Freya rejoined Class S while the rune sat pressed against her palm, feeling heavier than it was.

She had just watched Ronan disappear into the trees without explanation, without further instruction, and without anything that resembled reassurance of any kind. The word ’no’ still echoed in her mind.

Not Ronan.

Then who?

She forced the thought aside.

There was no time to process it properly. For all she knew he was just trying to mess with her.

Class S was already moving toward the final statue, and if she hesitated even slightly, someone would notice.

Freya slipped back into formation near the middle of the group, her expression controlled and warm as it always was. Her fingers stayed loose around the rune despite the instinct to grip it tighter. She kept her breathing even. She did not look back.

Grace glanced at her.

It was only a moment. A flicker of attention that passed before Freya could fully register it. But it was enough to make her pulse spike.

Grace had been watching.

She remembered what Ronan said.

Freya smiled gently at the student beside her, making a quiet comment about the terrain ahead, and the student responded with easy agreement. Nothing suspicious.

But Grace’s gaze lingered just long enough to remind Freya that she could not afford even the smallest mistake.

The final statue rose ahead of them, far more imposing than the earlier objectives.

It was larger. Older-looking. Twin spirals of runes converged around two empty sockets at its base, glowing faintly in patterns that Freya didn’t understand fully. The surrounding mana felt dense and unstable, even though no one had touched it yet.

Grace stopped the group twenty meters from the statue and began organizing immediately. Her voice carried authority without force, and Class S responded without hesitation. Luca was assigned to outer battlefield control because his strength was too valuable to waste on stationary defense. Irene was placed near the node team as protection and emergency response.

Then Grace turned toward Iris.

"We’ll need someone to stabilize the dual-node flow," Grace said calmly. "The statue’s configuration will require precise regulation under battlefield conditions."

Iris met her gaze without hesitation. "I can handle it."

Freya stepped forward before anyone else could speak.

"If anyone can stabilize a two-node flow under battlefield conditions, it would be Iris."

Her tone was respectful and uplifting. She was Freya Lockhart, of course she would believe in her dear cousin.

But the words boxed Iris in, and that was the real objective.

Refusing now would make her look less capable than Freya claimed she was. Accepting would tie her to the role publicly, with everyone watching.

Iris’s gaze flicked toward Freya for just a second, but her expression didn’t show any distrust. Freya knew Iris was an intelligent woman, but that didn’t mean she knew everything.

Iris accepted with a nod.

"I’ll regulate the flow."

Freya smiled gently, inclining her head in false deference.

"I’m sure you’ll do wonderfully."

Grace watched the exchange carefully. Her expression remained neutral, but Freya could feel the weight of her attention. Grace could tell something was off between them. She likely suspected Freya was maneuvering.

Or maybe she didn’t suspect anything and Freya was overthinking. Either way, the action was innocent enough, and more importantly, it was tactically sound.

Iris really was one of the best choices for the role.

So Grace accepted it. And Freya wondered if Grace really would have chosen Iris regardless for the task. It seemed likely.

"Iris will handle synchronization. Irene, stay close. Freya, coordinate communication routes and watch for blind spots."

Freya nodded.

Perfect.

The moment Class S reached the statue, movement became busy.

Students began marking positions, checking angles, and doing busywork that secured their position. They were here far earlier than anyone else, and it didn’t look like anyone was close.

Grace directed everything with precision, but the noise and motion created exactly what Freya needed. Distraction.

Freya moved closer to the base under the excuse of checking blind spots.

She circled naturally, stopping once or twice to speak to nearby students so her movement looked purposeful. She gestured toward the tree line. Pointed out potential approach routes. Natural things.

The rune remained hidden against her palm, ready to unfold into a thin sheet once mana touched it.

She was careful not to head directly for it.

Instead, she circled.

"Freya."

Grace’s voice cut through the noise.

Freya turned, her expression gentle and kind. "Yes?"

Grace stood near the map, arms crossed. "Where did you disappear to earlier?"

It was not an accusation.

But it sure did sound like it.

"I was checking for followers," Freya said smoothly. "Watching for Class B’s approach from the rear path."

Grace studied her for a moment longer than necessary.

Then she nodded.

"Good. Stay alert."

Freya smiled and turned back toward the statue.

Grace had not caught her.

But she had not dismissed her as harmless either.

A scout announced movement from the southern and western routes.

Class B was approaching. Class A was not far behind.

The news drew everyone’s attention outward. Grace turned to the map and began adjusting formations. Luca shifted forward. Iris prepared near the node socket.

In that narrow window, Freya kneeled near the base as if checking the ground for rune interference.

She channeled a thin thread of mana into the obsidian rune. It expanded into a flat sheet. She pressed it beneath a ridge of carved stone where the statue’s natural runes overlapped.

The rune blended in almost perfectly.

For one terrifying half-second, the statue’s mana changed.

But no one reacted.

Freya stood, brushed dirt from her hands, and walked away.

She sighed and stepped away from the statue and naturally walked away. She glanced at Grace, and she looked to be talking to Luca about something, unbothered by anything else.

Freya asked a student how everything was going, and continued to make small talk as she stepped further and further away from the statue.

She knew that she should be feeling bad about this, maybe anxious.

But for some reason, Freya felt that this was going to go smoothly.