Chapter 895: Follow Me and Die 6k
The next morning.
After the boisterous Easter celebrations, the castle of Saint Maryann Academy returned to its usual tranquility.
Despite the students’ excitement from the previous night, they dragged themselves out of bed early in the morning to start their day’s studies with the sound of alarm clocks.
But the arrival of four exchange students added a new twist to this monotonous routine.
First year, second year, fourth year, and fifth year.
Each grade had one exchange student joining them.
Among them, the newly crowned champion of the lower grades in the Easter Duel Festival, the “Saint Son” Evan Pearson, naturally joined the second-year students!
Evan Pearson woke up very early.
The Secret Rite Academy of the Saints had very strict rules regarding certain basic disciplines.
Violating these rules would result in severe punishment for the students.
One of the most fundamental rules was not being late!
At Saint Maryann Academy, being late could lead to point deductions.
At the Secret Rite Academy, it could mean being confined!
Moreover, unlike the confinement at Saint Maryann Academy, the confinement at the Secret Rite Academy required “penitence.”
It was unknown whether Wit Gold, far away, ever had the chance to experience the confinement at the Secret Rite Academy.
In any case, Evan Pearson was a person who held himself to very high standards.
He had already washed up and packed his shoulder bag with textbooks by around six o’clock and left the room.
At this hour, the Tower of Noble Academy was still very quiet, and few people ventured out at this time.
Only a handful of students were pre-studying or reading in the first-floor common room.
Of course, there were also some early risers exercising.
“Diligence” was not exclusive to any one individual.
There were always diligent and hardworking people in this world.
Evan Pearson passed through the common room, slightly pushed open the tower’s main door, and walked out through the gap.
The [Guard Knight] Tommy Smith, who had risen even earlier, was already waiting at the door.
…
A little imp beast flying overhead curiously glanced down before continuing to flap its wings towards the cafeteria.
Evan Pearson suddenly looked up, frowning: “What’s that?”
Tommy Smith squinted and said, “Should be a familiar.”
Evan Pearson coldly replied, “I mean, why is there a demon race familiar flying around in this academy?”
Tommy Smith said, “I did a bit of investigation. While the school rules prohibit summoning familiars in public places without reason, there are no actual punishments. Even if you encounter a professor, you’d only get scolded.”
Evan Pearson narrowed his eyes again and repeated, “I mean, why is there a demon race familiar flying around in this academy!”
Tommy Smith paused for a moment but still said, “His Highness, this academy has no such prohibition. Besides, you should know the owner of that little imp.”
Evan Pearson asked, “Who?”
Tommy Smith replied, “Dark Demon.”
Evan Pearson sharply inhaled and said, “I heard that the Selection Card at Saint Maryann Academy can create familiars that reflect the student’s essence based on their mana, knowledge, and personality. Why would his familiar be a demon race?”
Tommy Smith shook his head, indicating he didn’t know.
He knew what “Saint Son” wanted to hear, but he wouldn’t say it.
Evan Pearson snorted coldly and took a step forward: “Do you have your own familiar summoned?”
Tommy Smith then said, “I completed the summon last night, and what I summoned was…”
“Don’t tell me,” Evan Pearson raised his hand, “I’m not interested in your familiar. Just tell me how to summon one.”
Tommy Smith said, “It’s quite simple…”
On the way from the Tower of the Noble Academy to the cafeteria, Tommy Smith briefly explained to Evan Pearson how to summon a familiar.
After learning it, Evan Pearson directly retrieved the Selection Card in the sparsely populated cafeteria and executed the summoning.
The light released from the Selection Card illuminated a corner of the cafeteria, and gradually, a hexagram summoning array appeared on the card’s surface.
The little imp beast, who had just received today’s breakfast and newspaper, happened to witness the birth of the familiar.
…
“So, what kind of familiar did he finally summon?”
Dark Demon, while enjoying the breakfast brought by the little imp beast, casually asked.
The little imp beast immediately started describing excitedly.
Dark listened for a long time before finally understanding.
The familiar summoned by Evan Pearson was indeed an angel race—very fitting for his “Saint Son” identity.
However, the main body of the angel race familiar he summoned was an ugly-looking rag doll!
