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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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Tesha, or rather, Arlia.
A princess of noble birth.
Short, becoming blonde hair.
A gentle and courteous demeanor, kind yet decisive.
In the imperial palace, no one her age could match her skills in magic, swordsmanship, or archery.
She was blessed with both beauty and talent, and had never wanted for anything material in her life.
She had never doubted her own abilities.
‘Be generous to others, and strict with yourself.’
She had always followed her mentor’s teachings, striving to walk the path of a ruler.
Her only problem…
Was her low position in the line of succession.
She was the youngest of three siblings, and the only daughter.
Five years younger than her eldest brother, and three years younger than her second brother, her youth was seen as a weakness.
“Arlia, the time will come when you must prove yourself.”
“What more must I do to prove myself?”
It was the day of the imperial swordsmanship tournament.
The knights, unwilling to offend the two princes, had thrown the matches. And they wouldn’t dare defeat Arlia, the princess.
It was a staged performance.
So, Arlia played along.
The empire was corrupt.
Some nobles even accepted bribes to knight unqualified candidates.
The central government turned a blind eye.
In return, the imperial palace amassed even more wealth.
“When the prince ascends to the throne, Princess Arlia, you will be married off to another kingdom.”
“I’m aware of that.”
Even if it meant being used as a political pawn, Arlia was willing to do whatever it took to strengthen the empire.
“I want you to become the emperor.”
“…Master, I…”
“Enroll in Neydia Hero Academy. Become a hero and prove yourself.”
“Is that your wish, Master? Or the empire’s?”
Arlia’s eyes wavered slightly.
Her elderly mentor smiled kindly.
“It is both my wish, and the empire’s will.”
“…”
“Go, Arlia. Find allies who will support you in the future.”
But Arlia was a princess.
She rarely appeared in public.
Her last social appearance had been three years ago.
She avoided situations that could expose her identity.
Even then, she had used a partial polymorph spell to change her eye color and styled her hair differently.
The nobles had showered her with empty compliments.
They had fawned over her, their flattery sickeningly sweet.
She would have rather spent that time honing her magic and swordsmanship skills.
But some of the high-ranking nobles would recognize her.
If she enrolled in the academy, rumors of a princess attending Neydia would spread like wildfire. And her presence could disrupt the balance of power within the academy.
It would cause problems.
Rumors of a princess attending the academy would spread.
Neydia Hero Academy was attended by children of high-ranking nobles.
“Master, I am a princess. It would be unfair to the other students if I attended the academy.”
Her mentor smiled and pulled a necklace from his sleeve.
“This is the Necklace of Discord. It won’t completely conceal your identity, but it will help.”
The Necklace of Discord.
It was an artifact prepared by her mentor to conceal her identity as a princess.
As long as no one suspected she was a princess, her true identity would remain hidden.
She would appear as just another ordinary student.
That day, Arlia, concealing her name and identity, enrolled in Neydia Hero Academy.
She cut her long hair, a symbol of her resolve.
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Tesha woke up, wondering why she had such a strange dream.
She stared blankly at the ceiling.
It had only been six months, but her resolve was wavering.
‘I wish I wasn’t born a princess…’
Arlia wished she could live as Tesha.
If she were a commoner, she wouldn’t have to worry about political struggles.
She could live freely, spending time with her friends without any restrictions.
‘The future of the empire rests on your shoulders, Princess.’
Ethan and Arthur.
She had met them after enrolling in Neydia.
They were both growing stronger at an alarming rate.
‘Maybe… they could be the empire’s hope…’
Arthur wielded golden mana.
She had never seen anything like it.
‘And Ethan was strong.’
She had heard that he had single-handedly defeated an army of undead.
She recalled the time Ethan had saved her from the demon.
‘It’s only May, and he’s already defeated two demons…’
He had arrived at the perfect moment to save her in the dormitory.
And he had been constantly hovering around her.
He had invited her to join the club, and he had suggested studying together during midterms.
‘Huff… huff… Damn it, she’s so stubborn.’
‘Her heart’s still beating… She’s just unconscious… Ugh… Damn girl, why didn’t she listen…?’
Ethan’s words echoed in her mind.
She had felt a strange thrill, and had asked him to scold her.
‘…Ethan, I actually prefer kind people…’
Bad boys weren’t her type. They were selfish, dishonest, and immature.
Or so she thought.
“I… I want to be scolded more…”
Tesha mumbled, tossing and turning in her bed.
She wanted to be scolded, to be reprimanded. She couldn’t understand these feelings.
‘It’s late at night… I’m thinking strange things…’
She remembered feeling a strange sense of pleasure while being insulted on the rooftop.
It didn’t make sense.
But she couldn’t talk to anyone about it.
‘I’ll just focus on graduating from the academy.’
The princess, with her secret desires, drifted off to sleep.
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May.
Final exams were just around the corner.
It had been over two months since he had arrived in this world.
The final exams would be held in June.
The novel had stated,
Neydia Hero Academy’s curriculum is optimized to develop the skills required of a hero.
One-on-one combat, group combat, dungeon exploration, raids…
These were all essential skills for a hero.
By completing the courses, the students would naturally develop these skills.
That was the academy’s motto.
Ethan looked at his skill window.
