"So, lady Rania. Has the exam been to your liking?" A sharp and attentive voice resounded as the screen's light flickered from player to player.

  "Meh..." Rania leaned her head on the palm of her hand as she leaned back in her comfortable chair. The gruff man to her right had a sour look on his face as he covered his face with his hand and shook it.

  The other tall man wearing a tuxedo standing to Rania's left simply sighed. He had a neat look to him. Slicked back hair, well trimmed mustache and shaved beard

  "These kids. They're not as good as last year." Rania yawned as she continued watching.

  "Well, yeah. I mean. Last year we had a kid with a speedster ability. You know how rare those are." The gruff man with the long beard spoke. "It's kinda hard to compete with that."

  "Reinhardt! You know the princess's niece and nephew is in this year's batch!"

  "Meh, don't worry about it. I don't really care. Also, I'm not a princess here. I'm the principal, mister Gray. " Rania yawned again. Her eyes droopy as if she could fall asleep at that exact moment.

  His name was Hector Gray. He was a professor at the academy. Specifically the homeroom professor of the royal class students. He was a zealous man who believed that there was worth in everything. Even seemingly insignificant insects that annoy you. So he wasn't simply going to let the princess believe that these hardworking students who came here to study and change their lives have no worth...

  "You know what? Let's switch the screen. There has to be someone good here." He picked up the remote and started flipping through the drones over and over until.

  "Wait! Stop!" Rania suddenly held a hand up her eyes widening slightly as she leaned forward, her eyes no longer droopy and sleepy, instead attentive and focused on the screen. Hector turned back to glance at Rania in confusion before complying.

  "Who's that?" Rania narrowed her eyes at a tan short girl with curly hair who was currently travelling through the forest by jumping from branch to branch.

  "Uhhh... Pull up her file, number 342." Hector called out to Reinhardt who was standing there watching. Reinhardt hurried to look through the file section and swiftly found her file. "Rynia Liaharice..." He read through her file. "There shouldn't be anything special about her. What did you see in her your highness." Reinhardt turned back to Rania who was watching the girl intently. The moment she heard the girl's last name her eyes widened.

  "Since when did Resnora have a daughter?" She exclaimed in surprise and recognition. "Holy crap! She didn't even tell me!" Rania chuckled as she threw her head back against her chair.

  "So... What does this mean?"

  "It means this batch isn't as hopeless as we thought! I thought only my nephew and niece are gonna make it to royal class but it looks like I was wron-"

  Suddenly a loud sound echoed from the screen stealing all attention as they stared at the sight on the screen. "Ahhh... Ow... Ow..." Rynia was sprawled on the floor, groaning as she clutched her forehead which seemed to be bruised. She let out soft pained sobs as she rolled on the floor. "I knew running on branches would be a bad idea..." She muttered in pain.

  "Or not... Change the screen to my niece. I want to see what she's doing." Rania sighed as she waved a hand, her expression clearly disappointed.

  "Alright. I thought she was something special." Reinhardt stifled a chuckle as Hector sighed and pressed the button on the remote.

  A blonde girl appeared on the screen. Wavy long beautiful hair. She looked like a carbon copy of Rania just taller... Reinhardt needed to keep himself in check lest he let something slip by his tongue.

  "There she is. She didn't get any different all these years I hadn't seen her." Rania rolled her eyes. "She's not even doing anything much. How many points does she have?" Rania asked Hector who pressed a button on the remote.

  "203." Hector said simply.

  Rania barked a laugh. "That's what I expected. This is what happens when you put well trained royalty among common folk. They get annihilated."

  Hector narrowed his eyes on Rania before shifting his gaze back to the screen.

  "Oh? Look at that. Someone's here to challenge her. I wonder who it is." Rania raised an eyebrow. "Who's that?" She narrowed her eyes but no matter how she looked at the person across from Amanda she just didn't recognize them.

  "Who's this? Don't tell me it's some random girl. I thought it would at least be a noble who challenges my niece. What's going on here? Do they want to get eliminated or what?" Rania chuckled softly. "Reinhardt, check that girl's file. I want to know if she's a royal from some obscure kingdom or somethin'. Though, I'm sure I'll recognize her if that's the case..."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  The figure opposite Amanda... It was a girl. A girl with long black hair that was dirtied with dirt, leaves and sticks sticking out of it. She had dirt under her eyes. A bow slung around her shoulder and a dagger strapped to her waist. Her eyes... They were yellow... her pupils were slit like that of a predator's as she nocked an arrow on her bow.

  "The duchess's daughter?" Reinhardt raised an eyebrow. "What? She looks homeless." Rania turned her head towards him her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

  "I think he means the other duchess." Hector spoke up as he turned back towards her.

  "Oh..." A look of recognition crossed Rania's face as her frown deepened. "I never liked that woman. Too many relations with the elves." Rania shook her head. "I've been telling my brother to remove her from position of duchess but he just doesn't understand. What's the girl's name?"

  "Willowris Astrid, ma'am." Reinhardt answered and Rania's gaze darkened as she focused her attention on the impending battle.

  Amanda faced her opponent her hand clenched around her rapier tightly as she awaited for them to move. But... The strange wild girl was just staring at her with her glowing eyes. The air turned earie as the area quietened. Amanda could even hear the sound of the bow string tightening from the sheer silence the area had fallen in.

