Doggone Academy

The man.

And as soon as she confirmed that the figure was a man, the pleasant sensations she felt were diluted with anxiety.

Luna pressed her fist against her chest, suppressing her emotions. She shrank back instinctively at the sight of the man.

At first, Luna had thought that the power of the Guardian Tree had driven back the black forms. And seeing the man in the mask, she realized her assumption was a mistake.

A being that instilled primal fear in spirits and all sorts of sentient entities. Luna had encountered such an odd person only once in her lifetimeSilveryns disciple, Damian. Even if he changed his form, Luna could sense his presence with her acute spiritual sensitivity.

That man was Damian.

As he took a step forward, Luna reflexively stepped back.

The fear and loathing of men within Luna began to stir slightly.

Beings capable of defiling her body.

Etched in Lunas subconscious was the image of her father violating a maid. She also vividly remembered the miserable life that maid led thereafter. Due to these deeply rooted memories from her youth, Luna had shut the door to her heart completely against men.

It was not something that could be overcome with courage or willpower. It was like a scar on the soul, something she would have to live with forever.

Luna felt conflicted. She was experiencing both solace and fear at the same time towards this unfamiliar man.

When the man took another step closer, she shook her hands violently and backed away two large steps.

The man in the mask observed Lunas fright-filled expression.

After a moment of silence, he turned without hesitation and walked back into the darkness.

Her pupils shook.

She wanted to tell him not to go, but the words lodged in her throat and Luna could not bring herself to speak.

As the man vanished, the black shapes began to flood back in like a tide.

Once again, they whispered to Luna, stabbing into the depths of her mind.

[We knew it. In the end, you cant do anything.]

[Theres no need to go far. We will bring you solace.]

***

I spent the night at Witthrush Hall. Waking up, I found a letter slipped under the door and another letter from Silveryn had fluttered onto the windowsill. I retrieved the Stitch spell and read Silveryns letter first.

It simply contained congratulations on my admission, a note regretting that she couldnt take me to the holy city, and a postscript urging me to respond faster next time, stating it had taken about 37 hours to receive my reply. It was a letter characteristic of Silveryn.

Reading her letter gave me a feeling of not being alone and slightly improved my mood. And at the same time, I missed her.

There were also grand ceremonies similar to Eternias entrance ceremony at the temple where I grew up.

Orphans raised in the Acates Temple had never been the main event at such large ceremonies.

On days of celebration like Youth Day, Parents Day, the Birth of Acates, etc., the temple was full of families from both commoners and nobility alike.

And the orphans had to either spend all day picking petals for their baptismal ceremonies or sing chants until their throats went hoarse.

The hardest thing for the orphans of the Acates Temple was to watch the warmth and smiling faces of happy families all day long.

I had long accepted a life as mere extras, but that didnt mean I was unaffected by everything. When the festival approached, like an old man with knee pain predicting rain, a part of my heart also ached.

It would have been nice to spend the entrance ceremony with Silveryn, but the letter was comforting enough.

The second letter was the Masters Class entrance ceremony notice.

It instructed me to arrive at the Forbidden Forests council hall before noon.

I tidied up the bedding and headed out of the dormitory. Passing by the living quarters, I accidentally heard news about Luna from other students.

Luna collapsed in front of the dorm because of some illness.

Why? What kind of illness?

I dont know, isnt she at the top of the magic department?

Seems so. Talk about bad luck. How does one collapse right before the entrance ceremony?

***

The scene of the entrance ceremony was so beautiful and stirring that one could marvel just by standing and observing. It seemed like the most splendid festival there could be.

Wherever you went on the campus, powdery light as fine as snowflakes fell from the sky. It was so beautiful, like a cascade of stars provoking admiration from the onlookers.

The Plantaras roamed the flowerbeds planting something while staff members sprinkled potions over them.

And by the time they completed a round around the garden, flowers had bloomed in their place. Once the work was done, the entire campus was bedecked in vibrant colors, as if petals filled the air wherever one stepped.

It was a fantastical scene straight out of a fairy tale book unfolding before ones eyes.

Lilith strolled across the campus with an excited heart, savoring the moment she had dreamt of in reality.

Occasionally, she would habitually look around. She hoped to see that bastard. In the event they did cross paths, she wanted at least to greet or shake hands. Their relationship was good enough for that much.

The vast Eternia Academy was abuzz with people everywhere.

Each person came with their own purpose. To enjoy the magical festival, or to celebrate the admission of a family member into Eternia, families from the Empire, neighboring principalities, and the city alliance mark Eternia in their calendars for the entrance ceremony.

Despite the ban on private troops entering campus, on average, more than thirty visitors came per incoming student.

Adding casual onlookers with no direct ties, the number was estimated to be around four thousand.

Gorius, the Empires most famous writer and traveler, had referred to Eternias entrance ceremony as the largest social gathering in the world. Seeing it firsthand, the claim was no exaggeration.

However, for those expecting the grand entrance of the faculty at the heart of Eternia Academy, this years ceremony was bound to be somewhat disappointing.

Candinella, Silveryn, Erzebet, Morgus, Alquaid, and Lacham, among other key figures of Eternia, were sent away on assignments.

