Chapter 72: Entrance Ceremony

R‍ea​d​ ​on‌​ ‍​K‌a‍tR‍e‍​a‌d​i‍n​g​C​af‍e

Riley, Sugar and Ian conversed together in the dining room, the windows drawn open and the season tinged with the subtle scent of spring carried by the wind.

The long-awaited acceptance letters finally arrived. With the aid of a spell they flew right through the window.

All three of them had passed safely. They were now officially students of Steele.

From today, they were fresh-faced new students!

Sugar, wearing a cloak embroidered with the Steele emblem, hurried out of her room.

Riley, dressed neatly in a white shirt, tie, black pants, and a cloak draped over his shoulders, stood by the window, gazing outside.

Under the scattered sunlight, his golden hair shimmered. His slightly shadowed face looking exceptionally manly.

“…Wow.”

She had meant to boast about her cloak, but she quickly forgot as she stared at Riley’s face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, nothing. Just, how do I look?”

“You’re short.”

“Not that!”

“Your clothes are weird.”

“Be nice.”

“…Cute.”

Sugar ran over and hugged Riley tightly.

Ian, standing nearby, frowned as she watched the scene. Finally, they were moving into the dorms, so she wouldn’t have to see this anymore.

“Hurry up… you troublemakers… the entrance ceremony is about to start…”

“We’re parting ways today, so let us stay a bit longer. You’re in the male dorm too, right, Ian?”

“Of course…!”

She hastily answered while glancing at Riley, then suddenly glared at both of them. They were both too carefree.

“…So you both know.”

It dawned on her.

She had thought, ‘Wouldn’t Riley be hostile to me later if I got along too well with Sugar?’ But after reuniting, Riley didn’t seem to react much. Maybe he wasn’t the jealous type.

But no, it wasn’t that. Riley already knew Ian was a woman.

“Ehehe…”

Sugar laughed awkwardly.

Ian had planned to tell Riley about her gender someday. They were going to the same school, and who knew what might happen?

Still, she felt a little disappointed. Sugar had spilled the secret without consulting her.

With that thought, Ian looked down at Sugar, who quickly approached and hugged her.

“Sorry, Ian.”

“…”

Ian smiled bitterly and patted Sugar’s head. She was two years younger, after all. She had to look out for her.

“It’s fine. Just buy me a meal later.”

“I’ll get you dessert too.”

Her charming smile was adorable. No wonder Riley was always clinging to her.

“…Ian. About this matter—”

“No. It’s fine. Honestly, if Sugar hadn’t told you first, I would’ve been agonizing over it inside.”

“…”

“So it’s fine. You two aren’t the type to blabber carelessly. I trust you.”

Ian stopped Riley from apologizing and let Sugar go.

“Let’s really go now. We’ll be late for the entrance ceremony.”

With a refreshing smile, Ian led the way, Sugar and Riley following with grateful expressions on their faces. Ian was a person of great integrity and an open heart, Sugar especially knew just how big Ian’s ‘heart’ was.

It seemed like a heartwarming conclusion.

“Ah… I want to go to the male dorm too.”

“Perverted Sugar!”

********************

Entering the banquet hall, the low hum of chatter filled the air, mingling with the faint scent of flowers. Each pillar was adorned with lavish floral decorations, and red curtains hung between them. Students wearing Steele cloaks bustling about.

Further inside, tables laden with food were illuminated by magical lights. Sugar’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed a plate.

She piled one thing after another onto her plate.

Then, regaining her composure, she quietly approached Riley.

“Riley. Eat as much as you can to make up for what you missed…”

She had been shocked when Riley mentioned tasting monster fish in a letter and had even contacted Cedric directly through a communication device. ‘What are you doing to a growing child?’ she had scolded. ‘At least feed him properly.’

Eventually, she got blocked. Riley had thought Sugar might find it interesting, but that’s how it turned out.

Well, he grew up fine, so it’s all good, right?

Riley looked down at Sugar, who was much shorter than him, and picked up a plate. Sugar eagerly filled it with food, mostly meat.

