SCRITCH SCRITCH SCRITCH
White lines were drawn across the board, numbers written one after another as the Professor moved her hands. All eyes were on the board, the class silent as can be as they waited for the Professor to finish writing.
A new week has arrived, andover the course of the weekend, Yuna had managed to rank up her Alchemists' Guild Guild Card. She was now officially recognized as one of the only 4 Legendary Alchemists in the world.
It was quite the hectic scene when the Headmaster showed up in the Guild, but it became even more chaotic when Yuna proved her worth to everyone. They couldn't believe their eyes, but with the proof before them and the Headmaster backing here, they could only do so much.
Thankfully, Yuna didn't have to make another Legendary-Grade potion, and there wasn't another massive beam of golden light from before. The whole situation was very manageable, not a single word of what happened spreading like wildfire.
"Alright class, listen here carefully. Eyes on the board." ［Dorothy］
"""Yes～"""
"Alright... This upcoming Jovis and Veneris will be the Final Exams of the Academy. Everything you've learned will be tested during the day, and our judges will be watching over you." ［Dorothy］
Now, Yuna is attending class as per usual. And unlike the week before where they had all the time that they had to themselves, there was a quick class with the class adviser to remind them of the upcoming Final Exams 3 just days away.
It was an event which will be held for 2 whole days, divided into 4 segments. The 1st will be a written exam where their knowledge on theories will be tested, the 2nd was a physical education exam, the 3rd a practical brewing exam, and the 4th and final segment would be the presentation of research results.
The physical education exam is not as important as the others, and the research is not a part of the grades. Still, the students are encouraged their best to ensure that they have a bright future ahead of them.
"All the Professors will be proctors this year as well, and along with the Headmaster, we will have 2 other guests as judges." ［Dorothy］
There are also "Proctors" and "Judges" during the exam. The Proctors are in charge of monitoring the exam. While the judges will be there to see which students have the most potential and offer them opportunities which can change one's life.
There are only 3 Judges in total. One is the Headmaster who will act as the Head Judge. The 2nd one was Darwin ro Haurelia whom Grey and Yuna had met in the city of Alconia before, and the last is Lilianne ro Kenali, another Tier-8 Alchemist.
"Since you're only 3rd year students, you only need to brew Middle-Grade, Low-Tier potions in order to pass. But you should still do your best." ［Dorothy］
"Professor! Would there be rewards again this year?"
Asked one of the students whilst raising her hand. She was talking about what the rewards would be if ever they were to score high and become top students of the year. Everyone else was just as curious.
"Of course! If I remember correctly, if you are a top student, you will receive special items and even have a chance that the Headmaster will teach you!" ［Dorothy］
"Ohhh!! A lesson from the Headmaster himself! How lucky!"
"Isn't this a very big deal?! This is not something you hear everyday!"
"That's right! That's why you should do your best! And I tell you what! If one of you becomes a top student this year, I will buy you some new equipment!" ［Dorothy］
The Professor Declared and the whole classroom clamored. They were all fired up with such a great incentive waiting before them, passion burning ablaze in their eyes and heart, ready to take the top spots for themselves.
She continued to explain little bits and bobs of the Final Exams and a couple more special instructions they need to observe during special circumstances. It didn't take too long before the quick class was over, everything now fully conveyed.
"Then, that should be all for today. If you have any questions or any concerns, just raise your hand and I'll answer as much as I can." ［Dorothy］
"Ah! Professor! Can I ask something?!"
'Yes! Go ahead!" ［Dorothy］
"Then, about the pillar of golden light the other day. I heard that that happens when you make a Legendary-Grade potion. Did the Headmaster make a new one?!"
The question came flying like a stray bullet, the Professor jolting a bit. She was caught off-guard by the question and now, the whole class was noisy, everyone talking about the strange and sudden beam of light just a couple days ago.
While Grey and Yuna weren't perfectly aware, the whole Academy was sent abuzz at the news. There was all sorts of gossip and rumors about it, everyone making a lot of theories about what just happened, excited as can be.
The Professor tried to look at Yuna's direction and ask for help, but it was futile. The young lady also didn't want to involve herself in the matter, turning her head away. All the Professor could do was smile wryly and prepare herself.
"Umm.. Actually, I also have no idea what happened..." ［Dorothy］
"Ehh?! But aren't you professor, Professor Dorothy."
"That's right, Professor. Did they not really tell you?"
