200th Episode
From first-years to fourth-years. The auditorium, where almost everyone from Academia has gathered.
It had been turned upside down by the appearance of Archbishop Beris during festival season, but it is now completely restored.
—To the next Student Council President, Diphelia.
In the center of the stage, Saint Diphelia rolled out in her wheelchair.
According to the rules, sitting was not allowed, but it was overlooked for her due to her physical condition.
Current Student Council President Rheincarven stood in front of her, continuing his speech.
He emphasized the importance of having a sense of mission by mentioning the duties of the Student Council and the ironclad rules of Academia.
His solemn voice echoed through the auditorium, and both students and professors silently observed the scene.
The election ceremony.
A place to officially recognize and announce the future Student Council President in front of everyone.
Diphelia, having been elected over Clemens, accepted this quietly.
Originally, it would take place after the final exams, but this year it was moved up because the first-years had to go to Rikeion.
Her real activities would begin in the first semester of her second year.
Rheincarven, still holding the real power, removed the brooch from his chest and pinned it on Diphelia.
The brooch, made of gold, depicted a sword crossing a staff, which was also the symbol of Academia.
With the brooch now pinned on her, Diphelia lightly bowed her head in a gesture of etiquette and turned to face everyone in the auditorium.
Holding the magic device with one hand, she slowly parted her lips.
—Right now, I am honored to be here.
She expressed her gratitude to everyone.
To avoid causing controversy later, she did not mention any specific individuals.
From this point onward, she would be the face and leader of Academia.
Since it was not permitted to favor separate organizations or individuals, she excluded personal feelings and bowed her head in front of everyone.
Having lived her life as a saint for so long, her composed demeanor exuded grace and elegance.
—From this moment on, I have three names. One is the name my parents gave me at birth, another is the name granted to me by Lord Yggdrasil, and the third is the name of Student Council President of Academia.
She treated the weight of these three names equally.
Not favoring any one more than another, she regarded them with fairness and respect.
—An ordinary person, for a brief moment, has the audacity to bear these names. During my time holding them, I will ensure their meanings do not fade away by putting them into practice.
“I’ll show you by practicing so that nothing will fade away.”
Diphelia briefly expressed her gratitude and thoughts on winning, immediately showcasing her promised pledges and detailed action plans.
It was a thoughtful gesture from her, considering the students who might find the speech boring.
“………”
Erica, sitting in a dark corner of the auditorium, quietly observed before turning her gaze away.
Next to Erica stood a tall man.
He was ‘listening’ to Diphelia’s speech but turned away, saying he no longer needed to hear it.
As he moved, Erica, Alicia, and Finn simultaneously followed suit.
Tap.
He lightly tapped the floor with the cane he was holding.
A faint trickle of mana scattered from where he struck the floor as he took a step forward.
Even as he walked out of the auditorium and down the hallway, he occasionally tapped the cane. While it didn’t make him look undignified, he appeared uncomfortable—as if he wasn’t used to it.
Tap.
Erica lifted her head to gaze at his face.
His black eye patches obscured the position where his pitch-black eyes should have been. Despite the eye patches completely covering his eyes, he slowly moved forward.
Squeeze. Erica tightened her grip around one of his hands, moved by a sympathetic and sorrowful feeling.
Alicia, who accompanied them, also masked her feelings but couldn’t shake off her bitter heart.
Even knowing it was a trial for the unique spell.
It pained her to see Vargan, who had surpassed even a Protector in auditory capability, behaving as awkwardly as a child taking its first steps.
……The day Vargan lost his sight.
He had checked whether he could secure his vision through a familiar.
However, he soon voiced his negativity.
—It seems I can’t substitute my sight with a familiar after all.
Those who, like Diphelia, had become blind shared their vision with a familiar, but sadly, that didn’t apply to Vargan undergoing the trial.
At the time, Alicia cautiously asked how he planned to resolve this, and Vargan shook his head.
—Vision, unlike hearing, is fundamentally impossible to remedy.
If it were, the Saint wouldn’t be seen trotting around with a familiar perched on her shoulder.
As he explained using the people around him as examples, Alicia could only remain silent.
Then Vargan let out a chuckle and reached out to Alicia.
Whack—!
He gave her a light flick on the forehead.
—Do you think I haven’t prepared for anything? You’ve been closer to me than anyone else!
Alicia teared up as she covered her forehead, while Vargan wrapped himself in the aura of a Protector.
Even if it wasn’t perceived by the eyes, his presence was felt throughout his entire being.
A sly grin crept onto his face, making it seem as though he was aware of Alicia’s reaction.
—Pay attention to your surroundings.
Following his words, Alicia looked around the room.
Then she noticed a change she hadn’t picked up on in her concern for Vargan.
One of the achievements of the Protector—sense extension.
Countless mana particles scattered around, all possessing a master.
And at the center was Vargan’s overwhelming mana volume. He utilized the Protector in a manner akin to how he felt sound through touch.
However, this time he employed the scattered mana particles rather than the aura attached to his body directly.
This intricate process was made possible and understandable due to his exceptional mana achievements.
It was due to an exceptional achievement in mana.
—As long as it’s not too far, one can perceive objects at a certain distance. If you can pinpoint the center of the wave, it becomes even more effective.
Vargan tapped Alicia’s forehead with his finger.
Each time, a faint wave of mana rippled, acting as a kind of radar.
In the end, it was the result of all Vargan’s efforts that replaced his sight.
