Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 295: Speculation

Everything happened too fast, too fast for Lyra to react. The dark-haired girl cloaked in the night completely disappeared into the shadows, leaving no trace.

"She... escaped?"

The tree shadows rippled, returning to calm after the dark hair completely submerged, as if everything in the shadows just now was merely an illusion of the witness.

Not quite understanding what had happened, Lyra dared not let her guard down easily.

Her hand still tightly gripped the longsword, her attention highly focused, trying not to miss any slight movement around her.

Hearing this, Astrid’s red eyes flickered slightly, a vast amount of information surging in her mind.

"Stay alert, she might just be hiding temporarily," Astrid said softly, touching her forehead.

Whether it was Elder’s Speech or ancient secrets, the girl wrapped in a deep dark robe with dark hair and lead eyes clearly knew a lot.

It would be great if they could catch her and interrogate her thoroughly.

Since this beautiful thought was quite unrealistic, Astrid just let it pass through her mind and gave up.

Not to mention the girl’s escape method was bizarre, even if they had a chance to confront her directly, the combined strength of her and Lyra wouldn’t be enough to defeat her alone, let alone capture her alive.

"Lyra, send the signal. It’s not safe to stay here for long," Astrid said.

Regardless of whether that guy had slipped away or was hiding in the shadows preparing for the next wave of attacks, this forest was no longer safe.

She didn’t want to be watched by jackals while hunting magical beasts. If they showed any weakness during the hunt and were caught by the other party, they definitely wouldn’t be as lucky as tonight.

Hearing this, Lyra also understood the seriousness of the situation and immediately took out a crystal stone from the independent space of the Sword of Light and crushed it forcefully.

In less than half a second, a dazzling light shot into the sky, hanging in the night sky like fireworks.

Looking at the defensive barrier automatically formed around them, Lyra, who had been attacked by Brennild once, didn’t feel any sense of safety at this moment.

She only felt that the large shadows outside the protective barrier seemed to hide millions of pairs of eyes, watching them covetously.

"Astrid, how long will it take for the professors to arrive?" Lyra asked in a low voice.

Because there were a large number of nocturnal magical beasts in the Monster Mountains, the possibility of students sending out rescue signals at night was much higher than during the day.

In response to this, the academy dispatched more rescue personnel on standby at night to facilitate immediate action.

"At this distance, about five minutes."

In the rugged terrain of the magical beast mountains, flying and walking were completely different concepts.

The journey that took Astrid and Lyra half a day could be covered in an instant by a high-level mage with the ability to fly.

Having received the exact time, Lyra nodded and turned to pack her luggage. The sword in her hand never leaves her palm, and her distance from Astrid never exceeds five meters.

Outside the barrier, the swaying branches made rustling sounds, and a few scattered moonlight fell on the ground through the gaps, intertwining and floating like flowing silver.

Perhaps the fierce battle just now was too dangerous for the magical beasts in the outer mountains.

During the following period, no magical beasts approached the defensive barrier, and the surroundings were so quiet it was somewhat uncomfortable.

High above, the academy professor who came to the rescue looked at the beam of light not far away, roughly estimated the distance, and sped up again.

A minute later, Astrid and Lyra saw the branches above their heads swaying continuously, and a dark shadow quickly descended to the ground.

It was Rowen Protheus, the homeroom teacher of Class A, who possessed the strength of a Magnus.

Seeing that the ones who sent the distress signal were the two students in his class with the most potential to get the highest scores, Rowen was a bit surprised, but he still strictly followed the regulations.

After explaining the relevant rules to Astrid, he cast a Wind Feather on each of them and then took them flying high into the sky, exiting the mountains along the original route.

..........

Outside the Monster Mountains, at the temporary lodging of the students, Astrid handed over their gains of the past two days to the academy staff. While waiting for the inventory, she discussed the specific content of this assessment with Rowen.

"Princess Astrid, are you saying you encountered a large number of undead creatures?"

