Hong Bi-Yeon and her group ventured deeper into the forest. They had achieved considerable progress by hunting wild animals and encountering familiars.

"I, I succeeded in the contract!"

Several faction members successfully formed contracts with Grade 6 familiars.

Hong Bi-Yeon quietly praised them while witnessing the students running wild with excitement and crying tears of joy.

Amidst all that, she subtly noticed someone’s presence.

It was Arshuang.

It was undoubtedly a joyful occasion when a faction member formed a contract, and it was only natural for her to offer congratulations.

However, due to Arshuang's excessively low affinity with familiars, even expressing joy somehow felt like a crime.

As time passed, the number of students forming contracts gradually increased, and before they knew it, Arshuang and Hong Bi-Yeon were the only ones left without contracts.

Amidst the storm of overwhelming emotions, Arshuang was struggling.

‘Why only me?’

She couldn't understand.

‘I worked so hard, didn't I?’

Why did the familiars prefer those useless individuals who didn't even make an effort?

‘Is it my fate to never succeed?’

She felt rejected by the world.

‘I'm always unlucky.’

Just before her emotions completely submerged into darkness...

"Princess! It's the Crimson Mane Eagle!"

"That's... a Grade 5 familiar, right?"

"Even a Grade 5 familiar is captivated by the princess."

Finally, a spark ignited in the gunpowder.

Wasn't a Grade 5 familiar known for its difficulty in forming contracts, but even it approached her willingly?

But...

"I will decline."

Hong Bi-Yeon pushed away even the Grade 5 familiar as if she didn't find it appealing.

The students exclaimed in astonishment. They were almost on the verge of tears.

"P-Princess! It's a Grade 5 familiar! In the history of Stella, there have hardly been any students who formed contracts with Grade 5 familiar in their first year!"

"That's right! If we miss this opportunity, there might not be another chance!"

Despite their opposition, Hong Bi-Yeon’s determination remained firm.

"No. I will find the familiar I desire."

Arshuang burst into laughter. While some were disliked even by Grade 7 familiar, others were considering choosing and contracting with Grade 5 familiar according to their taste.

It felt bitter.

Jealousy overwhelmed her like a tide.

Until now... she had been suppressing it.

Always, always, it had been like this.

No matter what she did, it seemed as if someone above was mocking her.

Magic, grades, appearance, status, even familiar.

‘Are you suppressing me... just to feel superior?’

Otherwise, her actions couldn't be explained.

Why did she always follow and surpass her in everything she did?

It wasn't like that before.

Even when using magic, she didn't care about control and focused only on explosively unleashing firepower.

’But, why did she start caring about such things after enrolling in Stella? Just contract with any familiar, right?’

‘Ah.’

‘But why is she rejecting me? Is she trying to ridicule someone who can’t do the same?’

"I, I..."

Arshuang lifted her head.

Hong Bi-Yeon couldn't hold back and was already engaging in communication with another familiar.

"Let's go somewhere else."

Once again, it was a rejection.

Thud!

That was the end of it.

With a sensation as if all reason had been severed, finally... a sense of inferiority unleashed itself.

‘... Don't mock me!!’

Crash!

Crimson flames scattered in all directions, sweeping away everything in the vicinity. The forest caught fire, the ground caved in, and the flames spread to all the trees, including the tents.

"Don't... mock me..."

Arshuang took a deep breath, stood up, and glared at Hong Bi-Yeon with eyes filled with hatred.

While the students retreated in horror, Hong Bi-Yeon remained calm in her place. She raised her pure white hand and gracefully brushed away the crimson flames clinging to her shimmering silver hair, as if dusting it off.

Arshuang gritted her teeth and spat out words, one by one. They were aimed at Hong Bi-Yeon.

"Now... Do you think you've won everything?"

"W-What...?"

"Arshuang! Why, why are you like this?"

Something was off about her condition. The students quickly realized that fact.

Arshuang's eyes started burning with red. In the next moment, eerie sounds could be heard as her body underwent a strange transformation.

Above all, the dark energy emanating from her body was the most decisive evidence.

The students stumbled backward while muttering.

"That's... a sign of Dark Magic Corruption..."

"To Arshuang? That can't be true..."

"W-What should we do...!"

However, even as they all retreated, Hong Bi-Yeon stood her ground and spoke firmly.

"Arshuang, don't do something you'll regret."

"Hah! Regret? You still think you can suppress me with your status in this situation. Right. Since you were born as the Princess of Adolveit and blessed with the Flame's affection, it's only natural for you to stand above others."

Kwuduck, kwuduck!

Her arms inflated like balloons, repeatedly swelling and deflating, and flames caught onto her hair.