  Amanda was about to open her mouth to speak as the tension in the air simply got too unbearable. However, the sound of the air being split echoed, an arrow shot straight at her and she was forced to block it. Amanda's eyes widened and she recoiled from the sheer force the arrow carried. She was forced to take a step back.

  The girl with her eerily calm demeanour nocked another arrow onto the bowstring. Her eyes never blinking a single time during this whole time.

  Amanda needed to stop her but she was too quick and precise. The arrow shot forward at blinding speeds. Amanda attempted to block it once more but the arrow met it's mark. Embedding itself into her shoulder. "Agh!" She screamed in pain as she clutched her shoulder and doubled over.

  Willowris nocked a third arrow on the bowstring and prepared to shoot. Her fingers, several veins bulged on her hands as she tightened the string of the bow. Amanda's eyes widened before she slammed her fist to the ground and a light wall appeared in front of her. Willowris shot the arrow nonetheless.

  The blurring projectile zipped through the air at incredible speeds before it met the wall of light and it shattered the moment it hit the wall. However, the wall of light was not unscathed. Cracks littered it's surface. It looked on the verge of breaking.

  "Ah... This hurts but I need to keep going..." Amanda forced herself up on her feet and pointed her rapier at her opponent. Willowris met Amanda's determined gaze with her own eerily calm stare. She was like a predator eying it's prey.

  Amanda shuddered under her stare but she pursed her lips and steeled herself. "Radiant strike!" She thrust her rapier forward and a beam of light shot forward. Willowris's always calm demeanour finally showed a crack to surprise and she was finally forced to move. Thought, not unscathed. part of her shoulder was burned as she stepped to the side.

  Amanda saw her chance and she took it. She swiped a hand and a spell circle appeared in front of her. "Array!" She shouted before several orbs of light appeared behind her. She shot forward like an arrow, swinging her rapier diagonally. Willowris's eyes widened and she unsheathed her dagger.

  She swung up and managed to parry Amanda. This opened up a window for her to slash at Amanda who was still staggered from the parry. She thrust her weapon towards Amanda but that was where she made her fatal mistake. Amanda's orbs of light were still floating behind her, and the moment Willowris was distracted the orbs shot forward and struck her in multiple spots scorching them.

  Willowris's jaw tightened but the most eerie part is that she didn't let out a single scream. She continued forward with her dagger still poised to stab Amanda despite the burns all over her body.

  The dagger did not meet it's intended mark which was Amanda's heart. Willowris's strike had been tilted downwards slightly by the orbs of light. "Agh!" Amanda screamed as the dagger stabbed her in the abdomen. However, she could not let this chance go. She swung down with her rapier even as the dagger was stuck in her stomach.

  Willowris's eyes quivered as she stared up at the rapier's blade rapidly falling down on her. Her hand was on her dagger which was stabbed in Amanda's abdomen, and her other hand clutched her bow. She made a split second decision and let go of her bow. Her hand shot up and grabbed the rapier's blade with her bare hand. She kept a tight grip on it even as Amanda pushed down on it. Her hand bled but she didn't flinch a single time.

  Amanda gritted her teeth before she squinted and relaxed her face. She let out a long breath, opening her eyes again, a determined look crossed her face as she whispered under her breath. "Pillar of light..." A magic circle appeared right above them which Willowris spotted.

  "No..." Willowris's voice was low and raspy. Like it was always stuck as a whisper uttering her first words since the beginning of the fight as she realized what Amanda was doing.

  Amanda breathed a sigh as she knew the fight was already over. A beam of light descended down on the two of them washing light all over them. The two appeared as shadows, silhouettes stuck in the position they were in before the pillar of light descended.

  A loud crashing sound resounded from the ground breaking under the force of the pillar. After the pillar dispersed Amanda was left standing alone. Unscathed from the pillar of light but damaged from the fight she just had. "Who the hell was that?" She muttered before she winced and pulled out the dagger stuck inside of her and threw it to the ground.

  She winced before she sat herself down on the ground and a light green aura emitted form her abdomen where the stab wound was still visible. "This won't do much but it'll help if I want to continue the exam..."

  "Wooh. You go niece." Rania unenthusiastically rooted as she yawned. Hector wasn't the least bit convinced by her acting.

  "Mana healing? Who taught her this?" Rania chuckled softly. "That's impressive. Give her 10 extra points Hector." Rania waved a hand at Hector who simply complied.

  "When is the good stuff going to begin?" Rania raised an eyebrow at Reinhardt who smiled in turn. Honest to himself he was also excited for the final event of the exam.

  "In four more days. We'll drop it in and we'll see what happens." Reinhardt replied.

  "Honestly I doubt anyone would survive let alone kill it." Rania shrugged.

  Hector turned back to them. "Don't doubt them. You don't know if anyone of them has the ability to pull it off so why are you assuming they'll just roll over and get eliminated? There are thousands of them in there. I'm sure there is someone in there that can kill that thing." Hector spoke in a reprimanding tone.

  "Maybe Lumine's daughter can do it?" Rania raised an eyebrow. Reinhardt gave her an acknowledging look and nodded.

  "The kid with the ability right? Maybe she can pull it off with a little help. Who knows." He shrugged.

  Hector sighed before he turned back to the screen. "Let's just continue..."