Despite what just happened, not a single student missed class. The reason was simple: the rules of the Academy.

Today's events had made us understand the importance of carefully reading that little book we had been given on the first day of school. Even a small language nuance could be of vital importance for our survival.

Fortunately, in this case, things were crystal clear: an unjustified absence from class resulted in the loss of a whopping 10 points. With the sword of Damocles hanging over the last-place student's head, no one wanted to shoulder that penalty. A single point could mean the difference between life and death.

So, we were all present, but I don't think anyone would have been able to report a single word of what the professor had explained by the end of the lesson.

The atmosphere couldn't have been more different from three days ago. I could hear the subdued cries of several students. Many others were staring at the ranking visible on the right wall of the class.

An ominous inscription had appeared at the top:

"98 students remaining...".

The names of Carl Stuart and Frank Montague were now at the bottom, overlaid with a large X indicating their deaths.

I still couldn't wrap my head around how it could be true. I spent the entire lesson trying to rationalize what had just happened.

Assuming Skylark's words were true, the King not only knew what was happening but also approved of the situation. They wouldn't have had legal issues then. But our parents would surely not stay silent if we had simply vanished into thin air. From what I had seen, among my classmates were many children of influential nobles. If dozens of children of counts and marquises disappeared at the same time, it would become widely known.

They had to have a plan to cover it up.

I guess they couldmake extensive use of memory spells. But that was a very complicated branch of magic.

Was it really possible to alter the memories of what had to be hundreds of people, including fathers, mothers, and various siblings?

It seemed unlikely. But then there had to be another method.

After all, they had already succeeded.

It was an uncomfortable thought, but there was no point in deluding myself. It must have gone like this:

Sir Aldric was the only person known to have attended the Academy because all his classmates had vanished into thin air. No one probably remembered that they ever existed.

"This is the second time."

An even more sinister thought crept into my mind.

"But then, what about Sir Aldric?"

As a survivor, he was probably the only one, besides the professors and the guards, who knew how things had really gone.

Why hadn't he revealed the terrible truth about what had happened within the walls of the Academy to the world?

Why did the mage I admired so much decided to keep the world in the dark?

Was it possible that he was a monster like Valentine and wanted to hide what he had done to his classmates?

No, it wasn't possible. After all, he had saved our kingdom.

I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on another question:

"Why?"

Why did us students need to die?

If the ultimate goal of the Academy was truly to find out who the strongest fighter among us was, there was no reason why we couldn't just go home once eliminated. They could just wipe our memory like it seems they intended to do with our relatives.

Despite everything, I didn't think our deaths were simply sadistic entertainment for Professor Skylark. There had to be a very specific reason for why we had to die.

Was it simply to motivate us to give our best in duels? It seemed very drastic.

During my studies, I had often been passionate about the magical culture of other kingdoms. The strange rituals of the eastern kingdoms had particularly fascinated me. Among these, I remembered reading about an ancient curse called kodoku.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

The technique to conjure it consisted of sealing various venomous insects in a vase, leaving them locked up to devour each other. In the end, the last surviving insect would absorb the poison of all its peers, becoming a powerful cursed creature.

Not that I had tried to perform the ritual myself, but I was sure it was just old superstitions.

And we were people, not insects.

But the parallel between that ritual and our situation still sent shivers down my spine.

I spent the rest of the lesson formulating other conjectures, each one more unlikely than the last.

Finally, Amy and I got up, ready to head to lunch.

Despite everything that had happened, we had agreed that continuing with our routine was the best thing to do. Maintaining a sense of normalcy would help us stay sane in the crazy situation we were in.

But as I was about to leave the classroom, I felt a hand rest on my shoulder.

«Elizabeth, right? Do you have a minute?»

Hearing my name spoken by that voice sent chills down my spine. But who knows what would have happened to me if I had ignored it.

I turned to Igor Valentine and replied:

«Um, I was just about to go to lunch now, can we talk later...?»

His hand remained tight on my shoulder. I didn't dare to try and free myself.

With an amused smile at my obvious discomfort, Valentine replied:

«Come on, lunch can wait. I just wanted to challenge you to a duel. Since you're the strongest in the class, I think you're the right person to test me... So, what do you say?» Then he added, looking me in the eyes, «Oh, there's no need to put anything at stake!»

"Piece of shit..."

The implication was clear. There was no point in betting anything when you intended to kill your opponent.

I clenched my fists.

«No, I refuse.»

I could feel tears of frustration welling up in my eyes.

Three days ago, I would never have thought of refusing a duel. But what could I do now? Accepting Valentine's challenge was suicide. I had no hope against the power he possessed. He could kill me before I could even cast a single spell.

I sniffed, trying to hold back the tears.

All the confidence I had in myself had been shattered in a matter of days.

How stupid I had been to think I had any chance of winning this competition!

The mana flowing within me was worth nothing against monsters like Sophia and Valentine.

And now, after today's events, I knew that my weakness wouldn't lead to just expulsion but to my death.

Valentine seemed pleased with my reaction.

«Ahahaha,» he chuckled, «well, maybe next time then.»

He walked past me out of the classroom, waving his hand in farewell.

That piece of human garbage knew very well that I wouldn't accept the duel.

I glanced at the ranking. The two points I had earned on the first day had been deducted.

"Elizabeth Belvoir 0"

Fortunately, I wasn't last. Apparently, points could go in the negatives, which is why I had several students below me. Aside from today, there were three more days before the end of the week. If I didn't score any more points and others won duels, they could surpass me.

Amy, who had watched my interaction with Valentine with a terrified expression, approached me, also scrutinizing the ranking. She had 4 points. In the past few days, she had won three duels and lost two. Unlike me, she had been diligent.

Fuck my ego...

Amy put a hand on my shoulder. The feeling of her touch couldn't be more different from Valentine's.

«Let's go to lunch. Don't worry, we still have until Sunday. You just need to challenge some other students to regain points,» she tried to console me.

«Right,» I replied uncertainly, and followed her out of the classroom.

"I'll start dueling anyone I can find from tomorrow onwards. Today, I just need some peace," I thought as I walked towards the dining hall.

I just hoped that Valentine hadn't singled me out as his target.