With less than two months until graduation, the entire Royal Academy of Magic was enveloped in a tense atmosphere. The final grade statistics had been released, and when that list was posted on the bulletin board in the academy hall, everyone fell into an almost shocked silence.

"This... how is this possible..."


"Perfect scores in all subjects?"

"Even in Ancient Thaumaturgical Theory and Practice..."

"The gap between her and the second place is actually this large..."


I stood at the edge of the crowd, calmly watching my classmates gathered around the notice board. Their faces were filled with disbelief, as if witnessing some incomprehensible miracle.

But for me, this result was nothing out of the ordinary.


Eliana von Ethelgard: Total score 1000/1000
Karen de Astoria: Total score 943/1000
Lina Erlande: Total score 821/1000

A difference of 57 points. In the history of the Royal Academy of Magic, no one had ever achieved a perfect score in all subjects, let alone crushed all competitors, including Karen, by such an overwhelming margin.

"Impossible... absolutely impossible..." Lina's voice came from the crowd, trembling with obvious despair, "There must be some mistake! I demand a reassessment!"

She pushed aside the crowd of classmates and stared frantically at the numbers on the ranking list. That once beautiful face became distorted with anger and unwillingness, completely losing its usual innocent and adorable appearance.

"Miss Lina." Professor Miller, the academic dean responsible for announcing the results, walked over. "All scores have gone through triple verification, and there are no errors. And..."

He paused for a moment, as if considering whether to say what came next.

"And what?" Lina asked eagerly.

"And the level of magic Miss Eliana demonstrated in the practical exam has already reached the standard of an advanced archmage. The review committee unanimously agreed that giving her an even higher score would be completely reasonable."

This statement struck like lightning, stunning everyone present. Advanced archmage—that was a level that normally required at least ten years of professional training to achieve, yet I was only sixteen.

"Monster..." someone in the crowd muttered softly.

"This is simply not something a human could accomplish..."

「No wonder even His Highness the Prince......」

The last sentence remained unfinished, but everyone understood its meaning. Even Prince Theo appeared dim in my presence, which was beyond mere excellence—it was an almost otherworldly existence.

As I turned to leave, I noticed Karen standing not far away. His expression was complicated, showing both disappointment in his own failure and genuine admiration for my achievement.

「Congratulations, Eliana.」He approached me and extended his right hand,「You truly deserve it.」

I looked at his outstretched hand and, after a brief hesitation, shook it: 「You're excellent too, Karen. Having you as a rival has made my academy life more meaningful.」

These words were sincere. In this environment full of hypocrisy and calculation, Karen was among the few people with whom I could be my authentic self.

「It seems I need to work harder.」He smiled bitterly,「But honestly, competing with you has taught me a lot. Thank you, Eliana.」

"Likewise." I nodded, then walked toward the library.

Behind me came Lina's hysterical crying, as well as the murmuring of other classmates, but I no longer cared. This academic competition had ended, and I had won without any suspense.

But I knew that the real war was just beginning.

●--

Three days later in the evening, I was reading ancient texts in a corner of the library as usual. Recently, I had been studying some advanced theories about spatial magic, preparing for further cultivation after graduation.

"Sister Eliana......"

A timid voice interrupted my thoughts. I looked up to see a younger female student standing beside my desk, holding a letter in her hand.

"Someone asked me to give this to you," she said before hurrying away, obviously not wanting to get involved in any trouble.

I took the letter and found no signature on it, but judging from the texture of the paper and the scent, it was probably written by Lina.

As I unfolded the letter, its contents made me furrow my brow:

Dear Eliana:
Congratulations on qualifying as the top graduate. However, I think you should know that this game is not over yet.
The Chief Selection Tournament next week is the real final battle. By then, I will show everyone what real strength truly means.
Look forward to it.

I tore the letter to pieces and dropped them into the trash can. Lina's threats meant nothing to me, but her sudden confidence made me feel a bit vigilant.

