Chapter 221: Dark Demon’s Opening Ceremony (4k)
Teaching someone from scratch how to read and write is an extremely difficult task.
And when the subject is a mana golem…
To better motivate the mana golems and stimulate their enthusiasm for learning, the Noble Academy Tower 201 Room has specially established a small red flower reward system.
Through this system, mana golems who perform excellently, work hard, or show significant progress are given small red flowers as encouragement, helping them develop good study habits.
If they behave poorly, they lose these small red flowers, serving as a deterrent.
At the same time, the small red flowers are integrated into the internal currency system.
Mana golems can use the small red flowers to purchase “wishes.”
Whether the wish is material or spiritual, as long as enough small red flowers are paid, Dark will try his best to fulfill it.
Initially, the mana golems might not take it seriously, but once someone starts using the small red flowers to “make wishes” and gets them fulfilled, everything changes.
Dark has some expectations for this.
On the evening of December 31st.
Dark stuffed each mana golem into their small beds, covered them with cute little blankets, then satisfiedly crawled into his own bed.
The first long holiday for the first year students passed by quickly, and tomorrow would be the beginning of the new year and the start of the next semester.
Although he said so, there were actually no classes scheduled for tomorrow.
Students and professors who went home for the holidays would gradually return during the day.
The school would host an opening ceremony at six o’clock in the evening, and all teachers and students would have dinner together in the Grand Hall.
At that time, the principal would summarize the previous semester and introduce the new professor of History of Magic.
Professor Claire seems to have decided not to continue, but there is almost no news about the new professor of History of Magic.
Based on Professor Claire’s good impression, the students are very excited about the new professor of History of Magic.
Dark is also quite curious.
“System, display the indicators.”
Before going to sleep, he called up the system panel.
Moments later, seven indicators appeared in his vision.
Compared to the end of last month, they were:
[Arrogance: 106-105]
[Envy: 41-39]
[Rage: 90-88]
[Laziness: 64-69]
[Greed: 97-103]
[Gluttony: 64-69]
[Bliss: 109-106]
Although he drew 12 points of “Bliss” and 3 points of “Arrogance” in December, the overall values still showed an upward trend.
“Arrogance” increased by 2 points after being drawn down by 3 points, rising back to 105 points, which was unavoidable.
The continuous decline of “Envy” was expected.
With the help of the cat grass, “Rage” also decreased.
“Laziness” and “Gluttony” were still rebounding.
The increase in “Greed” was also expected, and part of it was intentional.
As for “Bliss,” even after drawing down 12 points, it still rose to 106 points, meaning there was a net gain of 9 points in December!
Dark had anticipated this result.
Moreover, he did relax his self-control this month.
Overall, however, these values were still within a controllable range.
He closed his eyes, thinking slightly.
A new month was coming, and he could extract 15 points of “Capital Sin” in January.
There was also 1 point of “Arrogance” stored in the worm tree.
But currently, he didn’t feel an urgent need for “Capital Sin,” so he could store the “Arrogance” and “Bliss” of this month to prepare for the upcoming “Pride III” or “Bliss IV.”
Additionally, he could finally start studying “Greed”!
He was very curious about what changes would occur in the imp beast under the influence of “Greed.”
Would it reveal some of its demonic nature?
Hmm…
Thinking about it, Dark couldn’t help but smile slightly, then fell into a daze and slept.
…
After ten minutes, his breathing gradually stabilized, and his sleep deepened.
But on the small bed against the wall, several mana golems quietly opened their eyes!
Even warm beds and cute blankets couldn’t prevent the start of the war.
In the cold, dark night, warmth could only be felt in the presence of the owner.
…
When Dark opened his eyes, he found several furry, warm bodies beside him.
He helplessly covered his forehead, wondering if he shouldn’t have ordered a three-tier bed.
Maybe a larger bed would be a better idea?
What was that phrase? Cozy sleeping together?
…
January 1st, Monday, 7:00 AM.
