69 – Bloody Entrance Ceremony (4)

man.

And when he confirmed that the stranger was a man, his pleasant sensations were diluted with anxiety.

Luna put a fist on her chest and pressed it hard. Seeing the man’s figure, he involuntarily flinched.

At first, I thought that the power of the guardian tree made the black figure retreat. And when I saw the masked man, I realized that it was an illusion.

An existence that brings primal fear to spirits and all forms of thought. Luna had only experienced one such bizarre person in her entire life. It was Silverin’s disciple Damian. Even after changing her form, Luna could sense its existence with her keen spiritual senses.

That man is Damian.

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

Inside Luna, fear and hatred for men rose little by little.

A being that can defile one’s own body.

In Luna’s subconscious, the image of her father raping the maid was imprinted. And I remember clearly what kind of miserable life the maid lived after that. Thanks to memories rooted in her childhood, Luna closed all doors to men.

This was not something that could be resolved with courage or willpower. It was a scar that he had to live with forever, like a burn on his soul.

Luna felt the gap. I was experiencing two emotions at the same time: rest and fear from the stranger.

When the man took a step closer, she took two big steps back, shaking her hands.

The masked man stared blankly at Luna, who was terrified.

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

her pupils trembled.

The words not to go filled her throat, but Luna couldn’t bring herself to say it.

The man disappeared, and black figures began to take their place again like a tide.

And again they whispered to Luna. The sound of the words pierced her heart.

[I knew. I won’t be able to do anything in the end.]

[You don’t have to go far. We will bring you rest.]

***

I spent the night at the Whitdruff House. When I woke up, there was a letter in the door crack. And on the window sill was a letter from Sylverin. I retrieved the stitch and read Silverin’s letter first.

There is a simple congratulatory message for admission, and a story about regretting not being able to take me to Seongdo, saying that there is nothing more to do than suspension if I drop out of school. And in PS, it took about 37 hours to get a reply, so I urged you to do it sooner in the future. It was a letter worthy of being called Silverin.

Reading her letter made me feel a little better because I knew I wasn’t alone. And at the same time, I missed her.

In the temple where I lived, there was a big event similar to Eternia’s entrance ceremony every year.

The orphans who grew up in the temple of Achates had never been the protagonists of such a grand event.

Youth Day, Parents’ Day, Achates’ Birthday, etc., every year on anniversaries, the temple was filled with families, regardless of commoners and nobles.

And the orphans had to pick petals for their christenings all day long or sing chants to hoarse.

The most painful thing for the orphans in the Temple of Acates was to see their family full of laughter all day long.

She accepted the life of a bridesmaid a long time ago, but that doesn’t mean that everything is okay. When a holiday approaches, I can’t help but feel like an old man with a sore knee on a cloudy day.

It would have been better if I had spent the entrance ceremony with Silverin, but the letter alone was enough comfort.

The second letter was a notice for the entrance ceremony of Masters Class.

Before noon, instructions were written to find the synagogue in the Forbidden Forest.

I made the bedding and went out of the dormitory. And I heard the news of Luna by chance through students passing by the living room.

“Luna collapsed in front of the dormitory because of her illness.”

“Why, why? What is it?”

“I don’t know, isn’t he the head of the Ministry?”

“I guess so. Unlucky, how can you collapse before the entrance ceremony?”

***

The scenery of the entrance ceremony is beautiful and thrills the heart just by standing still and watching. I wonder if there is a festival more beautiful than this.

Wherever you go on campus, powder of light falls like snow from the sky. It was so beautiful that it looked like a cluster of stars was pouring down, which aroused admiration from the viewers.

When Planteras go around the flower beds and plant something, the faculty members sprinkle potions on it.

And when I went around the garden, the flowers were in full bloom. When the work is completed, the whole campus becomes colorful enough that petals are stepped on wherever the feet touch.

Fantastic sights that appear in fairy tales unfold in front of your eyes.

Lilith walked around the campus with a fluttering heart. I was enjoying the moment I had dreamed of in reality.

Lilith continued to look around from time to time out of habit. It was in the hope that ‘that child’ would not be seen. If we ever met, I wanted to say hello or shake hands. Because that’s something we can share.

All of that wide Eternia is crowded with people.

Each would have come with a different purpose. In order to enjoy a fantastic magical festival, or to celebrate the entrance of a relative to Eternia, the empire, surrounding principalities, and prestigious families from the City Alliance come to Eternia in time for the entrance ceremony.

Even though enlisted soldiers are not allowed to enter the entrance ceremony, the average number of visitors accompanying each new student is well over 30.

It was said that a rough estimate of the number of visitors, including those who came for spectacle without any connection, reached 4,000.

Gorius, the Empire’s most famous writer and traveler, called Eternia’s entrance ceremony the greatest social gathering in the world. Seeing it face to face, it was absolutely not an exaggeration.

However, it was clear that this year’s entrance ceremony would be somewhat disappointing for those who expected the appearance of the faculty, who can be said to be the center of Eternia Academy.

It was because Eternia’s executives, such as Candinella, Silverine, Erzebet, Morgus, Arcueid, and Racam, were dispatched somewhere.

Most of those who could be called magnates were those who were tied to political power, far from Eternia’s main force of learning and magic.

