//7// Prince Cian

Erin gazed at the guy, who raised his eyebrows.

"No.. You aren't Prince Arthur,"

she said, taking a deep breath to compose herself. She remembered that Prince Arthur was two years older and wouldn't be taking the entrance exam.

After examining the guy closely, Erin noticed subtle differences. His nose was sharper, and his eyes were slightly wider than Prince Arthur's. The guy sighed, closing his eyes.

"Of course, I'm not. Did I ever say I was?"

Erin stared at him, her expression unchanging.

The guy, growing uncomfortable under her gaze, finally spoke up.

"I'm just a person minding my own business. Can you leave me alone and let me sleep?"

he shouted. Erin didn't respond.

"Introduce yourself," she demanded.

The guy was bewildered.

"You don't know me?"

"Didn't you just called me his highness?"

Erin thought for a moment, her sword still at the ready. "SO, YOU'RE A PRINCE?" she asked, her voice firm.

The guy nodded, still confused about why Erin didn't recognize him.

Unaware of Erin's confinement in the Elmar duchy, he wondered why she didn't know him. Erin thought he might be Prince Arthur's younger brother, as she had only known Arthur from the royal family.

The guy sighed, stood up, and introduced himself. "I'm Prince Cian, the second prince of this Holy Kingdom. No need to bow; I'm also a fellow student."

"You should know my hair colour isn't that common. Also you are?"

Cian asked her.

'Her hair and eye colour isn't normal.'

He thought for a second.

'if not for my negligence to learn about nobles I might've recognized her..'

Erin stared at him, her eyes narrowing as she took a step closer. Prince Cian's face grew nervous, and he gulped.

Suddenly, his back hit the tree with a thud.

"Are you insane?"

Erin didn't respond.

"Are you head over heels for me?"

Prince Cian asked nervously, trying to deflect the tension.

Erin ignored him and attacked, slashing her sword toward his neck. Prince Cian quickly reflexed and rolled out of the way, avoiding the blade by a hair's breadth.

"I... don't... wanna," he huffed, surprised by the sudden attack.

Erin's sword stuck in the wood, and she quickly removed it, flexing her shoulders.

"You don't have a choice,"

she said in a cold, dry tone. With that, she jumped and slashed her sword at Prince Cian's hand. He was prepared this time and rolled away, avoiding the blade by a millisecond.

"Girl, are you gonna slice me or something?"

Prince Cian exclaimed, but his eyes widened as he saw a long slash mark on his left arm. His white shirt was stained with red blood.

"I thought I avoided it..."

Erin ignored him and jumped toward him again.

Prince Cian was surprised by her sudden movement. Erin's sword came at him from every angle, and he struggled to avoid her attacks.

"Damn, her speed is incredible,"

he thought, his face sweating. Meanwhile, Erin tried to cut off his limbs, impressed by his incredible speed.

As Erin attacked, Prince Cian jumped up, landing on her sword.

"Young lady, see, I'm not in the mood,"

he said. Erin grinned, and Prince Cian realized his stomach was being sliced. He stumbled down, his clothes drenched in red blood, and coughed up a lump of blood.

"Are... you... from any of the 4 Duchies?"

Prince Cian asked, pressing his arms firmly against his stomach to stop the bleeding. Erin nodded.

"So that's how it is..." Prince Cian smiled, despite his injuries.

Erin could see that Prince Cian was hurt, but he didn't seem to be in pain. His previous injury was almost healed. She placed her sword against his throat.

"And your journey ends here, Prince."

Prince Cian chuckled.

"Any last wish?" She asked,

Cian looked down. Then, he raised his hand and signaled Erin to look back.

Erin was puzzled and followed his gaze. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she gulped. A dark figure loomed behind her, blocking the sunlight.

---

On the other side of the ground, a gruesome scene unfolded. A big figure with his face and mouth covered slashed through a student, torturing them instead of killing them. Four students were tied up to a tree, upside down, their hands cut off and eyes gouged out.

The figure's partner, wearing glasses and a white cloth, approached him with a jar filled with green chemicals. "Alright," the figure nodded, pouring the liquid onto one of the tied-up students. The student's body began to burn instantly.

"Is it powerful enough?" the figure asked, looking at his partner. "Mm... I guess so," the partner replied. The figure checked his pendant, which displayed "points=60."

"So, who's next?" the figure asked, and his partner suggested, "Let's hunt for more commoners."

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