Chapter 451: Dark Demon Can’t Count (8k)
“Beep—”
The sudden vibration of the selection card made Dark look up slightly.
Since he woke up in the morning, he hadn’t left his room, enjoying a rare moment of leisurely flipping through books.
At this moment, putting down the book, he casually pulled out the selection card from his mana card deck by the bedside.
“Are the grades out?”
Dark thought to himself, feeling unusually calm when the exam results came out.
He brought the selection card in front of him, injecting a bit of mana, causing the card to light up, with an email-like icon appearing in the center.
Opening the icon, a report card indeed appeared.
“Let me see.”
【Name: Dark Demon】
【Academy: Noble Academy】
【Grade: First Year】
【Summoning Spell: 100】
【Potions: 99.5】
【Mana Theory: 98.5】
【Arithmetic: 100】
【History of Magic: 97】
【Dueling: 100】
【Beast Mastery: 100】
【Astronomy: 98】
【Total Score: 793】
【Rank: 1】
If he opened each subject’s score, he could further see the practical and written scores.
Dark carefully reviewed them and found that the deduction points for “Potions” and “Mana Theory” were all in the practical sections.
“It seems my potion configuration and mana card creation are not yet perfect.”
He shook his head slightly and then looked at the comments on the essays for History of Magic and Astronomy.
Professors Ryan Hux and Metia Barthelemy had written a few short lines, pointing out the problems in the essays.
However, it was somewhat surprising for Dark that he could get such high scores on these two subjects’ term papers.
He was quite satisfied with this.
“A total score of 793, ranked first, as expected.”
Although he couldn’t be sure he would get the top rank at the beginning of the exams,
after the practical exams of Summoning Spell, Potions, and Mana Theory, he knew his advantage was immense.
The only thing that might prevent him from getting the top rank in his grade was probably the scores for History of Magic and Astronomy.
But since both subjects’ scores weren’t low, being ranked first was almost certain.
There was some surprise, but not much.
Dark then got up to tidy his appearance and prepare to go out.
The professors naturally wouldn’t send all the students’ grades to everyone’s selection cards, so if he wanted to know other classmates’ scores, he could only check the public score list.
He quickly opened the door and saw people bustling in the corridor.
“Hey, Dark.”
The male student living next door, Room 202, happened to come out and greeted him, “How are you? Did you get your grades?”
“Of course.” Dark smiled and said, “Looks like your grades are good?”
The man then said proudly, “Better than expected, everything passed! How about you?”
Dark: “All passed too.”
“That’s great!” The man raised his voice and said, “I can hardly imagine how those who failed will fare. Retake? Remedial classes? Repeat the year? Oh, my God!”
Dark: “They won’t have to repeat the year. Generally, retakes aren’t too hard.”
“Maybe,” the man nodded, “After all, they’re all tested topics. Want to go to the bulletin board together?”
“I’d like to,” Dark shrugged and spread his hands, “but someone is already waiting for me.”
The man subconsciously turned around and saw the two golden flowers of the Noble Academy standing behind him, looking lively.
As he turned back, he already had a suggestive smile, “Then I won’t disturb you.”
Dark smiled reservedly and walked over to meet Diana and Rose.
The three walked side by side.
Diana looked excited, while Rose wore a serene smile.
“Good grades?” Dark guessed.
Diana immediately jumped up, “Just waiting for you to ask, I got in the top ten!”
“Really? That’s great.” Dark congratulated her promptly.
“Yes!” Diana’s little nose curled up, “Don’t underestimate how hard I worked!”
“What about Rose?” Dark asked again.
Rose shyly replied, “Passed all, ranked thirteenth.”
Dark was a bit surprised, “Was it because of Mana Theory and Potions?”
Rose nodded, “Yeah.”
As they spoke, the three of them walked down the stairs and arrived at the common room.
The common room was already filled with many first-year students.
The young magi were exchanging their grades and rankings, with a mix of joy and sorrow.
When Dark appeared, the overall atmosphere suddenly quieted down.
It wasn’t until Tudor suddenly shouted that the air regained its flow.
Tudor ran over, reaching out to pat Dark’s shoulder, enthusiastically saying, “First place?”
Dark nodded, “First place.”
“It’s indeed first place!”
Tudor immediately jumped up, as if he himself had gotten first place, running back into the crowd with excitement.
Then he forcefully said, “Although we didn’t win this year’s Academy Cup, our first-year students are the best in the Noble Academy! Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, the day after that… it will always be the Noble Academy! Let’s go!”
