Chapter 40: Joint Combat Exams 7

"Wow!" exclaimed a young child, her eyes wide with wonder.

"Haha, beautiful, isn't it?" chuckled an old woman as she held hands with the child. They were perched atop a serene mountain, taking in the breathtaking natural scenery that surrounded them.

The wind blew gently, and their hair fluttered in the breeze. The young child couldn't contain her excitement as she gazed upon the picturesque landscape. The old woman smiled, unable to resist stroking the child's back.

"Bella, do you like your birthday present?" the old woman asked.

"Yes!" the child responded, her enthusiasm shining through. Bella's cuteness was irresistible, and her response elicited a warm smile from the old woman. Bella giggled in response to her affectionate gesture.

The old woman turned her attention back to the magnificent vista before speaking to Bella once more.

"Remember this well, Bella" she began. "Moments like this are best enjoyed with a reason."

"Reason?" Bella questioned, her brow furrowed.

"Master, shouldn't moments like this be best enjoyed for what they are? Do you really need a reason to enjoy them?"

The old woman chuckled softly. "Haha, I guess you're right. There's a beauty in simply savoring the moment. But trust me, once you find your reason, enjoying moments like this will become a thousand times better."

Bella looked puzzled. "I don't get it."

"Fufu, you don't need to understand just yet. You're still young. You'll come to understand when you're older" the old woman replied, a knowing twinkle in her eyes.

.....

Bella slowly opened her eyes, greeted by the breathtaking night sky. Stars sparkled like precious gems, and the moon cast its gentle glow upon the world.

'Was it a dream, or was it a memory?' Bella wondered; her mind still lost in the echoes of the past.

"Remember this well, Bella. Moments like this are best enjoyed with a reason," her master's words resonated in her thoughts.

"In the end, what exactly did you mean, old hag?" Bella mused.

Bella glanced around and realized her current location. She had fallen asleep on the roof of Lucian Hall, the dormitory reserved for the top students of the academy.

Bella knew all too well that she wasn't allowed to sleep here, let alone be here in the first place. She could already imagine the scolding her personal maid would unleash upon her when she finds out.

Despite the impending trouble, Bella couldn't help but smile. Lucian Hall, with its castle-like features, had always fascinated her. She had often wondered what it was like to sleep high above its tower-like roofs, and now, she had her answer.

The cool, gentle breeze played with her hair as she breathed in the fresh night air. The view from the top was nothing short of spectacular. She knew that the experience was well worth any future scolding.

Bella sat up, her drowsy eyes brightening as she gazed upon most of the academy grounds. The lights of the academy city streets and districts shone like a surreal and beautiful artificial landscape.

As she took in the view, Bella couldn't help but think 'I guess people can also create something beautiful, huh?'

As Bella cherished her few moments of peace before returning to her room, she suddenly sensed a strong presence. Her gaze shifted to the northwestern side of the academy, where she noticed an unusual concentration of mana.

From a very young age, Bella had been considered a prodigy. By the age of six, her magical sensitivity and mana capacity had already exceeded that of most certified magicians.

Her talent, strength, and knowledge in magic were so remarkable that she could likely defeat the academy's principal, one of the few Arch Mages left on the continent. Bella's magical sensitivity was so acute that she could detect if someone had used magic dozens of kilometers away.

"Arcane Catacl—" Victoria was about to fire off her spell when suddenly the dark pillar vanished. Confusion and surprise flashed across Victoria's face as she lowered her staff.

"Adrian?" she exclaimed; her voice filled with bewilderment.

"Do you know him?" Bella asked, genuinely surprised.

Victoria tilted her head, realizing Bella's penchant for not paying much attention to others. "Adrian Vulter Tellus, he's a top student of his department, just like you," Victoria replied with a sigh, reminding Bella that she should know of him.

"Why is he here? And why is he standing where the pillar once stood?" Questions tumbled out of the principal's mouth as she tried to make sense of the baffling scene.

Suddenly, an oppressive pressure descended upon the area, and a surge of fear overcame both women.

Their instincts screamed at them to run immediately. Glancing down, they saw a tiny black dot appear near Adrian.

The dot expanded into a gaping black crack, and out of it emerged a walking blonde doll, accompanied by none other than the holiest woman in the academy, if not the entire continent.

"Saintess?" they both uttered in simultaneous astonishment, their voices tinged with disbelief. While Bella often remained oblivious to many things, she did possess a basic knowledge of general information about the continent.

The saintess was one of the figures she was familiar with, thanks to having attended one of the parades where the saintess had offered her blessings during her childhood.

Her master, a formidable arch wizard, was an unwavering believer in the goddess of light and had incessantly nagged Bella to attend such parades and appreciate the holy presence of the saintess.

Seeing the saintess in this peculiar situation, and in such unusual circumstances, was indeed baffling.

The doll and Adrian seemed to be engaged in an intense conversation, their expressions revealing an air of urgency. Then, out of the blue, the doll raised its tiny hands, and in a bewildering turn of events, both Adrian, the doll, and the Saintess simply vanished from sight.

It wasn't just that they couldn't see them anymore; it was as if they had been erased from existence. There was no trace of their auras, mana, or even their life presence.

It was as if they had completely ceased to exist, leaving Bella and Principal Victoria in a state of shock and bewilderment.

Bella and the principal remained suspended in the air, their reactions a mixture of astonishment and indecision. The unexpected situation left them unsure of how to proceed.

While they both had a strong desire to approach and inspect the unfolding scene more closely, they found themselves immobilized in the skies, paralyzed by the strange turn of events.

Their stillness continued until, to their great surprise, Adrian reappeared, now carrying the saintess in his arms while the blonde doll perched on his shoulder.

As Adrian moved away from the scene, the doll vanished abruptly. Then, a bluish mana enveloped Bella, although it was clear that it wasn't her own magic.

Bella turned her head to the side and saw Principal Victoria casting a teleportation spell towards her. In the blink of an eye, she vanished from her position.

The last image imprinted in her mind was that of the doll clasping the principal's neck, its gaze directed at Bella, right before she disappeared.

....

Bella's senses remained sharp even as she dozed off in class, and the moment the professor's voice boomed through the room, signaling the end of the lecture, she instantly roused from her slumber. Her unique ability to react promptly upon dismissal often left her instructors exasperated.

They had grown accustomed to her peculiar behavior, which was a result of her advanced level of knowledge and skill. In the eyes of the school, she was already at the level of a graduate student, if not a professor, and her professors had long since given up on trying to change her habits.

As Bella prepared to teleport back to her room, she was unexpectedly addressed by a voice from the classroom door.

"Miss Bella Raiseinler, could I have a bit of your time?" inquired the voice, belonging to none other than Adrian Vulter Tellus, who was standing outside their classroom door looking at her with a warm smile.