Chapter 403
The Day Before the Promotion Ceremony
The 247 students who had been officially eliminated removed their Keyzen uniforms and left Roke Island.
When the surviving Class A students, including Simon, gathered in the classroom for their final lesson, the empty seats felt especially vast.
Amid that somber mood, Professor Jane’s last Elementary Black Magic class began.
“You’ve worked hard following my guidance over the past year. This is the last time I’ll call out ‘First-Year Class A’.”
Jane’s voice trembled slightly—something even Simon had never heard before.
“I’m proud of you. Class A.”
With that one sentence, a flood of emotions swept through the room, and the class instantly turned into a sea of tears.
Kamibarez sobbed uncontrollably, Maelyn turned her head to wipe her eyes, and even Dick, who had been looking for a comedic moment, didn’t dare break the mood this time and kept his mouth shut.
The tears spread quickly, and the eyes of the assistants standing in the back turned red as well.
When class ended, the students hugged the teaching assistants tightly and said their goodbyes.
“Sis TA! Thank you so much for everything this past year!”
“Congrats on your second year, Jaime.”
Whatever the case, the students who had survived at Keyzen had to keep moving forward.
And now, today.
The promotion ceremony for the 400 first-year students was scheduled to take place in the main auditorium.
Parents and relatives were entering Roke Island carrying bouquets. The students, too, were thrilled to see their families again after so long.
Since today marked the end of their first year at Keyzen, Simon packed his belongings early and left the dormitory to visit professors he hadn’t had the chance to thank yet.
Aron from Summonology, Hongpeng from Magical Combat, Belya from Toxicology, Eric from Darkness Dynamics, and Umbra from Spiritology.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to meet Bahil from Katarology. Only the head assistant, Chehekle, was present in his lab.
According to her, Bahil had cut off all contact and disappeared ever since leaving Simon’s hospital room.
“Don’t worry about it.”
Chehekle said.
“He’ll come back when the new semester starts.”
Finally, Simon visited Farahan, the professor of Defense Against Holiness and his mentor as a priest.
Farahan said that vacation was the best time to train holiness and gave him several assignments related to it.
He also retrieved Whitey and Blackey, the divine beasts from Farahan’s home, and returned them to the holy subspace where Akallion resided.
He felt sorry to take them from Farahan during the break, and more than anything, he hoped that his mother, Anna—the former Saint—might help trigger some kind of awakening if she saw them.
“Whew.”
After running around nonstop since dawn, Simon’s legs ached. Stretching deeply, he looked down from the hill.
Below, students and their parents were swarming around the auditorium.
“Guess I should head down too!”
* * *
Though the ceremony hadn’t started yet, the energy from the students and their families was palpable.
If entering Keyzen had been a family event, getting promoted to the second year was a moment of familial pride.
Fathers and sons embraced with tears in their eyes, and girls with flower bouquets beamed as if they had the whole world in their arms. Happiness and laughter filled every corner.
And in the midst of it all was a girl with sky-blue hair, frantically looking around.
It was Maelyn.
“They said in front of the fountain! Where is he wandering off to?”
After thirty minutes of searching, Maelyn finally spotted a man with the same sky-blue short hair and shouted.
“Dad! Over here!”
Waving her arm, she called out.
The man, pushing through the crowd, also spotted Maelyn and smiled.
“Yes, Maelyn.”
It was Daniella Villene, a leading figure among the moderates of the Ivory Tower—and Maelyn’s father.
Unlike others, the two didn’t cry or hug. They simply smiled at each other calmly.
“Congratulations on your promotion to second year.”
Daniella handed her a bouquet of blue roses, matching her hair color.
Maelyn embraced the flowers and sniffed their fragrant scent, then smiled brightly.
“Thanks, Dad!”
“I heard the news. You made it into the Top 10?”
Maelyn grinned, flashing a V sign.
“Told you I could do it when I set my mind to it!”
“Indeed. You finally have a reason to stand before the Tower Lord.”
Daniella sighed deeply, rubbing his forehead.
“You ran away from the Ivory Tower to enter Keyzen of all places. Do you know how many bows I had to make to the elders?”
“Ugh, seriously!”
Maelyn blushed furiously.
“But I worked hard and ranked eighth! No nagging on a day like this!”
Yet Daniella’s nagging didn’t stop. He brushed her carefully grown sky-blue hair with his fingertips.
“You’ve grown your hair longer. Isn’t this too long for a student? Playing with your hair all the time can hurt your focus.”
“Don’t meddle with my hair! What’s with that all of a sudden?”
Maelyn snapped, swatting his hand away.
“Once we’re back at the Tower, I’ll have to call a stylist first thing.”
Daniella sighed again and looked around.
“More importantly, where is Serne?”
“......”
Maelyn’s lips pouted out.
“...Why bring her up?”
Daniella scolded with a mock-stern tone.
“I told you to call him Lady Serne, didn’t I?”
“No way! Are you kidding me?!”
Maelyn jumped in protest.
“A-And weren’t you here to celebrate with me today? Why ruin the mood by bringing up that jerk?”
“I’m here representing the Ivory Tower. I must congratulate Lady Serne as well.”
He held up the white rose bouquet that had been behind his back.
Maelyn snorted.
“Tell the Tower Lord to give it to her himself, then.”
“The Tower Lord sees Keyzen as enemy territory, you know.”
While saying that, Daniella checked his wristwatch.
“Oh dear, the ceremony will start soon. Where’s the restroom?”
