Volume 2, Chapter 5 – Submitting This Semester’s Topic

“What brings Lady Felicia to Ruglian in the middle of the night? Training with the Demon Race? What kind of training exactly?”

“Teresa, were you following me?” Now that Felicia had calmed down, she finally caught on.

“Hard to say.”

“What’s hard to say?”

“I mean... if I hadn’t followed you out of curiosity tonight, who knows what might’ve happened to you, Your Highness?” Teresa tilted her head. “Those orcs weren’t ordinary—they were well-equipped, battle-hardened, covered in old scars. Far stronger than any normal orc.”

Felicia lowered her head slightly.

That was true. Just like Teresa said—if she hadn’t been secretly following me tonight, I might’ve already been captured by those orcs, and then... forced to learn some “positions” I really shouldn’t—Wait, no. I meant... knowledge, right. “Knowledge.”

“Good thing you didn’t go too deep into Ruglian. This plain is right at the forest’s edge.” Teresa glanced at the quiet woods around us. “If you had, I’d probably be stuck here tonight keeping you company.”

“I’ve caused you trouble. I apologize.”

“Even if you feel sorry... you’re still not giving me a proper explanation?” Teresa still hadn’t let me down from her arms.

She was surprisingly strong. Even with me still in Domain state, and thus heavier than usual, I was still within her lifting range.

“Do you really understand what you did wrong, Felicia?”

“Yes.” I looked away, nodding silently.

“I don’t think so.”

“It’s not the mistake that matters—it’s whether you learn from it. And this whole attitude of ‘Yes, I was wrong, and yes, I’ll totally do it again’... I can’t accept that.”

“It’s late. Let’s talk tomorrow.” I tried to shift, to get down, but I’d exhausted all my strength. I couldn’t escape her arms.

I wanted to stall. Teresa wasn’t buying it at all.

“What exactly do you want?” Being carried like this—so shamefully—was a first. It was like a prideful man being princess-carried by a girl. I was taller than Teresa too, for heaven’s sake.

Annoyed and embarrassed, I still knew I was the one at fault. So I forced myself to stay calm, though my voice betrayed a trace of frustration.

“It’s not about what I want, Felicia—it’s about what you want.” Teresa gave me a silent smile. “Sneaking into Ruglian isn’t a small matter. Or would you rather I report it to the Academy?”

“Please stop prying.”

“I respect personal boundaries. But at this point, Felicia... do you really think this is still a matter of personal boundaries?”

Eventually, under Teresa’s... let’s call it ‘graceful pressure,’ I let out a sigh.

“Fine. But put me down first.”

“A wise choice.” Seeing me relent, Teresa gently set me down.

It felt a bit like coercion, yes—but maybe it was necessary.

“Teresa, how much do you know about Whiteglass bloodlines?” Now free from her arms, I stepped away, suddenly shivering a bit—perhaps from the chill of the night air.

Rather than give a direct answer, I asked a different question.

“I suppose... it’s the royal blood of the Whiteglass Kingdom?”

“That’s the well-known version. But very few know the true origins of our line.”

“Our family—the Zorsha line—can be traced all the way back to the ancient empire. Teresa, have you heard of the Ancient Dragonkin?”

“Ancient Dragonkin?” She looked thoughtful. “I’ve read about them in history texts... but they’re only briefly mentioned.”

“They were the rulers of the ancient world—like the Elves, one of the ancient races. Extinct for many years. Cause unknown,” Teresa recited the textbook version.

“That’s right. They’re extinct—but that doesn’t mean their blood didn’t continue.”

I’d made my point clear enough.

“Our Zorsha family carries their blood.”

“I see.” Teresa seemed to understand. She recalled that in common tongue, the word for Ancient Dragon sounded like “Zorgen,” quite close to our surname “Zorsha.”

“The blood of the dragons gives us powerful Divine Princess potential. But we’re still human in form. We can’t fully bear the vast might of dragonblood.”

“What I’m experiencing is called ‘Dragon Surge.’ And this isn’t the first time.”

I flexed my hands. My strength hadn’t completely returned yet.

“Dragon Surge happens when your Domain level hits its limit, and you don’t break through.”

“The human body can’t contain the dragonblood’s might—so the unspent Divine Power and strength build up. It manifests as aggression, battle-lust, fury, even... sadism.”

“I’m not sure the last one’s entirely from the dragonblood,” Teresa cut in cheerfully, head tilted.

“.........”

“Oops, my bad. That slipped out.” She did a mock hand-over-mouth gesture.

“So,” she continued, “Felicia, is your current state because your level’s maxed and you haven’t broken through?”

She remembered checking my Domain level before—it had nearly reached 20. Now, a month later, it was plausible I’d reached the cap.

“If that’s the case, why not just... break through?”

“If only it were that easy.” I shook my head, then continued calmly, “The breakthrough conditions for the Zorsha line are extremely strict.”

“Let’s hear it.”

“You need five claws—each from a different, non-low-grade demon. One demon heart. And... bodily fluid from a king of the ancient races.”

“So that’s why you came to Ruglian?” Teresa considered the list.

The first part wasn’t so bad. “Demon heart” didn’t literally mean a physical heart—it was a special organ only certain demons had.

