Chapter 73
Granva finally went to work obediently.
Meanwhile, the people of the capital, who were starving and desperate for food, were heartbroken.
Griva cursed inwardly for almost being killed, and no longer cared about the group of people.
Today is the day Arnold and his group leave the secret realm. The observation room is still open, but only a few people are looking at it, since most of the freshmen have already come out and taken their second exam.
The deans also got busy.
Fikry had already decided on his student, Astor, although he felt Arnold would also be suitable, but Arnold preferred to study pharmacology.
Copperfield was very envious of Murphy's talent, and Carlos would definitely go to Finney's team.
In this way, Allen didn't seem so outstanding, but compared to the other freshmen, Allen's performance was still extremely outstanding. Even when the team encountered enemies, although he didn't perform exceptionally well, he never held them back.
The dean of the Warrior Academy took a liking to Allen.
This time, the secret realm will not be opened in the main square, but in a small performance hall.
Veris was busy studying the magic circle that screened Yannis's divine power. This time, the person who came to open the secret realm was Sylvain.
The deans of all the colleges and universities were here, which was a great honor for the young people.
However, at this point, the boys were unaware of the true significance of this performance.
Soldas was also there, asking Sylvain, who was standing to one side, about the Pope's recent situation.
Sylvain simply said everything was fine.
The dean then inquired with a smile about how Granva had been punished.
The Papacy has even released official documents, so those of them with close ties to the Papacy naturally found out very quickly.
He was having tea with Copperfield when a phantom of a piece of paper appeared in front of Copperfield, and the old man's expression changed drastically.
After watching it, I learned that Granva was punished.
Sylvain: "Violation of church discipline should be punished."
Soldars: ...
"Then tell me what kind of discipline it is!" Copperfield stammered and wouldn't say, which infuriated him!
Arnold and his companions returned to the present world unharmed. They were first dazzled by the magnificent performance hall, and then saw several people dressed in gorgeous robes in front of them, many of whom they had seen on the high platform in the square that day.
The group recalled what Soldas had said in the square earlier: after the secret realm ended, they would choose their class and teacher, and their eyes gleamed.
But only Arnold was truly excited.
Allen was a little uneasy.
Carlo had already spoken with Elder Finney, since the physique of elves is quite different from that of humans, making Finney a more suitable teacher.
Asta, his face flushed, found Fekris, who was smiling.
Murphy glanced around, then lowered his eyes in inexplicable disappointment. Even though it had been agreed that His Holiness the Pope would take him as a student, the Pope had not come today.
Even he didn't come.
Have you forgotten...?
When Soldas saw the group emerge, he cleared his throat and put on a kind smile: "Children, we are deeply proud of your performance in the secret realm. You survived the near-death experience at the ruins of the gods, went from being enemies with the locals to fighting side by side, never held grudges against others, and were even willing to protect fellow trial participants from the mortal world. I believe you are the future outstanding students of the Royal Capital Academy."
Then came a long summary, the author of which was unknown, but it made the young men's blood boil.
Sylvain stood out among the group of deans because of his young and handsome face.
After the opening remarks, it's time to choose a college mentor.
After fighting side by side for more than half a month, the young people's relationship was obviously much warmer. Aster asked Arnold if he really didn't consider the Warrior Academy.
Arnold shook his head and turned to the several deans. If a ranking were made on the continent of Icarus, then the dozen or so people standing here would all be in the top ten, or even the top three, of their respective professions.
The Royal Capital Academy has an incredibly rich history and profound cultural heritage.
The first choice was Arnold.
He still sticks to his original idea: his main profession is pharmacist, and as for minoring in other professions, that's something for the second half of the year.
The dean of the academy of pharmacy was somewhat surprised. He had long heard of Arnold's talent; he was a remarkable warrior and an outstanding mage. He never expected him to choose the academy of pharmacy.
Will they produce a champion in the year-end college competition?
Thinking of this, the dean of the Pharmacy Academy smiled broadly, pointed to the people next to him, and said, "These are the vice deans of the Pharmacy Academy. I usually have to handle miscellaneous affairs of the academy, so my expertise in pharmacy is not as good as that of the vice deans. Dean Riveren is good at healing potions, Dean Owen is better at making poisons, and as for Dean Bentham, he has a background in all of them, but in any one aspect, he is definitely not as good as the other two."
Vice Dean Bentham, upon hearing the dean's assessment, remained calm and showed no anger at the dean's comment that he was inferior to the other two.
After listening to this for ten years, you'll become numb to it, no matter how angry you get.
Furthermore, their pharmacists are not like those rude and boisterous people from the Warrior Academy. They are extremely well-mannered and can be ranked alongside astrologers!
It's not that we can't beat them.