“Let’s go!” A group of boys roared, their momentum overwhelming.
Tudor continued, “We can’t slack off even after returning home for vacation. This is our chance to surpass other academies. Next year’s Academy Cup will be ours!”
…
Dark Demon casually walked past the crowd that seemed to burst into flames for no reason, slipping out of the common room.
Before closing the door, he faintly heard a girl’s impatient voice, seemingly saying, “Hey, stop making noise, okay? It sounds like you’re the ones who got first place. Fine, even if there are second or third places, let you argue. But what’s the result? Tudor, who’s shouting the loudest, what place did you get? Say it, what place? How come you dare not say what place? Useless!”
…
“Sometimes I feel that first-year noble students are quite chivalrous.” After crossing the outer bridge, Dark couldn’t help but say.
Diana’s eyes rolled, and she suddenly had an idea, “Is it the spirit of the Knight Academy?”
Dark smiled, “The Noble Academy is confident and unyielding, while the Knight Academy is brave and energetic. In this sense, they are actually quite similar, both having a strong desire to win. So the Knight Academy and the Noble Academy always argue the most fiercely. Come on, let’s go to the bulletin board and see who got second and third place.”
The three of them walked and talked, soon exiting the castle.
They found the bulletin board outside the castle gates.
At this point, a crowd had gathered around the bulletin board, with more people joining continuously.
Half of them were first-year students, and the other half were seniors.
Although only the first-year students’ grades were currently posted, it was clear that the seniors were also interested in the rankings of the first-year students.
Just like during the recruitment matches of the Dueling Club, club members would come to scout new recruits, and end-of-term grades were also a good reference.
Dark spotted Helena Tracey, a third-year student, immediately.
This third-year senior, who was very close to Emma and a member of the Literature Club, was tall and graceful.
Outside the crowd, he vaguely recognized a member of the Noble History Research Society, who was looking from afar, but it wasn’t Owen Mack, who was responsible for recruitment back then.
Of course, besides these people with specific purposes, many others were simply here to join the fun.
Such a lively scene made Dark frown slightly.
Diana was indifferent, but Rose clearly didn’t want to squeeze into the crowd.
So he said, “Wait here, I’ll push my way in and take a look.”
With that, he squeezed through the crowd.
After a while, he finally managed to squeeze to the front of the bulletin board, where a neatly posted table listed the rankings, names, houses, and scores.
He took out the “Mana Book”, and with two fingers, he created a slightly glowing book in his hand.
“Record it.”
Receiving the command, the Mana Book scanned in the grades with just one glance.
Dark began to step back.
Going against the flow was obviously harder than going with it.
When Dark stepped out of the crowd, he couldn’t help but catch his breath.
Then he called the two over and sat on a long bench nearby, opening the Mana Book.
“Let me see, the second place is…”
“Isn’t it Emma?”
Diana pressed closely, and a fragrance of milk entered his nostrils.
Because of his cooperation with Emma, they had become closer to her.
But the second place wasn’t Emma; it was Sarah Savati!
“After all, she is the daughter of the Winter Sage.”
This wasn’t hard to accept.
Emma and Sarah’s scores were very close, with only a one-point difference.
“Second place is Sarah, third place is Emma, fourth place is… Diana, you were fifth?”
“Hehehe!” Diana couldn’t help but chuckle.
Dark pretended to be surprised, “I thought you were only tenth!”
Diana said proudly, “How is it? Not in the top ten, but in the top five!”
“You’re amazing.” Dark praised without reservation.
Diana was not good at studying.
This fact, he knew better than anyone else.
Yet, this clumsy girl managed to secure fifth place in the entire grade. It was obviously not just due to her advantage in practical classes.
She had been frequently visiting the library recently, and finally, her efforts paid off.
Dark continued reading.
“Hmm, Uldora Wain, seventh? Didn’t she say she didn’t do well?”
Dark was slightly surprised.
He clearly remembered Uldora’s expression the night before, which did not seem like a lie.
But how could someone ranked seventh be considered poor?
“Or perhaps, I underestimated her ambition?”
Thinking of this, Dark fell silent.
Uldora was not in the common room, nor did she come out to check the notice board. She might be with Professor Metia right now.
Like Diana, Uldora’s initial grades this term were also average.
To achieve seventh place, one must have put in significant effort.
Hard work and diligence remain the surest paths to high scores.
…
“Let’s go back.”
Dark raised the mana book in his hand, ready to return to the dormitory.