After hearing Astrid’s words, Rowen immediately thought of the bone fragments he had collected before, and the sense of unease in his heart grew stronger.

"Yes, they seemed organized and disciplined, even deploying troops and making up for each other’s disregard." freewёbnoνel-com

At noon by the stream, those undead hounds that charged forward to fight after their ribs were empty were still vivid in Astrid’s memory.

"Did Princess Astrid use the crystal stone because you were attacked by undead creatures?"

The location Rowen arrived at was already not far from the mountain entrance. In theory, there shouldn’t be any magical beasts that could threaten Astrid and Lyra, which was why he was surprised.

Hearing this, Astrid first glanced at Lyra. Seeing the girl remain silent, she then turned her head and spoke softly.

"We were attacked by a strange woman. She has the ability to destroy defensive barriers."

"Very dangerous."

Rowen’s eyelids twitched upon hearing this: "Piercing the defensive barrier? But the one just now wasn’t destroyed."

"Could it be... Princess Astrid had used one before..."

Astrid nodded slightly and continued.

"The first defensive barrier was artificially broken, and when I initiated the barrier, the rescue signal that could indicate the location was affected by some special magic and couldn’t be transmitted in time."

That darkness that covers the sky even blocked all light and heat, making the fire element particles inside the barrier become sparse and withered.

Having obtained this information, Rowen frowned tightly, immediately realizing the hidden danger, and continued to inquire.

"Allow me to ask a presumptuous question, Princess Astrid..."

"Do you know why she attacked you?"

Having such a person mixed into the mountains is also a potential threat to other freshmen.

Hearing this, Astrid remained silent for a moment before answering.

"I don’t know, maybe she thought I looked delicious."

According to Lyra, she had vaguely sensed the existence of this dark force since she entered the mountains. The latter most likely also had a similar perception, thus detecting Lyra’s position in reverse.

The girl initially chose to attack them probably because of the pure and flawless Light Sword in Lyra’s hand.

Only later did she discover that Astrid could chant ancient spells, so she changed her primary target accordingly.

"Is that so..." Rowen frowned, his fingers lightly resting on his staff.

After a long silence, just as the man was about to say something, the staff responsible for tallying the scores interrupted their impending conversation.

"Princess Astrid, the score you and Lyra darkley obtained in this assessment is 248 points."

"Here is the detailed list: 18 first-level magical beast cores, second-level magical beast cores..."

Taking the parchment, Astrid looked at the rows and columns of magical beast names and core values marked on it. Recalling that the highest score in the original story was just over 300, she roughly estimated that their ranking should be around tenth.

"Mr. Rowen, is there anything else?"

Hearing Astrid’s words, Rowen hesitated for a few seconds. Upholding the principle of considering the students’ safety, he felt it necessary to ask more.

"Well, Princess Astrid, could we speak privately?"

......

After learning about the attacker’s relevant information from Astrid, Rowen left the hall with a serious expression and headed to the room where the chief examiner in charge of this assessment was located.

Watching Rowen walk away, Astrid lowered her head slightly and took a sip of hot tea to moisten her dry throat. The previously tense spirit finally relaxed somewhat at this moment.

In her conversation with Rowen, she didn’t mention the fact that the girl could chant Elder’s Speech.

She only said that the other party was very strong and dangerous, capable of controlling a large amount of dark elements and highly aggressive.

Although she didn’t know if the girl was involved in this part of the original novel’s plot, now that so many undead creatures had appeared, it indicates some kind of mutation in the Monster Mountains.

Allowing the students to continue their assessment there was clearly not a good decision.

Perhaps early tomorrow morning, they will see the academy staff bringing the other freshmen back to the inn, ending this final assessment early.

Putting down her crossed legs, Astrid stood up. The wheels of the suitcase slid across the floor of the inn, making a creaking sound.

"Lyra."

Suddenly called by Astrid, Lyra, who was in deep thought, snapped back to reality. She withdrew her hands from the table and gradually loosened her bitten lip.

