Princess's Struggle for Survival-Chapter 281: There’s something on your clothes

As night fell, in the temporary inn where the students were staying, Astrid gazed at the deep night outside the window.

Just as she was about to extinguish the oil lamp and go to bed, a crisp knocking sound suddenly came from outside her room.

"Who’s there?"

"It’s me... Princess Astrid..."

Hearing Lyra’s voice, Astrid stood up from her seat, walked slowly to the door, and gently turned the handle.

The door opened, revealing a pink-haired, sky blue-eyed girl in a white dress standing in the corridor.

Noticing that Astrid had already changed into a silk nightgown and had likely bathed, Lyra’s voice was soft.

"Um... did I disturb your rest, Princess Astrid?"

Astrid shook her head and stepped aside, inviting her in.

"No, what brings you here?"

The sound of boots creaking on the wooden floor echoed as the faint yellow light stretched Lyra’s shadow long.

"There are some things I wanted to discuss with you, Princess Astrid..."

Noticing the door closing, Lyra continued.

"Do you have any plans for tomorrow’s practical exam?"

Earlier in the inn’s lobby, the accompanying professor had explained the general situation of the Monster Mountains and the scoring rules for the corresponding spoils, providing the students with ample information to plan their journey.

Such as the specific routes to take deeper into the mountains, the types of magical beasts to hunt, and the number of beast cores needed for each rank.

"Plans?" Astrid sat on the bed, the soft quilt sinking slightly under her weight.

"To be honest, I haven’t thought about it."

Given her and Lyra’s current strength, even without a specific battle plan, they could still achieve a decent score by teaming up.

Lyra pursed her lips and whispered.

"Shouldn’t we... prepare in advance?"

For this exam, she wanted to strive for a high score.

Knowing what Lyra was likely thinking, Astrid crossed her arms, her left leg slowly resting on her right knee. Her long, bare legs shimmered attractively in the moonlight.

"Either way," Astrid said simply, then continued.

"I’m more curious about your thoughts, Lyra."

Since Lyra wanted to take the exam seriously rather than just aiming for a passing grade, Astrid saw no reason to dampen her enthusiasm.

After all, during their previous sparring sessions at the academy, they had often stopped short of a full fight.

Astrid herself hadn’t experienced many real battles and wasn’t sure how much strength she could muster in a real encounter.

This trip to the beast mountains will serve as a way to solidify her practical combat skills.

Hearing Astrid’s words, Lyra blinked a few times and pulled out a roll of parchment from her pocket.

This was the Monster Mountain terrain map provided by the academy to all students, marking streams, hunting areas, landmarks, and some safe paths.

In addition to the map, the professor had also equipped each student with a crystal stone engraved with a defensive barrier.

This stone could perfectly withstand magical attacks the level of a Magnus for over fifteen minutes, ensuring the students’ safety during the exam.

However, once this crystal was used, the student’s score will be fixed, and the defensive barrier will simultaneously send a signal to the sky, alerting the professor responsible for the students’ safety to immediately head to the location and bring the user back to the inn.

"My idea is actually like this..."

Lyra unfolded the map, realizing it wasn’t convenient to explain while standing. Astrid also noticed this and changed at the bed beside her.

Was this a hint for her to sit there?

After hesitating for a few seconds, feeling she hadn’t misunderstood Astrid’s intention, Lyra sat beside her and spread the map on the bed.

"Tomorrow morning, we’ll head northwest along the main road, passing through areas frequented by Flame-tailed Foxes. These foxes prefer solitude and are relatively easy to hunt."

"However, Flame-tailed Foxes are cautious by nature, with complex movement routes, so they might not be easy to find. We shouldn’t rely entirely on them..."

Extending a slender finger, Lyra traced a path upward on the rough map and added.

"So after securing twenty points, I suggest we continue forward along this forest path to the Dark Lizard’s habitat, and also look for any lone Bone-winged Ghost Butterflies."

