Chapter 2 Past Life and Present Life

  In the year 984 AD, twenty years before the fall of Mide, the Kingdom of Belmair in the southern continent was still in a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

  Although the plants and animals have undergone varying degrees of mutation over the past three years, the threat they pose is at most similar to that of roaming bandits, and it's still far from being a cause for panic.

  In addition, Bellmare has always been fertile land and has not had any wars with other countries in recent years, so it will not deliberately strengthen its military. Even in this historic Royal Magic Academy, there are more and more idle noble sons, rather than diligent public elites.

  However, Middy, who possessed the memories of his past life, knew that a series of crises would soon befall the dukedom like a storm, crushing it to pieces.

  In 985, with the devastating fire of Gran Soren, the reappearance of the Sky City and the intensification of the anomaly phenomenon. By then, Bellmalle, which had only maintained order with a few small knight orders and mercenaries, would fall into chaos.

  In 986, however, the invasion of the Holy Roman Empire would deliver a mortal blow to the tottering ducal house.

  The vast majority of nobles living on this land will die in that war, and their lands, property, and even wives and daughters will become spoils of the Delos Empire.

  This includes Fina's Hamilton family and Middy's own Ashtreks family.

  The joy of rebirth, the happiness of a lover's resurrection still lingered in his mind, but Midei didn't let it get to his head. Having tasted despair before, he knew that now was far from the time to indulge in emotions and enjoy life; on the contrary, he had to become stronger as soon as possible, or else he would fall into the same trap again.

  He remembered very clearly that the greatest danger in this college trial was not the monsters, but the assassins!

  The Kingdom of Bellmard is currently divided into two opposing factions: the Queen's faction and the Senatorial faction. The struggle between them has been going on for decades, with various open and secret struggles emerging one after another.

  However, since the admission of Fina, a magical genius, she has been suppressing many noble children with her impeccable performance, increasing the influence of the Queen's faction. That's why Seth, the Grand Duke and leader of the Parliamentarian faction, thought of using this method to eliminate the future pillar of the Queen's faction in advance.

  Even becoming a member of Fiona's team was a clever plan arranged by the Congressional faction - letting a young noble with no background join in, even the Queen's faction couldn't say much about it, otherwise it would be considered special treatment.

  In her past life, she was a drag on others and indeed brought a lot of trouble to Feena.

  Finally, when the assassin appeared, Middy implicated her as well, causing Fina, who was originally able to safely navigate the danger, to be injured. Not only did she fail to get first place in the trial, but she also had to rest for several months afterwards.

  It was then that Middy began to pay attention to his lifesaver and finally started working hard in order to gain her recognition.

  It's just that everything is too late now.

  Neither of them managed to catch up with the large-scale strategic formation of the public country, and they were forced to become fugitives. Only then did they experience the hardships and sufferings of being homeless and helpless.

  But this time it's different.

  From the very beginning, Mi Di knew who his enemies were and what he should protect.

  This time, I will never lose her again.

  For this, Mide had to find a way to increase his strength before the college trial, so that he could play a sufficient role in the trial.

  He remembered that the ghost god of his previous life's contract was now sleeping in a desolate canyon not far from the family's territory. If he could make good preparations and obtain it ahead of time to become a Kijin, it would likely be very beneficial.

  Moreover, what's more important is to rebuild the trust and bond between myself and Fiona bit by bit, patiently and carefully. No matter what kind of battle it is, having a companion with a deep understanding, a reliable and strong team, are the best guarantees.

  Just then, when Mide had secretly made up his mind, the "lover" opposite him had a hint of disdain in his eyes.

  The red-haired girl looked at Midy's outstretched hand with an icy gaze, humming softly, before grasping it back as if accepting a challenge.

  The chill numbness that spread from the palm of his hand made Midie realize that Feena had instantly activated her magic, wrapping her entire hand in frost. In other words, she didn't even think about making skin contact with him and was planning to express the anger in her heart with this gesture full of rejection.

