Chapter 187: Dark Demon不懂 Moonlight (4k)
In no time, it was the last week of the first semester.
On Wednesday of that week, after the students submitted their final major assignments for the semester, they suddenly relaxed.
By Wednesday afternoon.
The second class in the morning was the last summoning spell lesson. Professor Shylph thoroughly explained all the holiday matters.
Due to the short one-week-and-two-day break, there wasn’t any homework assigned. This made the students who had endured a grueling semester walk around smiling.
Friday passed, and many professors left the castle, including Professor Claire.
Of course, she wouldn’t take the slow-moving magical train.
Traveling from the castle to the capital city, including stops and transfers, required at least a week. That was too long.
Claire preferred to ride dragons!
And even if tamed flying dragons allowed riders, they wouldn’t let anyone other than their masters sit on their backs.
Fortunately, Dark never intended to hitch a ride on a dragon.
The first Christmas spent with classmates in the academy would be a significant part of the young magi’s learning experience.
According to statistics, no more than five first-year students chose to go home during this period each year.
The weather grew colder.
Even with the school uniform providing some warmth, it gradually became insufficient. Students began adding scarves to their necks and wearing various gloves.
Scarves and gloves became rare items that did not violate school rules.
Girls couldn’t change out of their uniforms, so they tried to make themselves look more stylish by changing their scarves and gloves.
Every time the imp beast flew outside the castle, he boasted, “Among all the golems, only I have a scarf!”
…
At two o’clock in the afternoon.
Dark met his senior Pandora at the library entrance.
They had agreed last night to meet at the lab in the afternoon to research the creation of the “fusion” card.
Pandora had experience with making fusion cards, but she had only managed to create three and had failed many times.
The difficulty of creating fusion cards was immense!
Dark had already given up hope of succeeding on the first try.
If he didn’t want to learn more about his senior, he might have continued researching for another month before attempting it.
But hands-on experimentation was indeed an effective way to accelerate learning, even though it was costly.
“Senior, did you submit your assignment?”
“Yes.”
Pandora looked relaxed and happy.
It seemed that even the “Silver Dragon Lady” couldn’t withstand the impact of submitting the final assignment.
She added, “I’ll be quite free until Christmas. It’s rare.”
Dark asked curiously, “What about after Christmas?”
Pandora replied, “I’m going on a trip.”
Why did she say “a trip”?
Because Saint Maryan was her home, her only home.
…
Dark didn’t ask what she was doing, but turned the conversation back to school matters.
For example, he casually asked when she started working as a librarian.
Pandora told him it was in her second month as a first-year student, when Traveler’s Street was just opened to first-years.
While everyone rushed towards Traveler’s Street, she stayed in the library all day, which caught Miss Bella’s attention.
Miss Bella was truly kind.
Whenever Pandora mentioned her, she would show a trace of respect.
Dark could tell she regarded Miss Bella like a mother.
This made him quickly realize that Pandora’s background was not ideal.
She likely had no family.
Before trying to understand her, Dark hadn’t sensed any sadness in her.
Was it a sign of resilience?
Or merely a facade?
Or perhaps he hadn’t truly tried to understand her?
This contrasted greatly with Pandora’s usual impression.
The more he learned, the more he realized how superficial his understanding had been.
Women seemed to hide delicate softness deep within, wrapping themselves in a layer of steel.
There were women like this around him, not just Pandora Dragon, who was only fifteen years old.
Her entry into Saint Maryan stemmed from an “admission invitation.”
…
Saint Maryan had two main ways of recruiting students.
One was proactive.
The other was reactive.
School officials actively sought out children with high mana reactions every summer.
Children exceeding certain mana thresholds, if not properly educated, could easily trigger “mana失控,” a phenomenon once known as “demon birth omens.” Children marked as “demon offspring” would face execution!
Dark Demon was one such victim.
The culprit behind the “mana失控” was Princess Anna.
This was the biggest factor leading to the deterioration of their relationship.
In the first-year class:
Many students were actively recruited by the school.
Otherwise, with their backgrounds, they wouldn’t even have access to Saint Maryan.
The other method, “application for admission,” was more passive.
Many students from the Noble Academy were admitted after their parents applied and passed tests.
The school charged tuition based on these students’ family situations.
Publicly, the school also accepted donations.
However, compared to Saint Maryan’s vast educational resources, those donations were insignificant.
The school itself was a massive economy, generating its own income.
Running a school was a tradition that had persisted since ancient times.
…
Among the students Dark knew well, Robert, Wit, and Rose were actively recruited by the school.
Emma, Sarah, and Diana were admitted through their parents’ applications.
Even if they hadn’t submitted those applications, they would still receive admission invitations.
Additionally…
Dark himself was also part of the actively recruited group.
Without that unexpected admission invitation, he would still be in the Duke’s mansion, enduring the cold.
The Duchess wanted him to delay enrollment by a year, citing “immaturity.”
In other words, she was worried.
…
Wednesday afternoon had no classes.
