Chapter 543: Chief Dark Demon’s Address (6k)
As the four “Diemon” students were assigned to different houses, the sorting ceremony entered a period of stability.
No one had expected that the four first-year “Diemon” students would be distributed among the four houses.
But this method of distributing them truly had the style of a certain Diemon.
The four students gradually quieted down.
Dark also quickly began to think after the initial shock.
The situation before him was completely unexpected.
Now that Victoria and Phoenix have been assigned to two separate houses, and Jon and Joie have also been assigned to two different houses, things couldn’t be worse.
Only Joie, who shares a house with him, is a cousin he has a strong sense of déjà vu about.
He naturally hasn’t forgotten his promise to take care of the twins, but it’s frustrating that cousin Jon isn’t in the Noble Academy.
“Jon, this kid looks so foolish and cute, I didn’t expect him to have the potential of a scholar.”
Dark rapped his head in frustration.
His impression of Jon and Joie was still from childhood.
Back then, Jon and Joie were chubby and very cute; they would actively grab his fingers when they walked into crowded places, which was incredibly endearing.
But now, these siblings avoid him like the plague, which makes him feel helpless.
What a pity…
What a real shame…
Jon was actually assigned to the Mana Academy.
Dark shook his head again.
Diana noticed him sighing and whispered, “By the way, Dark, where’s Aurora?”
Dark replied, “Aurora is with Aunt Claire, she should be in line now.”
Rose asked curiously, “Is Aurora Diana’s cousin?”
Dark nodded, “Yes. I wonder where she will be assigned.”
“No need to guess,” Diana said proudly, “Aurora will definitely be assigned to the Mana Academy! She’s so smart.”
Dark thought for a moment and agreed.
Even though she didn’t have many opportunities to showcase her abilities at the Duke’s Mansion, Aurora demonstrated a powerful ability to absorb knowledge when she interacted with “Armored Conjure” beyond her level.
If she is assigned to the Mana Academy, Dark wouldn’t be surprised at all.
Besides Aurora, he also cared about Oscar Oude’s sister—Viviane Alvende, the dark elf, being assigned to which house.
Viviane, along with Victoria and Phoenix, was part of his anticipated trio, but it was clearly impossible to form a group now.
As for the two little princesses…
There’s no way they would be assigned outside the Noble Academy, right?
Dark kept glancing at the positions of Phoenix and Victoria until Angie was called before Anna, at which point he turned to look at the stage.
Almost simultaneously, the hall, which had just calmed down, suddenly erupted into a commotion.
The arrival of the kingdom’s princesses naturally drew everyone’s attention.
Especially the students of the Noble Academy, who had been eagerly awaiting the sorting ceremony of the two little princesses from the beginning.
Anna and Angie not only held the highest status but also possessed extraordinary mana talents. They visited the academy last Halloween, leaving a great impression on the students.
If they could obtain both princesses, it would be akin to obtaining the “Hero’s Child” in last year’s sorting ceremony.
Of course, everyone now knows that “the child of the Valkyrie” is the greatest treasure from last year!
And now that the greatest treasure has advanced to second year, becoming a significant chip in the Noble Academy’s quest for the Academy Cup, the other three houses feel an extremely serious threat.
Given the current dominance of the Noble Academy, if these two princesses join as well, the future… it’s unimaginable!
Therefore, when the students of the Noble Academy were already celebrating early, the students of the other three houses were tightly watching the stage, hoping for a miracle similar to the “four Diemons!”
Who says pure-blood nobles must be assigned to the Noble Academy?
Wasn’t Wit Gold, a pure-blood noble, also a first-year student last year?
Isn’t Jon Diemon’s bloodline equally pure this year?
When other qualities demanded by other schools outweigh the trait of noble blood, even a princess might be assigned elsewhere!
…
Angie, excited to run onto the stage because she won over her sister, didn’t hesitate to inject her immense mana into the Sorting Card amidst everyone’s attention.
With a bright flash of magical light, the Sorting Card completed its final ritual, soon displaying the symbol of the house.
“Boom!”
A firework shot out from the Sorting Card, forming a golden crown in the air above the stage!
“This crown belongs to me.”
