Chapter 355: Inter-Academy Tournament (VII)
The rest of the group held their breath, with their weapons and spells at the ready in case something went wrong.
Just as Maelis’s fingers were about to touch the gauntlets, a blur of motion suddenly shot from the shadows on the opposite side of the chamber.
A girl with short, messy brown hair and sharp, mischievous eyes appeared out of nowhere.
She was incredibly fast, faster than anyone in the group had expected.
Her hand darted forward like lightning, snatching both gauntlets from the air before Maelis could even react.
The girl grinned widely, her expression full of playful arrogance as she landed lightly on the other side of the pedestal.
"Too slow!" she called out in a mischievous tease, making fun of Maelis.
"These look fun. Thanks for finding them for me!"
Maelis’s eyes widened in shock and anger.
THRUUUM!
She immediately activated her gravity magic, raising her hand as a heavy pressure field slammed down on the girl, trying to pin her to the ground and slow her movements.
The air around the thief grew thick and heavy, the gravity magic pressing down with enough force to crack the stone floor beneath her feet.
But the girl only laughed, her body glowing faintly with shadow energy as she fought against the pressure.
"Nice try!" she shouted, her grin widening. "But you’re not the only one with tricks!"
She moved with incredible speed even under the gravity, her form blurring as she dodged to the side.
Before Maelis could strengthen the spell, the girl transformed.
Her body dissolved into swirling black shadows, slipping through the gravity field like smoke through a net.
The shadows coalesced a few meters away, reforming into the girl’s physical form as she waved the gauntlets teasingly.
"Catch me if you can, gravity girl!" she called out, her voice full of mischief. "These are mine now. Better luck next time!"
With that, she dissolved into shadows again, vanishing completely into the darkness of the chamber.
The group could only watch as the last traces of her shadow form disappeared into a crack in the wall.
Maelis lowered her hand, her face twisted in frustration.
"Damn it!" she hissed.
"She got away."
Claire stared at the spot where the girl had vanished, her eyes wide with shock.
"Shadow Affinity?" she exclaimed.
"That was Shadow Affinity!"
Selene nodded grimly, her expression serious as she scanned the area where the thief had escaped.
"Yeah... That means that girl is the ace of the Dragon Slaying Academy," she sighed deeply.
Her name was Mariinne, the great-granddaughter of the Founder of the Dragon Slaying Academy.
At such a young age, she had already mastered the shadow arts of the Founder purely by her talent.
She was known across the academies as the so-called ace of Dragon Slaying, a prodigy who could slip through shadows like a ghost and strike with deadly precision.
Her speed and shadow manipulation made her one of the most dangerous students in the entire competition.
The group stood in silence for a moment, processing the loss. The gauntlets had been so close, and now they were gone, taken by one of their strongest rivals.
Adrian clenched his fists, his expression dark.
"Mariinne... I’ve heard of her. If she’s here, Dragon Slaying Academy will be a serious threat. We need to be more careful from now on. No more rushing for obvious treasures."
Maelis nodded, still frustrated by the loss of the gauntlets.
"She won’t get away with it forever. Next time we see her, we’ll take those gauntlets back."
Selene looked at the spot where Mariinne had vanished:
"Her shadow affinity is perfect. She didn’t leave a single trace behind... We need to watch for ambushes like that. With her abilities, she could be anywhere on the island."
Adrian nodded thoughtfully.
"Even I wasn’t able to track her movements..."
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Meanwhile, deep within the shadows of the island, Mariinne traveled happily through the darkness.
She moved like a ghost, her body blending seamlessly with the shadows as she hummed a playful little tune under her breath.
"La-la-la~ No one can catch me~ La-la-la~ I’m the fastest shadow~ La-la-la~ Got the shiny gauntlets now~"
The melody was light and mischievous, like a child skipping through a garden after stealing cookies.
She giggled softly as she leaped from one shadow to another, the stolen gauntlets clutched tightly in her hands.
The dark metal felt warm and full of power against her skin, and every time she looked at them, her mischievous smile grew wider.
"These are going to be so much fun," she whispered to herself, her voice echoing faintly in the shadow realm.
