Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 331: The Tri-Academy Exchange Arc (Part-23)
As the words fell, Zora and the others returned to the resting area.
"Reesa, you were way too violent just now," Tiffany said with lingering shock. "You really scared us."
Reesa scratched her head awkwardly. "I was just too angry. I didn’t expect to actually make it into the third round."
"Our academy now has three people advancing," Alaric Von Seraph said calmly, analyzing the situation. "Compared to the other two academies, our results are currently the best."
"But Ragnor Blackstar and Ignar are still there," someone added quietly. "Neither of them will be easy to deal with."
"Ragnor Blackstar is a serious problem."
Alaric Von Seraph’s voice was heavy, carrying suppressed fury.
If the third round ended up like Raphael’s match, with Ragnor Blackstar deliberately humiliating his opponent, then Imperial Academy simply would not be able to bear such a blow again.
Reesa and the others all wore anxious expressions. Ragnor Blackstar’s strength was frightening enough, but what truly made him dangerous was his lack of restraint.
He fought without dignity, without limits, and without regard for consequences at all. This is what makes a prince when an academy ties itself to the Royal Palace and build their academy in the capital city.
In the next round, only one person would face him, and whoever it was would inevitably be placed in a very difficult situation.
Just as everyone was lost in worry over Ragnor Blackstar, Zora suddenly spoke. "Leave Ragnor Blackstar to me."
The moment her words fell, every gaze locked onto her. Alaric Von Seraph reacted almost instantly, shaking his head. "No. You are the strongest among us. You must enter the finals safely. Ragnor Blackstar cannot be dealt with lightly."
Reesa and the others nodded in agreement. Ragnor Blackstar was simply too dangerous. If Zora were eliminated because of him, and Ragnor Blackstar entered the finals instead, then the final ranking would inevitably suffer a heavy blow.
To them, Zora was the academy’s greatest hope. No matter what, she could not be placed in danger.
"Seraph is right," Reesa said seriously. "Zora, you must make it into the finals safely."
Although she was furious over what had happened to Raphael, she had not lost her reason. Compared to personal grudges, the overall outcome of the exchange mattered far more.
But Zora slowly shook her head. "Don’t worry. Ragnor Blackstar will be mine."
Her tone was calm, yet resolute, leaving no room for doubt. She would not allow Ragnor Blackstar to continue acting so arrogantly. Since he dared to humiliate Raphael in such a manner, she would return that humiliation in full.
If Ragnor Blackstar was so confident that he would enter the finals, then she would personally stop him right there.
"Zora—" Alaric Von Seraph began again.
Before he could finish, Zora raised her hand slightly, cutting him off.
"There’s no need to say more. I will make Ragnor Blackstar regret everything he’s done."
Her dark eyes flickered with icy killing intent. Ragnor Blackstar had successfully crossed her bottom line, and she would not let this matter rest.
Seeing how firm her stance was, the others could only fall silent. Though worry still lingered in their hearts, they trusted Zora. Time and time again, her judgments had proven correct.
"Since you’ve decided, I won’t stop you," Alaric Von Seraph said at last, his voice low and restrained.
In truth, his heart was boiling with rage. He wished he could personally kill Ragnor Blackstar on the spot.
But he couldn’t.
His strength was not enough.
In the past, Alaric Von Seraph had believed himself strong. Yet after coming to this Academy exchange, he realized just how small his world had been. He had been nothing more than a frog at the bottom of a well.
Because he was not strong enough, he had to endure humiliation.
Because he was not strong enough, he could only watch his brother be trampled on, powerless to stop it.
At that moment, a fierce unwillingness and anger surged deep within Alaric Von Seraph’s heart.
Even when they had been mocked at Thunderclap Academy, he had not felt such burning fury. Only now, after witnessing Raphael’s humiliation, did he truly understand.
If his strength were great enough, who would dare to insult them?
If his strength were great enough, he could have avenged his brother with his own hands. "Zora, I support you, too. Beat that disgusting guy into the ground!"
Reesa’s eyes burned with anger. She had held it in for far too long. Watching Ragnor Blackstar humiliate their people again and again had already crossed every line she could tolerate.
Baldwin and the others quickly echoed her words. In truth, this was exactly what they had wanted to do from the start. It was only because of the bigger picture, because of the academy’s overall situation, that they had forced themselves to endure.
Now that Zora had made her decision, they chose to stand with her without hesitation.
Maybe it wasn’t the most rational choice. Maybe it wasn’t the safest one. But this was their blood, their pride, and their bottom line.
They were Spirit Warriors. They walked forward, not backward. And for their brothers, this time, they were willing to fight.
Alaric Von Seraph’s gaze steadied as his mind worked quickly. "Besides Ragnor Blackstar, there’s also Ignar Dragovic. Compared to Ragnor Blackstar, Ignar Dragovic’s character is actually noble. He hasn’t humiliated anyone on purpose, nor did he unnecessarily flaunt his strength. Even if he defeats someone, it won’t be disgraceful."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Ignar Dragovic might be an opponent, but he wasn’t despicable. From the airport confrontation earlier, it was clear that he disdained associating with people like Caius. His indifference came from within, not from arrogance.
Among all of them, Ragnor Blackstar was the true scum.
"Ragnor Blackstar may have gotten involved because of me," Harold said calmly. "I won’t drag everyone down with this."
Before his words could settle, Marcus immediately shook his head. "Lord Harold, don’t say that. This has nothing to do with you. If anything, you’ve already been dragged into this mess because of us. There’s no need for apologies."
The others felt the same. Harold was from the Leon Empire, yet he had been willing to offend two imperial princes on their behalf. That alone earned their respect.
"It wasn’t just Ragnor...," Harold shook his head, his expression darkening slightly, "Cecily is also connected to me. I only thought of resolving issues with my involvement, but I’m not pleased with how things turned out in the end."
There was a faint chill beneath his calm tone. With Ragnor Blackstar’s narrow-mindedness and shameless conduct, Harold knew one thing for certain. No matter what happened, that man would never be fit to inherit the Leon Empire.
Compared to the crown prince Zion Blackstar, Ragnor Blackstar was lacking in every possible way.
Seeing Harold clearly standing on their side, the group relaxed a little, faint smiles appearing on their faces. Their impression of him grew even better.
"Harold," Reesa said with a laugh, "Cecily Blackstar clings to you like that, yet you still didn’t fall for her. I honestly admire you."
Thinking back to Cecily Blackstar mistakenly believing that Zora was Harold’s wife, Reesa almost burst out laughing again. That misunderstanding had been spectacular.
Harold smiled helplessly. "To be honest, I find it quite troubling. If I could just find a woman and settle everything cleanly, that would be perfect."
"With your conditions," Tiffany teased, "I’m afraid women would be lining up from one end of the street to the other. It’s probably just that your standards are too high."
The atmosphere lightened as laughter spread. Now that the anger had been voiced, everyone felt more at ease. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦
"You’ve all seen how aggressive Cecily Blackstar is," Harold said wryly. "Unless the woman is strong enough like Zora here, an ordinary woman would probably be eaten alive by her."
The words fell casually, but as soon as they landed, everyone’s expressions subtly shifted.
