Chapter 63: Sera and Lara’s Old Conflict
Edwin and Sera said their farewells to Elvan and the female instructor.
They clearly informed them that they would return tomorrow to complete the administrative requirements for registering as a Highborn Instructor.
Elvan let them leave, then used his magic to restore the training field in the academy’s rear courtyard.
The female instructor walked closer, still curious about Edwin’s strength.
"How was he able to defeat you, Head Instructor Elvan?"
"There’s something different about him. Something very strange," Elvan explained.
"I’ll keep an eye on him. Maybe I can learn something about him."
"Very well, Head Instructor Elvan."
Elsewhere, Sera walked beside Edwin as they left the rear courtyard of Livden Academy, the area usually used by Highborn students to practice magic or swordsmanship whenever they needed more space than the indoor training halls provided.
"That was a good fight. You managed your strength well," Sera said, praising Edwin’s abilities.
"Thank you. But what you said was right. I only used Sword Energy, and it already feels like the mana in my body is being drained rapidly," Edwin replied.
"If I don’t solve this problem soon, my situation will gradually get worse," he added.
Sera understood Edwin’s concern. She explained that once they returned to her residence, Edwin could get proper rest.
There, he could deactivate the forbidden magic and allow his body to regenerate mana properly.
Only by doing that could he avoid the potential side effects of the forbidden spell.
Edwin and Sera continued forward until they reached the front gate of Livden Academy.
Edwin looked toward the front courtyard, where the two registration booths for students were still open.
The line for Highborn students was much shorter than the one for Lowborn students.
However, their attention was immediately drawn to a woman standing there beside a young boy. Edwin narrowed his eyes, and Sera reacted the same way.
"Lara?"
That was right. The woman was Lara Siegfried, accompanying her younger brother, Jacob, who was registering as a Highborn student.
Judging from his appearance and the sword he carried, there was a good chance Jacob intended to choose the Knight class.
Sera boldly walked toward Lara. Lara noticed Sera looking at her and gathered the courage to approach as well.
The two women locked eyes.
"I didn’t expect to see you here," Sera said.
"Everyone who wants to register as a student has to be here. You should know that, shouldn’t you?" Lara replied.
"How is Edmund? I haven’t heard anything about him since that news came out," Sera asked, narrowing her eyes.
To her, Lara was the reason behind Edwin’s decision to give up his noble title.
The marriage arrangements and pressure from the Siegfried Family had pushed Edwin into a corner.
He had chosen to step back, observe the situation, and act afterward.
Even so, Lara simply shook her head. She told Sera that neither she nor the Aschwin Family knew where Edmund was.
He had officially disappeared on the very day he relinquished his noble title. Lara’s face showed genuine concern.
"That certainly makes things much easier for your family, doesn’t it?" Sera asked.
Lara heard the accusation in Sera’s tone and immediately showed her displeasure.
To her, it sounded like Sera was judging her for everything that had happened.
"Are you stupid? The root of this problem was that man. He cared more about some commoner girl than a noblewoman like me," Lara snapped.
"You’ve known Edmund for a long time, haven’t you? You know Edmund has the highest standards in all of Archie Territory. Even he rejected me," Sera replied.
"So have you ever thought about what made Edmund so interested in that girl instead of you, a noblewoman from a famous count family like the Siegfrieds?" Sera asked.
"Are you saying that a commoner girl is better than me?!" Lara shouted.
"You’re the one saying that, not me."
"SERA!" Lara screamed.
Without thinking, Lara immediately drew her sword and pointed the blade at Sera in threat. Sera did not seem bothered in the slightest.
She extended her hand and summoned a staff of root magic before striking it against the ground.
In an instant, the trees around the academy courtyard came to life and began moving, causing chaos among the new student registrations.
Lara saw this, her expression briefly flashing with shock before she stared forward once again.
"Did you forget? I’m the strongest mage in Archie Territory."
"Killing someone like you... would be easy for me," Sera declared.
She raised her staff and pointed it forward, summoning blue magic runes that launched sharp roots toward Lara.
Lara reacted quickly and cut through the roots. However, she soon realized their numbers kept increasing, and their regeneration never stopped.
For every root she severed, two more appeared.
Lara’s stamina began draining rapidly. She finally realized Sera’s strength far exceeded anything she had imagined.
As her body weakened, Lara failed to cut down one of the incoming roots.
It wrapped around her arms and legs before lifting her high into the air.
"What kind of death would you prefer? Instant death... or should I cut off your limbs one by one?"
Edwin stepped beside Sera and gently tapped her right shoulder.
The woman instinctively turned her head and looked carefully at Edwin’s face. After a brief moment, Sera responded with a sigh.
She struck her staff against the ground again, ending the root magic attack.
Lara fell after the roots binding her arms and legs withered away and turned into ash.
The woman collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. She raised her head and glared fiercely at Sera.
The living trees returned to their original positions, and the surroundings gradually returned to normal.
Jacob ran over and helped Lara to her feet.
"You have no chance of defeating me. So stop acting foolish," Sera said coldly.
With an arrogant expression, Sera turned away and left the front courtyard of Livden Academy. Edwin followed behind her.
Lara watched the two of them leave. She knew Sera, but she had no idea who the unfamiliar man accompanying her was.
Still, that was not important.
What mattered was finding a way to repay the humiliation she had suffered today. Lara would not let it go.
"I’ll make sure you suffer something even worse than this, Sera!"
Edwin walked beside Sera, occasionally glancing at her.
"You almost lost control."
"I always get angry whenever I see her. That woman... truly is a nightmare in your life, Edwin."
"Yes. I realize that. Maybe it’s because of Marcus’s influence while raising her," Edwin replied.
"But it seems she didn’t recognize me. To most people, Edmund has already disappeared, and that’s good news," Edwin continued.
"I can live peacefully under the identity of Edwin."
