Chapter 105: Graduation Ceremony (1)

Chapter 105: Graduation
Ceremony (1)

“Sister.
Are you really, really going to do this?”

Vesta,
the head of the Blues Clan, glared at the cadre who spoke in an
uneasy voice.

There
were ten people, including herself, who had infiltrated the noble
section through the ‘rat hole’.

Three
clan officers and six elite fighters stood behind Vesta.

‘You
bastards, you couldn’t even manage a slave correctly and created this
whole mess.’

Vesta’s
mouth twitched as if she was about to spit out an expletive, but she
held it together with superhuman patience.

Now
was not the time to demoralize them.

Instead,
they needed to be set straight with a false sense of purpose and
illusion.

“The
plan is perfect. One Academy student is worth dozens of common
slaves, so if we kidnap ten of them, we’ll have a reputation as
outlaws who raided the Academy and a ton of gold in no time.”

It
was a poor plan. The idea of raiding the Academy in the first place
was insane.

But
the outlaws, driven by selfishness and greed for money, listened to
Vesta’s words with mesmerized fascination.

Vesta
didn’t say anything negative about the risk of the Academy coming
after them for kidnapping students, or that they might end up in a
battle with the faculty if things didn’t go well.

She
only told them what they wanted to hear, letting her clan mates dream
big.

“Damn
it, I was counting on you, Sister, you’re really going against the
Academy, you’re going to be the worst outlaw ever, I’ll follow you
for life!”

Vesta
looked at the one who called her sister.

‘Iron
Carlino.’

A
former mid-level explorer who was cursed to turn into an orc.

She
was once blessed with the [Blessing of Iron Fists] and [Blessing of
Hardened Mills].

Her
nature was so vicious that she was a natural outlaw, and she was the
second strongest person in the clan after Vesta.

‘A
useful bitch.’

She’s
easy to control because she follows her so well.

If
she used her well, she could kidnap a student and sneak out of the
noble district without anyone noticing.

She’ll
use the same ‘rat hole’ she used to recruit Reichem, so she’ll have
no problem getting in and out of the Academy.

“It
was fine for getting in, but if the academy is attacked, will the rat
hole still be intact?”

“Ugh.
As long as we have control over that kid’s parents, she’ll have no
choice but to follow our lead.”

“Kuuuuuu.
I can’t believe you threatened an Academy’s assistant like this.
You’ll definitely be known as the worst outlaw in the Labyrinth
City.”

Having
answered her subordinate’s question, Vesta chuckled at her
insinuation and stalked off into the darkness.

To
hunt, you had to strike when your prey was least alert.

“When
the party is ripe, we strike.”

***

I
had ridden in a carriage once before.

It
was dirty and grimy inside, with dingy, sunken chairs that showed it
had been ridden by many people.

Even
at a slow pace, the carriage was uncomfortable, with the worst
cushioning I’ve ever experienced, making my butt sore, but the
carriage Diana had waiting for us had none of those flaws.

The
cushions were as comfortable as sitting on a plush couch, and the
ever-changing scenery outside made the ride almost fun.

-Thump,
thump, thump

The
carriage shook occasionally as we traveled over the dirt roads, but
it wasn’t so bad when I could see Diana’s breasts bouncing wildly
in her skimpy dress.

I
took a moment to admire the magnificent view before I spoke.

“You
said Ellie went to the Academy, didn’t you?”

“Yep.
She just came by to get her dress fitted⋯
I’m guessing
she’s in the middle of rehearsals for graduation.”

I
was told that Ellie, who had gone to the royal court to pursue her
career, had only seen Diana for a day or so to get her dress fitted
and then left for the academy again on schedule.

So
I hadn’t seen Ellie’s face in over two weeks.

The
carriage, which had been traveling for a while, slowed down. We were
approaching the walls of the noble district.

-knock.

There
was a knock on the door and the coachman’s voice came through.

“The
guards are demanding to know the purpose of your visit and your
identity.”

It
was definitely the Noble Quarter, and the guards seemed to be
stricter than in the Temple Quarter or the Explorers’ Quarter.

“Give
them this.”

Diana
dug into her bosom and pulled out a blue explorer’s badge.

It
took her a moment to scratch her head at the unfamiliarity of the
plaque, which wasn’t just a wooden low-level, silver intermediate, or
gold high-level.

