Chapter 18: Trinity, Thanksgiving

Chapter 18: Trinity, Thanksgiving

"Is this the place?"

"It must be right, I've never seen such a long queue in any other town."

The Star Moon Potion, creating an illusion of the night sky splashed across walls. Even in the bright noon sun, one could see twinkling specks of light extending before their eyes.

The Dazzling Potion, an absolute showstopper at balls. A little dab on dresses, carriages, headpieces, even lipstick, and they would instantly sparkle brilliantly. It was as if anyone could become a fairy-tale princess, descending from a galaxy-lit sky to earth.

Consequently, even though Winnas' potions were priced much higher than those in other shops and had limited stock, customers still thronged daily, forming long queues outside the potion shop.

Gold coins flowed into the potion shop like water.

Along with the fame, stories of Winnas' kindness and filial piety spread.

"Such a poor child," a tender-hearted lady would say, wiping her tears, "Mr. Griffith suddenly fell so ill, yet Winnas hasn't given up and watches over him every day."

"Running such a large potion shop all alone, Winnas must have a hard time."

"Yes, we must go and help her. If anyone covets the potion shop, we’ll stand up for little Winnas!"

Both Phoebe and Winnas couldn't help but beam with joy as they counted the earnings each night.

Of course, this was always done in front of Griffith, the pitiable immobile former owner, who was soaked in deep regret and despair every day.

However, one day, two plainly dressed individuals walked into the shop.

Author’s note:

Thanks for the support, my dears. The next chapter, a triple release, will be at midnight. Hope everyone enjoys it thoroughly!

Chapter 18: Triple Release, With Gratitude

“Is this the place?”

“It must be. I haven’t seen such a long line anywhere else in other towns.”

Although it wasn't a legendary precious potion, it wasn't something an ordinary farmer would be familiar with and understand.

Doubts abounded.

For safety, Fey specifically visited the depths of the Curved Forest to find a Babylon Maternal Tree.

She crushed the buds of the daughter tree, sun-dried the unopened pollen for three hours under the moonlight, then sprinkled it into the transformation potion bottles one by one.

Then, she washed the tip buds of the mother tree, coated them with the remaining pollen from the daughter tree, and chewed them in her mouth.

After chewing and extracting the juice, she swallowed and then spat out the leaf.

Finally, she cast an ancient spell of "Bloodline Connection" (from the Necrosinger's Grimoire of Black Magic).

The twelve bottles of potion in front of her immediately emitted a faint luminescence.

This was the special connection of the Alphabet Tree; wherever the pollen of the daughter tree was, in the stomach, esophagus, or anywhere else, she, who possessed part of the "mother tree," could clearly see it.

This was just something Fey did casually, just in case.

So the Holy Army, who received the transformation potion and applied several detection spells without any problems, did not expect the potion to be laced with something else.

"Are you sure this potion's effects are alright?" Holy Army officer Raphael asked quietly.

"Should be no problem," replied a Holy Army member who had visited the town of Niniveh, "That potion shop has a long queue every day, and many people are even willing to pay a high price for it. Even the local monastery has a few monks quietly observing from the side."

"What good potion shop can there be in such a remote town? We should be thankful if it helps us get through until we leave," Raphael commented dismissively, "The local monastery probably doesn't even reach the copper level; they've probably never seen anything decent in their lives."

"Alright, who's going to try it first?" His gaze swept over the group, ultimately settling on two purchasers.

Whoever buys it, takes responsibility.

They captured a lone shape-shifter, chopped it up, and placed the pieces into the transformation potions, before drinking them down.

Moments later, the agony of bones reshaping and flesh churning enveloped the two.

Fortunately, the transformation didn't last long, and soon enough, Raphael saw two one-legged creatures floating before him, their bodies emanating a bluish-gray hue, resembling scythes in shape.

"It's like... perfectly deceptive!" exclaimed a member of the Holy Army in admiration!

Had they not witnessed the transformation themselves, they would have never guessed that these creatures were actually their comrades!

"That potion shop... might really have something special!"

