An awkward silence fell. Thorn lay still on the floor, her eyes wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her new wound was there, where her arm used to be, but she was neither screaming nor in a fit of panic. On the contrary, her face looked eerily quite calm, almost serene, as if some terrible weight had at last been removed.
Around her, the room was in utter shock. The maids huddled in a corner and quivered from head to toe, their eyes wide as big as saucers stared on. One of them whimpered softly, trying to hold the terror back.
The queen, who had come near the door to see the drama, stood aghast and quickly covered the crown prince's eyes with her pale hands, shielding him from the gory sight. The boy, unwitting of all that happened, struggled a little, curious, but was held tight by his mother. Beside her stood Damion, frozen, his face pale, his eyes so wide, as if he tried to comprehend the brutal scene in front of him. His mouth opened, but no words were said.
Meanwhile, Selene, who didn't notice stares, was still clutching the broadsword in her left hand. She was too busy grumbling internally about her right arm, which throbbed with sharp pain. The sword was far too heavy for her small frame, and in her rush, she hadn't adjusted her stance properly. Now, not only had she strained her muscles, but she had dislocated her right shoulder.
"Tch," she hissed under her breath, irritated rather than in pain. Back on Earth, she had joined the fencing club to try and deal with her grief after her parents died. Along the way, she'd collected more than her share of lacerations on arms and legs, including separated ones. She knew how to snap them back into place herself.
Selene had dropped the sword, its clang loudly resounding on the floor. That noise had pulled a number of the onlookers from their stance.
Her left hand clutched at her right shoulder, digging the fingers hard around the joint. She jerked it sharply, and with a loud snap, she popped it back into place.
The sound cut through the tight atmosphere like a shout.
Everyone jumped in surprise. The maids shrieked aloud, the few of them covering their mouths in shock. One even fainted.
Alaric, who had been standing close by, blinked rapidly, his face white as paper. His eyes darted between Selene and Thorn incredulously. Ruthless. Too Ruthless, he thought, gulping hard. I must make a note to never mess with this little missy.
The queen's lips quivered, a flutter of doubt crossing her face as she watched the young girl snap her arm back, unflinching. "What kind of child..." she muttered to herself, shielding the prince more protectively.
The knights all stared, exchanging uneasy glances, shifting from foot to foot. One whispered, "M... monster.?" but became silent as Selene turned toward them, her eyes glinting razor-sharp and unhampered.
Damion, still pale, clutched the sleeve of his tunic with shaking hands. His horror was evident, but something else flickered in his gaze—fear.
"I'm scared," one of the maids whispered
Her glare sent cold sweat down her back. It was as though they had seen something beyond the realms of this world, something with which they were not familiar. Perhaps they had.
As Selene stood there, staring at the group of onlookers, a glowing prompt appeared in front of her.
[Congratulations! You've leveled up to Level 13.]
She blinked in surprise, and a list of new skills appeared:
Ruthlessness: Increases the chance of a critical hit by 50% and doubles the damage. Automatically activates when the caster's well-being is threatened. No cooldown. Effects: Removes all emotions from the caster while activated.
Dominance: Dominate a target or a group, forcing them to obey the caster's command. Lasts for 15 minutes. Cooldown: 1 hour.
Intimidation: Instills fear into a target or group, interrupting their state of mind. Only works if the caster's level is higher than the targets'.
She also received a notification that her Swordsmanship skill had increased to Level 4.
Selene's mouth twitched. These were skills that, in the game, only three of the male leads had earned. And they hadn't just gotten them through leveling up—they had to perform specific, usually dramatic, actions.
Aldric had earned his Dominance skill by commanding a group of injured students to rescue Eri after she'd recklessly tried to save a "kidnapped" girl, who was actually one of the bandits. Damion had gained Intimidation after scaring away a group of commoner girls who dared to argue with Eri about her discriminatory attitude toward non-humans. And Cedric Hargrave, the son of a baron, had gained Ruthlessness after cutting off a girl's arm—someone Eri had accused of stealing her hairpin, which she had misplaced in her own dorm room.
"How... did I get these skills?" Selene muttered, confused and puzzled. It was a fact in the game that skills could only be obtained in one of the three following methods: leveling up, defeating a boss monster, or completing major actions or quests. Then, what had she done to gain not one but three rare skills?
