The Dark Knight Academy was known for its unorthodox way of doing things, which made Charlotte’s statement feel far more believable. Honestly, Liam himself had already considered the possibility moments earlier before Charlotte had even voiced it aloud.

The academy claimed this assessment was meant to evaluate individual survival.

However, it had also been clearly stated that the test was meant to be more than simple survival.

And because of that, the possibility of there being some hidden or secondary objective wasn’t far-fetched at all.

"So you think they want us to discover the truth about Berserker demons?" Charlotte asked casually.

"I never said that," Liam replied calmly. "And honestly, that thought never crossed my mind until now."

Charlotte stared at him for a moment.

"So you were planning to search for a Berserker entirely out of your own curiosity?"

"Yes," Liam answered simply. "There is truth to the academy likely knowing far more about Berserker demons than they’ve taught us, and possibly using this assessment to observe which students are willing to move beyond merely surviving as prey in this realm and instead begin uncovering truths like predators."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"But that possibility remains nothing more than an assumption because none of it was ever officially mentioned. The academy itself might also be oblivious to the actual truth behind Berserker demons."

His crimson eyes reflected softly in the firelight.

"But none of that is really my problem."

Charlotte remained silent as he continued speaking.

"I was fortunate enough to find a book that presented a believable theory," Liam said calmly. "And whether that theory holds legitimate truth or not..."

He paused slightly.

"...I intend to find out for myself."

Charlotte stared at him quietly for a long moment while taking in his words.

By now, she had already finished the deer meat and casually tossed the stripped bone aside.

"I’d prefer if you didn’t just leave that there," Liam said calmly, referring to the bone.

Charlotte immediately smirked.

"Damn, I knew it," she said as though she had just confirmed something she’d suspected all along. "You really are an order freak."

She waved a dismissive hand.

"Relax. I’ll pick it up once we’re done talking."

Then she leaned back slightly again.

"Anyway..." she continued. "So the main reason you cast this little ’Silent’ spell is because you don’t want the academy figuring out that you know about all this?"

She paused for half a second before correcting herself.

"If this actually is their hidden motive."

"Yeah," Liam replied calmly.

Charlotte scoffed lightly.

"Well, you do realize this little act of yours is only gonna make them more suspicious of you, right?" she asked. "They’re definitely going to have their eyes on you for the rest of this assessment."

"That doesn’t really matter to me," Liam replied. "All they’ll be able to do is speculate about what we’re discussing and what my objective might be."

He leaned slightly back against the rocky wall beside him.

"Until something actually happens, all they’ll be doing is guessing."

Charlotte stared at him even more after hearing that, a faint smirk slowly forming across her lips again.

The more she listened to Liam speak, the more she realized something about Liam Hunter.

Beneath the detached and calm demeanor, which was undeniably genuine, there was something deeply unhinged hidden underneath it all.

And somehow, the calmness only made it worse.

Because to Charlotte, if she had Liam’s strength, intelligence, and abilities, she would’ve done the complete opposite of what he was doing right now.

She would’ve found a safe hole somewhere within Nalim and spent the remainder of the assessment hidden inside it without wasting even the slightest amount of extra effort.

She would’ve coasted through the entire thing.

And even if it negatively affected her ranking afterward, she truly wouldn’t have cared.

As long as she remained safe, comfortable, and alive with the least amount of effort possible, what else was there to worry about?

Yet the one person any second-year student, whether they liked him or hated him, would’ve been relieved to encounter in this nightmare of a realm...

The one person she herself had been fortunate enough to run into...

...was apparently planning to hunt down a demon.

And not just any demon either, but a Sync-class.

A Berserker.

Charlotte still remembered how, during their first-year end-of-semester exam, it had taken four top-ranked students working together just to bring down a single Berserker demon.

And now Liam apparently intended to seek one out willingly.

Stars knew what he actually planned to do once he found it.

All of that made Charlotte seriously question whether following Liam was truly going to be worth it.

She had originally joined him because it meant she wouldn’t constantly have to handle threats by herself.

More importantly, it meant she wouldn’t need to rely heavily on her beast-dominant form anymore.

Maintaining that form for extended periods consumed far more Myst than her normal transformation. After everything she had already gone through, her reserves had already dropped close to sixty percent.

And unlike Liam, Charlotte had absolutely no interest in forcing herself into dangerous situations just to satisfy curiosity.

After thinking things through for a long while, mostly from the perspective of her own survival, Charlotte finally spoke again.

"Honestly..." she said casually, "as curious as I am to see how all this turns out..."

She glanced toward him.

"...I’m still considering just staying here while giving you directions on where to go instead."

"I wouldn’t mind that," Liam replied calmly. "It helps you anyway."

"Yeah, but still..." Charlotte muttered with a skeptical expression. "As hidden as this place might be, some random demon could eventually wander by out of curiosity and discover it."

She crossed her arms loosely.

"And then I’d have to fight again, which I really don’t feel like doing."

Liam tilted his head slightly, already understanding where this conversation was heading.

"So..." Charlotte continued, "I might as well just follow you on your suicidal little hunt."

She smirked faintly.

"It’ll probably be more useful for you if I’m physically there instead of relying on descriptions and directions."

Then her golden eyes narrowed slightly in amusement.

"Though I do have one condition."

Liam waited.

"You have to make sure I stay safe," Charlotte said shamelessly while smiling. "That’s fair, right?"

Liam stared at her quietly while considering it.

Acting as Charlotte’s personal bodyguard while pursuing his own objective inside a realm like Nalim was undeniably going to be troublesome.

Then again, there were advantages to keeping her around.

He wouldn’t need to rely on Smoke nearly as much, which meant the shadow wolf wouldn’t constantly need to maintain its full form.

That alone helped significantly because even though Smoke’s Myst consumption wasn’t rapid, maintaining his larger form still steadily drained Liam over time.

Charlotte herself would also make navigating the eastern region far more efficient than relying solely on vague directions or scent trails.

After weighing everything properly, Liam finally made his decision.

"Sure," he said calmly. "I can do that."

He looked directly at her.

"As long as you don’t deliberately become a problem, I shouldn’t have any difficulty keeping you safe."

Hearing that, Charlotte visibly brightened up as that familiar mischievous glow returned to her golden eyes.

"Now that’s what I wanted to hear," she said in a velvety tone. "Having you as my personal bodyguard is something I’m definitely going to enjoy for the rest of this assessment, bae."

Liam said nothing as he slowly stood up and looked down at her.

"Also," he added calmly, "I’d appreciate it if you didn’t openly mention anything we just discussed after I dismiss the Silent spell."

"Of course, Baedyguard," Charlotte teased immediately. "Wouldn’t want the academy figuring things out too early."

"Thank you," Liam replied simply.

He turned toward the crevice entrance.

"I’ll be outside for a while. Call me if you need help with anything down here."

Charlotte immediately narrowed her eyes seductively.

"Anything?~"

"Don’t push it," Liam replied simply as he dismissed the Silent spell and started climbing toward the crevice entrance.

"But that was your wording," Charlotte teased behind him.

"Goodnight," Liam said simply as he climbed out through the narrow opening.

Charlotte only giggled softly while watching him disappear outside.

"Oh..." she muttered to herself with an amused smile. "I’m really going to enjoy the rest of this assessment."