Chapter 57: Duskwood Trial Grounds (III)

Rustle~

“…Lyra…. something’s not right here. I think we’re being watched…”

Dimitri shifted uneasily, glancing at the thick mist crawling between the trees. His hand tightened around the hilt of his blade, though his knuckles were pale.

Lyra walked ahead, her golden eyes scanning the shadows. Sparks crackled faintly across her fingertips as if her body couldn’t fully contain the energy within her.

“You’re not wrong,” she said simply.

Dimitri swallowed hard, keeping close behind her.

“Then… what do we do?”

Lyra stopped suddenly and turned her head.

“We wait. And when they come—” Her eyes met his, sharp and calm. “You stay back.”

“What?” Dimitri blinked, his voice rising slighly.

“I can fight—”

“No.” Her tone was firm, final. “If you step in the way, I’ll have to protect you, and that will slow me down. Simply stay back.”

Dimitri grit his teeth, but before he could argue further:

CRACK!

Branches snapped deep in the forest. Then came the sound of claws scraping against stone, followed by a chorus of guttural howls.

Dozens of red eyes lit up in the mist.

Dimitri froze as his blade trembled in his grip. Although he was a high noble, he was nothing more than a coward who didn’t even get proper training.

“By the gods…”

Lyra stepped forward, her hair swaying gently behind her.

Lightning surged across her body now, golden arcs wrapping her arms and chest. The air itself hummed with her power.

“Stay where you are,” she said without looking back.

Then the monsters broke through.

The first beast lunged straight at her.

BZZZT—CRACK!

Lyra raised her hand and fired a bolt of lightning that smashed into its chest. The creature convulsed in mid-air before slamming lifelessly to the ground.

Another rushed low for her legs. She twisted, dropped her weight, and punched down.

BAM!

Golden sparks exploded from her fist, blasting the beast into the dirt. Smoke curled from its twitching body.

“Unbelievable…” Dimitri whispered, watching with wide eyes.

More came, exactly three from the side. Lyra turned sharply, her arm sweeping in a clean arc.

CRRSHHH!

A whip of lightning burst out, slicing through all three in a single motion. Their bodies hit the ground in broken heaps.

Then the largest one appeared, towering above the rest. It roared and charged, fists slamming down toward her head.

BOOM!

The ground split under the force, but Lyra was already gone.

BZZZT!

She reappeared above it, golden lightning wrapped around her leg. With one sharp cry, she drove her heel down.

CRACK!

Its skull shattered against the dirt, the massive body crumpling instantly.

The horde didn’t stop, continuing to pour in from every direction.

Lyra spread her arms wide. Golden energy erupted outwards, flooding the air with lightning.

ZZZZHHHHK!

Dozens of monsters screamed as bolts tore through their bodies, burning them to ash.

The forest fell silent again, the smell of smoke and charred flesh drifting through the mist.

“Ahh…”

Sparks still clung to Lyra’s hands, fading slowly as she exhaled.

Behind her, Dimitri lowered his blade, his eyes fixed on her figure. He let out a shaky laugh.

“That… was incredible. You—you were like a g-goddess… out there. A goddess of lightning!”

Lyra didn’t respond at once. She rubbed her wrist absentmindedly, her golden eyes staring at the blackened ground.

Dimitri took a step closer, his voice lowering, almost testing the waters.

“Honestly, Lyra… you’re breathtaking. The way you fight, the way you carry yourself—it’s unlike anyone I’ve ever met. I don’t think I could take my eyes off you even if I tried.”

“…Um.”

She shifted slightly, not turning to face him.

Dimitri smiled faintly, mistaking her silence.

“Don’t be shy. I mean it. Someone like you deserves to be admired.” He took another step forward, lowering his sword. “If you’d let me, I’d be proud to stand by your side… not just as an ally.”

Lyra’s fingers twitched with a faint spark, though not in warning, more like impatience.

“…Mm. Right.”

Dimitri blinked, waiting for more.

But Lyra simply continued walking further into the forest, ignoring her slighly.

’…This bitch… why is she so unresponsive?’ His jaw clenched as the thought burned in his head.

’I may not be the strongest, but I’m handsome, I’m charming, any ordinary girl would fall for me easily. And yet she doesn’t even look at me.’

Although, he seemed to be quite caring and soft-hearted on the outside, he definitely wasn’t on the inside.

After all, his true love had always been the Eldest Princess. But she had never given him the slightest care. Only by making Lyra fall for him could he ever hope to win the princess’s approval.

’Calm down…’ he told himself, forcing his breathing steady.