Ordinary transformation potions could achieve a rough similarity, but there were always issues with the details.

Rarely could a potion transform two different species so perfectly, matching every aspect. Even potions crafted by skilled alchemists rarely achieved the perfection seen in the potion before them.

Raphael's eyes sparkled with astonishment!

Undeniably, the transformation's effect was far superior to what he had imagined. Even the large chain potion stores within the city of Elbiril couldn't concoct such a perfect transformation potion.

This was surely the work of a reclusive, top-tier potion master!

Raphael promptly added a new objective to his mission: to find a way to bring back this potion master!

After all, an excellent potion master is a rare talent wherever you go.

The benefits they bring are immense, not just for the monasteries under the Holy Army's command, but also for the royal family of the Assyrian Empire and government officials in various towns, all of whom would go to great lengths to secure such a potion master for their own.

Encountering a reclusive potion master in such a remote area was surely a gift from the deity.

If he could successfully bring them back, Raphael could foresee a significant rise in his own status.

After making sure his two "transformed" companions were alright, the rest of the Holy Army drank up their potions.

In half an hour, the combined forces of the dark races would officially approach the Witch's Castle.

Their plan was simple: blend in with the attacking troops to get close to the castle, then figure out which witch had the ancient bronze coin and devise a targeted plan to snatch it.

"We must not alert the enemy," Raphael, now with a dark purple inverted-triangle face as a transformed creature, said with a grave expression, "Our only goal is to find and retrieve the ancient bronze coin. Nothing more. Is that understood?"

"Yes!"

"But... why are you so nervous?" A successfully transformed member of the Holy Army strolled over, asking in confusion, "Ever since the deity unleashed divine punishment, the witches have all but vanished from the human world. After so many years, it's unlikely that many witches survived the punishment, right?"

"Those are true demons, creatures from the abyss," Raphael warned with a glance, "No matter how few witches are left, we must be extremely cautious. If anyone dares to do anything unnecessary—"

"You're right, I understand."

*

Above the castle, countless white necrotic flowers fluttered, lighting up a handful of white glow for the standing students.

The academy had four academic years in total, and apart from the first-year freshmen who didn't participate, students from the other three years were all present.

As the only freshman qualified to stand on the defense line, Fie Y. Ro naturally attracted a lot of attention.

"I heard there's a genius among the new students this year."

"But I heard it was an idiot?"

"So, she's the genius?"

"Doesn't look like it at all! Isn't she too thin?"

Fie Y. was led by Instructor Salira and stood on the corridor along the west wall.

Students filled the tall corridors on all sides of the castle, with three instructors overseeing each side.

The uniform black dresses resembled a funeral opening ceremony, befitting the witches' stronghold, enveloped in an aura of death.

Fie Y. glanced at her fellow upperclassmen, each armed with their own weapon. Some wielded wand-like branches, others bore swords (?), and some even carried mirrors.

A bizarre assortment, indeed.

"You've never seen weapons like these, have you?" The short-haired upperclassman next to her teased, seeing her expression, "When you successfully advance to the second year, you'll learn how to create your own weapon. Don't be envious just yet!"

"Naive freshman," another redhead upperclassman chimed in, tilting her head, "If you get scared later, you can hide behind us. Don't be fooled by our appearance; our magical power is among the top in the second year, and we'll make sure you're not harmed!"

Fie Y. looked up at her own 50/50 blue status bar, symbolizing her novice status, and nodded in acknowledgment.

In the distance, strange howling sounds began to emerge.

The Dark Army had arrived.

The Holy Army, mingling in the rear, stared in shock at the scene before them.

"So many children...!"

"No, wait, those kids are all wearing the same plain dresses! They reek of witchcraft!"

Raphael saw more clearly; he noticed several senior witches standing on the sides, continuously instructing the children around them.

Seeing this, he suddenly had a terrifying suspicion.

"Damn it! These witches have established an academy! They're training new witches!"

"What..?!"

This sudden turn of events caused a heavy pause in the breaths of all the Holy Army soldiers.

