The pink flames above seemed to tremble as Julian finally vanished from his spot, appearing in the sky.
Instead of falling, he stood on air, then, as if he were walking up a staircase, he began making his way to the very center of the swirling flames.
He wasn't afraid of the heat, as not even his clothes were affected.
And that was because of his Pathway, the Hollow Star Pathway.
He raised his cane confidently and slammed it down.
A loud thump resounded in the air, and in the very next moment, the flames seemed to settle down as they began to condense.
It was almost like he was reversing the effects of what Zeri had just done, and after a few moments, the sky had returned to normal.
Raelis was still dazed by what had just happened.
Zeri had nearly ended up killing everyone with that one ability of hers. But more importantly, this was the first time he had seen her lose control.
His gaze traveled over to the culprit, Clea, who stood right behind him, her expression and emotions mirroring his own.
"Hey... are you alright?" Raelis asked dryly.
Clea snapped out of it, then slowly nodded. "Yes... I feel like this might've been entirely my fault. I did kind of rip her vocal cords out."
So that's what she did. No wonder Zeri lost control like that...
Magic and alchemy were not omnipotent. They could cure wounds, reattach limbs, and, in some extremely rare and disturbing instances, revive the dead.
However, there was always a limit to what could be done.
In this case, Clea sharpened her nails to the maximum and dug straight through her vocal cords. Because some magic was involved, healing it through magical means would be more troublesome.
So, at best, she'd only partially regain her ability to speak.
Because she's the emperor's favorite... that's something I'm going to have to expect.
Nevertheless, Raelis and Clea exchanged a few more words as they checked up on one another.
They acted nonchalantly, yet it was clear that the two were concerned about each other's safety.
But in the eyes of the onlookers...
"They're totally a couple, aren't they?"
"Pfft... I'm betting 5 Gold Coins that you're right."
"I'm betting 50 Gold Coins that you're wrong then, hmph..."
But neither Raelis nor Clea heard any of that as they were lost in their own thoughts.
Yet those thoughts were interrupted when they heard another loud thump, and when they turned toward it, they all saw Julian descend with the unconscious Zeri in his arms.
Her clothes were torn, and blood spurted down her neck. The injury Clea had inflicted earlier was clearly present.
Once he finally landed, he coughed once, gathering everyone's attention.
"This trial has deviated beyond our expectations... but its conclusion remains unchanged. Two teams will pass. No more," Julian stated as he set Zeri down onto the ground.
He shot Raelis a subtle glance before returning his gaze onto the rest of the candidates.
"She, just like the rest of you, is a candidate. Since she had not suffered any major injuries, her role remains the same, even if she has lost consciousness," Julian said with a faint smile. "But, sadly for me, I now have to submit a detailed report to the headmaster."
With those words, Julian tipped his hat one final time and vanished from their sight, leaving them behind in an awkward situation.
"L-Let me go..." Mira, the queen of the Blue team, squirmed around on his shoulder.
Because of that, Raelis tossed her onto the grass, and he did the same with Simon, the king of the Blue team.
Unlike the talkative Mira, he was speechlessly lying on the ground as if he had just experienced something traumatic.
But that only reminded Raelis of the people he surrounded himself with.
Snobby nobles, or rich merchant children.
They were all either spoiled or stupid.
But because they had dozens of resources thrown at them since childhood, they were able to become strong enough to even attempt to enter this academy.
Raelis noted down the people who hadn't lost their will to fight, then turned toward the unconscious Zeri.
"What should we do with her?" Clea asked. "Should we just... you know?"
Raelis tilted his head slightly. He had been a bit confused since earlier.
She said she'd taken away the one thing that made Zeri annoying. Her voice. But how did she know that? Were these two acquainted in the past?
"We're not killing her. We'll be following the rules," Raelis said, masking his suspicion for the time being as he walked up to Zeri and slung her over his shoulder.
Then, he turned toward the King and Queen of the Blue team.
"You've been captured," Raelis stated. "You know what that means, don't you?"
"W-Wait..." Mira pleaded. "We can offer you our resources and manpower. All we ask in exchange is immunity."
"Immunity?" Raelis raised a brow. "So you want to be the second team which survives, is that it?"
Mira nodded. "Precisely... so what do you say? It's not a bad idea, right? You don't lose anything by accepting."
It was a pretty poor attempt at manipulation, but Raelis had other ideas.
"Join my team."
"..."
"Huh?"
Mira, just like the rest of her team, was confused.
"Why...?"
"Only two teams need to remain, so I have a better idea of how we can complete this exam," Raelis replied with a knowing smile.
There was the option of eliminating two teams, but there was also another opportunity.
Candidates could switch teams fairly easily, as in each of their castles, there were cabinets filled with their respective color bandanas.
All they had to do was put them on, and they'd automatically become part of that team.
But... I'm not sure if it works the same for the king and queen. According to the rules, once these two are captured, their team is done for. But what if they're not captured, but converted into another team instead?
In the end, it was a gamble, and since no exam overseer was stepping in to stop this, Raelis decided to go through with the plan.
"You're coming with us to our castle," Raelis said firmly as he walked past them and shot Clea a nod.
Immediately, Clea walked up to the two team leaders and picked them up by their collars.
Noticing what was happening, some of the Blue team's candidates tried to protest, but the Yellow team suppressed them in an instant.
A faint smile appeared on Raelis's face as he, alongside the two teams, made their way back to the Yellow team's castle.
However, there was still one more idea lingering inside his mind.
I wonder... could I convince the Green and Red teams to do the same...?