Chapter 28 – This Hand Has to Go!
Watching Teresa’s retreating figure, then glancing at the silver-haired elf beside him who looked clearly unsettled, Cole could easily tell—Astrid hadn’t gotten over her feelings for that blind Divine Child.
Cole was an extremely petty person. Because of his humble origins, he couldn't stand others doing better than him—especially those he considered inferior.
He couldn’t understand why Astrid was still hung up on that blind loser. There were plenty of Divine Children more capable than him—so why did someone as inept and undeserving as Dylin, someone who never should’ve been at Coleman Academy in the first place, receive the favor of the Elf Princess?
If it was about saving her life, then he could have done it too, couldn’t he? Why hadn’t that kind of opportunity fallen to someone more qualified—someone like him?
Rescuing a princess in distress—anyone could do that, and anyone who did would naturally win her favor. So why did that stroke of luck fall to such a low-grade nobody?
Cole couldn’t make sense of it. He seethed with frustration.
He had joined Dylin’s team only because there was a beauty like Astrid on it. But once he joined, he realized—this beauty already had someone in her heart.
He refused to accept that. He believed that Dylin, that mongrel, didn’t deserve the Elf Princess’s affections. So he stirred the pot, deliberately spreading the story and making the affair known throughout the school, turning Dylin into the public enemy of every male student.
Yes—besides Frand, Cole was no better. As the saying went: birds of a feather flock together.
***
On the other side, Astrid gently parted her lips to speak, only to close them again.
It had been a while since she’d last seen him. It had also been some time since they had lived under the same roof.
She had compromised with her elders, with her family. Astrid had thought that with time, she could move on—until she saw a new Divine Princess by his side.
That girl hadn’t undergone Divine Awakening yet. She had an unsightly scar on her face that affected her appearance, but Astrid had no doubt—once she awakened, she’d be a beauty, through and through.
After formal enrollment, each team would be assigned their own residence. Then, he and that girl would be living under the same roof...
Astrid clenched her hands. She didn’t know why, but just thinking about that made her feel sick to her stomach. It made her feel miserable.
She imagined herself walking down the street in the future, passing him like a stranger, watching him laugh and chat with his Divine Princess from afar...
The thought of it alone was enough to make her feel like her heart was being wrenched apart.
Were they truly destined to become strangers from now on?
Astrid was a traditional elf who followed her family’s rules closely.
When the elders of her clan found out about her relationship with Dylin, they had immediately intervened. As usual, Astrid had obediently complied.
Only this time, something inside her had shifted. For the first time in her life, she felt a rebellious emotion toward her elders—something that shocked even herself.
The elders of the Moon Elf Tribe had tried to snuff out emotional attachments. But they didn’t realize—the vine of affection had already climbed over the wall, growing wildly, unstoppable...
Elves were cold and hard to approach, especially in matters of love. They were known for their extremes.
Toward those they would never fall for, they remained aloof—stingy even with a glance.
But when they did fall in love, they gave it everything. If their beloved desired stars or moonlight, they would exhaust all efforts to give it. There were even elves who changed their entire preferences for the sake of love.
They were proud and distant, but the fervor and intoxication they felt for love far surpassed that of humans.
Loyalty was a fundamental trait of elves—especially when it collided with love at first sight, producing a powerful, uncontrollable reaction.
By now, Astrid no longer knew what to do. She was lost, unable to follow her instincts, unable to understand her feelings. All she could do was obey her elders, obey her clan.
A flicker of strange light shimmered across her cheeks as conflicting emotions filled her eyes.
She pulled a small raccoon-patterned handkerchief from her bosom. Staring at it, her eyes grew hazy.
***
This little episode had left a considerable impact—not just on Astrid, but also on Teresa, who now walked uncomfortably along the path to the Divine Princess Hall.
The more she thought about the elbow that had been gripped by that bastard, the more she felt like it still carried his stink. She had the urge to chop off that arm entirely.
This hand... had to go.
When she got home today, she was going to take three showers! No—ten!
She had to scrub off every last trace of that bastard’s scent from her body!
If it weren’t for the fact that class was starting soon, Teresa would’ve already run back to take a bath.
Actually, Teresa wasn’t at all surprised that Cole came looking for her. She knew his motives perfectly well.
Frand, who had stirred up the whole resignation storm, had clearly been in contact with his teammates. Since they had already interacted and gotten acquainted, it was only natural that birds of a feather would flock together again.
That arrogant half-elf didn’t just want her team to be abandoned—he even wanted to poach her only Divine Princess.
But what they probably never imagined… was that this Divine Princess was not going to be poached.
The Divine Princess Hall—like other Divine Princess-related buildings—was built with far superior materials and specs compared to other vocational halls. This alone reflected the academy’s prioritization of different professions.
It wasn’t exactly professional discrimination, either. The role of Divine Princesses simply was more important than that of other vocations—an objective fact. Since most Divine Princesses came from powerful families, a bit of favoritism was inevitable. For other vocations—like Divine Children and mages—their halls were more or less on par with one another.
That said, even though the hall looked like a palace and the students within seemed to speak and carry themselves with grace, that didn’t mean their characters were all upright. After all, high intelligence produced not only geniuses—but also villains. Values came from upbringing, not from family wealth or name.
Especially now, with this year’s batch of Divine Princesses just entering the academy—their quality varied wildly. Though most came from prestigious families, time would reveal just how many of them were secretly degenerates hiding behind a polished facade.