They had originally thought the witches were merely clinging to life in the abyss, but they never imagined the witches had established an academy in a place forsaken by the deity!

What are they planning? Do they intend to overthrow the divine punishment and rise again? Are they plotting to turn the human world back into a hell?!

This was a matter of great importance! They had to send word back to the monastery as soon as possible!

Dust flew as the attack was signaled with a blast of the horn.

The students looked nervously towards the horizon, each releasing their familiars.

Fie Y. was no exception, as she shook her arm, her expression serious.

The races selected by Salira weren't very intelligent, with low IQs; the united army's attack was completely devoid of tactics, purely a race of who could run faster to the front.

The first to arrive were the cave dwellers, levels 20-30.

These creatures, living year-round in the abyss's caves, were quick at digging. Their appearance resembled shrunken, short-legged gorillas, their scruffy bodies covered in hard bristles.

Standing atop the high wall, Fie Y. saw a group of bulldozers charging swiftly towards them.

The short-haired upperclassman whistled and gestured in the air. The next moment, a dark, heavy bow and arrow appeared in her hands.

The bow was engraved with bone-like patterns, and the arrowhead was covered in barbs.

"Swoosh!" The black arrow shot out, splitting into countless short phalanges in mid-air, raining down like a storm, piercing the bodies of the cave dwellers!

Fie Y. glanced at her; such a skill required at least a level 30 class change to execute.

It seemed their boasts weren't empty; the upperclassmen really had some skills.

The curly-haired upperclassman, not to be outdone, pulled out a rusty bell from nowhere.

She expressionlessly tossed the bell downwards, and in mid-air, those disgusting rust spots suddenly came to life.

It was then that Fie Y. saw clearly, those weren't rust spots at all, but writhing, twisting worms!

The bell emitted a strange rhythm, and a sea of worms surged forth, engulfing the nearest cave dwellers!

Fie Y.'s scalp tingled as she heard the relentless crunching of insects.

Steadying herself, she first cast an ancient spell to enhance her vision. Then, targeting a cave dweller weakened by her upperclassmen, she commanded her necromantic familiars to pounce and swiftly break its neck.

Instantly, her blue status bar surged impressively.

Indeed, snatching kills was effective!

With cave dwellers ranging from levels 20-30, and her just barely at level 5, she couldn't kill many, even with the aid of her level 30 familiars.

But kill-stealing was a different story!

In this world, without visualized data, the upperclassmen didn't care about the kills; their concern was solely with exercising their magic power.

This worked to Fie Y.'s advantage. She utilized her gaming skills to target the weak, striking swiftly.

Each hit took down a small enemy, skyrocketing her experience as if on a rocket.

She quickly soared from [50/50] to [100/100]!

Level 10 achieved√

Wasn't this much faster than slowly grinding for experience in class?

Tasting success, Fie Y. soon grew dissatisfied with the diminishing experience from the dwindling cave dwellers.

She shifted her focus to the rear, where a mix of transformed creatures (level 30-35) and trolls (level 35-45) were positioned.

Suddenly, a flash of light streaked from afar.

Huh? Fie Y. paused, squinting her eyes... Wasn't that the light from the pollen she had mixed into the transformation potion a few days ago??

*

"Everyone spread out and be cautious to avoid attacks, and make sure not to leave any witch behind."

At that moment, in the rear of the transformed creatures' ranks, Raphael whispered to his companions.

They managed to sneak into the Twisted Forest and successfully found the corpse of the necromancer.

But the deity's soul fragment was not there.

The Holy Army was certain that the witches had taken it and claimed it for themselves.

That was a fragment of the deity's soul!

If absorbed by a witch, even a tiny fragment could have unforeseeable consequences.

What would a witch with a divine essence become? Nobody dared to imagine.

The Holy Army could only, and must, retrieve the fragment.

Raphael spoke gravely, "With chaos everywhere, this is our only chance for confirmation."

As long as they were close enough to the ancient bronze coin formed from the soul fragment, the luminous crystals carried by the Holy Army would react.