He could roughly imagine Emma’s dejection upon discovering she was third, and Sarah’s determination after confirming she was second.
As their goal, Dark wanted to maintain his lead and not slack off.
For those with resources, final exams are merely阶段性总结, while summer vacation is when the gap between individuals truly widens.
Both Emma and Sarah possess channels that can quickly elevate them.
The foundation laid in first year will become the cornerstone for their rapid advancement.
In the new academic year, they will likely return to the academy with a completely new look!
“However, in this regard, I won’t fall behind.”
…
Towards evening.
Whether students who received ideal grades or those who got failing notices, they temporarily set aside their emotions and headed to the first-floor grand hall.
The dinner tonight, as usual, took place in the grand hall.
Due to the solemn atmosphere, most students wore school uniforms and badges, lacking much entertainment.
There was a dance segment, but only individual dances from a distance, arranged towards the end of the event.
From 5 PM, people started entering the hall one by one.
When Dark and his group arrived, quite a few seats were already occupied.
Outside the grand hall’s main door, a two-meter-long massive mana book floated in the air.
Dark and his group stopped at the entrance, curiously watching the seniors posing in front of the mana book. Whenever a wave of mana rippled, two photos flew out from the book’s pages and landed in their hands.
“Is this a camera?”
Dark couldn’t help but feel intense curiosity.
Diana and Rose were equally enthusiastic.
“That’s a simplified projector made by the Mana Academy. It can record about two seconds of projection.”
A girl wearing the Fool’s Academy uniform for third year appeared from behind them, smiling warmly.
It was Senior Anglia Hudson.
“This year’s venue setup is handled by the Mana Academy, so they naturally want to showcase some different technology.”
Seeing Dark and his group turn around, she smiled and said, “How about it, don’t you want to take a photo together?”
“About two seconds of projection?” Dark glanced at Diana beside him, noticing her excitement, and said, “Let’s take one too?”
Diana nodded eagerly like a bobbing chicken.
Rose looked at them and paused, whispering, “Why don’t you two take one first?”
Dark nodded. “Sure.”
So he and Diana moved to the back of the crowd to queue up.
Rose followed, grinning.
Operating the mana book was very simple, and the line wasn’t long. They soon got their turn.
Dark approached the mana book, mimicking the seniors by gently touching its cover. With a touch of mana, the book glowed faintly, and a ten-second countdown appeared on top.
He smiled and stood next to Diana.
They both wore matching uniforms, with a slight height difference.
One had golden hair shining brightly, the other silver hair standing out.
Dark always maintained his noble demeanor.
Diana exuded a quiet nobility only when she was still.
Together, they looked quite fitting.
As the countdown on the mana book decreased from ten to two seconds, Dark whispered, “Smile.”
“Okay,” Diana obediently replied.
Then, as the countdown hit zero, she suddenly stood on tiptoe and quickly kissed the boy’s cheek beside her!
“Peck!”
A faint light flashed on the mana book, and two magic photos flew out from the pages, slowly drifting down.
Dark was momentarily stunned but instinctively reached out to catch the falling photos.
His face still felt the warmth of her lips, and the passing “Bliss +1” described something.
He turned to look beside him, only to see Diana blushing and turning her head away, looking like an ostrich staring at her toes.
Behind them, Rose was momentarily stunned by the unexpected scene.
“I’ll go next!”
She suddenly spoke loudly, breaking the silence.
Dark smiled slightly, holding the photo from Diana’s head like fishing, and whispered, “Do you want another one?”
Diana blinked and quickly reached out, catching the photo.
On it was a perfect image of the girl kissing the boy.
Her heart surged with indescribable joy.
She thought she would frame it once she got home and place it by her bed!
While she was lost in her own world, Dark had already taken a photo with Rose.
Then Rose held her arm and pulled her closer for another group photo.
This time, three photos flew out from the mana book.
Finally, Rose took another photo with Diana.
Thus, each of the three got three photos.
Taking advantage of the fewer people, they quickly entered the grand hall and headed toward the seats designated for the first-year students of the Noble Academy.
The grand hall had been newly decorated with black, representing the Mana Academy. The walls were adorned with various magical items, and the tablecloths on the four long tables were replaced with deep purple ones. Floating candles were replaced with ancient-looking claw-shaped ones, adding an eerie feel to the hall.
Suspended upside-down from the ceiling like bats, the ghost-type mana golems added to the eerie atmosphere.
Above the stage hung large banners.
Tonight’s end-of-term party seemed more like a graduation ceremony for the sixth-year students rather than a summary meeting.
