As the young man’s grip tightened around his neck, and the cold, inevitable presence of death loomed over him, Luke’s heart raced wildly.
Panic gripped him, flooding his mind with desperate thoughts.
‘No! No! No! No!’
‘I don’t want to die!’
Despite his frantic struggles, his strength was utterly useless against the vice-like hold of the young man in front of him.
Under those cold, piercing blue eyes, Luke felt like nothing more than an insignificant insect -something that could be crushed without a second thought.
In Riley’s gaze, Luke saw himself reflected, and what he saw sent a wave of terror through him: the bloodied, pale face of a man desperately trying to escape the inevitability of his own doom, a man who had been reduced to a pitiful state of fear and disgust.
‘How could this happen?’
‘How did I lose?’
‘Me, a prodigy?’
“The most handsome man in the world-defeated by a mere student?
His mind spiraled into chaos, unable to comprehend the reality of his situation.
The idea that he, a man who prided himself on his brilliance and superiority, could be overpowered by someone he considered beneath him was inconceivable.
His thoughts scrambled, searching desperately for any reason, any explanation that could make sense of the nightmare unfolding before him.
But no matter how hard his brain tried to shut down, to let him escape into unconsciousness, it was impossible.
Riley’s mana pulsed directly through Luke’s neck and into his brain, forcing him to remain conscious, to experience every excruciating second of his own downfall.
The sheer terror of it all, the utter helplessness, only heightened his panic. He couldn’t faint, couldn’t escape.
All he could do was face the reality that his life was in the hands of the very student he had underestimated and tried to overpower.
Luke’s mind, once sharp and calculating, was now consumed by raw, animalistic fear. He couldn’t rationalize it, couldn’t accept it.
All he could do was thrash against the inevitable, his thoughts a whirlwind of denial and dread.
And through it all, the unrelenting pressure of Riley’s grip and the cold indifference in his eyes only drove home one terrifying truth: Luke was utterly at his mercy, and mercy seemed to be the last thing on Riley’s mind.
“This level of mana control…’
‘It’s not something students should be capable of… This is strange…’
Luke’s thoughts raced as he tried to make sense of what he was witnessing.
The way Riley manipulated mana was beyond anything a student from the knight department should have been able to do.
It wasn’t just skilled; it was almost instinctual, as if mana manipulation was a second nature to him—a level of control that spoke of years of experience, not the training of a mere student.
Even though Luke wasn’t officially a professor at the academy during the time of Riley’s admission, he had heard the rumors.
Whispers among the students and faculty had given Riley various monikers-“The Hidden Master,” “The Executioner,” “The Lost Prince,” “The Golden Law,” and more
These were names that hinted at a deeper, more mysterious power.
Luke had initially dismissed these rumors as nothing more than exaggerated tales.
After all, in his initial assessments, Riley was strong, but not exceptional. Certainly not on the level of someone like Seo, who was widely recognized as a prodigy.
Riley was supposed to be nowhere near her in terms of skill, and certainly not a match for Luke himself.
But now, staring into Riley’s cold, unyielding eyes, Luke’s entire perception shifted. His body, which had been screaming in pain just moments before, now shuddered in fear.
The warm, tingling pain in his heart and lungs-pain that should have consumed him- seemed to vanish, replaced by a suffocating silence.
The world around him felt eerily still, as if everything had paused to witness this moment. And in that silence, Luke felt a primal terror rise within him, his instincts screaming at him to run, to get as far away as possible.
The sheer intensity of Riley’s mana control, the way he wielded it as if it was an extension of his very being, made all those rumors seem frighteningly plausible.
The boy who Luke had dismissed as nothing special was now a figure of undeniable power, someone who could make even a seasoned warrior like him tremble in fear.
It was a realization that came too late, a horrifying acknowledgment that he had severely underestimated the one person he should have been most wary of.
Seo, Lucas and all the other students paled in comparison to him now.
‘This bastard is a monster!!!’
As Luke’s mind scrambled to make sense of it all, he found himself momentarily forgetting the agony he had been in.
All that remained was the overpowering urge to escape, to flee from the cold, relentless gaze of the young man who stood before him.