They weren't sure which witch possessed the ancient bronze coin, but fortunately, due to the siege, many witches had gathered on the castle walls.

"With so many witches, we might waste a lot of time. But remember, do not startle the enemy. We only need to confirm who has the ancient bronze coin, then we'll withdraw."

Raphael took a deep breath, "If we're discovered by so many senior witches, even we will have a hard time escaping unscathed. So, don't do anything unnecessary. How we retrieve the ancient bronze coin can be discussed later—"

Before he could finish, another Holy Army soldier interrupted him in surprise.

"...Look! That's Clarke's necromantic familiar!"

Raphael looked up in shock and indeed saw a familiar shadow rolling in the distance.

They had pursued Clarke for a long time and had encountered his familiars countless times, making them all too familiar.

Now, seeing a familiar soul, Raphael's heart skipped a beat.

They had found it! If the familiar of Clarke had been subdued, then the deity's soul fragment must be with her!

Their gaze shifted upward, and every member of the Holy Army saw a young figure imprinted in their eyes.

"So small..." someone muttered in confusion, "And her magical power is so weak. I could crush her with one finger. Did she really kill Clarke?"

Although Clarke's abilities weren't impressive and his magic wasn't strong, his profession was notoriously troublesome.

The number of necromantic familiars a necromancer possesses represents the number of obedient duplicates at their disposal.

Raphael could easily kill Clarke, but facing dozens or even hundreds of familiars would waste a lot of time.

It was for this reason that Clarke managed to escape from the Holy Army.

"Approach and check," Raphael's eyes brewed a storm, "to confirm if the ancient bronze coin is indeed with her."

A young girl, Raphael didn't even need to act personally; any random member could easily tear her apart.

A hint of disdain and relief gradually appeared in the Holy Army's eyes, grateful that their target was not a high-level witch, which would have made their task much more difficult.

Ten soldiers silently dispersed, blending in with the transformed creatures as they rushed towards Fie Y.

However, to Raphael's utter surprise, just a few steps into their advance, the target witch, after slaying a transformed creature, suddenly looked up in their direction.

Raphael's expression shifted.

In that moment, he felt as if he had been discovered. But... how could that be?

While unsure who concocted the transformation potion, he could tell it was the work of a renowned, prominent potion master.

Not just any naive witch, but even he himself occasionally had the illusion of "being a transformed creature."

Such a potion, capable of influencing the mind of the user, surely couldn't be detected by a young witch with weak magical power.

Perhaps it was just an illusion.

Thinking this, he didn't voice a warning to his companions.

Thus, Raphael failed to notice that Fie Y. kept a watchful eye on them from the corner of her eye.

Well, this was unexpected. She thought it was just a regular siege, but it turned out to be a spy infiltration too!

Who are they? Disguised as Mr. Farmer, drinking the transformation potion to blend in with the attacking troops?

What do they intend to do?

Whatever it was, it surely wasn't anything good.

Fie Y. discreetly moved back a bit (prioritizing her safety) and then began pondering how to inform her instructor about the situation.

First off, she wouldn’t admit to having seen anything. After all, leaving the castle without permission, venturing out of the abyss on her own, and secretly shearing wool in the Twisted Forest to trade potions...

Not to mention, Instructor Gaia would be the first to tear her apart for it.

So, she needed to find another way to make the instructor discover it on her own.

Fie Y. didn't have much time left, as the first wave of transformed creatures and trolls was already upon her.

Those ten lights were getting increasingly closer.

Think fast! Is there an ancient spell that could resolve the current situation?

Fie Y.'s mind raced through every ancient spell in the textbooks, but darn it, none seemed applicable!

Suddenly, she had a brainwave.

There was still Clarke’s notebook!

That was essentially Clarke’s research notes. He never attended a formal school, so the ancient spells he recorded were complex and disorganized.

However, most of a necromancer’s research focuses on souls.

How to control souls, how to identify them, how to extract them.

And the transformation potion could only alter appearance, not the soul.

Fie Y. immediately crouched down, making sure no one noticed her, and quickly pulled out the notebook to search through it.