After listening to the Dean of the Pharmacy Academy's introduction, Arnold quickly made his choice: "I choose Dean Riveren! I'd rather research potions that can heal others!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his palms burned. The boy raised his hand and saw a light green totem appear on his palm. He looked at the totem in confusion. There was a pattern in that spot when he was in the secret realm, but it was a mark to prove that he came from the future and would protect him.
It has now become a totem.
"This is the emblem of the School of Pharmacy. Kid, go to your teacher," Soldas said with a smile, always pleased to see the surprised expressions on the faces of the new students.
Arnold snapped out of his daze and walked over to Rivelen, his face still showing surprise.
Carlo and Astor walked over to Finney and Felix without any surprise. The two deans stood on opposite sides of the table, one on the far left and the other on the far right, their animosity clearly visible.
However, Aster clearly didn't notice, and even turned back to talk to Carlo when they parted ways.
Then it was Allen's turn.
Arnold thought Allen would choose the Warrior Academy, since Allen was already a warrior when he first met him, and Allen's admission recommendation letter also stated that he was recommended to become a warrior.
However, the oldest boy in the group—no, he was already a young man—took a deep breath and said, "I choose the Alchemy Academy."
The alchemy students, who had been in a daze, didn't react at first.
Someone nearby stepped on his foot, and the Dean of the Alchemy Academy finally snapped out of his daze: "Good, good, alchemy is great! Young man, do you have your treasure yet?"
Allen: "?"
Then I got stepped on again.
The Dean of the Alchemy Academy was fully awake. He coughed a few times. "Cough cough cough, it's nothing. Since you want to join the Alchemy Academy, I might as well tell you that alchemy is a profession that requires a lot of talent, just like magic. But it doesn't matter, ordinary alchemists can make up for their lack of talent with hard work..."
He kept talking.
Copperfield, standing nearby, turned to Soldas and whispered, "The idea that hard work can compensate for lack of talent will eventually turn you into a lunatic."
Soldas wanted to nod, but under everyone's watchful eyes, he kept a straight face and whispered a rebuke to Copperfield: "How dare you slander the Alchemy Academy again? You've gone too far, Copperfield."
The Dean of the Alchemy Academy paused, speechless.
Copperfield: "?"
A moment of suffocating silence fell over the scene.
However, the Dean of the Alchemy Academy immediately resumed speaking as if nothing had happened.
A while passed.
Copperfield: "Enough! Enough! Shut up! Are you going to start from the origin of the world?!"
Dean of the Alchemy Academy: "This is a great chapter in the history of alchemy!"
"I must finish speaking—mmm..." The Dean of the Alchemy Academy was covered by his colleagues and pulled behind the other deans.
In addition to the dean, the Alchemy Academy, like the Pharmacy Academy, also has three vice deans.
The three vice deans wore identical smiles, which looked quite eerie.
They began by introducing themselves, and it sounded fairly normal.
Allen ultimately chose one of the students who seemed relatively normal, and was worried about his future career at the Royal Capital Academy.
In the end, only Murphy was left.
The white-eyed boy stood there, looking quite lonely. Copperfield stepped forward, about to speak, when Murphy said, "Hasn't His Holiness the Pope come?"
Knowing that Willis had previously mentioned wanting to take Murphy as a student, Copperfield instinctively asked, "Is that so strange?"
Soldas, who was behind him, suddenly punched him in the lower back.
The old magician's face immediately turned white and green, and he chuckled awkwardly, "Hahahaha, His Holiness the Pope is extremely busy, and here comes His Highness the Holy Son..."
I feel like the effect is even worse.
The boy's face paled slightly.
Copperfield felt wronged. He wasn't wrong. Not to mention Murphy, even going back to Sylvain, whether His Holiness the Pope would come to such occasions depended on his mood!
Sylvain stood among a group of middle-aged or elderly faces, his expression indifferent, and simply nodded, saying, "The Pope grants you permission to attend lectures on the principles of magic at the Papacy on the first day of each month."
The other deans remained calm and accepted the outcome, as this had always been the rule.
Copperfield smiled. The boy named Murphy wasn't deliberately giving him a hard time. During those days of observation, Murphy hadn't smiled much either; he was probably just naturally not fond of smiling!
The old man handed Murphy the token belonging to the vice dean of the magic academy, Orlando.
The Pope is also listed as the dean of the Royal Academy, but it's a nominal position; he doesn't teach classes or publicly accept students.
But the keepsake is still there.
It looks exactly like the church's emblem. If it weren't for the unique pattern on the outer edge that's characteristic of the Royal Academy, you'd think it was the church's badge.
The small teacher assignment ceremony was over, and the second-year students who had been waiting outside led the group to the student dormitory and introduced them to the various buildings of the college.
After the students left, the deans should have dispersed as well, but the group gathered together and started talking non-stop.