  Midi couldn't help but feel a bitter smile in her heart, but this was also an unavoidable thing.

  Who would have thought that the current self is still the infamous prodigal son in college?

  A person like me can get a good face from the future Magic Bullet Queen? No way.

  "Well then, Miss Hamilton..." Medley coughed, breaking the silence.

  "No need to be so troublesome, just call me Fina, I don't like being too formal. Besides, didn't you already shout it out earlier?" The future Bullet Queen shrugged her shoulders and said in a nonchalant tone, then added coldly, "However, please also refrain from having any wild ideas, or else you'll have to bear the consequences yourself."

  To Fiona, he was nothing but a mediocre talent who relied on his family's influence to get by, and didn't even deserve courtesy. If it weren't for the manipulations of the council faction, she could have easily refused to accept Middy as a member of her team.

  Originally, whether it was tact or reserve, or worldly wisdom and sophistication, in Fiona's eyes they were all just tricks of the nobles, and she had never possessed compromise and courtesy.

  However, this familiar style made Medea's eyes involuntarily flash with a hint of nostalgia and longing - even in her girlhood days, Feena was indeed that Feena.

  Midi thought so, and then replied casually: "Well, Feena, you can call me Midi too. Anyway, since we're going to team up, let's go try it out on the practice field first?"

  Trust can't be built overnight, it needs to be cultivated slowly. Midee plans to prove his strength first.

  The red-haired girl originally thought that this half-baked swordsman might make some excuses, but unexpectedly, the other party actually proposed to have a real practice session.

  It doesn't seem like it can get any more boring than this.

  Fina thought to herself, her mouth corners involuntarily curling up slightly, finally revealing the first smile of the day: "Very good, I didn't expect you to have such awareness. The other side has already been arranged, let's go now and end this quickly."

  The training ground on a rainy day looks very deserted, and most of the outdoor facilities are empty, with only a few indoor shooting ranges still having people shooting. From a certain perspective, this also indirectly reflects the current situation in the Principality of Bellmard - a hazy winter rain is enough to make the top students of the academy give up their usual training that should be uninterrupted by thunder and lightning.

  However, even so, the arrival of Storm Queen still caused a considerable stir.

  And right behind that bright red hair, Midori also immediately became the focus of everyone's attention. After all, a male student who can get so close to the Storm Queen has not appeared until now.

  It's not that Mide has received any special treatment now, but because he has been familiar with his lover's personality over the years. Fina's every move represents a certain mood, and Mide can understand it all.

  For example, hugging her arms means "don't bother me". And that cool yet charming smile means "I'm a little interested". As long as you give the right response, you can slightly close the distance with her.

  Ignoring the commotion of the crowd, Feena led Middy directly into one of the training rooms.

  A blond-haired boy and another lovely girl with freckles on her face had been waiting here, no doubt they were the other two members of Fiona's team. Until now, Middy finally understood what the girl meant by "arranged".

  In Medici's memory, during the test in his previous life, because of his own procrastination, it took several days, and these two people did not appear. He even secretly rejoiced at this, unaware that he had already disappointed Feina and missed an opportunity to truly gain her recognition.

  But now, Mideer won't let such a great opportunity slip away from under his nose again.

  "He is Siegmond, the Gunner. She is Lilian, the Cleric." Fiona introduced simply.

  In fact, even without introduction, Middy is very familiar with the two core powers of the future "Falcon Squad".

  However, this outstanding couple has no good feelings towards Midee, a spoiled rich kid. If Midee is just a roadside stone to the proud Feena now, then in their eyes, he is a complete drag on their progress.

  Although they knew it was impossible to kick him out of the team, the two still showed undisguised disdain and contempt, looking at Middy as if he were a pile of trash.

  Normally, a young man would have been furious under such a provocative gaze, but Middy just calmly introduced himself without any emotional fluctuations.

  "This kid, can indeed keep a level head, but what about his actual abilities?" Sigmund thought to himself as he exchanged a glance with Lilian.

