The Attack of Evil

The sudden change left everyone present frozen in place.

“What was that?”

A girl in the crowd couldn’t help but ask.

But no one answered her question.

Not because she was unpopular, but because no one else knew how to answer either.

What they saw was Su Mo suddenly pulling out something they had never seen before.

Then, with a loud bang, Graha—who was still showing off his sword skills—collapsed to the ground.

Immediately after, Su Mo dashed out of the dueling arena at an astonishing speed, so fast that all they saw was a blur.

“Was that Noah’s magic?”

Another person couldn’t help but ask.

“What kind of magic was that? I’ve never even heard of it!”

“A single move that instantly knocked out a Second-Rank Swordsman? What kind of lost ancient magic is this?”

The crowd erupted in discussion, debating what kind of magic Su Mo had just used.

It wasn’t surprising because ancient magic was rare—after all, as nobles, every family learned at least a little.

What shocked them was that Su Mo’s magic was completely unheard of.

No chanting.

No magic circle.

Nothing.

Just one loud sound, and his opponent collapsed.

They didn’t even see Su Mo’s attack.

Is this why Noah was so confident about accepting the duel?

Everyone couldn’t help thinking this.

Well, it made sense.

If you could use instant-cast magic with such devastating power, you had every reason to be confident.

“Elia, did you see that?”

Unlike everyone else, at the moment Noah attacked, Alice’s pupils turned golden—and became the pupils of a dragon.

The Dragon’s Eye.

With the vision of a dragon, she could clearly observe the smallest changes around her.

Just now, Alice saw clearly that something strange appeared in Su Mo’s hand—a metallic object she didn’t recognize.

Then Su Mo moved his finger slightly, and a tiny round bead shot out of it at incredible speed, striking Graha square in the forehead, knocking him unconscious with a huge impact.

“Young Master Noah moved very fast.

I could only barely see a very small object hitting Young Master Graha.”

Elia answered Alice truthfully.

Alice nodded and looked in the direction where Su Mo had escaped.

*What a huge surprise you’ve given me, my childhood friend.

But… why did he look so anxious when he ran away?*

*Also… I think I saw his white hair turning pink during the duel?

What was that about?*

Alice was certain she hadn’t seen wrong.

Su Mo’s hair had indeed changed.

Could it be a side effect of using that magic?

She decided to ask Su Mo about it in private later.

Given their relationship, he would definitely tell her.

Besides, Su Mo had become much more good-natured than before.

*Although he’s very different from how he used to be—as if he’s a different person—he’s still a boy after all, completely unlike the prophecy’s description.

And as for Lophiel, though she’s a girl, she’s nothing like the pure and flawless person who loves all things in this world, as the prophecy says.

But aside from these two, I really can’t think of anyone else close to me.*

Thinking this made Alice sigh in frustration.

She had asked the Divination Tower about her doubts before.

And the answer she received was that everything else could change slightly with each reading—

—but the description of the person who could resolve the crisis never changed.

Not a single word.

So the idea that the gender might be wrong was completely impossible.

And that was exactly what made her so troubled now.

“Seriously… Where am I supposed to find someone exactly like the prophecy describes?

Does such a perfect person even exist?

And if they do, and they’re close to me, how could I possibly forget them?”

Even with her complaints, Alice still had to find that person from the prophecy.

After all, they were the only one who could prevent disaster.

“It’d be easier to just turn Noah into a girl…

Then maybe he’d actually fit the prophecy’s description.”

She muttered to herself, then shook her head to clear away the distracting thoughts.

Today was her banquet.

Everyone came because of her.

As the host, Alice couldn’t ignore her guests.

But she still felt uneasy about Su Mo running off so suddenly, so she planned to have Elia check on him.

Just as she was about to speak, a voice transmission spell sounded in her mind.

The moment she heard the message, Alice’s face changed dramatically.

She looked at the guests still chatting about the duel and suddenly shouted in an urgent voice—

“Everyone! Leave here as fast as you can!

Don’t ask why! Just run!”

Everyone was startled by Alice’s sudden outburst.

Seeing the panic on her face—and because they trusted her completely—they didn’t question it and ran toward the exit.

But unfortunately, it was already too late.

“Huh? What’s this?”

Just as one boy was about to run, he felt something sticky under his foot.

Looking down, he saw that the floor—once spotless—was now completely covered in an ominous black substance.

And it wasn’t just him.

Everyone else noticed it too.

“I… I can’t move!”

A girl cried out.

“My magic isn’t working either!”

“What the hell is this?!”

The black, mud-like substance gripped everyone tightly, even draining all the magic power from their bodies in an instant.

Alice frowned deeply as she watched the black mud cover her high heels.

She could feel her magic rapidly draining away.

If not for her dragon bloodline, she would have already been completely drained like the others.

*No… I can’t just sit here and do nothing.

At least I need to get everyone out first.*

“Elia!”

Alice could still cast a few spells, but that alone wasn’t enough.

She decided to free Elia first so that she could help rescue the others.

As a Sixth-Rank Swordswoman, Elia didn’t rely much on magic, so there was still hope.

But Elia didn’t respond to Alice’s call.

Instead, she spoke in a trembling voice that she couldn’t hide—

“Your Highness… Look up…”

Hearing this, Alice looked upward.

Her eyes widened instantly, her face filled with shock and disbelief as she stared at the sky.