Both of these beasts are fourth-tier, and Lyra was confident she could handle hunting them one-on-one, especially with a beginner spellcaster like Astrid backing her up.

Even if three Dark Lizards appeared simultaneously, retreating safely wouldn’t be difficult.

Astrid watched as Lyra’s finger traced the route, faint light elements covering the parchment’s surface, forming a path of light.

First and second-tier beasts offered too few points to waste time hunting.

Targeting mid-tier third and fourth-tier beasts without recklessly attempting to hunt the more valuable and dangerous fifth-tier beasts made Lyra’s plan quite prudent.

"That’s a reasonable arrangement. We’ll follow your plan, Lyra," Astrid said, lowering her eyes in thought.

How did Lyra pass this exam in the original story?

She teamed up with another middle stage apprentice from their class, barely scraping by with points from second-tier beasts.

In the middle of the exam, one of the protagonist’s "good sisters" helped lure the beasts, nearly forcing her to use the crystal stone and end the exam early.

Hearing Astrid’s praise, Lyra’s lips curved slightly, her fair legs instinctively pressing together, feeling immensely satisfied.

She was praised by Princess Astrid...

"The daytime plan is basically set. Since the Dark Lizard’s habitat is close to the Ghost Wolf’s territory, we can also search for the latter around the edges of this area."

"And then... for the overnight stay..."

Lyra’s fingertip rested on a light blue dot, her voice was soft.

"We can camp by this lake named Laires and spend the first night in the beast mountains."

There’s ample water there, so we won’t need to expend mental energy to create large amounts of water for washing. Plus, there aren’t any particularly strong beasts nearby, making it a good resting spot.

Astrid nodded in agreement, affirming Lyra once more.

"At that time, we can check the terrain around the lake. If it’s convenient to cross, we can try our luck in the Land Split Rhino’s territory."

Listening to the gentle voice, Lyra thought for a moment and said.

"That’s possible, but the risk is higher than in our original hunting area."

"And here... is also a good place to score points..."

"The Mimic Magic Flowers there are also worth considering..."

"..."

Watching Lyra, who was using light element particles as ink and writing with a serious expression, Astrid narrowed her eyes and placed her hand on her thigh.

Lyra would need to put in more effort for the hunting work, and she was also the one seriously considering the travel plans.

It felt like... this trial was entirely about this pink-haired knight carrying her along...

It was rare to sense such a reliable aura from Lyra. It seemed the growth of the destined female lead had indeed exceeded her expectations.

Noticing Astrid’s prolonged silence, Lyra looked up and saw those cool red eyes silently watching her, with some emotion she couldn’t quite understand in their depths.

It feels like... a sense of pride that her daughter had finally grown up?

Wait, what a strange delusion.

Although Astrid appeared quite mature in her attire and interactions, in terms of age, she was only a year older than Lyra.

Catching Lyra’s clear gaze, Astrid suppressed her inner pride and spoke softly.

"Planning one day of hunting in advance is enough. Don’t overthink it, Lyra. Once we’re deep in the mountains tomorrow, we’ll adjust our plans based on our gains."

Although the information provided by the professor was useful, it was far from detailed. The actual situation inside the mountains would require them to learn firsthand.

Lyra, of course, understood this and didn’t dwell on it too much.

"...That’s all for now?"

"Yes, that’s enough."

Astrid raised her hand to brush the silver hair falling over her shoulder, a part of her fair skin peeking through the straps and hair, catching Lyra’s eye.

The girl pursed her lips, suppressing the dryness creeping into her lips from the fragrant breeze, and stood up.

"Then... if there’s nothing else, I won’t disturb your rest, Princess Astrid..."

Although she wanted to stay and chat more, she lacked a suitable reason, and they had to set off early the next morning into the Monster Mountains. Not resting well would severely impact their hunting.

Astrid nodded slightly, her gaze suddenly caught on some lint stuck to Lyra’s collar.

This season was when the town had the most lint, likely blown in during their earlier meal.

