Utter disbelief washed over Lumius. Throughout his life, under the vigilant tutelage and rigorous training of his uncle, [Cardinal] Atticus, Lumius had cultivated a sharp instinct for caution. He had learned to tread lightly through the intricate web of palace intrigues. He had navigated the treacherous waters with a wary eye, thinking that that would guarantee his survival.
But now, standing before him, was Aurora Claudia, the woman destined to be his future wife and seemingly throwing caution to the wind. She had just made a decision that Lumius found staggeringly foolish.
With a fire in her eyes and a defiant tilt to her chin, Aurora had challenged the formidable old man to a Trial by Skill. He stared at her as she stood defiantly in front of the [Cardinal] and the [Executioner]: her hair cascaded like liquid gold over her skinny frame, trembling as if a high-voltage current blazed through it at that very moment.
A Trial by Skill was a duel of a unique nature, where one party was compelled to prove the superiority of their Skill against a task, a creature, or, in more dire circumstances, against another person.
In this case, Aurora had clearly chosen to go up against death itself; while the [Executioner] would not be able to use skills nor inflict instantly mortal wounds, like cutting someone’s head off, he still out-leveled her by hundreds of levels, and his stats were enough to pulverize bone with his bare hands. Until today, she had struggled just about every single time the man had cut more than one person at a time—what did she think she would do differently today? Why was she so stupidly confident as to take a [Vow] like that?
[Vows], as Lumius knew well, were amongst the most formidable and terrifying aspects of their world. They were not to be taken lightly, as they allowed individuals to exchange personal sacrifices for enhanced power. The nature of these [Vows] was so versatile and encompassing that one could potentially take a [Vow] for just about anything, ranging from trivial to monumental.
There existed entire Classes that were intricately woven around the concept of [Vows], with individuals harnessing the power derived from their sacrifices to achieve feats that would otherwise be beyond their grasp.
A tension-laden silence permeated the air as Lumius watched Aurora, his gaze unwavering and intense. Questions swirled in the depths of his eyes, a tumult of emotions battling within him.
She doesn’t want to marry me. But when she loses, she won’t have any other choice.
He genuinely felt bad for the girl—she had unknowingly stepped into a den of Dragons.
“Well, then,” intoned the [Cardinal], his features adorned with an affable smile. “We shall proceed forthwith. The terms dictate that you must endure for a duration of at least one minute—at which juncture, the Trial will meet its conclusion either when you find yourself bereft of Mana, thereby securing victory, or in the lamentable event that one of these individuals succumbs, culminating in your defeat. Are these terms to your satisfaction?”
“The [Executioner] is restrained from utilizing skills—” Aurora’s voice was firm, outlining the conditions with precision.
However, a sharp pang of apprehension pierced Lumius’s heart, prompting him to swiftly step forward. Leaning in, he whispered urgently into Aurora’s ear, ensuring no stone was left unturned, “No magical weapons and no enchantments are permitted.”
Catching herself mid-sentence and acknowledging Lumius’s prudent intervention with a glance of surprised gratitude, Aurora continued, “—nor is he to wield enchanted or magical weapons.” Her gaze met Lumius’s with a fleeting connection. “He is bound by the restriction against inflicting wounds of an instantly fatal nature. Should I find myself on the losing end, I am bound to honor the [Vow]. Conversely, should victory favor me, these individuals will be under the Gens Claudia’s protection.”
“All the conditions are amenable to me,” [Cardinal] Atticus responded with a measured nod, his gaze unwavering as he met Aurora’s determined eyes. “Shall we proceed?”
Behind his back, unnoticed by the gathering, Lumius’s hand formed a tight fist.
Even with the restrictions imposed and the slight advantages she’s gained, Lumius harbored no illusions regarding the enormous challenge that lay ahead.
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Despite Aurora’s talent, victory did not feel within reach for the girl.
Not one bit.
...
With a determined look and her jaw locked, Lily meticulously surveyed the gagged individuals lying before her—eight in total, comprising the entire main staff of the library. Anguish and resentment flared within her chest at the sight of their helpless forms.
These monsters, her mind seethed, her gaze lingering accusingly on [Cardinal] Atticus, the orchestrator of this. She dreamt of pulling out the few strands of hair the old man had left on his head.
A deep, steadying breath filled her lungs as she steeled herself.
It’s going to be hard.