Angie smiled and swiftly descended the stage,迎着贵族院近乎狂热的欢呼与呐喊，仿佛一位接受万民朝拜的女王，快步走向贵族院长桌的末端。
而稍晚一步的安娜则在新生群中咬牙切齿。
“下一个应该是我了吧？”
安娜心中愤怒，独自走向舞台。
但那卷轴吐出的名字却是“薇薇安·阿尔文德”。
这位拥有小麦肤色的灰发暗精灵迈开长腿从安娜身边走过，只留下一抹香气。
安娜愣了一会儿，狠狠瞪了一眼暗精灵的背影。
她并不是对暗精灵少女有什么不满，只是将对安琪的怒火迁怒到了暗精灵身上，过一会儿也就消散了。
然而，薇薇安·阿尔文德的感知非常敏锐，几乎立刻转头看向安娜。
“看什么看？”安娜嘟囔着低声说道。
薇薇安并没有惹事，只是微微摇了摇头，转身继续走向舞台。
安娜愣了一愣，突然对薇薇安产生了敌意。
她感觉自己被“轻视”了！
……
当薇薇安·阿尔文德登上舞台时，台下的声浪因安琪的分配结束而稍微平息，此刻又再度响起。
拥有标志性暗精灵美貌的薇薇安毫不掩饰自己的异族身份。
她面容冰冷，双眼漆黑，不苟言笑，至少从表面上看，具有暗精灵特有的狡黠与冷酷。
台下学生的眼神中，有的纯粹好奇，有的则充满恶意。
即使是在圣玛丽安学院，对异族不友好的学生也不少见。
更何况暗精灵还是“魔族的隶属”！
薇薇安扫视台下，略微皱眉。
但阿尔忒校长一视同仁的态度使她的神情逐渐缓和。
她有自己的目标，在追求目标的路上，无论多少人的闲言碎语都不应让她动摇。
“阿尔文德，将你的所思所想通过魔力注入到分院卡中，分院卡会给你指引。”
在阿尔忒校长温柔的包围中，薇薇安接过分院卡，随手注入魔力。
“噗——”
…
Was it really because the quality of the Selection Cards at Saint Maryann Academy was that good?
Even when Viviene’s Mana once again went out of control, that Selection Card remained completely undamaged.
However, Principal Altair had already suppressed it in a flash as soon as the Mana explosion began.
Viviene ultimately successfully completed the final炼成 of the Selection Card and activated its allocation system.
“Boom!”
The fireworks shot into the sky and quickly condensed into the shape of a Mana Book!
…
Mana Academy?!
Dark couldn’t help but open his mouth wide.
He had to admit that Viviene Alvende’s entrance test results were indeed impressive, but the trio he had envisioned had already split up before they could even form… It was truly toxic!
“This year, the Mana Academy seems to have gained quite a lot.”
Dark finally shook his head and sighed, then continued to watch the Selection Ceremony.
…
A few minutes later.
Princess Anna was finally called out.
With great confidence, she walked onto the stage and immediately poured her Mana into the Selection Card upon receiving it.
In just a short moment, that Selection Card emitted scorching white light.
She provocatively glanced at Viviene below the stage, then immediately noticed Angie making faces at her.
“Damn it!”
Anna gritted her teeth, but her good upbringing allowed her to maintain her princessly demeanor in front of everyone.
Of course, she was undoubtedly allocated to the Noble Academy.
…
As the two princesses took their seats, the excitement of the students at the Noble Academy was already evident.
Those who talked loudly all said that this year’s Academy Cup was secured, and next year’s would be even more certain!
In such an atmosphere, Aurora Montiel Farley timidly walked onto the stage.
She habitually lowered her head slightly, letting her bangs cover her eyes, but her ethereal silver hair and exquisite face that rivaled the two princesses still attracted much attention.
It was probably unexpected that among this year’s new students, there would be so many who were impressive.
Whether it was the “four Diemons,” “two princesses,” dark elves, or the mysterious silver-haired girl, people felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of remarkable individuals.
The other three houses, which had lost the “two princesses,” immediately prayed for the inclusion of this silver-haired girl.
However, Aurora lightly pursed her lips, and even when completing the Selection Card, her gem-like eyes looked towards Dark’s direction.
Her goal, the house she wanted to join, had always been one and only.
And the Selection Card responded to her expectations.
When the “golden crown” shot into the sky, Aurora’s cheeks flushed, and she revealed a rare look of excitement.
“Woohoo!”
The students of the Noble Academy stood up and cheered like they were dancing.
These waves of cheers were like the students allocated to the Noble Academy, each one more dazzling than the last.
But Aurora’s excitement was even higher than theirs. She immediately ran off the stage and headed towards the end of the head table of the Noble Academy.
