Chapter 127: The Princess Enrolls, Leest the Ogre Girl
Under the iron-fisted education of Ariel, Sophia ultimately stepped into the Demon Race's Academy for High Nobility to pursue her advanced studies.
A noble's curriculum was far from limited to mere etiquette and protocol; it comprehensively integrated swordsmanship, horsemanship, magic, and a whole suite of foundational disciplines. In essence, she had enrolled in a highly comprehensive, elite academy populated entirely by the direct descendants of imperial royalty and high-ranking nobility.
When a flawless, princess-like figure like Sophia graced the academy grounds, it naturally caused every single onlooker to stop dead in their tracks. Because she was quite literally too dazzling to ignore!
Her golden, cascading curls spilled all the way down to her waist, framing an exquisitely beautiful face that looked exactly like a masterwork sculpted by the hands of God Himself. Her ruby-like eyes resembled the most breathtaking stars in the cosmos, glittering with brilliant, radiant splendor. She wore a lavish, dark crimson gown that accentuated her exalted pedigree and stunning beauty–well, the word "stunning" usually implied a mature allure, which didn't entirely fit a tiny little girl, but her beauty was an absolute, objective fact.
Particularly her slightly curled eyelashes, which closely resembled a butterfly hovering on the brink of flight, its fluttering wings casting an intoxicating charm over her pupils. Her flawless, porcelain skin carried a faint, rosy tint, looking so delicate that it might bruise at the gentlest touch. Who on earth could possibly find it in their heart to dislike such an incredibly adorable and beautiful young princess?
Sophia swept an arrogant glance across the infatuated expressions of the surrounding crowd, tilting her head back as she glided forward with an elegant, rhythmic stride.
"Hmph~ A bunch of brainless toddlers."
She curled her tiny lips in disdain, completely ignoring the intense scrutiny of the crowd.
"Oh~ Mother, I think I've officially fallen in love."
"I want every single piece of data on this woman within the next three minutes!"
"Heavens~ I... I think I'm about to faint..."
The surrounding chatter grew exponentially louder by the second.
Lurking in the absolute depths of the shadows, the red, white, and black trio couldn't help but press their hands to their foreheads simultaneously. *Would it literally kill this brat to maintain a low profile for once in her life?* The three supreme powerhouses genuinely felt like their hearts were being worked to the bone trying to manage this problem child.
"Aze, it's been quite a while since we checked on little Leest. Why don't we package the little creature up and send her off to school alongside Sophia?" Shiro suddenly recalled that she had seemingly adopted a tiny pet monster a while back, offering the suggestion on a whim. Her primary objective was to deploy a reliable handler to keep a watchful eye on Sophia and ensure she didn't trigger an absolute catastrophe on campus.
"Let's head into the labyrinth first to inspect Leest's progress," Shirazawa countered. If her raw attributes were entirely too pathetic, sending her into an academy populated by high-tier nobles would essentially be equivalent to serving her up on a silver platter.
Having found herself entirely free of executive duties over the past couple of days, Ariel tagged along, accompanying the pair as they made their way back down into the labyrinth.
"O dark abyss that devours all creation, grant me your most terrifying primordial might!"
Deep within the damp, subterranean corridors, Leest held a pitch-black longsword tightly in her grasp. Her entire body was heavily shrouded in a thick, rolling black mist as she solemnly chanted a string of thoroughly unhinged lines. Suddenly, her palms flipped outward in a rapid sequence, causing a violet-black hexagram array to blaze to life beneath her feet.
The pitch-black blade sliced cleanly through the absolute vacuum of the atmosphere, carrying a dense, cataclysmic wave of raw, destructive power.
A massive silhouette materialized from the heart of the black vortex, transforming into a gargantuan black python that bared its fangs and lunged violently toward Leest.
A bloodthirsty, chilling glint flashed across the depths of Leest's eyes. Wrapping both hands firmly around the hilt of her blade, she charged straight ahead without a single millisecond of hesitation.
*Hiss, hiss–!*
The black python bellowed in raw fury, unleashing a barrage of highly corrosive, foul-smelling venom. Amid the swirling dark mist, Leest's silhouette vanished with blinding speed, effortlessly dodging the python's offensive sweep within a fraction of a heartbeat to materialize directly behind its blind spot.
*Squelch–!*
The sharp, distinct sound of a blade puncturing deep flesh echoed through the corridor. The exact second Leest wrenched the longsword free, a massive geyser of dark blood erupted into the air, and the black python let out two tragic whimpers before collapsing heavily onto the stone floor into a lifeless heap.
Leest panted softly for a few moments, executing a sharp, rhythmic flick of her wrist to cast away the crimson stains clinging to her blade before slowly guiding the weapon back into its scabbard. She pulled this dark blade–which possessed the properties of cutting through absolutely any material in existence–close against her chest, cradling it like a priceless heirloom.
"Whew~ That finally wraps things up," she said, clapping her hands together with a relaxed grin. "As expected of Master's personal weapon. It really is remarkably broken."
[Experience thresholds have reached the required criteria. Individual: High Goblin Lv29 ––> Lv30. Evolution is now available.]
[Please select your evolutionary path: Lesser Ogre OR High Goblin King]
Leest called out toward the shadows behind her at the top of her lungs, "Great White, guard me!"
A fraction of a second later, a gargantuan, pristine white super-spider monster slowly crawled out from the absolute depths of the darkness. Witnessing her guardian's arrival, Leest decisively selected the evolutionary path to become part of the Ogre race. This was the exact evolutionary line Shirazawa had mapped out for her from the very beginning; only by evolving into an Ogre could she truly cross the threshold into becoming a humanoid monster.
