At Balos’s signal, the tester loaded a crossbow bolt salvaged from the junk pile and aimed it at Tilisha.

A flicker of surprise flashed in Tilisha’s eyes. Unfamiliar with Divine Maiden tests, her body instinctively tensed.

Beside her, Balos stood with hands clasped behind his back, silent.

*This was exactly the effect he wanted.* Only when an unawakened Divine Maiden sensed imminent danger—when her nerves snapped taut—would her survival instinct trigger the Divine Maiden Realm.

The tester deliberately wobbled the crossbow, sending a clear message: *‘I’m shooting you.’* Once Tilisha locked eyes with him, he pulled the trigger.

The wooden bolt sliced through the air. Tilisha’s pupils shrank; she flinched to dodge—but Balos pinned her shoulder down.

The next instant, Balos caught the bolt mid-flight. It halted abruptly before Tilisha’s eyes, mere inches from her snow-pale throat.

The distance looked perilous but was perfectly safe. After decades at the Assessment Hall, Balos could intercept arrows in his sleep. Even blindfolded, he’d catch them before they grazed a student.

Worst case? The Divine Maiden Realm would block it anyway.

*Beep… beep… beep…*

The magic circle beneath Tilisha’s feet flickered weakly.

The test ended. Yet Balos’s frown deepened.

*Had her Divine Maiden Realm activated so faintly he hadn’t sensed it?*

Meanwhile, Blaise approached from the control console, crystal report in hand, bewilderment etched on her face.

“Well?” Balos asked. “What type is her Divine Maiden Realm?”

“It… the sensor array detected nothing. No Realm at all.” Blaise double-checked the report, baffled.

“*Nothing?*” Balos’s brows knotted as he glanced at Tilisha.

*Impossible. The threat was real—the bolt nearly drew blood. How could her Realm stay dormant?*

“See for yourself.”

Balos took the report. Tilisha caught its contents from the corner of her eye—rows of zeros she couldn’t decipher.

“How? All zeros…”

“Could she truly have failed to awaken her Realm?”

“But that’s unheard of!” Blaise echoed his shock. “No recorded case like this exists.”

“Perhaps she isn’t a Divine Maiden at all,” another tester, Jem, interjected.

“No. I confirmed it yesterday with a mana crystal.” Blaise adjusted her glasses, sharp. “Are you questioning my competence, Mr. Jem?”

“Then why did the sensors fail *this* time? They’ve never malfunctioned!”

“Maybe the sensors worked perfectly,” Balos mused. “Two possibilities: First, her inherited Divine Right is too weak. She barely crossed the threshold into ‘Divine Maiden’ status.”

“Second…”

“Our method was wrong. Miss Tilisha’s Divine Maiden Realm doesn’t awaken by instinct.”

“Huh? Such a Realm exists?” Jem scoffed, spreading his hands.

“Rare. Vanishingly rare.” Balos shook his head, sighing at Tilisha. “So rare, you’d only find it in history books or Divine Right compendiums.”

“I lean toward the first option. She’s a Divine Maiden in name only.”

“In plain terms,” Blaise added quietly, “a Divine Maiden with no divine talent.”

All three knew: without a Divine Maiden Realm, mastering Divine Right was a fantasy.

“So what now?” Jem eyed Tilisha, who stood silent, head bowed in thought.

“Is a Divine Maiden without a Realm… still a Divine Maiden?”

Silence.

“If not,” Jem pressed, “we can’t recognize her as one. And without that status? Coleman Academy has no place for her. Have you decided?”

“Miss Tilisha.” Blaise crouched, meeting the girl’s downcast gaze with regret. “Why do you wish to join Coleman Academy?”

“…Miss Blaise.” Tilisha lifted her youthful face. “Grant me one month.”

“One month?” Balos frowned. “The Freshman Crown Cup begins then. Unqualified teams get expelled.”

His meaning was clear: *Staying a month changes nothing. You’ll still be thrown out.*

He doubted any team would take this child. Even if one did, she’d be dead weight on the battlefield. Only a peerless Divine Child could elevate her—and such prodigies wouldn’t glance twice at a talentless girl.

“Precisely.” Tilisha’s voice firmed. “At the Freshman Crown Cup, I’ll prove myself.”

She’d staked everything on the Divine Maiden Transformation—when her body finally consumed the [Holy Oblivion] within her.