Dark took out breakfast from the basket and pulled out today’s edition of the Wise One Daily, then rewarded the imp beast with a small red flower.
The imp beast, who had lost the battle last night, immediately displayed a big smile.
“This is the first small red flower after implementing the reward system. I, the imp beast, accept it!”
Dark shook his head helplessly and flipped open the Wise One Daily.
These past two days, he had been paying special attention to the newspaper.
The impact of the invasion of Bustedia Prison by the heretical sect continued to spread.
In this incident, Saint Maryann Academy still hasn’t made any statement.
While the dove faction led by Princess Eliza wants to conduct a comprehensive investigation under the name of the kingdom, they have been obstructed by the hawk faction led by Prince Charles.
However, such behavior only solidifies the external suspicion that the Church is lying.
Some newspapers leaning towards the dove faction began to report extensively on this matter, severely condemning the Church for hiding the truth!
But this condemnation is merely verbal.
The Church, as a force comparable to Saint Maryann Academy, has a history even older than the kingdom.
During the long period when Saint Maryann Academy was not involved in worldly affairs, the Church even controlled the kingdom’s power.
If not for its mediocre performance near the end of the war, losing public support, the Church’s power would be even greater.
Even so, the Church still holds multiple seats among the thirty-six senators in the upper house.
Now, with the king aging and the royal family weakening, only the Valkyrie faction can contend with the Church.
…
Without taking sides, looking at the event from an observer’s perspective, Dark tends to believe that the Church is hiding something. It’s possible that the heretics were indeed wiped out as claimed, but some important prisoners held in the prison may have escaped amidst the chaos.
Otherwise, the Church wouldn’t remain silent and even require the prince to intervene in the kingdom’s investigation.
This event is definitely unusual.
There’s a vague sense that something significant is about to happen.
“Could it be related to the resurrection of the Demon King?”
Dark carefully pondered and felt that this possibility wasn’t impossible.
If the Church’s mistake is enough to cause the resurrection of the Demon King, it’s no wonder they chose to conceal it.
…
After breakfast, Dark continued teaching the mana golems how to read and write.
Among all the mana golems, the imp beast and Deoxys were undoubtedly the fastest learners.
Their ability to speak human language greatly helped with reading and writing.
The trash slime was basically eliminated from the kindergarten list.
Another bottom-ranked one was the wrestler eagle, who couldn’t sit still.
It just wanted to challenge the wooden dummy!
…
Teaching someone to write is usually a very dull task.
But teaching his own mana golems to write turned out to be unexpectedly interesting.
Dark enjoyed it endlessly.
The mana golems, however, suffered greatly.
After lunch break, Dark also received visits from Diana and Rose.
Seeing the mana golems sitting in rows and practicing writing, the two young girls looked like they had seen ghosts.
Diana stood there stunned for a while, then summoned her panda familiar and put a pen in its paw.
But the poor familiar scribbled wildly and got scolded harshly!
Rose couldn’t help twitching her lips seeing Diana struggling with her familiar.
She herself couldn’t help but think along similar lines.
“Is this the difference in intelligence levels?”
“How can I raise the intelligence level of a mana golem to 3.0?”
“No, 3.0 isn’t enough!”
“A mana golem capable of reading and writing… Ugh, it’s too much!”
Rose buried herself in the recliner, pretending she saw nothing.
…
At 5:45 PM.
After assigning homework to the mana golems, Dark left the tower with Diana and Rose, heading to the Grand Hall on the first floor of the castle.
Along the way, Diana couldn’t stop sighing, feeling deeply nostalgic for the approaching end of the holiday.
But the drifting songs soon dispelled her sorrow.
She hummed along, closing her eyes and following the sweet scent into the Grand Hall.
By nearly six o’clock, the castle was already dim, with thousands of floating candles illuminating the entire hall, and ribbons with wings dancing in the air, sprinkling star-like fragments wherever they landed.