He didn’t stop her.

“Hehe…”

Sugar smiled contentedly after filling Riley’s plate to the brim.

The two then headed over to Ian, who was standing in a corner. Ian didn’t have a plate, as she didn’t eat in the morning. She was just sipping on a drink, her hand trembling slightly.

She had to step forward in front of the banquet hall later. Despite being treated as a student, she was still the Saint’s descendant. She had been asked to give a speech to the students during the entrance ceremony.

Standing quietly beside her, the entrance ceremony soon began.

The host came out and gave a speech. They introduced the school and the headmaster, it was a typical entrance ceremony.

However, this was the starting point of the original story.

Calculating the timeline, this year was exactly that point. The protagonist would enroll, be chosen by the Saint’s Staff, and make history.

Even while eating, Sugar felt nervous and swallowed hard.

There were two people here who shouldn’t have been present.

The Saintess of the Evil God and the Saintess hiding her gender. Moreover, Riley wasn’t some hidden villain.

How much had they twisted fate?

She had long abandoned the idea that the future would follow the original story. Sugar had joined the Holy City instead of the Shadow Cult, Riley had become a righteous person entangled with Sugar, and Ian had reconciled with her sister and left the Holy City. How would the butterfly effect from all this play out?

This world wasn’t a game. It was a reality where all sorts of lifeforms interacted.

While the changes so far were very positive, she couldn’t help but worry if this might cause serious problems elsewhere.

As she nervously ate, Riley gently rubbed her back. He must have noticed her slow eating and thought she was nervous.

However, right next to them was someone even more nervous.

“Ian. Are you okay?”

“I-I-I’m f-f-fine.”

Her turn to speak was approaching.

Right on cue, the host spoke up.

“Now, next up… I think many of you have already heard the rumors. A descendant of the holy family from the sacred land, is here with us as a student. He has something he’d like to say to all of you.”

‘What?’

‘The rumors were true?’

The banquet hall buzzed with excitement.

Ian awkwardly stepped forward.

His platinum hair shimmered under the lights, his noble purple eyes shining.

The students’ gazes focused on the delicate-looking man.

Should they kneel? Or at least bow? As they murmured, Ian stammered, “L-ladies and gentlemen, p-please remain s-seated.” Then, blushing at his slip, he tightly closed her mouth.

Ah, this type.

It was even more embarrassing to watch.

From afar, Sugar cheered, “Wahhh!” and started clapping, prompting other students and even the professors to join in. Everyone welcomed her with one heart.

Amid the applause, Ian seemed to relax a bit and began her speech with an awkward smile.

“Hello, students of Steele, I am Ian. It is an honor to be here with you at this prestigious school beneath the floating island, upholding the will of our great ancestors. It is rare for those of our purple-eyed lineage to engage in public activities. Yet, in response to the winds of change blowing through this world—…”

.

.

.

“Ugh…”

“You did great, Ian. That was an excellent speech.”

Sugar and Riley dragged the dazed Ian out of the banquet hall.

The entrance ceremony was over, and it was now free time, but they were heading to the main building for a school tour. There was something they absolutely had to check there.

Several students bowed their heads as they passed Ian. Normally, she would say, “You don’t have to do that,” but in her current dazed state, she naturally raised her hand to acknowledge them, as she had done all her life in the Holy City.

When they arrived at the main building, there were quite a few new students. Some wanted to explore the school, while others wanted to bond with their peers.

Joining the crowd, Sugar quickly scanned her surroundings.

Black hair, black hair…

Black hair, black eyes. Found him.

In this fantasy world, people with both black hair and black eyes were rare, so he was easy to spot.

But was his expression always like that? In the illustrations, he looked a bit blank, but here he seemed quite sharp.

Anyway, now that she had found the protagonist, Leon, all she had to do was keep an eye on him.

“Now, we’ll start the school tour. Follow me, new students.”

A woman who looked similar to Mel, but with longer hair and a much friendlier demeanor, began leading the way. In the game, the tour guide had been an elderly professor. Already, things were different.