With her current level of ability, it would be impossible for her to pose any threat to me in the Chief Selection Tournament. So, where did her confidence come from?

Just as I was pondering this question, Karen appeared at the library entrance. He looked around, making sure no one else was there, then quickly walked to my table.

"Eliana, I have something important to tell you," he said in a lowered voice, "about the Chief Selection Tournament next week."

I put down the book in my hand: "What is it?"

Karen sat down across from me, her expression much more serious than usual: "I've discovered something suspicious. In the past few days, Prince Theo has been frequently visiting the academy's magical artifact repository, and each time with Lina."

This news raised my alertness: "What are they looking for?"

"I'm not sure exactly what, but I've heard some rumors." Karen's voice dropped lower, "Some say that His Highness has been using royal connections to search for some ancient artifact that can dramatically enhance a magician's power."

Ancient magical artifacts—this was indeed a concerning factor. Some legendary items possessed power beyond imagination, and if Lina truly obtained something like that...

But I quickly calmed myself down. Even the most powerful magical artifacts require users to have sufficient magical power and skill to control them. At Lina's current level, forcibly using an artifact beyond her capabilities would more likely result in self-destruction.

"Thank you for your reminder, Karen." I looked at this silver-haired youth, "But why are you telling me all this?"

Karen was silent for a moment, then said: "Because I don't want to see an unfair competition. Your strength was gained through hard work and deserves proper recognition. And if someone wants to change the outcome through external means..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already very clear.

I looked at him, feeling a long-forgotten warmth rising from deep within my heart. In this world full of schemes and betrayal, having someone stand by me from a position of fairness was more precious than any praise.

"I understand your concern," I said calmly, "But Karen, there's one thing you might not fully grasp."

"What?"

I stood up, organized the books on the table, and then said in an absolutely confident tone:

"In the face of absolute power, any conspiracy is meaningless."

This statement caused Karen to pause briefly, then his face showed a complex expression—both admiration for my confidence and concern about the impending conflict.

"I believe in your abilities, Eliana," he finally said, "but please be careful. The royal family's power and influence are far greater than we imagine."

"I will," I nodded, "However, if they really want to try some tricks on high kraljica, I don't mind letting them see what it means to be... crushed."

After saying this, I left the library.

Walking back to the dormitory, my mind was surprisingly calm. Lina's threats, Theo's schemes, and even the possible appearance of ancient magical artifacts—none of these could cause the slightest ripple in my heart.

Because what I possess is not just the power of this life, but all the experience and wisdom accumulated from my previous life. I have seen true despair, experienced true betrayal, and tasted the fear of death.

These minor troubles I face now are hardly worth mentioning compared to the life-and-death trials I've experienced before.

More importantly, the power I now possess far exceeds what would be expected for someone my age. Even the most powerful ancient magical artifacts cannot compensate for the enormous gap in basic strength between users.

Next week's Chief Selection Tournament will be my stage to prove myself to everyone. Not just to demonstrate my academic achievements, but to make everyone understand—

Eliana von Ethelgard is no longer a noble daughter who can be manipulated at will.

Now, I am a true powerhouse.

●--

During the practical magic class the next day, the atmosphere was much tenser than usual. Everyone knew that the Chief Selection Tournament was next week, and today's lesson—Advanced Combat Magic Practice—was essentially a rehearsal for the upcoming competition.

"Today we will practice multi-target simultaneous attack magic." Professor Max stood in the center of the training field, "In real combat, magic users often need to face attacks from multiple enemies, so this is a very important skill."

He waved to signal his teaching assistants to bring out ten magic golems: "You need to defeat all ten golems simultaneously within thirty seconds. Each golem has the defensive power of an intermediate-level magic user, so basic magic alone won't cause effective damage."

The students looked at each other in dismay. This difficulty far exceeded their expectations. It's worth noting that even senior students would be considered quite remarkable if they could defeat five golems in thirty seconds.

