The exchange between the Crown Prince and Yuna, broadcast through the drone, quickly captured the full attention of the audience outside the domain.
Gasps rippled through the exam hall—no one had expected anyone to speak so brazenly, let alone directly to the Crown Prince's face.
"How bold!"
"She's unbelievably audacious!"
Whispers and astonished chatter echoed across the room.
What was even more shocking was the Crown Prince's response—or rather, his lack of one. He didn't explode in anger or retaliate immediately. That silence stunned the crowd even further.
While most of the students reacted with disbelief, awe, or stunned confusion, the Heart Class stood out with their distinctly different reaction.
Rather than shock, their faces were full of admiration—as if everything was unfolding exactly as they'd expected.
Cerese hugged himself dramatically. "Hoo… if mom ever smiled at me like that, I'd be traumatized. That's the 'you've messed up and you're about to suffer' smile."
"As expected of our class rep," someone sighed with pride. "Simply glorious."
One Heart student, looking like a devoted follower, spoke solemnly. "Mother doesn't speak much. But when she does, her words fall like hail and rain."
He nodded to himself as though quoting scripture.
The rest of the Heart Class silently recalled the few times they had triggered Yuna's anger. When she did speak at length, it was never good news. Each syllable landed like a storm.
They had long since learned to tread carefully—never risk upsetting her mood. A single look could ruin your whole day.
"Sigh… the Crown Prince is truly courageous," one murmured. "To provoke our class rep like that…"
"A valiant soul indeed… aiya…"
Nearby students couldn't help but twitch at their dramatics.
What's wrong with these guys?! they thought. Absolute weirdos.
Still, as they watched Yuna calmly follow after the Crown Prince on the drone feed, some of the students found their opinions of her beginning to shift.
They had assumed she was weak—a fragile girl who'd cling to power, flatter the Crown Prince, and try to cozy up to him for protection or influence. Maybe even romance.
But… clearly, they had misjudged her.
Yes, she was weak in terms of brute strength.
But that interaction? That wasn't coyness. That wasn't flattery.
That was a full-on, sweetly delivered jab straight to the ribs of royalty.
If that was her idea of sucking up, then—
"If talking to the Crown Prince like that can earn his favor, I'll eat mud!" one student whispered.
"Mud? I'll eat the whole field," another muttered.
Their assumptions shattered, a new, grudging respect for Yuna began to form.
...….
"Oohhh… watching children bicker is simply delightful," Principal Lilith Noir chimed happily, a bright, childlike smile lighting up her face as her eyes sparkled with fascination. She leaned forward, eyes glued to the screen as she watched Yuna with an almost obsessive intensity. "Aaa ~ The Crown Prince is such a disappointment. Can't even handle a harmless little verbal jab."
Professor Veyne, hidden behind his mask, could only sigh in quiet exasperation. The Principal's love for chaos was as boundless as ever.
Some of the other instructors—those not directly responsible for the current batch of Card students—watched Yuna with growing curiosity. After all, it wasn't every day the Principal fixated on someone so seemingly… unimpressive.
From their observations, Yuna came across as a fairly ordinary student. In fact, some would say she was even on the weaker side, despite awakening her abilities. During the academy's entrance exam, she had clearly leaned heavily on the support of others. Her actual combat performance had been underwhelming.
Yes, she had managed her Heart Class with remarkable efficiency—her leadership and organizational skills were notably mature for her age—but that was the extent of her strengths.
Unlike the other students who poured effort into training and constantly pushed themselves forward, Yuna appeared to do the opposite. If anything, she seemed to grow even weaker over time. She was clearly someone who prioritized survival, who avoided unnecessary danger, who refused hardship whenever she could. A coward, in a word.
By all external measures, she was average. So unremarkable that she should've easily blended into the background.
But the more they thought about it… the more that conclusion felt wrong.
If Yuna were truly ordinary, how had she managed to make her classmates—each one arrogant and gifted in their own right—willingly fall in line behind her?
How had she tamed Austin of all people? The prodigy of swordsmanship, the most promising young talent the teachers had seen in years—utterly devoted, quietly obedient to her?
Everyone she came into contact with seemed to end up under her thumb. It was as though she placed invisible leashes on them, one by one, without anyone even realizing.
No… she wasn't ordinary as she make herself appear to be.
And maybe that was exactly what drew Principal Lilith Noir's obsessive interest—because beneath that harmless exterior was something far more dangerous. Something that couldn't be measured by mere stats or performance reports.
Something… worth watching.
….
Unaware of the growing scrutiny from the teachers, Yuna trailed behind Alaric, entirely ignorant of the way their thoughts about her had begun to shift. The idea that they were now entertaining the possibility of her being anything but ordinary would've horrified her—she'd have refuted it with every breath if she ever found out.
Right now, though, her focus was solely on keeping pace with the Crown Prince ahead of her. She didn't want to fall behind.