“...Just go into any building. The closest one is the Toxicology building. Go straight and it’s on the right.”
Apparently in a hurry, Daniella quickly headed off to the restroom.
Maelyn was left holding both the blue rose bouquet and the white one meant for Serne.
She sighed with a sullen face.
“...Dad, you dummy.”
Muttering, she looked down at her feet and kicked the gravel around her.
She had worked so hard.
Started from the bottom and made it into the Top 10.
Was it so hard to just say, “Well done”, or “I’m proud of you”?
Disappointment surged inside her.
“Excuse me, Lady. May I have a word?”
Just then, a man approached Maelyn.
“Oh, yes.”
She turned her head to look at him.
“......!”
A walking statue stood before her. He was wearing utterly unfitting glasses and a fake mustache, but none of it dulled the brilliance of this man's appearance.
“I’d like to go to the auditorium, could you tell me the way?”
“Ah.”
Maelyn’s cheeks flushed red.
He was incredibly attractive. It felt like he was radiating pheromones from his entire body.
The epitome of a handsome middle-aged man. If anything, the maturity that came with age further refined his gentlemanly charm. Even his age was a weapon.
Maelyn stammered,
“O-Over there, the big building...!”
At that moment, the man who had been gazing intently at her suddenly took her left hand. Caught off guard, she let out a sharp squeal.
“W-Why are you doing this?!”
“...Here.”
The man lifted her delicate wrist and gestured with his eyes. Maelyn only noticed it just then.
She was bleeding.
“Looks like you got pricked by a rose thorn.”
The man took a handkerchief out of his pocket. Even that simple motion exuded elegance.
He used elemental magic to stop the bleeding in an instant, then carefully wrapped her wrist with the handkerchief.
“A rose, grown tenderly while sipping dew, entices with its fragrance, flaunts its radiant beauty, but may carry thorns.”
He whispered softly to Maelyn, who was still dazed.
“Just like you, Lady.”
Maelyn’s eyes widened. That cringeworthy line somehow sounded elegant coming from him.
The man stepped back after tying the handkerchief and smiled.
It didn’t hurt anymore.
“Tha...”
She was going to thank him and see him off.
But something about just letting him go like this felt... disappointing.
“Do... do you think people would be afraid, if someone has thorns?”
The second she finished speaking, Maelyn was hit with intense regret.
What the hell did I just say?! Am I insane?!
I want to slam my head into a wall and faint! I want to crawl into a hole!
As Maelyn screamed inside her mind, flailing in embarrassment—
“Not fearing the sharp thorns, and being willing to bleed if pricked—”
The man smiled earnestly.
“That is the charm of a rose.”
Maelyn’s face flushed red. With a suave gesture, the man turned and walked toward the auditorium.
He left a strong impression. Maelyn slumped down on the edge of the fountain.
‘...But, why does he look so familiar?’
* * *
The promotion ceremony began.
All the students stood at the front, while the parents were seated in the back.
Vice-chancellor Jane gave a powerful speech, followed by a series of boring, yawn-inducing speeches from the elders of Keyzen.
“You are now second-year students of Keyzen. As second-years, you have authority equal to professional necromancers, and may serve as commanders. Do not tarnish the honor and legacy built by your Keyzen seniors...”
It was very long.
“Hey, Simon.”
Dick giggled, nudging Simon with his elbow.
“Did your parents come too?”
“...No.”
As if they could.
His father, Richard, was branded a traitor and couldn’t even leave Leshill, let alone step foot on Roke Island. As for his mother, Anna, a priest—needless to say.
Dick looked apologetic.
“U-Um. I guess I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be going home to see them soon anyway.”
When Simon turned his head, he could see other students waving excitedly toward their families. Everyone was holding a bouquet of some kind.
To say he wasn’t envious would be a lie, but it was something he couldn’t help.
“What about you?”
Simon asked.
Dick shrugged.
“Dad only dotes on the eldest son. No way he’d show up for the third son’s promotion.”
For the record, Dick was the third son of eight brothers.
“Mom’s living in another kingdom after divorcing Dad. But my second brother and my third and fourth younger brothers came to visit. I’ll introduce you later.”
“Really?”
Simon’s face brightened.
Dick’s siblings! He couldn’t wait to meet them.
“Hey, did you see Maelyn’s dad? He’s literally just Maelyn with short hair!”
Whack!
Dick collapsed with a yelp. Maelyn, sitting behind him, was fuming, her face red.
“You were badmouthing me just now!”
“What the—! You think every mention of your name is trash talk? That’s why your behavior— Ow! Okay! I’m sorry! Leave my hair alone!”
Simon chuckled and turned around. Kamibarez was also smiling warmly.
“How about you, Kami? Did your dad come?”
“I’m not sure.”
She fidgeted with her fingers as she answered.
“There’s so many people... I kind of hope he didn’t come...”
“...Ahaha.”
Kamibarez’s father was none other than the current Vampire Lord—Dietrich Von Ursula.
Pushy, a nuisance, and hopelessly obsessed with his daughter, Kamibarez was embarrassed by him.
Simon had experienced it once before.
Just before the second semester started, Dietrich had appeared with her in Langerstine and suddenly attacked Simon, demanding he “prove his worth”.
“That concludes the speech.”
Just then, the elder’s speech ended. The students, many of whom had been dozing off, gave an enthusiastic round of applause.
“Thank you, Elder. Now for the next part.”
Jane took the stage and spoke.
“Second-year valedictorian, Simon Follentia. Please come to the podium.”
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