"Well then, who would like to try first?" Professor Max looked around.

No one raised their hand. For such a challenge that clearly exceeded their capabilities, no one wanted to be the first to become a laughingstock.

"I'll do it."

Lina's voice rang out, causing everyone to turn and look at her. Her face bore a confidence never seen before, as if she was certain of victory in this challenge.

"Very well, student Lina." Professor Max nodded, "Please come forward and prepare."

Lina walked to the center of the training ground, facing ten magical golems lined up in a row. I noticed she wore a ring on her right hand that I had never seen before—the ring emitted a faint ancient aura, clearly not an ordinary accessory.

An ancient magical artifact—it seems Karen's intelligence was accurate.

"Timing begins!"

With Professor Max's command, all ten magical golems activated simultaneously and charged toward Lina.

Lina took a deep breath and raised her right hand. The ring instantly burst with blinding light, and the entire training ground was enveloped in a powerful wave of magical energy.

"Dragon's Roar!"

As Lina chanted, a giant dragon made of pure flame burst forth from her ring, lunging ferociously toward the ten magic golems.

BOOM——!

A massive explosion echoed throughout the training ground, fire and smoke obscuring everyone's vision. When everything settled down, only ten piles of charred scrap metal remained in the center of the training field.

The entire place fell silent.

Everyone stared with wide eyes, unable to believe what they had just witnessed. Magic of that scale was absolutely not something a student should be able to cast.

"Fifteen seconds," Professor Max looked at the timer in his hand, his voice slightly trembling, "fifteen seconds to eliminate all targets..."

Lina turned around with a smug smile on her face. Her gaze swept across all the classmates present, finally fixing on me: "Eliana, what did you think of that performance?"

I looked at her, then slowly stood up.

"A very nice tool." My tone remained calm, "But Lina, you seem to have misunderstood something."

"What is it?" Her smile became somewhat stiff.

I walked to the center of the training field, and said to Professor Max: "Professor, please prepare twenty puppets."

"Twenty?" Professor Max was stunned, "Miss Eliana, are you sure? That difficulty level......"

"I'm sure." I stood at the center of the training field, facing those magical puppets that were being reactivated, "And, I don't need any external assistance."

As I said this, I deliberately glanced at the ring on Lina's hand.

Twenty magical puppets lined up in two rows, their magical glow shimmering under the lights of the training field. The watching classmates held their breath, and even the usually calm Karen nervously clenched her fists.

"Timer starts!"

I closed my eyes, feeling the mana flowing within my body. Years of cultivation, experiences from my previous life, and new insights gained after reincarnation, all merged into one at this moment.

「Star Dust Weaving·Seventh Form——」

I opened my eyes, tracing complex rune patterns in the air with both hands:

「——Galactic Cascade.」

Brilliant starlight erupted from my fingertips, pouring down like a galaxy, instantly filling the entire training field. Each point of starlight was a lethal Mana Bolt, weaving together in the air to form a beautiful yet dangerous network, precisely striking the core of each puppet.

Not a crude explosion, but a precise and elegant instantaneous annihilation.

As the starlight dispersed, twenty magical puppets simultaneously dissolved into points of light, leaving no remains behind.

「Eight seconds.」Professor Max's voice trembled slightly, 「Eight seconds......total elimination......」

The training field fell into a deathly silence.

The smug smile on Lina's face completely disappeared, replaced by incredible shock and deep despair. The ancient magical artifact she had acquired at enormous cost still appeared so insignificant before me.

I turned to leave the training ground, whispering as I passed by Lina:

"This is what I just said—in the face of absolute power, any technique is meaningless."

As I walked out of the training ground, I heard Lina's suppressed sobbing behind me.

But I didn't look back.

Compassion was a luxury I had abandoned when I died on the guillotine in my previous life.

Now, all I need is absolute strength.