Chapter 305 : Chapter 305
Chapter 305. The Last Day of the Academy Autumn Festival (3)
Ability.
Proof of royal blood, and the power of a living god.
A sacred blessing that had allowed the Cretian Empire to flourish.
Yet for some, Ability was a horrific curse.
The life of a royal who failed to manifest an Ability was miserable.
And even among those who did manifest one, many royals vanished after failing to control it properly.
From the Founding Emperor to the present day, countless Abilities had appeared and disappeared.
Among them were Abilities that transformed one’s form.
Some turned the user into animals, others into different people.
But never once had an Ability appeared that transformed a royal into a magical beast.
Estina Mecure Cretian was the first royal to possess such an Ability.
Even so, to the outside world, her Ability was known only as one that hardened her body like metal.
That was what her mother, the 4th Imperial Consort, wanted.
When Estina was young, she was not allowed to take a single step outside the palace.
“Who is assigned to Her Highness this week?”
“Me. I am doomed.”
The attendants of the 4th Imperial Consort’s Palace feared the young Estina.
Whenever they had business with her, they would tense up completely.
Knock, knock.
Trembling, an attendant knocked on Estina’s door.
-Grrr.
A beastly sound leaked out from inside.
Something worse than a beast.
The sound of a magical beast.
Forcing himself to overcome his fear, the attendant stepped inside.
There he saw Estina.
She was crawling across the floor.
Her limbs were covered in fur, her pupils gleamed like those of a reptile, and smoke seeped from her mouth.
-Krrrk!
How could that thing be human?
Fear surged up from the deepest part of the attendant’s heart.
“P-Princess Estina. Her Highness the Imperial Consort is calling for you.”
The attendant stammered as he spoke.
At that moment, light flashed in Estina’s eyes.
She grabbed the attendant’s hand and headed out of the room.
The attendant’s hand, holding hers, was soaked through with sweat from how tense he was.
Even so, Estina was simply happy.
Being able to go outside was exciting.
Then, through the window, Estina saw a familiar sight.
There was Shartea, the 3rd Princess born in the same year as Estina.
Like Estina, she was holding someone’s hand—but something about it was different.
‘They are not shaking.’
Estina immediately noticed the difference.
The attendant holding her hand was trembling violently, but the person holding Shartea’s hand was not shaking at all.
If anything, he was gripping her tightly, as if afraid to lose her.
“Thea, you must hold your brother’s hand tightly when we are outside.”
“Yes, Brother.”
She could not hear their conversation from here.
Yet Estina could not take her eyes off them.
‘How nice.’
A whisper echoed in Estina’s heart.
Even as she was led away by the attendant, she kept staring at the two of them until the very end.
The place she was taken to was a dark basement.
It was filled with iron cages holding magical beasts.
-Kiiiik!
-Kyaaah!
Scaled magical beasts.
Furred magical beasts.
Beasts with wings, and beasts with leaves.
All manner of magical beasts roared as they saw her.
“Estina, you are wearing that hideous form again.”
The 4th Imperial Consort appeared, holding a switch.
“Come here.”
Estina let go of the attendant’s hand and approached her mother.
The closer she got, the more her body returned to something resembling a human’s.
The fur vanished.
The claws disappeared.
Even the slitted pupils in her torn eyes shrank.
Yet the 4th Imperial Consort’s face remained cold.
She raised the switch and struck the back of Estina’s hand.
Scales still remained there.
Smack!
“Scales! Scales! These disgusting scales!”
Startled, Estina quickly hid her hand behind her back.
“I told you this would make you unfit to become Emperor! No one wants a royal like this!”
The 4th Imperial Consort pointed at the magical beasts with her switch and shouted.
“Do you want to live locked up forever like those beasts?!”
-Kyaaaak!
The magical beasts screamed, and her mother shouted.
Caught between them, the young Estina recalled the sight she had seen earlier.
The 3rd Princess walking hand in hand with the 2nd Prince.
‘How nice.’
Someone whispered within Estina’s heart.
‘Yes. It must be nice, right?’
‘Yes.’
‘You are jealous of her, are you not?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do you not wonder how you could have what she has?’
Estina nodded vacantly.
Then a sweet voice spoke.
‘You only need to take everything from her.’
It was the voice of Leviathan, the Archdemon of Envy.
***
BOOOOM!
Smoke surged across the arena.
Estina swung her arm, feeling a power she could no longer restrain.
“Earth! Melt away!”
As she completed the chant, the ground beneath Shartea began to liquefy.
The spectators murmured in agitation at the sight of Estina’s magic.
“Was that earth element magic just now?”
“And not only that. She is using fire magic at the same time.”
“Incredible! She has been spamming spells nonstop and she is not even tired!”
Estina could hear the audience’s reactions.
A perfectly composed smile formed on her beautiful face.
This overflowing power!
No matter how much she used, it never ran dry.
Ever since she obtained the key Kier had brought her, her body had felt unbelievably light.
‘Yes. That is your true power.’
Just as the voice said.
This was her true self.
“Burn!”
Estina swung her staff and cast another spell.
Fire ignited far too easily.
WHOOSH!
It was nothing like her magic before.
The moment the image formed in her mind, the spell completed itself.
There was no need to concentrate, no need to allocate Magic Power.
