Princess’s Struggle for Survival

After watching Iris's battle, for the next few days, Lyra watched the matches one by one according to the schedule of potential opponents made by Astrid. Except for one or two matches that she had to participate in herself at the same time and would inevitably miss, she didn't miss any of the remaining matches.

The more she watched, the more Lyra felt the huge gap between herself and these potential champions. Especially Iris Kroyd, without most of the other contestants revealing too many of their trump cards, the strength of this foreign princess was almost a crushing advantage over the other contestants. If it wasn't for the group stage draw preventing them from meeting, the other contestants Astrid had marked would probably not have gained much advantage against her.

As the days passed, the spots for the quarterfinals were quickly confirmed.

Including Lyra, there were three students from Elizabeth Academy of Magic, three exchange students from the Kingdom of Velys, and two exchange students from the Pan-Human Alliance, totaling six early tier Magnus and two peak tier Sorcerers.

In the student dormitory, Lyra sat at her desk, looking at the competition schedule in her hand, and secretly sighed in her heart, truly worthy of Princess Astrid's foresight, her judgment of people was as accurate as ever.

Astrid had mentioned a total of nine contestants who were most likely to enter the quarterfinals. Only two of them were unlucky and were unable to advance due to the competition schedule. The other seven matched the list one by one.

She just didn't know... who she would meet first in the subsequent matches...

If it were Miss Iris, she would probably be eliminated early.

It wasn't that she lacked confidence, but after watching for so long, Lyra was very clear about the gap in strength between her and Iris. Without the level of an early tier Magnus, let alone defeating her, it would be difficult to even hold on for a few moves.

"Lyra, want to go to the training room together later?"

While inwardly praying not to encounter a strong enemy she couldn't defeat too early, Lyra heard a female voice from behind her. Turning her head, the first thing she saw was a head of soft, smooth, bright silver long hair, followed by clear, bright eyes like red agate.

Astrid was wearing a black silk long dress, with an exquisite and elegant lace-trimmed shawl, and a dark blue brooch on her chest, which complemented the gemstone pendant that swayed slightly with her curves.

Because the dress was long, it covered most of her slender legs wrapped in black silk. From Lyra's perspective, only a small part of her straight and delicate calves could be seen. Her two black silk-clad feet were hidden in matching exquisite high heels, leaving only her soft insteps decorated with hollowed-out carvings.

"Yes, I'll get ready and come right away."

Seeing that Astrid had already put on her going-out clothes, Lyra quickly closed her notebook, took out a pair of more convenient white thigh-high socks from the nearby wardrobe, and then changed into patent leather shoes with brown metal buckles, slowly standing up.

As soon as she straightened her legs, she noticed Astrid's gaze falling on her skirt, and Lyra was slightly stunned, her pretty face faintly blushing.

What... what is Astrid looking at...

Before she could speak, Lyra heard Astrid speak.

"Are you sure these socks match?"

Huh?

Lyra blinked at the words, then looked down at her legs.

The white thigh-high stockings clung closely to her legs. Just a centimeter below the top, a delicate golden trim interrupted the plain white, accentuating the faint impressions left on her skin where the fabric pressed against her thighs. This subtle detail enhanced her look, perfectly complementing the girl's pure and graceful charm.

As for why Astrid said that, it was probably because when Lyra stood up, one thigh-high sock only reached her knee, while the other reached a certain distance past her knee, creating an absolute territory between the sock opening and the hem of her skirt.

"They match, I didn't notice!"

Lyra quickly replied, then adjusted both sock openings to the same position in front of the mirror.

Astrid stood still, watching Lyra, who had finished adjusting the white silk on her legs, bending over with her back to her, hooking her fingers into the gap between her small leather shoes and her heels, and gently pulling. The red eyes, which looked rather cold on the outside, showed a faint smile.

Although Lyra was sometimes careless and not very smart, she was quite cute overall.