A student, yes-but one who held within him a force that defied everything Luke thought he
knew.
And as that realization set in, Luke understood with chilling clarity: he was in the presence of someone far more dangerous than he had ever imagined.
‘I’m really going to die…’
The thought echoed in Luke’s mind as he felt the cold grip of death closing in on him.
His vision dimmed, the world around him fading to black as he prepared to take his final
breath.
But just as darkness threatened to consume him entirely, a sudden release of pressure allowed light to flood back into his world.
Riley’s hand, which had been strangling the life out of him, suddenly let go.
Luke collapsed to the ground, gasping for air, coughing violently as his body desperately
clung to life.
His mind, teetering on the edge of insanity, slowly began to regain some semblance of clarity.
‘I’m still alive?’
In his dazed state, Luke grasped for any explanation, any reason why he had been spared.
And then it came to him- ‘the goddess’s blessing?’
Of course!
His beauty, his charm, his very existence was a gift from the goddess herself.
“That must be it!’
She was watching over him, altering fate in his favor, giving him another chance at life.
Yes, he convinced himself, into thinking that he can still live… after all there was no other conclusion other than that.
Just as he started to cling to this newfound hope, a voice cut through the tension in the room,
bringing everything to a standstill.
“What’s going on here?”
The words were like a beacon of salvation. Luke’s heart raced in anticipation as he crawled away from Riley, his eyes frantically searching for the source of the voice.
And then he saw her-Princess Snow, with her pure white hair and sapphire eyes, standing at
the entrance.
Her beauty was beyond anything he had ever seen, an ethereal presence that seemed to
outshine the very light of the room.
‘An angel…’ he thought, his heart swelling with awe and relief.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he gazed at her, convinced that she was a divine messenger, sent
by the goddess to save him.
‘Oh goddess, you’ve even descended one of your doves for me!’
The sight of Princess Snow was like a balm to his frayed nerves, a miracle that rekindled his hope. In that moment, all the terror, all the despair, melted away.
This was his chance-his one shot at salvation. He wouldn’t let it slip through his fingers.
With a desperate cry, he reached out to her, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and hope.
“Y-Your Highness, p-please save me!!!”
This light, this hope-Luke was ready to seize it with all his might, convinced that it was the goddess’s wish for him to survive.
As he reached out toward Princess Snow, tears welled up in his eyes, the most genuine display of desperation he could muster.
This was his salvation, his second chance, and he would do anything to grasp it.
But before his hand could touch even the hem of her garment, a silvery blur streaked through
the air, brightening his vision for the briefest of moments.
Then came the pain-searing, unbearable pain. A gush of warm red splattered across his face,
and in that instant, his hand was no more.
“AGHHH!!!!”
Luke screamed in terror, the agony overwhelming his senses.
He looked down in horror at the stump where his hand had been, blood pouring from the fresh
wound.
Soft footsteps echoed beside him, pulling his attention away from his dismembered hand.
A maid, her expression cold and disdainful, stood over him.
There was no compassion in her gaze, only contempt.
“Don’t point your filthy hands towards Her Highness,” the maid said icily, her voice cutting
through the air like a blade. “Scum.”
Luke barely had time to register the words before his body began to stiffen, a cold numbness spreading rapidly from his feet upward.
Ice formed around him, encasing his limbs, his torso, until he was completely immobilized.
He could only stare in horror as the frost crept up his neck, inching closer to his face.
“Luke Walker… I shall have your family’s name ripped from the Empire’s records,” came Princess Snow’s voice, cold and unyielding.
Her words pierced through the haze of pain and fear, and as the ice finally covered his eyes, the last thing Luke saw was the princess’s frosted gaze, filled with nothing but utter disgust. He had thought she was his savior, his angel sent by the goddess to rescue him.
But in her eyes, he was nothing more than a disappointment, a blemish to be erased.
The realization hit him like a final, crushing blow, and then there was only darkness, cold and
absolute.
…
Assessing the absurd situation in front of her wasn’t all that hard for Snow.
Even before she entered the room, she found it suspicious why Riley’s mana had suddenly
spiked in the first place.
