"O beasts once divine, I am Yulia, blessed by your grace. I offer half of my being in exchange for your favor. Appear, youngest child of the Mystic Forest, and trample my foes!"

After Lem and Elaina’s wager began, my opponent Yulia chanted her spell at a leisurely pace. Confident I could handle whatever she summoned, I simply observed her magic while waiting for a fair fight.

*Beating a little girl? With my forest experience, how could I lose?*

How naive I was.

What Yulia summoned was a snow-white unicorn foal. The phantom beast seemed woven from her wispy magic, flickering uncertainly as it guarded her side.

No matter. My goal remained unchanged: knock her flat.

"Ready?" I closed the distance after confirming, slashing at her.

But Yulia’s defense had improved drastically. She anticipated every strike, parrying effortlessly while her unicorn ambushed me from behind. Before I knew it, I’d shifted from attacker to defender, slowly being overwhelmed.

The white foal charged sideways, horn aimed at my ribs. I blocked with my wooden sword just as Yulia swung hers at me. I took the blow head-on, stumbling backward with her momentum to evade the unicorn’s follow-up.

I’d been forced back like this over ten times already. Yulia gave no breathing room, pressing forward relentlessly. I dodged behind wooden crates, completely on the defensive.

Meanwhile, the reunited classmates chatted animatedly.

"You should call it quits for your girl," Elaina smirked at Lem.

"She’s blessed by a phantom beast? I never expected nobility with royal blood in a place like this." Lem frowned. "And that summoning spell—you taught her, didn’t you? Have some restraint. Academy techniques aren’t toys for children."

"Miss Yulia needs power to protect herself. That’s my superior’s judgment."

"Tricks won’t beat a Ghoul Hunter." Lem shrugged. "Wooden swords barely scratch Alice anyway. She’s from Sylia Forest. Once your little lady exhausts her magic, Alice will counter and win."

Exactly as Lem said: though Yulia chased me relentlessly, her wooden sword inflicted little real damage. I could’ve taken a hundred such strikes standing still. If I kept dodging the unicorn’s powerful charges until her magic drained, I’d turn the tables. Besides, I hadn’t even used my trump card—Dark Magic Fire.

"Hah! Still as naive as ever, Lem." Elaina’s laughter rang out. "Remember how you’d always lose to your underclassman? You’d argue you were a scholar, not a fighter. Yet here you are—a Ghoul Hunter, the most brute-force job imaginable."

"You misunderstand. Ghoul Hunting relies on wit and knowledge, not strength. Anyone trained half a year could—"

"Yulia can sustain her phantom beast for three hours," Elaina cut in smoothly. "End this before your girl gets hurt. She’s gained enough experience today."

"Nonsense. Alice won’t lose to your mistress."

*Won’t lose? Damn you, Lem!* I didn’t want to be chased for three hours. And judging by the maid’s tone, Yulia hadn’t even gone all out. With spare magic, she could unleash more spells anytime—

*Thud.*

Her wooden sword pierced my shoulder—not a blunt strike, but a clean stab. Blood gushed out.

*Since when do wooden swords cut like steel?!* At this rate, I’d be forced into Ghoul Transformation, revealing my tear-streaked demon form. Time to go all out.

"That was White Magic: Blade Enhancement." Elaina gave Lem a *told-you-so* look. "Surrender. Let me heal Alice."

Lem hesitated.

I seized the moment. With my injured arm, I pulled the bear’s calculus stone from my pocket and channeled every ounce of magic into it. A tidal wave of flames roared toward Yulia.

Yulia activated a wind-wall charm on her pendant, barely deflecting the fire. The searing heat still forced her to shield her face.

I’d already circled to her left. Raising my wooden sword one-handed, I brought it down with full force.

Her unicorn materialized to intercept me—but I snarled at the foal while feeding magic into the stone: "Begone, filthy mustang! Or I’ll slaughter you first!"

The stone cracked. The pure unicorn flinched, vanishing into thin air like dissolving mist.

Defenseless, Yulia barely blocked my strike with her wooden sword. My injured shoulder weakened the blow.

I closed in, baring sharp canines like a predator. My teeth sank into her shoulder. Before she could react, I kicked her square in the chest. The golden-haired girl crashed to the ground, magic too disrupted to cushion her fall.

I spat out blood-tinged saliva, grinning at the bleeding wound on her shoulder.

Yulia pushed herself up with her sword, scowling. "I’ll give you credit, wild rabbit."

"You held up well too, house cat."

"Your stone’s shattered from that reckless stunt."

"And your pet ran off. No time for summoning chants this round."

"Hmph. I suppose I should thank you for this wound." She smeared blood from her shoulder onto her sword. "With my blood as offering, the beasts of the Mystic Forest need no chant to appear."

"Try it then!" I charged like a startled hare.

Yulia raised her blood-smeared blade, readying her final spell.

The victor would be decided in seconds.