Illusion Spell Eye

After the first match ended, the following bouts proceeded smoothly as well. Unfortunately, they were nowhere near as exciting, often ending in one-sided, crushing victories.

Just as Sylutia was preparing to step onto the stage and draw lots, Yero waved to her and walked over.

"Tia, you don't need to go up. The teacher specifically told me so." Today, he was acting as Scholar Heide's and Viscount Xuefeng's errand runner, keeping in contact with the students in the arena.

"This..." Sylutia glanced toward the distant VIP seats, then stopped.

"I understand, but did the teacher say why? Won't I lose points for not participating in the match?"

"The teacher said your progress in the Dew Prayer Technique will be converted into your match score." Yero explained to the girl, then comforted the quiet young woman.

"It's all right. Everyone has things they are good at and things they are not. Learning Gardening Art takes a great deal of your time and energy, and that is much like combat."

"Mm, I understand. Thank you, Senior Yero." After thanking him, she returned to the rest area.

Quite a few students witnessed this exchange and began whispering among themselves.

"Miss Tia is going on stage too? Can she even hold a sword?"

"Yero stopped her, so she really doesn't need to go up after all. I'd be afraid of hurting her if she did."

"Her body may be rather weak, but Tia has always ranked near the top in Secret History. She might even catch up to Miss Iona."

"She may take the scholar's path in the future. Combat truly isn't necessary for her."

"Teacher Heide still likes her very much. He's probably taking special care of her this time."

"Heh heh, if you got full marks in Secret History every time, the teacher would definitely take care of you too."

Amid their laughter and chatter, another match came to an end. Then the next duel was announced.

"Match Seven: Solin versus Karen."

"Ah, she actually got paired with that guy Solin." Comia muttered unhappily in the rest area, feeling that Karen's draw was unfair.

"It's fine. I would have run into strong classmates sooner or later anyway." Karen did not seem particularly bothered. She put on her training leather armor and walked toward the platform.

"Good luck!" Comia waved from behind.

Sylutia, who had just returned, met Karen as well and encouraged her.

"Thank you, Tia." Karen then picked up her spear and stepped onto the stage.

The match began quickly. During the fight, Karen constantly used the advantage of her spear's reach to widen the distance, doing her best to suppress Solin's attacks. Unfortunately, the gap in their strength was no longer something such techniques could make up for.

"Strength Burst!"

The power of Solin's Blood Law Aspect Power instantly boiled over, abruptly strengthening his physique. His shrieking blade split the shaft of Karen's spear apart, then he surged forward and kicked Karen flying. She sailed several meters through the air before landing beneath the stage.

In truth, he had already held back as much as he could. Had he used his sword instead of his foot, Karen would likely have been cleaved in two.

"His strength still needs better control..." Scholar Heide shook his head in the VIP viewing room.

"Heh heh, he's young. There's no need to be so harsh. He hasn't entered the First Order yet, has he? It is already rare enough for him to have mastered the Strength Burst ability." Viscount Xuefeng summoned an attendant.

"Take a bottle of healing potion from Kuli to that girl just now, then have a doctor examine her."

"Yes, my lord."

After this battle, the matches that followed became tedious as well. Not until Iona took the stage and easily defeated her opponent with dazzling swordsmanship did the crowd finally break into applause and cheers.

In the rest room beneath the stage, Sylutia and Comia stayed beside Karen, asking about her condition.

"I still feel awful. I probably can't compete in the next few matches." Karen shook her head, her complexion poor.

"It's all that Solin's fault, hitting so hard!" Comia said angrily.

However, before she could continue complaining, the referee's voice rang out across the Training Ground.

"Next match: Comia versus Solin."

"Huh, did you call me? Did you call me? I'm definitely going to teach that guy a proper lesson." Comia immediately brightened.

Karen shook her head and grabbed Comia's hand, trying to stop her from going.

"You'll only get hurt if you go."

"Is Comia really going to compete?" Sylutia asked with concern as well. She roughly knew of Comia's hidden methods, but still felt the risk was too great.

