Free Web NovelPavela felt that her luck was not very good today.
First, she got separated from Eleanor.
This was not her fault.
During a moment of calm, a large group of students, about a hundred of them, suddenly rushed out from behind the ruins, some shouting "Long live the Iron Cross," others yelling "Commoners will win," and then the two sides collided like two flocks of rutting roosters.
Eleanor was slowed down by several students clinging to her legs and crying, "Senior, save me!"
As for Pavela, she was like a leaf falling into a torrent, swept by the crowd into these godforsaken ruins.
By the time she finally managed to break free from the chaos, she had no idea which corner she had been pushed into.
"..."
Pavela stood amidst the rubble, surveying her surroundings.
This looked like one of the academy's training grounds, but the bombardment had blasted most of the buildings into debris.
Only one three-story stone building was still barely standing, its walls covered in cracks, all windows shattered, and half the roof collapsed.
Sporadic gunfire and shouts could be heard in the distance.
The exercise was still ongoing.
Pavela sighed.
She should go find Eleanor.
But she was completely unfamiliar with this area, and with students running everywhere, finding someone was harder than ascending to heaven.
It would be better to find a high place to observe first—
Pavela looked up, her gaze falling upon a dilapidated three-story stone building.
That was the only vantage point nearby.
Although the walls were covered in sinister cracks resembling blood vessels, and half the roof had caved in, it looked like a single sneeze could bring the whole thing down.
"... I should still be able to climb it."
She squeezed sideways through the narrow entrance and began to climb the debris-strewn staircase.
First floor.
Second floor.
Third floor—
The staircase ended here.
But there was a small door next to it leading to the roof; the door was blown askew, leaving a gap just wide enough to squeeze through.
Pavela squeezed through.
The roof—or rather, the remaining half of the roof—trembled slightly beneath her feet.
She carefully stepped on the relatively stable spots and slowly walked towards the edge of the roof.
From here, she could see the layout of most of the academy.
The main cluster of buildings was to the north, emitting black smoke after being hit by artillery fire.
To the east was an open training ground where several armored vehicles were fighting each other. freēwēbnovel.com
To the west—
Pavela squinted.
To the west, a large crowd of students was gathered in a square, forming a circle.
There seemed to be something in the middle of the circle.
"A dueling arena?"
She recalled what Eleanor had said in the carriage.
The academy had dedicated 'Dueling Arenas' where students could apply for formal duels to resolve conflicts.
It looked like that was it.
Truly vibrant, everything competing to flourish.
Pavela listlessly withdrew her gaze, preparing to change direction to search for Eleanor—
Crack.
The roof collapsed.
"..."
Not the entire roof.
Just the small section beneath her feet.
But that was enough.
A feeling of weightlessness suddenly seized her heart.
Her vision spun, and rubble and dust poured down like a waterfall.
Pavela felt as if someone had kicked her from behind.
In the instant she began to fall, her body reacted instinctively—
Adjusting posture, protecting her head, searching for a landing spot—
Boom!
Smoke and dust erupted.
Pavela landed on the ground in a posture that was still somewhat graceful.
Kneeling on one knee, one hand braced on the ground, the other instinctively reached for her waist.
The surrounding noise suddenly quieted down.
Pavela looked up, her silver hair dusted with a bit of grime.
"...?"
She realized she seemed to have arrived at the center of some storm.
This was the center of a large, circular open space.
The space was surrounded by students in uniform, at least a hundred of them.
They were all staring at her with expressions as if they had seen a ghost.
And less than three meters in front of her, two people were frozen in the posture of wielding weapons.
One was a tall young man wearing an impeccably tailored dark blue uniform, holding a one-handed sword.
His short blond hair was meticulously combed, and his eyes carried an innate arrogance.
The blade of the sword was still trembling slightly, clearly indicating he was just about to attack.
The other was a slender young woman with short hair, wearing a simple gray training uniform and holding two short daggers.
Her stance was lower than the man's, as if ready to pounce at any moment.
Her eyes were sharp, her lips tightly pressed, and her whole being exuded an unyielding spirit.
The two turned toward Pavela almost simultaneously.
"Who are you?!"
"Where did you come from?!"
The two voices overlapped, carrying the same astonishment and vigilance.
Pavela slowly stood up, dusting off her skirt.
Why was there a duel here too...
"Pardon the interruption."
She spoke very calmly.
"..."
"..."
The two fell silent for about three seconds.
The man with the sword was the first to frown.
"This is the official Dueling Arena. No one is allowed to enter during a duel. You should know the rules."
