Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 338: The Tri-Academy Exchange Arc (Part-30)

The idea was quickly dismissed.

With Ragnor Blackstar’s character, greedy for life and afraid of death, suicide was the least likely possibility. No matter how unbearable the humiliation, he would never choose such an ending.

There had to be another reason.

At that moment, Alaric Von Seraph walked over and joined them. After hearing what they were discussing, he spoke in a low, steady voice.

"Don’t guess blindly. From what I know, Ragnor Blackstar was killed."

The air instantly grew heavy.

"Killed?" Reesa sucked in a sharp breath. "He’s a royal prince. Someone dared to kill him in the Leon Empire? That person has guts."

"It’s not that surprising," Alaric Von Seraph replied calmly. "With Ragnor Blackstar’s temperament, offending people was inevitable. Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. I heard about it from the vice principal."

His eyes flickered thoughtfully. "What’s strange is the timing. It happened right after he was injured. It feels like someone deliberately took advantage of his weakened state."

Fortunately, no one suspected Zora.

After all, given her condition after the battle, it was impossible for her to bypass royal protection and assassinate Ragnor Blackstar. The idea itself was absurd.

Dravenor Blackstar had clearly been shaken by this incident as well. He had not appeared since early morning, and no one knew whether he would even attend today’s alchemy competition.

Marcus rubbed his chin and muttered, "So Zion Blackstar suddenly changing the competition schedule might be because he needs time to deal with Ragnor Blackstar’s death... and find the killer."

Ragnor Blackstar had first been humiliated in public, then died under mysterious circumstances. This was a massive blow to the dignity and authority of the royal family.

Reesa snorted coldly.

"Whatever. Someone like Ragnor Blackstar annoyed me just by existing. Dying now isn’t exactly a bad thing."

Her words were blunt and heartless, but strangely, no one argued.

Zora did not dwell much on the matter either. A person like Ragnor Blackstar was hardly worth sympathy. Whoever had taken his life was likely someone he had wronged before. In that sense, it could almost be called retribution.

"What about Raphael now?" Zora turned to Alaric Von Seraph, her brows knitting slightly. "How is he doing?"

She had rested through the night and had not heard any updates.

Alaric Von Seraph’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Much better. According to the vice principal, Raphael has already eased out of that mental state. It shouldn’t take long before he fully recovers."

At those words, everyone present finally relaxed. Raphael had been the greatest concern weighing on their hearts. Knowing that he was on the path to recovery lifted a heavy burden.

As Zora and the others waited for the alchemy test to begin, news of her identity and deeds had already reached Sapphire’s Exchange.

Eamon and the other two inscription masters were stunned when they learned that Zora was not only an inscription genius but also a student participating in the Academy exchange as a combat practitioner.

For a moment, the three old men fell silent.

Such astonishing inscription talent, yet she was running off to fight people head-on. Was this not wasting heaven’s gift?

However, when they heard that Zora had defeated Ragnor Blackstar, disbelief replaced their initial frustration.

"How strong is this girl exactly?" one of them muttered.

They might not fully grasp Zora’s cultivation, but they knew Ragnor Blackstar all too well. Among the younger generation of the royal family, aside from Zion Blackstar, Ragnor Blackstar was considered the strongest.

For Zora to defeat him meant that her cultivation talent was equally terrifying.

After exchanging glances, the three old men collectively snorted.

Even so, that did not change one thing.

Inscription masters were rare. Truly rare.

No matter how strong her cultivation was, letting such a talent in inscriptions run wild on the battlefield was akin to a sin in their eyes.

"We’re going to Thunderclap Academy," Eamon declared decisively.

Anselm and Godfrey nodded without hesitation. They had waited long enough to find Zora. Now that they finally knew where she was, there was no way they would let her slip away again.

What if she had injured her hands during the fight?

Just imagining such a possibility made their hearts ache.

The attendant of Sapphire’s Exchange watched the three grand inscription masters rush out with anxious expressions, utterly dumbfounded. In all her years there, she had never seen them act so urgently for anyone.

*

Meanwhile, at the alchemy venue, Zora and the others did not wait long before the academy representative heads appeared on the high platform.

Cindral’s expression was noticeably restrained, far from his usual composed ease. The events of the previous day had dealt Thunderclap Academy a severe blow, and even he could not fully conceal his displeasure.

"For certain reasons," Cindral announced slowly, "today we will begin with the alchemy competition. The test will be divided into three rounds, and the questions will be jointly set by the Representative Heads of the three academies."

As his words fell, the atmosphere at the venue quietly shifted, anticipation rising once more.

Hearing the announcement, everyone nodded. By all accounts, this assessment method was fair and impartial.

Soon after, Sylvandria and the other alchemists stepped onto the already prepared alchemy platform. Yet the moment they appeared, subtle changes flickered across the faces of the onlookers.

"Wait... why are there two alchemists from Thunderclap Academy and Lunar Academy?" Marcus frowned, confusion plain on his face.

All along, they had assumed that each academy would send only one Alchemist. After all, in the Academy exchange, combat strength was always the main attraction. The alchemy segment existed more as a tradition than a focal point, and year after year, it had remained unchanged.

Zora’s brows furrowed slightly. According to the information she had gathered earlier, Lunar Academy should only have had one alchemist participating. Where had this extra person come from?

More importantly, the newcomer’s face was unfamiliar. During their earlier clashes with Lunar Academy’s team, she had never seen this person before.

"Could it be... they’re up to something?" Reesa’s expression darkened.

Yesterday, the Imperial Academy had stolen the spotlight completely, leaving both Thunderclap Academy and Lunar Academy humiliated. Was this their attempt to regain some dignity through the alchemy test?

Sylvandria’s face also turned grim. She had not expected such a development at all. Although she was confident in her alchemy skills, facing two opponents at once inevitably brought pressure.

Her level was no secret. Many already knew her limits. Numbers alone could not determine victory, but she could not dismiss the possibility that the opposing side might have an alchemist stronger than her.

Even Gerrad frowned slightly. Based on his experience, neither Thunderclap Academy nor Lunar Academy would make such a move without reason. Something about this situation felt off.

Yet, despite his suspicions, he found no concrete evidence. Without proof, there was nothing he could object to.

"If they have two people and we only have Sylvandria, aren’t we at a disadvantage?" Tiffany asked quietly, glancing toward Sebastian.

This was their first time participating in the Academy exchange. The finer details of these arrangements were unfamiliar territory.

Sebastian’s gaze grew deep and contemplative. He hesitated before speaking. "I can’t say for certain. But the fact that they suddenly added people without prior notice... that alone suggests something is wrong." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

Alaric Von Seraph and the others exchanged uneasy looks. No matter how they viewed it, this situation was unfavorable.

Just as everyone was mulling over the implications, Zora spoke calmly, her voice cutting through the tension.

"It’s fine. I’ll go up."

The moment the words fell, all eyes turned toward her in surprise.