“Are you ready, little girl?” The voice of the [Executioner] cut through the tense silence, his words tainted with the stench of his putrid breath, a fetid wave that reached Lily despite the ten feet that separated them. The malevolence in his eyes was unmistakable, a cruel gleam of a man with no soul.
Lily’s gaze shifted to the hourglass that [Cardinal] Atticus had produced. With a resolute nod, she signaled her readiness. “Let’s begin.”
The [Executioner] wasted no time, pouncing at two of the eight steel tables. With calculated strikes, he delivered a stab to the necks of two girls, his actions a challenge to Lily’s healing prowess. He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Lily, assessing her response. The man was well-aware of Lily’s previous struggles with healing multiple individuals in quick succession and sought to gauge whether any improvement in her skill had emerged.
And emerged—something—it had.
Lily breathed out and extended her hands, focusing her [Minor Healing] in both directions—unlike the previous times, there was no necessity to imbue the skill with her extensive knowledge of medicine.
Two small Mandalas blossomed into existence above the wounded girls, their ethereal glow a beacon of hope amidst the shadows of the dungeon. The wounds inflicted with malicious intent began to mend under the gentle radiance of the Mandalas, the torn flesh instantly knitting together as though the wounds had never been there to begin with.
The [Executioner]’s brow furrowed, confusion marring his features. The unexpected turn of events left him momentarily taken aback, the certainty in his eyes replaced by a flicker of doubt.
Lily was grateful for his hesitation, which earned her a few precious seconds on the hourglass.
[Cardinal] Atticus’s pressed voice came from the side, “Her [Minor Healing] has crossed the first Stage, and she has chosen the Multi-Cast Perk!”
The [Executioner] nodded in self-realization and immediately went on a rampage. However, he soon felt powerless. Although it was true that Lily had chosen the Multi-Cast Perk when she had gotten the long list of choices, that had been only the tip of the iceberg of her new powers.
[*Ding!* Adjunct Skill – Lesser Mandala of Medicine level 2!]
[*Ding!* Adjunct Skill – Lesser Mandala of Medicine level 3!]
[Lesser Mandala of Medicine] was the most powerful skill she had ever gotten. It looked trivial at first—something that simply contained all her medical insights and pre-loaded them into each spell she cast—but it was insidiously perfect for this Trial.
In the face of the [Executioner]’s relentless attacks, Lily’s newfound skill proved invaluable. Where she once struggled, taking five to ten seconds to fully harness the capabilities of her healing and ensuring that every step aligned with the precision of a magical surgeon, she now wielded the power of instantaneous casting. The moment the [Executioner]’s blade pierced flesh and withdrew, Lily’s spell was already in motion.
For example, the loss of blood that had previously killed many because of the systemic shock was not a problem anymore. The [Lesser Mandala of Medicine] already contained all her knowledge about erythrocytes and stimulated the bone marrow as soon as there was any discrepancy in the prisoner’s blood balance.
The [Lesser Mandala of Medicine] took a toll on her mind every time she used it, and since by now dozens of lotus-flower-like Mandalas had blossomed all over the place, she was starting to tire.
The [Cardinal] had a shocked expression on his face, just like Lumius, who had paled beyond belief. To a different degree, they both knew just how incredible what Lily was doing was. She wasn’t even nine years old, but she would already put a low-level Classer to shame.
As the sands in the hourglass continued their inexorable descent, marking forty seconds since the commencement of the Trial, Lily found herself with a reservoir of Mana still more than half full. However, the rapid pace of her healing, while showcasing her enhanced abilities, was not without a toll. A nascent migraine began to form at the edges of her consciousness.
I need to reach the one-minute mark, Lily thought, gritting her teeth.
While still adjusting to the [Lesser Mandala of Medicine], she had a momentary lapse when first casting [Minor Healing] and got to the liver wound slightly late.
She blinked rapidly, her mind overloading with each Mandala cast.
“The one-minute mark has passed,” the [Cardinal] announced, more for the [Executioner]’s sake than Lily’s. If she managed to exhaust her Mana now, without letting anyone die, she would win.
The [Executioner] snarled and took out a second dagger, ready to go on a rampage that would most definitely overload Lily’s mind before she could actually heal everyone present.
Finally, Lily smiled dangerously, her head splitting in pain.
She had been waiting for this moment and crafted the rules accordingly. She knew that the [Executioner] might be able to kill someone before she actually ran out of Mana, but what the [Executioner] did not know was that she had already accounted for that.
As the filthy man darted for the old and frail librarian, Lily switched to another spell with a large smile on her face.