novelraw Chapter 89 : 5th Class (1)
Chapter 89 : 5th Class (1)
Chapter 89: 5th Class (1)
As the griffin that had fallen to the ground vanished and the dust that had bloomed cleared away, the shape of an hourglass was revealed.
All of the burning sand had fallen to the bottom.
‘Then what about the flame domain?’
The cube was entirely covered in blue flames.
Ten out of ten.
It seemed the shock inflicted on the faculty had caused their mana to be briefly cut off.
“Alright!”
As Hei grasped the situation, he jumped up and down inside the cube, drenched in joy.
“Professor, are you alright……?”
I asked Cullem on the ground.
They were still protecting their bodies inside hardened lava, and only after all the dust had cleared did they withdraw the lava and stand up.
Cullem alternated her gaze between the hourglass and the cube, then let out a sigh.
It was a sigh of unclear meaning.
“We passed, right?”
I asked while pointing at the blue-burning cube.
“Just come down. It’s over.”
She replied in a curt voice.
After Kiena’s Roc safely set the cube down on the ground, it disappeared together with the griffin that had fulfilled its role.
“Passed.”
And then came Cullem’s flat declaration.
At that moment, Kiena and Hei, soaked in euphoria, threw their arms around me.
“As expected of Artel! We could do it thanks to you, Artel!”
I hadn’t led everything.
Kiena’s outlandish growth had played a huge part.
But I didn’t praise her.
Because what happened two days ago still remained vividly in my memory.
“You all worked hard.”
Leaving only a formal word of encouragement, I now looked at Cullem.
“As announced, you can go to the 5th Class whenever you want. So this is meaningless too.”
Cullem activated her Mob and displayed the current rankings.
[Rankings]
Artel, Kiena, Hei - 200
Keled - 172
Coupe - 168
Silk - 164
She erased the three names at the top.
Since our graduation was already certain, there was no need for us to be on the rankings.
“Discuss it among yourselves and come to me anytime. But not today. You can go starting tomorrow afternoon. There’s a bit to prepare in the 5th Class as well.”
Before answering her, I exchanged glances with Kiena and Hei.
It was a look implying, what about going tomorrow?
Reading my eyes, the two nodded.
“Then we’ll go tomorrow afternoon.”
“Good. And even if other students ask about the interview, absolutely do not tell them. If you let it slip, your interview pass will be canceled and you’ll be expelled immediately. Got it?”
She threatened us to ensure strict secrecy.
There was no reason to divulge it, and even if we did, it would be a simple matter as long as we weren’t caught.
But if we divulged it, we would definitely be caught.
Why?
Because I was living in an era where we were monitored by the Mobs embedded in our bodies.
“Don’t worry. We won’t do anything that stupid.”
“You answer well.”
Cullem replied coldly and left the auditorium first.
“Hoo, Artel, you…….”
Those were the words Balak threw at me as he passed by.
“What kind of monster are you? To do this much in a place that’s not even a Favored Duel Arena. Your Dark Element was pretty powerful too.”
A somewhat out-of-the-blue compliment.
He asked while offering me a handshake.
“In the 5th Class, you’ll also choose and take only one of two subjects. Will you go with the Fire Element then as well?”
“Probably.”
I answered while clasping his hand.
“Yeah. The teacher in charge of the 5th Class is my older brother. I’ll let him know that an incredible monster is coming.”
That didn’t seem necessary.
“And 5th Class classes are different from 3rd Class and 4th Class. From there on, it’s an advanced class. If it’s tough, it’s tough, and if it’s fun, it’s fun.”
“I suppose so.”
“But you’ll do well. And Hei.”
“Yes! Teacher!”
“You need to try harder. You didn’t show anything today.”
He wasn’t saying that to deliberately crush Hei’s spirit.
That too was sincere advice born of concern.
As he said, you could say Hei showed nothing in today’s interview.
To put it a bit bluntly, he had practically ridden on Kiena’s and my backs to make it to the 5th Class.
But Balak didn’t know what lay within Hei, so such words could come out.
At least, I didn’t feel that worry.
“Yes! I’ll work hard!”
Hei also grasped Balak’s hand and replied energetically while shaking it.
“Get some good rest.”
With that, Balak also left.
Now the teacher in charge of summoning stood in front of Kiena.
“When did you become able to summon even a griffin? In my class, you only showed Pegasus, didn’t you? And what’s with the Roc?”
Her tone wasn’t particularly picking a fight either.
She had simply been so surprised by Kiena’s growth that her words came out a bit rough.
“Hahaha…… I practiced on my own thinking of combining Pegasus and Roc. The griffin has the body of a lion, right? It’s similar to Pegasus.”
Kiena had already known how to handle Pegasus and Roc even before coming to the 3rd Class.
Since she thought of combining two relics she could already handle into one, it seemed only natural that she had mastered it quickly.
“……Your understanding of summoning magic is exceptional. That’s not how I learned it. Anyway, handling three relics. And all of them in the form of perfect adults—I’ve never seen a student like you. It’ll be the same in the 5th Class.”
“Huh? Really?”
Kiena’s eyes sparkled.
“Maybe……?”
She looked like she was about to ask something difficult.
“What is it?”
“Teacher, how many relics do you handle……?”
At Kiena’s question, she only showed an awkward smile.
“If it’s not relics, even hundreds are possible, but even five relics are difficult.”
I knew that relics were harder to handle than ordinary animals and that summoning them itself was difficult, but I wondered if it was really to this extent.
