Madam Ophelia, the Supervisor of the freshman dormitory, is a gentle person in many ways.
She always has a warm smile and doesn't get angry, maintaining a lovely squint.
She is also a beauty with rich blonde hair, which made her all the more popular among the students.
However, the fact that she received the title of 'Madam' shows that she's not just an easy person, and a regular Knight on active duty.
It is almost a heavenly feat for green horns who have just entered the academy.
Being a regular Knight is an enviable job that requires one to be a talent of at least the 5th Rank, which is the minimum standard to even be considered.
"Is everyone here-?"
Of course, that isn't really apparent right now, especially with her being so soft spoken.
With a wry smile, I followed Lady Ophelia, who is leading the freshmen from the front. The atmosphere is reminiscent of that of a mother duck leading her little ducklings behind.
We're currently in the highest hill in Elfante Academy, the Grande Hill, where you could see all the nearby facilities.
It is the best place to introduce new students to the overall structure of the academy.
"That's the dormitory. I think everyone is familiar with where it is, right? The facilities used by each department are different —over there is a physical training room mainly used by the School of Knights, while over there is the magic training hall used by the School of Magic…"
As for me, these explanations were just a repeat of what I already know.
Elfante's curriculum is divided into five Schools, with each representing a field.
Knight, Magic, Utility, Crafting, Theology.
This is not just exclusive to Elfante, the Tribal Union and Holy Land also follow the same system.
Starting from the welcome party that will be held in a few days, the freshmen will choose their majors and minors, and the same goes for the main character.
'… Actually, the Schools here are different.'
They may be called 'Schools' but looking at the 'facilities' and their size, it is not an exaggeration to say that each is a small city of their own.
True to its reputation as one of the best educational institution on the continent, the amount of land and budget allocated to each School is staggering.
The same applies to the Holy Land and Tribal Union.
Elfante Academy, Great Temple, Fighting Furnace.
These neighboring educational institutions are the best of the continent.
They are called the Golden Triangle.
'And, that's that.'
I checked the items I brought, while listening to Madam Ophelia's explanation with one ear.
In my bag was an incense burner and various materials to light the incense.
I also brought some extra… 'offerings' to use.
This field trip event, which follows immediately after the entrance exam, is like a tutorial that introduces the world and functions of the academy to the player. And there are some things that can only be done at this time.
"Uhm, is that the famous Void Zone over there?"
Yes, that's a good question.
When one of the students asked such a question, Madam Ophelia looked troubled.
Then her squinted eyes turned to the huge gray orb that the student was pointing at.
Despite being far away, the insidiousness and ominousness can be clearly felt even from such a distance.
"That is true, but- that is a restricted area - you'll be in big trouble if you go there-"
A dome-shaped sphere of enormous size embedded in the center of the three educational institutions forming a triangle. And a huge tower-shaped building looming inward.
Madam Ophelia's comment was not an overreaction. In fact, the words 'restricted area' are even too mild.
Void Zone, the product of the Great God-Devil War, which went down in history as the worst war.
[T/N: Not sure on the name since 신마 (Shinma) has no one-to-one translation. But based on the novel's setting, I used God-Devil; Shin=Deity/God & Ma=Devil]
This is the place where the messenger of God and the hero who inherited his power fought the final bloodbath against the devil and sealed it.
Hundreds of years have passed since its discovery, but the clash between the demonic and divine power lingering around it showed no signs of subsiding.
There's a 100% chance of dying if you were to get close to it. Even someone powerful won't experience any better.
'In the first place…'
This was the reason why the three academies, the Golden Triangle, are close to each other.
The "Great Treaty," created after the Great God-Devil War, between the three continental powers— the Empire, the Holy Land and the Tribal Union, had a clause that required each power to send a certain number of manpower to help manage the Void Zone.
The Treaty is still valid today, hundreds of years after the devil last appeared.
The devil has been sealed thanks to the sacrifice of the warriors of the past. But if it is freed, that place will definitely be the starting point.
The reason why there are so many high-quality staff among the academy faculty is because their main job is monitoring and guarding the Void Zone. And as to not waste manpower, they also serve as teachers on the side.
"…"
However, considering the main scenario, it is not so unlikely that the real devil will be released.
I feel dirty.
"Isn't it a famous place passed down even in myths? Can we go closer and take a look?"
"Uh-um-"
Seeing several students, whose eyes were burning with passion for learning, Madam Ophelia pursed her lips and scratched her cheek.
Seeing this, I calmly kept my backpack.
Part of the reason why Madam Ophelia is called 'Mommy' by players is because she wouldn't reject a request from the students. What will follow is already obvious…
"Then, shall we only go as far as Seraph-nim's protection allows-? It's safe as long as we're inside-"
Right.
●
Another name for the messenger of God revealed in mythology is an angel.
As an existence that appeared together when the devil awakened and began to plunge the world into chaos, the angel delivered various blessings and knowledge to humans.
It is said that an angel's power could boil the sea and overturn mountains.
A Seraph is a name given only to special beings among the angels.
It can be said that they have a status that is almost equivalent to that of a demigod by wordly standards.
"Then we'll have lunch around here-"
And such an existence had set up a protective barrier with enough stability that people could have a leisurely meal near the Void Zone.
In the first place, the reason why the academy is able to exist near here is because of this barrier.
The sight of bright white light clusters floating around is a spectacle, which naturally garnered the admiration of the students.
After settling down and taking out their lunchbox, one of the students asked Madam Ophelia another question.
"Oh, I heard that priests often visit this area. This is one of the few pieces of evidence that we can use to study the power of angels, right?"
"That's right-?"