novelraw Chapter 194: Field Trip To Death
Chapter 194: Field Trip To Death
Ignotus walked into the lecture hall with Eris on his shoulder, looking like a fluffy void with ears, completely unbothered by the tension in the air.
After a quick scan of the room, he saw how the other students were faring, which was far from what could be considered well.
It looked like they had gone ten rounds with death, all sporting dark circles, shaky hands, and a thousand-yard stare.
He also found his people.
In the middle row, House Calamity and co. were gathered.
Mer saw him first this time, the cat-girl waving him over with a grin that was only slightly tired.
Next to her, Lykos looked up, saw Ignotus, immediately scoffed, crossed his arms, and turned away.
"Never change, little wolf."
Ignotus couldn’t help but chuckle.
It was funny, really. The guy had dramatically knelt before him not that long ago, pledging his sword and loyalty, yet he still acted like a prickly cactus every time they made eye contact.
’He sure is consistent, at least.’
Ignotus wasn’t lying when he told him not to change. It was entertaining. If Lykos started acting like a subservient butler, Ignotus would probably die of boredom.
"Ignotus! Please sit."
Nodding at Gaia, he walked up the steps and squeezed into the empty seat next to her.
"Here."
He plucked the sleeping Goddess off his shoulder and dropped Her onto Gaia’s lap.
Gaia smiled, her face brightening instantly. She began to pat the black fur, gentle enough not to wake Her up. Eris slept deeply, but as if instinctively reacting, a loud purr started vibrating through Her small body.
Ignotus looked at the rest of his group.
Aur and Nora gave him an acknowledging nod while Ulv looked relieved that he was alive.
"Good job, everyone."
Ignotus leaned back and put his feet up.
"You all, except the one who’d just been accepted as a student, not only finished the test but did very well."
Lykos clicked his tongue loudly.
"Don’t say it when you don’t mean it. We all know that you were done on the first day."
The group went quiet. They knew Ignotus was a monster that they could not compare to, but hearing it aloud stung a little.
Ignotus grinned, not caring for that.
"First hour."
Those two words had Lykos freeze.
"...what?"
"Actually, no..."
Ignotus corrected himself, tapping his chin.
"It took me ten minutes, to be exact. But saying ’first hour’ sounded a little more humble, didn’t it?"
Tuk...
That was the sound of Aur’s quill dropping onto the ground. The stoic, by-the-books birdfolk swung her mouth open.
"Y-You... what?"
Her composure was shattered.
"Ten... minutes?"
It had taken her ten days. Ten days of bleeding from her eyes and straining her Soul to the breaking point. And he did it in the time it took her to walk back to the dorms.
Ignoring their horrified expressions, Ignotus waved his hand dismissively.
"Look, don’t make those faces. I meant what I said. You did well."
He looked at them seriously.
"You can’t compare me to you. That’s just setting yourself up for failure. I’m... I’m an anomaly... yes, that. But look around you."
Ignotus pointed to the rest of the students in the hall—the ones who were slumped over, the ones who had failed.
"Trust me, the way you feel about me right now? That is exactly how nearly every other person in this Stratum feels about you."
Silence settled over the group once more.
It was a weird compliment—arrogant as Hell—but it worked.
Yes, it put things in perspective.
"Thank you, Lord Ignotus."
Ulv responded first, his deep voice sincere.
Lykos, though, not so much. He rolled his eyes so hard Ignotus was worried they’d get stuck.
"Tell that to my previous House, they certainly didn’t think so."
Ignotus chuckled, leaning over to poke Lykos’s shoulder.
"Yes... ’previous.’ Your new House appreciates you a lot, boss~!"
The wolf-boy sighed, burying his face in his hands.
"Even now, you say it? In public?"
"Especially in public."
Before their shenanigans could continue, the heavy double doors at the front of the hall slammed open.
Lothar walked in, followed by John. And then, surprising everyone, the headmaster himself, Dante, stepped into the hall.
Nearly all in the hall scrambled. Chairs scraped against the floor as the students shot to their feet, standing at rigid attention.
"My Lord!"
Ignotus stayed seated.
He only bothered to lower his legs.
That was his way of showing respect.
Dante glanced at Ignotus and didn’t even blink.
He knew better by now.
"At ease."
The students sat back down at his command, the tension in the room thick enough to cut.
Dante, not wasting time on speeches, simply snapped his fingers.
A massive projection flared to life next to him, displaying the ranked results of the exam.
—
1. Ignotus (Tied)
1. Aurelia (Tied)
2. Lykos (Tied)
2. Merlin (Tied)
3. Gaia (Tied)
3. Ulv (Tied)
4...
—
The rest of the list trailed off below them, but Ignotus didn’t bother looking. They were inconsequential.
He only stared at the top of the list.
’Tied?’
How? He had submitted the answer in minutes.
His recreation of the Rune was literally perfect.
That meant that somehow, Aur, through sheer hard work and desperation, had managed to produce an answer of equal value.
’Hm, impressive... but how did she tie with me? If I were perfect and she were perfect, but I was faster... shouldn’t I be first? Unless they were grading on—’
"It’s her personality."
Dante’s voice cut through Ignotus’s thoughts.
The headmaster was looking directly at him, answering him.
"You’re confused, aren’t you? You perfected the Rune. You copied it and applied it without a single change. None. It was too perfect. I only feel... chaos from it. It was a contraption’s answer."
Dante shifted his gaze to Aue, who looked like she was about to faint from the surprise.
"But from her... I feel more of her in the Rune. She didn’t just understand it; she poured her struggle into the lines, making it her own. I believe that deserves to be appreciated."
Ignotus straightened up while absorbing that.
’So points for effort and style? That’s fair enough.’
He wasn’t at all offended by this but rather found it acceptable.
Aur didn’t look at the headmaster to thank for his decision, nor did she look at John, who was likely the main factor for this outcome.
Instead, she had turned her head slowly and looked at Ignotus, obviously seeking validation.
She wanted to know if he was angry.
If he had accepted this result.
Ignotus met her gaze and gave a firm nod.
"Good job."
Aur let out a breath she didn’t realize that she had been holding. Then, a spark of competitive fire lit up in her golden eyes.
She turned her head and shot a smug, triumphant glare at Ulv.
I beat you.
Though she didn’t say that out loud, her look said enough. Ulv understood that very well. The large wolf-tank scoffed, turning his head away just like his Prince did, acting like it didn’t affect him.
But Ignotus saw the twitch in Ulv’s jaw clear as day. It definitely affected him, and Ignotus, who now hid his smile, knew exactly why.
In the Hanged Man’s Tree—that nightmare dungeon where time and reality warped—Aur and Ulv had developed a brutal rivalry.
They had killed each other over and over again while going insane. They couldn’t recall the specifics of it, but enough was remembered.
The wolf and the bird were rivals.
A fact that was good for business.
"Students!"
Dante’s voice boomed, bringing the room back to focus.
"This is the strongest batch Saint Academy has seen in generations. You rival the First Cohort. You have survived my test and have thus proven your worth."
He paused, though only for a moment.
"And because you’ve done so well... we have prepared a reward."
A murmur of excitement went through the exhausted students.
Was it a break? A vacation away from all this Hell? Or was it a Rune?
They’d be eternally grateful!
Ignotus smirked, knowing what was coming.
Dante smiled and shut down their hopes:
"Pack your bags. You need to get ready for your field trip to death."