She swiftly found the page on forcibly extracting souls, memorized the lengthy text, and stood up.

This was a major spell of a necromancer, and she wasn’t sure if her magical power was sufficient.

But it was the only option available, and she had to try.

By now, Raphael had gotten close enough, and the luminous crystal hidden in his chest grew hotter with proximity, its heat pointing directly towards Fie Y.'s location.

Yes, it was her!

The Holy Army soldiers revealed relieved smiles, astounded that a mere young girl had stumbled upon their target.

This made their following task much simpler.

They could simply wait for the girl to leave the castle and head towards the Twisted Forest, then ambush her.

A child with such weak magical power was no cause for concern.

They planned to split into two groups: one to return to the monastery to inform the Archmage of the situation here, and the other to kill the girl and retrieve the deity's soul fragment.

With that, the nightmare that had plagued them for so long would finally end!

The idea of sparing her was out of the question.

In the eyes of the Holy Army, witches were synonymous with entities that must be eradicated.

Every witch, regardless of age or appearance, had to die upon capture.

A race that only brought despair to humanity could not be allowed to exist on this continent.

Raphael, calming his restless heart, signaled to his comrades: mission accomplished, prepare to retreat.

The soldiers began smearing blood on themselves, planning to use the scent to mask their tracks during their retreat.

But soon, Raphael’s movements halted.

He saw the target girl moving through the crowd, staring straight at him unflinchingly… Had they been discovered?!

Raphael's heart pounded heavily, a sense of indescribable danger suddenly overwhelming him.

Without time to think, he turned his head, mouth agape, about to warn his companions, when he distinctly heard a strange ancient spell.

“O bewildered and ignorant souls, shed all your disguises before me, and let me see your true faces—”

Focus, concentrate!

Fie Y. swung her arms, channeling all her magical power in a sweeping gesture!

In that moment, the eternally dim abyss was suddenly illuminated by a brilliant golden light!

Fie Y. was right; her magical power wasn't sufficient, managing to extract only one Holy Army soldier's soul, and that too for barely a second.

But even that brief second was enough for everyone to see the figure illuminated in the light.

Golden armor, golden hair, and skin as white as radiance itself, with eyes like the blue of lake waters.

This was a servant of the deity, an enforcer of the monastery, a definitive member of the Light Faction—the Holy Army!

There were Holy Army soldiers disguised as transformed creatures mixed in with the attacking forces!

In that instant, every witch’s face changed drastically.

Raphael's heart sank to the depths.

It was over!

Everything that followed spiraled out of control.

Especially for Fie Y., it was like witnessing an epic 5D movie up close.

First to react was Instructor Belrona.

Countless headless warhorses rose at her feet, and a gigantic blood-red sword materialized in mid-air.

“The Holy Army? Seeking death!”

The Witch of War didn’t bother distinguishing who was disguised; regardless of how many were imposters, she launched a furious charge, pulverizing all transformed creatures and trolls in her path.

Only the ten Holy Army soldiers were forced to draw their weapons and engage in battle.

Soon, nearly all the instructors joined the fray. Except for Raphael, the others in the Holy Army had little chance of resistance.

However, the inherent suppression of light over darkness still enabled them to unleash surprising potential.

Countless artifacts and equipment flew chaotically around the battlefield, dazzling Fie Y.

She finally concluded that these Holy Army soldiers were at least around levels 50-55, and the officer might even be higher.

But the instructors were no less formidable; the Witch of War was certainly above level 65, and Instructor Salira was definitely over level 55.

Thus, the witches’ combat prowess was absolutely overwhelming.

In the end, nine members of the Holy Army sacrificed their souls in a self-destructive act, buying Raphael a brief moment.

The gravely wounded officer extracted a scroll from a ring on his hand, tearing it and throwing it down at his feet.

A blinding magical circle flared up, engulfing Raphael completely.

His figure vanished from the spot.

Fie Y. was shocked; it was a space ring! He actually had a space ring!

If she wasn't mistaken, that ring was the renowned Vine Flower Ring!

