Chapter 21: A Misunderstood Trial

The examiners observing the trial all stiffened, their murmurs of concern growing louder.

Lucy’s actions had caught them off guard.

She was striding toward the dragon, her every movement exuding confidence—the will to fight.

Andreyan, watching from his post, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, his gaze fixed on her in disbelief. He reassessed the situation, almost hoping he had misread her intentions. But there was no mistake.

Lucy was moving forward, not toward the maze’s entrance like a rational examinee, but directly toward the dragon, her fingertips gathering magic power.

Nine times out of ten, this was a preemptive strike.

Andreyan’s breath hitched. She’s insane.

It was, without a doubt, the most reckless thing he had ever seen in his years as an examiner.

The dragon wasn’t meant to be defeated. It was a mere obstacle, placed there to test courage. A boss-level entity, its very presence was designed to intimidate, to force students to confront their fear.

And yet…

Lucy was trying to fight it.

This wasn’t just a misunderstanding of the test’s nature—it was sheer madness.

The Saryong was no ordinary summoned beast. It was the personal servant of the Academy Director, the strongest among all creatures raised within the academy walls. Even the faculty considered it impossible to defeat in a fair fight.

Against such an adversary, the test was about recognizing fear and overcoming it. Nothing more.

Did she lose her mind out of terror? Or…

Andreyan’s mind raced, piecing together the extraordinary displays she had shown earlier in the practical exam. Pitch-black magic. Satan’s daughter. A fireball of terrifying magnitude.

A chilling hypothesis took root.

Does she actually think she can win?

While Andreyan struggled with this thought, the other faculty members panicked.

“We have to stop this immediately!”

“She could get hurt!”

“She’s the princess—if something happens to her, we’ll all be beheaded!”

The weight of their concerns was suffocating. Their spines tingled with fear—not for Lucy, but for themselves. If she was harmed under their watch, the consequences would be severe.

There was no room for hesitation.

The test had to be stopped.

A Different Perspective

Lucy hesitated.

The dragon merely observed her, its gaze calm, devoid of hostility.

Its complete lack of aggression made her reconsider.

Wait… is this test even about fighting?

Now that she thought about it, the answer was obvious.

Judging by its sheer size, the undead dragon had to be at least level 50. The students taking the exam were nowhere near that level—most averaged between 10 and 20.

If they really expected us to fight this thing, there’d be a pile of corpses right about now.

She scoffed at her own realization.

No way would a prestigious academy set up an exam where even Satan himself would say, “Hey, that’s a bit much.”

So then… what was the real purpose of the test?

As she pondered, Gwen’s words suddenly resurfaced in her mind:

“The trials often feature taming demons.”

That was it.

Taming.

From everything she had learned, a wizard’s ability to communicate with demons was an essential skill. This wasn’t a test of battle prowess—it was an assessment of magical affinity and control.

The dragon was a summoned creature.

The challenge was to tame it.

Understanding the true nature of the exam filled her with triumph.

This really is a prestigious academy. What a clever test.

Armed with this new realization, Lucy stepped forward once again, now more confident than ever.

The solution was clear.

She had to approach the dragon and use illusion magic—the optimal spell for taming a familiar.

The dragon tilted its head at her approach, still showing no signs of attack.

Perfect. If I just get close enough and cast my skill, this exam is mine.

She raised her hand, preparing to use brainwashing magic—

But before she could cast the spell, a sudden force surged through the air.

A pulse of unfamiliar magic.

In the blink of an eye, seven figures materialized around her.

The examiners had teleported into the field.

Lucy barely had time to react before the proctors cast wide protective barriers, shielding both themselves and the dragon.

She froze.

The intervention meant only one thing.

Something was wrong.

Had she miscalculated?

A wave of unease settled in her gut.

“Is this bad…?” she murmured.

She was already on thin ice—the practical exam had been put on hold once before due to anomalies. If she made another major mistake, there was a very real possibility of failing altogether.

Andreyan stepped forward, his sharp gaze boring into her.

“Princess,” he said sternly, “what exactly were you trying to do just now?”

His tone left no room for evasion.

Lucy hesitated.

The wrong answer here could seal her fate.

Andreyan wasn’t the type to tolerate foolishness. He had already been skeptical of her from the start, and if she fumbled her response, she would undoubtedly be marked as a failure.

She bit her lip.

Should she admit she had tried to tame the dragon?

No—if that was truly the objective of the exam, the proctors wouldn’t have stepped in so suddenly.

Admitting her mistake outright wasn’t an option either.

The best move now was to play it safe.

“I thought there might be another layer to the trial,” she said cautiously.

Andreyan narrowed his eyes. “So you weren’t trying to fight it?”

“I considered it, but I stopped when I saw it had no intention of attacking.”

“Then why did you approach it?”

“…I was trying to understand the test’s true purpose.”

Her words were vague but logical.

Andreyan studied her carefully before sighing. “Weren’t you afraid? That was a dragon. A demonic beast capable of killing with a single breath.”

Lucy blinked. “It’s a summoned creature from the academy, isn’t it? I assumed it wouldn’t harm test-takers so easily.”

A pause.

Then she added, “Besides, I thought it looked… kind of cute.”

Silence.

The other examiners visibly flinched.

A dragon.

Cute.

Even the most terrifying beast, reduced to ‘cute’ in the eyes of this girl.

Andreyan stared at her, and then—

Laughed.

A deep, hearty laugh.

“Hah! That’s right, that’s right! Hahaha!”

Lucy stiffened. Is he mocking me?

Andreyan wiped his eyes. “Oh, don’t mind me. That was just unexpected.”

“…?”

“Anyway, the exam is officially over.” He straightened, his tone shifting back to professionalism. “Thank you for your participation.”

Lucy barely heard his words over the alarm bells ringing in her head.

The examiner himself had called an end to the trial.

That’s never a good sign.

A sinking feeling settled in her chest.

I’m doomed.

Two Days Later

Lucy lay sprawled on her bed, groaning.

The exam had gone terribly.

Three of her practical tests had been postponed due to strange circumstances. Worse, there had been complete radio silence from the academy since then.

She sighed.

It wasn’t like she needed to enroll in the academy—there were other options. But still…

Failing now would be humiliating.

The door creaked open, and Rubia entered, holding an envelope.

“Lucy, the exam results just arrived.”

Lucy sat up, her heart hammering.

She took the letter with shaky hands and cracked the seal.

Rubia leaned in eagerly, ready to celebrate—

Lucy’s eyes widened.

“…Huh?”

“What? What does it say?”

“It says…”

She swallowed.

“I passed.”

Not just passed.

She was the top student.