The domain they had entered was bleak—dry, barren, and eerily silent. The air was thin, the atmosphere oppressive, and not a single trace of vegetation could be seen. The elemental balance was clearly off. Earth magic thrived unnaturally here, while water and plant elements had seemingly vanished, and even the air element hovered weakly, flickering like a candle in the wind.
More than that, there was something unsettling about the ground beneath them. The earth didn't feel right.
Just as the unease began to fester in Yuna's chest, Alaric—who had been walking a short distance ahead—came to an abrupt stop.
Without warning, he leapt into the air. The moment his feet left the ground, the earth where he had stood cracked open with a deep, ominous rumble.
"Don't touch the ground," Alaric ordered sharply, now floating mid-air thanks to a precisely activated flight magic circle.
Yuna didn't hesitate. The urgency in his tone struck her like a whip. She quickly channeled her limited wind element and, with a strained effort, lifted herself off the ground, awkwardly levitating above the treacherous terrain.
She didn't know what was wrong yet—but one thing was certain: the ground was not to be trusted.
The Crown Prince's expression turned grim.
Without warning, the ground beneath them began to shift and morph—forming jagged spikes, rising mounds, and twisting into violent shapes. At the center of it all hovered a dense, spherical core that seemed to pulse with intent.
"An earth golem," Alaric muttered darkly, narrowing his eyes. He glanced back at Yuna, who was floating precariously in the air, her control over her wind element strained to the limit in this elementally hostile domain. "This domain has evolved… It's now a second-rank, low-tier domain."
A sudden domain upgrade while you're still inside? Bro, Isn't that kind of thing usually reserved for the protagonist?!
Yuna's heart sank. Earth golems—regardless of type—were always notoriously difficult to fight, especially within their home element.
"H-How strong?" she stammered, dread settling in her gut. Why? Why now?! What kind of horrid luck was this? She wasn't even the protagonist—why was her life suddenly turned cliché? Help!
"Comparable to the academy's combat puppets."
Yuna's face crumpled in despair. That was basically the same as saying impossible for her.
"The exit should be behind the golem. I'll engage it and try to retrieve the domain's core catalyst. You go ahead"
She blinked at him, stunned. "Can you beat something on the level of a combat puppet alone?"
Alaric didn't answer immediately. After a long pause, he replied flatly, "Not yet."
And with that, he launched into battle, not waiting for a reply.
Yuna stared at his back. She knew that with his ridiculous pride, there was no way Alaric would back down from a fight like this. He'd rather get beaten to a pulp than retreat. And honestly, with everything he had, he might just win. Might. But…
She moved without warning.
Creeping up behind him while he was least prepared, she silently released her Moonlit Orchid. The plant sprang to life and in a flash, wrapped him up like a mummy. At the same time, Yuna gathered every wisp of wind in the area and launched herself forward like a cannonball—dragging the tightly-bound prince along with her through the air.
The sharp sting of friction burned against her palms, and her arms screamed under the strain, but she didn't stop. The golem had sensed their escape attempt and responded by raising waves of earth like a living tsunami, threatening to bury them alive. Yuna grit her teeth and forced herself to fly faster, pushing beyond what was comfortable.
Just as the golem's attack was about to crash over them, they burst into the vortex marking the domain's exit.
Yuna tumbled out of the portal, crashing onto solid ground with a painful grunt. The Moonlit Orchid slipped back into her bloodstream, its vines withdrawing just as Alaric's body dropped to the ground in a heap.
He rose, furious. His face was flushed, his robes disheveled, and rage practically radiated from his body.
He stormed over and grabbed Yuna by the collar.
"You've got guts," he hissed through clenched teeth.
Still gasping for breath, Yuna's hand shot up instinctively—grabbing his cheeks and squeezing until his lips puckered like a sulking child.
An eerie silence settled around them.
There they were: one gripping the other's collar, and the other squishing the royal heir's cheeks into a pout. Despite his attempt to glare coldly, the ridiculous shape of his mouth utterly undercut the mood. It was… awkward, to say the least.
"Let go and I'll let go," Yuna said calmly. "Anyway, we're teammates. I chose safety over suicidal brawl. We don't share the same ideals, and in a team, the stronger one gets to act on theirs. So if you want to blame anyone, blame whoever paired you with me."
Finally, with a huff of humiliation, Alaric released her collar, and Yuna let go of his cheeks. He turned on his heel and stalked away, ignoring the odd stares from the surrounding students.
Yuna watched his retreating back and clicked her tongue. "Tch. As if I can't handle a brat."
Caelum, trailing behind Alaric, shot Yuna a menacing glare—but she brushed it off like it was nothing. He probably wanted to scold her, but with the Crown Prince already gone, all he could do was glare before silently following after him.
Not long after, the Club and Spade class reps calmly emerged from the vortex one after another, only to be greeted by a strangely awkward atmosphere among the students. Dane, sensing the tension, immediately asked what had happened while he was inside the domain.
Upon hearing the outrageous events he'd missed, his mouth twitched slightly. He gave Yuna a long, peculiar look—but his eyes glimmered and twinkle with a hint of amusement.