The doll’s head was larger than its body, with a thick seam line running through its face, and its left eye socket was sunken, revealing a pale metal skeleton inside.
Its mouth, which stretched to its ears when smiling, had its upper and lower lips sewn together with thick thread.
Its extremely disproportionate body was covered in seams, making it look extremely ugly.
If it weren’t for the faint sacred aura it emitted, it could easily be mistaken for an undead or demon race.
The little imp beast couldn’t name the familiar at all.
Dark thought seriously for a moment and only smiled and shook his head.
“A familiar summoned by the Selection Card, although closely related to the mage’s mana, knowledge, and personality, cannot fully represent the mage.
However, the core traits displayed by the familiar ultimately belong to the mage.
Evan Pearson should no longer summon his familiar in front of outsiders.”
…
After completing his morning tasks, Dark put the materials related to the [Ultimate Skill Card → Magic Spell Card] into his backpack with textbooks and headed to the classroom.
He arrived at the classroom later than others, and about two-thirds of the seats were already occupied.
Among them, the exchange student Evan Pearson sat in the front row—where Emma, Lucy, and Susan usually sat.
Of course, the second year didn’t have a seating chart, so there were no names on those seats.
For Evan Pearson, this was naturally “first come, first served.”
When Emma arrived a little later and found her seat taken by the new exchange student, she promptly sat at the back.
Lucy and Susan, who entered afterward, followed suit and sat in the back with Emma.
Fortunately, they did not take Dark’s seat.
After sitting down, Dark glanced over and then turned his attention back to his research.
Up.
There was no difference between him and the professors; outwardly relaxed, but inwardly just as eager.
That sense of restlessness could only be alleviated through research.
Only by constantly progressing could that urgency be eased.
…
“Ding dong.”
At exactly eight o’clock, Professor Shylph entered the classroom to the sound of the bell, immediately noticing Evan Pearson occupying Emma’s seat.
Evan Pearson’s position was indeed quite conspicuous.
Because the seat originally belonging to Emma and her two companions was in the Knight Academy area!
The students did not have fixed seats, but the areas for different divisions were clearly demarcated.
So behind Evan Pearson sat only students from the Knight Academy.
Professor Shylph frowned and without hesitation called out, “Evan Pearson, pay attention to your seat.”
Evan Pearson frowned and said, “Professor, is there a fixed seating arrangement for this class?”
Professor Shylph replied, “Your division is on that side.”
Only then did Evan Pearson turn to look at the side of the Noble Academy, only to see that the entire area was filled with uniforms from the Noble Academy—while the students behind him were all wearing uniforms from the Mana Academy.
He immediately realized he had indeed taken the wrong seat.
“Sorry.”
After a somewhat sincere apology, Evan Pearson stood up and walked down the aisle, slowly making his way to the back rows.
He looked at each row, some occupied by groups of three, others by single individuals, but none invited him to join them.
Tudor wanted to show hospitality, but he and Pistons were already squeezed together, unwilling to add another person.
Evan Pearson walked all the way to the last row.
By now, it was too late to choose a single-person seat from the front rows; turning back would be even more embarrassing.
At the very end of the row, Dark Demon was seated by the window.
“Classmate Demon, may I sit here?”
Internally, Evan Pearson was extremely reluctant, but to ease his current awkwardness, he mustered the courage to ask Dark.
Dark slightly raised his head, gesturing for him to take any seat.
Evan Pearson placed his books down, sitting two seats away from Dark.
Seeing him seated, Professor Shylph tapped the desk and said, “Let’s begin the class.”
…
Professor Shylph’s teaching remained as serious as always, undeterred by the arrival of the exchange student.
—No, the second-year students felt that Professor Shylph had become even stricter.
“On Friday’s [Golden Cup] finals, Fifth-Year student Silas Andy from the Mana Academy used a special summoning spell during the duel. Does anyone remember what it was?”
“Professor, I remember. It was the [Reverse Flow Summoning]!”
“Please raise your hand next time before answering.”
