Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 238: Practical Test

"What’s wrong, are you surprised?"

Of course, she was surprised. The palace wasn’t far from here. It only took about five or six minutes longer to go back to the palace from the classroom than to the dormitory area. It was hard to imagine that Her Highness Astrid would stay in the academy.

As for the ordinary and confident thought that she stayed specifically for her, Lyra didn’t even consider it for a moment.

"A little..."

She really didn’t understand.

Hearing this, Astrid gently removed her hairband, letting her smooth silver hair fall naturally, her pink lips slightly parting.

"It seems Miss Lyra really doesn’t understand the situation."

"The Elizabeth Academy of Magic is built at the center of the defensive magic circle of the imperial capital. Apart from the loyalists in the palace, some of the imperial guards are also distributed within the academy, ready to counter any possible attacks."

"On the basis of this giant magic circle, the previous academy dean made partial innovations, processing the scattered magic power of many mages in a vigilant state, forming a magic funnel that can accelerate the flow of magic power within the area."

"In other words, students can enjoy the blessing of this magic funnel while resting in the dormitory area, thereby improving the recovery efficiency of their mental power and indirectly stimulating their strength growth."

Due to its location, even the palace near the academy couldn’t enjoy the related blessings, which was also one of the reasons why the Elizabeth Academy of Magic stood out among many academies.

"...I see," Lyra nodded, gently placing the notebook into the drawer.

So... she really could share a room with Her Highness Astrid...

Noticing the corner of Lyra’s mouth unconsciously lifting, Astrid paused and softly said, "We’ll be roommates from now on. Are you sure you want to sleep on that bed, Lyra?"

"Huh... huh?" Lyra was momentarily stunned, looking at the bed by the door.

Is there anything to choose?

Hearing this, Astrid nodded, "Then Livia and I will sleep on this side."

The beds in the dormitory were divided into two rows, connected end to end on the same side, separated by a corridor in the middle. The side Astrid chose to lie on was directly opposite Lyra.

Suddenly thinking that she could see the person she liked just by turning her head, Lyra swallowed a mouthful of fragrant saliva, looking forward to the future academy life even more.

Even if they weren’t in the same class, as long as they lived in the same dormitory, they would definitely have plenty of opportunities to meet.

"Also, outside, you can call me Your Highness..."

Astrid kicked off her high heels, revealing two smooth and delicate black silk-clad feet. She grabbed the ladder with both hands, exerted force with her feet, and gently climbed up to the upper bunk.

"In private, there’s no need to keep calling me Your Highness. Didn’t Lyra say you wanted to be my friend?"

"Friends don’t need to use honorifics."

Sitting on the bed, Astrid curled up her legs and reached down, ready to give Amalia a hand.

However, although this black-haired girl was a bit petite, she wasn’t so soft that she couldn’t even climb a ladder.

Just as she climbed onto the bed, Amalia’s ankle got caught on the bed edge, and she fell directly into Astrid’s arms.

Watching the whole scene, Lyra blinked her eyelashes a few times, secretly pondering.

From her angle... Her Highness Amalia really looked like she faked the fall...

Considering that there would be no time left if she didn’t sleep now, Lyra bent down, took off her shoes, and climbed onto the bed to take a nap.

....

At 3 PM, Lyra, who had recovered somewhat, accompanied Astrid to the sparring ground.

The examiner for their test was a Peak Sorcerer and middle stages grand knight in her early forties.

Due to good maintenance, the woman still looked charming, but compared to the eternally youthful Arcanist level mages, the corners of her eyes still inevitably bore some traces of time.

"Dorry Bill, your practical test examiner."

"Let me briefly explain the rules. During the sparring, you are allowed to use the wooden swords and staffs provided by the venue, and there are no restrictions on the use of combat skills or spells. The test lasts for five minutes, during which I will gradually increase the speed of my attacks and spellcasting."

"The longer you last, the better your score, and vice versa."

After listening to Dorry’s explanation of the rules, Astrid and Lyra each took a staff and a wooden sword, respectively.

The other freshmen taking the test also chose different combat weapons according to their own needs.

"Your Highness Astrid, you go first."

Hearing this, Astrid nodded and walked to the opposite side of Dorry.

To prepare for the test, she had changed her high heels for a pair of lightweight leather boots, and her original black dress had been replaced by a neat shirt and shorts.

"Excuse me."

Dorry spoke softly, her staff continuously emitting magical fluctuations.

This was the first time Astrid was sparring with someone other than Lyra. She calmed her breathing and followed the general process of mage combat, first casting a few buffs on herself.

Light Body Technique, Perception Touch, Frost Armor...

As Dorry had said, her initial attacks wouldn’t be too strong. After Astrid finished chanting these enhancement spells, she began to cast her first spell.

"Swift and cutting wind, please become my blade..." the woman murmured.

In an instant, the transparent airflow became exceptionally sharp, shooting out from the staff at an extremely fast speed.

Through her elemental vision, Astrid captured the specific arrangement of these wind elemental particles.

The ice elemental shield surrounding her instantly combined, forming a thick ice surface.

The blade struck the ice, and fine ice shards fell to the ground.

Astrid felt that the ice elements she had gathered were constantly being disrupted by the wind, and the recovery speed of the ice shield gradually couldn’t keep up with the destruction.

Ten seconds passed, and Dorry chanted her second spell.

With a light wave of her staff, the air instantly became scorching hot, and two fire-like snakes appeared from under her ribs, lunging towards Astrid.

Practical sparring tested not only the speed and strength of spellcasting but also on-the-spot reactions and timing judgments.

Astrid keenly realized that this spell was something she couldn’t withstand head-on, so she quickly sidestepped to the other side based on the direction of the fire snakes.

