Standing before them were four people: an orc, a black-haired boy, and two girls—one with curly hair and the other with blue hair. Then Elowyn spoke.
"I want you all to obey my every command, so swear an oath."
Serenya narrowed her eyes. An oath was only taken by those who followed someone, or for the king himself when becoming his subordinate. In the oath, you put your honor on the line, so she had no intention of following someone like this princess—especially because Serenya had a strange feeling that Elowyn was even worse than she had been in the past.
"Sorry, Lady Elowyn, but I'll have to decline. I'll only swear an oath to the king."
Elowyn looked at Serenya calmly.
"That's easy, then. Since I'll be next in line for succession, let's just say I'm getting ahead of things."
Her confidence was immense—it made sense since she was the eldest and had the most potential among her siblings. But none of that mattered to the three standing before her, especially Kai, who already felt uncomfortable with Elowyn and her subordinates behind her. Valença stepped forward after helping the two who had been knocked down.
"Just one question… what do you want in return for us taking this oath? Because I doubt you came here just for that."
The five looked at Valença, who remained calm, and the black-haired boy who had kicked Kai earlier smirked arrogantly.
"Even if you look like a peasant, finally someone smart showed up."
That guy was already annoying Valença—and Kai as well. In a way, he reminded them of Enrico before he began to change.
"Simple. I want you to follow all my orders."
"And what would those be?"
Kai asked. He wouldn't swear an oath to someone he deemed unjust or lacking even a sliver of empathy.
"My first command is that you prevent students ranked below you from evolving—of course, without the teachers knowing."
The two injured students behind them trembled, and the three were shocked. So that's why Lan was ranked 31 and the students in Class A seemed so weak to them.
"Then I refuse."
Kai was the first to speak directly. Now he fully understood Enrico's words of caution about Elowyn.
"Sorry, but I'm not made to be a subordinate—I'm meant to lead."
Serenya spoke next. Besides not liking Elowyn, Enrico didn't seem to mind her presence, which to Serenya meant she didn't need to be even slightly friendly toward Elowyn.
"Sorry, but I'd rather spend my time advancing my level."
Valença gave the least offensive response, as she was taking her rival's words seriously and didn't want conflict—at least not until he returned. The two students behind them sighed in relief.
Elowyn placed her hand on her chin, looking bored.
"This is why I hate people with light like you."
She had thought at least Serenya would accept, as her light had some corruption—but it was a disappointment. Elowyn raised her hand, and immediately the four behind her advanced.
The black-haired boy appeared behind Valença with his arm raised, something dark emerging from his palm.
"I thought you were smart, peasant."
But Kai instantly kicked his arm away. The boy was surprised.
"This time it'll be different."
Earlier, Kai hadn't been paying much attention, but now he was fully focused—or so he thought, until he was hit from behind. He didn't know what it was—just that he was thrown.
The curly-haired girl spewed what looked like venom toward Kai, but a fireball deflected it. Valença spun her staff at the boy, but an orc leapt above her, fists descending. She was about to be hit, but Serenya's control magic tossed her aside. The ground was smashed by the orc's two fists.
Serenya felt a blow to her ribs—she didn't even see it—and was thrown into a wall.
Kai drew his sword to attack the orc, realizing somehow the impacts were coming from him.
A mist surrounded Kai from the blue-haired girl, and he lost his vision, taking a series of blows—fists that cracked his skin.
"Looks like you're a knight, peasant."
The voice of the one hitting him was the black-haired boy.
"You should give up. Knights will never reach our level."
Kai gritted his teeth and slashed where the voice was.
"Crescent Slash."
The boy dodged, but a cut appeared on his forehead.
"How dare you."
He raised his hand, forming a dark sphere that hit Kai's stomach. Kai couldn't dodge—this mist affected his sight. He raised his sword and activated his hero magic.
Magical Slash—the mist dissipated and vision returned, meaning it was a spell equal to or weaker than his own.
"Ugh."
Hearing Valença groan in pain, he looked to the side and saw Elowyn holding Valença and Serenya by their hair.
'How did they lose?'
Kai tried to stand but coughed blood, and looking at where the dark sphere hit, he saw black skin forming—he winced in pain.
Serenya broke free using an invisible platform that slammed into Elowyn. Sensing magic moving in the air, Elowyn raised her arms to defend. She was pushed back, and Valença cast a fire tornado that the orc stopped with a burnt hand.
'Damn, I thought about using the new magic but…'
She looked at Kai and Serenya, injured and exhausted, remembering Virelle's words. She couldn't use that spell—not with them in that state. Elowyn looked at the three, now surrounded by her four subordinates.
"You're stronger than I thought… now I understand why that trash lost."
Elowyn placed a hand on her chin, thoughtful.
"If you're like this, then to be sure, when rank 31 returns, I'll send all four against him too."
Among the four subordinates, only the orc seemed uncomfortable with this. Serenya, Valença, and Kai, hearing this, immediately grew enraged, ready to charge—but Valença stopped them, and Serenya looked at her angrily.
"Why—"
For just a second, Valença looked at the two Class A students, who nodded and joined them. Serenya and Kai calmed down.
Kai nodded to the elf and orc.
"Thanks."
The orc smiled and nodded.
"If friends help, I help too."
The orc seemed to just now be learning to speak, and beside her, the elf nodded in agreement.
The five looked forward, ready. Elowyn's eyes held a hint of amusement, then began to glow golden—and minutes later, they were all on the ground, Elowyn crouching to look at their beaten bodies.
"This will continue until you swear loyalty."