Chapter 226
Chapter 226
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 226
Chapter Title: Waiting for the School Year to Start (4)
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“We lost. Please, keep this a secret.”
“Huh? Weren't you just saying you were going to knock us down a peg and get us expelled?”
The mercenary leader's body trembled with humiliation, but he knew how to face reality.
He had to endure it for his and his comrades' futures.
“I'm sorry! Just help us out this once! You're going to be a mage too, right? We may be your seniors in name, but there's no need to shatter our livelihoods, is there?”
Dante shook his head as if it wasn't enough.
The mercenaries realized what the boy was demanding and blushed. In the end, even the four men standing in the back bowed politely and apologized.
“Please, give us a break. We need to make a living too, don't we?”
Finally satisfied, Dante placed a hand on the leader's shoulder.
“Don't worry. I was just having a little fun because I was bored during the break. By the way, weren't you a bit too careless? I wonder how you even got your official licenses.”
At that moment, the door opened and a woman entered. The mercenaries reflexively straightened their bowed backs and feigned ignorance, as if nothing had happened.
“Oh my! It's already over. Ah, what a shame.”
She was a woman with a curly bob that framed her cheeks. Her playful face made her look like she was in her early twenties, but she was actually over thirty.
“You're… Killain?”
She was a woman who worked in the academic journal publishing department under the Teachers' Association, a special correspondent who traveled to magic academies across the country writing reports.
The articles she wrote were published in a magazine called , which was distributed to all magic academies in the country, so getting featured was a surefire way to become famous.
“I heard the rumors and came to see for myself. You've done a splendid job. Dante, was this disastrous scene all your doing?”
As Killain made an exaggerated gesture, the accompanying photographer took a picture with an optical camera.
The mercenaries didn't know what to do in the embarrassing situation.
To them, magazine was just a memory of their past, but it was also a major publication distributed nationwide. If their disgraceful behavior was published as an article, it would be a disgrace to their families.
“Not at all. How could I have defeated them on my own without the help of my seniors? I asked them for some practical training, and they graciously agreed. I learned a lot. Thank you, seniors.”
When Dante looked back, the mages, who were second to none when it came to reading the room, quickly changed their expressions.
“Haha! It was nothing. Still, you were amazing. Just as expected from the kingdom's top star, right?”
Killain's eyes sparkled as she turned.
“Oh my! You know Dante? As expected, the kingdom's pride and joy is a cut above the rest. To think rumors about him are spreading among frontline mages while he's still a student.”
“Of course. My colleagues and I talk about Dante from time to time. We believe he'll become a first-grade archmage one day.”
Killain meticulously jotted down the leader's interview.
was already a popular magazine, but on days when an article about Dante was published, its sales would jump by 1.5 times.
Dante's looks were beautiful enough to capture the hearts of girls, and the jealous interest of boys likely played a part as well.
‘Aww, what a cutie. You've grown up so well, my Dante.’
Killain, who had been exclusively interviewing Dante since he was young, could be said to have been promoted alongside him. It was thanks to Dante that she was now flourishing as the kingdom's top reporter.
“Alright, since the interview is over, let's go for an after-party. The Teachers' Association is treating!”
As Dante left the hideout, Airhain's butler, who had been waiting outside, approached with a box.
“Young Master Dante, Lady Olivia sent you a package.”
“My master? What's this all of a sudden?”
“I'm not sure myself… However, the head of the family instructed me to deliver it to you personally.”
Even Dante, who feared nothing in the world, would drop everything for Olivia. She was the master and benefactor who had recognized his talent from a young age and enrolled him in the Royal Magic Academy. Of course, it was the same for his peers, Closer and Savina.
“Alright. Give it here.”
He took the package and tore open the wrapping, revealing a thick application form. As Dante read through it page by page, his brow furrowed.
“What's this? A transfer application?”
Closer and Savina peered over his shoulder. Not only was Dante's profile attached, but theirs were as well.
Killain sidled up to them.
“What is it, Dante? Huh? What's going on?”
“Um, it's… a transfer application. It seems my master has been appointed as the temporary headmaster of a certain academy. She said to come if we want to study with her…”
Closer said.
“Then of course we have to go. How can we not follow our master?”
Savina said.
“Where is it? Isn't the school's name written down?”
“No, it's Alpheas Magic Academy. But where is this school located?”
The students living in Bashuka had no interest in information from the provinces. Dante and his group only knew that it was one of the kingdom's five great prestigious academies.
Killain sensed a scoop and her eyes lit up.
“Oh my, Alpheas Magic Academy? And Ms. Olivia is the temporary headmaster? This is a huge story. Alpheas Magic Academy is ranked fourth among the magic academies. It's in the city of Creas. Its most famous graduate is the current head of the Magic Association, Mr. Mikea Gaold.”
“Ah, so Mr. Gaold graduated from there.”
They had been unimpressed by the 'fourth-ranked' part, but their expressions changed upon hearing the name Gaold. If it was the place where one of the kingdom's only five officially recognized first-grade archmages had studied, transferring there would at least be respectable.
Closer said.
“Let's go. The new semester is starting all over the country anyway. We can just transfer in time for it.”
“Right. Our master will be starting then too.”
Dante took the letter and handed the application to Savina. He figured he could hear the details when they met, and for now, he was just happy that something interesting had happened to break up his boring daily life.
Dante, who was watching the sunset over the mountain, turned to his friends and smiled.
“This should be fun. Alpheas Magic Academy, huh.”
***
**3. Where's Shirone? (1)**
The second semester at Alpheas Magic Academy began.