The four long tables in the Grand Hall were as splendid as ever, reflecting colorful light from the golden plates and silver goblets on the tables.
Just like the moment memories woke, standing on the stage and seeing the scene.
It flooded into Dark’s mind like a classic remake.
“Time flies, and it’s already the second semester!”
Dark walked toward the table representing the Noble Academy.
Recalling the initial anxiety when he first enrolled, his expression became increasingly relaxed.
Four months had passed, and his growth was undeniable.
Looking back, it was something he never dared to imagine.
Indeed…
One never knows their limits until they push themselves.
…
As the teachers and students gradually entered the hall, the atmosphere reached a peak, dispelling the winter chill with lively energy, making the students forget the melancholy of starting a new semester.
“Welcome back to Saint Maryann Academy!”
The clock struck six exactly.
The velvet black curtains slowly parted, revealing the most beautiful and noble lady of Saint Maryann Academy, Principal Cynthia Saint Altair, ascending the stage again.
The nine elemental spirits surrounding Principal Altair transformed into flowers and fireflies, rendering the stage dreamy and beautiful.
It was confirmed, this was the real Principal Altair!
Dark counted carefully and confirmed that all nine elemental spirits were present, then understood.
Principal Altair must have returned before the opening ceremony started.
Then what about Senior Pandora?
Could she make it back?
Subconsciously, Dark stretched his neck to look toward the fourth-year mana academy, but he didn’t see that familiar figure.
“It seems Senior Pandora is on leave. I wonder where she went?”
“Who went where?” Diana suddenly asked.
Dark shook his head: “What do you think the new History of Magic professor will be like?”
Diana pouted and thought for a moment, whispering, “I guess it will be a sage!”
Rose interjected, “Maybe it’s a hero?”
Dark sighed, “Are you trying to split Professor Claire in half?”
Diana was about to retort when she suddenly heard Principal Altair speak, then promptly nudged Dark, saying, “Dark, you’re mentioned!”
Dark: “Huh?”
…
On the stage.
Following the ceremony procedure, Principal Altair praised and rewarded students who performed excellently in the previous semester.
Naturally, Dark Demon was not omitted when mentioning the first-year students.
Her tone was undoubtedly filled with joy: “Mr. Demon’s excellent performance is undoubtedly the biggest surprise among the new students. If it weren’t for the fact that first-year students don’t have class leaders, he would surely be the best candidate.
His identity as the winner of the Crimson Star and his performance in the Moon Goddess incident, which was on par with heroes, made him truly deserve the title of the best student in the first year. Let’s see what the professors have to say about him.”
“First, Professor Shylph. Oh, very good! Yes, very good. Professor Shylph succinctly used one word to give Mr. Demon the best evaluation!”
“Next is Professor Kazel. Let me see. Dark Demon is the most talented student I’ve ever seen; he’s a natural at making mana cards! Ah, Professor Kazel gave such high praise, looks like they have a great relationship.”
“And then Professor Lily… He will win the Merlin Award in arithmetic!”
“I can’t add anything more to Professor Lily’s evaluation. Next, let’s see what other professors have to say about him.”
“Professor Thompson says he has a heart more steady than anyone else.”
“Professor Jones is looking forward to him winning the duel championship honor before graduation.”
“Professor Claire… Well, very cute.”
“Yes, our Mr. Demon is indeed very cute!”
A wave of kind laughter erupted below the stage.
Dark could clearly feel both boys and girls looking his way.
Even though he had thick skin like a city wall, his face still reddened slightly.
Principal Altair paused briefly before continuing: “The unanimous evaluation by the professors speaks volumes. However, I must announce one more thing. Just a few days ago, during the holiday, Mr. Demon saved the lives of four students through his wisdom and courage in a chance encounter!
Although this is a confidential matter, I couldn’t help but want to share it.
Therefore, including the rewards from the Moon Goddess incident, I will give him ten thousand credits and one opportunity to wish with the Holy Grail!”