"That's true, but the Headmaster has yet to release any statements so I can't say anything for now. That would be irresponsible. I hope you understand." ［Dorothy］
She was a bit anxious, her lips and eyes twitching as she lied to the class. Yet she still managed to pull herself together and make a pretty believable excuse, not truly lying and not truly admitting that she knew either.
The whole class was disappointed by the answer, but if the Headmaster himself had nothing to say, then there was nothing more they could do about it. They could only continue to speculate and ponder what such an eye-catching sight was.
"Th-Then... If you have no more questions, you can all go now. Do your best and good luck in the upcoming Final Exams!" ［Dorothy］
"Yes! We'll make sure to make you proud, Professor!"
"Professor, you must remember your promise, okay?!"
However, everyone didn't lunger too much on the topic and simply continued on their merry and rowdy way. They were anxious, nervous, and excited, looking forward to what the Final Exams hold for all of them.
Of course, Yuna was also the same. She may not be able to participate in the Final Exams, but she can at least spectate and watch over everyone. There was a bright smile on her face as she headed out of the classroomー
"Ah, before you go. Student Elena, can I have a word with you for a moment? I promise this won't take long." ［Dorothy］
Or at least she was going to head out of the classroom, the Professor called out to her, making her halt her steps. She could smell a little bit of trouble, thinking that it would be all about what happened the other day with the "Fairy's Blessing".
"Looks like the Professor has something to tell you... Then, we'll be heading out first, Elena. We still have some work left unfinished." ［Edin］
"We'll see you at lunch, okay? Let's eat together again!" ［Alea］
"Un! I'll see you later. Good luck in your experiments～!" ［Yuna］
The others are busy and still have something to do so they didn't have the freedom to accompany Yuna and dilly-dally. They still have an exam to conquer, after all. They will be doing their best to produce the best result they can.
They soon waved their goodbyes and everyone finally left the room. Only Yuna and the Professor were left, the latter acting a little nervous as she arranged the paperwork she received just recently. She is clearly now aware who Yuna is.
"Is there something wrong, Professor?" ［Yuna］
"A-Ah, no. Not at all! I was just tasked by the Headmaster to head towards the office once we're done with class. He said he has something important to say." ［Dorothy］
"Something important... Is it about what happened the other day? But we already settled it though. Did he say something else, Professor?" ［Yuna］
"No... He just asked if you could come to his office. That's all..." ［Dorotjy］
Yuna tried to ask for a little bit more information, but the Professor could only shake her head. It seems like the Headmaster didn't tell her much of it. It only made Yuna wonder even more what the Headmaster's intentions are.
It didn't take too long for Yuna to give up wondering. There was no use thinking too much about it when one was being secretive. There was only one way to find, and that is to hear it directly from the Headmaster himself.
"Then, I'll be going ahead now, Professor. Thank you for telling me." ［Yuna］
"A-Ah, please wait a moment, Studー I-I mean, Your Highness! L-Later... Could I ask for a bit of your time again?" ［Dorothy］
"Umm... Did the Headmaster ask that too?" ［Yuna］
"Oh no! Not at all! I... I was just wondering if I could ask a few questions about what happened the other day. Please! Even if it's just 15ー No, even 10 minutes is more than enough! I promise it won't take long!" ［Dorothy］
From nervous to excited, Dorothy's expression did a complete 180, the bright spark of curiosity gleaming in her eyes. She has clearly not forgotten about the mystic scene from before and a lot of questions were brewing inside her head.
Yuna had already known it, but people in the Academy really were close to crazy with only alchemy inside their heads. It was good that only 4 people other than Grey saw her, otherwise, it would have been complete and utter chaos by now.
"Sure... I'll see if I can make time for that." ［Yuna］
"A-Ahhh! Really?! Thank you very much for sparing me some of your time, Your Highness! I'll make sure to never forget this gratitude!" ［Dorothy］
"And Professor... Please stop addressing me so formally. You can just address me as you usually do. Other students might hear us." ［Yuna］
"Y-Yes! I apologize for that!" ［Dorothy］
Or so she says, but she was still stiff and formal, acting as if she was greeting a part Royalty. Yuna couldn't care less anymore, and simply heaved a sigh of resignation. Correcting her some more would only cause her a headache.
After such a confusing scene inside the classroom, Yuna soon departed towards the Headmaster's office, and dropped by the cafeteria a little bit to buy a snack. She was smiling so happily, munching on her sweets without Grey scolding her.
The hallways and rooms were unusually empty and quiet, not even a footstep to be heard. Everyone was busy preparing for the upcoming exams, studying, practicing, and experimenting left and right.
