The king and queen might have accepted her back, but the price for that would have been having all light elves associated with deceivers and liars. Everything the previous rulers had built over generations would be destroyed by her alone. But even worse would be the contempt of her own people for betraying the very thing that had always set them apart from other races. Light elves never broke their oaths, no matter to whom they had been given.
Wrapping her arms around her legs, Samantha closed her eyes, trying to lose herself in thought and find an answer.
Meanwhile, Keyrin and Cassandra were descending in the elevator, intending to find out which rooms and which floor Trey's classmates lived on.
As the elevator slowly moved downward, Keyrin kept glancing at Cassandra. Did she truly want to stay by Trey's side so badly that she was willing to go through the marriage ritual?
While thinking about how to ask Cassandra just how serious she was about going through with it, Keyrin heard a quiet click. The elevator doors slowly began to open.
Stepping out into the lobby, the girls looked around. Not spotting anyone they had seen in Trey's class, they headed toward the staff member working in this dormitory.
Stopping at the semicircular desk where the employee sat, the girls examined him. He wore a black shirt and light-colored trousers. There was no academy crest on his clothes, as he was just an ordinary human hired by the academy to perform auxiliary duties for the stufons.
He had short blond hair, and his gaze nervously drifted over the passing stufons. It was noticeable how he periodically clenched his hands whenever someone walked nearby.
At first, seeing the two girls approach, he paid them little attention. But after looking more closely, he recognized the princess of the dark elves. She was wearing the stufon uniform, though the top buttons of her shirt were undone, and her hair flowed freely over her shoulders.
The second girl turned out to be a light elf dressed in a long-sleeved blouse and, as far as he could tell from behind the desk, a skirt.
"Excuse me, can you hear us?" Keyrin asked irritably, watching the employee stare at them with barely a blink.
Hearing the question, the employee forced a smile, quickly stood up from his seat, and bowed.
"How may I help you, esteemed ladies?" he asked, shifting his gaze from one to the other.
Long accustomed to such looks, Cassandra paid it no mind. Keyrin, however, clearly disliked this behavior and released a small portion of her magic, allowing the human to feel its presence.
Sensing the magical aura radiating from the light elf, the employee visibly tensed, looked at Keyrin, and tried to compose a more serious expression.
"We're looking for someone from the elite class," Keyrin said irritably, watching his face change.
The employee looked at her in confusion. She was searching for someone from the elite class? Then why ask him instead of the professors?
Noticing the questions gradually appearing on his face, Cassandra gave a barely noticeable shake of her head.
"Unfortunately, I cannot help you. You may request such information from the deans or the director. We are not permitted to disclose this kind of information to outsiders," the employee said before sitting back down.
Keyrin was already about to drag the man out from behind the desk and give him a closer demonstration of magic when she noticed the entrance door opening.
Heya walked inside. Judging by the expression on her face, she was deeply irritated by something. Casting a sharp glare at the employee, enough to send a chill through his body, the girl headed toward the elevator.
Keyrin and Cassandra exchanged glances and immediately followed after her.
"stufon Heya, please wait," a voice called from behind her.
Heya stopped and turned toward the source of the voice. She saw two girls approaching her—one light elf and one dark elf.
After waiting for them to come closer, Heya gave a slight curtsy and shifted her gaze between the two.
"How may I help you?" she asked.
She felt as though she had seen the dark elf somewhere before, but couldn't remember where.
Keyrin and Cassandra exchanged another glance. After their failure with the employee, Keyrin mentally noted that bringing Cassandra along had indeed been a good decision—perhaps she would have an easier time getting the information they needed.
Watching Keyrin remain silent, Cassandra understood that she was giving her a chance to demonstrate her resolve.
"stufon Heya, we would like to ask if you happen to know where stufon Trey is right now?" Cassandra asked in a melodic voice, accompanying her words with a smile.
Hearing that question, Heya suddenly remembered the face of the dark elf.
It was the princess who had lost her duel to Trey.
"There was an accident during combat magic class. As far as I know, stufon Trey is currently in the medical wing," Heya replied, carefully observing the girls standing before her.
"And who teaches your combat magic class?" Keyrin asked cautiously, already fearing the worst.
Heya shifted her gaze to Keyrin. She had already figured out that the girl was a servant—but whose?
A light elf would never serve a dark elf, which meant her master had to be someone else.
