Chapter 287
Chapter 287: Did You Get My Permission Before Stealing My Husband?
The doors of the Royal Magic Academy's Arcane Hall were pushed open.
A silhouette with golden hair strode inside with swift, purposeful steps.
Though it was only the start of the new term, the Arcane Hall had already gathered a great many students eager to refine their magic. When they saw Erika walk through the door, they stopped their chanting one after another and turned to look at her, a flicker of astonishment shining in their eyes.
Erika... that most gifted of students, had returned!
And at this moment, Erika seemed to be somewhat distracted.
She had, in truth, been unsettled by Heni.
The last time she had seen Heni, she had still been a 2nd-Tier Mage.
One had to consider—how long had it even been since Heni became a Mage?
Counting the period from the Academy's break to the start of the new term, it had been roughly 3 months at most.
3 months, advancing from Magic Apprentice all the way to 3rd-Tier Mage...
Was that something a human being could even accomplish?
And then there was the way she acted toward Professor Viktor...
How... how could she be so brazen!
This was the Academy, for goodness' sake!
The more Erika thought about it, the more flustered she became. In the end, she gave her head a sharp shake and forced herself to stop dwelling on it.
Coming to the Arcane Hall had been precisely to clear her mind.
Erika also noticed the gazes the students were directing her way, though she paid them no mind. After all, she had long since grown accustomed to being the center of everyone's attention.
Erika strolled through the spacious Arcane Hall, keeping her distance from the students practicing their magic. As she looked around, she was somewhat surprised.
There were quite a number of mirrors arranged throughout the hall.
The mirrors were pressed flush against the walls on all four sides of the Arcane Hall, with only a few meters between each pair, standing there in quiet silence.
Erika already knew what these mirrors were—she had looked into them beforehand.
They were called... Dungeons.
She walked up to a mirror with no one queuing in front of it, read the instructions posted above it, and was just about to reach out and touch the surface.
But the mirror began to tremble unexpectedly, as though ripples were spreading across the surface of a lake.
Erika froze, her hand hovering in midair before she slowly drew it back.
Something was off—she hadn't even touched the mirror yet.
A moment later, the entire mirror, frame and all, began to shudder.
Erika instinctively took a few steps back. Then, from within the mirror, a broad and powerfully built figure stepped out.
The person the mirror had expelled was dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt, his hair and beard entirely white, the weathered creases of age spread freely across his cheeks.
The old man's imposing physique was unmistakable—an extraordinarily sturdy build.
Erika looked at the person who had emerged and found him somewhat familiar.
Looking more closely, she gave a start of surprise.
This was... Uncle Vladimir?
Vladimir dusted off the faint traces of dirt on his clothes and let out a hearty laugh.
Erika quickly stepped forward to greet him:
"Uncle!"
The surrounding students blinked when they heard Erika address the old man in front of her that way.
Uncle?
It had never occurred to them that this old man who spent every day challenging the Dungeons alongside them was actually a relative of Erika's.
Vladimir also turned at the sound of his name and saw Erika, equally a little surprised:
"Hm? Erika's here too."
"Uncle, I'm a student at the Royal Magic Academy. I came here with all of you not long ago."
"Oh, oh, oh—so that's why you tagged along last time. That makes sense, with talent like yours, you'd naturally have to study at the finest Academy."
"Uncle flatters me."
Erika was mildly curious about Vladimir's presence at the Arcane Hall—especially the sight of him having just been expelled from the mirror.
Vladimir let out a booming laugh, scratching the back of his head as he answered cheerfully:
"I wanted to give this 'Dungeon' novelty a try."
"Didn't expect Viktor's contraption to be this interesting. Even these old bones of mine have gotten a bit hooked."
He went on at length about how there was a Storm Dragon King inside the mirror, boasting about how long he had spent challenging it.
The fighting spirit it had ignited in him was enough to bring him back here every single day.
Little by little, day after day, Vladimir had grown more and more at ease with the Dungeon challenges—to the point where he was beginning to feel reluctant to return to the Northern Frontier.
Erika found this somewhat puzzling.
She herself had attempted Professor Viktor's 'Dungeon' before—she still remembered it: that had been the first version, used as the first live-combat assessment for the end-of-term exams.
After learning more about them, Erika came to understand.
The mirrors installed in the Arcane Hall were practice units only.
The Dungeon had not yet been formally rolled out.
That was the reason these mirrors had been placed in the Arcane Hall.
Word had it that in the future, the Academy would establish a new dedicated zone—a place specifically designed as a 'Challenge Hall' for deeper practice.
Just then, a figure at the entrance of the Arcane Hall drew the attention of countless students inside.
At the doorway, a silver-haired girl had just walked in.
It was Auréliane.
She entered the Arcane Hall with unhurried steps, an air of noble composure radiating from her gaze.
The many students who saw Auréliane arrive immediately showed their deference. After all, most of them came from noble families—when they saw the Princess, they instinctively showed respect.
Some even trotted along at Auréliane's side with barely concealed flattery.