Yuna could hear explosions resounding from quite a distance away, the scritching of chalks as they ran across the blackboards, and the subtle scent of all kinds of herbs. It was a strangely refreshing and calming orchestra.
"What took you so long, you silly girl!" ［Grey］
"Grey!" ［Yuna］
And just when she turned around the corner, she was met with a familiar face. It was none other than her beloved fiancé who was lying in wait for her. He quickly greeted the young lady with a pinch to her cheeks, much to the latter's confusion.
"You were eating sweets just now, weren't you?" ［Grey］
"H-How did you know?! Y-You were using your eyes again, weren't you?!" ［Yuna］
"Of course I did. And stop trying to change the topic. Just because you can, doesn't mean you should buy a mountain of sweets in the cafeteria." ［Grey］
"A mountain is too much... It was only a little bit..." ［Yuna］
Retorted the young lady, and she was right. It was only a "little bit" for her standards, but if anyone else were to be asked, they would surely be surprised. It was more than enough to feed a whole classroom of people.
Though now that she had already bought them, there was only little Grey could do to the young lady. It's not like they can just return what they bought anyway. He could only give up and heave a lengthy sight. She was such a handful of a fiancée.
"Haah... Together it. You were heading to the Headmaster's office as well, right? Let's head there together. I'm also heading there anyway." ［Grey］
"Oh? Is the Headmaster calling for you too, Grey?" ［Yuna］
"Yeah. I already know what it'll be about though." ［Grey］
Their footsteps continued and the two headed towards the office side by side. There were no other people around so the two used the opportunity to flirt as much as they could, holding each other's hands as they smiled so sweetly.
It didn't take long before the idiot couple reached the Headmaster's office. A little bit of knocking later and they were let inside, greeted by the Headmaster who was still signing some documents. He was a busy bee as usual.
"My... It's still early in the morning and you're already flirting so openly... Please don't make me miss my wife, else, it will be a tough week for me." ［Fran］
"Hahaha. Sorry about that, Headmaster." ［Grey］
"Well, no matter. Please take a seat. I still have a lot of paperwork to finish so I won't be wasting both our precious times. I'll make this quick." ［Fran］
The discussion proceeded quickly after Grey and Yuna took their seats. There were a total of 4 topics the Headmaster wanted to talk about, and the 1st one was regarding Yuna's advancement to Tier-9 which caused a lot of commotion before.
They have already talked about it a lot when Yuna was registering so it quickly ended, only adding a few bits and bobs here and there. They decided when was the best time to announce Yuna's work to the public.
The date would be during the second day of the Final Exams and also the last day or school. Yuna's incredible feats would be announced to the world and she would be formally proclaimed a Legendary Alchemist. She doesn't necessarily have to be there but the Headmaster still made sure to tell her.
"And about the next topic... Grey..." ［Fran］
"Hmm... Is it about Jermel, after all?" ［Grey］
However, the next topic was quite heavy compared to the first one. It was about the young lord and heir of House Caraquel, and his heinous actions. It took quite some time to process, but the judgement has now been passed.
Grey had already reported his acts to the Headmaster beforehand, and the King had already caught wind of it. They were both infuriated when they learned of it, wanting to appropriately punish Jermel and apologize to Grey and Yuna for the inconvenience.
Grey had already talked about it to Yuna before, but the young lady didn't really have any strong feelings of hatred after crushing and humiliating him the day before. There was only pity that she didn't get to crush the criminals herself.
"The judgement... He won't be sentenced to prison." ［Fran］
"Is it because he's the heir of a prestigious family?" ［Grey］
"Ah... Sorry for making you misunderstand. What I meant by that was that he won't be punished like the usual procedures. Rather than the prison, he will be sent to the psych ward first while the court case is proceeding." ［Fran］
"Huh... The psych ward...?" ［Yuna］
Both Grey and Yuna were taken aback by the Headmaster's sudden revelation. While they did notice that Jermel had personality and emotional problems, they didn't think it was so severe he had to be sent to the psych ward.
Apparently, after failing the assassination of Yuna, he has become deranged and paranoid. The moment he got a notice from the Royal Castle talking about his crimes, it finally broke his rationality and made him go insane from fear.
That day, he trashed his whole room and destroyed most of the furniture. He was trembling in fear, haunted by the retribution he would be receiving. He had become crazy, muttering gibberish words then laughing over and over again.