The headmaster of the alchemy academy was very dissatisfied because their great history of alchemy had been interrupted before it had even begun.
Felix, who had a good relationship with the alchemist who had taken Allen as his student, asked, "You don't look too happy. Are you dissatisfied?"
The alchemist shook his head, hesitated for a moment, and said, "That child's temperament is not suitable for alchemy. We alchemists have incredibly firm minds, comparable to the hardest stone in the world, but that child looks..."
"If he doesn't have the talent, let him switch majors. There are only four months of classes left." Fikris was very easygoing.
The alchemist's expression was serious: "Talent is secondary. My talent wasn't much back then either, but now I'm a renowned alchemist. The first lesson for us alchemists is to be shameless!"
Fikris silently withdrew his hand from patting his colleague's shoulder.
Copperfield leaned over and said, "I think Petrie makes a lot of sense."
Allen is talented, quick-witted, and has the best interpersonal skills in the team, but... he doesn't seem like the kind of person who would associate with those lunatics from the Alchemy Academy!
The alchemist Petri sighed again.
I am very worried.
He felt that Allen's choice of the Alchemy Academy was not genuine.
Felix nudged Copperfield with his elbow: "What you said, Mr. Copperfield, was really awful. The kid turned pale."
Copperfield touched his nose, thought for a moment, and then replied, "But where am I wrong? How could His Holiness the Pope possibly come to such an occasion?"
“Actually, I think His Holiness the Pope will come. He’s a born ninth-tier mage, his talent is even higher than Lord Uther’s, right?” Soldas chimed in.
“But wasn’t it me who presided over the selection of His Excellency Uther’s teacher?” Copperfield shook his head.
In the last thirty years, the Pope only came once, during the time of His Holiness the Holy Son.
"Is Murphy's mage rank about to reach the seventh level?" Another vice dean of the magic academy had also been paying attention to Murphy for a long time. He was a born ninth-level mage! In his era, he must have been a figure of great renown.
In the secret realm, Murphy followed the army, which included a special team of mages. Murphy learned a lot from those mages of the old era, and the magic spells he used later appeared to be at the seventh level in power.
A 15-year-old seventh-tier mage...that's terrifying!
Thinking of this, the group subconsciously looked at Sylvain, the Holy Son, who was walking to the side.
Sylvan was already a sixth-tier mage when he enrolled, yet he was able to hold his own against Murphy!
No, Murphy can now be considered a seventh-tier mage.
Suddenly, a voice rang out softly: "His Holiness the Holy Son has served the Pope for many years. When did you become so bold as to dare to compare him to His Holiness the Holy Son?"
It was another vice dean besides Soldas who succinctly revealed what they were thinking.
The Royal Capital Academy has one dean and five vice deans in charge of all academy affairs. Other vocational colleges will have their deans' names specified before their names, but if you only say "dean," then it means the chief dean and chief vice deans.
Within the Royal Capital Academy, there are six major professional colleges: Warrior, Magic, Alchemy, Potion, Astrology, and Beast Taming.
Vocational colleges appoint a dean to oversee all affairs of the college, along with three to five vice deans and several head teachers.
Even after a month, freshmen might not be able to get a single class from the vice dean.
Upon hearing those words, the group fell silent instantly.
They've gone mad, actually comparing him to the Holy Son. How can anyone else compare? The fact that the Holy Son was raised by His Holiness the Pope alone is enough to crush everyone else.
Who has ever received this treatment? Nobody!
Not to mention those custom-made spells, and even spells created by His Holiness the Pope to be more suitable for Sylvain's magic... He's spoiled to the point of being outrageous!
The Dean of the Alchemy Academy once sighed, "If my teacher could build a furnace for me, I would die without regrets."
Everyone found the metaphor very strange.
Sylvain heard it, of course, but he ignored it. If he had turned around, those men would have been uneasy for a long time.
How could he possibly argue with a human who was tens of thousands of years younger than him?
The Holy Son lowered his eyes, thinking about going back to persuade Veris to busy himself with his own affairs, and then he would take charge of Murphy's course on the principles of magic.
Want to get close to Veris?
Sylvain remained expressionless.
Sure enough, no matter how many years have passed, whenever he sees someone looking at Veris with strange eyes, he wants to gouge those eyes out.
Anyway, Veris already knows.
Thinking of this, the Holy Son's tense expression eased slightly.
After leaving the building, Sylvain prepared to return to the Papacy, but after thinking about it, he decided to visit the Lortheran Palace instead.
He came in a low-key manner today, wearing only his usual black and white robes instead of the magnificent holy son's attire. The Lortheran Palace has a magic array that prevents him from teleporting at will, so he still had to take a carriage there.
Inside the carriage, Sylvain sat with his eyes closed, trying to rest, but the conversation between the deans just now was flashing through his mind.
