Chapter 75
Chapter 75
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Entrance Ceremony (1)
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One spring day in March, as the gentle breeze carried the scent of the season.
The students who had finally reached their entrance ceremony began their bustling mornings.
"Really! I told you to wake me up early today!"
"I did wake you up early! An hour before the ceremony—that's plenty of time!"
"An hour is cutting it close! I wanted to stroll around the academy all leisurely-like!"
"Extra! Extra! The Student Council President will be giving a speech at today's entrance ceremony!"
As office workers starting their day took newspapers from students stationed at street corners, countless new students hurried along in their own ways.
"Alright...!"
Noah, her face flushed with excitement beneath her neatly pressed uniform, gave herself one last careful check in the mirror before stepping out with lively strides.
"L-Let's go together, President!"
"Hurry it up, Assistant!"
"We don't have to rush that much...!"
Noah watched the students in their crisp white robes hurrying by, then shifted her gaze to take in the fresh faces of the new enrollees.
"Phew... Finally made it here. I'll graduate for sure and become a hero!"
"Does my outfit look weird? Is this newbie look too flashy?"
"Heh heh heh! I'm finally a G2 student!"
The new students headed to their respective ceremony halls, faces brimming with anticipation.
Though the depth of their emotions varied, the shared excitement and thrill were palpable in everyone.
It was that much of a big deal—this entrance ceremony.
'Same as me.'
And Noah felt it just as strongly.
Being a freshman at Slaine, one of the elite SKY academies, was an honor that swelled the chest with pride.
Even if she'd barely scraped by on the entrance exam, that thrill remained undiminished.
"Eek...!"
Her reverie was short-lived. A chill wind brushed her face, making her shiver, and she quickly stepped into the street.
"Let's see... The route should be the same as last time."
Noah walked along, consulting the guide pamphlet provided by Slaine.
Spotting the looping carriage she needed, she broke into a light jog and boarded.
"Phew. Made it just in time."
"Oh, Noah!"
Right after she let out a sigh of relief, a familiar voice came from beside her.
"...Camella?"
Turning at the sound, her eyes were immediately filled with a generous bosom asserting its presence.
Noah instantly recognized her and exclaimed,
"I never expected to run into you here!"
"Camella! You're heading to school too?"
"That's right. It's the entrance ceremony, so I left a bit earlier than usual."
At the same time, Paul—someone she vaguely recognized—gave a slight bow from behind Camella.
'He's her attendant, after all.'
Though Camella tried to downplay it, they didn't look like friends no matter how you sliced it. Noah nodded inwardly.
'Makes sense. She's nobility, so she'd need an attendant.'
Even so, considering most attendants couldn't even cross the threshold into Academy City, Paul must be exceptionally capable.
He'd even enrolled in the same Slaine as Camella, which put his skills above most geniuses.
Having witnessed his prowess firsthand, Noah held him in high regard.
After a brief glance—seeing he had no intention of joining the conversation—Noah turned back to Camella.
"Noah, did you hear?"
Camella leaned in close to her ear and whispered cautiously.
"Some very important VIPs are coming to this entrance ceremony...!"
"...VIPs?"
The first face that came to Noah's mind was, naturally, Student Council President Yeon Je-seong.
"Is the President coming?!"
"No, it's someone from outside Academy City."
"Outside? But a VIP?"
In that instant, the image of the Imperial Princess flashed in Noah's mind.
Among the freshmen, she held the most exalted status and would surely draw every eye at the ceremony.
A figure of such renown would naturally attract equally prominent guests.
Following that train of thought, Noah arrived at one particular person.
"No way...?"
"Hee hee, exactly that 'no way.'"
And sure enough, the name from Camella's lips matched Noah's guess.
"His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Yeongrak of the Imperial Empire, is visiting our academy."
"Whoa..."
Noah stared blankly at her, too stunned for words.
But Camella wasn't done.
"And that's not all. The Iron-Blooded Prime Minister of Dong Liam is visiting too."
"......"
"On top of that, His Holiness the Pope is coming to see the Saintess candidates at Saint Mary Academy, so everyone's saying this year's ceremony will be historic."
"Th-That's incredible."
