"W-What?! Why can't I channel my mana?!"
Akira's voice was a mix of shock and rising panic as she struggled against her bindings.
Arthur smirked, giving the rope a playful tug, making her sway slightly.
"It's a simple magic seal. How is it?"
Akira's silver eyes burned with indignation.
"Aren't you a swordsman?! How the hell are you using magic?!"
Arthur tilted his head, looking amused.
"Well, it seems you know too little about . So why don't you stop resisting and party up with ? That way, we could… get to know each other better."
Akira glared at him, then groaned.
"Fine, fine! First, turn around. I'm feeling dizzy hanging like this!"
"Of course."
With a casual flick of his fingers, the vine twisted—turning Akira upright while keeping her tightly bound.
Akira exhaled sharply, then smirked.
"Hah! You're too naïve! Now that I can focus, I can gather my mana. This worthless seal? I'll break it in no ti!"
Arthur crossed his arms.
"I suppose so… but only if you can concentrate perfectly."
"What—?"
Hee-ik—!
Akira suddenly yelped as she felt an uncomfortable wave of heat against her butt.
Arthur had lowered the rope, bringing her dangerously close to the flickering bonfire beneath her.
"W-Wait! Wait! WAIT! STOPPPP—! Aaaaaagh! DON'T—!"
Arthur smiled innocently.
"So? Are you going to cooperate or not?"
Akira gritted her teeth, still squirming against the heat.
"N-No! Never! I'd rather die than party up with a hoodlum like you!"
Arthur sighed dramatically.
"Really? Well then… don't resent if your butt gets cooked."
*"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH—!! STOP! STOP!!"
Akira thrashed violently, but the vine only creaked under her weight. The heat licking at her skin grew unbearable.
In desperation, she poured every ounce of focus into breaking the seal—but it wasn't easy.
Arthur knew that.
Magic seals didn't contain mana, which ant breaking them required absolute ntal clarity—sothing very difficult to achieve when your ass was monts away from being roasted.
If Akira had been a more experienced mage, she might have broken it with ease.
But she wasn't.
Arthur watched with amusent as Akira's face turned pale, her struggling montarily stopping.
Her thoughts raced.
'T-They can see what's happening from the outside, right?!'
A cold chill—far colder than her usual icy deanor—ran down her spine.
'No… No way… If other people see this—!!!'
There was nothing more disgraceful than this.
And then—
PSSHHH—!
A small fla licked at the hem of her skirt.
"Kyaaaagh—!! H-HOT!! STOP! STOP! STOP IT, PLEASE!!"
Arthur, holding the vine with a calm, amused expression, spoke as if he were discussing the weather.
"Swear on the na of your family that you'll cooperate."
Akira frantically kicked in the air, her dignity completely shattered.
"I'LL DO IT! I'LL DO IT!! I SWEAR IN THE NA OF FROST—SO PLEASE STOP!!"
Tears welled in her silver eyes, her cold and composed aura nowhere to be found.
Arthur smirked.
'That ended too easily. I was just starting to enjoy this. Keukkeuk—'
Still, a deal was a deal. With a casual tug, he pulled the vine, raising her away from the fire before finally cutting her loose.
Akira collapsed onto the forest floor, panting, her face flushed with both exhaustion and humiliation.
She hurriedly patted out the embers clinging to what remained of her skirt—or at least, what used to be a skirt.
The entire lower half was charred, leaving most of her long, slender legs exposed.
If she so much as bent down even slightly…
Arthur raised an eyebrow, taking in the view.
Akira's hands trembled as she clutched the tattered remains of her clothing, her thoughts spiraling.
'N-No one saw that, right? Y-Yeah… It should be fine…'
She swallowed hard.
'The test just started, so the professors were probably watching the other participants… right…? RIGHT…?'
She nodded to herself, desperately clinging to that comforting delusion.
Unfortunately for her—
The entire faculty had been watching.
*****
The instructors were completely silent.
Except for Instructor Luke, who was wheezing from laughter.
"PFFFFTT—!!"
Tears stread down his face as he struggled to breathe.
"P-Professor Samantha, you really have an eye for disciples! HAHAHA! I already like this guy—!!"
Samantha simply rubbed her temples, sighing.
"Ha…"
Her face remained expressionless, but deep down…
She was already reconsidering her choice of disciple.
"Enough about him. Let's check on the other candidates," she said, swiftly changing the topic.
The display shifted, revealing Alex in battle—locked in combat against four trolls.
Behind him, Cassandra and Luna Harper were seen chanting in unison, preparing spells.
Elena nodded in approval.
"Hm~ Good teamwork. Alex is taking on the trolls head-on while the mages provide well-tid support."
Ann agreed.
"Indeed. In a balanced party, the best strategy is to have the frontline hold the enemies while the mages attack from the rear."
Samantha swiped her fingers again, and the display shifted to an unusual duo.
A beastgirl and a boy.
Kaela and Cedric.
The room went silent again.
The instructors found the sight bizarre—because the beastgirl was practically carrying the boy.
Kaela effortlessly tore through monsters, while Cedric trailed behind. From ti to ti, she left so creatures barely alive—just so Cedric could finish them off.
Luke's eyebrow twitched.
"What the fuck? What is he doing? How can he just let himself be carried by a woman—?"
A sudden chill filled the room.
Luke froze as he noticed the cold gazes of all the female instructors locked onto him.
Elena's voice was ice-cold.
"Huh? What do you an by that? Do you think it's shaful to be taken care of by a woman?"
Luke gulped.
"I-I didn't an it like that—" he stamred.
Professor Ann decided to cut in before the man got himself killed.
"I know that boy. He's in my business managent elective."
She adjusted her glasses.
"Cedric may be physically weak, but his mind is razor-sharp. He's a natural businessman—so it's no surprise that his combat abilities are lacking."
Then, she smirked.
"And let tell you… he's the heir of the Raven Family—the wealthiest family in the empire, second only to the royal family."
GULP.
Luke swallowed hard.
The guy he had just mocked turned out to be a money god.
Suddenly, Kaela carrying him didn't seem so bad.
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