Chapter 629: The Exchange
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 629: The Exchange
Consciousness Space.
As Muen’s spirit recovered, this realm returned to its original state. The sense of ruin from being repeatedly squeezed dry had vanished, replaced by an even more vast and expansive horizon.
The pitch-black blazing sun, encircled by a Holy Corona, hung silently at the highest point, looking down upon all with cold indifference. As it rotated, it continued to relentlessly grind away at Muen’s spirit.
Muen had long since grown accustomed to this spiritual attrition. Ignoring it, he lowered his head and continued to carefully stroke the mysterious book in his hands. It was pure black, devoid of any decorative patterns, and he gazed at it for a long time.
The Black Book remained unchanged, both then and now.
It was exceptionally quiet, as if it were completely oblivious to everything happening in the outside world.
Yet, Muen remembered how it had reacted when he first faced Teacher Mela.
"Black Book, do you know about the Demon God?" Muen asked after a moment of contemplation.
Flip.
The pages turned, and standard, precise characters manifested on the blank paper.
【I know.】
"What kind of existence is it?"
【Unspeakable.】
"Unspeakable, or should not be spoken?"
【Unspeakable.】
"How was the Demon God born? It couldn't have been a 'Demon God' from the very beginning. I imagine it was a deity that fell after being corrupted, just like that Sacred Tree, right?" Muen continued his inquiry.
【The Demon God was born because a thousand years ago, &% for the sake of &￥#&&￥#￥ so %￥%……&, and thus the Demon God was born.】
Muen frowned. No matter how he tried to decipher the text the Black Book displayed next, it was nothing but a jumble of corrupted code.
However, the fact that it could display characters at all meant this information could be shared—it didn't belong to the so-called "taboos." It was simply that, due to the influence of some power, he was temporarily unable to perceive it.
It was just like that period of history from a thousand years ago that had been erased out of thin air.
"Forget it."
Muen didn't dwell on it.
As Mela had said, his current self... didn't yet have the qualifications to pursue such things.
Sinking too deep into places one shouldn't peer into, becoming plagued by hesitation and worry, would only hinder one's forward progress.
Besides, he knew that further questioning was pointless right now.
Muen smiled and closed the Black Book.
"For now, I should focus on things a bit closer to home."
*
Muen opened his eyes once more.
The Academy was as quiet as ever, save for the rustling of the lush green leaves.
This time, however, what met his eyes wasn't Mela’s smug little face, but... a wrinkled, stern, and old-fashioned face.
"Pro... Professor Prang?"
Muen was startled by the face so close to his own and instinctively leaned back. Fortunately, he didn't feel the sensation of someone's thighs behind his head this time, or his heart might have actually jumped out of his chest.
"What are you doing here?"
"Just a routine patrol of the campus."
Professor Prang’s brow twitched, seemingly puzzled by Muen's overreaction, but he didn't press the issue. Leaning on his silver staff, he sat down beside Muen.
"The Academy is about to reopen. As a professor, I must make early preparations."
"Ah."
Muen blinked in surprise. "Has it already come to that time?"
He scratched his head with a complicated expression. He had been through so much lately that he had almost forgotten he was still a student of the Academy.
"But speaking of which, this spring break has been way too long, hasn't it?" Muen couldn't help but complain.
He had forgotten about the Academy before, but now that he thought about it, several months had passed since he left for the Holy City. By all rights, the Academy should have reopened long ago.
"Initially, it was because of the incidents in Belland. For the safety of the students, the reopening was delayed. As for later..."
Professor Prang shrugged. "You should understand. Many students can no longer return to the Academy. The Academy planned to expand recruitment, which caused further delays."
"I see..."
Muen immediately understood that the "many students" Professor Prang referred to were actually the noble children possessing Glory's Blood, as well as the descendants of the large number of nobles Celicia had aggressively purged recently.
For an academy that was once funded and supervised by a board of directors composed of nobles, even though St. Maria had been vigorously recruiting commoner students over the years, the noble demographic was still significant. Filling those vacant spots with new students was a troublesome task.
Fortunately, with St. Maria Academy’s reputation and the help of Celicia—who technically hadn't stepped down as "Student Council President"—these issues weren't major hurdles.
"It sounds like the professors will be very busy."
"Yes, very busy."
Professor Prang let out a long sigh, then turned to stare at Muen with a solemn expression.
"Many old fogies with one foot in the grave have been dragged back to work, yet we're still swamped. And yet, at a time like this, some ignorant fools just have to come looking for trouble. It’s truly infuriating, wouldn't you agree?"
"..."
Muen leaned back again. Professor Prang’s current expression was all too familiar—the look of a teacher ready to fail a student at any moment. It triggered unpleasant memories and felt incredibly oppressive.
"Wouldn't you agree?" Professor Prang emphasized again.
"..."
Muen quietly shifted his weight back half an inch. This stiff professor really wasn't good with words. He gave a bitter smile and said, "Professor Prang, you can speak plainly. I haven't had the chance to repay you for your help before. As long as it's something within my power, I won't refuse."
"It’s actually nothing much."
Professor Prang straightened his back and stroked his beard with satisfaction. "With Her Majesty’s assistance, the Academy isn't lacking in any practical sense. It’s just... the Academy’s face is about to face a significant challenge."
"Face?"
Muen was stunned for a moment, then it clicked. He frowned. "Are you referring to... the diplomatic delegation from the Kingdom?"
"Exactly."
"But aren't they here to request a marriage alliance with Celicia?"
