Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 239: "Miss Dorry...Is the test over?”

Smelling the faint floral scent at her nose, Lyra looked at Astrid sitting beside her and, after hesitating for two or three seconds, spoke softly.

"Princess Astrid... you were already amazing..."

Though Lyra herself couldn’t understand the details of the battle, the knowledgeable freshman who had been standing beside her had been earnestly explaining throughout, so she had picked up quite a bit of information.

For instance, that Lightning Strike spell Dorry had cast, and the advanced arcane counter that followed, disrupting Astrid’s magic.

In Lyra’s eyes, Astrid had done the best she could with her current mental energy reserves.

Hearing this, Astrid lightly crossed her legs and smiled without speaking, her gaze quietly falling on the second tester below.

"Lyra, I just asked. Your assessment happens to be scheduled last."

The practical test was divided into ten groups, with four hours per group.

This ensured all freshmen could complete their tests today while preventing the examiners from being too mentally drained, which would affect the assessment quality.

That said, after several hours of continuous magic casting, both mind and body would inevitably feel fatigued. Lyra being assigned the last testing slot was definitely a great advantage.

"Good luck," Astrid said.

Hearing the encouragement from the person beside her, Lyra looked at the training wooden sword in her hand, feeling a warm surge in her heart, and spoke softly.

"Alright."

"I won’t let Princess Astrid down."

Whether it was for that almost impossible dream of hers, or simply not to disappoint Astrid’s expectations, she would strive to do her best.

Hearing this, Astrid glanced at Lyra. The latter, sensing Astrid’s gaze and thinking of that hidden affection in her heart, felt her ears beneath her pink hair grow slightly warm.

"Dorry’s test has certain tricks to it..." Astrid suddenly spoke up, softly explaining to the pink-haired knight.

"Lyra, remember, every forty to fifty seconds or so, the examiner will launch an attack stronger than before."

"You can think of it as a hurdle you need to overcome with all your might."

From a certain perspective, this class placement wasn’t fair to Lyra. Her extremely strong light-element affinity was only defined as poor because it couldn’t be tested. There was no issue with her talent.

Plus, after a year of solidifying her foundations, being placed in a second last class would only affect her learning pace. Astrid still hoped she could enter one of the top classes.

Lyra’s comprehension wasn’t bad. As long as she had good teachers, she would quickly stand out.

"Is that so..."

"Mm, also, when chanting spells, pay attention to the following points..."

While listening to Astrid explain the key points of the assessment, Lyra also kept an eye on the ongoing spar below.

Before she knew it, it was already past five in the evening. Hearing Dorry call her name, Lyra stood up. As she left, she turned back to look at Astrid once more.

The silver-haired princess sat elegantly upright in her seat, her crimson eyes reflecting the light from the arena, and her own figure.

I must... not let Princess Astrid down...

Gripping her wooden sword tightly, Lyra walked up to Dorry, her sky-blue eyes filled with determination.

"Lady Dorry, I look forward to your guidance..."

Hearing this, Dorry nodded slightly, her staff rippling with magical fluctuations.

"Focus. The assessment begins." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

As soon as the words left her mouth, several small fireballs appeared in the air behind Dorry, shooting straight towards Lyra.

Activating her elemental vision and seeing the red orbs in her perspective, Lyra shifted her footing slightly, dodging the first attack while softly chanting.

"Swift and cutting wind, please become my blade.."

Flowing wind attached itself to the surface of the wooden sword. The scorching fire elements were automatically deflected by the air currents on the blade’s surface before they could make contact.

Seeing Lyra choose this energy-saving method, Dorry continued to manipulate her mental energy. Ice spikes began to take shape.

At that moment, Lyra pushed off with her legs. Instead of waiting like a traditional mage to build up her attack before clashing head-on, she charged at her target like an assassin.

Seeing this, a glimmer appeared in Dorry’s eyes. Hearing Lyra’s spell chant mixed with her footsteps, she realized her opponent wanted close-quarters combat. She thus twisted her staff, pointing its hard end at Lyra.