Space equipment was incredibly rare, each piece fetching astronomical prices in the game whenever one appeared.

Especially the Vine Flower Ring, while its storage space wasn't large – only about the size of an adult – it was the only non-tradable space equipment, and it looked exceptionally beautiful.

Previously in the game, top-ranking male players often used the Vine Flower Ring as a gift to pursue their beloved female players.

But now, Fie Y. didn't care about any of that.

All she could think about was: that’s a space ring, and she had to get it!

With one Holy Army member escaped, the hot-tempered Belrona was nearly furious enough to explode on the spot.

Countless headless warhorses, under her control, galloped in different directions, her familiars imbued with the wrath of the Witch of War, searching every corner of the abyss to bring back the escapee.

“Since that time, this is the first Holy Army to set foot on this land, such rare guests,” Instructor Sharp remarked, standing beside the Holy Army corpses, as upside-down dolls drenched in light blood fluttered around her.

“This is not good, Sharp,” Gaia said while manipulating vines on the ground, meticulously inspecting each body, “The academy’s existence might be exposed.”

Sharp's smile dimmed, “We’ll find him, nobody can escape alive from the Witch Academy.”

“Yes, but first, let's send the children back, their eyes are practically glued to my face.”

A hood obscured Gaia’s expression, and Fie Y. was hurried back to the castle before she could grasp the full conversation.

What? What was “that time”? What did “the academy might be exposed” mean? Were the instructors running an unlicensed school? And what was the deal with these suddenly appearing Holy Army soldiers?

Obviously, her schoolmates were just as curious as she was. However, they weren't familiar with each other, so no one approached her for gossip.

Fey decided to investigate on her own.

It was Instructor Salira who saved her during her most painful moments, and the academy had provided her with a comfortable life.

The other instructors were equally diligent in imparting new knowledge to her. They never mistreated her for her previous 'dullness', nor did they trouble her for her frequent disappearances and her carrying of strange items.

Did the instructors really never notice her unusual behaviors? Fey didn’t think so; these were truly advanced witches.

So, there was only one possibility — the instructors had unanimously chosen to either 'protect' or 'ignore' her.

Perhaps it was out of sympathy or pity, or maybe just a lack of interest in meddling, or some other reason. In any case, Fey indeed felt a different kind of warmth from these great witches.

Therefore, she genuinely did not want to see this place harmed in any way.

If someone was targeting the academy, it meant they were targeting her!

Previously, Fey heard the instructors say that they must prevent the exposure of student affairs, and the escapee had to be captured.

She first sought to investigate the bodies of the Holy Army soldiers, hoping to find some clues.

However, the bodies were taken away by an unfamiliar instructor and stuffed into a room painted with ancient spells (ominous at first glance).

With that avenue blocked, she had to find another way.

That night, Fey appeared in the potion shop.

Their transformation potions were purchased from here.

“I’m sorry, sir, but there was nothing noteworthy about the two farmers who came that day,” said little Winna, wearing a neatly fitting dress and a light yellow apron around her fair neck.

She had become much more confident and composed, but still remained respectful and pleased in front of Fey, who was much shorter.

Despite trying hard to recall, Winna came up empty-handed and said with frustration, “I can’t even remember their faces anymore, which is unusual.”

“That’s normal,” Fey said, grabbing a handful of candies from a pretty tray — these were prepared by Winna for the customers to help reduce the grumbling from the queue.

“They must have used a disguise spell, so it’s normal that you can’t remember them.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” Winna said as she brought Fey a steaming cup of tea. “But I do have some good news you might be interested in — yesterday morning, a monk from the monastery visited the potion shop, wanting to order some higher-grade healing potions.”

“Oh?” Fey raised an eyebrow. Monks, one of the nine major professions, were essentially support healers. If they could heal themselves, why would they need potions?

Besides, she never quite liked those snobbish types who only cared about money.

“No time,” Fey dismissed nonchalantly, finishing her tea. “I’ll think about it after I deal with what’s on my plate.”

