Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – School Life! (4)

Rewriter’s Notes:

[1] What kinda jank ass laugh is that???

As long as Pram approved, Desir was happy with it . At the same time, Desir

noticed that Pram’s face had become unnaturally red . Unable to understand

why, Desir decided to ignore it and continued speaking, his tone belying his

embarrassment . “You don’t have to speak to me so politely, you know?”

Pram’s own face showed a steely determination as he responded, “No, no, it’s

fine, Mr . Desir . This is more comfortable to me . ”

“We’re the same age; ‘mister’ is a bit much, don’t you think?”

“No, really it’s fine . I want to call you Mr . Desir,” Pram insisted . He appeared

bizarrely resolute . Desir sighed a little inside, but, ultimately, decided to drop

the topic . He could let Pram speak how he wished .

“Oh? It’s this late already?” blurted Desir in surprise . He had been so caught up

in the conversation that he hadn’t realized that the clock was already pointing

at 1 . It was lunch time .

Having finished the first aid, Desir got up to move, but as he opened the door to

leave, Pram suddenly moved in front of Desir and lowered his head . “Thank

you for today, truly . I’ll never forget this debt . ”

“I only did what anyone would do in that situation,” Desir responded .

They left the infirmary together, and Pram spoke up again . “If there’s anything

I can do to help, please tell me . You can ask me any time you’d like . ”

Desir’s brows suddenly furrowed . “Anything you can do to help . . . ”

Noticing Desir’s suddenly serious expression, Pram pressed, “Anything at all!”

21

‘Anything?’ Desir’s eyes flashed . “Then, Pram, if you haven’t applied to a party

yet, would you join mine?”

Pram’s eyes jumped in surprise, before his face broke into a wide smile of pure

delight . “Of course, Mr . Desir!”

And with that, Desir completed his party .

Desir, Romantica, and Pram walked across the long, empty corridor, before

coming to a stop in front of an elegant wooden door . An engraved plaque on the

door read, ‘Brigitte de Fahellibos . ’

The door swung open, into a spacious and well-organized room, elegantly

decorated . Atop a small table near the center, four tea cups were neatly sat, as

if the professor had been expecting them .

As the three entered the room, Professor Brigitte spoke . "I'm afraid you've

called to meet at a busy time . "

Desir, Romantica, and Pram sat opposite Brigitte . Desir bowed his head as he

spoke . “Thank you for giving us the time, when you’re so busy . ”

Brigitte positively beamed at Desir’s words . “It’s alright . There’s nothing to

worry about,” she responded . She took a sip from her cup .

Desir looked up, examining the familiar figure closely . She was a classic model

of beauty and grace, with beautiful, pure eyes, and flawless white skin . Today,

she wore a simple but elegant dress, perfectly complemented with a number of

classy accessories . Clearly, her fashion sense was excellent . Desir knew

Professor Brigitte well; when he was still an orphan, she had recommended him

to Hebrion Academy . If it hadn’t been for her, Desir would have spent his entire

life at the orphanage, destitute . Ever since that day, he had remained deeply,

sincerely grateful for her .

22

Brigitte placed her teacup back down . “You were truly amazing at the entrance

exam, Desir . ” She continued, “I’ve never seen you do that before, you know?”

Desir blushed as he responded, “Haha, is that so?”

“Certainly . That day was the first time I’ve ever seen such skillful application of

magic from you . ”

“ . . . It really wasn’t that much . ”

“You’re humbling yourself too much,” Brigitte insisted . “You won against the

much favored Ajest, after all . ” Brigitte flashed a wide smile at Desir as she

continued, “Remembering how hopeless you were when I was first teaching

you, I do feel quite betrayed at seeing how brilliant your magic is, huhuhu . ” [1]

Desir froze, speechless, as a chill ran down his spine .

Seeing this, Brigitte spoke up again . “It was a joke . Drink, before the tea cools .

It took quite a bit of effort to get these leaves imported from Heidna . ”

“ . . . Yes . ” Desir raised his cup . His hands were still shaking violently .

Romantica looked at him while snickering quietly . She hadn’t expected there

was someone who could win against Desir with words .

Her teacup now half empty, Brigitte gazed intently at the group . A mysterious

light flickering across her eyes as she asked, “So these are the party members

you’ve found?”

Without another word, Brigitte examined Romantica, Pram, and Desir one by

one, only speaking again once she was satisfied . “What’s your reason for

creating a party, Desir?”

23

Of course, she was asking for the party’s objective . Their goal was something

that Desir saw clearly in his mind . In fact, he had created this very party for

that single reason .

With fire in his eyes, Desir said, “My goal is to move up to the Alpha Class

through the promotion battle . ”

Brigitte raised an eyebrow in mild surprise . “That’s going to be difficult you

know?”

“Oh, I know . ” Desir replied, his voice carrying an air of confidence .

Pram, who had simply been listening in a daze, shakily raised his hand . When

Brigitte finally looked at him, he spoke, “What do you mean by ‘moving up to

the Alpha Class’?”

“Ah, it seems you haven’t been officially informed yet,” said Brigitte, “Our

academy employs a system of advancement known as the ‘promotion battles’ . ”

Promotion battles were what decided the Hebrion students’ rankings each year .

Not only were these battles a tradition of Hebrion Academy, they also acted as

the students’ midterm exams .

The promotion battles started with a tournament phase, from which the top 30

participants were selected . These 30 students would enter an artificial Class 5

Shadow World and take part in a battle royale between one another, which

would decide their final ranks . The main goal of everyone in this stage was to

be one of the last people remaining, as the top 9 survivors received the title of

‘Single Ranker’ .