Just as Lyra was an advanced apprentice and advanced knight, Dorry, besides being an advanced caster, was also an intermediate grand knight. She wasn’t too afraid of close combat.

"Crystallization of human wisdom, formless and thoughtless arcane factors, grant it solidity."

Wooden sword clashed against staff. Lyra clearly felt a tremendous force transmitting from her wrist.

Though a sword held absolute advantage over a staff, since she had only cast a light-body spell for burst speed and a perception touch spell to enhance her senses during her charge, she currently couldn’t overpower her opponent in physical strength.

Then she would leverage agility.

The blade swept along the wooden staff towards Dorry’s hand. The latter quickly chanted a spell, and a surge of wind erupted between them, repelling Lyra’s attempt to disarm her.

Feeling the wind currents along her blade being disrupted by Dorry, Lyra rapidly chanted a spell mid-air. Cold ice elements gathered once more.

The moment her heel landed with a clear sound, Lyra immediately controlled her leg muscles, leaning her body forward, and shot towards Dorry like an arrow from a bow.

Miss Elise had said that in battle, one must seize every opening. As long as the attack could be effective, strike swiftly.

Having been interrupted once by Lyra, the ice blades around Dorry hadn’t fully formed. They could only shoot towards the charging Lyra in the form of blunt ice spikes.

Facing the bone-chilling cold that could cut her cheeks, Lyra focused all her attention, narrowly dodging two of the spikes.

The central ice spike aimed straight at her abdomen. She swung her frost-covered wooden sword, and the sharp ice blade instantly severed the spike, splitting it in two.

Understanding Lyra’s combat style, Dorry chanted another spell. Flames suddenly appeared around her body, attempting to use the heat wave to push Lyra back.

"Water elements, source of life, your follower is trapped in a waterless land. I beseech you to send down sweet dew."

The scorching fire elements scattered the free water element particles in the air, thereby weakening the effects of Lyra’s magic.

Realizing that the water element particles alone weren’t enough for her to bypass the ring of fire, Lyra switched to rapidly chanting an ice-element spell.

The frenzied fire element particles gradually calmed. Water and fire collided, forming several white mist clouds that obscured both sides’ vision.

But only for an instant. A sword pierced through the mist, and Lyra emerged, carrying an unstoppable force straight towards Dorry.

Close enough, time to cast Slow!

Lyra instantly chanted the spell, converting mental energy into magic power and targeting Dorry.

But just as she completed this, in her second breath, Lyra felt her mind grow heavy, her mental energy briefly stagnating.

This feeling is... spell feedback...

As soon as the mist rose, Dorry had guessed Lyra’s intention. Taking advantage of the hazy mist and the hiss of steam, she had cast a three-second magic-countering shield on herself.

Noticing Lyra’s slightly unsteady steps, Dorry raised her staff, pointing it at the girl’s left chest.

A hit to a vital point would end the assessment.

Feeling a gust of wind from the side, almost instinctively, Lyra raised her elbow, briefly covering the muscles of her forearm with her spiritual energy, ready to take the hit.

The staff, carrying a deep chill, struck her left arm. The intense shock made Lyra’s shoulder go numb, and her already dazed mind, having just suffered a magical counter, grew even more foggy.

But she forced her legs to move, pushing hard to escape close combat range with Dorry.

Lyra Beckett... did she block that with muscle memory?

Dorry watched the pink-haired girl disappear into the white mist, momentarily stunned before narrowing her eyes and chanting a wind spell to disperse the obstructing fog.

In those brief two or three seconds, Lyra seized a rare moment to catch her breath, placing a hand lightly on her left chest, her heart pounding as if it might leap out of her chest.

Where the staff had struck, she felt as if she could barely move.

The dull pain awakened Lyra’s somewhat muddled spirit. She gripped her wooden sword tighter, and the next second, she saw the white mist blown away by the wind. Dorry’s staff swayed gently, its tip emitting a dazzling light.

