Blessed Curse of Lust

After the discussion ended, the team decided to call it a day. They had a lot of planning to do, especially in the coming days. They needed to find new members and look for other jobs to complete. It was especially critical since Valerie was still sitting on a whopping 0 points total.

They were headed towards the main hall; their aim was the job board. Finding the last two members would take some time, so they decided to focus on what they could do right now.

As they walked along the long hallway, they noticed a commotion coming from one of the training rooms. The door was open, so they peeked inside. There were quite a few students standing around, watching a match between two first-year students.

One was a taller, muscular guy. They could recognize him as the son of one of the smaller noble houses. His opponent, however, was different. There stood a tall girl with long, straight black hair reaching down to the middle of her back. She was wearing a silver circlet, adorned with a light blue gemstone in the middle. She had long, pointy ears. An elf.

It was not rare to see people of other races in the country. While Ovalan was predominantly a human kingdom, in recent decades, it has opened its gates to other races who choose to migrate here.

“Do you know her?” Thea turned to Yelena as she asked the question.

It was not without reason that she asked the white-haired girl this. To the north was the kingdom of Ura’ya. It was the nation ruled by the elves. As it bordered Ovalan’s northern region, the very same region that was under the Hellag family’s control, it was not rare for Yelena to meet with the representatives of the noble houses from Ura’ya.

For years now, the Hellag family has acted as ambassadors towards the elven kingdom. They’ve often visited there or hosted delegations coming to Ovalan. Yelena’s father worked tirelessly to manage to build a good relationship with Ura’ya. In the past, there were a lot of hostilities. While those times were long gone, they were not forgotten, especially by the elves who had much longer natural life spans compared to humans.

“No, I can’t recognize her.” Yelena replied after taking a good look at the girl.

She would be able to recognize members of the larger houses, which meant she was likely not from one of them. This was quite an odd situation. While it wasn’t unheard of for students of other races to attend the academy, it usually was more of a political move.

This meant that sons and daughters of some of the most prominent families would be sent here to study, thereby furthering relations between their countries. Which is why the situation was odd. If she were from a bigger house, Yelena would have likely recognized her.

“That is Eris Yuvelire.” Valerie stepped in to answer.

“You know her?” Yelena asked.

“No, not personally. She is the only elf who got admitted this year, so obviously, I’ve heard of her. You should really make an effort to gather information about your fellow students.” Valerie explained.

True, the princess had a vast network even here in the school. She used this to gather as much information as possible. She was good at it. She knew how to utilize her political power to pull some strings.

Yelena was the exact opposite. She and Thea never liked playing the political game. Sure, they did engage in them as much as it was necessary, but they mostly found it a pain to deal with, rather than something they would enjoy, as Valerie did.

“Hmmm, that name doesn’t ring a bell. Do you think…?” Yelena didn’t finish the sentence; she didn’t need to.

“Fake name, yes. Not sure why, but she must be someone important who doesn’t want to pull too much attention. Yuvelier is not a name of any of the major houses in Ura’ya. Unlikely a smaller one would send a representative. Even more unlikely that a commoner elf from this country would get admitted. Besides, look at her.” Valerie nodded towards the elf girl.

She was right. Just the circlet she was wearing cost more than someone from a humble family could get in years. On top of that, the girl held a very elegant rapier. It was in stark contrast to what the Academy taught or to the common practice amongst the local nobles.

She didn’t look like an amateur either. Her stance, the way she held her weapon, all screamed she was well-trained. She was very clearly somebody important; they just didn’t know how much.

The fight began as they talked. Since most of the first-year students managed to learn Vareen, it meant the rules were different. They were allowed to use real weapons as well as magic to fight. They were still restricted to level 1 spells at most to avoid any serious injuries or fatalities.

As soon as the match started, the two combatants rushed towards each other. The elven girl used magic immediately. With each step she took, a green magic circle appeared under her feet, then a small gust of wind shot out, propelling her forward. Her speed was incredible, and in no time, she closed the gap between her and her opponent.

“Wind step? Quite proficient at it too.” Yelena noted.

Wind step was a level 1 spell, utilizing wind to increase the user’s speed and even help with things like suddenly changing direction while moving. While it was considered a low-level spell, it took quite some time to learn how to use it efficiently. It required expert timing to use it effectively, something Eris seemed to master.

As soon as she got in, she unleashed a barrage of attacks. She was fast; her sword looked like a blur as she stabbed towards her opponent repeatedly. The guy she was fighting was on the defensive, trying his best to block the incoming strikes. Judging by his face, it was not going too well.

It didn’t take long before he couldn’t handle it anymore. The fast attacks were slipping through his defense, and the thin blade stabbed into his flesh. The longer it went on, the worse it got. While the stabs were not deep, bleeding from multiple wounds slowly started to add up.

In the end, he had to give up the fight, realizing that he was truly beaten. He couldn’t even manage a single attack against the girl.

Once he left, Eris looked around the room, scanning all the people who gathered to watch the match.

“Anyone else?” She asked coldly, requesting a new challenger.

The students looked at each other, trying to figure out who would be brave or perhaps foolish enough to challenge the girl again, especially after what they had just witnessed.

Yelena smiled; she liked her attitude. The white-haired girl always liked a good challenge, and it seemed today, it fell right in her lap. Still, she had a different plan in mind than just simply fighting.

She stepped onto the platform where Eris was standing and drew her sword. She measured the elven girl up with a smile.