"That is only one of their goals. If it were just for a marriage alliance, why bring so many people? Not to mention, aside from that Seventeenth Prince who appeared out of nowhere, they’ve brought many renowned young students—the top tier of the Kingdom."
"So, they want to use this opportunity to suppress or humiliate the Empire’s younger generation? They’re coming to the Academy?" Muen realized.
He looked around. Although the Academy hadn't officially opened, it already felt somewhat desolate. The Empire’s recent turmoil hadn't just affected the throne and Belland’s politics; because many actually talented noble children had also met their ends, a significant gap had been created.
After all, no matter how decadent those nobles were, they could still pile up resources to produce a fair number of powerful young figures.
Cultivating talent wasn't an overnight process. Even though Celicia placed great importance on this and immediately arranged for the major academies in Belland to recruit gifted commoners, that would take time. They couldn't handle this immediate challenge.
"They will likely come under the guise of an 'exchange.' It’s the kind of thing the higher-ups can't easily refuse."
"They certainly picked a 'good' time."
"The spirit of the youth is also an important metric for measuring a nation's strength. Since they failed to gain any substantial benefits during the Empire’s crisis, and if they hit a wall with Her Majesty, they can only resort to these kinds of tactics."
Professor Prang sneered without reservation. "In a fair match, when has any of the Kingdom’s trashy, third-rate academies ever beaten us? That Hertz fellow leading their team—the educational results he showed at several international education conferences were only fit to shine my shoes."
"So that’s why you came to me, Professor?" Muen blinked. "Why?"
"Though the Academy has suffered some losses, aren't the students we are most proud of still here?"
The wrinkles on Professor Prang’s face smoothed out as he offered a rare smile. "Not just you; I will personally speak with the other top students. This time, we must let those weaklings from the Kingdom, who think we’re easy prey, witness the majesty of our Academy once again!"
"Of course. As a student of the Academy, I will naturally do my part. But... 'most proud of,' huh..."
"What is it?"
"Nothing, it’s just..."
Muen cradled the back of his head with his hands, recalling certain memories. He spoke with a complicated expression. "I never expected to hear such words from your mouth, Professor. It feels a bit... surreal."
After all, in the eyes of the former Muen Campbell, the greatest enemy wasn't an Evil God bent on world destruction, nor was it the Destined Protagonist. It was simply... the strict old man before him who couldn't stand a single flaw.
"What are you saying?"
Professor Prang also sighed with a hint of nostalgia, then patted Muen on the shoulder. "In a professor's eyes, you have always been the most outstanding."
"Professor Prang..." Muen looked over, moved.
"Even if you can still only use a single Illumination Spell, I won't look down on you anymore," Professor Prang said after a moment of hesitation. "After all, even my cat can't pull off as many tricks with it as you can."
"..."
*
After leaving a few more words about needing to visit and encourage other students, Professor Prang departed.
Though he was indeed stiff and strict, any student of St. Maria Academy had to admit that he was the most responsible professor. At the very least, only he would take the time at a moment like this to specifically offer words of "encouragement."
It was just that those words of "encouragement" were actually quite hurtful.
"But... a performance, huh?"
Muen raised his hand, blocking the fading light of the setting sun with his palm.
"Come to think of it, I really haven't had a proper match against peers of my own generation."
In the past, he had always fought weird things like evil cultists or Evil God projections. Even during the Holy City trials, he never had the chance for a serious duel. The only person he had taught a lesson to was Abram, who turned out to be an evil cultist anyway.
It was as if he were a natural magnet for Evil Gods. Anyone he fought was either an evil cultist or an evil cultist in disguise. It was truly absurd.
"Looking at it that way, I’m actually quite looking forward to it," Muen laughed self-deprecatingly.
Except...
"Speaking of exchanges and sparring..." Muen rubbed his chin and muttered, "Am I forgetting something very old but very important?"
*
"An exchange and sparring match with people from the Kingdom?"
In the Academy cafeteria, Ariel, who was vigorously gnawing on a piece of black bread, stared at Professor Prang with wide eyes.
"Is there prize money?"
"..."
Professor Prang fell silent. After a moment, he couldn't bear to see a student of his academy in such a pitiful state, so he personally summoned the cafeteria chef to prepare a few decent dishes for Ariel, even adding a few of the chicken drumsticks she liked.
"The rewards will naturally be generous. Her Majesty and other high-ranking figures may even attend in person. There will be no stinginess in that regard."
"Celicia!"
Ariel, stuffing her face with drumsticks, instantly puffed out her chest. "She’s coming too? That’s perfect! This is my chance to show off!"
"Indeed. When it comes to showing off, what could be more simple and direct than the arena?"
Compared to Muen, Ariel was a student Professor Prang had favored from the start. Still, he couldn't help but offer a few warnings. "Do not underestimate the enemy. That Seventeenth Prince will surely take the field himself. Currently, our intel on him is near zero, so you must be extremely careful."
"Don't worry, when have I ever underestimated an opponent?"
Ariel waved her hand dismissively, preparing to focus on her meal. But then, as if remembering something, she looked up with a grave expression.
"By the way, Professor Prang, will this exchange match allow for bouts between internal members of the Academy?"
"If the rules permit, then of course," Professor Prang said, puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
"Nothing, I just suddenly remembered something."
Ariel gripped her drumstick, a sharp glint in her eyes.
"An arena, an audience, Celicia, and that damn guy! This truly is a god-given opportunity!"