The hard part was the bodily fluid of an ancient race’s king.

Who even qualifies as ancient races anymore? The Zorsha family, having grown so human-like, didn’t count.

The dragons were extinct. Most of the others too. Any survivors would be in deep seclusion.

Only one ancient race still remained: the Elves.

Before the Demon invasion, they had the protection of the Elf Mother Goddess and the vast, nigh-impregnable Land of the Elves. The others weren’t so lucky.

So if it’s an Elf King I need... then hey, I’ve got one nearby. Could just ask Astrid for some blood.

...Though whether Astrid’s blood qualified was still uncertain.

Knock. Teresa reached up and tapped me lightly on the forehead.

“Geez, and here I thought it was something serious. Why didn’t you just tell us all this from the start?”

That sudden familiarity startled me. I stiffened, then spoke with faint sternness. “This isn’t some silly game. It’s dangerous.”

“Oh? Then why’d you come alone?” Teresa smirked. “Don’t tell me your next line is ‘I couldn’t drag my teammates into danger for my sake,’ all stiff and righteous.”

“This is my burden. I’ll handle it myself.”

“Right. And that almost got you turned into an orc baby factory. What exactly are you on about?” She stepped closer. “Still clinging to that pride, huh? Did you forget it was thanks to someone else that you made it out alive?”

“You couldn’t even cast your Divine Authority properly. If you go running into Ruglian again in that state, don’t be surprised if we find your broken body in some orc or goblin den someday.”

Her voice turned harsh—but she wasn’t wrong. I had barely made it out.

Teresa had a pretty decent opinion of me. She didn’t want the Whiteglass Princess to spend the rest of her life lying lifelessly on an orc’s belly.

“I suppose this isn’t my place to say it—but humans are social creatures.” With that, Teresa turned to leave. But then she looked back and smirked. “Well? Not coming? Don’t tell me you’re missing those orc uncles already?”

I followed silently.

At first, I’d thought Teresa was a refined, elegant lady. Now I realized there was a venomous, cunning side to her too.

Not that elegance and sharp wit were incompatible.

Was this her true personality... or something she’d cultivated over time?

“Teresa... Can I ask you for something?”

“What is it?”

“Don’t tell anyone about this.”

“I’m not the gossipy type. Not interested in drama. I won’t breathe a word to anyone outside the team.”

I caught that keyword—outside the team.

True to her word, Teresa hadn’t told anyone that night. But the next morning, at breakfast, Dylin cleared her throat meaningfully and drew everyone’s attention.

“Everyone, we still haven’t picked a topic for our group project, right?”

“Mm.” ×2 (Teresa wasn’t present.)

“Well, I have a great idea. Since we’re the strongest team, there’s no way we can pick some ordinary fluff like chasing cats or solving petty errands. So how about this—we make our project about infiltrating Ruglian and slaying a rare demon with a Demon Heart?”

“That way, no one can question our strength. This project’s difficulty is far beyond any of theirs.”

“No objections.” ×2

“............”

Fork halfway to my mouth, I didn’t need to ask. Clearly, Teresa had told the other three.

Having someone learn your weaknesses—something you couldn’t do—was unbearable for someone like me.

As the heir to a kingdom, I was raised to never show weakness, to never rely on anyone. That was my father’s way of raising me. Every breakthrough I ever made was from my own efforts. I’d never depended on anyone.

I hated the idea of others seeing me as weak.

But...

I didn’t speak. I simply sipped the happiness stew—something that a certain catgirl had supposedly infused with “love.”

Honestly... I should have been upset. But looking at these teammates—who were now throwing themselves into helping me without hesitation—I realized that being able to depend on others... didn’t feel so bad.

“What does Felicia think?”

“Mm?” I looked up and saw Dylin gazing at me.

Tch. They already knew—why ask me?

“If Teresa agrees... then I have no objection.”

With four votes in favor, my voice didn’t matter anymore.

“Great. Then it’s unanimous.”

“No time to waste—we’ll submit it right away.” Dylin finalized it.

That afternoon, the four of us headed straight to the Academic Affairs Hall.

“What?!” The instructor in charge of grading blinked in disbelief. “You’re submitting that as your semester project?”

“Yes. Please register our group and evaluate the difficulty level.”

“Evaluate? Evaluate what?!” The instructor was clearly unimpressed. “You want to go into Ruglian—for a first semester project?! You kids have some nerve!”

“Even third-years don’t dare pick Ruglian unless they go in with multiple teams! You’re just first-years—and you’re marching in there solo? Do you have any idea what kind of place Ruglian is?!”

“Sir, I don’t mean to sound arrogant,” Dylin said with a diplomatic tone, “but take a look at our team. We’re a champion-ranked squad. Shouldn’t we take on something that reflects that?”

“That’s exactly why I won’t approve it!” The instructor slammed the table. “Because you’re the best of the best—I won’t let you take that risk!”

“Well, he’s got a point. Maybe we should forget it,” I said, shaking my head.

“Forgive me, instructor,” Astrid stepped forward, her voice elegant and composed—but with a commanding air that brooked no refusal. “I know this may seem presumptuous, but we have a reason we must go.”

Her tone wasn’t harsh—but it was clear: Whether or not he approved, we were going.

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