Among them, if I had to choose someone with influence, it would be Princess Gainax, who was ranked first in the succession of the Duchy of Yulicia, followed by Franz, the 4th prince of the Empire. Although the succession to the imperial power was low, he ruled over a powerful force that could not be ignored.

The reason why the top ruling class came to the entrance ceremony even though they had no connection with the students who entered this year was to see for themselves the top student who could be said to be the best talent on the continent both in name and reality.

best talent. Someone kept flickering in Lilith’s mind. I didn’t check all the students, but at least ‘that bastard’ was the best talent for her.

‘That bastard’ is the top, or at least the second. 1st and 2nd came out of the combat department, so if they did well, they would go up to the podium as the class representative, or if not, as the combat department representative. If you put your eyes on the princess or the prince like that, the future was solid.

How many people in the world would refuse that honor? Unless he was crazy, there was no way he would abandon the promised career path.

Strangely, however, I felt an ominous feeling. By nature, the child did not seem to care at all about glory and honor.

‘…He didn’t really drop out, did he?’

Then Lilith’s attendant hurriedly ran in front of her.

“Lady, lady! Why are you doing this alone!”

Lilith scratched her cheek in embarrassment when she found out that she was the only one walking out the other way.

“Oh, look at my spirit. Stop watching… is your father looking for you?”

“Yes, no. It is, but it’s a bigger deal.”

The servant handed her a letter panting.

“It’s really important. The headmaster of Eternia…is looking for a lady.”

***

“I’m going up to the podium as the representative of the Ministry of Magic…?”

Dean Dunkel sipped his cup of tea and nodded.

“Then am I the head of the Ministry?”

Dunkel shook his head lightly.

“The head of the Ministry of Magic is Miss Luna. However, that student is not in a position to stand on the podium.

“I’m second?”

Lilith’s head went blank. All she did in the entrance exam was follow ‘that bastard’ around.

“I’m not that skilled.”

I was expecting top grades, but I didn’t want second place. The Ministry of Magic had many better and more talented students than her, and Lilith was well aware of that.

“We know that well. But if we were simply evaluating magic skills, we would have a tournament and line up according to your grades. You got a good overall score, and we just judged accordingly. You can’t deduct points just because you got all of these right.”

It wasn’t always a good thing to be admitted second in class. In order to maintain that grade, it is necessary to make bone-breaking efforts.

However, going up to the podium as a representative of the faculty is a huge task.

“…”

“If there is a problem, it is Eternia’s problem. Your choice will not be a problem.”

Lilith replied politely.

“All right.”

Dunkel nodded his head as if satisfied.

“Yes. Congratulations on entering the second place in the Ministry of Magic.”

She pressed her thighs with both fists. It was good to fly, but I couldn’t make a fuss in front of the dean.

***

An entrance ceremony hall that can accommodate thousands of people. And the central aisle leading to the platform was covered with a golden carpet about a hundred feet long. On either side of it, there were banquet tables for dignitaries, incoming students, and their families.

Students who will be on the podium will be assigned special seats in the back. When the presenter calls their names, they are greeted with a standing ovation as they walk across the golden carpet.

Faculty chiefs were able to see each other thanks to sitting together in the special seats.

Before the full-scale opening ceremony, people started to fill the seats one by one.

And the heads of departments to sit in the special seats also gathered one by one.

Cecil was the first to take the seat, and Lilith came second and sat in the designated seat for the Ministry of Magic.

Cecile was painting her lips while looking in the mirror with a relaxed gesture, as if she wasn’t nervous at all.

As Lilith sat across from Cecil, Cecil looked her up and down with a hostile gaze for a moment.

“Why are you alone?”

“…what?”

When Lilith asked back, Cecile ignored it and turned her gaze back to the mirror.

‘Did I make a mistake…?’

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t find a reason to be hostile to myself. I had brushed up against them once during the entrance exam, but this was the first time I had ever met them face-to-face.

Nothing was said except for an incomprehensible question. Didn’t even say hello.

A strange feeling of displeasure came over me, but I soon put it away. Cecile’s spirits were so strong that if she acted emotionally, she would be crushed.

Fortunately, Iris sat in the designated seat at the pension department, and the stiff atmosphere eased somewhat. Thanks to Iris’s extremely sociable personality, she was acquainted with both Cecil and Lilith and greeted them brightly.

The heads of the Department of Magic, the Department of Alchemy, and the Ministry of Magic were all seated, and the only thing left was the Combat Department.

And there were only two combat division seats left in the special seats.

Lilith’s heart skipped a beat when she saw with her own eyes that there were only two reserved seats in the Combat Division. One of them was the seat of ‘the child’.

The remaining positions were soon filled. Shion approached silently and quickly sat down.

Iris greeted Shion kindly, but she glanced at Iris and ignored it.

Iris smiled shyly. Iris was the only one who tried to get along with her double mates.

Cecile confirmed that only the last seat was left, brushed her hair with her hands, and tidied up her clothes. Then, he gazed intently at the remaining spot.

It was the same with Zion. She sat down and stood still with her eyes closed on the seat next to her.

Lilith also put her hands together and secretly wiggled her toes while watching the spot.

Iris, who was watching the bizarre appearance of the three women who had gathered as the representative of the newly admitted students, said with an awkward smile.

“Ah…hahahaha, who is it that is so popular?”