As she walked through the crowd, her eyes searched slowly. Everyone stood still, afraid to breathe.
Then she stopped.
"You—the boy with brown hair," the General said, pointing at a boy standing quietly beside the Village Chief.
The boy froze in place. His mother's eyes widened with terror.
"Please, General!" the mother cried out, rushing forward. "Not my son! Please—just not my boy!"
She hid her son behind her, holding him tightly. I could see her hands shaking. I could feel her fear in the way she held on.
The boy hesitated, but two soldiers quickly stepped in, grabbing him by the arms and pulling him forward.
"No! Please!" the boy shouted, struggling.
"Don't take my boy! He is just a kid!" the mother shouted.
A few people tried to hold her back.
But the mother tried to run to her son, but suddenly, she let out a loud scream, like something had struck her without warning. She dropped to her knees, clutching her chest in pain.
Everyone turned to look at the General.
Her eyes had turned glowing red.
A powerful aura burst around her, crackling like fire. It spread outwards, making the air heavy with fear. No one dared move.
"Mother!" the boy cried out, trying to run to her, but the soldiers held him tight.
The village fell into silence, broken only by the mother's sobs and the boy's desperate screams.
Mother gripped me from behind, hiding me.
The boy's mother screamed in agony as a reddish energy surged through her body, like a cruel magic was tormenting her from within.
It was the General's magic.
The reddish energy crawling over the boy's mother was no accident—it came from General Vera. She didn't need to raise a finger. Her power worked on its own, cold and merciless.
"General Vera is very cold, you know," the Priestess behind me whispered quietly.
Her voice trembled a little, like she was afraid even to speak about the General.
"You should listen to her. Do whatever she says. If you don't... something bad might happen to you."
I felt a chill run down my spine.
Then the Marksman beside her leaned in and whispered, "I've heard stories about her—rumors, really. They say that just one look from her eye can send terrifying illusions into your mind."
He paused for a moment, as if making sure no one was listening, then continued in a low voice, "They call it a Torturing Illusion. She can make you feel like you're dying... even if you're not. Some say she can make you believe you're being burned alive at the stake or trapped in a nightmare that feels all too real."
I swallowed hard, suddenly feeling small.
"She doesn't even have to touch you," the Marksman added. "That's the scary part. Her Illusion ability hurts your mind, not your body."
The woman kept screaming in agony, her cries echoing across the Raphen village square. The red energy still clung to her like fire made of magic.
"Stop, Vera!" a voice shouted suddenly.
It was my mother.
She stepped out in front of the crowd, standing between the woman and General Vera. I didn't even notice when she moved.
I stood frozen, shocked. I had never seen her like this before.
Everyone in the crowd turned their heads toward her. Eyes widened. Whispers started to spread.
"Oh... if it isn't Undine Ward," General Vera said slowly, her cold eyes narrowing. "A former General."
Her words were sharp, filled with a strange mix of mockery and respect.
Gasps spread through the villagers. The quiet square suddenly buzzed with murmurs.
"She used to be a General?"
"How come we didn't know?"
I felt someone tap my shoulder. It was the Axe Swordsman who had been standing behind me.
He leaned down and whispered close to my ear, "I told you... your mother is an S-Rank Adventurer."
I stared at her, realizing there was so much I still didn't know about my own mother.
"You're hurting the woman, Vera," my mother said firmly, her voice calm but full of warning.
She knelt beside the poor woman, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. The red energy faded slightly as my mother reached out, and the woman's cries quieted.
I took a closer look—and that's when I realized something.
It was the same woman who had comforted my mother earlier, when we first arrived in the village.
"Mother!" I called out.
I rushed over to help, moving to the woman's other side. She was weak, barely able to lift her head. Together, we helped her stand, though her legs trembled and she leaned heavily on us.
General Vera stared at me with cold, curious eyes. Then, she tilted her head slightly and smirked.
"Is this your daughter?" she asked my mother. "She's grown so much."
Her voice sounded oddly amused. Then she added, "I can sense great potential in her… just like her dead father."
My chest tightened.
Dead father?
The moment she said it, something in me snapped. I didn't like the way she spoke about him—not with that tone, not like that.
I stepped forward without thinking—straight toward her.
But as soon as I did, something strange happened.
"Arghhh!" I cried out in pain.
It felt like something impossibly heavy was pressing down on me. My knees buckled. I stumbled—and then fell.
A massive boulder suddenly appeared out of thin air, landing on my back with a loud crash. It didn't crush me, but it pinned me down like a giant invisible hand.
The ground felt hot and rough against my skin. I gasped, struggling to breathe, struggling to move.
What… what kind of magic was this?
I looked up, and General Vera's eyes were glowing faint red.
I saw a glowing red amulet on her neck.
Then suddenly—a stream of water floated through the air, hitting the ground near the General's feet.
It wasn't meant to harm her—just to break her focus.
The General turned her head sharply toward the source, her eyes narrowing in surprise.
The glow in her eyes faded, and in that moment... I felt something lift.
The crushing weight on my back disappeared.
I gasped, blinking fast.
The massive boulder was gone.
Was it… an illusion? A trick of the mind? It had felt so real. My back still ached like something had truly pinned me to the ground.
Slowly, I pushed myself up, but my body still felt heavy and sore, like I had been carrying something far too long.
"Leave my daughter alone!" my mother shouted, stepping protectively in front of me.
Her voice echoed across the village square with powerful emotion—anger and love, both burning at once.
General Vera stood still for a moment, wiping her shoulder where a few drops of water had landed. Then she turned back to us and spoke, her voice as cold as ever.
"You know that's not how this works, right?" she said calmly. "Decisions have already been made."
Then she looked directly at me.
"I've chosen your daughter to enter the Royal Magic Academy," she continued. "Her name is already on the list." She landed her sight on the young lady with a scroll.
My heart skipped a beat.
"I'll wait until tomorrow," the General said, her tone cold and final. "The Academy will start tomorrow morning. If she doesn't come, the King and Queen will hear about it."
She paused and looked around before adding, "And don't forget to bring the brown-haired boy too… the one hiding behind the Village Chief."
She stared at me one last time—her face blank, her eyes empty of any emotion.
Then she turned and walked away.
Her five soldiers remained for a while. They didn't speak. Instead, they walked toward the edge of the village and headed to our farm field.
The villagers stayed silent, still too afraid to move.
And I... just stood there, heart pounding, unsure of what tomorrow would bring.
"The Royal Magic Academy, huh?" I gasped.