His left fist trembled slightly at his side.

’I just need to take things slow… one step at a time. And try not to run into Gray agai—’

Thump!

He stopped short, bumping right into Lyra’s back.

“Agh… sorry,” he muttered, rubbing his shoulder.

But then, he blinked as he saw Lyra completely frozen on her way. Curiously, he reached out and took a look at whatever Lyra was seeing.

“What’s—”

The words died in his throat as his eyes widened completely.

Not far ahead, half-hidden by the trees, a dark-haired boy had a girl pinned against the trunk.

Gray’s arm was pressed firmly across Cassandra’s collarbone, his face close enough that it almost looked like he might kiss her.

Cassandra’s lips were curved in the faintest smirk, her hand resting against his chest, as though she were letting him.

To anyone watching, it looked like a couple being a little naughty in secret.

And that made both of them… mad.

Lyra’s fingers curled into tight fists at her sides, her nails biting into her palms.

Her shoulders rose with a sharp breath, then fell again, but her jaw stayed tight, her lips pressed into a thin line.

The golden light flickering faintly around her arms trembled, sparking once before dying out.

And next to her, Dimitri’s eyes narrowed. His teeth clenched as he stared at the sight in front of him.

’That son of a bitch…!’

It wasn’t Cassandra that bothered him; he didn’t care about her in the slightest.

But the fact that a strong, proud girl like her stood there with that little smirk, letting Gray hold her like that… it made his stomach churn.

’Even Cassandra? Even she’s letting him touch her like that?’

His hand twitched at his side, then slowly curled into a fist. He forced himself to stay composed on the outside, but inside, his thoughts boiled.

’Disgusting… he doesn’t deserve this. Why would someone like her lean into him? Why does he get everything?’

Dimitri tore his eyes away madly.

“Lyra… let’s go away, I’m afraid we can’t beat them.” He silently put his head on Lyra’s shoulder…

But it didn’t seem like she was able to hear him at all.

CRACKLE!

.

.

.

.

’’..Whatever.’ Gray shook his head, pushing that thought aside.

He didn’t give a fuck about Cassandra’s identity. And for now, he just wanted to find a calm place to relax.

After all, the goal of this exam was to simply survive until sunset.

“…Hey, for now, let’s go north.”

Gray muttered, turning around…

CRACKLE!

Just to witness a golden lightning bolt rushing towards Cassandra at maximum speed.

“Oh?”

Cassandra’s eyebrow rose slighly, as she swung her scythe.

CLANG!

The lightning struck the blade, sparks flying in every direction as the energy clashed against the dark metal.

The force reverberated through the air, rattling the trees nearby.

“…Lyra?” Gray muttered in surprise.

Lyra’s bolt hissed and sparked, twisting around Cassandra’s weapon.

She followed through with another swing of her arm, sending a second surge of lightning that slammed into the ground near Cassandra’s feet.

The dirt and leaves exploded outward in a shower of sparks.

Cassandra didn’t flinch, twisting her scythe, guiding the energy aside, and kicking off the ground to vault backward.

CRACK!

Her boots hit a tree trunk, sending a shower of bark splinters into the air.

She landed lightly, scythe ready, the golden energy crackling just meters away from her.

Lyra’s next attack came without hesitation.

She released a wave of lightning that surged across the ground like molten gold, forcing Cassandra to backpedal and swing her scythe to deflect it again.

BZZZZT!

Each strike left faint scorch marks on the forest floor. Trees shook from the force of the repeated lightning strikes, leaves burning where arcs struck.

Cassandra let out a small smirk, almost bored, and with a smooth motion, she leapt to the side, spinning her scythe horizontally.

SHHK!

The blade cut a line through the air, slicing a massive arc of lightning that dissipated harmlessly into the mist.

She landed softly, dark aura flickering faintly over her shoulders, eyes on Lyra like a cat watching prey.

“…Interesting…” Cassandra murmured, a faint smile playing on her lips.

She pointed her scythe at Lyra, who met her gaze with a calm, unreadable expression.

“Who are you? I don’t recognize you from Class AB… unless…” Cassandra’s lips curled upward.

“You’re not from the most prestigious class?” she added, her tone teasing and clearly mocking.

But it didn’t have any effect on Lyra, as she suddenly turned to Gray, and her eyes… cleared out immediately.

Her body trembled slighly, as her eyes shook.

“U-uhh… w-what did I-I do?” she stammered, voice shaking, completely unprepared, leaving both Gray and Cassandra momentarily frozen.

“…What the fuck?!”

Both Gray and Cassandra cursed in unison

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