Being allocated to the Noble Academy was completely unexpected for Aurora.
She was very aware that while she had half-human blood, she also had a quarter of giant blood and a quarter of moon elf blood.
Under such circumstances, theoretically, it was impossible to be allocated to the Noble Academy.
Yet, facts spoke louder than words.
Aurora almost ran to Dark, pausing briefly.
Dark congratulated her, “Welcome to the Noble Academy.”
Aurora softly replied with a “Hmm,” then lowered her head and walked past him, sitting beside the two young princesses.
…
Immediately after, before the students of the Noble Academy could become too excited, the beastman king, still retaining much of his wild appearance, stepped onto the stage.
The moment he appeared, his imposing aura instantly erupted without him needing to show anger.
The students originally surprised by the beastman’s enrollment immediately realized that this beastman’s status was extraordinary.
Among the beastmen, the true king was called “Behemoth.”
But beneath “Behemoth,” the lionfolk and tigerfolk with Behemoth blood were also considered part of the nobility above commoners.
Spike Leon was one of the lionfolk!
His physical features were very distinct, even more so than the dark elf girl.
Once on stage, Spike Leon strode confidently, looking down at the audience, exuding a sense of “scrutiny.”
This did not make people dislike him.
New students with a “kingly presence” were usually very popular.
Compared to the rejection of humanoid races, welcoming “strong individuals” clearly held more sway.
Only those non-humans who did not strive for progress and clung to their differences were generally despised.
As for extreme racists, they would also be somewhat restrained under such circumstances.
“Spike Leon, Knight Academy!”
Spike Leon was ultimately allocated to the Knight Academy, causing a frenzy among the young knights.
The brave and awe-inspiring lionfolk directly struck a chord with the students of the Knight Academy.
Their welcome for Spike Leon even surpassed that of the two princesses!
“In the beastmen, isn’t Spike Leon considered a prince?”
Wit Gold whispered to Robert Broheim.
But before Robert could answer, Spike Leon’s voice, filled with authority, echoed from behind them: “Thirty-eighth prince of the beastman tribe.”
Then the footsteps gradually faded away.
“Thirty-eightth prince?” Wit’s eyes widened in shock.
Robert exclaimed, “Beastmen sure can reproduce!”
The thirty-eighth prince of the beastman tribe—Spike Leon stumbled, nearly falling.
…
After the appearance of the beastman prince, the Selection Ceremony gradually neared its end.
This year, the number of new students drawing attention was even more than last year.
Among those familiar to Dark were:
Noble Academy: Anna, Angie, Aurora, Joie;
Knight Academy: Phoenix, Spike;
Mana Academy: Jon, Viviene;
Fool’s Academy: Victoria;
…
The lonely Vampire Noble, though allocated to Fool’s Academy, was treated as a “treasure” and was extremely popular.
Now she felt a bit like she didn’t want to leave.
Seeing her blend in so smoothly with the surrounding students, Dark quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
Of all the people, he was least comfortable with Victoria.
Compared to her, Phoenix’s spirit had developed later, yet he matured faster.
The Vampire Noble still retained a strong childlike aura to this day.
He could only hope that she would better hone her mind in Fool’s Academy!
…
When the last new student completed the Selection Ceremony, Principal Altair reclaimed center stage, using a few brief words to introduce the upcoming routine.
——“Opening Remarks”!
From second year to sixth year, there were five chief students among the enrolled students in the academy.
Dark Demon was one of the chief students of the second year!
He straightened his collar slightly and walked onto the stage amidst thunderous applause.
“Now, please welcome the chief student from the Noble Academy, Dark Demon of the second year, to kick off the opening remarks!”
After saying this, Principal Altair stepped aside.
Dark stood at the position she had previously occupied, looking calmly at all the students below the stage.
His gaze swept across the venue quickly.
Victoria could be seen clearly gesturing excitedly towards him.
Anna and Angie pouted, looking agitated.
Phoenix remained expressionless.
Aurora’s cheeks flushed slightly as she lifted her head.
Vivian wore an expression of surprise.
Jon and Joy remained as always.
In the second year,
Dulong Teddy led the applause enthusiastically.
Diana and Rose echoed him strongly.
Sarah Swati, Emma Maltis, and other top students revealed a look of reluctance.
However, upon closer inspection, one could see confidence shining in their eyes as well.
Clearly, they hadn’t been overly idle during the three-month break.
