Princess’s Struggle for Survival

Sitting face to face with Lyra at the training table, Astrid softly chanted the common incantation for the Ignite spell. Warm flames ignited around them, slightly dispelling the intense chill in the room.

"Lyra, although I haven't mentioned much about the behind-the-scenes of the competition before, the students have been discussing it these days. You must be aware of what winning the championship this time means."

Seeing Lyra lean her sword against her chair and sit up straight to listen to her, Astrid propped her chin with one hand, softening her voice slightly.

"The venue for this Magic Exchange Competition is the capital of the Valeria Empire, the glorious and magnificent Imperial City. Throughout the empire's thousands of years of history, how many young heroes have this grand city nurtured."

"If the competition were held in a place like this, and the crown was ultimately taken by a princess from a foreign country, let alone the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, even the entire royal family would feel disgraced."

"Don't you think so, Lyra?"

A continuous warmth emanated from behind her, the natural heat generated by the rising flames. Lyra didn't turn to look, merely brought her legs together, her gaze fixed on the wooden table in front of her.

"Mmm... Astrid is not wrong..."

This was a problem Lyra had suddenly realized yesterday afternoon after Iris had cleanly dealt with her opponent.

Besides herself, all the contestants from Elizabeth Academy of Magic had fallen before the finals. She was the sole survivor, not only backed by Third Princess Astrid but also representing the vast empire.

The sudden pressure made Lyra feel a bit lost. Originally, she had just thought of it as her own battle, to do her best regardless of the outcome.

Now, everything was different.

The greater the expectations of others, the greater the pressure on Lyra's shoulders. Although the source of this pressure should have been irrelevant to her, it was who she was, Lyra Beckett.

A destined heroine who seemed foolish but was actually influenced by various emotions, often appearing a bit sentimental.

In such a situation, if Lyra loses the next match, it will likely take a long time for her to shake off the shadow of defeat and recover, although there was no such thing as inner demons in magic fantasy world, having such a regret at a crucial juncture in life will always feel like a bone stuck in one's throat, uncomfortable in every way.

"So, you're going to temper yourself in this almost masochistic way, hoping to defeat a strong enemy in the future?"

Astrid took off the gem pendant hanging around her neck and placed it on the table, her slender jade fingers gently touched the surface of the ruby.

"You're too hasty, Lyra..."

As soon as she finished speaking, the deep red gem flashed with a faint light, and two cups of black tea, previously stored in the spatial storage, appeared on the training table. The liquid rippled as the bottom of the cups touched the solid wood.

Realizing she had overused her mental power and was a bit unstable in her control, Astrid lowered her eyes and picked up a teacup, taking a small sip.

Whether it was the Imperial Scepter, the only one of its kind, or the Sword of Light, anything placed in their storage spaces would be frozen at that moment. This ruby, left to her by Fanya, seems to lack the ability to pause time. The black tea she had put in earlier had already gone cold.

After taking a sip of tea and seeing Lyra remain silent, Astrid blinked a few times and then spoke.

"Why aren't you talking, Lyra?"

The pink-haired girl trembled slightly at the words, softening her head. Soon, she raised it, her blue eyes, dimmer than usual, looking at Astrid.

"Astrid..."

"I only said yesterday... that I would absolutely, absolutely win the championship...."

At that time, she had just defeated Sentos and felt she had the strength to challenge an early tier Magnus, excited as if she could do anything.

But reality quickly dealt Lyra a heavy blow. Iris was by no means an ordinary early tier Magnus, but a top-tier practitioner of that rank, representing the pinnacle of strength among early tier Magnus.

If we were to use a more common analogy, Sentos would probably only be considered an average early tier Magnus, while Iris was a peak early tier Magnus, a powerful being on the verge of becoming a middle tier one.

"It's just..."

Thinking of the promise she was unlikely to keep, Lyra pursed her lips, her watery eyes looking at the patterns on the wooden table, and after a long while, she spoke.

"...I'm a little unsure of what to do."

