Elysia, Chancellor of Waurweth Academy was sweating like a pig.
Standing before her was Raul, the Demon King's messenger.
Her hands gripped the edge of her seat until her knuckles turned white. "What did you just say?"
Raul repeated himself. "The ritual was a complete failure. Princess Camilia escaped, and the high mages are dead."
Elysia felt cold sweat trickling down her spine. "How the bloody hell did this happen? I assigned Throgg to see the ritual through. What was he doing?"
"That's the troubling part, general," Raul said, inspecting his nails. "Throgg is dead."
Those words struck Elysia like a blade.
She drew in a sharp breath. "Impossible. Throgg was the strongest orc of them all. I elevated him to orc lord. He wouldn't have fallen so easily. He had a warband of orcs at his command. There's no way he failed me."
Raul began pacing around the room. "I'm afraid he failed us, general. Someone interrupted the ritual. The demon king doesn't sound pleased."
Elysia sank back into her seat. Her fingers were trembling.
This was bad. If the demon king is unhappy with her, her life is practically over.
She couldn't understand what was happening. How is it possible that there was someone strong enough to take down not just Throgg but the three high mages of the demon king.
The plan had been flawless from the very start.
Capture the princess, conduct the ritual and use her as a vessel. Camilia is the only one whose body is compatible with the ancient pact.
Without Camilia, the entire plan is as good as dead.
"What should I do?" Elysia muttered to herself. "Should I take my life before he does it for me?
Raul watched her silently as she struggled to come up with a solution.
He walked up to her desk and placed both hands on it, his inky fingers sinking slightly into the wood.
"You mustn't despair, General. You have been devoted to the Demon King all these years. He has sent me to deliver his next task to you."
Elysia glanced up at Raul, her eyes alert.
Raul carried himself with grace and pride. He was the oldest demon second only to the demon king. A cloak of black smoke wafted off his body like tendrils.
There was a haunting look in his hooded eyes that speaks volume of his powers.
He unsettles everyone around him, even Elysia who was a high ranking general in the demon King's army.
"What does the demon king want from me?" She asked. "I'll do anything."
Raul held her gaze. "We've had Intel about who might be responsible for the interference in the ritual. Some merchant travelers speak of a mysterious warrior who rescued them from an orc attack. It was said he obliterated the orcs with strength far beyond anything they've ever seen. The only one missing among them is a ten-year-old boy. He hasn't been seen ever since."
Elysia frowned. "A ten-year-old?"
Raul leaned away from her, nostrils bared. "Krell, the Iron Knight, testified to King Godfrey that he was aided by a powerful individual during Camilia's rescue."
"He wouldn't say who this mysterious warrior is, but I suspect that individual is the missing child."
"But that's impossible," Elysia said, sounding doubtful. "A child can't be that powerful to take on Throgg talk less of the three high mages."
"Elysia," Raul said sharply. "In this world, nothing is impossible. The hero who became king was only 16 when he defeated the demon king five centuries ago. We might just be witnessing another anomaly... a prodigy."
A long silence passed.
Elysia clenched her jaws. "What is my assignment?"
"For now, we'll leave Princess Camilia and go with the second stage of the plan. Our intelligence suggests this child is heading to Luminis city... to enroll at Waurweth Academy."
Elysia's jaws dropped. "What? He's coming here?"
"Find him, General," Raul said, his voice grave. "And when you do, eliminate him. You are this academy's Chancellor. We planted you here for reasons like this."
Elysia groaned. "But how do I know who to destroy? We admit over fifty initiates every year. I can't just guess who the prodigy is."
"True," Raul stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That's why in the forthcoming entrance selection exam, make the tests so lethal that only the strongest survives. Whoever endures all three phrases is your target."
Elysia clenched her fists. "The Council of Seven will never approve such measures. Those initiates are just children—"
"Then do what you have to," Raul said impatiently. "I have delivered the Demon King's message. Do not fail him, General. Your punishment would be severe if you do."
Suddenly black smokes surged from the ground and swallowed him whole, causing him to disappear.
Elysia stood frozen as she stared at the spot Raul had just been, her mind racing.
She knew she couldn't afford to fail now.
The demon king planted her in this academy as Chancellor to carry out his plans.
For years, she had gained the trust of every scholar and official in the academy.
Her disguise was so good not even the Archwizard, the academy's most revered guardian, suspects her of being a demon.
Taking a deep breath, she stood up and left her office.
She walked down a long, echoing hallway lit by glowing white lanterns.
Seated at the far end of the hall was a receptionist behind a curved desk.
Five sealed doors loomed behind her like a fortress.
"Good evening, Chancellor Elysia," the beast-girl greeted, rising with a slight bow.
Elysia smiled at her. "I must speak with The Council Of Seven. Open the door."
"Will do, Chancellor," the beast-girl pulled out a silver key from a cabinet desk and unlocked one of the doors. "They are waiting for you inside."
A pale light peeked through the door at Elysia.
Drawing in a deep breath, Elysia stepped through the door.
Suddenly, she entered another dimension filled with floating books and scrolls.
Levitating in the air were seven men and women, draped in white robes and their faces masked with a white veil.
"What brings you here by this hour, Chancellor?" They spoke in unison.
Elysia hated how they all spoke collectively in one voice. It irks her.
"Elders of the council of Waurweth Academy," she began. "I'm here to make a proposal regarding the upcoming selection exams. I had been thinking, why not make this year's exam a bit difficult? Our goal is to forge the most powerful mages the world has ever seen. We cannot achieve that if we do the same thing every year."
There was a brief silence. The elders exchanged glances with each other as if considering her word.
Elysia braced herself. She was prepared for a rejection.
Normally, these old cows would rain her with questions but she had already prepared counter answers.
"Very well," the council elders sat at last. "We leave it to you to restructure the exams however you see fit."
Elysia stiffened in shock. "Wait, really?"
"These are difficult times," the council elders replied. "The demon King's forces are becoming a threat to us all. If we must protect humanity, we mustn't accommodate mediocrity within the walls of our academy. Do what is necessary to fish out the strongest students in the selection exam."
Elysia couldn't believe how easy it was.
Her smile widened. "Oh, believe me. I will."