The scorching flames came close to a strand of silver hair, the intense heat slightly curling the ends.

The testing ground provided enough space precisely to allow the sparring partners to dodge reasonably.

Under this premise, knights actually had an advantage over mages.

"Fleeting lightning, heed my call."

Just as Astrid dodged the fire snake’s attack, the woman continued chanting spells while continuously channeling her mental energy.

At the top of her staff, a dazzling point of light rapidly gathered. Before anyone could see it clearly, a silvery-white spiked lightning bolt burst forth.

In the spectator stands, some freshmen who were more familiar with lightning-element magic showed expressions of surprise.

A high-level apprentice spell, Lightning Strike, gathers scattered lightning element particles in the air and forms them into a sharp spear-like lightning bolt, causing explosive damage at a single point.

It had been less than a minute since the battle started, yet Lady Dorry’s attack intensity had already reached beyond middle apprentice level.

The practical test lasted for five minutes, not including cases where the examinee was defeated early.

This meant that in the remaining time, Dorry’s spells could very well surpass apprentice level and reach Sorcerer level.

This was simply too outrageous. Those attending the entrance ceremony of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic were all freshmen, most of whom were at intermediate apprentice level. How could they withstand such an onslaught?

Meanwhile, on the battlefield, the moment lightning and ice made contact, the lightning spear pierced through the frost shield surrounding Astrid and shot straight towards her shoulder.

Before anyone could react, the distance between them had already narrowed to less than a meter.

At this attack speed, it was impossible for an ordinary mage to evade it.

With a piercing electric sound, the lightning spear struck Astrid’s arm.

Seeing this, Dorry narrowed her eyes, feeling that the magical feedback she received was somewhat different from what she had expected.

In less than half a second, the lightning extinguished, and a patch of charred black soil appeared on Astrid’s injured area.

The frost that had covered the surface evaporated due to the heat, turning into rising white mist.

The spectators were seated a bit far away. Though they could clearly see the different effects of various elemental magics, they couldn’t hear the specific spells being chanted by the combatants.

From their perspective, Dorry’s attack had been perfectly defended by Astrid using earth-element magic, without even tearing a single piece of her clothing.

"Princess Astrid’s current strength must be at peak apprentice level..."

Hearing the murmurs beside her, Lyra pursed her lips slightly, her palms tightening a bit.

If she wanted to be in the same class as Astrid, then the latter couldn’t score too high in the practical test. Otherwise, there was no way she could catch up.

However... compared to the somewhat selfish desire of being able to study together with Princess Astrid...

Lyra hoped even more that Astrid Calliste, who was currently fighting, could continue to shine as brightly as she had this morning.

"Princess Astrid, you have quick reflexes," Dorry praised softly.

Before reaching Magnus level, all mages needed to chant corresponding universal incantations to cast spells.

This meant that during combat, those who knew more spells could glean more information through analysis and better respond to their opponent’s chants.

For the first two minutes of the practical assessment, as the examiner, Dorry would chant spells loudly to make it easier for her opponent to dodge. After two minutes, her voice would gradually lower until it was almost like lip-reading.

Not only did Astrid start casting Stone Shield the moment she heard the Lightning Strike incantation, she also covered the stone shield with ice elements to reinforce its defense, allowing the originally insufficient earth shield to perfectly block the lightning spear.

The key point was that even though Dorry had chanted the attack spell first and Astrid the defense spell afterward, the fastest-casting lightning-element magic had been blocked by the slowest-acting earth-element magic.

Truly befitting a magic genius with excellent earth-element affinity, her spell activation speed was indeed first-rate.

"Your Highness could also launch attacks against me to disrupt my normal spell chanting," Dorry said gently.

There was an assessment point every forty-five seconds or so. Astrid had passed this one.

Sensing that the spell intensity was slightly lower than before, Astrid spoke softly.

"Alright."

The spar continued, but Astrid didn’t launch any attacks against Dorry. She still only used her mental energy for one-sided defense.

Others might not understand why, but Lyra, who had sparred with Astrid several times, knew that the latter had extremely low mental energy reserves.

Though the quality was on par with advanced apprentices, the quantity was probably not even up to middle stage apprentice level.

Using it like this meant she was almost at her limit.

At one minute and fifty-five seconds, just as everyone thought Astrid could last at least another minute, the silver-haired girl at the center of the arena raised her right hand, signaling to the examiner that she wanted to withdraw from the test.

"...Princess Astrid?"

Seeing this, Dorry frowned slightly, her tone carrying surprise.

This was an important factor affecting class placement. Withdrawing voluntarily was too irresponsible.

"My mental energy is almost depleted. There’s no need to continue the assessment."

Astrid’s voice was cool, betraying no emotion.

"Lady Dorry, how was my performance?"

Dorry turned her head to look at the recorder, confirming that her silent count of time was correct, then replied softly.

"One minute and fifty-five seconds."

This result could be considered outstanding for civilian students who hadn’t received early magical education.

But compared to the super strong elemental affinity Astrid had displayed, one minute and fifty-five seconds of persistence wasn’t particularly good.

Moreover, judging from her current state, holding out a bit longer, at least until the next assessment point, wouldn’t have been too difficult.

Hearing this, Astrid nodded and responded politely. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

"Thank you for your diligent efforts, Lady Dorry. You’ve worked hard."

After handing the card to the recorder to inscribe the corresponding data, Dorry moved her lips as if wanting to say something.

But seeing the card glow slightly, indicating the recording was complete, she ultimately remained silent.

Princess Astrid... must have her own considerations...

As a commoner, Dorry didn’t quite understand and wasn’t prepared to delve into the psychology between nobles.

Besides feeling slightly regretful, she didn’t have too many other emotions.

"Next... Robert Kylers..."