Lightning Strike spell!

Dorry had already finished chanting. In the little time left, Lyra couldn’t mount an effective counter.

In an instant, the lightning flared, and a silver-white lightning spear shot from the tip of the staff. Lyra summoned all her strength, rolling to the right at the fastest speed she could manage.

Compared to mages, knights’ physical control and reaction speed far surpassed the former’s.

Astrid couldn’t dodge this attack and had to rely on defensive magic to withstand it, but that didn’t mean Lyra couldn’t.

A wave of heat landed by her feet, and the crackling explosion erupted instantly.

Lyra felt her balance falter due to the hasty evasion, so she plunged her sword into the ground, struggling to steady herself.

All of this was her body’s instinctive reaction. The moment she sensed danger, her body reflexively responded, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Thanks to Miss Elise’s year-long practical guidance... otherwise, without relying on instinct, she could never have dodged at such speed...

Also, how much time has passed?

Lyra, panting heavily, couldn’t help but wonder. If it hadn’t even been a minute yet, she was in quite a sorry state.

Dorry also wanted to know the answer. Lyra was a rare proactive examinee, and after the series of attacks, she too had forgotten to keep track of the time.

She glanced at the recorder, who responded with a faint lip movement.

Two minutes and three seconds.

This number had already surpassed nearly half of the examinees.

Aside from Lyra and Dorry, who were focused on the test, everyone else in the arena also turned their attention to the pink-haired girl.

In the afternoon’s practical test, almost everyone had been on the defensive, hoping to last a few more rounds against the examiner.

But now, this seemingly delicate pink-haired girl had chosen a more aggressive approach.

And judging from the current sparring results, it was effective.

The person on the field was likely a knight, possibly of middle stage or higher.

Astrid watched Lyra’s trembling figure, her fingers lightly touching her lips, her legs crossed, her expression focused.

The pause on the field lasted less than half a second before Dorry launched another attack.

Lyra, having slightly recovered, understood the opponent’s chant and began to chant a defensive spell.

Time ticked by, two minutes thirty, two minutes forty-five, three minutes...

Seeing Lyra block all her moves, her sword still gleaming with a cold light, as if ready to strike again, Dorry blinked, her chanting voice so low it was almost inaudible.

In the penultimate stage of the test, the examiner used a chant similar to lip-reading.

Few examinees reached this point in the entire test.

Feeling that Dorry’s spellcasting speed had increased, and the intensity was much higher than before, Lyra grew more cautious, her sword constantly slashing, using the wind to split the flames.

She couldn’t fall yet.

A scorching light brewed above her, and shattered fire sparks poured down like rain.

Fire Rain, another low-level Sorcerer’s spell.

Lyra calmed her mind, the wind at the spine of her sword becoming incredibly fierce, strong enough to blow away the fire sparks.

"Tap..."

In the faint chanting, a light footstep was heard.

Just as Lyra steadied herself, she caught a glimpse of Dorry charging at her from the corner of her eye, her pupils dilating instantly.

Besides Lyra, the audience was also momentarily stunned.

Throughout the test, Dorry had never engaged in close combat like a knight, only attacking from a distance with various spells, leading most to believe that close combat wasn’t part of the test.

In fact, the practical sparring tested not only the examinees’ use of various spells but also close-quarters combat, which was included in the last minute as a supplement to spell attacks. Almost no examinee had lasted this long.

Lyra pursed her lips, her wooden sword slashing towards Dorry.

The woman dodged with a quick step, her staff, now imbued with lightning enchantment, aimed straight at Lyra’s shoulder.

If this hit, even if it wasn’t a vital spot, it would likely render Lyra unable to fight.

Realizing Dorry’s intent, Lyra immediately lowered her body, her footwork like that of a ballroom dance, tracing a small arc on the spot.

More eyes lingered on the two at the center of the arena, including Astrid Calliste.

As Lyra turned, she saw those calm red eyes watching her, Astrid’s lips curled in a smile, as if encouraging her that she had done well.

