Chapter 132: Omen of Crisis at Saint Maryan
At ten o’clock sharp…
As Dak came out of the library, he encountered the returning tide of small imps from the secret path. They were swarming like a horde, urging the students back to their dormitories as if they were prisoners.
“I wonder when this wave will end?”
Dak shook his head and leaned against the window, waiting for the crowd to pass.
The moonlight remained undisturbed, still clear and serene.
Half of his face was illuminated by the light, and he just caught sight of Wit and Robert hurrying across an external bridge.
“Isn’t this where we stood after the astronomy class last time?”
A faint memory surfaced in Dak’s mind, followed by a shake of his head.
…
The next day, Friday.
In the Common Room of the Noble Academy.
Dak, as usual, enjoyed breakfast delivered by the imp beast.
This morning’s “The Wise One Daily” finally mentioned the events that occurred within Saint Maryan Academy.
Despite the school’s efforts, the effect seemed minimal.
“The Wise One Daily” still listed this as a top story, with Principal Altair’s photo on the front page banner.
However, the angle of attention differed slightly from what Dak had anticipated.
The condemnation of the imps was not as strong as expected.
It seemed that their inherently unreliable reputation made people feel this was unsurprising.
Only some parents were surprised that imps were appointed as professors, but due to the wartime “Hundred Tribes Alliance Treaty,” the nobility in politics did not openly criticize this.
People were more relieved that the students affected were all safe and sound.
The academy submitted the list of involved students to the court, but due to confidentiality regulations, the court did not disclose it, except for Mr. Starfish’s name being listed in the public documents.
The entire incident simmered for a whole day, and the most vociferous condemnation came from the Church of the Saints, which was completely unrelated.
Moreover, the angle of the Church’s spokesperson was quite peculiar, accusing Principal Altair of defaming the Moon Goddess!
Seeing this, Dak couldn’t help but laugh.
The term “Moon Goddess” was a very general title. Any deity associated with the moon could be called a Moon Goddess.
Among them, the more famous Moon Hunting Goddess was an ancestor of Principal Altair.
In ancient myths, some deities descended to Earth and lived among humans.
Their bloodlines spread through normal reproduction, although diluted over generations, there were still a few who retained high purity divine lineage.
Principal Altair was one of them.
Why would the Church’s spokesperson accuse the Moon Goddess’ descendants of defaming the Moon Goddess? That was truly enough!
Continuing to read the newspaper, Dak noticed a small corner with a clarification regarding yesterday’s headline.
The post was from a journalist apologizing for fabricating the story and clarifying that the duke’s son was not engaged to the royal princess.
“So, the rumor is the headline, and the clarification is only fit for the corner?”
After reading this, Dak suddenly remembered something and looked back at the reports about the Moon Goddess incident, then fell into a brief contemplation.
“If Principal Altair was busy outside until last night, then who taught the magic history class yesterday afternoon?”
“Could it have been her golem?”
…
Time passed quickly.
When Dak put down the newspaper, the selection card in his mana card deck suddenly vibrated.
Taking it out and looking at it, he found it was a notification about changing the location of the duel class.
Duel classes were usually held in classrooms, but sometimes they were moved to the dueling arena.
Every time the classroom was changed, Professor Jones would give prior notice.
“I wonder what Professor Jones will talk about in the duel class?”
After the fierce battle with the Moon Goddess, Dak’s anticipation for the duel class had increased slightly.
However…
When the first-year students from the four houses entered the No. 2 Dueling Arena simultaneously, they were met with an intense physical training session!
Professor Jones seemed to think the students’ poor stamina was insufficient to handle potential crises, or perhaps she simply believed their energy needed release.
In this class, she rigorously trained the first-year students.
Students with weaker stamina suffered greatly.
Some gritted their teeth and endured, stubbornly and beautifully.
Others protested, but were ignored.
Only halfway through the class, two students suddenly fainted, prompting Professor Jones to temporarily halt the physical training and rush them to the infirmary as quickly as possible.
Approximately fifteen minutes later, Professor Jones returned to the classroom.
A student from the Noble Academy immediately criticized her inhumanity and received the reward of double training task X.
Professor Jones frowned and pondered.
Several other students asked about the condition of the two sent to the infirmary.
Professor Jones was puzzled: “It’s strange. Sister Carrian said they fainted due to long-term malnutrition. But our cafeteria is a battlefield for halfling chefs; do they not eat?”
When a student from the Knight Academy, who was close to one of the fainted students, claimed that person was a big eater, Professor Jones became even more confused.
But the young magi were not spared from the subsequent training.
The two fainted students were not due to the training.
This matter seemed to become a mystery, merging into the inexplicable occurrences in daily academy life.
At the end of the class, Professor Jones assigned a lengthy essay as homework, the topic being “The Importance of Stamina in Mana Duels.”
She also announced that another in-class competition would be held before Christmas.
…
Regardless, this morning’s duel class was not a pleasant experience.
The two fainted students were Aesik from the Mana Academy and Wagner from the Knight Academy.
Wagner, known as the big eater among Knight Academy students, was robust and sturdy, hardly resembling someone who was malnourished!
Therefore, some students suspected that Professor Jones was seeking excuses to evade responsibility, even calling on classmates to verify this by going to the infirmary.
But in reality, most students lost their ability to move due to the intense training tasks, some even skipping lunch and sleeping until the afternoon.
Dak’s stamina was only above average and nearly fell asleep in the bathtub.
On the contrary, Diana and Robert finally showed their advantages, remaining energetic even after the training ended.
After this incident, Dak began considering whether to include morning exercises as part of his daily routine.
…
At half past eleven.
Dak, with aching body, barely managed to eat a bowl of noodles in the canteen and then started waiting for the opening of Traveler’s Street.
This trip to Traveler’s Street, his credits were unprecedentedly high, and so were the items he needed to buy.