"That gravity girl looked so mad! Hehe~ I bet she’s still stomping her feet somewhere."
She twirled in the shadows, the gauntlets glowing faintly as she tested their weight.
Her short brown hair bounced with each movement, and her sharp eyes sparkled with pure delight.
Stealing from a rival academy in the middle of the biggest event of the year felt like the perfect game to her.
No one had ever caught her before, and she doubted anyone ever would.
"La-la-la~ Shadow queen on the run~ La-la-la~ No one can stop the fun~"
She was so caught up in her happy humming and the thrill of her new prize that she didn’t notice the presence until it was too late.
Fwoop!
A hand suddenly grabbed her collar, lifting her up from the shadows with effortless strength.
"...Eh?"
Mariinne froze entirely, her body going rigid as she was yanked out of her shadow form and into the open air.
She dangled there, her feet kicking weakly as she tilted her head to look at who had grabbed her so easily.
She had always prided herself on being the fastest and the best at hiding. No one had ever caught her like this before... like, like they were simply picking up a stray cat!
"H-aah?"
The moment her eyes fell onto the face of the person who had grabbed her, her mind went blank.
Those beautiful abyss-like black eyes, cold and narrowed, stared at her with calm intensity.
His slightly messy black hair framed a face that was simply divine, showing sharp and handsome features that looked almost too perfect to be real.
The man who had grabbed her was simply... divine.
"W-Will you marry me?!" she blurted out immediately, her voice cracking with a mix of shock and sudden, overwhelming attraction.
Hearing those words, the man frowned before tossing her to the side like a rag doll. Mariinne landed on the ground with a soft thud, rolling once before she pushed herself up.
The man unsheathed his rapier in one smooth motion, pointing the sharp tip directly at her throat.
"...Who are you?" he asked, his voice cold and calm.
Mariinne stared up at him, her heart racing wildly as she sat on the ground, the stolen gauntlets still clutched in her hands.
For the first time in her life, the ace of Dragon Slaying Academy was completely speechless.
But only for a second.
She quickly recovered, pushing herself up to her feet with a bright, almost dreamy smile.
She brushed some dirt off her clothes, tilting her head as she looked at Gray with sparkling eyes, as if she had just walked into the most perfect blind date of her life.
"Oh my... where are my manners?" she said, her voice suddenly sweet and playful, like a girl who was meeting someone special for the first time.
"My name is Mariinne. Mariinne Voss, the great-granddaughter of the Founder of Dragon Slaying Academy. I’m the ace of my academy, known for my shadow arts and speed. But right now... none of that matters."
She took a small step closer, her sharp eyes softening as she looked at Gray’s face, those beautiful black eyes, the slightly messy hair, the sharp, divine features that made her heart skip a beat.
She clasped her hands in front of her, tilting her head with a shy but excited smile, exactly like someone who had fallen head over heels at first sight on a blind date.
"I... I think I just fell in love," she confessed, her cheeks flushing a light pink as she batted her eyelashes at him.
"You’re so handsome. The way you grabbed me so easily, the cold look in your eyes, that perfect face... I’ve never seen anyone like you before. It feels like fate, doesn’t it? Meeting like this in the middle of a big competition... It’s like the island wanted us to find each other."
She giggled softly, twirling a strand of her short silver hair around her finger as she continued, completely ignoring the rapier still pointed at her throat.
"If this were a blind date, I would say yes in a heartbeat. You’re exactly my type! Strong, mysterious, and a little dangerous. I don’t even mind that you tossed me like that. It was kind of exciting, actually. So... what’s your name? Can I call you mine already?"
Mariinne took another small step closer, her mischievous grin returning as she looked up at him with sparkling, lovestruck eyes.
"I promise I’m not usually this forward... but when I see someone as perfect as you, I just can’t help myself. So... will you go on a date with me after we win this challenge? Or maybe even right now? I can show you some really fun shadow tricks~"
She stood there, hands clasped behind her back, swinging slightly on her heels as she waited for his answer, looking every bit like a girl who had just fallen madly in love at first sight on the most unexpected blind date of her life.
As for Gray...
He was blankly staring at her in confusion.
’Since when was the future Goddess of Thieving a face-control fan girl?’