"Of course. If I swallow this, I won't be able to sleep for a month." Comia pulled her hand free from Karen's and trotted toward the platform.

"Watch what I can do, Karen." As she walked, she took a small bottle of potion from her clothes, poured it into her mouth, and stepped onto the platform.

Name: Comia Polke

Race: Human (Mortal Body)

Status: Healthy (Illusion Pupil—Potion Active)

Talent:

Sweet Dreams [Excellent]: You easily enter beautiful dreams, giving you considerable advantages in mental and meditation training.

Fate Card: [Daydreaming Girl] (Rank: None)

"Your mind is always filled with all kinds of fantasies, your thoughts lively and active."

Ability Cards:

[Meditation Technique Lv.2] (Mist Shadow): Within hazy dreams, your thoughts coil and shift, tempering your spirit.

[Illusion Spell Eye Lv.1] (Mist Shadow): Your pupils shift like smoke, and those who meet your gaze will be disturbed and drawn by your spirit. (There is still very little you can do at present.)

[Empty Slot]

Skills: [Secret History Knowledge Lv.2]

----

On the platform, Solin and Comia faced each other from afar. Solin was considering how much strength to use and what method would get her off the stage without hurting her.

I hurt Karen just now. Comia must hate me to death. Solin understood that much.

"Solin."

Comia suddenly called his name, and he involuntarily turned his gaze toward her.

The moment he looked, Solin froze on the spot. What kind of eyes were those? Her normally brown-black pupils seemed filled with white mist, swirling and churning within them.

That strange sight brought Solin an invisible terror, leaving him afraid to make any rash move.

Beneath the blazing sun, beads of sweat the size of soybeans continuously dripped from Solin's forehead and back. His hands and feet felt ice-cold, as though standing opposite him was some evil alien thing hidden inside a mortal body. Such an utterly unknown existence pulled his heartstrings taut, and formless dread began spreading through his body.

His figure trembled. The earth seemed to be shaking, while the fierce sunlight above appeared to be darkening. Every second stretched into an agonizing eternity.

At last, Solin could hold on no longer. He collapsed to the ground and lost consciousness.

"Huff..."

Seeing Solin fall, Comia slowly dropped to her knees as well, clutching her head, which felt ready to explode.

Although her spirit was stronger than Solin's, she had not yet reached the First Order—Mist Shadow. Moreover, Illusion Spell Eye was not especially strong at guiding and suppressing fear. If she had not taken a potion to bolster herself just now, she likely could not have made Solin faint at all.

"Comia wins!"

Though this match was exceptionally strange, the referee seemed unsurprised, apparently familiar with certain methods that went beyond common sense.

"Comia still couldn't resist using her trump card. She probably won't have the strength to continue in the next few matches," Scholar Heide commented.

"Teacher, did you know long ago that Comia had Mist Shadow Aspect Power abilities?" Yero asked curiously.

"Yes. I was the one who taught her Meditation Technique." Heide recalled what had happened two years ago.

"At the time, her parents brought her here and said that the child always dreamed at night, talked in her sleep, and was restless during the day as well."

"I discovered that her spirit was exceptionally active and guessed she possessed some kind of talent, so I tried teaching her the Meditation Technique. She learned it very quickly."

"Unfortunately, she leans toward the Mist Shadow Aspect Power. Going into the forest to study further with those witches would probably be the best choice. Otherwise, I would have accepted her as my student directly."

"Those witches are skilled in the three types of moon-aligned Aspect Power. Even the Candlekeep School would not dare underestimate them lightly."

"If you go to the Secret Forest, you can encounter members of their school there too."

"I can't go there, Teacher." Yero knew his own limits well.

"So you have other plans?" Scholar Heide turned his head to look at the student beside him.

"Yes. I have decided to continue my travels and studies until I enter the Second Order—Secret Speech Aspect Power, then go to Candle Keep and apply for the qualification to step through the gate."

"That is a very difficult road." Scholar Heide gave his assessment slowly.

"I hope you can truly walk it to the end." His voice carried a hint of wistfulness, as though he had recalled certain events from the past.