"It must be nice. I envy you. Being able to solve everything with a natural talent. Do you know how it feels? I... I worked hard too. I really shed tears of blood, but still, because of the difference in talent, I couldn't overcome this wretched wall of reality! Have you ever felt it?"

At her emotional outcry, the whole area fell silent.

Arshuang engraved crimson magic circles on both hands. Sinister crimson flames spread above them.

The flames were truly eerie and ominous, and just imagining getting closer to them was dreadful.

However...

Even at that moment, Hong Bi-Yeon had a contemptuous expression.

"Dark Magic Corruption, huh..."

No need to panic.

The textbook clearly contained information about mages who were engulfed by Dark Magic Corruption after sparks flew into the "Seeds of Darkness."

She tended to focus on textbook studies, and once she learned something, she never forgot it.

Here, if she followed the manual, overpowering Arshuang with overwhelming firepower would be the priority.

But Hong Bi-Yeon possessed additional knowledge.

‘During the early stages of Dark Magic Corruption, rational dialogue is possible. And Dark Magic Corruption is fueled by emotions.’

If it were her six months ago, even knowing those facts, she would have launched flames at Arshuang without a second thought.

Because that was what the manual instructed.

Because that was what the senior mages recorded in the textbook.

They said that resolving emotions through conversation was impossible. The words of senior mages were the most reliable method.

However, she didn't follow that.

If Dark Magic Corruption was fueled by emotions and conversation was possible, perhaps... emotions could be suppressed through dialogue?

Hong Bi-Yeon herself didn't realize it, but this was a tremendous development.

She, who always acted according to what she learned, something that was predetermined, and according to what she was told, now sought a different way of thinking.

She knew.

She knew where this change originated.

She wanted to be like that boy, and so, even in this dangerous situation, instead of igniting flames, she took a step closer to Arshuang.

Conversation?

Yes, of course, she intended to have a conversation.

However, convincing the other party with a gentle tone was not in Hong Bi-Yeon’s nature.

But, she might be able to tear apart the other person's ‘emotions’ to prevent her from feeling ‘jealousy’ again.

"You spoke well, Arshuang."

"... What?"

Seeing Hong Bi-Yeon’s unexpected response, Arshuang hesitated for a moment.

"Do you know what it means to live as the Princess of Adolveit?"

Unprepared to receive a question in return, Arshuang could only respond with confusion.

"If the Princess of Adolveit doesn't become the queen, she dies. To survive, I have to kill my sister. I realized this reality when I was just seven years old. The reality of having to kill my siblings to stay alive. It's something I realized at such a young age."

"That... your story? I've heard it before. You had a childhood where you were loved and cherished by everyone. I was truly envious."

Hong Bi-Yeon chuckled bitterly, finding it amusing that she was bringing up such a topic.

"I was never loved or cherished by anyone. Not even by my own mother.”

There was no emotion in Hong Bi-Yeon’s words. Even Arshuang's heart, which had been consumed by Dark Magic Corruption, grew cold.

"Do you know what I think when I wake up in the morning? Ah, I'm still alive. It's such a luxury. So, I should live diligently. I might die tomorrow."

"Are you truly envious of this kind of life?"

‘I didn't know. How could I possibly know? The details of a royal life…’

"But still, because they're royals..."

"And you mentioned talent earlier?"

Hong Bi-Yeon’s words were empty as if she was speaking on behalf of someone else.

"Since I was a child, I showered with fire instead of water."

"... What, what are you saying?"

"I swallowed fire instead of food and drank fire instead of water."

Hong Bi-Yeon’s red eyes pierced through Arshuang's entire being. It was too burdensome and difficult for her to endure that gaze, but she couldn't even bring herself to look away.

"Have you ever looked in the mirror and screamed in horror when your entire skin was charred black, melting more grotesquely than a monster?"

‘I didn’t know.’

Who could possibly say they have experienced such agony while training in the Flame Magic?

"Have you experienced the itchiness of your skin being blistered, but scratching only causes your skin to peel and bleed, so you can't alleviate the pain?"

Arshuang hesitated and took a step back, but Hong Bi-Yeon approached her.

"I feel like I'm dying of thirst, but the moment I swallow fire and drink it like water, it's an excruciating sequence of pain that feels like I'm being torn apart. Have you ever experienced that?"

Arshuang's fingertips were trembling.

"Due to swallowing fire, I still can't taste anything properly. My taste buds have been burned."

‘It's a lie, it must be a lie. Such a thing couldn't possibly be real.’

"Even now, whenever I use magic, I'm filled with overwhelming fear, constant nightmares, and the desire to collapse. I'm still afraid of fire."

