Reborn as the General's Useless Daughter-Chapter 319: The Tri-Academy Exchange Arc (Part-11)

Lunar Academy was already at a disadvantage. If Zora somehow found a way to undermine Caius’s inscription, their situation would only worsen.

Caius, however, waved his hand dismissively.

"Relax. With so many eyes watching, she can’t possibly do anything." His tone was confident, even slightly arrogant, as if the idea of Zora outmaneuvering him had never crossed his mind.

Caius looked at Zora with interest, a faint smile hanging at the corner of his lips.

"If you want to see it, I can lend it to you," he said leisurely. "Just don’t damage it." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

Seeing how complacent he was, a trace of mockery flickered through Zora’s eyes. This man truly lived for showing off.

"Rest assured," she replied calmly. "Since it’s something you treasure, I naturally won’t harm it."

Caius raised his brows slightly and strolled up to her. With a casual flick of his wrist, he held the sword out before her. The six-pointed star inscription shimmered faintly on the blade, its lines clear and unmistakable.

"Well?" he asked with a smile full of confidence. "Can you tell what it is? Though I doubt you’d understand it anyway."

Yet the moment Zora’s gaze settled on the pattern, her heart sank.

She recognized it instantly.

This inscription had come from her own hands.

But how could something she had drawn end up on Caius’s weapon?

"Caius," Zora spoke slowly, her tone calm but probing, "this inscription wasn’t purchased personally by you, was it? It should have been obtained by an elder from your family. And I’m sure that your elders purchased it in our Heavenly City."

She clearly remembered him saying that the inscription was bought by his elders at an auction. If so, then there was only one possibility: it had been acquired in Heavenly City.

The chance of it being resold, transferred, and coincidentally falling into Caius’s hands was practically nonexistent.

As soon as she said this, Caius’s expression stiffened.

He hadn’t mentioned this detail just now. How did Zora know?

At the same time, Sebastian and Miel’s gazes locked onto Caius. Zora would never speak words on blatant speculation.

A Spirit Warrior that is associated with Lunar Academy appearing in Heavenly City before the exchange meeting... that alone was suspicious.

Watching Caius’ subtle change in expression, Zora felt her guess settle into certainty.

An elder from Caius’s family had gone to Heavenly City, most likely shortly before the college exchange began.

She had always known that Lunar Academy harbored ill intentions toward the Imperial Academy, but she hadn’t expected their reach to extend so far already. This went far beyond mere rivalry.

Not only Caius, but Ophelia and the others also showed faint changes in expression.

The situation of the Imperial academy was no secret to them. Their objective had always been clear: weaken it, suppress it, and eventually destroy it.

Being called out so directly by Zora, however, made things awkward.

The atmosphere instantly turned subtle. The three colleges present all sensed the shift.

Sebastian and Miel cast dissatisfied looks toward Wystan and Jorvan. Lunar Academy’s conduct today was becoming increasingly disgraceful.

Even Gerrad’s face darkened. They had already noticed Lunar Academy’s movements before, but they hadn’t expected them to be so blatant this time.

Thunderclap Academy might be an enemy, but at least it disdained using such underhanded tricks.

Lunar Academy, on the other hand, behaved like a vile schemer, acting in the shadows and leaving nothing but revulsion behind.

Caius quickly recovered and denied Zora’s implication outright.

"How could this inscription come from some remote backwater place like Heavenly City?" he said coldly. "You’re mistaken."

Disdain filled his eyes, yet beneath it lay irritation. Zora’s words had struck a nail to the truth, leaving him feeling as though needles were pricking his skin.

Caius’s words instantly ignited the fury of the academy’s Spirit Warriors.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Marcus snapped coldly. "In my eyes, Moon City is the place where birds don’t even bother to land! Dogs really can’t spit out ivory!"

Caius only laughed mockingly. "What’s wrong with that? If Heavenly City weren’t some barren backwater, how could it be impossible to buy inscriptions there?"

