Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Team Up, Count Me In!
Andrew’s legs buckled, and he nearly lost his balance.
Ignoring everyone else, Lilian rushed through the crowd like a red whirlwind straight to Arthur.
Then, under everyone’s shocked, "what-the-hell" stares,
this noble princess naturally wrapped both arms around Arthur’s right arm and held on tight!!
Arthur!!
Looking up at her round apple face, Lilian’s big eyes sparkled with obvious admiration and affection.
Can we team up?
I’m an A-tier Wind Element mage! I can cast Wind Grace on you to make you run faster than a rabbit!!
Feeling the shocking softness on his arm, even a calm guy like Arthur couldn’t stop his lips from twitching.
What’s going on with this girl??
Since the king let her wander into his lab yesterday, she’d stuck to him like a limpet.
Princess, this is a bit much... Arthur tried to pull his arm back.
I don’t care!! I’m teaming up with you!!
She hugged even tighter, even rubbing her head against Arthur’s shoulder.
The sight made every guy in the room so jealous they wanted to cough up blood!!
She was the kingdom’s jewel!! The dream bride for every noble heir!!
How could she throw herself at a country bumpkin commoner?!!
Andrew’s face turned a deep, ugly red.
He’d just announced that anyone teaming with Arthur was crossing him. Next second, the princess latched right on.
It was like he was smashing his own face on the floor!!
Ahem... Your Highness.
Gritting his teeth, Andrew stepped forward, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.
Arthur is just an F-rank commoner. The Shadow Forest is too dangerous. For your safety...
Shut up!!
Lilian spun around, her cute, coquettish face instantly shifting to unleash raw royal pressure.
Andrew, how I pick my team is my business. Am I asking for your input??
Or are you saying the Walter family has taken over my father’s throne?!!
That heavy accusation dropped down, and Andrew dropped to his knees with a thud, cold sweat pouring off him.
I wouldn’t dare!! I never meant that!!
Snorting once, Lilian turned to face the room.
Right now, Arthur and I make two.
I still need three people!!
Who wants to join us?? This princess promises a perfect score on this mission!!
Lilian expected everyone to flock to her, thanks to her royal status.
Instead, the classroom fell into a dead silence.
The commoner students looked at each other. They wanted it, but after seeing Andrew’s twisted face on the floor, they shrank back.
Joining the princess’s team was a one-time thing.
But crossing Andrew outright could ruin their entire time at the academy.
As the seconds ticked by, Lilian’s once-confident little face slowly dropped.
Awkward.
An incredibly awkward tension spread through the air.
Arthur sighed and gently patted Lilian’s head.
"Never mind, Lilian."
"Forcing things rarely works out. At worst, I’ll just tell Professor Harris we can split up and..."
"Count me in."
A voice as clear and cold as winter ice suddenly cut in from the front row.
It wasn’t loud, but it carried an undeniable chill, dropping the temperature in the already quiet classroom by several degrees.
Everyone turned their heads in utter disbelief.
Sitting up slowly was a breathtakingly beautiful girl with waist-length silver hair and ice-blue eyes.
Granddaughter of the Dean of Lancelot Royal Academy of Magic.
Possessor of an S-tier Mana Affinity.
The so-called "Ice Rose" of the Academy, Elena Klein!!
Under the stunned, almost horrified gazes of everyone, Elena stepped forward, her long, straight legs moving with effortless grace. Her expression remained completely blank.
With every step she took, a faint layer of frost crystallized on the obsidian floor beneath her boots.
"Elena senior?!!"
Lilian froze too. She never expected the ice-cold senior, who usually acted like a glacier, to actually step forward.
Stopping right in front of Arthur, Elena’s ice-blue eyes locked directly onto his deep, dark ones.
There was no mockery. No disdain.
Only an intense, almost overflowing sense of... curiosity.
"Elena Klein. S-tier Ice Element."
She extended her pale, jade-like right hand, her voice utterly flat and cold.
"If you don’t mind, count me in."
Looking at that flawless hand, Arthur’s mind flashed back to yesterday’s practical combat class. He remembered the thoughtful, analytical look the Ice Rose had given him then.
He knew. His untrained "Stone Shaping"-casting it without chants or a wand-had caught the attention of this magic prodigy.
"I don’t mind at all."
Arthur casually extended his hand, giving her cool, soft fingers a light grip before letting go instantly.
"Welcome to the team, senior."
By now, the classroom had completely exploded.
One was the kingdom’s princess. The other was the Dean’s granddaughter!!
The academy’s two most elite, talented, and breathtakingly beautiful girls had just chosen to stand on the same team as an F-rank commoner!!
Kneeling on the floor, Andrew’s nails dug so deep into the floor cracks they threatened to break. His eyes were bloodshot with pure jealousy.
"Why him?? Why the hell is he??!!"
Having watched the whole show from the podium, Professor Harris finally tapped his pointer against the blackboard.
"Alright, alright. Time’s almost up."
"Team Arthur, you’re still two people short!!"
His gaze swept over two trembling students huddled in the corner, still stranded.
"Simon. Chloe."
"You two are assigned to Arthur’s squad. Get over here and report!!"
The skinny boy with thick, heavy glasses and the timid girl clutching a Water Magic textbook shivered violently at the sudden roll call.
They almost wanted to cry.
On one side was Andrew, a family they couldn’t afford to cross. On the other, the princess and the Ice Rose, whose presence alone made it hard to breathe.
Stuck right in the middle, they felt exactly like little rabbits that had stumbled into a dragon’s den!!
But bound by the professor’s authority, the two swallowed their fear and shuffled over to Arthur’s group like a pair of clumsy penguins.
And just like that, an incredibly bizarre five-person squad with a completely mismatched vibe was officially formed.
Arthur, F-rank trash (on the surface), looked perpetually lazy, as if ready to fall asleep at any moment.
Lilian, A-rank Wind Element princess, chattered nonstop, refusing to let go of Arthur’s arm as she loudly declared her territory.
Elena, S-rank Ice Element prodigy, radiated an aura of "do not approach," her gaze occasionally flicking over Arthur with quiet scrutiny.
Plus two trembling, invisible commoners who didn’t dare even lift their heads.
Standing together, the group itself was a visually shocking collision of contrasting styles.
"Since the teams are set," Professor Harris swept his arm forward.
"All freshmen, head to the equipment supply to pick up your survival packs!"
"Destination: Shadow Forest. Move out!"
Half an hour later.
The massive iron gates of Lancelot Academy slowly groaned open.
A vast procession of freshmen boarded carriages bound for the forest outside the city walls.
Sitting in the corner of a jolting carriage, Arthur watched the scenery gradually shift from the bustling capital to the desolate outskirts. His eyes gradually sharpened.
In the distance, a continuous range of towering mountains shrouded in year-round black mist already loomed like a slumbering ancient leviathan, stretching across their vision.
This was the Shadow Forest.
His fingers lightly traced a small pouch of bat guano and sulfur tucked deep in his robe’s pocket. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
These were the catalyst components for a 3rd-level spell: "Fireball."
"I hope the Magical Beasts in this forest can give me at least a little amusement."
The corner of Arthur’s mouth curled into a cruel, distinctly mage-like smirk.
Cold, damp wind, carrying the sharp stench of rotting corpses, drifted down from the towering black canopy high above.
This was the outer perimeter of the Shadow Forest. The ever-present black fog rolled around their ankles like solid water.
Each ancient tree was so thick it would take five or six people to wrap their arms around them. Their twisted branches reached out like skeletal, withered hands, grasping for any living thing foolish enough to step inside.
