The moment the crimson-eyed boy disappeared...

Silence settled over the forest.

The leaves overhead continued swaying gently as the wind drifted through the towering trees, carrying away the last trace of his presence. For several long seconds, no one in the group moved. Their eyes remained fixed on the place where he had vanished, as if expecting him to step out from behind another tree at any moment.

Only after they were certain he was truly gone did the tension holding their bodies together finally break.

One after another...

Their knees gave out.

Thud.

The entire group collapsed onto the forest floor.

Heavy breaths echoed beneath the thick canopy as everyone struggled to calm their racing hearts. Sweat soaked their uniforms despite the cool breeze passing through the woods. It felt as though an invisible mountain that had been pressing against their shoulders had finally been lifted.

"W... What..."

The boy who had been leading the group lowered his head, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"What... was that?"

Even after asking the question, his voice continued to tremble.

His hands were still shaking.

He couldn’t stop them.

The non-noble boy leaned against a nearby tree for support. Cold sweat rolled down the side of his face before dripping onto the ground below.

"Was..."

He swallowed hard.

"Was Sir Desmond Derlis always this scary?"

Disbelief filled his eyes.

"We’re students of the same academy... We’re all around the same age..."

His fingers slowly tightened into fists.

"Damn it...Damn it..."

The noble girl sitting nearby slammed her palm against the soil.

The impact scattered loose dirt across the ground.

Her breathing remained uneven as frustration flashed across her face.

"I couldn’t even..."

She bit her lip.

"I couldn’t even look him in the eyes."

The memory of those crimson pupils still lingered inside her mind.

They hadn’t carried any obvious killing intent.

Nor had they shown anger.

Yet somehow...

That made them even more terrifying.

The second noble boy sat down with his back against the trunk of a large tree.

He tilted his head upward.

Sunlight filtered through countless layers of leaves, creating dancing patches of light above him.

His breathing gradually became steadier.

"I wonder..."

He spoke quietly, almost to himself.

"...which member of the Ashenlocke Family he’s searching for."

No one answered immediately.

Everyone had been wondering the exact same thing for a while now, after they relaxed a bit.

The non-noble girl slowly hugged her knees, her lips parting slightly.

"Don’t..."

She hesitated before forcing the words out.

"Don’t tell me...it’s Ezra Ashenlocke."

The surrounding atmosphere instantly became heavier.

The group leader... the loudest boy, slowly nodded.

"Knowing Sir Desmond Derlis...I’m afraid you’re probably right."

His expression became complicated.

Ever since the welcoming party incident between Ezra Ashenlocke and Desmond Derlis.

Students who knew Desmond clearly or had heard about his reputation within their noble society, knew he was someone who never let the sleeping dogs lie.

The leader couldn’t help imagining what would happen if Desmond Derlis found Ezra Ashenlocke.

"At least..."

He let out a long breath.

"...it’s not us."

The words escaped almost instinctively.

Relief slowly spread across his face.

Whatever Desmond’s business was...

It no longer involved their group.

That alone felt like surviving a disaster.

Suddenly...

"AH!"

The second noble boy shouted.

His eyes widened as he pointed toward the branches above them.

The others immediately jumped to their feet.

"What now?!"

The non-noble boy hurriedly looked around in panic.

"Did he come back?!"

The noble girl instinctively stepped backward, her face turning pale again.

"N-No..."

The second noble boy continued pointing upward, unable to hide the disbelief on his face.

"I found one."

His finger remained fixed on a single branch high above them.

"It’s...It’s attached on a leaf."

Everyone instinctively followed the direction he was pointing.

Resting gently atop a broad green leaf...

A crystal-clear gem reflected the scattered sunlight filtering through the trees.

Tiny flashes of light shimmered across its smooth surface.

Etched neatly inside the crystal...

Were three bold letters.

CCC.

For a brief moment...

The entire group simply stared.

Then...

The loudest boy let out an exhausted laugh.

"Seriously..."

He shook his head.

"We almost died from fright... and the thing was sitting above us this whole time."

The others couldn’t help smiling bitterly.

After everything that had just happened...

Finding their numbered gem felt strangely unreal.

Relief mixed together with lingering fear.

At least...

They could finally complete the objective they had originally entered the forest to accomplish.

The group leader carefully climbed onto the lower branches before reaching for the gem.

The instant his fingers wrapped around it...

A smile slowly appeared across his face.

"We found it."

His voice was filled with genuine relief.

"Let’s find the rest and leave this place as soon as possible."

No one disagreed.

Not after meeting Desmond Derlis.

