Chapter 34: Emergency Meeting in the Underground Basement

The atmosphere inside the underground basement of the old library felt so thick and suffocating, as if leaving behind residual ash from the black magic explosion that had just destroyed the academy's east stand a few hours ago. Dimly lit blue magic candles burned softly, casting long dancing shadows against the wet stone walls. The heavy iron-barred door was locked tightly from the inside, ensuring not a single academy monitor's ear could hear our crucial conversation tonight.

I sat crossing my legs on an old wooden chair, staring straight at Raven, who stood leaning near the imperial history archive shelves with both arms folded across his chest. Not long after, the secret door's creak shifted slowly, revealing the figure of Prince Leonhardt stepping in with a dark disguise cloak covering his formal uniform. The prince's face looked stiff and tired after a full day of being troubled by the faculty board's emergency interrogation and managing the chaos caused by the black magic bombing incident on the field earlier that morning.

"So, you really brought that cold-blooded traitor into our alliance, Alicia?" Prince Leonhardt's voice broke the silence, his eyes glancing sharply at Raven with a suspicious gaze laden with political hostility.

Raven only returned that gaze with a thin, fearless smile. "It is better to recruit someone who knows the ins and outs of darkness than to let you keep nurturing an enemy within in your personal guard ranks, Your Highness," Raven replied coldly, referring to the traitor knight who had committed suicide with poison on the training field.

I raised my right hand to stop the tension starting to creep between these two stubborn youths. "Enough. We have no time to throw childish sarcasm at each other when the shadow faction has started playing openly in broad daylight," I said firmly, shifting my full attention to Prince Leonhardt. "Yesterday's explosion incident and this morning's proved that their network has penetrated the inner ring of the court and the academy. What are the faculty board's investigation results so far?"

Prince Leonhardt let out a heavy sigh, took off his black cloak, and placed it on the wooden table. "The faculty board is trying to cover up the incident as a failed student magic experiment explosion so panic doesn't spread across the capital. But I know for sure that is nonsense. The leftover black magic at the location matches old archive records regarding northern border extermination magic."

Hearing the words northern border, Raven straightened his body, his grey gaze turning sharp. "Just as I suspected. The shadow faction is not trying to stage an ordinary political coup in the court. Their main target is to break the ancient ice gate seal at the northern tip of the Valerian family's territory."

I fell silent, feeling a cold chill crawl down the back of my neck. Strategy maps and Alicia's memories of the empire's geography spun fast inside my head. If that gate seal shattered, ancient monsters locked away for centuries would spill out into the empire's lands, making Valerian territory the primary defense line to be shattered into pieces.

"If they need pure ice magic power to open that seal..." I said softly, looking alternately at Raven and Prince Leonhardt. "...then I am the primary target they must kidnap or destroy."

"And that is why this alliance was formed," Leonhardt said with an absolute tone, stepping closer to the table where we discussed. "Starting today, surveillance over me will be tightened, and you, Alicia, must be under my direct protection or Raven's when outside the dorm."

I snorted softly, wearing a cynical villainess smirk. "Protected? Don't make me laugh, Prince. I would rather freeze to death than become a house prisoner in your palace."

Even though we threw sharp rebuttals at each other, the three of us knew full well that the stakes this time were our own lives. The game had reached its most lethal phase, and there was no way to turn back anymore.