From the morning, the main gate was crowded with carriages carrying students.
A spectacle unfolded as young students accompanied by their parents cried and whined, not wanting to go to school.
On the other hand, adolescent boys, as if embarrassed even to be attended to by their butlers, passed through the main gate with indifferent expressions.
The opening ceremony was scheduled for 11 a.m., and the students returned to their dorms to unpack.
Shirone, who had arrived early in the morning, also placed the books he brought on his bookshelf and arranged his clothes and daily necessities.
“Shirone!”
His friends burst through the door.
“Nade! Iruki!”
Shirone also ran to them with a huge grin. They had only been apart for 30 days, but it felt like a year.
So many things had truly happened. What kind of faces would the two of them make if they knew he had been to heaven?
They grabbed each other's hands and shouted in unison.
“Something amazing happened to me!”
Then they stared blankly at each other.
They didn't know what had happened, but they could guess that the day would feel short.
“Alright. Let's take turns. Shirone, you go first.”
“Okay. Amy and I went to Galliard Island, and…!”
Suddenly, Nade grabbed him by the collar.
“Whaat! You mean… no way… *that*…! Damn it! You traitor! I'm so jealous!”
Shirone's face turned beet red.
“No! It's not that, just listen to the rest of the story.”
“Aaargh! No way. I may be forever alone, but I thought I'd at least be faster than Shirone. How could you…!”
Nade was on the verge of losing his mind.
Even Iruki's pupils were shaking, proving that *that* issue was indeed the greatest dilemma for a man.
Shirone could only begin his story after drawing a firm line and insisting it wasn't true.
An hour flew by. But no one realized that much time had passed.
“Wow. You really… came back from the dead. That was an incredibly dangerous situation.”
“That's true, but the final war… It's, how do I put it, on a level so serious that it almost doesn't sound serious.”
The impression of heaven was so strong that Nade and Iruki were lost in thought for a long time.
On the other hand, Shirone, who felt relieved after getting it all off his chest, wanted to hear how his friends had been doing.
“Now it's your turn. What amazing things happened to you during the break?”
The two looked at each other, and Iruki spoke first.
“I ate crayfish-flavored ice cream.”
“A spider the size of a fist showed up in my workshop.”
“Haha! You guys really had a fun time.”
Just imagining it was hilarious. Ice cream that tastes like crayfish. And the thought of a fist-sized spider in front of you was chilling.
“Damn it!”
Nade pushed Shirone's cheek with his fist.
“Oof! What was that for?”
“You had an exciting break all by yourself! And with the super pretty Senior Amy, no less!”
“I almost died! And what's with 'super pretty Amy'? That's so childish! Oof!”
While Nade pushed Shirone's face again, Iruki was beating the ground in regret.
“Such a waste. I shouldn't have gone back to my family home. I'm curious about that magic, Ataraxia or whatever it's called. Can you show it to me sometime?”
“Huh? Ataraxia?”
He could demonstrate it anytime, but the situation wasn't right. The mental energy drain was an issue, and casting it where there were people would just complicate things.
“I'd like to, but some other time. I'll show you when I get the chance.”
“Oho? Playing hard to get? Fine, then I'll keep my new magic under wraps for a while too.”
At the mention of new magic, Shirone's eyes lit up. Coming from Iruki of the Servant Syndrome, any new magic would surely be on a different level from what other students learned.
“What is it? Huh? What kind of magic?”
“It's a secret. If I were to give you a hint, I'd say it's a secret weapon that can beat you.”
After saying that, Iruki turned to Nade and asked.
“By the way, what about you? Surely you didn't just play around during the break.”
“Ah, I was crazy busy. I've been studying alchemy lately. I've been reinforcing some of the magic needed for that field, that's all.”
Alchemy was a major branch of magic, but it wasn't a subject taught at the magic academy. Alchemy was a vast field of study, and the Alchemy Foundation trained alchemists separately.
Iruki was worried. In the end, it meant Nade had spent the break focusing on something unrelated to his classes.
“Will you be okay? If you're going to be a magic engineer, a mage's license would be more advantageous.”
“Of course, but I also want to learn material science. Function begins with form, and the beginning of form is essence. So I thought I should learn the basics of alchemy.”
The dorm supervisor's voice came from the hallway.
“The opening ceremony is starting. All students, please gather at the central event hall.”
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All the students from Class One to Class Ten gathered on the training grounds.
Shirone looked for Alpheas on the platform, but for some reason, he wasn't there.
“Huh? The headmaster is nowhere to be seen.”
“Six-month suspension. A temporary headmaster is coming starting today. I don't know who it is, but I just hope they don't make us study too hard.”
Nade closed his eyes and prayed. His dream was to be a magic engineer, but he still had to graduate from the magic academy first, so he wasn't keen on the classes getting harder.
When the newly appointed headmaster appeared on the platform, murmurs broke out here and there.
Iruki's expression turned serious.
“Damn… Of all people, *she's* the headmaster.”
“Huh? You know who she is?”
“Jerome Olivia. She was the former headmaster of the Royal Magic Academy. She's probably an officially recognized second-grade archmage.”
Shirone studied Olivia carefully. She looked much younger than her age and, above all, was beautiful. Teachers flanked her on both sides, none of whom could hide their tension.
‘She must be someone incredible. The headmaster of the Royal Magic Academy…’
Olivia waited for the students' murmuring to die down before beginning her speech.
“Hello. I am Jerome Olivia, and I will be serving as the new headmaster starting this semester. Though my position is temporary, I promise to do my best to teach the students during my term.”