The big names present were mostly those tied to political power, rather distant from the academys main focus on academia and magic.

If one had to name influential individuals, it would be Princess Gainax of the Ulyssia Principality, the first in the line of succession, followed by Franz, the fourth prince of the Empire. Though low in the succession order, he could not be disregarded, commanding formidable power.

The reason why top-tier leaders attended the entrance ceremony, even without direct ties to incoming students, was to personally assess the talent purposed to be this years top studentan embodiment of the continents finest prowess.

The greatest talent. Liliths mind kept lingering on someone. She hadnt checked every student, but to her, that bastard was the most talented.

That bastard would be valedictorian, or at least salutatorian. If the combat departments top ranks were 1st and 2nd, they might represent their grade or department on stage, respectively. Such an acknowledgment by a princess or prince paves a smooth path for the future.

Who would forsake such glory? Only a madman would turn away from such a promised road to success.

Yet, an ominous premonition hit her. That bastard didnt seem the type to care about glory or honor.

He didnt really drop out, did he?

While Lilith thought this, her attendant hurriedly ran up to her.

Miss, Miss! Why are you off by yourself like this!

Caught wandering alone, Lilith felt a bit embarrassed and scratched her cheek.

Oh goodness, look at me. I was justwait, is Father looking for me?

Yes, well, thats part of it, but theres a bigger matter at hand.

The attendant gasped for breath and handed her a letter.

This is very important. The Dean of Eternia is asking to see you.

***

Im to represent the magic department on stage?

Dean Dunkel took a sip of tea and nodded.

Does that mean Im the top student in the magic department?

Dunkel shook his head slightly.

The valedictorian is Miss Luna. However, she is not in a condition to be on stage. Therefore, as the salutatorian, youll take her place.

Im salutatorian?

Liliths mind went blank. All she had done during the entrance exams was follow that bastard around.

Im not that skilled.

Though she had hoped to rank high, she didnt expect to be second. There were plenty of students in the magic department with more talent and skill than her, and Lilith was well aware of that.

We are well aware of that. If we were only to assess magic ability, we wouldnt need to set up a tournament and rank everyone by score. Youve achieved solid overall scores, and our assessment is based on that. We cant reduce points because someone happened to guess the right answers.

Though being named salutatorian is not always a good thing; it necessitated hard work to maintain the same level of performance.

But being a departmental representative on stage was a big deal.

Should there be a problem, its Eternias issue, not due to your choice.

Lilith responded with grace.

Understood.

Dunkel nodded repeatedly, satisfied.

Right then. Congratulations on your salutatorian entry.

She pressed her fists against her thighs. She was thrilled but couldnt make a fuss in front of the dean.

***

The entrance ceremony hall, capable of accommodating thousands. And down the central aisle leading to the stage, was a golden carpet about a hundred steps long. Both sides were lined with seats for dignitaries, new students, and their families.

Students going up to the stage are assigned to special seats at the back. The announcer calls their names, and they walk down the golden carpet to a standing ovation.

The departmental valedictorians gather in those special seats, allowing them to recognize each other.

Before the ceremonys formal start, people began to trickle in to fill their spots.

And one by one, departmental valedictorians also arrived at the special seats.

Cecil was the first to sit down, and Lilith was next, sitting in the designated seat of the magic department.

Cecil was carefree, applying lipstick while looking in a mirror, apparently not feeling the slightest bit of nerves.

When Lilith sat down opposite Cecil, she glanced at Lilith from top to bottom with a somewhat hostile look.

Why did you come alone?

What?

When Lilith retorted, Cecil ignored her and turned back to her mirror.

Did I make a mistake?

For the life of her, Lilith couldnt find any reason why Cecil would be hostile towards her. They had passed by each other during the admissions tests, but they had never spoken, and this was their first face-to-face encounter.

Apart from Cecils inexplicable question, there was no further communication. She didnt even offer a greeting.

An uncomfortable feeling washed over her, but Lilith pushed it aside. Cecils aura was so strong that showing any emotions might risk getting crushed.

Fortunately, the atmosphere thawed somewhat as Iris took her seat in the alchemy department. With a very sociable disposition, Iris knew both Cecil and Lilith and greeted them cheerfully.

All representatives from alchemy, magic, and combat had occupied their seats, with combat being the only one left.

And there were just two empty seats reserved for the combat department.

Liliths heart raced as she visually confirmed the two seats in the combat department. One of those seats belonged to that bastard.

Soon, the remaining seat was taken. Sion approached silently and quickly sat down.

Iris cheerfully greeted Sion, but she glanced at Iris and dismissed her.

Iris responded with an awkward smile. Of the dual-degree students, only Iris made an effort to get along well with others.

Cecil, upon confirming only one last seat was empty, smoothed her hair and adjusted her attire. Then she fixed her gaze intently on that vacant spot.

Sion did the same. She sat demurely, glancing at the adjacent seat and stayed still.

Lilith too folded her hands neatly and surreptitiously fidgeted with her toes, keeping an eye on that spot.

Watching the three women representatives await someone, Iris laughed awkwardly and said.

Ah hah, who could it be thats so popular?

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