Noah couldn't hide her astonishment at Camella's words.
The Emperor of the Imperial Empire, the Iron-Blooded Prime Minister of Dong Liam, and the Pope of Rosario!
These were figures straight out of history books!
Just hearing their names evoked awe, and with them all visiting Academy City, even Camella buzzed with excitement.
"His Holiness is mainly here for the Saintess candidates at Saint Mary, but the others will be attending Slaine's ceremony."
"Slaine's? The Emperor makes sense with the Princess there, but the Prime Minister too?"
"Slaine's the top academy in Academy City, after all. They probably want to gauge the students' level and the city's overall education standards—Slaine's perfect for that."
"Still, having heads of state at our entrance ceremony... It's kinda nerve-wracking."
Of course, no one would notice a barely-passing student like her, but sharing the same space was tense enough.
"Speaking of which, the top scorer this year was the Princess, right?"
"Yep. The Executor took first in subjugation points alone, but including rescue points, the Princess is number one."
According to Slaine's official announcement, the Princess was top, and the Executor second.
The Executor had focused solely on subjugation, while the Princess balanced it with rescue efforts, earning bonus points.
"Rescue points probably carried a lot of weight. For aspiring heroes, ignoring the injured to focus only on monsters isn't very heroic."
"But the instructors never explained that. If they'd emphasized it even a little..."
"That was deliberate. If they revealed the weight on subjugation versus rescue, freshmen would all chase rescue points."
Camella noted that could lead to them fighting over patients.
"So they hid the details on rescue points and pushed focus on monsters. Leaving citizen rescues to personal judgment."
Heroic acts forced by others are shallow at best.
True heroes—true heroes—must shield the people of their own will!
Thus, Slaine weighted subjugation and rescue differently to set the rankings.
They hadn't hidden rescue points entirely—just mentioned them briefly before starting.
But without specifying their weight, most freshmen prioritized subjugation.
The subjugation-focused Executor placed second, while the less skilled Princess claimed first via rescue bonuses.
Noah nodded, fully grasping it and agreeing with Camella.
"No wonder my score was decent despite the huge deductions—my rescue points must've been high."
"Exactly. Especially since we took down a Named and a demon—those counted toward rescue too."
"A Named and a demon?"
"Yeah. 'Magic beasts causing widespread damage can be seen as long-term rescue efforts for citizen safety. Thus, unlike regular beasts, Named and demons get rescue bonuses.'"
"...By that logic, wouldn't regular magic beasts count too?"
"Who knows the details, but regular ones can be handled by students, so maybe Named and demons get hazard pay?"
Not that it mattered—they'd blown it all anyway.
Camella grimaced at the memory of their deductions, then peered out the window and shouted,
"Ah, we're here, Noah!"
Noah turned her gaze as well.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "There sure are a lot of people."
The ceremony hall, reached under the guidance attendant's directions, was already packed.
"It's the entrance ceremony. New students, upperclassmen, and even parents as guests—bound to be crowded."
As Camella said, the hall filled with parents dressed to the nines, chatting with their children before the event.
Soon, they mingled with familiar faces, exchanging greetings.
"As expected of Slaine. Almost all the parents are nobles."
"Academy City claims no class distinctions, but continent-wide, education favors nobles. Commoners rarely have the talent to even reach here."
Noah nodded silently at Camella's words.
Finding commoner students was indeed rare—not just at Slaine, but everywhere.
Excluding talented non-humans like elves and beastkin, human commoners were mostly in G3, and scarce higher up.
Even G3 commoners were gifted; those in elite academies were true prodigies.
"Ah...!"
It was then.
Starting with the Executor from the transfer ceremony, a group in similar attire entered the hall.
"......"
The crowd fell silent instantly at the imposing group's arrival, parting to reveal one man.
"Hm, it's been a while."
His hair in a neat chignon evoking a musician, a meticulously groomed Kaiser mustache.
Black military uniform like the Executor's, chest adorned with ostentatious medals.
The elderly man, exuding authority, eyed the approaching instructors and tapped his cane forward.
"The Iron-Blooded Prime Minister..."
Camella's whisper echoed in Noah's ear.