Professor Shylph drew a circle on the blackboard and said, “The student is correct. Silas Andy used the [Reverse Flow Summoning]. The [Reverse Flow Summoning] was created by early magi after being inspired by the [Flow-Back Time Dragon]. Its roots touch upon the [Flow-Back Time Dragon], thus making it extremely difficult to master. Of course, this is not part of the assessment. The versatility of the [Reverse Flow Summoning] is also limited, and the academy does not require students to master such spells before graduation. However, as magi, we must understand these types of summoning spells, even if we cannot master them.”
With this introduction, Professor Shylph began explaining and interpreting the [Reverse Flow Summoning].
Dark hadn’t expected Professor Shylph to cover the [Reverse Flow Summoning] in this class, so he temporarily paused his research to listen attentively.
Professor Shylph’s teaching skills were unquestionable; she explained complex concepts simply and clearly, effortlessly drawing from various points of knowledge. Whether one had heard of the [Reverse Flow Summoning] before or not, they could gain much from her lecture.
Of course, this required full concentration!
Maintaining focus for a continuous ninety-minute lecture was rather challenging.
Most students opted to listen while copying notes from the board, making it easier to review later.
Naturally, some students couldn’t maintain focus due to external factors, needing to shift their attention periodically.
Beside one of those students, Evan Pearson was surprised to find that the person was not paying attention at all, often daydreaming.
This made no sense to him, yet he couldn’t question it.
This first class passed under a cloud of confusion for Evan Pearson.
…
Following the first class, the second one began.
Arriving at the new classroom amidst the crowd, Evan Pearson finally chose to sit beside Dark.
For some reason, he wanted to closely observe how this true top student of the second year actually studied.
Meanwhile, Emma, Lucy, and Susan naturally returned to their seats at the front.
The second class on Monday morning was Professor Kazel’s [Mana Theory].
Dark’s understanding of [Mana Theory] had long surpassed the textbook.
The content Professor Kazel taught today didn’t stray far from the textbook either.
Thus, apart from occasionally glancing away to listen, most of his time was spent on his own research.
To Evan Pearson, this seemed like he wasn’t listening at all.
…
Dark had always been like this.
But since he was seated at the last row by the window, his behavior didn’t negatively affect other students.
However, by chance, Evan Pearson ended up sitting beside him and was inevitably influenced.
Dark hadn’t anticipated Evan Pearson paying such close attention to him; even if he had, it wouldn’t have mattered much.
Evan Pearson was so focused partly because of his initial bad impression of Dark, and partly because Dark was one of the top sixteen in the [Golden Cup].
Moreover, after winning the lower-grade championship at the Easter Duel Festival, the most common response wasn’t congratulations, but comments like “it’s only because Dark Demon didn’t participate.”
This infuriated him.
Within the month of exchange studies at Saint Maryann Academy, he would challenge Dark Demon and defeat him!
But before achieving his goal, he needed to plan carefully.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated. Start with knowing your enemy!
…
After [Mana Theory] ended, Dark left the classroom with Professor Kazel and entered the office.
Dark closed the door and then asked about research-related matters.
After last night’s ritual, the professors’ research had narrowed down to the [Hermes
The detection of 【Hermes’ Blood】, the examination of unknown strands of hair, the search for methods to resist pollutants, the alchemy of fossilized creatures, and the casting of the 【Oil Snake】’s divine core.
After returning last night, Professor Kazel did not rest immediately but began right away with the testing of 【Hermes’ Blood】.
Firstly, he had to confirm whether there was any connection between the activated 【Hermes’ Blood】 and Hermes himself.
If there was such a connection, that drop of 【Hermes’ Blood】 might become Hermes’ eyes and ears, potentially leading to the leakage of secrets from this side.
However, with the help of Eralganie, Professor Kazel confirmed the safety of 【Hermes’ Blood】.
Despite the unknown reasons, Hermes did not connect with 【Hermes’ Blood】.
On the contrary, one could use cursed abilities to locate this drop of blood and initiate a curse against Hermes!
Of course, the possibility of the curse being ineffective or backfiring was quite high.
…
The testing of 【Hermes’ Blood】 went smoothly, but the examination of that strand of hair encountered difficulties.
That strand of hair seemed less like hair; besides its unexpected resilience, there were no notable points.
Professor Kazel initially suspected that it too had been sealed and required specific conditions to be unsealed.
But after testing the pollutants, he gradually understood a fact: that strand of hair likely lost all its properties after being lightly eroded by pollutants.
