End Of Competition

The competition had finally ended, and now it was time for the rewards. Almost everyone had already left the arena, especially the outsiders. Only a few dozen people remained to witness the award ceremony.

The principal was not there from the beginning. He had left for the capital city to meet with the king for other important matters. Being the head of the academy, he had many responsibilities. This Awakend Academy was not the only one in the Anastasia Kingdom—there were several other branches as well.

That left Lortell and Lilith, but Lilith had gone somewhere quite a while ago and still hadn't returned.

Still, some important figures remained, and Lortell was among them.

Ethan's expression darkened every time he looked at Lortell. If someone asked him who he hated the most in the academy, his answer would be either Corin or Lortell. But right now, he wasn't in a position to say anything.

Meanwhile, Sylviana and Violet were also there. Even though they hadn't won, Ethan had secured second place, which was still an achievement.

A volunteer girl stepped forward, holding a silver tray in her hands. On it was the reward for the first-place winner.

But just as she was about to move forward, Lortell suddenly snatched the tray from her hands.

"Let me," Lortell said with a smile, stepping forward confidently.

"Esdeath Crimson, for achieving first place, is awarded the Warrior Spirit Essence Stone," a girl announced from behind.

The arena filled with the sound of applause as everyone clapped.

Lortell approached Esdeath, handing her the silver tray along with her reward.

The reward was a dark blue essence stone, about the size of half a palm. It had a carved figure of a warrior holding a long sword, giving it a majestic appearance.

But Lortell didn't stop there. She leaned in, bending down slightly to match Esdeath's height, and then, without hesitation, she pressed a soft kiss against Esdeath's left cheek.

"Good job," Lortell whispered in a sultry voice, her warm breath brushing against Esdeath's skin.

Esdeath's cheeks flushed red as she felt the soft warmth lingering on her skin. Meanwhile, Lortell casually returned to her position with a proud grin, looking completely satisfied with herself.

The volunteer girl, still holding the second-place reward, turned toward Lortell and offered it to her, expecting her to hand it over to Ethan just like she did with Esdeath's reward.

But Lortell immediately refused, waving her hand dismissively. "You go. I already did my part," she said, clearly uninterested.

Of course, she had only bothered to give the reward personally because it was Esdeath.

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More than half an hour ago—

Outside the academy, in a small, peaceful garden where many students and staff often came to relax in the evening, two girls sat quietly on a wooden bench.

At first glance, they looked like an older and younger sister pair. But in reality, they were mother and daughter.

Yes!

They were none other than Lilith and Kaelith.

Lilith, with her small childlike body, turned her head toward Kaelith, her sharp silver eyes serious. "Kaelith, what you said earlier... is it true? You're friends with Maruti?" she asked.

Kaelith nodded without hesitation.

Lilith let out a deep sigh, shaking her head. "No! You shouldn't be," she protested firmly.

Kaelith frowned, her irritation growing. "Why? Why are you always trying to take away the little happiness I have? Can't I even make a single friend?" she snapped, her voice filled with frustration.

Lilith's eyes narrowed slightly, but her tone remained calm. "That's not it. I'm not telling you not to make friends. In fact, make as many as you want—hundreds if you like. I have no problem with that." She paused before continuing, her voice turning serious. "The problem is with *her*—Maruti. Do you even know who she really is? She is Maruti Vanara."

Kaelith tilted her head slightly, confused. "So what?"

Lilith sighed again. "Her father is Mourya Vanara, an A-ranked barbarian. His talent is immense. Normally, barbarians who live in the forests as tribes don't have enough resources to grow strong. Most of them never even reach B-rank. But Mourya… he's different. He has great influence and intelligence, and he's already an A-rank awakened. In another ten years, he'll likely become an S-rank."

Kaelith still didn't see the issue. "I don't understand. What's wrong with that?" she asked.

Lilith's voice became softer, but there was sadness in her tone. "The problem is that Mourya is against the kingdom. He wants to expand his territory, which could lead to war. And… there's another reason, a personal one."

She took a deep breath, her expression turning grim. "A long time ago, I noticed Mourya's immense talent and knew he would become dangerous. So, before he could grow into a real threat, I sent assassins to eliminate him."