"The Princess is so diligent—always still practicing."
"Is the Princess here to challenge the Dungeons again today?"
Auréliane paid absolutely no attention to the students trailing along beside her.
Like Erika, she too was in rather low spirits.
As it happened, she spotted Erika standing with an older man.
One look and she recognized Vladimir. She walked over and offered a respectful bow.
"General Vladimir."
The moment that name left her lips, every student in the vicinity stared wide-eyed.
General!?
The title of General was not one to be thrown around casually—there were only a handful of Generals across the entire Empire.
And the fact that someone of the Princess's standing within the Imperial family had spoken it made the weight of that title all the more apparent.
Some of the more worldly students had also taken note of the name Auréliane had called out.
Vladimir?
There was only one General in the entire Empire who bore that name.
That was the legend of the Northern Frontier—Vladimir Lebedev.
The thought that the old man they had been challenging Dungeons alongside every day was actually a General sent a wave of delayed fear rippling through more than a few students, goosebumps rising all over their skin.
This alone was proof enough of just how successful Viktor's 'Dungeon' had been—not only had it drawn a vast number of students into regular practice, even a General like Vladimir kept coming back for more without tiring of it.
Vladimir laughed heartily and replied:
"Your Highness the Princess, you've come as well?"
Auréliane gave a nod in response:
"General, I'm here to practice as well."
She spoke while making her way toward Erika, coming to stand in front of the very same mirror Vladimir had just stepped out of.
Erika looked at Auréliane, and naturally had no intention of conceding. Ever since the tension between her and the Princess had been steadily growing, Erika had had no desire to exchange pleasantries—she simply wanted to prove herself against Auréliane.
However, every Dungeon mirror in the Arcane Hall was already occupied.
Waiting for someone else to finish—there was no telling how long that might take.
Which meant only the one mirror that Vladimir had just vacated was free.
There were 2 of them, and only 1 could use it.
Auréliane did no more than glance sideways at Erika, showing no intention of yielding, as Magic Power surged forth from her body.
That wave of Magic Power was unmistakably at the 2nd-Tier level, yet its density was inexplicably comparable to that of a 3rd-Tier Mage's, enough to leave those nearby momentarily breathless.
The students who sensed the Magic Power radiating from Auréliane felt a faint wave of dizziness.
This couldn't be right.
A 2nd-Tier Mage?
How old was the Princess, to already be a 2nd-Tier Mage?
Erika saw this, and a faint smile touched her lips in turn.
Magic Formations began to take shape rapidly at her back, flowing Magic Power cycling through the space in arcs, intricate and complex patterns weaving continuously through the runes.
The students before this exquisite display of magic were even more awestruck.
From within the crowd, a roar of high-pitched excitement erupted—like a bomb dropped into a lake, the surge of sound seemed powerful enough to blow the roof off the building.
3rd-Tier Mage!
Erika had already become a 3rd-Tier Mage!
"How... how is that possible!?"
The students' minds went blank as if struck by a lightning bolt, thought grinding to a complete halt.
If it was true, then...
Erika had become the youngest 3rd-Tier Mage in recorded history!
In that moment, Erika's brilliance utterly eclipsed Auréliane's.
Countless students erupted in excitement, some even rushing off in every direction to carry the news to everyone else.
Auréliane narrowed her eyes, watching Erika.
3rd-Tier Mage...
That 3rd-Tier fluctuation coming off Erika was unmistakably real—there was no mistaking it.
Before this, Erika had still been a 2nd-Tier Mage.
In just these past few days, what had happened to make her leap all the way to the 3rd Tier in a single bound?
Within the entire Arcane Hall, almost the only presences that commanded anyone's attention were Erika and Auréliane.
Countless eyes were fixed on the 2 of them—in this moment, it was as though everyone else had become nothing more than a backdrop for these 2 prodigies.
Just then, Erika's voice rang out, laced with a faint note of provocation.
"Thanks to Professor Viktor, I was able to cross into this tier in such a short time."
Auréliane's gaze took on a shade of disbelief.
Only to hear Erika continue, her tone perfectly composed:
"I'm grateful to the Professor—for giving me several unforgettable nights."
Swoosh—
The instant those words left her mouth, a blinding flash of white light suddenly blazed at the entrance of the Arcane Hall.
A silver-white longsword shot across several hundred meters in an instant, burying itself directly into the floor in front of Erika.
The sword lodged into the floor, its hilt swaying, trembling without stop.
Everyone was startled by the sudden turn of events—Erika included.
Auréliane also couldn't help but look toward the entrance of the Arcane Hall.
The moment she saw that silver-white figure clad in beast-faced armor, Auréliane gave a small, involuntary jolt.
"Master G... Gwen?"
The Knight's silver-white hair seemed to drift faintly with the weight of her presence.
She raised her hand, and the longsword embedded before Erika appeared to follow a current of air, returning to her palm.
In a voice cold enough to strip all warmth from the room, her icy gaze fixed upon Erika from across the hall:
"You just said, several unforgettable nights."
"What exactly did you mean by that?"