To be fair, this result was absolutely top-notch among all the freshmen.

But... it was still far from her goal...

Dorry raised her leg, swinging it towards Lyra’s sword hand. The latter twisted her wrist to dissipate the force, the wooden sword flipping in the air in a beautiful arc.

Four minutes and ten seconds, the test continued.

The sound of physical collisions replaced the resonance of elements. Lyra struggled to hold her ground against Dorry, her pretty face already covered in fine sweat.

Unlike sparring with Elise, who, as a high-ranking executor, had exquisite control over her body, allowing her to match Lyra’s strength and speed to train her spirit and combat skills, Dorry’s goal wasn’t training but defeating.

She was already pressing Lyra with the physical prowess of a low-level Grand Knight.

Her speed couldn’t match Dorry’s, so she couldn’t dodge the attacks.

Her strength wasn’t enough, so she had to increase her spiritual energy expenditure to ensure she didn’t take too much damage.

In the repeated dodging and blocking, Lyra’s stamina and spiritual energy rapidly depleted. Dorry’s speed was becoming too fast for her to follow.

But... was it because she had been fighting all afternoon...

Lyra felt her cheeks burning but also noticed Dorry’s breathing was somewhat labored.

After such a long test, the latter’s spiritual energy should also be nearly depleted, making it hard to sustain high-intensity combat.

The wooden sword slashed towards the staff, and at the same time, Dorry’s elbow struck Lyra’s abdomen.

The latter used Arcane Magic’s Soothing Spell to mitigate some damage but still staggered back two steps from the impact.

Dizzy and disoriented, Lyra felt she could barely stand. The only silver lining was that she had knocked Dorry’s weapon away, temporarily neutralizing her greatest threat.

Seeing Lyra still standing, Dorry couldn’t help but marvel at this freshman’s combat skills and willpower, far exceeding her expectations. Out of respect, she would end the fight with a more ferocious attack.

Witnessing it all, Astrid frowned slightly.

Perhaps even she hadn’t noticed how long it had been since she had been so invested in the outcome of a battle.

Strength, Lightness, Pain Suppression... three buffs in ten seconds...

Dorry closed in on Lyra at a speed beyond the latter’s expectations. Lyra stumbled, pointing her sword at the approaching figure, her pupils locked onto the near-blur.

"...The gods say, light is the source of all."

Close enough, Lyra heard the chant from Dorry’s mouth, but by the time she realized it, it was too late.

High-level Sorcerer spell, Blindness.

In an instant, the arena was filled with a blinding light, forcing even Astrid, who wasn’t at the center, to squint, her red eyes reduced to slits as she watched the sun-like flash below.

From the start of the sparring, Lyra had already cast a spell called Sense Touch, enhancing her vision and hearing to better observe enemy movements and decide her next steps.

Dorry had seized on this, using Blindness to release a strong light, causing Lyra, whose vision was enhanced, to be intensely stimulated and temporarily lose her sight.

As she expected, Lyra’s movements slowed, and her sword wavered for a moment.

It’s over, you’ve lasted long enough...

Just as the hand blade was less than ten centimeters from Lyra’s neck, Dorry, ready to declare the test over, suddenly felt something pressing firmly against her left chest, preventing any further movement.

Looking down, she saw a slender wooden sword, its blade tip still carrying faint ice shards, the melting droplets wetting the black fabric of her collar.

Dorry raised her head, seeing Lyra’s slightly flushed cheeks from the exertion, those sky-blue eyes showing no confusion.

On the contrary, she could see a clear, ethereal quality in them.

As if the Blindness spell had no effect on her at all.

Had she prepared in advance? But why hadn’t she heard any related chants?

"Miss Dorry..." Lyra’s voice was hoarse, struggling to steady her breathing.

"...Is the test over?"

Time froze at four minutes and fifty-six seconds. Dorry looked at the sword before her, then slowly spoke.

"It’s over, Miss Lyra."