But most students preferred to stay in the warm common room with a fireplace.
The empty castle was filled with light breezes.
Dark and Pandora arrived at the reserved laboratory, unlocked the door with a key.
The unique scent of the laboratory greeted them.
Dark entered first and quickly prepared for the experiment.
Pandora asked, “Have you completed the ‘fusion’ spell?”
Dark hesitated, “I encountered some obstacles.”
Pandora smiled, “Just say what the problem is. Our goal today is to adjust the ‘fusion’ spell to a usable level. It’s harder than you think.”
Dark responded, “I’m ready.”
Despite this, Pandora wasn’t the type to hold your hand through everything. She was more like an eagle throwing a fledgling off a cliff to learn to fly.
Everything depended on yourself.
She would only offer guidance at crucial moments.
The more complex the spell, the more elements needed to be considered.
Many steps required experiments to verify correctness.
Indeed, it was much harder than Dark imagined.
Having successfully created a usable “spell cage” spell, he had become somewhat overconfident.
The difficulties of both were incomparable!
Once they got into it, neither had time for idle chat.
Time quickly advanced to 6:30 PM, and the sky outside was darkening.
They hadn’t even started their experiment yet.
Dark gathered his tools and said, “Senior, let me treat you tonight.”
Pandora asked curiously, “Treat? In the cafeteria?”
Dark smiled mysteriously and pointed upward.
…
How did it feel to stand atop the castle?
Those who hadn’t experienced it firsthand found it hard to imagine.
“Wow!”
Dark spread his arms, embracing the wind.
Aside from the spiral bell tower, this was the highest point in Saint Maryan.
With Professor Didi having resigned, few people bothered climbing to the top of the tower to look around.
Their chances of being discovered were minimized.
Standing atop the castle, the view below was impressive, though not entirely encompassing. The perfect blend of immersion made it breathtaking.
The castle itself was a timeless work of art.
Traces of every era could be seen in its structure, decorations, and carvings.
Dark was so engrossed that he almost forgot the girl beside him.
Pandora brushed away her disheveled hair, not minding.
…
Soon, the imp beast appeared, carrying a basket with its claws, flapping its wings vigorously.
This charming scenic spot was discovered by the imp beast.
It often lay here, enjoying the view.
Pandora covered her mouth, amused, “Is this your familiar?”
Dark nodded proudly.
Pandora summoned her own familiar, a round, winged baby dragon.
Its large belly made it look like a Western dragon, but closer inspection revealed it was just a puffed-up Eastern wyrm with a shorter body.
“Go!”
Pandora tapped the dragon’s belly, and reluctantly, it turned and flew toward the imp beast.
Together, the familiars pulled up the heavy basket filled with tools and ingredients.
Dark took the basket, skillfully assembling the tools.
These were borrowed from a halfling chef, and the vegetables and meats in the basket were prepared by halfling chefs who helped after hearing his instructions.
Dark wondered if any students had done this before.
At least, there was no legend about it in the academy.
He quickly ignited a small mana furnace with mana, and flames licked the bottom of the grill.
Looking at Pandora’s nostalgic expression, Dark asked, “Senior, have you ever grilled before?”
Pandora pursed her lips, “Yes, in the wild. Grilling is the simplest and easiest way to cook without tools.”
Her flat tone made Dark hesitate.
He asked cautiously, “Wild trip?”
Pandora smiled softly, “To survive.”
…
People can’t be judged by a single standard.
Dark once thought his grilling skills were at least decent.
But soon, he became nothing more than a helper.
The imp beast ignored his finished product and focused entirely on Pandora’s grilled food, drooling.
The rich aroma filled the air.
Pandora displayed heart-wrenching culinary skills.
In others’ eyes, she should have been a lady who never touched cooking.
…
Smoke rose, and people bustled.
After eating and drinking their fill, they lay down on the ground.
Clouds and shadows reflected in the moonlight.
Winter nights were clear and beautiful.
Two people, two familiars, lay quietly.
Dark had many questions but didn’t ask.
Pandora looked lost in thought.
…
Nine o’clock…
The internal clock chimed in his chest.
Pandora glanced at the clock tower, slowly rising while pressing down her skirt.
“It’s time to go.”
“Yeah.”
Dark moved as well.
Turning around, he picked up the sleeping imp beast.
Familiars were strange creatures.
Though they didn’t eat or sleep, they could do both.
Holding it like an infant, he carried it with one arm and lifted the basket with tools and leftovers with the other.
Together with his senior, they descended the stairs.
Walking silently through the quiet castle, they didn’t speak, savoring the feeling of walking through history.
Sometimes, Pandora would suddenly turn, and Dark followed.
Not a single patrol golem was encountered along the way.
When they reached the second floor,
Dark escorted her to the bridge outside the Magic Academy Tower.
Pandora crossed the bridge and turned around, pressing her skirt with one hand and smoothing her hair with the other, smiling brightly.
“I had a great time tonight.”
“Me too.”
They waved goodbye.
The moonlight was beautiful.