Brigitte continued her explanation, “What Desir means by ‘promotion’ isn’t

only entering the Alpha Class, but also receiving the Single Ranker title

through the tournament . ” She turned back towards Desir, and asked, “Am I

correct, Desir?”

Desir nodded in affirmation . “Yes, you’re right . ”

24

“What!? What are you talking about!” Romantica, who had been listening

silently, shot up from her seat . “Forget being in the top 9 . There’s no way we

could even place in the top 30 of the tournament . And even if we did, any Beta

Class parties would be targeted by everyone else immediately!”

“She’s right you know . ” Brigitte agreed, nodding . “It’s obvious who will be in

the top 30 . The majority of them will be elites, all in large parties . Last year,

there was the Blue Moon party with 15 members, the Red Dragon party with 9,

and the remaining 6 were all from other Alpha Class parties . Not a single

student from the Beta Class has ever placed in the top 30 in this academy’s

history . ”

Now with a better understanding of what Desir’s plan entailed, Pram spoke

warily, “So obviously, there’s no way the Alpha Class will go easy on anyone

from Beta Class, and they’ll likely even target us . ”

“That is correct . ” Desir said .

The weak would always be targeted first . Furthermore, everyone in Desir’s

party was from the Beta Class . Even if they all somehow managed to make it

into the top 30, they would be a huge disadvantage number-wise .

But despite these overwhelmingly terrible odds, Desir looked confident . “That’s

why it’s all the more important that we aim for becoming Single Rankers . ”

Currently, the Beta Class was nothing more than a collection of trash in the

academy’s eyes . Beta Class students were all commoners, meaning that the

professors and Alpha Class students held them in contempt . Their future was

apparent . The Beta Class students would lose any and all motivation sooner or

later, and would eventually give up on graduating . The students who were seen

only as trash would become exactly that . But what if it didn’t have to be that

way .

25

Desir spoke with a smile . “Think about it, professor . If the Beta Class who are

thought of as trash wins Single Ranker titles for everyone in a 3-man party,

how would people react?”

“That is . . . . ” Brigitte’s was unable to answer Desir, falling silent as the

implications of his plans dawned on her .

Desir continued, “‘The Beta Class is talentless, so I refuse to teach them . ’

Opinions such as these would become mere excuses, and the truth would

become apparent . The Beta Class will finally be able to remove their shackles of

inferiority . ”

Steam rose from their cups, the tea within still warm, and its fragrance filled

the room .

Desir gulped nervously . Other than the occasional blink, Professor Brigitte sat

as still as a statue, contemplating Desir’s words quietly .

As the three students held their breath in silence, Brigitte finally spoke,

“Alright then, I’ll authorize the creation of your party . ”

A sigh of relief escaped Desir . “Thank you, professor . ”

However, before Desir could fully relax, Brigitte continued . “But before that,

there’s something I must be sure of . ” Brigitte looked at Pram and Romantica . “I

need to hear Pram and Romantica’s consent . ”

Pram and Romantica each took a deep breath; they both understood the weight

their decision would carry .

Brigitte looked at the two of them sternly . “You must be absolutely certain

before giving me an answer . Joining Desir’s party also means agreeing with

Desir’s ideals . In other words, you’re throwing in your lot with him . You must

obey your party leader’s commands, and follow his instructions at all times . To

join this party under these constraints, what matters most of all is your own

determination . ”

26

Pram showed no hesitation in reaching his decision . “I will apply to join Mr .

Desir’s party . ”

Brigitte passed a paper over to Pram . “Then please sign this contract . ”

The pen moved without reserve, and Brigitte picked up the completed contract .

While quickly checking the contract in her hands, Brigitte said, “Now there’s

only one person left . ”

With that, everyone’s gaze fell on a single person in the room .

Romantica was holding her chin, lost in thought . She was currently holding a

heated internal debate . Was it really possible to enter the Alpha Class this way?

To reach the top 9 in the academy that gathered the greatest talents from

around world . She was only a 2nd circle mage . The spellsword Ajest included,

there were surely much more than 9 people who were easily stronger than her .

To be honest, Romantica thought that even the notion of entering the Alpha

Class was little more than a pipe dream . ‘That is . . . if I were alone . ’

Romantica looked at Desir . What she saw was a man with overflowing

confidence . His look was one that said ‘there’s no way I could possibly lose’ . It

was as if defeat had never even crossed his mind . Looking at him, she recalled

the time when he’d taken control of her magic . It was truly a creative, even

ingenious, way to use magic . It was the first time Romantica felt like she’d

caught a glimpse of an unreachable level . Her horizons were expanded that

day, and she had decided to never allow herself to become conceited again .

Romantica thought for certain that if it were Desir . . . if it were him, she felt he

could create something incredible .

“ . . . Whew . ” Romantica sighed deeply and turned to Brigitte . “Where do I sign?”

27

The main building, located in the center of the academy’s campus, was split

into six unique sectors, and the distance between each sector was so great that

magic-powered buses were necessary for transportation between them . Each

sector was named after the purpose it served . The area containing the

dormitories was called the Residential Sector, and the area that conducted

magical research or research on Shadow Worlds was called the Research

Sector; the other four sectors were named in a similar fashion .

| This stop is the Training Sector .

Desir, Romantica, and Pram got off the bus . In front of the station stood an

ivory-colored marble statue of a swordsman . Behind it stood large buildings

boasting an incredible height, rising far up into the sky . Walking side by side,

Desir’s group entered the training center .