Just as Lyra was about to leave, she felt something warm pressing against her right leg.

Looking down, she saw a section of Astrid’s fair calf pressed against her, the smooth white stockings slightly indenting under Astrid’s movement.

Princess Astrid?

Noticing Lyra’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, Astrid immediately realized the girl was shy again.

What was initially just blocking her leg paused, and she intentionally or unintentionally swayed slightly against the smooth stocking.

Instinctively turning around, Lyra looked at the silver-haired princess sitting on the bed with an expressionless face, her lips parting as she saw Astrid reaching out, gently approaching her.

A warm index finger pressed against her collarbone, as if red paint had spilled on snow, a faint blush emerged from her skin.

Feeling the distinct hardness of the nail touching her skin, Lyra froze, her blue eyes lingering on Astrid, her legs straightening, her delicate toes gripping the tips of her socks.

In the next moment, a hint of mischief flashed in Astrid’s eyes as she flicked away the lint and casually adjusted Lyra’s collar, letting the pink hair draped over her shoulder loop around her finger before naturally falling back.

"Didn’t you notice something on your clothes?"

As soon as Astrid spoke, the warmth against Lyra’s calf disappeared, as if nothing had happened.

"..."

So... it was just to remove the lint from her clothes...

Biting her lip, a ripple of emotion passed through Lyra’s clear blue eyes as she gazed at Astrid, who sat quietly by the bed, her figure faintly visible under the nightgown in the moonlight.

Princess Astrid has a great figure... but she’s also so slender and petite...

It felt like with just a gentle push, Astrid would fall onto the bed, allowing her to do as she pleased.

Affection, shyness, desire, various emotions swirled in Lyra’s heart. She swallowed, her voice strained.

"Um... I didn’t notice it before..."

"...Thank you."

What exactly was she longing for...

A hug, or a kiss?

Realizing her thoughts were wandering, after saying this, Lyra immediately strode towards the door, the hard soles of her boots clicking against the floor.

"Goodnight, Princess Astrid."

"Goodnight."

Hearing the door close, Astrid changed at the map on the bed, a beautiful smile curling her lips, then got up to lock the door.

What a diligent and adorable girl.

Chanting a soft spell, a faint breeze extinguished the candle on the desk, and the room returned to darkness.

.......

The next morning, after breakfast at the inn, Astrid and Lyra officially entered the Monster Mountains.

With many students taking the exam, to prevent causing too much disturbance and scaring the beasts into hiding, which would affect hunting efficiency, and to avoid unnecessary competition for prey, most students chose to split up and search for beasts upon entering the mountains.

Only a few weaker students grouped together, planning to hunt low-tier beasts in large numbers to pass the exam.

As the number of people around them dwindled, eventually only Astrid and Lyra remained.

After scanning the area with mental energy to ensure no one was following, Lyra unwrapped the black cloth around her sword, revealing a translucent blade in the girl’s hand.

"Let’s go according to plan. It’s good that no one is with us."

Astrid carried a suitcase in one hand and held the magic staff given to her by Charlotte in the other, a faint cold light surrounding the deep blue gem atop the staff.

"Okay." Lyra nodded, focusing more on the surroundings.

As an early-stage Grand Knight, her five senses, enhanced by mental energy, can perceive far beyond a mage’s range, even without special enhancement.

The fading footsteps, the rustling of leaves in the wind, and the faint hum of small insects’ wings.

"Astrid, there’s something at two o’clock."

As soon as Lyra spoke, a brown bee the size of a human face appeared among the branches, its translucent wings flapping and stirring the air.

Astrid had seen this creature in the magical beast encyclopedia, a second-tier wind-element beast, the Bone-eating Bee, skilled in using wind blades to attack prey, feeding on their flesh and bone marrow.

With their current strength, hunting it should be more than enough.

Sure enough, sensing something amiss in the prey’s aura, the Bone-eating Bee quickly flapped its wings, attempting to flee.

"Fleeting lightning, I beseech your favor..."

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