Twenty minutes later, an uproar swept through the illusory world. The Demon had claimed another victim — and this one's condition was worse than any of the previous ones. The news spread fast and left people unsettled, drawing their movements tighter and making them second-guess every unfamiliar sound in the trees. At the same time, the rumor of the Demon fighting Vincent Bluefire began circulating alongside it. Most people dismissed that part outright. Vincent had already reached the second level of the Mortal rank — how could someone at the first level possibly go toe-to-toe with him? Even so, dismissed or not, the rumor made people more cautious. Being careful never hurt anyone.
Meanwhile, at Prince Charles' camp, a man wrapped head to toe in bandages sat propped up while those around him watched with concern. At the front of the gathered group stood Prince Charles Dawnlight, his golden hair catching the pale light of the illusory world.
Charles looked Zach over carefully. "Are you feeling better?"
Zach nodded. "Yes, Your Excellency. The medicine you provided was remarkable. I'm grateful for such treatment — I didn't expect this much consideration. A day's rest and I should be fully recovered."
"Good." Charles exhaled slowly. "Now tell me what happened."
"As you wish, Your Excellency."
Zach proceeded to recount the whole sequence — his encounter with Alzer, the torture in the cave, and the battle between Alzer and Vincent that had since confirmed the circulating rumors. He did not tell it plainly. By the time Zach finished, Alzer had become something closer to a demon lord than a person — every detail stretched until it was just barely within the bounds of believable.
The group listened with widening eyes. The ruthlessness of the Demon was one shock. The battle with Vincent was another. Unfortunately, Zach had fled before the fight concluded, so its outcome remained unknown.
When the account was done, Zach lowered himself to one knee. "Your Excellency, I beg you to act against him. I don't want others to suffer as I did. Please suppress him with everything at your disposal."
"Alright, alright. Rest — I'll handle it." Charles rubbed his forehead and exhaled.
Zach settled back down. Charles turned to face the rest of the group, standing quietly for a moment before an idea surfaced and his expression shifted to something more complicated. "There's roughly an hour left before the exam ends, correct?"
"That's right, Your Excellency," the group answered together.
"Then here is my plan. Alzer only has nine points — he cannot pass at this rate. To draw his attention away from all of you, transfer your points to me. When he hears about it, he'll be forced to hunt other groups instead of targeting ours. With five minutes remaining, I'll return everyone's points." He paused, letting the logic settle. The other victims of the Demon had all been from his group — it hadn't taken long to recognize that he was being singled out deliberately. If Charles held all the group's points, Alzer would have no reason to continue targeting them. He could simply gather everyone together and have them guard each other, of course, but he had already considered and rejected that option. A Lightning Mage at even the first Mortal rank was an exceptionally difficult opponent to contain in a group situation. The speed and destructive power were both elite. One area-of-effect attack into a clustered group, then a burst of movement to exploit the chaos — the math didn't favor a defensive formation. Redirecting Alzer's attention was the cleaner solution.
The group exchanged looks and nodded. It was sensible. Hand the points to the leader, remove themselves as viable targets, and collect them back at the end. One by one, glowing orbs of light lifted from their tattooed wrists and drifted through the air before sinking into Charles' wrist. His point total jumped dramatically.
Charles allowed himself a quiet breath of relief. With this, Alzer would have to move on to other groups. He genuinely felt some regret about that — he had no desire to redirect a problem onto people he couldn't protect. But his authority didn't extend to the entire illusory world. He led fifty people, not a thousand.
Even as a prince, his father had always been strict about fairness. No special authority had been granted to him for this examination, nor had he wanted any. He was, in truth, the strongest person in the exam — a third-level Mortal rank Mage. He could fight Alzer directly. But lightning element was a genuine complication. At full output, a Lightning Mage's speed could rival a fourth-level Mortal rank combatant. That was not a risk he wanted to take without necessity.
"Hmm — why didn't you transfer your points to His Excellency?"
Charles blinked and returned to the present. He traced the voice to one of the group members, who was staring pointedly at someone else. He followed the gaze.
A young man in a black robe stood slightly apart from the rest, gloomy and still.
"I'll ask again," the first young man said, his tone sharpening. "Why didn't you transfer your points to His Excellency? Do you not trust him?"
"What's going on?" Charles asked, stepping closer.
"Your Excellency — I noticed no light came from his wrist when the others transferred. He clearly didn't comply."
"Is that so?" Charles shifted his gaze to the black-robed young man.
The corner of the young man's mouth curved into a faint sneer. "Why do you ask, Your Excellency? How does anyone know you'll actually return the points? If you don't, we're eliminated — and our futures go with it."
"You bastard—!" The first young man surged forward, but Charles stepped into his path.
"Enough." Charles looked back at the black-robed young man calmly. "I don't break people's trust."
"Is that so?" The black-robed young man shook his head slowly. "Either way, hoarding all the points yourself is a mistake. I'm telling you plainly."
Charles narrowed his eyes. He couldn't identify what part of the plan was flawed. The point consolidation was temporary, he had no intention of keeping anything that wasn't his, and the logic for redirecting Alzer's attention was sound. "I'm not sure what you mean, but if you're worried I'll keep the points — I'm not a thief."
"Keke. Of course not." The black-robed young man's tone didn't shift. "Even so — I'm warning you. Follow this plan through, and you'll regret it. The depth of that regret will be considerable." He turned, walked to a nearby tree, and sat down without another word.
"Your Excellency, that insolent — he's essentially cursing you to your face! Let me put him in his place." The first young man's jaw was tight with fury.
"No." Charles shook his head. "Words aren't worth responding to with violence. Leave it."
But even as he said it, he ran through the plan again in his own mind, checking for cracks. He found none. The logic held from every angle he approached it.
He finally let his shoulders settle and exhaled. The black-robed young man was almost certainly just trying to unsettle him.