Her mind began to wander as her gaze strayed around the room. The crowd was still shocked, and it would appear she had grown a second head. Maids were huddled in quivering silence, while the knights exchanged uneasy glances with one another. Even Duke Magus and Duchess Evangeline were standing stock-still in an incredulous stare, wide-eyed as they glared at her.
Selene then glanced down at Thorn, who lay bleeding on the floor, her severed arm lying a short distance away. She then looked at her own dress and hands, covered in fresh, crimson blood, and suddenly brought everything crashing down on her. She hadn't just fought someone; she'd cut off someone's arm.
Her vision blurred for a moment as her heart raced. It was then that she realized what she had done. It hit her like a cold wave, and she turned pale.
"I-I just..." she stammered softly, a wave of nausea suddenly washing over her.
Her reaction appeared to stun the knights, who stared at her. They too had watched her cut off Thorn's arm with a sure, final blow; the ruthless efficiency of it still seemed to have left them speechless.
Duke Magnus tore his gaze away from the burning arm on the ground and turned to Selene. His normally unreadable face had a mix of disbelief and... admiration? Something else flickered in his eyes as he watched the little girl, who had just casually reset her own dislocated arm with a casual snap.
He snapped himself out of his thoughts and cleared his throat, the sound snapping everyone else back into reality, including Selene. Magnus looked softly at her and asked, "What happened here?"
The gentleness in his voice was surprising, and some tension actually managed to drain from her body. She let out a soft sigh and started explaining how Thorn had attacked her, tried taking her pendant, and how it all escalated. As she spoke, Magnus listened closely, closing his eyes while nodding along.
When she finished, he strode over to Thorn's still form on the floor. Silent, he kneeled beside her, his eyes cold once more. Selene watched in confusion as he summoned a small fireball into his palm, only to do something that ran the blood cold in every person there: he pressed the fireball against the bleeding stump that was all that remained of Thorn's arm.
Thorn screamed in agony as her body twitched and twisted as the fire cauterized the wound. The air was thick with burnt flesh, and the knights and maids recoiled back. Alaric could be heard muttering to himself, "Like father, like daughter."
The words caught, and Selene's bitterness welled in her throat. Don't compare me with this man.
Magnus stood up, his face unmoving. "Take her to her room," he ordered the knights, who did so, picking up the unconscious Thorn rather hesitantly. Then he turned to the maids. "Help her pack her things. She's getting thrown out by tomorrow."
Still trembling, the maids nodded and scurried to do his bidding. As they scrambled to accomplish their tasks, Isolde dragged a confused Aldric from the scene. Duchess Evangeline looked at Selene with horror and disgust before quickly fleeing the room without uttering a word.
Magnus cast a last final at Selene, and gave her a smile and nod in approval, which made her speechless. Without another word, he was out the door with Alaric not far behind.
She was left standing there with a group of terrified maids. Sighing deeply, she glanced at the room around her. Her gaze fell upon the spot where Thorn's severed arm once lay, now nothing but a pile of ashes. Something caught her eye. Lying amongst the ashes was her peach pendant; it seemed to be entirely unscathed by anything. The chain was broken, but the actual pendant shone as if it hadn't been touched by the flames.
Curious, she bent down to pick it up and found four small, marble-sized orbs beside it. After a moment of hesitation, she picked them up in the palm of her hand. Immediately upon contacting them, an interface popped before her eyes: [You have acquired 4 Soul Essences.]
She stared at him in utter surprise: Soul Essences? She continued to glare at the orbs in utter unbelief. What were they doing here? She did not have much time to dwell on it any longer, as Merly burst into the room, knocking over two maids in her rush.
"Selene! Are you all right?" Merly exclaimed, her face white with concern.
Selene managed a small smile and nodded. "I'm fine, Merly."
Merly's eyes ran up and down Selene before rounding on the maids, yelling at them to stop wasting time standing around. "What are you waiting for? Help me clean her up!"
Selene, Merly, and the maids began to leave the library, wholly unaware of Damion, who had been hiding just out of sight, trying to make himself as invisible as possible. He watched everything with wide eyes, not daring to move as they passed.