He didn’t understand why his Spirit Magic and Necromancy skills had started at level 3.
Well, it made sense, considering he could control a high-level spirit and a Chaos Knight.
His Linchester Swordsmanship had increased by two levels, and his Elemental Magic and Hand-to-Hand Combat had each increased by one level since the school trip.
His Mana Control, however, was still stuck at level 5.
He had read somewhere that it was difficult to level up skills beyond level 5.
And yet, he still couldn’t even use telekinesis properly, resorting to throwing rocks.
Honestly, he still didn’t understand why he was here.
He wanted to be back in his warm, comfortable bed, eating potato chips and chicken, drinking beer, and watching movies.
Web novels?
He didn’t want to read them anymore.
Who knew what kind of trouble he would get into next?
He had received several messages from Anya.
―Ethan, how are you feeling? If you’re better, let’s have a duel!
―Or, let me fight your knight! The Chaos… Knight?
―Ethan, text me back!
She was a true warrior of the Kargon tribe.
He had been receiving duel requests from Anya ever since the school trip.
He had been avoiding her, claiming he wasn’t feeling well.
He could easily defeat her now.
Hero Candidates often dueled each other.
The problem was, he couldn’t hold back against Anya.
One of them would end up in the infirmary.
There was no such thing as holding back in a mana-infused duel.
And if he didn’t use mana, he would lose.
And if he held back, Anya would accuse him of dishonoring a warrior’s pride.
She had done the same thing to Arthur in the original story.
When Arthur started showing his true strength, she had challenged him to a duel without hesitation.
[My lord, you seem troubled.]
[My lord? Can you not hear me?]
Telepathic communication.
It was a form of communication exclusive to summoners and their summoned beings.
It was distracting.
[I can hear you. Loud and clear.]
[I asked what’s troubling you.]
Ethan explained the situation. He told Lien about Anya, the battle-loving warrior from the Kargon tribe, and her constant duel requests.
Anya probably felt cheated.
She had been preparing to fight the death knight, and Ethan had stolen her prey.
[How troublesome.]
[Yeah, it is.]
[What’s the problem? Just accept her challenge and defeat her.]
[…Can you defeat her?]
Ethan wasn’t sure how strong Lien was now.
Chaos Knights were rarely mentioned in the novel.
They were just… mentioned in passing.
[I can defeat her.]
[Really…? Then can you fight Anya for me?]
[Gladly.]
He just received another text message from Anya.
He knew she would keep pestering him until he agreed to a duel.
He might as well get it over with.
Ethan replied to Anya, accepting her challenge.
He needed to summon Lien, so he chose a secluded location far from the academy.
He arranged to meet Anya in the forest southwest of Eastvan in the evening.
Anya arrived, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
She had her massive hammer slung over her shoulder.
The full moon provided the perfect backdrop for their duel.
Ethan reached into his shadow.
“Answer my call.”
Lien materialized beside him.
A gust of wind swept through the clearing.
“Oh! Chaos Knight Lien! Nice to meet you!”
Anya grinned and waved.
“The pleasure is all mine, Anya Kargon.”
“Ethan isn’t feeling well, so we can’t have a proper duel, but… I really wanted to fight you.”
“I’m honored.”
Ethan set the rules of their duel.
One-on-one, single match.
Why not best of three?
Three rounds of intense combat?
That would only increase the risk of injury.
It was better to end it quickly.
“A duel to the death?”
“Yes, Anya. A duel to the death.”
“Great! I’m ready to die in battle!”
You might be ready to die, but we’re not, you maniac.
“My lord has decreed that he will not accept any challenges for a while if I win.”
“Okay, okay! For how long?”
Lien glanced at Ethan.
Ethan held up one finger.
[One month?]
[One month?! Of course, it’s a year!]
Lien nodded.
“One year.”
“A year? Isn’t that a bit long?”
“You can forfeit the duel if you don’t like the terms.”
“Okay, okay, fine. One year. If I lose, I won’t challenge Ethan for a year.”
Lien nodded.
“And if I win?”
“It means you’re stronger than me. Of course, my lord is much stronger than I am.”
What was he talking about?!
I barely managed to defeat you when you were a Death Knight.
And now you’re a Chaos Knight. There’s no way I can win.
“As expected.”
Anya readily agreed.
Ethan felt a headache coming on.
“Let the duel begin!”
Lien nodded, and they clashed.
Anya leaped forward, swinging her hammer.
Whoosh! Bang!
The halberd and the hammer collided.
The sound of metal against metal was deafening.
They wielded their weapons with effortless ease.
Anya’s powerful attacks continued.
Lien met her attacks head-on.
Then, as Anya tried to exploit an opening, Lien turned it against her.
He grabbed her face with his gauntlet.
And then…
Bang!
He slammed her head into the ground.
The duel ended quickly.
Did he hit her too hard?
Even Ethan, the referee, was worried.
A smile spread across Anya’s face.
“I win, Anya Kargon.”
“Ha… haha… hahaha…”
Anya burst into laughter.
She couldn’t stop laughing.
Did she hit her head too hard?
Ethan wondered if she had finally lost her mind.
But he was wrong.
“Amazing! That was amazing!”
Anya was a true warrior.
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