In the exam hall, the young dragons were engrossed in answering their questions—all except for Sherry, who had just moments ago accused Hefei and Muse of cheating.
Sherry frowned, chewing nervously on the end of her pencil. The exam questions might as well have been written in a foreign language for all the sense they made to her.
"Are these kinds of questions really meant for kids?" she muttered under her breath. "Dragon children must be insane."
But complaining wouldn't solve her problem. Sherry had to pass this exam. The consequences of failure were unthinkable.
Shaking her head, she forced herself to focus, trying to analyze each question logically and deduce the answers.
Yet the dragon magic system was notoriously complex, impossible to master in a short time. No matter how hard she concentrated, the concepts remained an impenetrable mystery.
Just then, a rapid scratching sound caught her ear.
Turning her head, Sherry saw Muse—her vibrant red pupils gleaming with concentration—scribbling answers at an astonishing speed. To Muse, the questions seemed as simple as basic arithmetic.
Sherry felt a cold sweat.
Why are all of Leon's daughters so troublesome?
Leaning closer, Sherry tried to get Muse's attention. Mimicking the playful "secret signal" she had overheard between Hefei and Muse, she whispered softly, "Doot doot doot doot~"
Muse's pen halted. She turned her small head and saw it was Sherry—the very classmate who had just accused them of cheating.
Muse's expression instantly cooled. "Hey, classmate, helping you is against the rules. I don't want to get reported for cheating."
Sherry: ...
The boomerang of her own accusation had returned swiftly.
Frustration welled up in Sherry. She regretted her earlier impulsiveness. In her zeal to complete the task assigned by the lady, she had burned her bridges without a backup plan.
But this was no time for regrets—she needed a solution. Two consecutive failures, and the adults would discard her without a second thought.
"I just... misunderstood the situation earlier," Sherry tried again, softening her voice into a plea. "Muse, you seem like a kind person. You wouldn't just leave me helpless, would you?"
Muse blinked her large, innocent-looking eyes. "If you can't solve the question, will you die?"
"..."
Sherry sighed in exasperation. "That's not what I meant. It's just a figure of speech."
"Oh, so you're smart enough to understand figurative language," Muse replied with a sly smile. "If you're that clever, then you certainly don't need to look at my answers."
"Hey, you—!"
Sherry nearly choked on her indignation. How can such an adorable little dragon be so sharp-tongued?
Seeing that emotional manipulation wasn't working, Sherry decided to try bribery.
"Muse, if you let me see your answers, I'll buy you all the delicious snacks you want later," she offered with a coaxing smile.
But Muse merely tilted her head, utterly unimpressed. "I don't care about snacks."
Sherry: ...
Dragon kids are the worst!
"Please, Muse, just let me take a quick peek, okay?" Sherry begged, her desperation growing.
"Nope~" Muse replied cheerfully, turning back to her paper.
Realizing she was getting nowhere with Muse, Sherry shifted her focus to Hefei.
"Hefei~ Hefei~" she whispered across the aisle.
Hefei stopped writing and turned a cold gaze toward Sherry. "What do you want?" Her tone was icy, clearly still annoyed by the false accusation.
"I want to see your test paper. I know your father; he's the Crimson Flame Dragon King. That makes us practically friends, doesn't it?"
"If we're friends, why did you report me for cheating?"
"Well, that was... a misunderstanding..." Sherry stammered, searching for an excuse.
"Besides," Hefei cut her off, "many dragons know my father. That doesn't make you my friend."
With that final dismissal, Hefei turned back to her test.
Desperation mounting, Sherry refused to give up. She scribbled a quick note on a scrap of paper, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it onto Hefei's desk.
Hefei blinked, glanced at Sherry, then slowly unfolded the paper.
After reading its contents, Hefei's face twisted into an expression of pure disdain.
"Perfect! My heartfelt plea has finally moved her!" Sherry thought, a spark of triumph igniting within her. "Children are so easy to manipulate. A few sweet words and they fold!"
But just as Sherry was basking in her anticipated victory, Hefei raised her hand and called out clearly, "Teacher! Sherry is cheating!"
Sherry: ???
The invigilator was at their row in an instant, his face stern. "What is the meaning of this?"
"Teacher, I'm not cheating!" Sherry protested weakly.
"I have evidence," Hefei stated calmly, handing over the crumpled note.
The invigilator scanned the note, his expression shifting to something unreadable. He pocketed the paper, glanced at Sherry's nearly blank test sheet, and said, "This is your final warning. One more attempt to cheat, and your exam will be invalidated immediately."
Sherry lowered her head in defeat. "Yes, teacher..."
She hadn't expected Hefei's retaliation to be even swifter and more decisive than Muse's.
As the exam hall settled back into silence, Muse and Hefei, now thoroughly annoyed with Sherry, ignored her completely.
But with only thirty minutes remaining, Sherry knew she had to act. Closing her eyes, she focused her will and summoned her magic.
Secret Technique: All-Seeing Eye
"Mevis, you have to help me this time!"
.
.
.
At St. Heath's Academy training grounds, Noah shattered the last wooden target of her practice session, completing the drills Mevis had assigned her.
"You're amazing, sis!"
Muen, who had been watching from the sidelines, ran over holding two small, lovingly decorated cakes.
"I made these during my break earlier. I already ate mine, so this one's for you, big sis!"
"Thanks, Muen," Noah said, using the towel around her neck to wipe the sweat from her brow. She accepted the cake with a grateful smile.
Mevis approached, her expression one of approval. "Your control has improved significantly. You destroyed fifty targets faster than your previous record. Next, we'll focus on condensing your explosive power."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Noah responded eagerly, almost choking on her cake in her haste to reply.
Muen hurriedly patted her sister's back while Mevis offered a bottle of water. "Slow down, Noah. There's no rush."
"Thank you, teacher," Noah said after taking a sip.
Muen then offered her remaining cake to Mevis. "Teacher, you should have some too! It's really good!"
Mevis hesitated for only a moment before accepting. "Thank you, Muen."
As the two sisters chatted and laughed together, Mevis watched them with a faint, almost nostalgic expression.
Suddenly, a distant, frantic voice echoed in her mind: "Mevis! Mevis!!"
Her serene mood shattered, Mevis frowned and turned toward the psychic intrusion.
"Stay here, Noah, Muen. I need to handle something," she instructed before striding toward a secluded corner of the training ground.
In the shadows, Mevis pulled a small, faintly shimmering white figure into visibility.
"Thanks for your help earlier, Mevis. I wouldn't have passed that cursed exam without you," Elizabeth said, a sly, triumphant smile on her lips.
Mevis's expression remained neutral, but a flicker of warning shone in her eyes. "Do not use the All-Seeing Eye so recklessly within the academy grounds. If you are discovered, my decades of work here will be undone. Do you understand... Elizabeth?"