She immediately felt that she had found her opponent's weakness, and with a stomp of her foot, she charged towards her opponent, slashing out with her sword halfway through the attack.

However, the other party's lips curled up slightly, and seizing the opportunity, he lightly slashed with the blade of his sword.

The next second, Joanna lost her balance, and the longsword in her hand was instantly knocked away by the immense force.

She lost her balance and landed hard on her bottom on the ring.

The blade fell from the air and landed with a clatter to the side.

The student opposite him remained calm and composed, and put away his longsword.

“Your skills are very strong. If I weren’t a year older than you, the outcome of the match would probably be different.”

"I appreciate your concession."

The students were surprised to see that the battle had ended and that the winner was not Joanna.

Even Hilda frowned when she saw her sister's performance at this crucial moment.

Only August spoke from the side:

"Hilda, your sister is quite capable; she has great potential."

Despite the king's praise, Hilda's face remained slightly gloomy.

After all, a loss is a loss.

My skills are inferior to others.

But Joanna made such an obvious mistake when the King and people from other countries visited.

Naturally, this made her feel bad.

The instructors then awarded a point to the winning student.

After the final battle, this student took the top spot on the leaderboard, while Joanna came in second.

The instructors below made the announcement.

"The winner of this evaluation is—Yaso Sid!"

The winning student walked up to the stage with a big smile to receive the award.

The second place winner naturally received no reward.

Joanna gripped the hilt of her sword tightly, her defeat leaving her slightly disheartened.

She lowered her head and left the scene alone.

Seeing this, Hilda took a deep breath, then smiled slightly at Aurelion and the King:

"I'm so sorry, I'll have to go for a moment."

She stood up and hurriedly followed Joanna.

At this moment, the king smiled and addressed the crowd:

"So, should we leave too?"

After all, the diplomatic delegation was brought here only to observe the academy's assessment battles.

The battle is over, so there's no need for me to stay here any longer.

Seeing that nobles and the king were present, the students dared not linger and left one after another.

After all, it was already quite late.

The king was the first to stand up, followed closely by the noble lords.

August turned to Aurelion and asked:

"It's getting late, Princess Aurelian. I'll arrange for someone to prepare accommodations for you."

Aurelion stood up, a smile on her face.

She turned her head every now and then to look at Viktor, as if pleading for his help.

Teacher, how should I reply now?

Viktor, however, remained seated quietly, seemingly oblivious to Aurelion.

But nobody noticed.

Sometime later, the raven on Viktor's shoulder disappeared.

Just then, the sound of a cane striking the ground rang out. Everyone's attention was drawn to it.

Because these noble lords were very clear about this.

What does this sound mean?

Even King Augustus looked over.

Duke Festan stood up, leaned on his cane, and spoke to August:

"Your Majesty, there's no need for such trouble."

"For the time being, let the princess and her entourage stay at my manor."

...

Unnoticed, a jet-black crow, bathed in moonlight, silently flapped its wings and soared into the night sky.

Its wings stirred a gentle breeze in the darkness as it flew over the brightly lit street.

Finally, it disappeared into a deep, narrow alley and landed in a shadowy corner.

Not far from the corner, Vega heard complaints coming from inside:

Why did you behave so poorly today?

The voice sounded familiar.

It must be that female instructor and her sister.

Have they started lecturing yet?

The two might have an emotional breakdown and start fighting soon.

Vega speculated idly in the shadows, finding the complaining tone rather grating.

So it squinted its eyes and poked its head out.

But what happened next did not meet his expectations.

At this moment, Hilda knelt down on one knee.

Bathed in moonlight, her face looked both serious and loving.

Joanna, meanwhile, sat back on the steps, her face devoid of the determination and composure she displayed in the ring.

Hilda was applying medicine to Joanna's wounds with a cotton ball in her hand.

Hilda carefully treated her sister's wounds, while Joanna accepted it expressionlessly.

My sister's reproachful voice still sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

"You could have performed better, but why?"

Joanna kept her lips tightly closed, letting the moonlight shine on her cold face.

Hilda bandaged her sister's leg and looked up to see the faint wound on Joanna's arm.

“Reach out, there are injuries on your arm too.”

Joanna obediently stretched out her hand, letting her sister bandage it for her.

After doing all this, Hilda stood up, and Joanna looked up at her.

"Don't practice at such a high intensity next time. Take it easy and relax occasionally."

Hilda then spoke up again:

"His Majesty the King and the others should be leaving soon. I'll go see them off."

"Take a rest and go back to your dorm early."

After saying that, she turned and left, taking one last, reluctant look at her younger sister.

Joanna looked in the direction her sister had left, feeling somewhat guilty.

At this moment, she stood up again, stretched her body, sheathed her longsword, and prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Joanna stopped in her tracks.

Suddenly, a small, jet-black crow appeared before her.

Strangely, it only has one eye.

A luster flowed across its small body, and an inexplicable dark aura gradually emanated from the crow.

She sensed it; the atmosphere in the alley had become incredibly oppressive, and a powerful pressure seemed to swirl around her like clouds.

It was a terrifying force, chilling to the bone.

At that moment, her body was so cold that she couldn't move.

Finally, the crow's mournful cry descended from the sky, filled with both allure and danger.

Like a cold light flashing in the night, it pierced Joanna's heart.

"Hello? You're a strong little girl."

Do you crave power?