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"I only provided simple assistance from the side."
"No, really. I understand why the professors praise you. Last time, they even came to our grade's class to talk about you."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, how about it? After the Subjugation Contest, how about studying with me? I think we have pretty good chemistry, don't you?"
Ayla couldn't readily answer and only gave a troubled smile. Ruvahn didn't miss that reaction and continued smoothly.
"You know how difficult it is to find a Mage who matches your level. Wouldn't it be a good offer for you too?"
The gaze of Ruvahn, which initially felt somewhat distant, now held a hint of affection.
Ayla knew that Mages tended to look up to talented individuals, but this reaction was more intense than she had expected.
However, Ayla brushed it off nonchalantly.
'He must be elated because the results were good.'
But others seemed to think differently. Felix quietly approached and stood tall beside Ayla, as if threateningly.
Soon after, Cedric also stood close behind her, glaring at Ruvahn with a fierce look.
As the two tall men blatantly stepped forward to check him, Ruvahn's expression hardened. He blinked briefly and then raised both hands, saying.
"Ah, don't misunderstand. It was just about studying."
"……."
"I really just admired your Magic skills, I swear?"
Ruvahn tried to explain, but Cedric and Felix's gazes remained cold.
Ayla, unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, stepped in.
"By the way, isn't everyone tired? How about we take a break here for a moment?"
No sooner had the words left her mouth than the two men's attitudes changed completely. Felix looked back at her with an apologetic face.
"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were tired and made you stand for so long."
"You should rest if you're tired. This spot looks good because it's shady. Do you want to sit here?"
Even Cedric, with his cynical personality, was quite proactive.
At that sight, Ayla narrowed her eyes and hesitated for a moment. She had felt it since yesterday, but Cedric seemed to have become strangely kind to her.
'Is he still feeling guilty about the time I got slapped by Rosia last time?'
If so, that would be a relief. At least he wouldn't try to interfere or obstruct her as he used to.
But it was still just as difficult to know how to treat someone she had to keep her distance from.
'…….'
Ayla decided to put aside her complicated thoughts for now and sat down next to the base of the tree.
Felix followed suit, taking the seat next to her, and began rummaging through his bag, offering her various things.
"Ayla, aren't you thirsty? Drink this."
He handed her a water bottle and also gave her jerky.
"Eat this too. You need to eat something to maintain your stamina."
Cedric, who had been silently watching the scene, frowned. Soon, he interjected into the conversation with a displeased voice.
"Ayla doesn't like jerky. She had a bad experience with it when she was young."
With those words, Cedric rummaged through his own bag and took out something he had prepared in advance.
"How about dried fruit? It's what you like."
Ayla looked at the fruit Cedric handed her with a bewildered expression. Perhaps feeling embarrassed by her gaze, he turned his head and added.
"You don't have to eat it if you don't want to. I won't force you."
Ayla hesitated for a moment, then took the fruit from his hand.
"……Thank you."
Cedric frowned slightly at her use of honorifics, but nodded.
"Yeah."
Ayla hardened her expression and looked at the fruit in her palm.
'For Cedric to prepare something like this for me…….'
For some reason, her heart fluttered.
When she left the Noble house, she had firmly resolved. That she would not leave a single shred of attachment to any family member other than her mother.
However, the more Cedric treated her kindly as before, the more her heart wavered.
'It's as if the Emotion Manipulation Magic is slowly being undone.'
In the original story, Rosia's Magic was so powerful that Ayla couldn't even dare to think of confronting it.
But now…….
'Maybe, I can break the brainwashing more easily than I thought.'
Ayla was planning to start researching Emotion Manipulation Magic as soon as she graduated early.
No matter how much she disliked her family, she couldn't bear to see them being manipulated by Rosia's will.
But looking at Cedric's actions these days, she wondered if it was really necessary.
'If I keep inducing sympathy like this and reveal Rosia's true identity, wouldn't the brainwashing naturally be undone?'
Of course, she had no intention of starting anything right now.
In order to prove her bloodline, she also had to find a way to break through Rosia's child manipulation Magic.
'I have to reveal that Rosia is a fake daughter first, and then break the brainwashing of my family.'
……If that happens, how will her family react?
Ayla silently glanced at Cedric, who was next to her.
Of course, she had not completely forgiven the rest of her family except for her mother.
However, she could no longer stand by and watch them being manipulated by Rosia as she pleased.
Rosia had to be punished for daring to covet and ruin what was not hers.
The Monster Subjugation was progressing smoothly.
The type and number of Monsters each person caught were recorded in real-time on the Magical Tool, which could be checked at any time.
And Ayla's group was currently recording the highest score.
'At this rate, we might actually be able to win.'
No matter how many Superior Magical Creatures the others subjugated, they would not be able to overcome this overwhelming numerical advantage.
Thanks to this, Ruvahn's expression was very bright. He said with a proud face as he packed his things.
"I think it's better to head back now. It's getting darker."
Ayla also raised her head to look at the sky.
As Ruvahn said, the moon was beginning to rise above the sky.
They were currently using Magic to illuminate the surroundings brightly, but it would soon begin to darken rapidly.
"You're right. I think it's better to go back now too."
Ayla, who had finished tidying up, turned around and was about to take a step when.
Strangely, Felix was standing still in his place, not moving.
"What are you doing, Felix? I said let's go back?"
"……Well, I think I hear a strange sound."
He frowned and looked around.
"A strange sound?"
"Yes, it's like…… a sound of the ground rumbling? It seems quite large. And it's getting closer to us."
Ruvahn tilted his head in confusion, then his expression seemed to realize something.
"Come to think of it, I heard there are many wolf Monsters in Ritsha Forest. They're all said to be huge. Maybe there's one that strayed from the pack?"
Cedric frowned at those words.
"If that's the case, it's fortunate, but…… it might be a Superior Magical Creature. It's better to be on guard."
"But this is the western zone and relatively the outskirts of the forest. Even if it's a Superior Magical Creature, it'll only be one at most. We can deal with that much without difficulty."
Intermediate Monsters often moved in groups. But Superior Magical Creatures usually designated their own territories and moved within them.
That's why Ruvahn didn't think much of it. He thought that even if it revealed itself, they could easily get rid of it with this composition.
"Rather, it's a good thing. It's a chance to raise our score one last time, right? Let's all do our best. Superior Magical Creatures give quite a lot of points."
It was when Ruvahn finished speaking in an excited voice.
Woo-woo-!
Kyaaaak!
This time, an eerie and chilling sound that even Ruvahn and Ayla could hear echoed.
Felix and Cedric hurriedly stood in front of Ayla as if to protect her. Then Ruvahn also flinched and stood closer.
After a while, a Monster emerged from the darkness.
A body much larger than an ordinary wolf, thick shoulder muscles. Black, stiff mane.
"Th-that's…… a Pendragon?"
Ruvahn's face turned pale as he recognized the Monster's identity. A Pendragon was a Superior Magical Creature that was difficult for even a decent knight to deal with.
But that wasn't the end of it. The sound of bushes being swept away noisily suggested that there were more than just one or two.
Looking at the Monsters that appeared next, the group simultaneously burst into shock.
"Wh-what? What is that number……."
An immeasurable number of various Monsters were gleaming their eyes in the darkness.
"One or two, you said?"
Cedric said in a sarcastic voice.
"It looks like all the Superior Magical Creatures in Ritsha Forest have gathered here?"
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