"Miss Iris's strength is truly too great."

So great that the disadvantages she had to work with all she might have to overcome in the first half could be resolved with a single sword by her opponent.

To win the championship, perhaps she could only rely on Iris intentionally holding back. But Lyra did not approve of a victory obtained under such circumstances.

The competition loses its fairness, like a valiant duel that deviated from the code of chivalry. It was a desecration of honor and an insult to the other contestants.

"Yes, Iris is indeed very strong, so strong that it seems she has already secured the championship throne..."

Astrid responded gently, encouraging Lyra's view.

As she expected, Lyra lowered her eyes even further. If it wasn't for the white stockings and leather shoes obscuring them, Astrid might have seen Lyra's slender white toes curling up tightly.

"But it hasn't started yet, has it, Lyra?"

Her clear voice echoed in the room. Astrid gently stirred her black tea with a spoon, the expanding ripples disturbing the luster of the liquid's surface, making the entire cup of tea look more refined.

"Or do you truly believe she is invincible and has already conceded?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lyra looked up, her gaze fell on the woman's lips, which had become moist and lustrous from the tea.

"I..."

Could she really refute what Astrid had just said?

She herself had started to become anxious and worried after seeing Iris's calm demeanor on the field, believing she couldn't possibly defeat her.

Although not as direct as conceding, her internal expectations were not far off.

Seeing Lyra hesitate to speak, Astrid took another sip of tea and then picked up the knight's sword that Lyra had placed by the table.

With its pure white carved patterns and finely textured hilt, whether it was the scabbard or the blade, this weapon, materialized from Lyra's will, was exceptionally beautiful.

"Eh... Lyra has grown a lot, but in some ways, she's still as foolish as ever..."

"Suppose, I'm just saying, suppose..."

"Lyra has someone she likes in her heart, and she knows that confessing to them might not yield the desired outcome. Would you still pursue the answer?"

The personal weapon that Lyra carries with her every day is now in Astrid's palm. Astrid gently lifted it, bringing the slightly cool tip of the scabbard close to Lyra's skirt.

"..."

"I don't quite understand..." Lyra didn't push away the scabbard that was against her waist, biting her lip as she spoke softly.

"What does this question have to do with the present situation..."

Astrid narrowed her eyes slightly at this, poking Lyra's waist with the scabbard.

"The answer, until it is truly revealed, always exists in a chaotic and elusive state."

"Just like you might think you're likely to fail in your confession, but you'll still gather the courage and say what you want to say because of that sliver of hope."

"The competition is the same. You can think your opponent is strong, that the gap between you is huge, and that it's almost impossible to defeat them. But before the referee announces the result, everything can change, and it's never too late."

"What I mean is, don't think you're bound to lose."

"Whether it's in relationships or in life, first muster your courage and approach the competition like a true knight."

The scabbard that had been poking Lyra's waist shifted, brushing a few strands of her falling pink hair. Astrid drew a flourish with the scabbard, smoothing out the messy strands of hair that Lyra's thoughts had caused to fall around her face.

"If your heart is not at peace, no amount of practice will be of any use, Lyra."

Listening to Astrid's gradually gentling tone as she spoke, Lyra looked at the silver-haired princess with her cold and elegant aura, feeling an indescribable sensation in her heart.

It was as if a hand had reached into her chest, gently smoothing out the chaotic emotions within, then meticulously finding the root of the problem, and soothing it with words.

Undeniably, after listening to Astrid's words, Lyra felt much of the pressure on her lift, and she understood the source of her low spirits.

Fearing defeat before the battle even began, believing she couldn't win from the outset. The intensified training was merely a way to numb her mind, a way to use so-called diligence to compensate for the pressure of facing a strong opponent.

Her mindset was unstable, not even as brave as a rabbit about to be hunted by an eagle. She encouraged the courage to even fight with all her might.

"The competition has not yet begun, and the outcome is not yet decided."

"I understand now, Astrid."