“Supreme
Explorer⋯?”

“What
the hell, it’s real!”

“Hmph!
I’m sorry, we don’t know who you are, what are you doing, open the
door!!!”

From
outside came a voice, almost a scream, a mixture of panic and alarm.

The
door opened again, and a stern-faced guard handed me a piece of paper
through the crack.

“Ba,
ba, ba, ba, guest book. The, the, the, signature.”

I
snatched the guest book out of the guard’s hand, too stiff to speak.

The
guest book contained entries and remarks.

At
the top was a name I hadn’t seen in a long time.

[Entry]
[Remarks]

[Assistant
Gelsia][Bringing in 40 bottles of wine for the dinner party and 15
large oak barrels.]

Professor
Mankostil’s assistant, Gelsia.

40
bottles of wine and 15 oak barrels. It seemed like they were going to
enjoy it to the fullest.

“Thank
you!!”

I
scribbled my name and Diana’s in the guest book and handed it over,
and the guard disappeared in a flash.

After
a brief pause, the carriage resumed its journey toward the Academy.

I
glanced out the window and saw a group of guards, including the
captain of the Noble Quarter Guard platoon, saluting the carriage.

I
don’t know Diana’s exact backstory, so it’s not an accurate analogy,
but at first glance, it looked like a new platoon leader greeting a
visiting division commander.

‘Well,
the captain of the guard also bowed low in front of Diana, so that’s
not too strange.’

After
getting her ID card back, Diana smiled warmly as if nothing had
happened.

“It’s
your first time in the noble district, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Hoo-hoo.
It’s not like you can just come here anytime, so take this
opportunity to explore as much as you can.”

I
turned my attention to the window at Diana’s words.

When
I heard the word “noble district,” I expected to see some sort of
gorgeous landmark or capital city, but all I could see was dense
forests and trees as we drove on.

“The
outskirts of the Noble District, where the Academy is located, are
surrounded by forests like this.”

The
enormity of the Labyrinth City of Valerus was suddenly realized, with
such a dense forest in just one section of the city.

“If
I came here by myself, I’d probably get lost.”

“Yeah.
It’s complicated, isn’t it? The city walls are supposed to be
aesthetically pleasing⋯”

Diana
often came up with interesting stories to keep me from getting bored.

“Still,
if it’s this complicated, don’t you think we might miss our opponent
if the security is breached?”

“For
the nobles, erasing the unpleasant things in front of them is more
important than practical gain. There have been a few incidents like
this in the past, and they must have suffered damage, but instead,
the number of trees has increased⋯”

I
remembered the information Reichem had told me the other day.

There
was ominous news that today the Academy might be attacked by the
Blues Clan.

The
nuanced way she mentioned that it had happened a few times before
made it all the more troubling.

The
Captain of the Explorers’ Zone Guard Platoon had said she would
communicate with the Academy, but somehow that didn’t reassure me.

I
mentioned the information to Diana, just in case, and her mood
changed slightly.

“Did
the Guard really communicate with the Academy about increasing the
number of guards?”

“I’ve
heard that they did, but I haven’t heard anything definite.”

“I
see. I’ll have to go check it out, just in case. If they’re so sure,
they might have an insider.”

It
was better to confide in Diana than to be complacent and trust the
guards.

She
had come purely to celebrate Ellie’s graduation, but it couldn’t hurt
to be prepared, just in case.

With
the heavy talk out of the way, we talked about the day’s schedule.

The
main events of the day were twofold.

“There’s
the Dean’s speech in the Academy’s auditorium during the day, and a
dinner party in the ballroom at night.”

The
speeches are the same old stuff at any graduation ceremony, and the
biggest event is the dinner party in the ballroom.

Not
only the graduates, but also their parents and relatives gathered. It
was a kind of socializing.

And
the students of the Academy are usually well-connected.

Children
of nobles, relatives of the wealthy, sons and daughters of middle-
and upper-class explorers, etc.

‘It’s
a chance to make high-level connections.’

Explorers
must keep in line.

Not
only do they explore the labyrinth, but they often act as
mercenaries, so the quality of the requests they receive depends on
their connections and reputation⋯

I’ve
overheard conversations in taverns of mid-level explorers bemoaning
the fact that they can’t get a job.

In
that sense, the dinner party was an opportunity that would never come
again.

