CATHERINE

In the main hall of a famous inn in the Balck Cloud city that is filled with several hundred people that have different expressions shown on their faces, now stood a beautiful girl wearing a red long gown with fear written all over her face, at the center of this big crowd. She couldn't even move a single nerve on her body.

'Everything happened too suddenly.'

was the thought in her head.

Catherine.

She was the beloved daughter of the Black Cloud City's, Mayor. She was born with purple-colored talent and became one of the renowned talents throughout all the cities surrounding, Black Cloud City. Her father Frederick was a True realm high-level Berserker, he is only a step away from Grand Realm. As for her mother, she is at the True realm low-level, Mage. Being a born talent and with a powerful background, from her childhood, she was treated like a princess. She achieved Apprentice Realm when she is only 17, which is the first time in Black Cloud City to have a 17 year Apprentice Realm until then.

In the city of Black Cloud, there are four families that stand erect for about hundreds of years. Even among those families, there are little people that could even talk to her on equal grounds. If someone messes with her then they won't have a happy ending here.

Actually, a good example happend before two months, a rich family kid from the nearby city came to an auction and messed with her on the city's market place, then the next day he was seen lying down at the City Gate, with his cultivation being broken. As for his family members who came to retrieve him back, no one inquired about the incident or question who the perpetrator was, they went back silently as though nothing happened.

The only problem for her is a promise made by her grandfather to the famous Silver's family in the city. That is among the four great families. The promise was a marriage engagement between her and the direct lineage grandson, Patrick Silver of the Silver family. From her point of view, Patrick is trash, that she would never marry. Most of all she doesn't even want to look at him. He was a born talent but got into an accident when he was 5 years old and his Mana Palace was broken. He couldn't cultivate after that and became a degenerate.

She doesn't want her life to end in this city with some Patrick, she wants to experience the world outside. She is someone with a talent that made the masses jealous.

On the Openbook, she met a talented person like her from a Great Academy. And from that talented person, she got lots of contacts. From them, she heard that, out of the city, there are plenty of talents like her. So she wanted to explore that world. She wanted to step to that world of talents.

From their help, she applied for famous Academies. Then came the happy news for her, to the Mayor's mansion about a month ago, that, she was accepted as a student by the famous Blue Dragon Empire's, Blue Dragon Academy. Her hard work paid off. However, she still had this useless engagement on her body.

At the time when she was thinking of a way to disown this engagement, she heard from her father that, there are two True Realm High-level old men on the city that are working staff of the Blue Dragon Academy. It is said they came to Black Cloud City in search of a notorious criminal. They came here on the information, they got from the Information Guild that the head butchering duo was the students of that criminal they are in search of.

Catherine's thoughts were that she could renounce the marriage agreement with the borrowed power of Blue Dragon Academy.

When Catherine confronted the two old men with her request, they proposed, if she needs their help, she has to capture the head butchering duo, so they can lure that criminal Master out.

For a month, she has tracked them out.

And lured them out of their snakeskin, yet she ended up in failure.

When she was brooding over her failure, yesterday, after losing the criminals right through her fingers.

Abruptly a young man around 15 years old entered her life, out of nowhere, and proclaimed that he will capture the head butchering duo in a day. Hearing that she was annoyed beyond words, her ego was hurt before the old men of the Academy. She even posted a random quest on the Assassin Guild to beat that guy, so that he wouldn't come today, but everything failed.

Everyone said the same thing, that they can't find that guy in the inn or in the surrounding areas. He vanished, after entering his room until it was 5 a.m.000 in the morning.

Finally, with no other options, she confronted him, herself. In a way to scare him away with her power as city Mayors daughter, but that guy flirted with her. Then she thought of dealing with him once the senior brother of the Blue Dragon Academy, that she knew from the Openbook chat group, who is coming to meet her in the Black Cloud City after two days.

And when she saw the guy talking to the Hawks and them capturing her father's personal Knight, she became angered to have lost to a no-name guy and forget to check her surroundings.

As she was too focused on what to do with the guy, she felt some peculiar fragrance around her. Feeling a threat she tried to circulate her mana, but she was late. Her whole body became paralyzed and a Hawk fellow 'parked' a sword on her neck.

She became a hapless captive.

She comprehended that the staff of the Blue Dragon Academy would not help her, their only goal is the criminal behind the head butchering duo. And she still didn't officially join their Academy.

But the surprise package for her day didn't end there, the guy who she wanted to punish, killed an Apprentice Realm High-level Knight with just three moves.

It's not that killing is new to her, she had killed many beasts and bandits in the forest borders. Yet, something feels different about the whole thing. The guy stood before her is completely letting out a different vibe, he didn't show anger or ecstasy in the killing. He performed it like a normal thing. There is not a single change in his mood, even after killing a person. It was like she was meeting a devil.

Ba-dump... Ba-dump...

Her heartbeat speed started to rise.

She realized not only hers's but even the member of the head butchering duo, that is rumored to have massacred several villages, is shivering behind her. The sword placed in her neck is shaking, uncontrollably. She became alarmed that the guy behind her would cut her neck unknowingly due to his trembling hands in fear. She prayed in her heart,

'Please hold the Sword properly'

At that time she heard that guy named Robin look at the guy behind her and say brutal words with a happy smile on his handsome face,

"I want his head for the bounty. You don't mind about it, right? After all, he is your Brother."

'Is this guy trying to get me murdered by inciting this Hawk guy'

'First, he flirted with me, then he killed that guy even when this Hawk guy threatened to kill me and now he was making this guy angered. Why did I do to get into this predicament'

Then she looked towards the Crowd of people standing behind Robin, in between the crowd she saw a familiar face,

Her Fiancee.

'Why is he here? Why is everyone I meet today is only bad guys, is there no prince charming to save me...'