12 ~ The Road Ahead Is Uncertain
“Teresa?”
A shadow flickered across Frand’s expression—he just couldn’t wrap his head around it. After all the effort he’d put into crushing Dylin, how was it that someone still joined his team?
What was wrong with this year’s batch of Divine Princesses? First a blind Divine Child shows up, now a blind Divine Princess too?
If Dylin had been just an average Divine Child, then attracting a few weaker Divine Princesses might have made some sense. But Dylin was a cripple with almost no Divine Child aptitude!
In other words, had Dylin shown even a little more talent, Frand wouldn’t have dared to mess with him like this. First, it would’ve cost too much effort, and the gains wouldn’t be worth the risk—not to mention it might not even work. Second, offending a potentially powerful Divine Child, no matter how average they were now, would guarantee a harsh price in the future.
It was precisely because Frand believed that no Divine Princess would ever look twice at Dylin that he had acted with such reckless confidence.
“This Divine Princess named Teresa—what’s her surname?” Frand suppressed the burst of emotion rising in his chest and asked.
“Her surname? She didn’t mention one. Maybe she has her own private reasons—people don’t always want to talk about that, and we can’t exactly force them, can we?”
“No surname?” Hearing that, Frand exhaled in relief.
Oh, so she was just some random wild Divine Princess who crawled out from who-knows-where. Probably an illegitimate child from some obscure Divine Princess family, with no proper name or recognition.
That thought immediately put Frand at ease.
Well, a blind Divine Child paired with a wild Divine Princess… What a perfect match, really.
“What does she look like?”
“You mean that young Divine Princess who hasn’t undergone Divine Awakening yet? Platinum blonde hair, eyes like vivid emerald jade—quite a cute face, actually. Except for that ugly scar across it… not sure if it’s a wound or a birthmark, but it’s kind of jarring to look at.”
“When she came in to register, she’d wrapped her ears in bandages too. Not sure why, and I didn’t ask.”
Frand frowned at that.
A scarred face… bandaged ears?
Couldn’t make sense of it. Maybe she was just another freak, like Dylin. After all, like attracts like.
Still… platinum blonde hair?
You barely even saw golden hair at Coleman Academy—platinum was unheard of. Frand couldn’t recall any student here having that hair color.
“Teresa… never heard that name before. Miss Blaise, are you sure she’s one of ours?”
“Of course not. That Divine Princess only just enrolled today.”
“A new student?” Frand’s brow twitched.
Coleman Academy had notoriously strict standards for new students—except in one case: Divine Princesses.
Compared to professions like Divine Children, mages, or alchemists, Divine Princesses wielded inherited divine powers—they were rare among the rare. In any team, Divine Princesses were always the most prominent members: highest presence, most damage, and greatest combat strength. Their Divine Authority was innate, while mages and warriors had to cultivate their power.
So, wherever a Divine Princess appeared, academies were quick to accept them. The bar for recruitment was much lower. As long as one could prove they were a Divine Princess, the enrollment process was practically automatic.
“You approved it?”
“Why wouldn’t I? It’s enrollment season. New Divine Princesses joining fits the schedule perfectly. Doesn’t matter what family she’s from—there’s no harm in accepting her.”
“But… don’t Divine Princesses usually go through testing before enrollment?”
“Yes, but since the semester’s already started, she was admitted first. The tests come later.”
“She hasn’t been tested for her Divine Princess type yet?”
“Nope. That’s scheduled for tomorrow. The academy will send someone for it.”
“I see… Sorry to have disturbed your lunch break, Miss Blaise.” Having learned all he needed, Frand turned to leave, calculations already spinning in his mind.
***
Back in his dorm, Dylin collapsed face-first onto the bed like he’d fallen apart entirely. His sudden motion sent the hair ornament from his pocket tumbling out.
He picked it up and stared at it, thoughts swirling.
Only afterward had he learned that by removing the hair ornament and clasping his hands in prayer, he could revert from his Elf state.
Thank the stars he could change back. After working so hard for so many years, he really couldn’t afford to become undocumented again—he wouldn’t be able to survive in this world.
Having never accepted his Elf identity, Dylin refused to use it as a shortcut. He didn’t want anything to do with the Elves as a people—besides, doing so would cause all sorts of complications.
After leaving the Coleman Forest, the first place he’d gone was the monastery.
Bilodis had kept her word. Somehow—Dylin didn’t know how—she had completely cured the abbot’s illness, and the monastery no longer faced the threat of relocation.
Staring at the magical ornament in his hand, Dylin’s emotions were all over the place.
He clearly wasn’t the reincarnation of Bilodis’ sister. So then why had he turned into an Elf?
Even as an Elf, he had no memories of any so-called past life.
This ornament was clearly a sacred relic of the Elf Tribe. Was it really safe for him to carry something like this around?
Of course, what worried him most right now was whether Bilodis had found out he was still alive—and if she had, what she might do about it.
To this day, he still didn’t fully understand what Bilodis meant to the Elf Tribe. But her status had to be extraordinary—possibly even above the current Elf King.
So… who knew about Bilodis’ plan? Did the Elf King? If so, would this impact his time at the academy?
The most crucial factor was Bilodis’ attitude toward him, and by extension, the Elf Tribe’s stance. But if the upper levels of Coleman Academy had no idea what happened, he might as well keep playing dumb and act like nothing ever happened.
His plan to act as his own Divine Princess had been a last-minute idea. As long as he used the Sun-Moon Circlet to disguise his ears, and didn’t blow his cover, things should go smoothly.
He’d considered transferring to another academy, but realistically, an Elf showing up outside of Coleman would only attract even more attention. The outcome would be the same.
Right now, all he could do was take it one step at a time.
***
Author's Note: (Three chapters today since it’s the last day. My back’s killing me—I can’t take another burst update. Gonna rest now.)
(Just to reiterate: no matter what happens later, the male identity will definitely remain during the early and middle stages. Although he won’t have much presence, Teresa needs that identity to carry her through a part of the journey. Readers familiar with my work should already know—I always write controlled transformations, never permanent ones.)
(This time, unlike the last two books where the male form stole a lot of the spotlight, he won’t have much presence at all. His only role is to escort Teresa through the early stages.)