn’t just attacking to win.

They wanted fear.

They wanted to watch them break apart piece by piece.

But Snow didn’t care about their little game. If they wanted to wait, fine.

That gave her a few precious moments to come up with something—anything—to turn this around.

“Everyone,” she said, her voice low but steady, “focus on releasing your mana. Gather as much as you can… and then throw it in my direction. Don’t worry—I’ll handle the rest.”

The students exchanged confused glances. Evertine, clutching her staff tightly, frowned. “Princess… what are you planning?”

Snow’s lips curved into a faint, tired smile. “A distress signal.”

Her plan was simple but risky. If she gathered the mana from everyone here and released it upward all at once, the blast of energy would be massive—bright enough to light up the entire sky.

A signal that powerful couldn’t go unnoticed, even if the academy’s detection magic was being blocked.

Someone would see it.

Someone had to.

She didn’t know how their enemies had managed to jam the academy’s systems, but at this point, it didn’t matter.

Waiting for help wasn’t an option.

The teachers were too far.

The staff wouldn’t reach them in time.

All she could rely on now… were the other students still fighting in the forest.

Her hand trembled slightly as she tightened her grip on her staff.

She needed her sisters to notice.

She needed him to notice.

Riley…

Please….

The people she trusts the most she needed their help right now.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep