Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 271: Trial of Sword (1)

A week later, in the library of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, Lyra, dressed in a skirt, followed Astrid through the bookshelves, her clear eyes occasionally glancing at the latter.

Since enrolling in the academy, Lyra had rarely visited the library to read.

On one hand, her academic workload was heavy, requiring a lot of time to understand and master.

On the other hand, she had previously received a library card from Astrid and had borrowed many magic-related books from the Royal Library, so her theoretical knowledge wasn’t too weak, and she didn’t feel an urgent need to supplement it.

The gray-blue floor tiles reflect the shadows of people, and above them were exquisitely decorated glass lamps.

Compared to the sweltering temperatures outside in May and June, the interior of the library was cool and clean.

Even if one did nothing but stand there and smell the scent of books, it could bring a sense of comfort and relaxation to the soul.

Although Lyra didn’t know exactly why Astrid had invited her here, if it was just for companionship, she was actually quite willing, even eager.

Glancing sideways at the pink-haired girl standing straight beside her, Astrid casually pulled a book from the shelf and said in a calm voice, "Lyra, has your mental energy stabilized?"

Since they were in the library, Astrid’s voice was very soft, but it was still exceptionally clear to Lyra, who had been paying close attention to her.

"Yes, there’s basically no major fluctuation anymore, and the reserves are steadily increasing."

The simultaneous promotion of a novice spellcaster and a novice knight meant that Lyra had to spend more energy stabilizing her rising mental energy.

Completing all this in just a week was enough to prove her extraordinary talent.

Astrid nodded upon hearing this, flipping open the magazine in her hand.

Her gaze lingered on the title page, but it wasn’t focused. She was secretly pondering.

In the original story, Lyra obtained the Holy Immaculate Sword of Light shortly after being promoted to an Early Sorcerer. In terms of strength, the current protagonist of destiny already possesses the necessary conditions to acquire it.

Moreover, judging by the test content, the tester’s strength should be the least significant factor.

What truly mattered in obtaining the Sword of Light was Lyra’s strong affinity for light elements and the resilient character cultivated through her personal experiences.

"That’s good."

Given Lyra’s current state, it was highly unlikely that she would fail to draw the sword.

Hearing Astrid’s seemingly random response, Lyra took it as praise from the princess, smiled slightly, and continued to follow her.

"Princess Astrid, what kind of books do you usually look for in the library?"

"Just browsing, I’ll learn more about whatever interests me."

"Hmm... like linguistics? About elves and dragons?"

"Something like that."

As they walked up the stairs to the third floor, just after passing through the detection barrier, Astrid clearly noticed Lyra’s body trembling slightly and immediately asked her, "What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Ah? No... not really."

Lyra’s tone was a bit hesitant. Her hand, which had been resting on her left chest, quietly let go and hung by her skirt, nervously tugging at her white stockings.

This feeling again...

Feeling her heart beating rapidly in her chest, that faint sense of attraction drove Lyra deeper into the library.

Astrid glanced at Lyra a few more times but didn’t say anything, continuing to walk forward.

Originally, with Astrid by her side, Lyra could suppress her inner desire to explore.

But as Astrid entered the exclusive borrowing area for light magic, whether willing or not, Lyra’s desire to investigate grew stronger.

"Lyra, you don’t have to keep following me."

Although Astrid had read the original story, she didn’t know exactly which book the Sword of Light was hidden in, nor did she have Lyra’s clear perception.

She could only bring her to this general area where the sword might be.

"If there’s something you want to read, you can go and browse on your own."

After listening to Astrid’s words, Lyra hesitated for a while. Seeing that Astrid was holding a book and indeed had no intention of speaking further, she thought for a moment and responded, "Alright, Princess Astrid."

"Then... after I finish reading, I’ll wait for you at the third-floor staircase..."

Astrid nodded upon hearing this and replied with a "Sure."

....

Following the guidance of her heart, Lyra arrived at a somewhat unfamiliar bookshelf.

Her gaze slowly swept across a row of books and finally settled on one in the middle with a cover that was mostly worn away.

It feels... like it’s this one...

Gently pulling out the book, Lyra looked at the sheepskin cover, the title of which was almost illegible, and her inner confusion grew.

This feeling of attraction, once was a coincidence, twice was a coincidence, but what about the third time?

Taking a deep breath, Lyra opened the book and began to read carefully.

Like most books in this area, the one in her hand also discussed some light attribute magic and a few light element auxiliary combat techniques that knights might use.

After flipping through a few pages, a small light seal about the size of a finger joint caught Lyra’s eye.

The girl was momentarily stunned and was about to examine it closely when the seal suddenly changed shape, transforming from a sun-like circle into a slender sword.

Can it move?

Lyra blinked a few times, her clear blue eyes reflected the bright light.

She could now be certain that the source of the attraction was this light seal.

But... What exactly is this...

Intuition told Lyra that touching it might yield some unexpected results, but after spending so much time with Astrid, she had somewhat restrained the impulsiveness that young people might have.

Activating her elemental vision, Lyra noticed many light element particles arranged on the light seal, densely clustered together.

She carefully observed the changes in these light particles, her mental energy output being conservative, only sensing the activity of other light elements in the air near the page.

After half a minute, Lyra found no other anomalies. The light seal simply maintains its sword-like shape without any further changes.

Maybe I should go ask Princess Astrid first... she might know what this is...

In Lyra’s heart, Astrid was well-informed and might have some understanding of related phenomena.

This inexplicable attraction, and this special seal that can change shape.

Just as Lyra was about to close the book, the light seal lit up with white light again, enveloping the person in front of it.

Before she could react, Lyra, along with the book in her hand, disappeared from among the bookshelves.

On the other side, a pair of cold red eyes watching Lyra from the gap between the bookshelves slightly trembled, knowing that the trial was about to begin.

This was a test that Lyra had to face on her own, and it was also a turning point in her destiny.

In a pure white space, Lyra felt her mind in a daze. Everything within her sight was illuminated by light, with no trace of darkness.

What just happened...

Her memory replayed the moment before she lost consciousness. She was holding a book, standing in the library of the Elizabeth Academy of Magic, about to go find Princess Astrid.

Ah, it was that light seal.

Placing her hands on the ground, looking at her skirt that reached her thighs, Lyra belatedly realized she was sitting on the floor.

She quickly stood up and brushed off the dust on her skirt and stockings that couldn’t possibly exist, this was the dwelling place of the Sword of Light, the Sanctuary of Purity.

Except for the shadows born of light, there was no darkness or filth here.

Looking around, the floor was white, the walls were the same color, and there were silver-white stairs floating step by step, extending upward.

Is this some kind of barrier... or is my spirit trapped in a special illusion...

Thinking of her attire, which was exactly the same as before, Lyra touched her forehead. The real sensation didn’t feel like an illusion.

Activating her elemental vision, millions of light element particles gathered in this area, making the entire space as bright as day.

It probably isn’t an illusion.

After inspecting the surroundings and determining that the only way out was the stairs in front of her, Lyra thought for a moment and took the first step onto the staircase.

Just like at the Jones Farm, this was a space barrier independent of the mortal world.

Those who could create such barriers were certainly peerless experts who had touched the secrets of space.

Currently, it was unlikely that anyone in the entire Valeria Empire could do this.

In other words, since she was already here, with her early Sorcerer strength, resistance was unrealistic.

First, see what the other party wants to do, then make a plan.

Taking another step up, before her small leather shoe’s heel could steady itself, Lyra saw the stairs behind her rapidly sinking.

The platform where she had been standing was crumbling inch by inch, revealing a surging sea of light below.

The dense and intense light formed waves, intertwining and surging, sometimes like water, sometimes like burning fire, filling the entire field of vision.

At this point, the only option was to continue upward.