Leest slowly drifted off into a deep slumber, the brilliant, warm light of evolution instantly enveloping her entire frame.
Her short, stunted physique began to stretch out at a visible pace. Her tiny legs, chubby arms, and small head gradually morphed, reshaping themselves into the distinct, graceful silhouette of a young maiden. A pair of violet-black ogre horns sprouted from her forehead, though the tiny, half-formed tips seemed to lack a final burst of momentum, halting their growth after a brief moment as if running into a localized energy deficit.
Her original, moss-green skin began shifting rapidly toward a porcelain-white, rosy complexion, and her facial features grew beautifully defined. Her silky, pitch-black hair cascaded down her back like a seamless waterfall, veiling her slender collarbones from sight. Her clean, small face radiated a brilliant, vibrant aura of pure spirituality; her bright eyes looked as clear and untainted as crystalline purple grapes, and her tiny, cherry-blossom-pink lips were slightly pouted, making it entirely impossible not to let out an affectionate smile at the sight.
*Skreee–!*
Suddenly, the white spider monster detected the familiar, overarching presence of its grandfather, letting out a series of joyous, rhythmic clicks.
The three powerhouses slowly materialized from the spatial portal, their eyes instantly locking onto the black-haired maiden being fiercely protected by the super-spider.
"Hmm... why exactly am I feeling a bizarre trace of cognitive dissonance right now?" Ariel knit her brows, studying the maiden's youthful visage.
The submissive, timid, and utterly cowardly little carrot-head from their early days had quite literally transformed into a long-haired, pitch-black, stoic little loli. Given how little time had actually slipped by, this absolute polar opposite of a contrast was simply too staggering to process.
"Hehehe~ She's still as incredibly adorable as ever~" Shiro offered a brilliant smile, reaching out to playfully pinch Leest's smooth cheeks, while Shirazawa remained entirely silent beside her.
Ariel, however, managed to spot a few highly alarming anomalies. "Aze, Leest's status..."
"I know," Shirazawa cut in smoothly, sinking into a crouch to gently scoop the little loli up into his arms. "The evolutionary process will likely require a bit more time to settle. Let's head back to the surface first."
With those words, he recalled the white spider monster guarding Leest back into his personal summon space, leading the group straight back to the manor.
After instructing the old butler to personally prepare an isolated, premium bedroom for Leest, Shirazawa gently settled her onto the mattress, pulling the covers neatly up to her chin. Strangely enough, he had attempted to gently slide the dark blade out from Leest's embrace to ensure she could sleep with maximum comfort. Yet, the young girl held onto the weapon with a literal vice-like grip, refusing to release her hold no matter how hard he pulled. Lacking any alternative, he could only permit her to sleep while clutching it tightly.
After dropping strict instructions for the servants to tend to her every need with absolute care, the three of them finally exited the quarters.
Reaching the living room, a maid served them fresh tea before shifting to stand respectfully to the side, awaiting further orders.
"Shirazawa, aren't Leest's attribute values... safely entering the realm of the absurd?" Ariel measured her words with extreme care before finally giving voice to her thoughts.
Leest's growth and overall training curriculum had always been placed under Shirazawa's direct supervision, yet Shirazawa had essentially adopted a completely hands-off, free-range policy. Being put on the spot like this, even he found himself somewhat unable to formulate a definitive answer. He could only afford to wait until the little creature woke up to interrogate her personally.
If one were to categorize things strictly by evolutionary tiers, Leest was currently forcing a breakthrough into the Fifth Evolutionary Stage. In other words, she was occupying the exact same tier as a Vestige of Death.
Following a Lesser Ogre, the path advanced to a High Ogre, with the ultimate Seventh Stage culminating in an Ogre Deity. Back when Shirazawa and Shiro had initially forced their way into the Fifth Evolutionary Stage, their status parameters hadn't even managed to touch the 2,000 threshold.
Yet, Leest's attribute values had quite literally smashed straight through the 10,000 milestone–and this was her raw status *before* the evolutionary sequence had even finished stabilizing! Once the evolution concluded entirely and she ground out a few base levels, she would comfortably wield the Myth-tier monster strength of a Seventh-Stage entity while strictly occupying the Fifth Stage.
Leest's latent potential was actually tracking close enough to rival Sophia's, which was completely and utterly mind-boggling.
One had to remember that Sophia possessed a staggering starting pool of 70,000 Skill Points, had undergone an elite, rigorous cultivation curriculum from the exact second she was born, and had absorbed an astronomical amount of vital essence and effort from both Shiro and the Demon King. Even after all those variables were perfectly aligned, her attributes had barely managed to scrape the 15,000 mark–and that was with Sophia currently sitting at Lv1.
Under such outrageously demanding conditions, Leest had quite literally relied on her own efforts to completely close the gap and catch up to her in a mere handful of months. Shirazawa was honestly beginning to suspect whether that absolute bastard D was pulling some invisible strings behind the scenes.
However, Shiro had already informed him that D had been forcefully dragged away by her maid sister, completely severing her capacity to interfere with the mechanics of this world. Clearly, that theory could be safely crossed off the list.
The three of them spent a massive chunk of time bouncing ideas back and forth without arriving at a single logical conclusion. They would have to remain patient until the following morning, when the tiny creature finally stirred from her deep slumber.
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