Supreme Warlock System : From Zero to Ultimate With My Wives

Warlock Ch 308. Rigged Exam

But before either of them could act, a smooth, lilting voice cut through the air.

"My, my," Victoria drawled, stepping forward. "I never thought an S-rank exam would be this bad." She strolled in like she owned the damn place.

A ripple of tension spread through the council members. In an instant, their smug posturing shifted to barely concealed anxiety.

"Your Majesty," one of them greeted hurriedly, bowing slightly. The others followed suit, all stiff politeness and feigned respect.

Victoria barely spared them a glance. Instead, her gaze flicked to Aria, who had been standing rigidly to the side, before finally settling on Selena's pale form in Damian's arms.

Aria's shoulders tensed. "I'm sorry," she murmured, her voice laced with guilt. "This isn't how it's supposed to be."

Damian barely held back a snarl.

"Oh really?" he snapped. "Because it sure looks like this was planned."

Aria flinched, but she nodded. "There were supposed to be healers. There always are." Her hands clenched into fists. "But… there were discussions. Some people pushed for the exam to be more 'realistic.'"

"Realistic?" Damian spat.

"More like rigged," Cassius muttered darkly.

Aria exhaled sharply. "S-class magi are increasing. That title used to mean something, but now… some people think it's become cheap. Too easy to obtain. That's why they changed the exam."

"So they made it a fucking death trap instead?" Evelyn snarled, her eyes flashing dangerously. "Do they even care who dies?"

Aria shook her head. "No. As long as it 'weeds out the weak,' that's all that matters."

Victoria hummed, tilting her head. "We'll talk about that later." Her tone was casual, but Damian knew better. There was steel underneath those words. Then, she turned back to Selena. "Right now, I need a room for her. I want to know what I can do."

Her gaze flicked to Aria again, sharp as a blade.

"Because if this happened to my family," she said, her voice dangerously smooth, "it would mean war."

A murmur of unease rippled through the gathered council. Some of them shifted uncomfortably. Others avoided looking at her altogether.

A staff member finally stepped forward, bowing quickly. "This way, Your Majesty."

Damian didn't wait for any further invitation. He moved immediately, cradling Selena against him, his legs burning with the effort to keep his pace steady.

Alric was at his side in an instant, his face pale but determined. His hands were clenched tight at his sides, but he stayed silent.

They followed the staff member down a long corridor.

Evelyn walked beside Damian, eyes flickering between Selena's too-still face and the hallway ahead.

"She's strong," Evelyn murmured. "But we need to move fast."

"I know," Damian ground out.

Cassius exhaled sharply from the other side. "I don't like this. I don't like any of this."

"No shit," Damian bit back. His patience was hanging on by a thread. "But we don't have time to argue about it."

Victoria's gaze remained unreadable as she walked behind them. She hadn't said anything more since her declaration of war, but her presence alone made it clear—this wasn't over.

Finally, they reached a heavy wooden door, and the staff member pushed it open.

"Here."

Damian stepped inside without hesitation, carefully lowering Selena onto the bed. Her skin was too cold. Too pale. He clenched his fists.

Alric was beside her in a heartbeat, dropping to his knees. His hands hovered uselessly over her, his expression pained.

"This is my fault," he muttered. "I should have seen it coming. I should have—"

"Shut up," Damian snapped. "Now's not the time for that."

Alric stiffened but nodded.

Victoria finally moved closer, her gaze assessing. Then she sighed, shaking her head.

"She's already past the easy stage," she murmured. "If she was any weaker, she'd already be gone."

"So what do we do?" Alric said in a panic.

Damian didn't answer right away. His brain was working overtime, but nothing good was coming out of it. Selena's breathing was barely there, her skin cold and clammy. He needed something now.

He turned to Alric. "Do you have a potion? A tonic? Anything strong enough to repel this?"

Alric shook his head. "I—I only have an elixir. Princess has one too, but—"

"Not enough," Damian cut him off. He could hear how desperate Alric was, but desperation wasn't going to save her. They needed something more.

Victoria, who had been watching Selena closely, finally spoke. "The poison's already in her system," she murmured, tracing a gloved finger near Selena's wrist. "It's in her blood. If I could do something with that…" Her lips curled slightly. "You know, blood is my specialty."

Cassius frowned. "But isn't vampire healing only effective for vampires?"

"It is," Victoria admitted. "Vampire blood and fae blood don't mix."

"So what's your plan then?" Damian demanded.

Victoria flicked her gaze to Evelyn, eyes gleaming. "We have a witch here, don't we?"

Evelyn's expression sharpened. "You want me to use runes to neutralize it?"

"Exactly." Victoria nodded. "If we combine it, I can work with her blood without it rejecting my influence."

Evelyn crossed her arms. "I can do it. But I'll need a clear space to carve the runes properly. And you'll have to be precise."

"I'm always precise," Victoria said smoothly.

Victoria glanced at Selena again. "Also… I need someone who can help me manipulate her blood. She's critical enough that I won't be able to do it alone."

A heavy silence settled over the room.

Then, one by one, every single person except Alric turned to Damian.

Damian exhaled. Right. Of course. No one else here could pull that off.

He nodded once. No hesitation. "Fine."

Cassius clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Then we need to move fast." His eyes flickered toward Alric, who was still kneeling by Selena's side, his hands clenched into fists.

Cassius' face hardened. "You need to go, Sir Alric."

Alric's head snapped up. "What?"

"You can't be here," Cassius said, his voice firm. "This isn't something you can help with."