Could it be Trey?
"Professor Ni'lim teaches our combat magic," Heya answered calmly, watching Keyrin's expression change. Calmness was replaced by anxiety and fear, though a moment later her face became unreadable again.
Cassandra noticed the change as well but decided to save her questions for later. Right now, finding Trey was what mattered most.
"Thank you for your help, stufon Heya," Cassandra said with a slight bow.
The girls were already about to leave when they heard Heya ask them to wait.
"How may we help you, stufon Heya?" Cassandra asked, looking at her attentively.
Heya shook her head and pointed at Keyrin.
"Whose servant are you, light elf?" she asked.
She had almost guessed the answer already, but wanted to hear it directly.
Hearing the question, Keyrin wasn't surprised. She had expected this kind of curiosity in advance, though it still irritated her that someone had decided to ask.
"I am stufon Trey's servant. We answered your question—may we leave now?" Keyrin asked calmly, not taking her eyes off Heya.
"Thank you for answering. Goodbye," Heya said, pressing the elevator button.
The doors closed, and she rode back up to her floor.
Keyrin and Cassandra exchanged glances before heading back toward the academy, to the medical department.
Walking through the academy's dark corridors, Keyrin involuntarily recalled how she had once wandered these halls with her friends. She remembered lessons, conversations, and ordinary days spent within these walls.
But her most painful memories were always tied to Professor Ni'lim.
She had taught their combat magic as well, and Keyrin still vividly remembered the first lesson.
Back then, the entire class had split into pairs, but one student had been especially unlucky—his partner had been Professor Ni'lim herself.
They had heard their classmate scream.
They had heard his bones break with loud cracks that echoed through the classroom.
At that moment, no one had been able to continue training.
Fear had gripped them, while their classmate's screams only made the situation feel even worse.
After class, he was carried to the medical wing, and soon after, he left the academy.
Keyrin had heard that the boy never truly recovered from what happened and no longer used magic.
That was why she now feared Trey might have suffered the same injury.
"What are you thinking about, Keyrin?" Cassandra asked.
She had noticed Keyrin sink into memories, and from her expression alone, it was obvious those thoughts were far from pleasant.
Keyrin turned to look at Cassandra. Unlike her and Trey, Cassandra had been far luckier—she hadn't been assigned the monster professor.
"Have you heard of the monster professor who teaches combat magic?" Keyrin asked, continuing toward the medical department.
Cassandra tried to remember whether she had ever heard such a nickname before, but after failing to recall anything, she shook her head.
"She teaches combat magic and specializes in exposing the weak points of stufons so they don't rely solely on magic. Her lessons are conducted as close to real combat as possible. While other professors teach gradually and smoothly, in Professor Ni'lim's class, students see their weaknesses during training battles every single lesson. And to pass the exam, you have to defeat another stufon from your class," Keyrin finished explaining, once again recalling her painful experience with Professor Ni'lim.
Listening to her, Cassandra involuntarily began imagining what such training sessions must be like, and an unpleasant shiver ran down her spine.
She wasn't afraid of pain itself, but the thought of enduring something like that every class filled her with deep discomfort.
She truly had been incredibly lucky to have a different professor.
"You're worried Trey couldn't endure that kind of pressure?" Cassandra asked directly.
As they talked, the girls had already reached the door leading to the medical wing.
Keyrin looked at her, but couldn't give a definite answer.
Every representative of every race had a breaking point.
"I don't know. But I hope Trey saw it as a way to keep moving forward," Keyrin replied thoughtfully as she opened the door.
Once inside the medical wing, the girls began looking around.
For one of them, this was a first visit. For the other, this place had become almost familiar during her studies, since Keyrin often came here to learn about the healing properties of various herbs and compounds.
The medical wing was not particularly large compared to the size of the entire academy, but it was capable of receiving a large number of injured patients at once.
Keyrin clearly remembered how she herself had once sat in the place now occupied by the girl watching them with mild boredom.
The air was filled with the scents of various ointments, tinctures, and herbs, and not all of them could be called pleasant.
Thanks to the magical lamps, the room was brightly lit—there wasn't a single dark corner where anyone could hide.
The white walls involuntarily gave both girls a sense of calm.
As they approached the desk where an elf girl was seated, Keyrin and Cassandra were already thinking about the best way to ask about Trey.