“Here’s the banquet hall. We usually gather here for events. This is the main building. It’s the largest, so of course, it’s the main building. Let’s go inside. Ah! You there, don’t get distracted. If you wander off, you might never find your way out.”

After briefly explaining what was on each floor, the professor—or secretary—headed to the top floor.

“This is the exhibition hall. It’s where the school’s history is preserved. What do you think is the most notable item here?”

“The Whitewood Staff.”

Here it comes.

“Correct! The legendary staff wielded by the Saint! It’s kept here at Steele. Now, look up there. Do you see its white, noble form?”

Even on the top floor, the ceiling was high. Floating within a transparent crystal, the staff hovered gently.

“There’s a triple-layered barrier around it. If you get too close, you’ll be in big trouble. Just look from a distance. I’ve never seen it up close either. And no flying! If you want to die, keep going up!”

Indeed, an intensely rigid magical energy could be felt from above. No, it wasn’t just rigid—it was outright rejecting. The voice of the magic seemed to say, “I hate you, go away.”

The magic under Ione’s influence in the Holy City had been silently indifferent, but the energy here felt like it was actively saying, “I don’t like you, get lost.”

After observing for a while, Sugar turned her gaze to Leon.

“Now, let me explain some other things! Over here, you’ll see something that looks like bones—”

As the lively woman moved to the side, the students passed by the staff. Leon followed behind them.

Sugar stayed back, watching from a distance. Riley and Ian glanced at her strangely.

‘Something should be happening soon…’

She was slightly worried because the magical energy from above remained unchanged.

Crack, crack—

“Huh?”

“What’s that sound?”

A tearing, crushing sound.

It echoed clearly through the exhibition hall.

‘It’s happening.’ Sugar clenched her fist.

The barrier was slowly breaking. Cracks formed from the outside, tearing apart. Soon, it shattered into pieces.

“Uh…? Uh-oh?”

“What’s going on…?”

“Over there! The staff’s barrier is acting strange!”

The tour guide immediately ran over.

“What is this…?”

Her cheerful expression twisted in shock. This was an unprecedented event since Steele’s founding.

Soon, the second barrier broke, and the third barrier disappeared with a shockwave. At the same time, the staff began to emit light.

The magical energy in their bodies churned, and the light was blinding. The mages in the room all squinted.

Amidst this, only one person—a single male student—looked up and stared at the staff.

As if drawn to him, the staff slowly descended from the air, just as the Saint had descended from the heavens long ago.

Leon, as if entranced, reached out and grasped it.

The light soon faded.

“…”

Silence filled the exhibition hall. Everyone seemed frozen, unable to comprehend the unbelievable scene. It was hard to tell if people were even breathing.

Sigh. I guess I’ll have to step up here.

Sugar took a deep breath and spoke up.

“Wooooow! The Saint’s Staff has chosen someone!!”

Oh, oh!

Incredible!

A miracle!

Cheers erupted one after another.

Riley smacked Sugar’s head. Ian stood beside her, mouth agape. “Th-the Saint’s Staff… the Saint’s Staff…” She looked like she might choke on an apple.

Rubbing her sore head, Sugar glanced at Leon and smirked.

Well, peace and quiet are over. Now, it’s time for some hardship.

This was the prologue of the original game.

After the entrance ceremony, during the school tour, the Saint’s Staff in the exhibition hall broke its barriers and chose its wielder marking the beginning of a heroic tale.

This was the start of Leon’s story. Using the staff, he would resolve disturbances at the school, confront the religious order, face Riley, and ultimately seal the Evil God.

‘Ah… the Riley from the game. How many times did I retry to defeat him…’

As she held Riley’s hand beside her, reminiscing about those bittersweet memories, she suddenly noticed something strange.

Sugar narrowed her eyes. From a distance, she couldn’t be sure, but Leon’s expression looked odd.

‘…Huh?’

It wasn’t just surprise.

Anger and sorrow. He looked both furious and sad, his face contorted in a way that couldn’t be described.

No matter how she looked at it, it wasn’t just a surprised expression.