The only summoner I knew well was Sylarid, whom I had personally fought during the Battle of the Full Moon 450 years ago.
‘That bastard handled hundreds of monsters, so just how much of a monster was he?’
If the level of the 3rd Class summoning teacher was like this, then Sylarid was truly…….
Sylarid did not summon ordinary animals.
He summoned only relics, but perhaps due to the influence of the Dark Element, their appearances were grotesque and all had black hides.
That was why the title monster suited them better than relics.
‘Well, with talent like that, he could become the worst mage in the history of the Magical Society. He even mobilized eight swordsmen.’
“Anyway, I don’t know who the 5th Class teacher is, but they’ll be quite surprised when they see you, Kiena. Work hard even in the 5th Class. With your talent, you might become the first among summoners to establish a family. Being able to do that much at your age is innate talent.”
“Th, thank you!”
“I’m glad to have met a student like you, as a fellow summoner. Then, goodbye.”
With advice that sounded like a sincere request, she too left the auditorium.
Kiena bent her waist at a right angle toward her retreating back.
“The first among summoners to establish a family……! Family Head!”
After the summoning teacher had completely left, Kiena straightened up and muttered only those words.
Then suddenly, she shouted while looking at Hei and me.
“Artel! Hei! If I establish a family, will you come to mine? This big sister will bestow a family upon you! Kyahaha!”
“…….”
She looked as excited as could be.
It seemed that in her heart, she was already building a proper family and envisioning the happy life of a family head.
But I couldn’t bring myself to look bright.
The black wolf Kiena had shown the day before yesterday.
That was unmistakably Sylarid’s monster.
“Let’s pack and rest today. We’re going to the 5th Class tomorrow.”
After saying that, I left the auditorium first.
“Isn’t Artel happy…….”
“Yeah…….”
“Um, no! I am happy, it’s just that I used too much magic today!”
“Is that so? Come to think of it, Artel handled the whole interview! Of course you’d be tired!”
No.
I really wasn’t that happy.
The two of them started talking about something else.
“But Kiena, if you really establish a family, will you take me in?”
“Of course! The three of us should always be together!”
Leave me out of those three.
Somehow, I didn’t even want to use the word friends anymore.
To others, it might seem like I was being narrow-minded, saying that what happened the day before yesterday was no big deal, but those two were definitely dangerous existences.
The speed at which Hei had mastered Tap-Taking, and Dark Element Orbification.
Just from those two, it felt like some unknown being, just like me, had been reincarnated.
And Kiena, who had shown Sylarid’s monster.
To the point where I wondered if she might be Sylarid’s daughter.
But even if Sylarid, who had been sealed 450 years ago, had children, there was no way they would appear in this era.
And even if they did, they wouldn’t look that young.
Still, I couldn’t draw a firm conclusion.
I couldn’t shake the thought that Kiena and Sylarid were not blood-related, but definitely connected in some way.
Between Hei and Kiena, the one I was most wary of was Kiena.
‘That identity inside you. If it’s closely related to Sylarid…….’
I stopped briefly in the corridor and looked down at my palm.
‘Then I’ll have to deal with it with my own hands.’
Sylarid’s seal must not be released, and everyone connected to him had to disappear from this society.
While I was resting after returning to the dormitory, a timid knocking sound rang out from outside the door.
When I went out, the Keled trio had come to my dorm.
“Why?”
“Artel……! Why isn’t your name on the rankings? Yours, Kiena’s, even Hei’s weren’t there…….”
With the three of us who shared first place gone, the Keled trio naturally reclaimed the top student position.
“Oh, that? We passed the interview, so the professor erased them since we’re going to the 5th Class tomorrow.”
“What?”
Keled shouted so loudly it hurt my ears.
“Why?”
“There’s still so much I have to learn from you, how can you leave already!”
Keled looked like he was about to cry.
‘Did this guy have such a cute side?’
Coupe and Silk at his sides wore the same expressions.
‘Well I’ll be.’
“What are you going to learn from me? The one you’re learning from is your assigned teacher, the Earth Element teacher.”
“No! No! Look! When I do it the way you taught me……!”
Keled lowered his body and placed his palm against the corridor floor.
Then, like sticking a fork into a piece of cake, he tore off a section of the corridor floor exactly the size of his hand.
‘……Huh? Already?’
Keled’s growth was faster than expected.
But even so, he wasn’t a target of vigilance like Hei.
Because Keled was already a student who knew how to use Tap-Taking.
“I can do this now! Of course I want to learn more from you! But you’re going to the 5th Class tomorrow!”
Keled spoke while sniffling, as if pleading.
“Hey, Keled.”
“Yeah!”
“How many years have you been in the 3rd Class?”
“Three years.”
“When did you learn Tap-Taking?”
“At the end of last year.”
That meant he had learned it around the time he moved into his third year.
As expected, his growth rate wasn’t extraordinary.
Keled continued.
“I wanted to become friends with you…….”
“I don’t like dividing friends by skill.”
“……That’s not what I meant. I’m just saying that what I learned from you helped me a lot, so I’m grateful.”
Somehow, it felt like this conversation was going to drag on unnecessarily.
At times like this, there was a good way to forcibly wrap things up.
“Gather 200 points yourselves and come to the 5th Class. Then we’ll be in the same class, so wouldn’t that make us friends?”
At my suggestion, the three of their expressions brightened.
‘So naïve.