Astrid Calliste, who had never been in love, was unaware of what it meant to find someone cute no matter how she looked at them. At this moment, she was just looking at the busy pink-haired girl in front of her, remaining silent until Lyra finished dressing. Astrid turned around and pushed open the door, her slender heels tapping the ground with a crisp and pleasant sound.

"Let's go, Lyra."

"Okay, coming."

It was autumn, and the outdoor temperature was no longer as scorching as it had been in the past few days. Coupled with the fact that it was already night, without the scorching sun high in the sky, even the evening breeze felt cool.

Walking along the slightly empty imperial academy grounds, the two walked side by side, bathing in the hazy moonlight.

It was unclear from which day it started, but when they walked together, it was no longer Astrid walking ahead with Lyra quietly following behind.

Perhaps it was a change in mindset, or something else that Lyra couldn't quite articulate. At least at this moment, walking beside Astrid and watching her silver hair swaying in the wind, the swaying skirt looked like a flower blooming at night, its soft petals constantly swaying.

Being able to accompany the person she liked like this was also a kind of happiness.

With this thought, Lyra's steps became much lighter.

Unlike Lyra's full heart of joy, Astrid was thinking about her conversation with Hibbort in the palace yesterday. Hibbort's words seemed to hint at the reason why he allowed two people with sensitive identities to enter the empire.

If it were just a casual chat between father and daughter, it was unlikely that state affairs would be discussed. Astrid couldn't quite figure out why Hibbort brought these things up.

Considering that Hibbort didn't seem to object to her involvement in politics before, these actions now were either intentional or casual remarks, Astrid couldn't be sure. She could only sigh that the thoughts of those in power were truly unfathomable.

However, to get back to the point, apart from the chance encounter at the exit of the venue that day, Astrid hadn't had much communication with Monica and Iris. Whether it was watching matches or eating in the cafeteria, the two groups would politely greet each other when they met, and then tacitly avoid each other.

After all, Astrid was the imperial princess of the empire, and it was not good to be too close to these foreign individuals. Coupled with the increasingly tense international relations between the Valeria Empire and the Kingdom of Velys, appropriate avoidance was necessary.

Moreover, Astrid felt that the information she had released was clear enough, and Monica, if she were smart, would understand her intentions.

The Valeria Empire, currently governed by Hibbort, was not Astrid Calliste's sole domain. The political situation in the neighboring Kingdom of Velys was even more complex. Monica, as the Saintess of Light, was nominally only one level below the King and the Pope, but the actual influence she could exert remained to be seen.

Even if these two people cooperated, they couldn't change the current situation. Whether it was Astrid or Monica, both sides needed more political bargaining chips for negotiations to continue, otherwise, it would all be just empty talk.

Unknowingly, Astrid arrived at the training tower. After greeting Lyra, she entered the room alone.

The future was unpredictable, and any increase in personal strength was beneficial. Foresight was never a bad thing.

Gently stroking the brooch on her dress, the coolness of the metal material bloomed in her palm.

Facing the empty wall, Astrid softly chanted an ancient spell, and faint black mist and dense cold air quietly spread, gradually filling the entire training room.

.............

On the other side, in a border town in the Kingdom of Velys, plagued by plague, a young girl in a black Lolita dress with pale skin stood on a cliff, looking down at the town, which at night had only scattered lights.

A week ago, Brennild arrived at this relatively isolated town and used the residual "plague" authority to infect a small portion of the townspeople.

At first, people did not realize the danger of this disease. However, as it spread on a large scale and resulted in a certain number of casualties, the Church of Light noticed this and quickly launched a dispelling operation.

These ministers who embrace the light continuously cast Holy Light spells in various public places and had the infected people undergo purification by Holy Light. Although they did not completely stifle the plague in its cradle, the situation had now been brought under control, and there was almost no possibility of it continuing to spread and worsen.

"As expected... with my current strength, it's far from enough to recreate past glories..." Brennild stood on tiptoe and murmured.