Without another word, the small group hurried deeper into the forest, eager to find the remaining numbered gems for the remaining members before fate decided to throw another monster into their path.

Far away from the group...

The forest gradually returned to its natural silence.

Tall ancient trees stretched high into the sky, their thick branches weaving together to form a dense canopy that blocked most of the afternoon sunlight. Only thin rays of light managed to slip through the gaps, scattering patches of gold across the damp forest floor.

The gentle breeze carried the scent of fresh leaves and moist earth, while the distant sound of flowing water echoed faintly between the trees.

Walking calmly along one of the narrow paths was Selena.

Unlike most students who hurried through the forest in search of their numbered gems, her pace remained slow and graceful.

A white nose mask covered the lower half of her delicate face, while elegant white gloves protected her hands from the dirt and mud beneath her feet. She carefully avoided every muddy patch she encountered, stepping only on dry ground or exposed tree roots whenever possible.

She let out a quiet sigh.

"Why would Professor Kent choose a forest for a practical test like this?"

Her emerald eyes slowly swept across her surroundings, moving from the towering trees to the bushes, rocks, and patches of grass without missing a single detail.

A faint smile appeared beneath her mask.

"Well... Luck seems to be on my side today."

She slowly opened her left hand.

Resting neatly on her palm were three crystal-clear numbered gems.

Each reflected the sunlight filtering through the trees, causing tiny flashes of light to dance across their smooth surfaces.

I found the first one on the ground the moment I landed, while the second was resting on top of a large rock and the third was hidden beneath the flowing water of a small stream.

Selena quietly admired them for a brief moment before closing her fingers around the gems again.

"Ah..."

She sighed once more.

"My skin is definitely going to need a proper cleansing after this practical class."

She continued walking deeper into the forest with the same composed elegance.

At first glance...

Anyone watching from a distance would probably assume Selena was simply another noble young lady worried about getting her clothes dirty.

That assumption, however...

Couldn’t have been further from the truth.

She wasn’t carelessly wandering through the forest.

She was searching.

Unlike Ezra, whose sensory perception expanded outward like invisible waves across still water before reconstructing the world through vibrations and sound...

Selena’s perception worked differently.

As a child of the Wind Alchemist House of Galehart, Selena had trained under the philosophy of Wind Alchemy.

To a Wind Alchemist...

The wind itself was never just moving air.

It carried information.

Every current.

Every disturbance.

Every collision.

Every tiny change in pressure created a different reaction.

Instead of separating countless sounds one by one as Ezra did...

Selena naturally understood the interactions of the wind around her.

She didn’t need to filter every vibration.

The wind itself told her what had disturbed it.

It whispered where branches had moved.

Where footsteps had passed.

Where rocks interrupted the airflow.

Even where hidden objects subtly altered the surrounding currents.

She didn’t reconstruct the world inside her mind.

She simply perceived what the wind revealed.

Of course...

She had not yet reached perfection considering her rank as an Alchemist.

But, unlike Ezra, who could analyze, estimate, and mentally construct an incredibly detailed image of everything within his sensory range...

Selena couldn’t accurately predict or calculate every object she detected.

She understood what the wind showed her.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

Even so...

That alone already made her senses exceptional among first-year students.

Selena suddenly stopped walking.

Without turning around...

She spoke in the same gentle tone she always used.

"You can come out now."

Her voice was soft.

Yet it carried surprising confidence.

"You can’t fool a Wind Alchemist."

Only then did she slowly turn her head.

Her emerald eyes settled on the towering trees behind her.

The forest remained quiet for several seconds.

Then...

"Haha..."

A helpless laugh echoed from behind one of the trees.

"She found us."

A noble boy stepped out from the shadows wearing an awkward smile.

He scratched the back of his head as though embarrassed by the situation.

"We weren’t trying to follow you... We were..."

"So...You were following me."

Selena calmly interrupted him.

Her voice remained polite, but her usual gentle smile, however...

Had disappeared.

The noble boy laughed more nervously.

"Hahaha... No... We weren’t. We only hid because we were worried you might think we were trying to attack you."

As he finished speaking...

Two more students stepped out from behind neighboring trees.

One boy and one girl.

Both wore the Royal Academy training uniform and carried themselves with the confidence expected of noble students.

"He’s right, Lady Selena."

The noble girl spoke calmly while offering a respectful nod.

The second noble boy quietly nodded in agreement too.

Selena’s eyes slowly moved across the three of them.

A group of three nobles huh...

Hmmm... I think recognize most of their faces.

She silently observed each of them.