This seemed to apply to Wit Gold as well.
Even Robert Broheim’s vitality was much higher than it had been in the first year.
While his mana technology might not have improved significantly,
the sun-tanned skin and increasingly athletic physique indicated he had undergone extensive military training!
Perhaps, he had even opened one or two chakras.
As for the upperclassmen…
Pandora Dragon, the current chief student of the fifth year and former fourth-year chief, was preparing her remarks backstage.
Winnie Scarlet, the current chief student of the fourth year and daughter of the Winter Sage, was also preparing backstage.
After scanning the rest of the people, Dark quickly retracted his gaze.
Then he finally spoke, “Good evening, freshmen of the first year, second-year classmates, seniors above third year. It is a great honor to stand here as the chief student of the second year. Last academic year was not easy for us…”
It was a very standard beginning.
Even Dark himself didn’t expect to start so formulaically.
But he continued smoothly, giving the impression of speaking fluently and endlessly.
After several minutes, when Principal Altair’s voice reached his ears, he abruptly stopped, cutting out most of the content and ending with a more standard blank space.
“Enough talk. I’m sure you’re all interested in long-winded speeches, but nothing beats firsthand experience.”
“At the end of this address, I’ve condensed the reasons for my becoming chief into three words, hoping future generations can find inspiration in them.”
“These three words are: Temperance, Tower, World!”
…
“This isn’t the three Tarot cards, is it?” After Dark finished speaking, he quickly left the stage amid the slightly puzzled looks of the students below.
Principal Altair smoothly transitioned, inviting the current chief student of the third year.
Then came the fourth, fifth, and sixth years.
No matter how impressive the subsequent speakers were, none could match the impact of Dark’s concise summary of just three words.
The three words he left behind became more intriguing the more one thought about them.
But he probably never imagined that these three words would lead to a prolonged trend at Saint Maryann Academy.
…
The entire opening remarks session was shortened to fifteen minutes under Principal Altair’s backstage control.
She concluded by blessing all the students present and expressing beautiful wishes.
As usual, she took out a mana card from the series of food-related cards without a trace and activated it.
A tide of light surged from the mana card, spreading instantly to cover all the tables.
When the light dissipated, silver plates and bowls were filled with delicious food.
The students were drawn to the food, temporarily setting aside their puzzlement, and soon immersed themselves in the feast.
“Remember to use your selection card to check the school rules after you return. Lastly, I wish all the freshmen will find their own value at Saint Maryann Academy over the next six years!”
Until the dinner reached its end, the opening banquet concluded under Principal Altair’s constant reminders.
Then, the students from the four houses went to their respective towers under the guidance of their house leaders.
But Dark felt uneasy watching Victoria and Phoenix gradually disappear from his view.
He paused for a while before continuing forward, pushed by Diana.
Usually, after the opening banquet, each tower held its own second welcoming ceremony.
Upperclassmen would welcome the newcomers, helping them integrate faster.
Last year, Dark went straight to his dormitory and fell asleep, missing this part.
This year, as a second-year student, he also had no intention of joining such festivities.
He needed time to get used to the absence of Victoria and Phoenix from his sight.
And tonight, he also needed to attempt the first extraction of a “Capital Sin” after advancing his “Technique of the Shadow God”!
After bidding farewell to Diana and Rose and entering his bedroom, he found a complete set of new living essentials and second-year textbooks on his desk.
Upon asking the Imp Beast, he learned that they had suddenly appeared at the entrance.
Shaking his head, he spent some time clearing his mind and then drew the “Capital Sin”!
On the first day of September, he aimed for “Greed,” which exceeded the mark by two points.
The final result was quite satisfactory. Indeed, after using the “Technique of the Shadow God,” he successfully condensed the overflowing “Greed” down to 2.1 points.
Thus, his monthly extraction quota increased indirectly, providing more help for his experiments.
Moreover, the increase in his monthly extraction quota allowed him to be bolder in developing new “Capital Sins.”
After taking a bath, he sat upright at his desk, ready to gain a general understanding of the second-year textbooks before going to sleep.
“As expected, there’s no textbook for ‘Arithmetic Class’ here.”
After a moment, he stacked the textbooks neatly and looked out the window.
Just a few seconds later, his intuition was confirmed.
A small dragonfly flew through the window bars, entered the room, and suddenly glowed, transforming into a tiny imp with dragonfly wings.
“Lily has arrived!”
…