The distribution of the Academy Cup was secondary.
After Dark and his group sat down, more students continued to enter the hall.
By six o’clock, almost all students were seated, and the hall filled with a melancholic melody.
First-year students felt little about graduation, as it was far from their current reality. Instead, they were more attracted to the desserts on the table.
While eating, they curiously watched the sixth-year students closest to the stage, wondering if they would feel similarly melancholic when it was their turn to graduate.
Shortly after, professors in formal attire walked out from the backstage and sat at the teacher’s seats.
Tonight, the professors wore serious expressions, even Professor Lily didn’t joke around.
Dark observed the professors taking their seats and thought to himself, “I wonder if Principal Altair has returned to the academy for such an important occasion.”
Beside him, Rose asked curiously, “Dark, what are you thinking about?”
Dark softly replied, “Nothing.”
Then he turned his head and saw Principal Altair walk onto the stage.
“Principal Altair, as always, is the last to appear.”
Dark thought, unable to hide his smile.
Although he couldn’t tell if the principal on stage was the real person or a clone, it didn’t matter much.
…
“As June rolls around, nine months have passed since the first-year students joined us.”
Principal Altair, without the extravagance of Christmas Eve, stood beautifully in the center of the stage, gently speaking.
“Our sixth-year students will finally leave the academy, ready to stand on their own as adults.”
“As your principal, I sincerely hope you will utilize your talents to benefit humanity and lead the way to a brighter future.”
“In the academy, we have experienced many things and undergone numerous trials.”
Encountering many things, but that was just the tip of the iceberg of the entire world. After leaving the academy, you will see more, experience more.”
“By then, I hope none of you forget what you have learned in the academy, whether in knowledge or spirit.”
“Now, let’s talk about something happy, such as the Academy Cup.”
Principal Altair’s smile was like the moon, her voice as soft as moonlight, but what she said was not something everyone could share.
The atmosphere in the hall had gradually heated up due to her previous speech, but this sudden statement caused it to plummet sharply.
Everyone at the academy knew that this year’s Academy Cup belonged to the Mana Academy, so naturally, the other three-quarters of the students couldn’t be happy about it.
However, Principal Altair continued as if nothing had happened, announcing the scores of the four academies one by one.
In the end, the Fool’s Academy came in fourth place, the Knight Academy third, the Noble Academy second, and the Mana Academy was first!
With the final results announced, thunderous applause erupted from the audience below.
Although three-quarters of the people were indifferent, it only took a quarter of them to create enough noise.
Dark watched his classmates with blank faces and felt an unexpected urge to laugh, but he held it back.
In any case, the matter of the Academy Cup was settled without any meaningless twists like in “Harry Potter.”
The sixth-year class president from the Mana Academy, even before graduation, walked onto the stage for the last time to represent the Mana Academy and received a golden trophy.
This was this year’s Academy Cup, a large-scale version modeled after the Holy Grail, engraved with the year and the name of the Mana Academy on its surface.
“As a student from the Mana Academy who has served as class president since second year, being able to receive such a huge surprise just before graduation fills me with great honor!”
The sixth-year class president raised the Academy Cup high, his face blooming like a flower.
“I hope that after I leave, the Mana Academy will remain true to its初心. Seekers of knowledge, become wise!”
The students below applauded once again.
Once the sixth-year class president left the stage with the trophy, Principal Altair returned to the front. She first said some chilling old jokes, then suddenly raised her wand and lightly tapped it, causing a faint golden light to appear at the tip.
Then, the golden light suddenly burst, and a golden circle appeared on the stage.
Through the golden circle, the Golden Cup, still placed in the secret room, could be seen.
It was one of the Three Prayer Wishing Treasures, a cup said to be created by the gods for wishes—the Holy Grail of Saint Maryan!
Dark still clearly remembered that the base of the Holy Grail was inscribed with ancient text.
On the front: “Greed, you have nothing.”
On the back: “Not greedy, you also have nothing.”
…
Even from a great distance, the aura emitted by the Holy Grail was captivating.
When it appeared, almost all the students’ eyes were drawn to it, as if their souls were being pulled in.
“Clap!”
Principal Altair gently clapped her hands, and the crisp sound echoed in everyone’s ears.
All the students suddenly regained their senses.
Students outside the first year weren’t seeing the Holy Grail for the first time, but they still couldn’t easily break free from its allure.
The Holy Grail was filled with the power of wishes, swirling like liquid wine, with a deep bottom color like the night sky, dotted with flickering stars.