Their posture.

Their breathing.

Their facial expressions.

Nothing escaped her notice.

After a brief pause...

She elegantly raised one hand.

"You."

She pointed toward the noble boy standing at the front of the group.

He immediately smiled politely.

"Yes, my lady?"

"Aren’t you... one of the noble gentlemen whose invitation to dance I declined during the welcome party?"

Selena asked in the same calm voice.

The young noble blinked before laughing awkwardly again.

"Haha... Yes. That was me."

"I see."

Selena nodded softly.

For a brief moment...

The tension in the air seemed to disappear.

Her shoulders relaxed slightly.

The three nobles instinctively loosened their guard.

Then...

Boom!

A powerful surge of Cognis burst from Selena’s body.

The sudden fluctuation swept through the surrounding forest like an invisible shockwave.

The nearby trees rustled violently.

Dry leaves scattered into the air.

Loose dirt and tiny pebbles rolled across the ground beneath the pressure.

The expressions of the three nobles changed immediately.

Selena’s emerald eyes no longer carried their earlier gentleness anymore.

Instead... They had become sharp.

Elegant.

And completely focused.

"You three..."

She looked directly at them.

"You’re after my three numbered gems, aren’t you?"

The sudden accusation caught all three completely off guard.

A moment earlier...

They had believed she had lowered her guard.

Instead...

She had merely confirmed her suspicions.

"We’re not here to fight you, Lady Selena!"

The leading noble quickly raised both hands, trying to calm the situation.

Selena remained unmoved.

"Your reaction..."

She slowly opened and closed the silver fan resting in her other hand.

Delicate rose-vein patterns decorated its polished surface, giving it the appearance of both an elegant accessory and a weapon.

She pointed the closed fan toward the young noble.

"...when I remembered you as the gentleman whose invitation, I declined... was the reaction of a young man whose feelings had once been hurt."

Her voice remained soft.

"What made it more inelegant...was the resentment that briefly appeared on your face not long ago."

The noble boy’s smile instantly stiffened.

He flinched.

Before he could respond...

Selena had already shifted her attention.

"And you."

The tip of her fan slowly turned toward the only girl in the group.

"You couldn’t even maintain a calm expression for a lady of a noble house, and your lips twitched every time you mentioned my name."

She tilted her head ever so slightly.

"It was as though you hated hearing it. So... You’re one of the young ladies who dislikes me."

"Tsk."

The noble girl clicked her tongue.

Her expression immediately darkened.

Selena ignored her.

"And finally... You."

The tip of her silver fan slowly shifted toward the last noble boy.

"You don’t seem to carry the same resentment as those two."

Her emerald eyes quietly observed him from head to toe.

"But the fact that you willingly choose to follow them..."

She took a graceful step forward.

"...only tells me how poor your choice of friends is."

Her voice remained gentle.

"There is nothing elegant about surrounding yourself with people driven by jealousy. It’s simply the wrong path to walk as a noble."

As her foot settled onto the forest floor...

The Cognis flowing through her body quietly increased.

A faint emerald glow began circulating beneath her skin before slowly escaping into the surrounding air.

Soft streams of green light drifted around her figure like gentle ribbons dancing with the breeze.

The leaves around her feet rustled more.

Loose dirt rolled across the ground more violently, and even the surrounding wind subtly changed direction more visibly.

The three nobles immediately felt the pressure.

The last noble boy instinctively took half a step backward.

"Guys..."

He lowered his voice.

"I think... We should just leave."

The confidence he had shown earlier had almost completely disappeared.

The leader frowned.

"What are you afraid of?"

He dismissed the suggestion with a casual wave of his hand.

"There are three of us."

He pointed confidently toward Selena.

"She’s just alone."

The noble girl beside him quickly nodded.

"That’s right."

Her voice carried confidence...

Though it trembled ever so slightly.

"We’re all Novice Alchemists. And she’s only a Binder Alchemist. She hasn’t even compressed her Second Star halfway yet. So, her Cognis pool isn’t all impressive."

She tightened her fist.

"We can handle her."

The leader’s smile slowly widened.

"Lady Selena may be one of the Flowers of Britannia... But everyone knows she’s the weakest among them. They only praise her beauty and her music."

His eyes narrowed.

"But nobody praises her combat ability. Her talent isn’t even in fighting. It’s only in music."

As he finished speaking...

A surge of Cognis erupted inside from his body increasing his full physical stats.

The noble girl released her own Cognis almost immediately afterward.

The air around her body trembled faintly.

Only the last noble boy remained hesitant.