"I see... But what about Lord Caraquel? Wouldn't he do something about this? Even if he's become insane, he's still his son." ［Grey］
"Count Caraquel is a cold man. Even if Jermel is his flesh and blood, he won't be so forgiving for his crimes and would rather punish him by himself. There's no real need to worry about him. He isn't a foolish man." ［Fran］
"Then what about after Jermel gets treated?" ［Yuna］
"The case will proceed then. If he's lucky, he'll be sentenced to prison and rot there for all his life, chipping away in time while doing manual labor." ［Fran］
"And if he's unlucky?" ［Yuna］
"Well... That... Only God can tell." ［Fran］
The Headmaster didn't say anything other than that and simply kept his mouth shut. He didn't say anything, but Grey and Yuna immediately understood the meaning of his silence. Jermel would be receiving capital punishment.
After all, the crimes he committed were no joke. Not only did he harass and oppress students in the academy, he also dealt with criminals and hired thugs ro do all his biddings, assaulting many people as if he was above the law.
Most importantly, he tried to harm Yuna. While it was fine since they were reasonable people, if it was any other High-Ranker, they could have faced their wrath and face grave danger. For putting the people's lives at risk, it was only proper to punish him.
"I see... That makes us at ease then." ［Grey］
"Yes. It's a shame since he had quite a bit of talent, but there's no way he would go unpunished after everything. Such a shame indeed." ［Fran］
They may sound pitiful and heartless, but for someone who's abused his power and prestige, they couldn't force themselves to be merciful even if they wanted to. He is simply taking responsibility, albeit forcefully, for the actions he's committed so far.
Silence loomed over the air and everyone was pondering over the event. It would have been nice if they were able to act much earlier, but there's only so much they could do without evidence. There was no use anguishing over the past.
"Well, anyway... His Majesty would like to award you for this, and for eliminating the 'Black Bane' syndicate as well. He's still unsure so he wants to ask you." ［Fran］
"It isn't another Medal of Honor, is it?" ［Grey］
"There's also that, but His Majesty also asked if there's anything else you'd like. He also wants to include your reward for the Kobold nest subjugation." ［Fran］
Grey tried to ask, but the Headmaster simply glossed over the topic. Grey and Yuna already have 4 Medals of Honor each, and another one was on its way. They couldn't even refuse even if they wanted ro, the King seeming to be a little pushy.
Well, it concerns the Royal Family's dignity and honor, after all, so there's no way the King would just simply send them away empty-handed. There's no mention of anything like an Awarding Ceremony, but they could still smell trouble coming their way.
"Umm... Can we refuse in any way?" ［Yuna］
"No, you can't. Your great feats and accomplishments will also be announced in the public sooner or later once everything has settled down," ［Fran］
"Enh.... That sounds so troublesome... I don't wanna..." ［Yuna］
"Don't worry. You don'a have to present yourselves to the public. His Majesty simply wants the people to know of your great service to the Kingdom." ［Fran］
And as it seems, it looks like everything has already been decided. They were asking Grey and Yuna, but it was more for formality's sake rather than anything else. They never had a choice to begin with. It was too troublesome.
"Then... I already asked His Majesty to send us magic plants. So I'll leave it at that. He's free to send more if he likes." ［Grey］
"Me too... I think I'll also settle for magic plants." ［Yuna］
"I see. Then I'll make sure this reaches His Majesty's ears. I'll also make sure that you receive the best rewards and some money as well." ［Fran］
"It's fine, Headmaster. We're not short on money anyway. Thanks." ［Grey］
All the two could do was accept their fate and go with the flow. They weren't asked to show up during the announcement anyway so there's no need to go prepare for such a situation. They could simply laze around in the Camellia Valley.
Worst case scenario, they could just use illusion magic to cloak themselves whenever they go around the city. The inn might get crowded, but they still have the Sanctuary to rely on. There have no shortages or places to laze around,
They still have about a week to stay in Xeros, and there are also the Final Exams which they want to spectate, support, and cheer for their friends. There truly was no real reason to be worried about it. They're used to it anyway.
"Then, now that that's done and dusted, should we move on to the next topic? It's about the upcoming Final Exams." ［Fran］
"The Final Exams... Do you need our help for something, Headmaster?" ［Grey］
"Yes. To be more precise. I need Yuna's help." ［Fran］
"Eh...? Only mine...?" ［Yuna］
Asked Yuna as she tilted her head to the right ever so slightly, her head filled with question marks as she stared at the Headmaster. It didn't take too long for the latter to continue his words, looking straight at Yuna with stern eyes.
"Please become a judge for the Final Exams." ［Fran］
CHAPTER 386 END