A dense aura of death surrounded the girl, making her seem to blend into the night. The plants that came into contact with this death aura all withered, and even the insects in the grass lost their vitality within a few breaths.

It seemed that the war between the two countries had to be ignited as soon as possible. Without enough death as nourishment, let alone regaining divinity, those guys from the Holy Church of Light would probably smell something is wrong and come looking for her in advance.

It was a pity that if it wasn't for her poor condition, and the opportunity was right in front of her, Brennild would never have allowed someone she hated the most to awaken second.

In a sense, until 'He' received enough faith and fully awakened to obtain divinity, these Knights of Light who possessed purification and expulsion methods were also her enemies.

.............

In the Valeria Empire, Elizabeth Academy of Magic, Astrid, who had used up eighty percent of her mental power, ended her training for the day and casually chanted a fire-attribute magic to warm the environment slightly, so as not to catch a cold from her hands and feet getting cold.

With the boost of Fanya's bloodline, Astrid's mental power quality had reached that of a Magnus, but her reserves were less than half of an ordinary early tier Magnus'. She still had to be careful when casting spells.

In other stories, cultivators with souls from two lives and soul-related abilities could usually double, or even far exceed ordinary people. How did it become halved for her?

Astrid inwardly complained, then calmed her mind and waited for her mental power to recover.

In this sense, she would need to advance to an Arcanist Mage before she could fully escape the limitations of "mana." By that stage, unless she attempted Arcanist-level magic or rare forbidden spells, a Magnus level spell would typically no longer be restricted by the bounds of their mental energy.

Glancing at the wall clock, it was almost time for the training tower to close. Astrid got up from her chair, stepped in her high heels to the door, and turned off various training barriers.

Speaking of which, it was already this late, why hadn't Lyra come to call her yet?

Normally, Lyra will come right on time, sometimes even bringing her a bottle of juice to quench her thirst. But today, no one was there. This unusual behavior made Astrid slightly surprised.

Pushing the door open, the outdoor temperature had clearly increased significantly. Astrid walked to the adjacent room and lightly knocked on the door with her wrist against the wooden panel.

In the empty night, the knocking sound was particularly noticeable. After a few minutes, there was still no one to open the door, and Astrid raised an eyebrow, feeling a vague unease.

If it were any other ordinary friend, they might have had an urgent matter after training and left without saying goodbye. But if that person were Lyra, this possibility was almost zero.

Based on Astrid's understanding of her, Lyra will never leave without her.

Had something unexpected happened...

She knocked on the door again and waited for about half a minute, but still, no one came to open it. Astrid frowned, her fair fingers stopped a few centimeters away from the door panel.

The training hall had spare keys for each room. She and Lyra had previously spoken with the staff and could obtain the key to the other's room with their ID cards.

With this in mind, Astrid quickly walked downstairs. The usually calm and rhythmic sound of her high heels was now a bit hurried. After obtaining the key from the staff, Astrid quickly returned to Lyra's room, inserted the key into the keyhole, and then gently turned it.

The door opened, revealing a training room with overwhelming light pollution. If it wasn't for the pure white light, this brightness might have made Astrid feel as if she had returned to the bustling metropolises of her past life.

In the bright light, a semi-transparent sword lay quietly by the table, its flat surface reflecting dazzling points of light.

Astrid narrowed her eyes, reducing the amount of light entering her eyes, and casually closed the door. Soon, she found Lyra in the sea of light.

The pink-haired girl was leaning against the chair, her fair white face and an arm pressed against the chair's surface. Her other hand hangs by her waist, close to the hem of her skirt. Her knees were together, sitting on the floor, with her slender, smooth white silk calves spread to the sides. Her black leather shoes were half-tilted on her toes, the cold black and smooth white forming a perfect contrast.

Astrid frowned and quickly approached, simultaneously channeling her mental power to envelop Lyra.

After a few seconds, Astrid breathed a sigh of relief, and the heavy stone in her heart finally landed.

Her soul was unharmed, she had just run out of mental power and temporarily fainted.