Anna

  Anna stood alone against the walls by the corner of the banquet hall.

  She had a nasty expression on her face. Her arms folded. Her heels tapped furiously against the floor. She made no efforts to hide her annoyance, letting her gloomy mood diffuse in her vicinity. She wore it like a veil to ward off anyone who had the obnoxious idea of approaching her for conversation. For those who were slightly more courageous, she shut them down instantly with a vicious glare.

  He was totally going to ask me to dance, wasn’t he?

  She clenched her teeth at the thought, still angry at the princess and her rude butler for stealing Emil away at the most inconvenient time.

  Not that I would have accepted.

  …

  Well, maybe I would have given it some consideration at the very least, but still!

  “Miss, would you care for a drink?”

  A servant of the venue approached her with a platter filled with glasses of red wine. Anna narrowed her eyes as she noticed faint scars smeared across the side of the servant’s neck.

  “…Sure, thanks,” she said, taking a glass. The servant gave her a polite nod before moving to the next closest person.

  Interesting. I didn’t think the Academy would employ like him for this banquet. She thought, swirling the glass of wine absent-mindedly. She had no qualms with the servant’s appearance. For her, these things mattered little as long as they were competent at their jobs. The elites in attendance, however, thought otherwise.

  Anna watched as a pair of nobles sneered and grimaced at the servant, waving him off rudely as if offended by his very presence. She clicked her tongue at the distasteful behavior. Now that she was aware of it, she noticed a several more servants with similar-looking scars roaming the venue.

  The Academy is usually quite sensitive about catering to the elite’s tastes. Which makes sense, considering they’re the moneybags that the Academy is trying to squeeze from.

  She took a taste of the wine. The taste was flat with a lingering sweetness. Nothing special. Completely bland and unnoteworthy. Anna wasn’t particularly fond of it, but she continued to sip on it regardless to keep her hands and mouth busy.

  I should probably find someone to talk to.

  Suddenly self-conscious about her solitude, she scanned the venue. She was in a foul mood unfit for schmoozing, so she looked for people that she knew. She caught a glimpse of Melody discreetly making her way up the stairs to the second floor. And then by chance, she found Kai and Charlotte talking together near a group of freshmen just a few tables down.

  They look like they’re having fun. Should I barge in and intrude?

  She smirked, indulging in the devious thought. She considered subjecting them through the same annoyance that she just went through—until her self-critic began to complain.

  On second thought, that’s quite childish of me, isn’t it? She frowned and sighed at her own immaturity. Honestly, when did I get so petty?

  “You look rather lonely over there.”

  Great, of course now someone annoying had to show up.

  Anna rolled her eyes and reluctantly turned towards the person who knocked her out of the Clash of Dawn.

  “I think I would have preferred to be alone than to be in your presence.”

  “Really? Even with that sour face of yours that’s just begging to be consoled?” Liesel asked, “Or—ah, did perhaps your beloved get pried away from you? That would explain your dour attitude.”

  “My beloved…?” Clarity snapped in her head as she realized who Liesel was referring to. She instantly grew defensive. “Oh, please, quit the nonsense. Why does everyone keep lumping me with that guy?”

  “It doesn’t take a genius to see that you two are inseparable.”

  “Proximity by force! That guy ruined my reputation on the very first day of the Academy. I didn’t have a choice but to stick by him!”

  Liesel giggled. “It really is amusing how dishonest you are with yourself.”

  Anna squinted, teeth clenched, suddenly tired of being on the receiving end of Liesel’s banter.

  “What do you want anyways? I thought announcing that your status as the newest bachelorette of Ardair would have kept you occupied for the rest of the night.”

  “We’ve had this conversation before, Anna. Once you possess enough value, people tend to want to be on your good side. Especially after you’ve given them a sliver of hope that you could be theirs to have. Ardairans are both greedy and delusional.” Liesel smiled glowingly at her. “Which is why I’m quite fond of people like you who openly express their belligerence towards me.”

  “Sorry, but try not to make me the object of your perverted tastes.”

  “Too late. There aren’t many Exalted in this kingdom who possess the resolve and strength to see me as a rival. As such, I have a mandate to keep you close to me.”