“……”
—Yet you still look dissatisfied, Alicia.
Despite proving to be indifferent, Alicia’s worry remained unresolved.
This was because her master, Vargan, had just said, ‘A fundamental solution is impossible.’
In other words, it meant that it couldn’t show results beyond completely replacing something like hearing, nor could it even come close to his original eyesight.
Knowing well how he spoke, Alicia tried to maintain a bright expression but couldn’t completely dispel the shadows.
In the past month, he had been burdened with a greater penalty than ever before.
Even if temporary, Vargan’s weakness, which had always shown strong and self-righteous traits, tugged at Alicia’s heart.
“Isn’t the inauguration ceremony supposed to still be going on? Why are you already here?”
A woman blocking Vargan and his group spoke.
Though wearing uniform, she wasn’t a student or professor of Academia, yet she had the authority to stop them.
Vargan waved her off like swatting a fly.
“The rest was an unnecessary process, so I came first. Now that I’ve disclosed the reason, step aside.”
“Ah… that’s troubling.”
Even without identifying Vargan’s group, the woman knew well enough.
‘What should I do…? I was instructed to allow boarding only when all the first-years arrived.’
“Umm… well, it should be fine. Go ahead.”
The woman, wringing her head in thought, soon seemed to give up and stepped aside.
It was clear that insisting on the strict rules would only lead to pointless arguments.
“This time, it’s a special exception. Next time, don’t board the airship as a group separately.”
“Understood.”
“…I don’t know if I should trust this. Anyway, good luck! Everyone, smash that arrogant Rikeion to pieces!”
The woman in the crew uniform clenched her fist in encouragement.
Vargan casually replied and walked toward the entrance.
With only a few days left after the preliminaries.
Except for Erica and Finn, who withdrew, Vargan and Alicia advanced to the finals.
‘…Young Master. I will show you the results of my efforts during this time.’
Alicia managed to brush away her worries about Vargan and steeled herself.
For around three months, she had focused solely on Arterion and swordsmanship.
In this final exam, she wanted to make him satisfied and delighted with her efforts.
Even though Finn had withdrawn, just like he had beautifully proven his results, Alicia also wanted to present her achievements with pride.
“……”
Feeling a bit nervous, Alicia composed herself and boarded the airship heading to Rikeion with her group.
* * *
“Tomorrow noon, the personnel from Academia are expected to arrive.”
A gentle voice flowed from a large speaker.
Jeraman, the muscle-bound Vice Student Council President, spoke with a voice that didn’t match his appearance.
Hearing the report, Student Council President Edina nodded and looked at the council members.
Students with vibrant personalities each in their own way.
Especially, I couldn’t help but notice the first-year deputy representative Gaba, who seemed to make several girls cry, and the first-year representative Arha, who was incomprehensible in her thoughts.
Edina’s golden eyes were fixed straight ahead. The two golden orbs briefly closed as if facing darkness, then opened wide as if ready.
“As you all know, this final exam isn’t just an ordinary test.”
Her voice carried the authority of a leader.
Edina addressed everyone present clearly.
“It’s not just a test for the first years but a duel between Rikeion and Academia. It’s a war for honor and pride.”
Rikeion had provided extensive support for the first years in preparation for the upcoming final exam.
They assisted to ensure optimal conditions.
“First years, now it’s your turn to repay that support.”
Edina’s eyes turned toward the two representatives of the first year.
The martial artist Gaba smiled confidently as if he had it all under control, while Arha chuckled with excitement.
Turning her gaze away, Edina continued.
“Furthermore, we received reports that the Central Church has sent heroes to observe this final exam.”
“Heroes? Who’s coming?”
Arha couldn’t hold back her curiosity and asked. Edina raised a finger to pause her and continued explaining.
“Not just one team but three. A total of fifteen heroes are expected to arrive. However, what we need to be cautious about is not the number of teams, but the team leaders.”
“Huh?”
“All three team leaders are heroes ranked within the top ten of the Hero Ranking.”
A crucial metric for heroes, the Hero Ranking.
Teams led by those at the very top.
It was no small matter that such individuals would be gathering.
“Everyone knows there was a vacancy for the Archbishop recently, causing chaos among bishops worldwide. Despite this busy time dealing with the remnants of that situation, there is definitely a reason why the highest-ranked heroes are coming.”
Edina’s eyes narrowed.
She believed the Central Church had its own objectives.
However, she thought those objectives were beneficial rather than harmful.
They would be directly connected to Rikeion’s interests.
“That’s why we must put all our effort into this final exam. Stay sharp and pour everything you can into it. Understood?”
Anyone in that room could easily tell how resolute Edina was.
—Yes! Understood!
They replied vigorously, igniting her spirit.
…Except for Arha.
“Wait, I still haven’t heard the answer to my question.”
Arha raised her hand and waved it side to side for emphasis.
Edina reluctantly granted her the floor, and Arha asked.
“So, in the end, who’s coming?”
Arha’s question may have been slightly rude, but it piqued everyone’s interest.
Edina gauged the anticipation in the room and finally named the team leaders one by one.
“Hero ranked 2nd, Ferangis. Hero ranked 6th, Helion. Hero ranked 8th, Kello.”
Upon hearing those names, it felt as though the air had thickened.
Just hearing their names felt like a massive weight pressing down.
Edina emphasized how monumental this exam’s significance was.
“Our Rikeion will achieve victory over Academia and claim the first place in the tournament. Without fail.”