In the end, he stored the strand in a box and temporarily abandoned related experiments.
…
“So now I plan to focus on researching pollutants, testing various purification methods by artificially increasing their strength. In any case, I must produce some results.”
“Of course, in my heart, I am more inclined to help the 【Oil Snake】 gain power and control over pollutants after it becomes a god.”
“It has half its power originating from the pollutant system. Once it can manipulate pollutants, our safety entering the Mountain of Gods or the Heavenly Court will greatly increase.”
“Moreover, due to this breakthrough, Eralganie’s 【Brain of Wisdom】 has become less useful and can only be determined if used after Professor Harvey finishes examining the divinity in the fossils.”
“But everything will begin only after Professor Harvey completes the inspection.”
“Actually, it’s almost certain.”
“Professor Metia has already set up a spell barrier in the Lake Bottom Space.”
“That place is not a secret path; it must be ensured that no trace of the 【Oil Snake】 becoming a god is leaked.”
“On the other hand, we also need to prepare for the worst-case scenario where it might lose control.”
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“At seven o’clock tonight, bring Aurora, we will go to the Lake Bottom.”
Professor Kazel told Dak everything he wanted to know.
Dak scratched his head, thanked the professor, then left the office for the canteen.
…
On the way to the canteen, Dak used his 【Mana Card】 to notify Aurora to come to his office after lunch.
After lunch, Dak arrived at his office to wait.
Not long after, Aurora entered the office alone.
“How is the situation? Has Audrey’s addition caused any impact?” asked Dak as soon as she entered.
Aurora closed the door and walked forward, saying, “It’s not significant. However, the professors seem very interested in her and often call her to answer questions, which makes some students unhappy and eager to compete. It has made the classroom atmosphere more intense.”
Dak was somewhat surprised: “Then that’s good news?”
Aurora shook her head and said, “The girls in the class have strong xenophobia, and with the disruptive presence of Anna and Angie, it may not be so simple.”
Dak nodded and said, “If it’s them, they’ll still hold back a bit. There’s no need to worry too much.”
Aurora asked, “What about you?”
Dak replied, “Everything is normal.”
Aurora nodded and said, “Yes, with you here in the second year.”
Dak added, “It’s not really related to me. Evan Pearson sits at the back, and the professors treat everyone equally, so it doesn’t affect other students. But only during class. After class ends this afternoon, those who are dissatisfied with Evan Pearson winning the championship will start acting.”
Aurora blinked and said, “So, this is good news?”
Dak smiled, “Yes, it’s good news. No matter how you look at it.”
He then repeated his agreement with Professor Kazel: “How about it? Are you free tonight?”
Aurora said, “Even if I have something, I will cancel it. Seven o’clock tonight, where should we meet?”
Dak said, “At Professor Kazel’s office.”
Aurora said, “Great!”
…
Time flew quickly.
The afternoon’s 【Potion Class】 ended successfully.
As expected, Dak saw some boys coming to challenge him.
Evan Pearson, for unknown reasons, was troubled and didn’t even notice the first boy’s challenge.
When he finally noticed, he couldn’t help showing a shocked expression.
Clearly, he was incredibly surprised that someone would actively challenge him.
The boy’s challenge was very formal—not just throwing a white glove—but carefully preparing a letter inviting him to a duel, and the words were enticing.
Dak accidentally heard it.
The boy seemed to say, “Evan Pearson, next week’s potion experiment class requires bringing your own materials. As newcomers, you probably don’t have credits yet? We are classmates, I can share some with you. How about it? Let’s have a duel to prove our friendship!”
Evan Pearson, perhaps due to some unresolved issues, got confused and actually thanked him before accepting the challenge.
But the next second, over ten challenge letters arrived in front of him.
“Evan Pearson, please instruct me!” xn
…
Dak watched Evan Pearson being surrounded by boys leaving the classroom, couldn’t help shaking his head, and continued to immerse himself in his research.
— He had already studied for an entire potion class.
Professor Thompson was very lenient, giving him enough freedom.
He planned to continue studying until dinner time.
The progress was faster than he initially anticipated.
After returning from the lake bottom tonight, he could start a large number of experiments.
…
[Another six thousand words, looking for moon tickets.]