  Anna grimaced and took a step back to create some distance, much to Liesel’s amusement.

  Seriously, just what part of her is maidenly? This is just a spoiled brat who thinks she can get anything she wants.

  Lamenting that she probably had to spent the rest of the banquet in her company, Anna took a sip of the sparkling wine to quell her discomfort.

  “What do you think about that wine?” Liesel asked.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Bland. Disappointingly generic. I have no idea why the Academy decided to serve this in a banquet filled with important guests.”

  “My thoughts exactly. See? We have some similarities that could help us get along.” Liesel gave her a frivolous wink.

  Anna was about to fire back with a nasty retort when an insidious feeling scratched the edge of her subconscious. What was that? Her shoulder instinctively tensed. The sensation was alarmingly familiar—distinct enough that she was certain that she wasn’t mistaken. Upon closer examination, it was the same feeling she felt during her raid with Emil on the hidden lab within the sacred grove.

  Bloodlust. Danger.

  Dread clawed down her spine as she scanned the venue, trying to discern the source of her discomfort.

  Then, everything suddenly went to hell.

  Squelch!

  A loud splatter, followed by a death-curdling scream. It came from the pair of nobles she saw earlier who were rude to the servant just a few minutes ago. One of them flopped onto the ground—blood spurring from their body as it rapidly stained the carpet. The other was held in a headlock, squirming, gasping for air, until a dagger punctured their neck.

  The culprit was that same servant.

  Anna’s mind blanked. The gears in her head froze at the absurdity of the situation in front of her. An assault on a noble? In the midst of the Academy grounds? She was questioning if her eyes were deceiving her when more cries echoed across the venue.

  Simultaneous attacks were happening all at once. Every servant in the venue suddenly brandished daggers and knives. They were mercilessly, ambushing elites, students, and Academy staff alike with lethal strikes to the jugular.

  Blood sprayed. Bodies fell. Chaos erupted.

  What the hell is going on?!

  She felt a surge of mana raging in her periphery. It came from an Exalted warrior under the employment of a noble house. He extended his hands. A blast of pure mana shot out of his palms. The attack tore through an armed servant’s shoulders, shredding his body into mangled chunks.

  The servant wasn’t the sole victim, however. The banquet guests in the servant’s proximity were also caught in the blast.

  Realizing what he had just done, the Exalted stared at the aftermath of his attack in disbelief. His hesitation was fatal as another servant crept up from his blind spot and delivered a vicious stab to his neck.

  The deaths were quickly piling up.

  Something had to be done. But with their assailants spread amongst the guests, it was difficult to mount a counterattack without causing collateral damage. Aware of her own lacklustre control over her Gift, Anna turned to the most reliable person for the job.

  “Liesel! You have to freeze them!”

  “I know!” Liesel cried, already in the midst of conjuring a spell, “Wait, huh?!”

  The Ice Maiden was staring at her outstretched hands, her eyes wide, trembling with confusion.

  “Liesel?!”

  “I-I don’t know what’s going on!” Liesel shook her head. Her voice quivered with uncertainty. She suddenly looked like a normal girl—terrified and devoid of her confidence and composure. “I can’t activate my Gift!”

  “What do you mean?!”

  “I don’t know! Nothing is happening!”

  Realizing Liesel was speaking the truth, Anna aimed her hands at the nearest servant rampaging through the attendee’s ranks.

  I’ll just have to paralyze them all.

  Steeling her resolve, she concentrated on the Azurite pendant dangling below her neck. She felt the effusion of mana rampaging inside, eager to escape its earthy confines. With a single exhale, she readied her Gift.

  “Shock!”

  Mana began to storm out of her pendant. The ethereal energy moved, bending and twisting to her will, in the process of weaving into phenomenon—until it abruptly dissipated. Without warning, her control over mana vanished. The ethereal energy spluttered in the ambient air, useless.

  Anna stared at her shaking hands in disbelief.

  “Silence!”

  The authoritative voice boomed across the venue. Its effect was amplified by the accompaniment of the orchestra. Immediately, the chaos of the banquet hall grew quiet.

  A man rose from the seat of the musicians and stood before the stage overseeing the banquet hall. Opening his hands, he beckoned towards the crowd like a holy priest singing the sermons of the Goddess. His eyes danced with madness.