His gaze shifted between Selena...

...and the three numbered gems she had stored away.

If I retreat now...

I’ll probably won’t get the chance like this.

Even if I only get one gem by using the number advantage against her...

At least I’ll earn some Academy Points.

I can apologize later.

After struggling with himself for several seconds...

He clenched both fists.

A sigh escaped his lips.

Then...

His Cognis also flowed outward.

"No hard feelings, Lady Selena."

He tightened his stance.

"We just need your gems."

Selena quietly looked at the three of them.

Then...

She smiled.

"It’s..."

Her gentle voice suddenly echoed from somewhere much closer.

The three nobles froze.

"...funny."

Their pupils contracted.

The leader immediately turned his head.

"When did sh..."

His words stopped halfway as he caught a small glimpse of Selena now standing calmly between the three of them.

Her movements had been so smooth that none of them had noticed her crossing the distance.

"You young Alchemists..."

She spoke softly while looking at each of them in turn.

"...really believe surrounding a Binder Alchemist is enough to defeat one."

There wasn’t the slightest trace of panic in her voice.

Only disappointment.

The leader’s eyes widened.

His body instinctively tried to react.

But...

He was already too late.

Selena gently brought both palms together.

Clap.

The crisp sound echoed through the forest.

Immediately...

Cognis surged through the intricate pathways inside her body before gathering inside both palms.

A beautiful emerald Alchemy Circle rapidly formed between her hands.

At almost the same moment...

Her other hand smoothly unfolded the silver fan decorated with elegant rose-vein patterns.

The motion was graceful and refined.

Almost like the beginning of a dance performance.

She gave the fan a single gentle wave.

Instead of the Alchemy circle remaining between her palms...

The emerald Alchemy Circle floated forward until it hovered directly in front of her.

The breeze created by her fan entered the glowing circle.

For a heartbeat...

Nothing happened.

Then...

The symbols engraved within the Alchemy Circle ignited one after another.

The wind passing through it instantly changed.

It compressed.

Accelerated and expanded.

The reaction happened so quickly that the three nobles hadn’t even finished raising their hands to perform their own alchemy.

BOOM!

A roaring gale burst out of the Alchemy Circle.

The violent current twisted into a massive circular vortex.

It resembled a ring-shaped tornado spinning at terrifying speed.

Selena calmly rotated her wrist.

Her fan traced a smooth circle through the air.

The enormous wind ring obediently mirrored her movement.

It swept across the surrounding forest with overwhelming force.

The nearby trees bent violently.

Countless leaves exploded into the air.

Dust and broken branches spun helplessly inside the raging current.

The three nobles didn’t even have time to brace themselves.

The instant the gale struck...

Their bodies were lifted completely off the ground.

"AAAHH!"

They were thrown backward like ragdolls.

The leader smashed through several young trees.

Crack!

Crack!

Boom!

Each trunk shattered upon impact before his body continued flying until it finally slammed against the thick trunk of a mature tree.

The remaining force drove the air from his lungs.

"Argh!"

A mouthful of blood burst from his mouth.

His body slowly slid down the trunk before collapsing onto the ground, unable to stand again.

The noble girl fared no better.

The gale hurled her across the forest floor.

She rolled several times through dirt and fallen leaves, staining her once-pristine uniform with mud before her back struck a massive boulder.

Bang!

Pain shot through her entire body.

Her vision blurred.

She could no longer feel enough strength to move.

The final noble boy was flung sideways.

His body crashed heavily into the muddy ground before skidding several meters through wet soil.

By the time he finally stopped...

He could only lie there, coughing weakly while staring blankly at the canopy above.

The entire exchange had lasted only a few seconds.

The forest gradually became quiet once more.

Leaves drifted gently back to the ground.

Broken branches settled across the forest floor.

Selena slowly closed her fan with a soft click.

Not a strand of her hair had fallen out of place.

Her breathing remained calm and her uniform was still spotless.

She looked at the three defeated nobles without arrogance.

Her voice remained as elegant and gentle as before.

"Even if I possess less Cognis than most Binder Alchemists..."

She lightly tapped the closed fan against her palm.

"...that doesn’t mean I would enter a practical class without proper Alchemy accessories."

She gave the unconscious trio one final glance.

"There is more than one way to compensate for limited Cognis."

Without waiting for any response...

Selena gracefully turned around.

Her footsteps remained light as she disappeared deeper into the forest, leaving behind only the rustling leaves and three defeated nobles who finally understood why one of the Flowers of Britannia had earned her place among the kingdom’s most gifted young talents.