That day, the entire sky seemed to be swallowed by fire, and countless people died in that blaze.
And that battle was also Sathya's “debut.”
While everyone was fleeing, she had actually approached the Astral Sage of her own accord to formulate an offensive strategy, becoming a hero of the Holy Academy... Of course, that was only on the surface.
The truth was that Tina had risked her life to obtain information and intelligence on the “Flame Magical Beast” and discovered a fatal weakness on it. She then compiled everything onto a single sheet of paper and quietly left it on the table of the shelter's leaders, where it was discovered by Sathya, who was an apprentice Saintess.
Only then did Sathya find her opportunity.
In this world, not many people understood abyssal magical beasts better than Tina.
Tina's thoughts returned to reality, but the Starcinder president's verbal abuse of Velrose had not yet stopped.
“Principal, in my opinion, expelling this demon is a contribution to humanity.”
The Principal, sitting directly at the front of the round table, shook his head, the smile on his face showing no sign of fading. “You go too far. As the Principal, I see all of your efforts. I am merely the one delivering the orders. However, I do have the right to offer a few suggestions to the Astral Sage.”
“Time is running out. According to the prophecy of the previous Astral Sage, many abyssal magical beasts will soon descend upon the mortal realm. The survival of humanity may hang in the balance of a single moment.”
“Furthermore, the Pope has ordered that at least one apprentice Saintess must be eliminated to speed up the selection process. I hope everyone can understand.”
As the Principal spoke, he gave a wry smile. “If you can convince the other six to withdraw voluntarily, I wouldn't mind either.”
Everyone's sharp gazes shifted to the young girl.
No one wanted the Saintess from their own society to be eliminated.
Velrose's eyelashes and throat trembled slightly, as if she were forcing herself to calm her emotions.
“She is a demon, Principal. It's useless to say all this to her,” the Starcinder president continued to mock.
Tina looked in Velrose's direction.
She did not struggle, looking entirely resigned to her fate.
She was not glamorous at all beneath the surface. Being kicked, punched, and mercilessly insulted and beaten by many within the Starcinder society had long since stripped her of any will to resist.
It was only because she had been told, “Your mother is still alive.”
Six months later, having endured too much humiliation, Velrose finally snapped.
She risked everything to find her mother, only to receive the news that she had died in prison long ago.
Subsequently, the Flame Magical Beast was born.
This meeting was originally supposed to be unremarkable, but now that history had changed, it was enough to become the trigger for Velrose's descent into darkness.
Silence spread through the crowd like a virus, as if everyone were communicating solely with their eyes in a silent film.
Just then, a voice broke the silence.
“Does no one think the Leaflight society is going too far?”
The speaker was the Saintess of the Nightingale society.
Her short blue hair made her stand out in the crowd, immediately drawing Tina's attention to this aggressive girl.
Tina remembered her. Although they had rarely met, she knew her title, the “Goddess of Winter.”
Krulu Sarather.
Her entire family ran the society, which made her position in the Holy Academy deeply entrenched. The talent in the Sarather bloodline and their abundant study resources had created a perfect existence.
After Velrose escaped from the Starcinder faction, it was she who had sought protection and assistance for her.
She had heard that the two had long shared a connection, and she had expected her to stand up for Velrose in her time of need, but Tina hadn't expected her to step forward so quickly.
Krulu's words made her intentions clear; she wanted Tina to withdraw so that the superior Velrose could take her place.
“Why does one society have two spots? Sathya is outstanding, I'll admit that, but Tina is unworthy! Has the Saintess Selection degenerated to such a level?”
【Sathya's Obsession: 504】
“My suggestion is to initiate a knight's duel. I know this is somewhat abrupt, but the Saintess Selection needs to be faster and more precise. Principal, please grant your approval!” Krulu looked at the Principal, stepping forward to shout righteously, “Velrose is superior to most of the people sitting here. She is worthy of the Tower of Stars!”
At the same time, the senior of the Leaflight society, Lavertis, also stood up and reprimanded, “Krulu, as the Nightingale Saintess, you of all people should respect the decision of the Astral Sage!”
“Sathya is indeed a genius, but Tina is not. The Astral Sage must have some personal bias as well,” the Starcinder president chimed in to stoke the flames. After all, he didn't actually want his own Saintess to be eliminated, so he immediately took a jab at Leaflight.
“That girl named Tina has absolutely no right to be a Saintess.”
But his words quickly resonated with many of those present.
“It seems even the Astral Sage can make a misjudgment.”
“I heard she's a wild child from an orphanage...”
“This concerns the future of all humanity. Principal, please treat this with the utmost seriousness.”
The presidents cast contemptuous glances in their direction one after another. Although they did not directly speak of Tina's and Sathya's results, the implication was clearly targeted at them.
The other Saintesses present said nothing; they merely observed the situation in silence.
Suddenly, Sathya shielded Tina behind her.
“Try saying another word.”
Sathya swept a contemptuous gaze over everyone except Tina.
The moment she spoke, the entire hall fell silent.
They all stared at Sathya, completely unable to comprehend her motive for saying such things.
“You are nothing but a bunch of trash, yet you dare to gossip about Tina? She is far superior to all of you. If I were the Saintess, the first thing I would do is execute every single one of you.”
The smile vanished from the Principal's face. He stared intently at Sathya while calling over his assistant, an elderly butler, to whisper something, which brought a displeased expression to his face.
“Miss Sathya, as the Principal, I cannot ignore your words.”
“Is that so? Then let us go by the rules of the Holy Academy. Any apprentice Saintess can challenge me at any time, but the price is to wager their own life.”
“...” The Principal was speechless, and the hall fell into a freezing silence once more.
No one dared to say anything more.
It was a well-known fact that Sathya was the most outstanding among the apprentice Saintesses.
Tina was also somewhat at a loss.
She prided herself on being a rational person; since transmigrating into this world, she had rarely made any mistakes so far.
Though she couldn't say everything had been smooth sailing, she had always been able to find a way to deal with the crises before her.
But now, she didn't know how to respond.
She could only remain silent.
This... is fine...
The meeting had descended into unexpected chaos. Just when everyone thought that Sathya and the others would be reprimanded by the Principal, what happened next caught everyone completely off guard.
Velrose, who had been completely silent until now, suddenly raised her head and looked at Sathya with tear-filled eyes.
“Apprentice Saintess Sathya, is that what you truly think?”
“What?”
“I know you are actually a terrible person! Tina is a kind girl, so please leave her alone.”
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