  “My name is Aster! On behalf of the blessings of Vigil, I’ve been bestowed a glorious purpose!” he proclaimed with an almost reverent tone in his voice, “Sinners of Ardair who dare to rule this kingdom with greed, I beseech you—grovel!”

  As if on command, the servants immediately shoved the guests onto the floor. Those who disobeyed were immediately struck down with a cut to the throat.

  Realizing their predicament, Anna dashed towards the nearest exit. She was by the corners of the venue, which was less crowded with assailants. As she reached the closest doors, however, she discovered it was already blocked off.

  “Stand down! Hands on the ground!” a servant screamed, waving his weapon in the air. Blood flung from the bloody blade.

  Left without a choice, Anna was forced to comply.

  Emil

  Emil shot up from the couch. Every inch of his body was alert at the sound of the screams from just outside the room.

  “U-Um? What was that?” Aoife whispered, slowly rising to her feet.

  “Stay behind the table and take cover. I’m going closer to the front to figure out what’s going on,” he said, before realizing that he was carelessly giving orders to a member of the royal family. Thankfully, Aoife obliged without protest, immediately moving to crouch behind the table as he had asked.

  Emil approached the door, taking careful steps to make sure that he wasn’t heard. The dim lighting inside the soundproof room should have made it ambiguous whether or not this room was occupied.

  Wait, but Horace should have been standing by outside.

  Despite the horrific scream, however, there wasn’t a single attempt to communicate from Aoife’s butler. Emil didn’t hear a single knock on the door or a call out to the princess. Wary, he pressed his ears against the door.

  Nothing.

  The corridor was suddenly silent. Even if the room was soundproof, he should have felt some reverberations rippling along the floor and walls. Assuming that there was an ongoing incident outside.

  “I’m going to open the door and take a peek,” he whispered, turning around to make sure that the princess had heard him. Aoife gave him a solemn nod. Her hands were clutching tightly onto a wooden stick.

  Emil took a deep breath, letting the mana from his Azurite pendant circulate to his limbs in case he needed to respond immediately. Then, he slowly opened the door.

  He revealed a tiny glimpse into the hallway, wincing as the door creaked under his empowered grip. At a glance, he found nothing out of the ordinary, except—

  The familiar, putrid stench of blood tickled his nostrils.

  Oh, fuck.

  As he pushed the ajar door wider, the status of the hallway was unveiled. A grisly scene was laid out before him. The bodies of several Academy staff members and servants were sprawled along the floor. Blood splattered against the walls and curtains. Shattered glass and broken window frames littered on the floor with the corpses. A ghastly expression was etched on all of their faces, suggesting that they were caught unawares.

  Emil found Horace amongst the dead. A hollow cavity had been left on the side of his chest where his heart should have been.

  Good grief, what the hell just happened?

  “…Emil?” Aoife whimpered from behind.

  He shuddered. His instincts screamed with discomfort. Whoever murdered these people was undoubtedly skilled. But despite the gruesome carnage before him, Emil didn’t spot a single sign of the perpetrator that caused this scene.

  What do I do?

  He couldn’t move hastily, not when a murderer was on the loose and while he had the princess of Ardair in his protection.

  Hide inside this room?

  It was an option—not one that he liked, but it was probably better than attempting to sneak out of this corridor. He had no idea where the murderer was. The best he could hope for was that this incident had been noticed by the Academy staff and that help was along the way. There was no way the blood-curdling scream from earlier wasn’t heard.

  The other option is to escape through the windows.

  They were currently on the second floor of the banquet hall. The height from the ground level wasn’t exactly a short descent. Nonetheless, it didn’t pose a problem for Emil as an Exalted trained by Steiger. The issue was the princess.

  If I have to, I can grab her, storm out the window, and strengthen my legs with Mana Arts.

  Slowly, he swung his hand to close the door.

  “E-Emil?!” Aoife yelled.

  In his periphery, a brilliant azure light suddenly radiated from the wall connected to the adjacent room. Dissonance blared in his ears. Emil was already on his feet, rushing towards Aoife’s aid, when the walls came apart.