At the same time, at Star Rain Academy.
Xia Jin's projection, Su Li, had already been here for quite a few days now.
Linya, who had been staying with the Queen, felt as if she were immersed in an inexplicable sense of happiness every day. Sometimes, even just sitting behind her and silently watching her back would put her in an exceptionally good mood.
“Linya, you're acting strange. You spend all day staring at your roommate.”
A girl sitting nearby couldn't take it anymore and made a remark.
Linya snapped out of it, gave a dry cough, and said guiltily, “No, of course not. Why would I?”
“I don't believe you. Even a fool could read that look on your face.”
The girl furrowed her brows, her suspicion growing the more she looked.
Could my desk-mate's orientation be... problematic?
Her face flushed under the scrutiny, and the guilty Linya could only lower her head, not daring to meet her gaze.
“It really is like that! You're definitely acting strange. Although Su Li is indeed so alluring it's hard to look away... Bah, I mean, even though Su Li is very pretty, you're both girls!”
“Stop overthinking things.”
Linya had no way to defend herself, so she could only give her an annoyed glare.
A few minutes later, class ended.
The students in the classroom began to filter out in small groups.
Linya immediately followed in Su Li's footsteps.
“As I thought...”
Her desk-mate became even more convinced of her theory.
“The two of them share a dormitory at night. Little Su Li is in real danger. That damn Linya... she wouldn't actually do something to her, would she?”
A scene automatically played out in her mind.
In the dead of night, Linya's eyes glowed crimson as she raised her wicked claws, wearing a bizarre smile as she crept closer and closer to the sleeping, delicate girl.
Startled by the commotion, the girl suddenly woke up.
Then, the terrifying Linya pounced, and amidst screams and tears, the horrible thing happened.
“Hiss—”
The girl sucked in a sharp breath on the spot.
“No, this absolutely cannot happen. Although Su Li is irresistibly alluring—bah, I mean, although she's very pretty—she absolutely cannot be corrupted by this girl Linya.”
Even though that girl had shown impressive strength during the battle against the mechanical zergling not long ago...
But...
Su Li really looked far too fragile.
A girl who looked so delicate, quiet, and kind-hearted seemed like an easy target for bullying no matter how you looked at it.
Who knew? One night, she might end up weeping silently under the oppressive weight of the wicked Linya.
Watching the two girls leave, she immediately followed them cautiously.
...
Outside the teaching building.
“Have you heard? There's a massive army gathering outside the city. Word is something very troublesome happened in the north, and the capital is mobilizing troops to head up there and take control. Legions from all over are already on the move.”
“No way, we're going to war? Isn't the north just a bunch of lords? Did they get attacked by magic beasts?”
“Supposedly, yeah. The magic class has already started special lessons specifically to find the weaknesses of those magic beasts.”
Similar conversations drifted from the students' mouths and reached Su Li's ears.
“Your Majesty, would you like to go out and take a look?”
Realizing the importance of this matter, Linya immediately asked through their mental link.
“Let's go.”
The two of them soon arrived at the school gate.
After walking a short distance, they arrived at a main street.
Sure enough, a disciplined column of heavy infantry marched past, shields and longswords held high.
Their heavy footsteps were clear and powerful, the faint clinking of metal echoing. Without a doubt, these were the true elites of the kingdom's official forces.
Unlike the so-called elites in the hands of the lords, the regular legions of the kingdom's army were selected from across its entire territory, and their overall quality was a level higher.
If I remember correctly, this is the 7th Legion.
They were a standard main force, not the Imperial Guard, nor one of the three most elite units.
Their overall composition likely included a large number of Tier 3 to Tier 6 soldiers, along with some Tier 7 sergeants.
The personal strength of a legion commander was generally Tier 8, though a few might be Tier 7 experts.
It was as if all the capable talents within the kingdom's borders had been absorbed into these ranks.
“The fighting probably won't start immediately. The kingdom doesn't have a complete grasp of the situation in the north yet. They've likely only mobilized a few main force legions for now, so we still have time.”
“Yes.” Hearing Xia Jin's words, Linya immediately nodded.
“There's no rush to start a war. In the meantime, send tens of thousands of our main force to unify the underground world.”
I should see if those magic monsters have a third or fourth princess or something, Xia Jin thought to herself.
Linya immediately looked up warily at the Queen beside her.
Since the matters regarding the Eldest Princess and the Second Princess hadn't been intentionally hidden from her subordinates, Linya was well aware of them.
At this moment, she suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of dread.
As a beautiful blue-haired girl and a genius mage, she realized that she didn't seem to be as attractive as those few magic monsters... at least, not to the Queen.
The 7th Legion soon marched out of sight.
She wasn't actually sure exactly how many legions the kingdom possessed.
Regardless, there were probably two to three hundred thousand in the reserve army, but those troops weren't strong. Most were soldiers who hadn't fully matured yet and were generally used for secondary security duties.
As for the frontline units, there were at least thirty legions.
Among these thirty legions, three were the most elite; one was stationed in the south, and the other two were in the capital region.
Their commanders were all standard Tier 9 experts, the top-tier powerhouses within the kingdom.
As for the realm above Tier 9, known as the Saint Tier, no such heaven-defying talent had ever appeared in the kingdom.
Rate on N.U.