That... would have left a trauma that a young girl could never forget.

‘Until now, I didn't know. I thought I could use magic just like everyone else, without a care.’

‘It’s Hong Bi-Yeon, known as the embodiment of fire. Born with the Blessing of Fire, loved by flames.’

‘That's the Hong Bi-Yeon they speak of. But in reality, she... had pyrophobia.’

"N-No, it's a lie..."

Arshuang shook her head and screamed in disbelief.

"Of course it's a lie! Who would believe such a thing? It's impossible for someone to survive by doing that!"

They die.

Even if they didn't die from being burned by fire, they would have taken their own life being unable to endure the pain.

So, those words were lies.

Hong Bi-Yeon didn't retort to Arshuang's words. She simply showed it through her actions.

Fwoosh!

She lit a small flame on her index finger and lifted her chin slightly, opening her mouth and sticking out her red tongue.

And... sizzle!

She pressed her burning index finger against her own tongue.

"Wh-What are you doing!"

When the sound of sizzling flesh reached Arshuang's ears, she screamed in horror.

Quickly closing her mouth, Hong Bi-Yeon extinguished the flame and then opened her mouth again, sticking out her tongue.

There was no trace of injury by the flames.

"H-How...?"

It was an unbelievable sight.

Even the most skilled lightning mage could be electrocuted by their own electricity; a water mage could drown in their own water, and it was natural for a fire mage to be burned by their own flames.

"S-So, this is still considered a blessing..."

"A blessing? Does it still look like a blessing to you?"

Arshuang bit her lip. It was foolish to say it out loud. Even if it was a blessing, how could something like that be possible?

There was only one possibility. Since a very young age, she had undergone intense training to increase her 'affinity for elements.'

And... Hong Bi-Yeon had experienced that training to the limit of human endurance.

‘That's why. That's why she was loved by the fire attribute familiars.’

‘That's why she was exceptionally skilled in fire magic.’

‘All of it is because of that past.’

Slumping down, Arshuang eventually sat on the ground, looking up at Hong Bi-Yeon with blurred eyes filled with tears.

Jealousy?

Inferiority?

All those emotions had long since disappeared.

Even though she hadn't gone to such extremes, it was audacious of her to envy and feel jealous without even acknowledging others' efforts, considering only her own efforts.

Only a sense of self-loathing swirled in her heart.

"So... If you haven’t gone to such lengths, don't use the word 'effort' on me so lightly."

Thud! Thud!

Tears started to trickle down from Arshuang's eyes.

Hong Bi-Yeon silently watched her.

"Oh, Princess... I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

As her distorted eyes and body returned to their original state, the dark aura slowly diminished.

Arshuang was now kneeling, and the students approached cautiously, sensing the atmosphere.

Until then, Hong Bi-Yeon hadn't said a word.

There was no intention to forgive her easily. However, Arshuang was still a talented individual.

At that moment, she was driven by negative emotions due to the corruption by the dark magic, but... that was all because of the detestable dark magic.

Arshuang was not at fault.

That was why she planned to owe this incident to her.

The sense of guilt and self-condemnation would become the driving force that would make her blindly loyal.

"Bring the Care Blanket."

At Hong Bi-Yeon’s command, the members of the faction busily rummaged through their belongings and took out a blanket.

It was a high-priced magical item that provided slow physical healing and psychological stability.

As Hong Bi-Yeon personally covered Arshuang's body with it, she opened her eyes wide and her pupils shook.

"Since the corruption hasn't been completely purified, take some time to stabilize."

"Yes...? Th-then, the punishment..."

Hong Bi-Yeon glanced briefly at Arshuang and spoke indifferently.

"I didn't have any intention to punish you... but if you want, I can do it anytime."

"Oh, no! I'm sorry..."

"You have a lot to be sorry about."

As if the recent incident was nothing, Arshuang bowed her head while looking at Hong Bi-Yeon, who turned around with an indifferent attitude.

'What have I done to someone like her...'

The students quietly approached and supported Arshuang.

"Are you okay?"

"Y-yes..."

"Go over there and rest."

Perhaps because she had ignited energy that wasn't her own, Arshuang's legs were weak, but she forced herself to stand up.

As she slowly walked away...

Somewhere...

Familiar yet chilling, sharp, and ominous energy could be felt.

"This, this is...!"

Without even looking back, Arshuang pushed away the students' arms and rushed towards Hong Bi-Yeon, throwing the blanket aside.

"P-Princess! Get away!"

"... What?"

Just as Hong Bi-Yeon turned around with a puzzled expression, Arshuang pushed her and knocked her down.

Crash!!

The Barrier on the fourth layer, which was nearby, shattered into pieces.