Principal Altair raised her wand and gently drew, instantly pulling out countless strands of golden light from the Holy Grail, which converged into a shimmering golden river.
“Wish, the Holy Grail will respond to your prayers. But remember, greed leads to nothing.”
Principal Altair waved her wand, sending the golden river toward the Mana Academy’s long table, illuminating each person in golden light.
The power of wishes flowed within, exuding a mysterious aura.
The first-year students from the Mana Academy immediately reached out their fingers to touch the golden light with joy.
But the second-year and above students from the Mana Academy had already closed their eyes.
Then, the first-year students suddenly woke up and quickly closed their eyes to pray.
Students from other academies could only envy, hate, and feel jealous.
“I wonder how many people will realize their wishes?”
Dark slowly pondered.
The Holy Grail of Saint Maryan was beyond normal standards; as long as enough wish power was gathered, even legendary items had a chance to be obtained.
Though the probability was extremely low, it was still possible.
However, over the years, very few students dared to take this risk.
Most students chose the wish “Mana Growth,” based on past experiences.
That was both realistic and had a high probability of realization.
Dark had seen on the “Wish List” that the probability of “Mana Growth” was over seventy percent!
This meant that as long as luck wasn’t too bad, there would be some gains.
And those few students wouldn’t make overly extravagant wishes because of the warning: “Greed leads to nothing.”
“Cursed! My candy house!”
Dark automatically ignored Diana’s gritted teeth.
He would never tell Diana that the probability of realizing the candy house was over eighty percent!
…
About three minutes later.
After Principal Altair’s deliberate reminder, even the hesitant people hurriedly made their wishes.
Behind the circle of light, the Holy Grail began to emit dark ripples.
These ripples actually pierced through space, spreading out from the circle and radiating throughout the hall.
Suddenly, cries of surprise echoed in the area of the Mana Academy’s long table.
Most of the students who wished for “Mana Growth” were delighted to find their mana suddenly becoming active, increasing to varying degrees.
Those who wished for physical objects suddenly found what they desired appearing on the table, causing them to be overjoyed.
Of course, there were also many who got nothing, feeling utterly dejected.
However, the Holy Grail’s wish had only one chance. If it failed, it failed, and they could only hope for next year’s Academy Cup.
…
Once everyone had gradually calmed down from the excitement, Principal Altair began speaking again.
She first congratulated the students who achieved their wishes, then expressed regret for those who did not, encouraging them to strive harder next year.
Next, Principal Altair recounted the important events of this academic year in detail.
Despite often being away from the academy, she knew everything that happened inside it.
During her recounting, she praised the successful ones and criticized those who caused trouble.
Then, she started talking about the sixth-year matters.
As she spoke, some of the sixth-year students began to sob quietly, the atmosphere of sadness as they prepared to leave school growing thicker.
After she finished, she called up the representatives from the four houses and the students who played significant roles to speak.
Then came the free-speaking time; every sixth-year student could speak on stage to express their feelings of farewell.
The entire process didn’t end until eight o’clock.
…
Tonight’s dinner lacked any flashy elements.
After the dinner ended, pastries and tea were laid out again, and the party entered its final solo dance segment.
Everyone stood up and danced to the music beside their seats.
This was both a summary of a year’s academy life and a farewell ceremony for the sixth-year students.
There was no need to announce the end of the dinner; the dancing students gradually left the hall.
Dark didn’t linger in the hall.
As soon as he got up, Diana and Rose followed him, laughing.
The three decided to take a walk around the castle before the first year ended.
Moonlight shone on their feet, stepped under.
The summer evening breeze made them feel slightly warm.
Dark didn’t have much time to wander, and the strand of “Wind Elemental Blessing” hidden in his hair automatically emerged, winding around his ear.
Professor Shylph’s voice emerged from it.
Dark suddenly stopped, halting in his steps.
“What’s wrong?” Diana quickly asked, and Rose turned her head.
Dark showed a surprised expression and said, “I need to go to the Dean’s Office.”
…
“Ugh!”
Diana and Rose clearly wanted to continue.
But since the principal summoned them, they had no choice but to stop.
Dark bid them farewell and headed towards Principal Altair’s office.
Even for Dark, entering the Dean’s Office was a rare occurrence.
He knew nothing about the reason for the principal summoning him suddenly, but there were only a few possibilities.
Besides, with Professor Shylph around, there was nothing to worry about.
Soon, he knocked on the door of the Dean’s Office and stepped inside.