The trail ends here, completely cut off.

Although she recognized that the fleeing Holy Army's last magic formation was just a short-distance teleportation array, she was too weak, only able to wander near the castle, far too timid to venture alone into the abyss.

"There was no equipment or tool available for precise searching."

"After all, I was just too weak."

"Fei Yi patted her head, deciding to set this matter aside for now, trusting that the tutors would surely capture that person."

"Returning to the academy after a whole round of activities, her stomach growled with hunger, but it was already past the time for ordering dinner."

"Fei Yi immediately regretted not eating more at the potion shop!"

"She sighed as she opened the door to her dormitory, only to find her desk overflowing with delicious food!"

"Egg and milk pancakes, black tea pearl cake, crispy chicken legs, and a glass of cold dragon blood juice!"

"Dragon blood juice wasn't made from actual dragon's blood, but from a bright red, dragon-shaped fruit."

"It tasted like a blend of grapefruit and strawberries, sweet and incredibly refreshing, reducing fatigue and restoring energy!"

"Fei Yi dove right in."

"Ahem," her roommate, Miss Wyatt, said demurely from her seat, "I accidentally ordered too much tonight."

"Fei Yi bit into a chicken leg, 'Thanks!'"

"Hill pressed her lips together, trying not to let her smile become too obvious."

"She held her head high like a flamingo, casually asking, 'You seem famished. Did things not go smoothly with the guard duty today?'"

"In the midst of the chaos, Fei Yi glanced at Hill from the corner of her eye, recently noticing that this girl often sought conversation with her, liked to drop pretty trinkets (the kind girls adore) at her feet, and always stood up for her in class."

Although still habitually haughty, Hilary's tone had softened considerably.

Fie Y. understood, wiped her mouth, and casually mentioned the unexpected incident that occurred during her guard duty.

All the senior students knew about it, so there was no point in hiding it.

But as Fie Y. spoke, Hilary’s brow slowly furrowed.

When she heard that someone had escaped, Hilary, the young lady, stood up abruptly, slapping the table in alarm.

“This is bad! The academy will definitely be in trouble!”

“Huh?” Fie Y., distressed by the chicken leg that fell due to the shock, casually remarked, “The last person used only a short-distance teleportation spell, they couldn't have gone far. Besides, the abyss and the human world are separated by a barrier; their communication devices surely won’t work.”

The abyss and the human world are separated by a massive magical membrane, essentially two different worlds. Any local communication or ordinary teleportation devices would fail to function.

Even the deity couldn’t easily descend into the abyss.

So, as long as they couldn’t leave the abyss, just Instructor Belrona alone would be enough for that Holy Army soldier, let alone several instructors tracking together. Fie Y. didn’t believe he could escape.

“No, it’s not like that!” Hilary, abandoning her composure, hurried over and exclaimed, “He can’t die! Each Holy Army officer has a mark etched into their soul by the monastery! Once they die, a flame of light will immediately ignite at the site of death!”

“That flame carries a bit of the deity’s power, an eternal sacred fire that never extinguishes! Once it ignites, all the monasteries within the Assyrian Empire will sense it! Then a large number of monks and archmages will rush over!”

“Crack!”

Fie Y. snapped the chicken leg bone abruptly and stood up.

What kind of ridiculous rule was this?!

Wait a minute… it seemed… maybe… in the “Gods and Demons Continent” game, when she killed a Holy Army soldier above level 60, a light did indeed appear at the spot…

But she thought it was just a regular death effect! Did it have such dire consequences in reality?!

Fie Y. had no doubt about Hilary’s words; the daughter of a count, her family was protected by several squads of the Holy Army.

“Let’s go, we need to find Instructor Belrona!”

Fie Y. grabbed Hilary's wrist and dashed out, leaving the young lady with a stunned expression.

Never before had a commoner dared... dared to touch her like that...

A small flame of emotion gradually ignited within her heart.

But, but... running together towards a common goal for the academy... surely that's what friends do!

She finally had her first friend!

Author's Note:

I'm gradually losing my hair (...