  "Let's just use six intermediate automated puppets as opponents then." After greeting her teammates, Feena turned around, still with a cold and icy demeanor, hugging her arm.

  On the training grounds, the simplest way to test actual combat strength is to use an automated puppet created by a Puppeteer. After being input with specific programs, the puppet can simulate various actions of monsters after mutation, and in case of accidents, it can stop instantly, with a delay of no more than half a second, making it a very safe method.

  For intermediate players, their strength is only at the level of a 14th-level Minotaur, which is nothing for these students who have reached or exceeded level 16 and are preparing to change jobs.

  Just as Feena had promised Dean Lind at the beginning, she didn't mean to be difficult.

  "Even with this burden, I can still be the first to pass the trial." The girl with vibrant red hair seemed to be proclaiming loudly and confidently.

  Midi believes in this point, but he doesn't want to be a drag again.

  "Six intermediate auto-puppets are meaningless, why not change it to 'Inferno Challenge' instead?" Midi suggested.

  Let's not mention Feina, in Midy's memory, Siegmond and Lilian have already reached level 19 at this time, and they had the strength to sweep through the Flame Challenge.

  Whether it's six dolls or ten dolls, in the eyes of these three people, they are probably all dragging their feet. In fact, the attitude shown by Siegmond and Lilian now has explained everything, if you want to get their recognition, you must be on the same level as them.

  So, Mide chose "Inferno Challenge" from the very beginning.

  This is one of the most famous challenges in Bellemare Royal Magic Academy, consisting of a magical puppet, two senior puppets and eight intermediate puppets.

  Intermediate puppets are equivalent to 14th-level Minotaur Vanguard. Advanced puppets are equivalent to 16th-level Fluorescent Cat Demon. Magical puppets are equivalent to 17th-level Flame Mage. These puppets together form a complete adventure team, and if the formation is fully deployed, even relying solely on the puppet's own intelligence, it can strangle any opponent below level 20.

  Although this current body lacks exercise and can only barely be considered a 16th-level swordsman, Mide has twenty years of combat experience walking the line between life and death, and also possesses the sharpest eyesight and broadest field of vision after his second awakening, completely able to make up for his lack of strength with technique.

  However, it was obvious that the three of them, including Feena, thought that this kid in front of them was just messing around.

  "If you lack self-awareness, you'll die quickly." Lillian's voice was crisp and clear, but couldn't hide the sarcasm. "Do you think it's safe to be able to stop people at any time? Inertia can't be stopped, and when the time comes, a crash will turn you into a puddle of flesh."

  "Six intermediate puppets would be suitable, or we could go one by one, as long as you don't hold us back, we won't mind. If you were to die on the training grounds, Miss Feina would also be troubled, why be so stubborn?" Sigmond reminded kindly, this kindness filled with a strong person's pity for the weak.

  However, the red-haired girl felt a strong sense of determination hidden beneath Middy's serious expression and thin physique.

  In fact, this guy named Midei seemed very strange from the beginning - obviously just a useless rich kid, but he was always calm and composed in front of himself; although he stared at himself extremely rudely, he didn't feel any disgust, but instead sensed a long-forgotten familiarity and warmth from those eyes.

  And now, this guy who can barely reach the strength of a 16th-level swordsman is actually boasting about taking on the Flame Challenge?

  Unforeseen and illogical situations made Fiona feel a wave of annoyance.

  But deep down, she felt that this black-haired and black-eyed youth might actually have a chance of succeeding through his challenge.

  "Since you've asked for it, let's give it a try." The Storm Queen surprisingly agreed to the outlandish proposal.

  The blonde gunman and Violent Priest were both startled, but Middy seemed to have expected this answer all along, nodding calmly without any surprise.

  "But let's get one thing straight, if you fail, don't expect a second chance from me." Fiona said coldly, her eyes fixed on the other person.

  "One chance is enough." Meddy replied quietly, as if saying it to himself again, "Enough."