His lies rolled off his tongue with increasing ease. Straightening his posture, he said with absolute confidence, "Let me make it clear. This inscription was bought in Moon City. No matter how jealous you are, it’s useless."

Marcus stared at him icily. In truth, he knew very well that Heavenly City indeed didn’t have a place selling inscriptions. But that didn’t mean Heavenly City was some desolate wasteland. On the contrary, it was prosperous and lively. Caius’s words were nothing but deliberate slander.

"Moon City may produce trash like you," Reesa said bluntly, "but we’re not envious in the slightest."

Caius looked at her with open disdain. "Still talking tough? If you’re not envious, why did you sneak to Moon City trying to buy inscriptions?"

Zora’s red lips curved into a faint, mocking smile. "An ordinary inscription like this... why would we bother wasting our time?"

The moment her words fell, Caius sneered loudly. "Zora, you really can’t eat grapes and still complain they’re sour. The jealousy is written all over your face."

"If it’s really as ’ordinary’ as you say, then take one out and show us!"

His gaze swept arrogantly over her group. "From what I saw in the city, aside from Alaric Von Seraph getting an inscription at Sapphire’s Exchange, none of you have one!"

Caius was completely confident. He had personally tested the power of this inscription. Its fire-attribute attacks were fierce and explosive, perfectly suited for combat. Such an effect was anything but ordinary.

Many in the surrounding crowd nodded inwardly. Even the most basic inscriptions were luxuries to ordinary Spirit Warriors. Some people had never even seen a real inscription in their entire lives.

For Zora to say such words now seemed like she was digging a hole for herself and jumping straight in.

A faint smile appeared in Malrick’s eyes. "This Zora does have some ability," he said slowly, "but with that ability comes arrogance. That’s laughable."

Sensing the mockery in Malrick’s tone, Gerrad’s gaze shifted to Zora as well. He couldn’t help feeling puzzled. Why would she push things this far?

Judging from his understanding of her character, Zora wasn’t someone who acted rashly or spoke without thinking.

At this moment, Zora’s exquisite face bloomed with a dazzling, almost teasing smile.

Before today, she hadn’t fully grasped the true combat effect of the inscriptions she had drawn. After auctioning them off, she never had the chance or the need to use such things herself.

Since then, she had continued drawing inscriptions diligently, yet had never relied on them in battle.

But today, Caius had personally demonstrated their power for her.

Now, she no longer needed to wonder whether her inscriptions were strong enough.

Meeting Caius’s provocative gaze, Zora spoke calmly, her voice light but sharp. "If I really take one out... what then?"

Caius froze for a moment, clearly not expecting her to press the matter so directly. After a brief pause, he burst into laughter.

"If you can take one out," he declared arrogantly, "I’ll destroy my sword on the spot!"

Zora’s eyes brightened slightly. She had only intended to provoke Caius a little, yet she hadn’t expected him to dig a hole for himself and jump in without hesitation.

"You said that yourself," she asked calmly, her tone unhurried. "Can you really stand by those words?"

"Of course!"

Before Ophelia could even stop him, Caius blurted it out. In his heart, there was no doubt at all. He simply did not believe that Zora could possibly produce the same inscription.

If she truly had such an inscription, why would she wait until now to reveal it?

Seeing how quickly Caius agreed, Ophelia could only sigh inwardly. A faint sense of unease rose in her heart. For some reason, Zora’s sudden change in attitude felt... dangerous.

Based on what she knew, Caius’s inscription had almost certainly come from Heavenly City. Zora had lived in Heavenly City all along. If there was anyone who might really have something up her sleeve, it would be her.

"In that case," Zora said lightly, "I’ll let you take a good look."

In the next instant, before everyone’s stunned gazes, Zora reached into her storage pouch and pulled out a thick stack of inscriptions.

That’s right.

A thick stack.

The moment the familiar red six-pointed star patterns appeared, Caius’s vision went dark. His mind buzzed violently, as if struck by lightning.

How was this possible?

Was this some kind of joke?

So many inscriptions... was she running an inscription shop?

Even if she were selling them, did she really need to carry this many around?