“Let me ask this first. Are you sure it is a wise idea to seek a new fight, just after you finished the last one?” Yelena asked.

Eris remained silent for a moment. She was also judging her new opponent, measuring her strength as best as she could.

“I would hardly call that a warmup. I’m fine. What is your bet?” She went straight to the point.

“500? I assume you really need the points, right? Judging by how quickly you challenge people, I would say you don’t have a team. This is currently the only way you can earn points, correct?” Yelena made a guess regarding Eris’ situation.

It was not hard to figure out. While duels could have a good payout, they were a high-risk way to earn points. Only those who were very confident or very desperate would turn to this way to earn those points. That said, Eris seemed to belong in both groups.

“Good observation, although not a difficult one to make. A lone elf in this academy without a powerful name. Nobody would join with me, even if I’m capable. They act polite around me, but I know how things are.” She replied.

“In that case, I make you an offer. Why don’t you join us?” Yelena made her offer.

“She is doing it again! I can’t believe this girl! Inviting people without asking us for the second time.” Lily was not pleased and gave Valerie side-eye, making it clear that she was the first to be invited that way.

Valerie decided it was in her best interest not to engage in this conversation. She knew if she opened her mouth, she would likely say something insulting to Lily. Instead, she just folded her arms and kept her eyes on the two girls who were about to fight.

“You will get used to it. That is just how Yelena is. Once she makes up her mind about something, there is no way to hold her back. Besides, she doesn’t make these offers without a good reason. She saw that girl fight and knew she was good. She has an eye for measuring others' strength.” Thea explained.

Lily looked over to the two, trying to figure out just how strong the elven girl was. For her, it was more difficult to judge. She didn’t have much experience with different fighting techniques, and her knowledge of magic was still rather spotty, so she couldn’t quite figure out the spell the girl used.

“Do you think Yelena can win?” The redhead asked.

“Hard to say. She is good. I’m a bit better with the sword than she is, but if you add her magic into the mix, she has me beat, too. Still, that girl wasn’t going all out either earlier, so it is impossible to say.” Thea didn’t want to jinx the fight, but she believed Yelena had the upper hand here.

The two fighters were staring each other down. Eris was thinking about the offer she got. Sure, she needed a team, but she wasn’t just going to join any.

“Sure, if you can beat me.” The elven girl answered Yelena’s earlier question.

The white-haired girl smiled and assumed her fighting stance.

“Sounds good! That 500 points will hurt badly, but we will help you make it up.” Yelena replied.

Eris didn’t say anything; she was above such provocation. Instead, she got ready too.

The fight had started. Just like before, Eris shot out and ran towards her opponent. With each step, she cast her magic to increase her speed. Yelena stood still, allowing her to approach and make the first move.

The elven girl began attacking, unleashing rapid attacks one after another. She used the same tactic as in the previous fight. Yelena skillfully moved her sword; she was making minimal movements, only what was necessary to block all the attacks that came her way.

She had already seen through the girl. She was fast, and her technique with the rapier was good, too, but there was one critical mistake. Her attack pattern was easy to predict. She used the same pattern again and again. Her aim was to quickly overwhelm her opponent, but that was hardly possible when said opponent could predict where the next strike would land.

Visible frustration began to show on Eris’ face as she realized it was not working. Yelena blocked all her attacks with ease, and she didn’t even look like she was struggling to do so. The white-haired girl switched things up.

After the last attack was blocked, she suddenly lowered her stance, letting the next stab pass just above her head. She swung her sword horizontally, aiming at Eris’ abdomen. The girl noticed it and activated her wind step spell again to quickly push herself backward and out of the range of Yelena’s sword.

She backed away further, creating some additional distance between them. A green magical circle appeared in front of her hand, ready to cast a spell. Yelena didn’t let that happen. She already prepared her own spell.

A purple circle showed up behind Yelena, floating close to her back. Within a moment, lightning sparks started running along her body. She took one step forward, then disappeared.

Lily gasped as she watched. All she could see was that Yelena was standing there in one second, and then she was right next to Eris the next. She couldn’t even understand what had just happened.

Soon after she appeared again, a loud, sharp cracking sound shook the room. It was almost as if lightning struck somewhere nearby. Yelena swung her sword; her blade bit into the elven girl’s flesh, wounding her arm. It was a shallow wound, but not negligible either.

The spell Eris was trying to cast collapsed as she lost concentration following the attack. She turned as quickly as possible to face Yelena again, but it was too late. The white-haired girl disappeared again and was now behind her opponent. A diagonal slash sliced into Eris’s back, making her scream in pain.

No matter how many times the elven girl tried to catch Yelena, it was pointless. By the time she laid an eye on her, the girl was already gone, and had made another successful attack. It was hopeless, and Eris realized that too.

“I give up!” She announced while gritting her teeth in frustration.

Yelena stopped and put her sword away as she looked at the injured girl, who had since fallen on her knees.

“How?” That was all Eris asked, but Yelena knew the full question.

“Simple. You rely too much on your speed and neglect everything else. Your attacks follow a simple pattern. Once you learn that, blocking them is easy, no matter how fast you are. Your whole style will crumble the moment your opponent can move faster than you. You need to diversify your skill set.” Yelena explained calmly.

The elven girl lowered her head. She was cursing internally. She thought she was good, maybe even one of the best in her year. Then, she got humbled within a mere 3-minute fight.

“Get yourself patched up and meet us in the grand hall. We were on the way there to pick up a quest. Welcome to the team!” Yelena turned her back and walked away slowly as she spoke.