CHAPTER 32: DANGER.

Meanwhile, Victoria had already ventured into the forest alongside the other male students who were tasked with cutting trees for firewood.

"You ladies should never drag us males into your petty fights again," one of them said sharply, his voice edged with irritation. "I deliberately chose to stay out of this nonsense because I’m more focused on getting into the academy. If something like this happens again while I’m already a student there, I won’t take it lightly with any of you."

"Exactly!" another male chimed in, his eyes wide and filled with a flicker of fear. "I’ve been trying to keep a low profile, but if I’m pushed again, I might be forced to take action next time."

Their outbursts were clearly directed at Victoria.

She said nothing. Instead, she focused intently on the tree in front of her, gripping the handle of the saw they’d all brought along. The rhythmic sound of the saw against the bark was the only reply she offered.

The other males, thanks to their enhanced strength, were soon finished cutting their firewood. Without offering any help, they left Victoria behind and ventured deeper into the forest, eager to hunt for meat they would cook for dinner.

I can’t even use my locket, Victoria thought with frustration, pausing for a moment to catch her breath. Sweat trickled down her temple. I have no idea whose eyes might be watching me right now.

Elsewhere, the female students had also completed their firewood gathering. Like the males, they too disappeared into the forest to hunt for animals. Soon, both groups were gone, having vanished deeper into the woods. Victoria remained behind, still struggling with her task.

By the time she managed to bring down a single tree and cut it into manageable pieces, the sky had already turned dark. The moon and stars now served as her only source of light, casting pale silver light across the forest floor.

She tied up her bundle of firewood tightly, securing it with some vines she had found, before turning her attention toward the deeper part of the forest. She needed to hunt now no matter how terrible her skills were. Her stomach ached with hunger, and she knew better than to count on anyone sharing their food.

Unfortunately, every creature she spotted fled the moment she prepared to strike. Her movements were clumsy, her aim poor, and her frustration mounting.

"Damn it! Am I really going to have to sleep in this forest?" Victoria muttered under her breath, panting from exertion. But she wasn’t ready to give up.

She knew that Darius would ensure she got into the academy, no matter how poorly she performed. He had his own plans for her, plans that involved punishment, and that meant he would not allow her to fail...at least not in the long run.

Still, she needed food to sustain herself here.

Should I just use my locket? Maybe I can summon something to help me set a trap, she thought, glancing cautiously around. But what if someone’s watching?

The forest had fallen eerily silent. No footsteps, no laughter, no distant voices. Had the others really gone that far away? Or was it just the thickness of the trees muffling the sound?

Well... I can’t care about them right now, she decided, releasing a heavy sigh. Besides, there’s no need to summon my locket for something this trivial. This isn’t the first time I’ve been thrown into the wild. I can’t depend on it for everything.

Resolute, she gathered a few sticks and rummaged through her satchel to retrieve a small doughnut she had taken from the kitchen earlier. With careful movements, she eventually summoned a rope from her locket...just one item, she reasoned, to keep the magic use minimal and discreet.

Then she spotted a large stone nearby, which she hauled over with effort. She tied the rope to the thick limb of a low-hanging tree, securing the doughnut to one end of it. Using the sticks, she fashioned a rudimentary snare....positioning them in a circular formation beneath the doughnut, with the rope interlaced strategically. A large basket, also summoned from her locket, was fixed to the upper portion of the trap, held in place by the same rope. The stone was tied above it in such a way that, once the bait was disturbed, the basket would fall over the animal’s head, and the heavy stone would drop down to prevent its escape.

"Perfect," Victoria murmured, brushing the dirt from her hands. "Now I just have to hide and wait for the bait to lure something in."

She crouched behind a thick tree trunk, her breath shallow, her senses alert. Every rustle of leaves, every snapping twig put her on edge.

Then she heard it....footsteps behind her. Her heart jumped.

Before she could turn fully, a large sack was yanked over her head, cutting off her vision. A sharp blow followed, and the world spun before fading into darkness.

****"

Meanwhile, back at the training ground, the other students had returned from the forest and were now crowded inside the kitchen, all trying to prepare their meals. The entire place was in disarray....smoke billowed out of the windows as if the building itself were ablaze. The smell of burning food hung thick in the air, mingling with the sound of clanging pots and panicked shouting.

Just then, Darius walked into the kitchen...but the moment he inhaled the heavy smoke, he turned right back around, coughing violently as he stepped out.

"Turn off everything you’re cooking right now!" he shouted from outside the door, his voice firm and commanding. "You’re going to end up burning down the whole training center!"

His sharp tone was aimed directly at the nearby servants, who immediately rushed in to assess the chaos. Moments later, the students were all forced out of the kitchen, coughing and wheezing, their faces streaked with soot. Their hair was disheveled, and their clothes looked like they had just come out of a battle zone...torn, stained, and reeking of smoke.

"Is it really that hard to prepare a meal you’re going to eat yourselves?" Darius demanded, raising an incredulous eyebrow as he scanned the sorry-looking group of students....applicants, rather, all of whom claimed to be ready for the academy.

"If only you knew how tough life is within those walls," he added coldly. "You would’ve mastered every basic skill before setting foot in this place."

"I’ve never even lit a cooker before," one of the twins muttered, his face a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. "After we explained to the servants that we couldn’t use firewood properly, they gave us permission to use the gas cookers. But even that didn’t go any better..."

"You what?" Darius snapped, his eyes darkening as his expression shifted from annoyed to furious. "They let you use the cooker?!"

His next words exploded like thunder.

"They deserve to die."

Gasps erupted all around him. The students froze in place, while the servants trembled visibly at the violent intensity in his voice.

"Those who dared to allow you brats into the kitchen deserve to die!" he roared. "They deserve to die for letting you attempt to cook inside the training center, risking setting the whole place on fire!"

Everyone stood in stunned silence, as if even breathing might provoke his wrath.

"No one cooks in that kitchen unless it’s a meal for the instructors or the servants preparing food for academy staff," Darius continued, his voice serious. "You applicants are not students yet. You don’t get the luxury of a kitchen here. Oh you you should have but you ruined that chance. You cook outside.. on the compound with your damn firewood. I don’t care if it takes you a thousand years to get it done. Starve if you must."

His eyes narrowed, scanning each face.

"No servant here is your personal maid. They belong to the academy, not to you."

The applicants stood speechless, shame burning in their eyes, some of them bowing their heads. Even though they were cursing Victoria in their heart, they couldn’t dare say it out loudly as they knew that would definitely provoke Darius more and their purnishment might be increased.

"You’ll be responsible for yourselves in this training ground until the day you’re officially admitted into the academy," Darius added with finality. He turned on his heel, ready to walk away...only to stop mid-step.

His gaze swept across the group once more, narrowing in suspicion.

"Wait... where’s that goat?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Victoria?" one of the male students asked hesitantly.

"She’s still in the forest," came a lazy, mocking voice.

It belonged to the purple-haired girl, who stood leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. She smirked, her tone laced with scorn. "She couldn’t even cut a single tree. Pathetic. I honestly don’t know how someone as weak as her expects to survive in the academy. Well, not that she’s getting in anyway."

Laughter erupted from three other girls standing behind her, their amusement echoing loudly across the compound.

"The forest?" Darius repeated sharply, his expression turning grim. "At this time of night?! Does she have a death wish?!