Meanwhile, Zyon and her team pursue a masked woman through the forest.
Wisa:
— "By Mjörd's Wrath, the Cries of Condemnation."
Mjörd's attack unleashes a rain of lava upon their opponent.
The attack is difficult to evade.
The woman shields herself with a Water spell that instantly solidifies the lava while raising a wall of rock around her.
She is forced to stop.
She is trapped.
Zyon steps forward.
— "Whoever you are, you won't be escaping anymore."
— "Your Highness, I truly must congratulate your strategist for exposing me. You're all still so young, yet you've already accomplished so much. No wonder you're surrounded by the very best."
— "Even so, I don't recognize the mark you're wearing."
The woman chuckles.
— "Haha... Just someone who's really not that interesting."
Then she turns toward Wisa.
— "A mixed-element Quaser. Very rare... and very dangerous. Heh..."
She turns to Thel.
— "A Voahe. I don't know what you're capable of, but anyone from one of the Great Clans is always intimidating."
Finally, her gaze settles on the last girl.
— "As for you, I don't know which clan you belong to, but you must be strong to stand among them."
Zyon cuts her off.
— "Enough talking. What's with that crazed golem that's killing the participants?"
— "Don't you think you should be stopping it instead of wasting your time with me? Or perhaps the lives of those students don't matter very much to you? Haha..."
— "I know you're controlling it. If we capture you, we'll save everyone."
At that moment, another voice echoes from nowhere.
A deeper voice.
A lower voice.
A more serious voice.
— "And yet you're the one wasting time asking for our identities."
She lands in front of Zyon's team after dropping from the sky.
She raises her head.
Another mask.
Just like her companion's, it hides everything except her black hair.
— "Don't try your little brainwashing tricks on us, Zyon the Raven. What exactly do you think four Academy candidates can do against two high-level mages?"
Wise charges from behind.
She draws her blade as she shouts,
— "You won't be talking so much once your head is mine!"
The masked woman avoids the strike with a series of spectacular acrobatics.
Just as Wise is about to begin casting from an advantageous position, the woman launches an unpredictable kick.
A relentless barrage of punches crashes into Wise from every direction.
Moments later, she collapses unconscious, dragged across the ground and pinned beneath her attacker.
The others instinctively rush to help her.
Zyon stops them.
— "You can't beat them. Hold the formation, just as we planned."
Thel clenches her jaw.
But Zyon is right.
They have to stay clear-headed.
A few minutes later.
— "It's incredible what Thales did. She took care of those two terrifying golems all by herself. She didn't even leave us the small fry."
— "A Sage isn't exactly someone you run into every day."
— "You look troubled, Quarzö."
— "You girls seem awfully relaxed. Especially you, Wise. If it weren't for what you did, we might have handled the situation better."
Wise lowers her head, looking dejected.
Thel, however, does not.
— "Hey! Watch your mouth. What would you know? You were lucky enough to be chosen to serve Her Majesty alongside someone from our ranks. But you're still just a commoner. Don't think we're equals."
— "I see. I wonder what possessed me to accept your offer in the first place. I'll be leaving."
— "Yeah, that's right. Get lost."
Quarzö stands up and turns her back on Thel and Wise.
Seeing what's happening, Zyon runs after her.
— "Hey! Wait, Quarzö. What's going on?" she asks.
— "Your Majesty, please forgive me, but I don't believe I'm the right person to accompany you on your quest. The nobles around you will never accept someone like me."
— "What's going on, girls?" Thales asks, intrigued.
Quarzö replies,
— "Everything is fine, Great Sage."
Zyon's throat tightens with tears.
— "No... everything is not fine. She wants to leave the group. I know Thel has a hard time accepting her, but I kept telling myself things would work out... Apparently not. Wise still can't control her impulses. Quarzö is my greatest asset, and now she wants to leave me. I wonder if Anna is facing similar problems."
Thales smiles gently.
— "Don't compare yourself to Anna too much, Zyon..."
Quarzö looks puzzled.
— "Who exactly is this Anna? I keep hearing you and Wise talk about her."
Zyon answers,
— "In a way... she's the one who saved us."
Thales lets out a small laugh.
— "I'll have to ask her to teach me those instant voice transmission techniques when I go to give them lessons. Haha..."
With those words, Thales walks away, smiling at every participant and examiner she passes.
Quarzö, still intrigued, asks,
— "Instant voice transmission?"
— "She relays Headmistress Mariane's voice to every magic tower. Apparently she uses their powerful... magical signatures, or something like that. Anyway, that's how Thales was able to intervene so quickly."
Quarzö realizes the princess is far from satisfied with the outcome.
And it's understandable.
One question keeps lingering:
"What if no one had come to help us?"
She finally makes up her mind.
— "I've decided to stay by your side after all. Together, we'll grow stronger."
As she says those words, she performs a gesture of fealty, kneeling before Zyon.
Zyon stares at her, completely taken aback.
— "What got into you? Get up..."