Kaelith's eyes widened slightly, sensing that the story was about to take a dark turn.

"But… they made a terrible mistake," Lilith continued. "Instead of Mourya, they killed his older brother. The two of them looked almost identical, and my assassins targeted the wrong man."

Lilith's silver eyes locked onto Kaelith's with a piercing gaze. "Sooner or later, Mourya will find out the truth about his brother's death. When that happens, all hell will break loose. And when that day comes, Maruti will stand by her father's side. And you…" She hesitated for a moment before finishing, "You will have to stand by mine."

Kaelith's breath caught in her throat as the weight of those words sank in.

Lilith leaned closer, her voice calm yet sharp, like a dagger to the heart. "If your friendship with her continues… if you grow more attached to her… it will only hurt you more in the end."

Kaelith clenched her fists, trying to push away the unsettling feeling creeping into her heart.

Lilith's final words struck like thunder.

"Sooner or later… you will have to kill her with your own hands."

Lilith had no idea that Esdeath had already turned Rowan, the head of the Lothal tribe, against Mourya. Esdeath had cleverly framed rowan for assassinating his brother, shifting all of Mourya's hatred toward Rowan instead.

And as for Lilith being responsible for Mourya's brother's death? Now That was nothing more than a mystery. But how could she know that?

Lilith stood up from the bench, brushing off her skirt. "Well, I think I've explained everything to you. I'm heading to the capital now. Principal Elara is already there. I'll be back by tomorrow morning," she said, her voice calm but firm. Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked away.

Kaelith watched her mother's disappearing figure and scoffed.

"Well, it was actually a good thing that you failed," she muttered to herself. "If you had succeeded, Maruti wouldn't even exist. And as for you being Mourya's enemy… that's your problem. Why should I care?, it's too late for me to leave her."

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Meanwhile, back at the academy dorms, Maruti was lounging in her room, stretching her arms lazily.

"Phew… what bad luck," she sighed, shaking her head. "I should have gotten first place… Sigh…"

Still, she had no real regrets.

"I ran straight here after the competition because I was afraid Kaelith might come after me and beat me up for what I did at the arena," she chuckled to herself, remembering her little stunt.

As she was thinking about it, a sudden knock at the door made her pause.

"Now who could that be?" Maruti grumbled, annoyed as she got up to open it.

Standing at the door was a boy from Class B, looking nervous.

"M-Maruti… Ms. Kaya has called for you urgently!" he said in a panicked voice.

"Kaya, huh?" Maruti raised an eyebrow, thinking about the teacher who had once gifted her a pair of bras.

"Well, I wouldn't go if it were anyone else calling me, but since she helped me in the past, I guess I can do her this small favor,hahaha," she chuckled to herself.

"Alright, let's go!" she agreed, stepping out.

The boy led her through the academy grounds, taking the garden route. But as they walked, Maruti started feeling uneasy. The path they were taking led deeper and deeper into the back of the academy, where hardly anyone went.

After a few more steps, Maruti suddenly stopped. Her expression turned grim as a cold chill spread through her voice.

"Hey… just spit it out. Where are you really taking me?"

The boy froze in place and swallowed hard. Then, he forced a nervous smile and said, "Well… see for yourself."

At that moment, a shadowy figure stepped out from behind a tree.

It was a girl wearing the academy uniform, but she also had a robe covering her face.

Maruti narrowed her eyes as the girl slowly removed her hood.

Short, messy hair fell over her forehead, but it wasn't enough to hide the large spiral-shaped scar stretching from her forehead down to her left eye.

Maruti's expression darkened as recognition hit her.

"You…!"

The girl standing before her was none other than Caramel.

Maruti clenched her fists. She knew something was off!

Meanwhile, the boy next to her grinned excitedly and turned to Caramel.

"Ms. Caramel, I did exactly as you asked! Now, you'll hold my hand, as per the deal, right?" he said, practically jumping with excitement.

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Hey! I wanted to say that we never crossed one hundred power stones in a week,How about do it this time? I wan to take a screenshot and give it my friend saying,"Yo! Imma damn author now!",