Although it made locating him easier, it also triggered a slight worry within her.
After all, there were only two people she knew who could provoke that cold side of Riley:
General Auvin and Lucas.
As she stepped into the room, the scene before her confirmed her worst fears. The professor
was sprawled on the floor, his upper dress and uniform ripped, collar slightly open, and
necktie loosened.
His face was contorted in pain and desperation, while Riley stood over him with a cold, unwavering gaze filled with pure, unadulterated disgust and hatred.
Nearby, Janica was trembling, her face a mixture of fear, confusion, and something else Snow
couldn’t quite place.
It only took Snow five seconds to piece together what had happened.
A torn up upper uniform…. A loosened Colar and tie, the genuine cries of fear from Janica and
lastly the cold bloody gaze of her beloved.
The professor was clearly in the wrong, and from the looks of it, had done something so
outrageous that it guaranteed not just his death but the annihilation of his entire bloodline. The fact that he had the audacity to lay a hand on a student of the academy-a citizen and
noble of the Germonia Empire, no less-was an offense punishable by the highest degree. Without a moment’s hesitation, Snow’s expression hardened as she decided to take action.
Raising her hand, she effortlessly summoned her ice magic, encasing Luke in a layer of thick frost that immobilized him completely.
She had heard rumors that he was a capable aura master, someone who could wield aura
blades with considerable skill.
But seeing him now, groveling on the floor and reduced to this pathetic state in front of Riley,
he seemed nothing more than a slightly better knight-one who had clearly bitten off more than he could chew.
As the frost spread over Luke’s body, Snow couldn’t help but feel a wave of disgust wash over
her.
“Luke Walker… I shall have your family’s name ripped from the Empire’s records” This man, who dared to tarnish the sanctity of the academy and the honor of the Germonia
Empire, deserved nothing less than the punishment he was about to receive. Finally, as Snow allowed herself to calm down, she shifted her gaze toward Riley. She had
initially come here driven by the complexity of her beating heart, hoping to confront her feelings for him.
But now, with the unexpected turn of events, she found herself grateful that she could intervene and prevent further bloodshed.
Despite this, she couldn’t shake the mixed emotions swirling within her.
Snow had intended to make her feelings clear to Riley today, to finally express what had been
weighing on her heart.
But as she looked around the room, the chaotic aftermath of the confrontation between Riley
and the professor, she realized that today wouldn’t be the day.
The tension in the air, the lingering fear etched on Janica’s face, and the cold, calculating
demeanor Riley had exhibited moments ago all served as stark reminders that there were more pressing matters at hand.
Riley, seemingly oblivious to the turmoil in Snow’s heart, quietly took off his cloak and
blazer.
He draped them over Janica, who was still trembling beside him, her fear palpable in the way
she clutched the fabric.
His voice, though calm, carried a weight that Snow couldn’t ignore as he spoke, “Snow… can you help her?”
For a brief moment, Snow found herself captivated by the sight of Riley.
It had been a while since she had seen him up close like this, and despite everything that had
just transpired, her heart skipped a beat.
His concern for Janica, his composed demeanor even after such a harrowing encounter-it all reminded her of the reasons why her feelings for him had grown so complicated.
But this wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
Snow sighed, feeling a pang of frustration at the conflicting emotions within her.
The situation demanded her attention, and she knew she had to push aside her personal feelings for now.
Stepping forward, she knelt beside Janica, her expression softening as she reached out to offer
comfort.
“It’s alright, Miss Janica,” Snow said gently, her voice soothing as she placed a reassuring hand on the girl’s shoulder. “You’re safe now. We’ll take care of everything.”
As she tended to Janica, Snow couldn’t help but glance back at Riley, who stood nearby, his
gaze fixed on the scene before him.
The more she looked at him, the more she realized that her feelings wouldn’t be easily
dismissed.
But for now, she would have to put them aside and focus on helping Janica recover from the
ordeal she had just endured.
Snow exhaled another sigh, this time more resigned than before.
The shitty feeling gnawing at her wouldn’t go away, but she would deal with it later.