Seeing Lyra's eyes suddenly become a bit more determined, Astrid curved her lips and returned the pure and flawless Sword of Light to Lyra.

"That's more like it..."

Taking the item Astrid handed over, the hilt still retains the warmth of her hand. As soon as Lyra put the sword back, she heard Astrid continue.

"Drink your tea. Although it was already cold, next time I'll have you put it in the sword."

Lyra obediently lowered her head at this and sipped her black tea.

"Then we won't train anymore today..."

"I feel like Astrid... is also very tired..."

Although she used ice element magic, which was more compatible, such a long period of chanting incantations was a significant drain on Astrid.

"Yes, go back after you finish your tea."

Seeing that she had done enough to help Lyra, Astrid habitually tapped the table, then suddenly thought of something and opened her pink lips.

"Oh, right, Lyra..."

"It's not a bad thing to adjust your mindset appropriately."

Lyra was stunned by this and spoke softly.

"Adjust my mindset?"

"Mmm."

Astrid lowered her legs, her slender heels lightly tapping the floor tiles.

"Even though you are the sole survivor from the empire to reach the finals, everyone can see that Lyra is only a peak tier Sorcerer."

"As long as you work hard enough, it's not a big deal even if you lose."

"At least you tried your best, and I saw your efforts. No one will blame a contestant who fought with all their might to achieve victory."

First, reignite Lyra's fighting spirit, and then appropriately reduce some of the pressure on the girl's shoulders. Fighting with a normal mindset will allow her to perform at her best.

Hearing Astrid say this, Lyra nodded, understanding the meaning behind her words.

"Astrid, I will adjust my mindset."

Princess Astrid was right; she had indeed placed unnecessary pressure on herself.

Whether it was the honor of the Valeria Empire or representing Elizabeth Academy of Magic, she just happened to be standing on that stage and illuminated by the spotlight of the era.

Do your best and don't regret it.

Fight like the protagonist in a knight's novel.

Watching the liquid in the teacup gradually, revealing the clean bottom, Lyra finally regained her fighting spirit. Astrid's lips curved slightly.

"Go for it, Lyra."

"Even though I've said a lot of things that might seem disheartening to you, one thing has remained unchanged from beginning to end."

"I still believe you can defeat Iris."

This time, it wasn't because of her heroine destined status, but because of the resilience that was becoming increasingly apparent in Lyra.

The gap between her and Iris was not as large as imagined. Lyra, as a peak tier Sorcerer, can defeat an early tier Magnus. As long as she advanced successfully, Iris might not be able to deal with Lyra, who wielded the Sword of Light.

Besides, that pink-haired maid still had trump cards up her sleeve.

With the "talk therapy" concluded, Astrid put away the teacup and straightened her legs, gently patting Lyra's shoulder, and then considerately straightened the girl's collar.

"One more thing."

"What?"

Lyra raised her eyes in confusion, looking at Astrid who was tidying her collar.

"I always feel that the champion reward for the Magic Exchange Competition is not generous enough."

After speaking, Astrid paused slightly, then withdrew her fingers from her neck, looking at Lyra with a half-smile.

"How about this: if Lyra can achieve the final victory, I can give you some additional rewards."

"I don't know what Lyra specifically needs at the moment, but how about this..."

"How about a promise from the Third Princess of the Valeria Empire?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lyra's small mouth parted, and she stood there stunned. After half a minute, she finally responded to Astrid's words.

A promise from the Third Princess?

"..."

After a long silence, seeing Lyra remain speechless, Astrid slowly spoke.

"What's wrong, you don't want it?"

"No, no."

Lyra snapped back to reality and quickly replied, her head feeling a bit dizzy.

Seeing this, Astrid blinked and continued to add.

"Of course, this promise also has its limits."

"It cannot exceed my bottom line, and Lyra can also interpret it as the final right of explanation belonging to me."

In fact, it could have been omitted, as Astrid didn't think this pink-haired maid would dare to make any excessive demands.