His voice carried obvious arrogance, but his wording was relatively restrained.
The woman with the dagger was not so polite: "Rules? She fell from the sky, and you're talking rules to her?"
Her tone was sharp, and her gaze swept over Pavela.
Pavela sized up the two.
Young.
About eighteen or nineteen years old.
Stance, the way they held their weapons, the movement of their eyes when speaking—
To be honest.
They were not bad.
Much better than ordinary people.
On the front lines, they might survive the first month.
"I truly was careless."
Pavela pointed to the ceiling above her.
Above her was an irregularly shaped large hole, and gravel was still trickling down.
Through the opening, a clear sky could be seen.
This building was originally the academy's comprehensive training hall, internally divided into multiple floors.
Every floor had thick stone floors and load-bearing walls, making the structure quite solid.
But in the exact center of the building, there was an atrium that ran through three floors up to the ceiling.
The atrium's original design was for lighting and ventilation, allowing one to look directly up to the third-floor ceiling from the first floor.
After the bombardment, a large hole was blasted in the ceiling, and Pavela happened to fall through that opening, passing straight through the atrium, and landing directly in the center of the first-floor dueling area.
The two looked up, and their expressions became more complicated.
"Three stories high... you just fell like that?"
The man's voice held a trace of disbelief.
Pavela nodded: "Sorry to interrupt you both, I'll leave now."
She truly only wanted to find Eleanor.
But the woman with the dagger suddenly narrowed her eyes, her gaze falling on the hair ribbon on Pavela's head.
"Wait. A deep red ribbon... silver hair..."
Her expression changed.
"The one from the Schwartz Family?"
Pavela paused for a moment. She hadn't expected her 'reputation' to spread so quickly.
"You know me?"
"I don't know you," the woman said coldly. "But I've heard of you."
"I really didn't expect the Schwartz Family to send you here for show so soon."
Her tone carried obvious mockery.
Pavela did not reply.
She noticed the expressions of the surrounding students were also changing.
Some showed hostility—probably belonging to the same faction as the woman with the dagger.
Others showed anticipation, as if waiting to watch a good show.
The man with the sword, however, did not join the mockery.
He just frowned while sizing up Pavela.
"The adopted daughter of the Schwartz Family, rumored to be an orphan brought back from the front lines by Senior Eleanor."
He paused.
"However, to fall from a height of three stories completely unharmed is rather interesting."
The woman snorted coldly: "Interesting? I think it was deliberate. Who knows if she was sent by the Iron Cross to cause trouble." frёewebnoѵēl.com
The man raised an eyebrow: "Cause trouble? I think she's more like one of your Dawn Brigade. After all, an orphan from the battlefield, she's still from the dirt-poor commoner class."
"You—"
The woman's face darkened, and she tightened her grip on the dagger.
Pavela sighed.
Was this what Eleanor meant by 'noble children and commoner children looking down on each other'?
It seemed it wasn't just looking down on each other; they were utterly incompatible.
But these two people...
Were they really dueling?
It looked more like they were flirting.
"Both of you."
Pavela tried to make her voice ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) sound kinder.
"I really was just passing by, no offense intended, I can leave right now—"
"Shut up."
The woman interrupted her.
"You come when you want, and leave when you want?"
She suddenly took a step forward, radiating killing intent.
"What do you take this place for? The noble lords' private garden?"
"That's right. Since you're here, don't be in a hurry to leave."
The man also adjusted his stance, blocking Pavela's retreat on the other side.
"As an intruder, you need to pay a price to wash away the stain you've brought upon the honor of the duel."
Pavela watched the two gradually approach.
The two who were just facing off against each other had now achieved a strange tacit understanding.
"Clean up the trash first?"
The woman tilted her head, looking provocatively at the man.
"Agreed."
The man nodded coldly. "After we deal with this uninvited guest, we'll continue."
Pavela felt a headache coming on.
Was this what they called adolescent restlessness?
They had wanted to kill each other just moments ago, but now they were instantly united against an outsider.
She looked at the weapons raised simultaneously by the two, and the excited expressions of the surrounding students who enjoyed watching drama unfold.
"You two... are going to team up against me?"
"Don't think too highly of yourself."
The woman said coldly.
"We are only temporarily calling a truce."
The man nodded.
"Our duel hasn't concluded yet; we'll resume after we deal with you."
"..."
Pavela fell silent.
Then she looked at the two with a complicated expression.
Like an adult watching two ill-behaved children insist on smashing their heads against a wall.
"Fine."
She said.
"Since you insist."
