The Crown and The Rose
Chapter 26: The Codex For The First Day

Chapter 26: The Codex For The First Day

The Crown

"Your Highness, where were you last night?" Edward asks, eyeing me suspiciously as the three of us trudge down the cold hallway of the Syx, "Why couldn’t I find you in your room?"

"Well... wait, you went to my room?" My head shoots up toward him, and my eyes widen, "How did you get into the girls’ dorm in the first place?"

"Those rules have been lifted due to the festival." Erick informs, "It’s a lot of work to arrange the grounds for the students to practice for the student council, so we are temporarily lifting all the rules."

"I see." I acknowledge, nodding slightly.

"Don’t just nod, Your Highness." Edward chides, "Where were you last night? Your Highness, please don’t tell me that you were with some female demons here. We are being transported to the festival venue today in a beat and you are fooling around with a girl?" Edward’s voice is latched with distaste.

"Edward please," I rub my face in exasperation, "I am grown now, I can do whatever I want. It includes sleeping with the ladies."

"Your Highness, you are the royal crown prince of the great Blade Empire. You can’t just sleep with random people and other than that, we are going for a life-and-death battle and you were sleeping around with the ladies?" Edward is clearly very disappointed and in dismay.

But little does he know that the person I am "sleeping" around with is the one he fears the most. This isn’t actually sleeping around since Vermilion has never slept with me in one bed. He never even enters the room when I am in it. It feels like he is avoiding me as if I am some kind of plague.

I sigh. I feel so frustrated over Vermilion’s indifferent behavior that I can’t even decipher. It is getting harder for me to look at those cold red eyes that seem to be always watching me from afar. I can’t think straight when I am around him. It feels like all the air has been sucked out of my lungs and my heart is beating so fast in my chest that it is about to give out on me anytime. I don’t know what is the meaning of all these but I am sure whatever it is, it is not good for both parties. This is a good thing that Vermilion is ignoring me.

These unknown feelings will soon dissipate. And Vermilion’s coldness will help me with that. But still, those piercing red gazes always hit me in the chest. And make my heart stop. I don’t know how to act indifferently around him just like he does around me. I am just a nobody to him and meanwhile, he is making it difficult for me to make him a nobody in my eyes. He is so much more than a nobody to me.

"Come on Edward, Lush has been banished from the palace for two long years." Erick tries to reason with Edward. I marvel at this demon’s gut. "So he is no longer a prince. Let him do whatever he wants to do."

Edward eyes Erick with displeasure but doesn’t say anything. We three enter the grounds and see row after row of student formations lining the ground. We join as well. Everyone is wearing the same outfit. The same navy blue tunics and black skin-tight pants.

Everyone’s hair is short or tied so tightly that it looks almost painful. Mine hair is tightly bound too. I don’t want my hair to be the reason for my death.

Professor Felix, the teacher who is in charge of the first year, climbs up the stairs. There is no trace of personal feeling on his face except for one thing and that is professionalism. I Believe him to be one of the most capable demons in the academy. He clears his throat loudly to grab everyone’s attention toward him.

"So, as you all already know, today is the first day of the Mock Battle Festival. It will last for five more days including today." Professor Felix starts, "We will transport all of you to the festival venue shortly. Before that, let me tell you the codex of the festival. All of you are required to follow the codex strictly. Otherwise, something worse than death awaits you."

Cold dread crawls down my spine and I shiver. Professor Felix is grounding his every single word. My jaw tightens as he continues.

"Now then let me recite the rules: 1. You are all required to work alone. There will be no groups or parties. 2. You must complete every task given to you. No one is allowed to leave the battlefield before the task is completed. If you die, then this is your fate. You must accept it. Whether you win or you die, these two are the only options for you to get out of the field." Professor Felix takes in a measured breath, "These two rules are the only rules that you guys have to follow once you are on the battlefield. And These two rules are only valid for today. Rules will change according to your given tasks."

Why do the Gods always screw me over these kinds of shit every time? My plan is a group plan. I can do nothing without Edward and Erick. And Vermilion knows it too well. Maybe this is why the rules are like this. After all, he is the supreme ruler of this realm.

"Now I must tell you the tasks you will all be given today." Professor Felix’s tone remains the same cold and heartless, void of any emotion. My muscles tighten as he starts to give out the intel. "You all be given a flower. You have to figure out what kind of ability the flower possesses and then you will have to use the flower to get out of the dense forest you all will be caged in. Everyone’s flower will be different and so their abilities. So use your brain to how you have to use the flower. Hand-to-hand combat is allowed but magic is forbidden for the first day. You may kill or get killed. It doesn’t concern us. The only thing we want from you is victory."

My blood runs cold at the brutal rule of the competition. It will be hell out there and they are leaving us nothing but a tiny flower to play with. Are they fucking serious?

"The first task’s time limit is twelve hours. Anyone who wouldn’t be able to complete the task around that time will be eliminated." Professor Felix pauses a little and a primal smirk tugs on the corner of his lips, "And lastly I want to say, do your best little demons. I want to see how much blood it shed on the first day. And again, don’t die without killing."

And this is how you encourage your students?!

"Please have this." Suddenly a hooded silhouette appears before me and I almost jump out of my skin. "This is the teleportation spell." The hooded man hands me a scroll and then moves on to the next student behind me.

Seems like they had started giving out the spell and I hadn’t even noticed as I was very focused on the professor’s speech. I open the scroll and spot a neatly drawn array. This is the spell for the teleportation array, powered by space magic. Every array of different destinations is different. This is why only space mages can draw the array. They are the specialist in this aspect while every magic wielder can use the array by fueling it with their mana power.

"I believe the spell has been distributed." Professor Felix draws our attention to him once again, "You all will be transported to the venue but in different locations. There will be a dark mage waiting for each of you. They will give you the necessary ingredients for the task such as the flower and the map. Their job ends there and then it’s all up to you now that will you live or die."

The only thing in this battle that is in my favor is that the magic is forbidden for the first day. So all I have to figure out the ability of my flower and then figure out how to work it to get out of the maze.

I take in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing nerves down in a futile attempt, and turn my head over my shoulder to spot Edward and Erick nodding at me from the other line of the square formation. I nod back. I clench my fist.

Lush, you will be fine.

I recite the line in my mind. The professor pipes up again, "Now then students, I wish you all the best. You will now cast the teleportation magic. I want all of you to empty the academy grounds within two minutes." He orders.

And we do as he says. I draw the array in with my limited amount of mana and a black pothole appears before me. The hole is small and can only contain one person. I try to gulp down the anxiety in my throat and enter the darkness.

I will be fine...

This chapter is updated by freew(e)bnovel.(c)om