"What is it... Astrid?"

"Go back and put your things away, then come to my room."

Astrid flicked her hair, letting the silver strands fall by her shoulders. Her delicate and straight nose looked more three-dimensional from the side, and even more beautiful.

"I have something to tell you."

She had chanted several ancient spells within the barrier. With Lyra’s keen senses as an initial-level great knight, she couldn’t have missed it.

After speaking, Astrid pushed open the door and touched back at Lyra, who quickly stood up and followed.

"Okay, Astrid..."

Following all the way, after settling the luggage first, Lyra turned and entered the room across the hall where Astrid was staying.

Having not stayed the night, the bed sheets and covers had been changed. Astrid sat on the bed, bending over, her fingers resting on the roots of her stockings, gently removing the dark stockings from her legs.

Seeing the neatly placed short leather boots by the bed and the stockings gradually loosening from tight to slack with the woman’s movements, Lyra then noticed that there were a few small holes in the stockings, revealing the snow-white and delicate skin of the legs underneath.

Noticing Lyra’s gaze on her legs, Astrid explained softly.

"The dark mist she attacked me with seemed corrosive. I had the remnants of the holy light spell you cast on me before, so I wasn’t injured."

"But the clothes weren’t so lucky."

The liquid that dripped along her hair fell on her skirt and stockings, directly corroding holes. The destructive power gathered by the dark elements was evident.

Seeing this, Lyra stood still, her palm resting on the hem of her skirt, uncertain whether to sit down or remain standing.

"What are you standing there for?"

"..."

After a moment, Lyra replied.

"My clothes might have dust on them..."

Although she had taken a bath, after such an intense battle earlier, there was likely some dust on her body.

Hearing this, Astrid’s gaze lingered on Lyra’s face for a few more seconds, then slid down, passing the girl’s skirt that didn’t reach her knees and the pure white stockings, and said softly.

"It’s fine, sit down."

After speaking, Astrid placed the removed dark stockings aside and pointed to the other side of the bed.

Lyra looked at the fingers slightly sinking into the bed sheet and sat down gently.

"Thanks to you this time, Lyra," Astrid said.

Free from the constraints of her lower body, Astrid gently crossed her two fair and slender legs.

One hand supports the bed, and the other holds the brooch on her chest. In less than half a second, the ruby pendant beside it flashed, and the brooch turned into light spots and disappeared.

"I didn’t expect that instead of us looking for her, she came looking for us first."

Judging from the strength she displayed, defeating Lyra, who was at the end of her rope, was only a matter of time. It was just unclear why she suddenly fled.

Hearing this, Lyra shook her head and responded softly.

"There’s no need to say that to me, I just did what I should do..."

"Besides, if it wasn’t for me and that sword, we might not have been targeted by her."

If she hadn’t been sensed by the other party, if she hadn’t insisted on going deep into the forest, if she hadn’t stopped while she was ahead after being attacked by undead creatures.

They should have returned to the inn safely long ago, probably already in their respective dreams by now.

Lyra couldn’t help but blame this crisis on herself, unaware that it was actually Astrid’s arrangement for her to get the Light Sword in advance.

"You don’t need to think that way..." Astrid looked at Lyra’s lowered eyes, her palm gently covering the back of the girl’s hand.

"I also couldn’t suppress my curiosity, wanting to see what could resonate with this sword."

The result was indeed beyond Astrid’s expectations.

Judging from the aura, the dark-haired girl was extremely similar to the blood cocoon Astrid saw at the Jones Farm.

Could there be some connection between the two... or were they simply different forms before and after hatching from the same thing...

Could it be that Charlotte interfered in advance to break the blood cocoon, causing it to change its hatching location to the Monster Mountains far from the imperial capital.

Feeling the warm and smooth touch on the back of her hand, Lyra hesitated for a few seconds, looking at Astrid, who had a slightly contemplative look in her eyes, paused for two or three seconds, and lowered her voice.

"Astrid..."

"I will keep the secret."

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