‘Even Archmages cannot use magic this effortlessly.’
Estina grew increasingly intoxicated by the power.
Naturally so.
With a mere gesture, melting earth ignited, and the arena floor became like lava.
It felt as though she had become a god.
“Go on, struggle, Shartea.”
Estina muttered coldly.
That vaunted swordsmanship was useless here.
Everyone knew that swords were inferior to magic.
Today, in front of all these people, she would show them clearly.
Who stood above.
Who was stronger.
Who was worthy of becoming Emperor.
That was when it happened.
“You are acting as though you have already won.”
The presence she thought was on the ground suddenly made itself known.
Startled, Estina turned around—but it was too late.
“Burn.”
Shartea, who had already closed in behind her, leveled her staff and cast a spell.
The target was Estina’s hand.
WHOOSH!
Estina clutched her burning hand and let out a sharp scream.
“How?!”
“A skilled swordsman never leaves his back exposed.”
A swordsman?
Why bring up swordsmen in a magic duel?
Staggering backward, Estina hastily cast water element magic.
“Water!”
After extinguishing the flames on her hand, she saw how Shartea had approached.
She had used earth element magic to suspend footholds above the boiling ground.
Platforms barely large enough to step on appeared in succession, allowing her to advance.
The audience murmured again at the swift judgment and response.
“Did you see that? I could not even follow her!”
“As expected of the top student. Maybe it is because she uses a sword—her reflexes are incredible.”
“To escape from there that quickly!”
Estina glared at Shartea.
The spotlight on this stage should have been hers.
She needed an even more spectacular spell.
Something flashier, something that would crush Shartea’s pride!
“Rise!”
Estina swung her staff and cast the spell.
But it failed to activate properly.
“What?”
Only then did Estina realize what Shartea had been aiming for.
“Hah!”
She let out a hollow laugh as she looked at her charred, ruined staff.
“You target my staff? How cowardly.”
“What is cowardly about it? Disabling an opponent’s weapon is the basics of combat.”
“So that is how it is…….”
A twisted smile spread across Estina’s face.
“Then I will make it so you cannot use your weapon either.”
THUD!
It happened in an instant.
Holding the broken staff, Estina struck Shartea’s arm directly.
Shartea reflexively blocked the blow, but she could not stop the staff from piercing into her arm.
Not stopping there, Estina twisted Shartea’s arm violently.
CRACK!
The sound of bone breaking echoed.
Shartea froze for a moment, then spoke with a calm expression.
“……What are you doing? This is a magic duel.”
“Yes. I used magic too. Enhancement Magic.”
Looking at Shartea, who remained composed despite her arm being torn and broken, Estina sneered.
“You are tough, Shartea. You do not even show pain. Is that because you are a swordsman?”
But Shartea merely examined Estina’s condition with cool detachment.
If it were Enhancement Magic, she should have felt Magic Power.
Yet she sensed nothing from Estina’s attack.
Then Shartea noticed the scales sprouting on Estina’s hand and frowned.
“……It seems you are using your Ability.”
“Oh my.”
Estina’s smile deepened.
“So you knew about my Ability too.”
Mother told me to keep it an absolute secret, so I thought no one knew.
Estina sighed.
“She said I could not become Emperor if it was discovered.”
With a look of regret, Estina added,
“I suppose I have no choice but to kill you, Shartea. You understand, do you not?”
“Are you insane? This is a magic duel—”
“Then you use your Ability too. Use your sword as well.”
Demonic energy flowed out from Estina.
A suffocatingly vile demonic aura.
“Oh, right. With your arm broken, you cannot use your sword anymore, can you?”
Feeling the demonic energy, Shartea’s expression hardened.
“Do not worry. You will never be able to use it again.”
Estina twisted her lips.
***
“Huff, huff!”
“You need to run harder, Brother.”
Gillian was at his limit.
Just moments ago, he had been prepared to lay down his life to pass on that information.
He had been certain he would die……
Yet somehow, he was still alive, running alongside the 8th Prince.
“Huff, please…… leave me behind…… huff!”
“Stop saying such weak things. I need you with me.”
Radel was firm.
Why would he abandon Gillian, who knew everything?
Gillian was essential to what was about to happen.
But his stamina, having endured the backlash of the Geas, was clearly at its limit.
“Huff, I cannot……!”
“I will push you.”
Without hesitation, Radel placed a hand on Gillian’s back and charged forward.
“Huh! Aaaah!”
Gillian screamed, but Radel did not even blink.
They had to reach the front of the academy’s main building, where the duel between the fourth-year Combat Magic majors was taking place.
‘Senior Shartea is in danger.’
Radel had known about the 4th Princess’s Ability for some time.
Primordial Origin.
Had he not once thought that with her Ability, she might be able to transform not into a magical beast, but into a dragon?
The ancestor of all magical beasts.
The strongest lifeform.
The ruler of all magic.
To attempt to summon Leviathan by using the Ability of the 4th Princess, who could transform into such a dragon.
Even to Radel, it seemed like the perfect plan to bring forth an Archdemon.
“Urgh! H-h-Your Highness, I cannot go on……!”
“We are here.”
Radel dragged the half-dead Gillian to the front of the main building.
“It seems it has already begun.”
Demonic energy already blanketed the area.
The demonic aura of Leviathan, the Archdemon of Envy.