Chapter 40: Slip Of The Tongue
Albert’s declaration traveled across the plaza, alerting the hundreds of participants.
"T—The Void Believers?"
"How did they manage to infiltrate the academy’s entrance exam?"
"Doesn’t matter. The rules have changed! We need to contact our households immediately!"
The professor remained undeterred. Raising his wand, he conjured a bright flare that shot upward toward the sky.
Any kind of technology was rendered obsolete inside the dungeons, and the same was true for the Void.
In case something spiraled out of control like now, the academy staff had been spread far and wide across the forest, ready to intervene at the slightest trace of danger.
"Activate the fail-safe switch inside the teleportation rings!"
Albert tried to trigger a mass-scale teleportation, prioritizing the protection of the future scholars. However, the artifacts refused to respond to his commands.
"Preposterous! The rings have been tampered with! Somebody has disabled their life-saving feature ahead of time!" He bellowed.
This wasn’t merely a simple oversight on their part. The Void Believers had planted spies within the academy before the entrance exam!
"Future scholars! To me!" He ordered and waved his wand, preparing to create another protective dome.
But he was too slow. The participants barely had time to register his words before the ground beneath their feet gave way.
The sensation of falling overwhelmed their bodies. Looking downward, they witnessed miniature portals that were about to swallow them whole. The portals looked similar to the one they had used to enter the Void.
Not a single scholar was spared. Even those who had already entered the forest found a portal opening under their feet.
Those lucky enough to be near their party members were about to be teleported alongside them, while those who had ventured too far away from the others were about to be isolated.
Lacking the necessary time to cast a spell and lift them upward, Professor Albert’s options ran out.
"Minimize exposure to corruption and live! Those who survive the aftermath will be automatically enrolled in the academy!" He shouted loud enough for those deep within the forest to hear, giving them a general idea of what had transpired.
Leonard’s vision blurred as he was pulled downward. Thanks to Ragnar’s last lesson, he managed to remain level-headed, aware that panic would not lead him anywhere.
"Ugh!"
A moment later, he came out the other side. His back hit a sturdy frame of a tree.
Thud!
Harley, having fallen through the same portal because she had lingered close, collided with him. Leonard unintentionally broke her fall.
"T—Thanks."
She hurried a few steps away and awkwardly fixed her hair, coming to realize that he had softened the impact.
"It’s not like I did it on purpose." He groaned, massaging the back of his head.
Glancing to the side, he was relieved to notice that Winston had fallen through the same portal. Rather than a tree, he had collided with the earth below, which had caved in from the sheer force.
"Fortunately, I didn’t absorb his fall... Otherwise, I might have died on the spot." He chuckled, offering his hand as a support.
"Count yourself lucky. Today I had a hefty breakfast." Winston laughed out loud, standing up.
Harley was rendered speechless, her emerald eyes narrowing.
"The academy’s entrance exam was infiltrated by the Void Believers, and we were teleported away from the professor... How can you two be so calm?"
The duo exchanged a glance.
"This is not the first time we’ve found ourselves in a deadly situation." Leonard shrugged nonchalantly.
"Yeah..." Winston nodded thoughtfully and crossed his arms. "After Martin pushed us into the death zone, we’ve gotten used to danger. I know everything will be fine since my bro has my back!"
"..."
Leonard proceeded to heave a tired sigh and massaged his temple, while Harley’s breathing hitched.
"P—Pushed?! I was told the fall was an unfortunate accident!" She felt her blood boil.
"Oh... um... oops..." Winston realized his mistake of revealing too much far too late. He could only clasp his hands together in a sincere apology.
"Technically, Martin only pushed me. Winston jumped after me shortly after."
With the cat out of the bag, Leonard knew there was no point in hiding it anymore.
He briefly explained what had happened with Martin, along with his parting words declaring that Harley was rightfully his, which led Leonard to suspect that this was a ploy from the Royal Trade to acquire the Velmura brand in the future.
"Although our engagement was broken off long ago, they must want to minimize potential complications and seek to eliminate me just in case." He shared his hypothesis.
"They must fear that there is still something between us." He shook his head. "Ridiculous, am I right?"
Harley blinked slowly, her hands clenching into fists.
"Why didn’t you report it? This is straight-up attempted murder!"
Leonard raised an eyebrow.
"And who is going to believe an awakener with a Common Bloodline, the lowest of the low? Heck, even you and your family didn’t find it hard to forget about me after the rumor that I might not awaken anything worthy spread."
Harley knew that his assessment was sound, which only seemed to make her even more infuriated.
"But this is so frustrating! Ugh! It makes everything up until now pointless!" She stomped her foot against the hard ground in anger.
"What are you trying to say?" Leonard tilted his head to the side in confusion.
She lingered in silence for a few seconds before averting her gaze bleakly.
"The engagement between us was broken off because my mother believed it was never meant to be. She said that being with you would only put your life in jeopardy due to your low-ranked Bloodline, and she promised that if I distanced myself from you, no harm could come to you."
"Are you trying to say the reason for your public insults was you trying to protect me?" His eyes narrowed. He was baffled by the mere thought.
She nodded, her fingers anxiously curling around a strand of her hair.
"Think about it. I never attacked you, did I? I know sometimes words can hurt just as much as wounds, but I really didn’t know what to do besides listening to my mother!... I—It’s fine if you don’t trust me. It’s not like I have given you any reason to believe me."
At the time Leonard had been discarded, they had both only been in their early teenage years. In hindsight, Harley’s actions had been naïve at best, yet things had escalated to such an extent long ago that she was no longer capable of changing the course of events.
Being hated was a small price to pay, as long as he wasn’t in danger.
"But now you’re telling me there was an attempt on your life, and it was by the heir of a Royal Trade that plans to marry me?! AHHHHH! I’m so mad! I need to get out of here and speak with my mother this instant!"
Winston watched the interaction from the side. He wasn’t aware of where Leonard had come from, but he could piece together that he had once been part of a prestigious lineage, considering he had been engaged to Harley.
"Doesn’t that mean I’m the only country bumpkin in the party? Man... all these misunderstandings make political talks seem needlessly complicated. I have to thank my parents for my humble background." He remarked.
Their conversation was interrupted by the rustling of the nearby grass.
"I almost forgot we’re in the Void. My rambling attracted a monster!" Harley cursed bitterly.
"Just shut it and prepare to fight." Leonard gripped his axe tightly. "We can talk if we survive what comes next."
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