‘Explorers
at my level, they don’t get to do this.’

Again,
Diana and Ellie were gracious, so I can only be grateful.

“We’re
almost there.”

Diana’s
words made me glance out the window.

The
view was majestic.

‘Wow,
it’s almost as big as Hogwarts.’

The
buildings loomed over the lush trees, awe-inspiring to behold.

Honestly,
I don’t know much about the aesthetics, but there was a sense of
grandeur and overwhelmingness that came from the huge building.

I
gazed at the Royal Academy building like a country bumpkin on his
first trip to the city.

Then,
I looked at the long line of carriages in front of the Academy’s main
entrance.

“⋯What’s
all that?”

***

In
front of the Academy’s main entrance was a long line of carriages.

The
line was so long that it reminded me of a holiday slowdown, and the
tired people in it all complained in unison.

“Damn.
How long are we going to have to wait?”

The
entrance, too narrow for the sprawling grounds, was a traffic jam at
this time of year.

Those
who could afford to send their children to the Academy had no reason
to travel by foot.

They
were killing time in their ornately decorated carriages, but even
that could only go so far.

“Do
you know who I am to be kept waiting for an hour?! I’m the grandson
of the famous Claudia Merchant Guild’s leader from the Labyrinth
City! The third daughter’s second son, that’s me!”

Impatient
with the wait, he strode over and shouted at the Academy guards
guarding the main entrance.

“Yes,
sir, we are currently processing those who arrived first. Please
wait.”

The
guards gave him a cold shoulder and muttered formalities.

This
was due to the academy’s operating policy.

It
was more important to invest in cultivating talent than in the
miscellaneous complaints that came in once or twice a year, so they
didn’t invest funds in unnecessary things like expanding the front
gate.

“Ugh!”

The
people who were arguing had sent their children to the academy
because they believed in the academy’s education policy, so in the
end, they didn’t say anything else and crawled back into their
carriages.

As
they were returning from their pointless expenditure of stamina, an
unassuming carriage whizzed by them.

The
appearance was not particularly flashy, the wheels were ordinary, and
the horses that pulled the carriages were not famous horses, but
rather a breed that was close to being the first to fail at
crossbreeding.

“Are
they crazy?”

He
couldn’t help but ask.

The
carriages that were far more advanced than his own were lined up in
front of him, but how could such an ugly carriage ignore him?

“What
family are they from? Has anyone seen them?”

“The
carriage doesn’t seem to have a family seal on it⋯
it looks like it’s just a commoner.”

“From
the looks of the carriage.”

The
word “commoner” brought laughter from all around.

I
had a rough idea of what was to come.

Noble
blood, semi-noble blood, and their relatives were all standing in
line, but a commoner with nothing was allowed to pass by without
lining up?

“The
guards must be really pissed off.”

“Yeah.
They’ll just let us go, but they’ll give the commoners a hard time
about how they can’t wait.”

“Well,
that’s good, because waiting is boring, and we need something to keep
us entertained.”

“I
agree.”

Just
as the boredom was reaching its peak, an interesting event happened.

They
each stuck their heads out of the carriage windows, imagining what
was about to happen.

And
what they saw was.

“All
hands!!! Salute!!!!!”

The
Academy guards saluting at the top of their lungs.

-Thump-thump-thump

A
rickety old carriage lumbered through the gates.

Their
eyes widened at the sight, finally realizing the situation after a
moment of silence.

“⋯What
is this, the Academy guards reacting like that?”

“The
Second Princess said she’d only show her face for the dinner party,
so she shouldn’t be here right now⋯”

“Hey,
who are they? Who the hell are they? Didn’t anyone even look
through the window?!”

“I
thought I saw a man in a helmet, but I didn’t get a good look, so I
didn’t say so before.”

“Why
would he wear a helmet to a place like this, isn’t he just an
escort?”

The
boredom and irritation that had been building up in their heads
quickly subsided, and the void was filled with questions and even
greater interest.

They
had come to this graduation for many reasons, but the biggest one was
to make connections.

If
they wanted to get higher than they were now, they needed to make
connections…and in front of them stood a figure that seemed vastly
taller than them.

At
the commotion behind them, the woman with her eyes closed muttered
quietly.

“A
man in a helmet.”

The
words that came out of her mouth had many meanings.