Calming her breathing, Lyra once again took a step and began to climb the stairs one by one.

Luckily, these stairs only disappeared after she left, which slightly eased the urgency in Lyra’s heart and made her even more curious about the other party’s intentions.

Sixty-eight, sixty-nine... one hundred forty-one, one hundred forty-two...

These silver-white stairs seem to possess some kind of magic that could directly affect one’s spirit.

As the number of steps climbing increased, Lyra was not only consuming physical energy but also mental energy at the soul level.

It could be said without a doubt that if she were still a just Knight, she would never have been able to reach this point.

After climbing about twenty more steps, Lyra saw the end of the stairs in a cluster of white light.

It was a circular floating platform, with a slab of silver-white metal on which a radiant one-handed sword was embedded.

This sword...

Her previously calm heartbeat accelerated again. In this moment, Lyra finds the source of the constant attraction.

It wasn’t the library, nor the book with the worn-out cover. What truly drew her attention was the longsword emitting a holy light in front of her.

Her steps unconsciously quickened. While resisting the consumption of mental energy, she tried to conserve her physical strength as much as possible.

Soon, Lyra reached the platform, and at the same time, all the stairs disappeared.

Perhaps sensing someone’s presence, the sword’s light brightened a bit more.

Unlike the cold gleam of ordinary weapons, this was a warm and intense light.

After thinking for a moment, Lyra spoke softly to the empty walls around her, "Do I need... to pull it out?"

The sea of light surged, the sword remained silent, and only Lyra’s voice echoed gently on the platform.

After a few minutes, there was still no prompt or reaction. Lyra looked at the Sword of Light emitting a holy aura, felt the obvious palpitations in her heart, and finally reached out her hand.

Since she had come this far, there was no better choice than to try.

Let’s give it a shot.

Her fingers gripped the hilt, and her palm felt slightly cold. Lyra tensed her forearm muscles, ready to pull out the sword.

Before she could fully exert her strength, the blade shifted slightly to the side, as if it was about to break free from the ground.

Wait... is it different from what I thought...

The light sword, which she thought would require great effort to pull out, didn’t seem that difficult to wield.

Lyra raised her wrist, and the Sword of Light gradually revealed its full form.

As the tip of the sword left the ground, Lyra smelled a strong scent of blood. freёweɓnovel_com

The Sword of Light in her hand transformed into the village sword she had brought from her village, which had not yet been used in a duel and was still intact.

Now, she stood in a patch of blackened scorched earth, surrounded by blood, human remains, and the charred smell of fire elements colliding.

"Whoosh!"

Before she could think further, a sharp whistling sound rang out beside Lyra’s ear.

Her peripheral vision caught an arrow carrying sharp mental energy flying past, followed by the dull thud of a metal arrowhead piercing flesh.

In an instant, blood stained her white knee-high socks, like plum blossoms blooming on snow. Lyra stood still, her body stiff for some unknown reason, unable to even swing the sword.

"Thud..."

A black-haired man in armor fell at her feet, and reddish-brown liquid slowly spread across the ground.

The arrow had hit his chest armor and, with the help of mental energy, had pierced through.

The arrowhead was lodged in his back, while the shaft remained in the flesh between the two layers of armor.

"Run faster, don’t let them catch up!"

"My leg... my leg seems to be broken..."

"Save me, put out the fire, do anything..."

Voices came and went, entering Lyra’s ears. She saw that on the scorched earth, besides the knights in armor, there were millions of tailors and farmers.

They wore tattered long shirts and patched pants, as if they had crawled through mud, their faces covered in dust.

This was a ruined village, where almost no color could be found besides red and black.

In the next second, another arrow flew, directly hitting a farmer in the chest.

The man let out a wail, like a beast about to be slaughtered. Blood gushed out, and his knees gave way as he completely collapsed to the ground.

Lyra looked in the direction from which the arrow had come. A pair of mocking eyes were clearly visible hundreds of meters away in the twilight.

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