He slowly opened his eyes, a glint of light flashing in his dark green pupils. He tapped his knee lightly with his fingertips, keenly sensing that something was amiss.
They should have used their divine power to check it over then.
However, Veris forbade him from using his divine power indiscriminately, fearing it would exacerbate the chaos within the divine order.
His divinity is now soothed by the faith shared by Veris, something invisible and intangible, unlike other deities that can be materialized.
It's not impossible to use it if you really want to, but Veris will be angry...
never mind.
Sylvain closed his eyes again, his fingertips still lightly tapping his knees. He was nearly twenty-two years old this year, and his body was almost fully developed. What made him stand out among the deans was his extraordinary height. He didn't look like a magician; instead, people hesitated and wondered if he was a warrior.
But his demeanor doesn't seem like that of a warrior.
His silky black hair cascaded down; not long ago, it had been silver, but since his divine nature was fully awakened, it had turned the jet-black color he remembered.
There was still some handsomeness between his eyebrows and eyes, but his face was already beautiful. He usually had a calm expression, and only when he saw Veris did his expression change.
Lortheran knew at a glance that his former companions had returned.
Although he was delighted by this, when Sylvain actually appeared before him, Lortheran looked behind him and even looked up at the ceiling, still not giving up, and when he realized that Veris really hadn't followed, he shuddered.
Is Sylvain really here to beat him up?
A fawning smile appeared on Lortheran's face.
Sylvain gave him a strange look. Veris was right after all. Lortheran had lived on and off for hundreds of years and his mind was somewhat unstable.
However, he came to see Lortheran today for other matters. Sylvain began, "He came to ask you what capacity you want to assume power."
Lortheran blinked. He hadn't really thought about it. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Any name will do... anyway, the people below don't seem to mind."
However, he couldn't get too involved with the Papacy. Lortheran's eyes darkened slightly, but he quickly smiled again. "What's so difficult about that? I'll just say I'm the king's illegitimate son. This face naturally resembles mine, and of course it resembles the royal family. No one will suspect anything when they see it."
There are indeed many magic scrolls for disguise on the market, but even if someone has doubts, would he dare to say it?
Sylvain frowned. He wasn't good at the intricacies of court politics, so he nodded in agreement.
"The second thing concerns the next king. Veris means to ask you to draft a charter for him to see."
Lortheran was a capricious ruler. He had improved considerably and become more composed during his years of military campaigns, but in his later years, his true colors were revealed, causing a lot of trouble. However, these problems were quickly resolved, and he remains a flawless emperor in history.
Others may not know, but doesn't Veris know?
Lortheran probably never even considered how to train Ethan.
Even if I wanted to, I would only handle government affairs with Ethan and let him learn on his own.
How can you teach people like this?
Lortheran's expression froze, and he touched his nose: "This... let me think... isn't it just raising a crown prince? It's not like I haven't done it before!" He patted his chest, very confident.
Although Lord Lortheran II was rather unremarkable and didn't accomplish much, it was good enough that he didn't cause any trouble!
He left behind a large number of talented people!
Lortheran suddenly realized something, and his confident expression froze. Times had changed. Based on his observations over the past few days, none of the ministers were outstanding, certainly not as good as he was back then.
The founding king's expression turned somber, showing some worry.
Sylvain had only come to inform Veris so he wouldn't have to make a trip. As he was about to leave, Lortheran suddenly called him back, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "How long am I going to stay?"
"Let's see what you're capable of."
These are Veris's exact words.
Lortheran is not power-hungry and gets up to speed quickly. Once he understands the current administrative system and policies of the Kingdom of Lortheran, he can make fairly accurate decisions.
However, there are some things that you have to see with your own eyes before you can make a decision.
There's no rush for now. After Sylvain left, Lortheran immediately contacted his grandson Garcia, whose lineage was unknown, and asked him to create an identity for him.
He wanted to be Lortheran IX.
Garcia was stunned for a moment after receiving the news, before he realized what was going on. He muttered that the title didn't sound very good either, and then went to look up royal records to find a suitable identity for his great-grandfather so that he could become king openly and legitimately.
Prince Ethan was naturally caught up in the great upheaval within the royal family. These days, he had been accompanying the late King Charles and was well aware of what was happening outside.
He felt a mix of melancholy and shock. What Lortheran had jokingly said about becoming king now seemed to be a foregone conclusion.
He couldn't describe how he felt. Some palace servants had also heard the rumors and said to him privately, "The young prince is the one who should inherit the throne. That guy who appeared out of nowhere is probably a fraud. Even Prince Garcia was deceived! If he really becomes king, how will the young prince survive?"
Ethan felt a chill run down his spine, but he still reprimanded the palace servants and punished them.
King Charles has been in a coma for the past few days.
After he sternly ordered the guards to gag the palace servants and drag them away for punishment, he returned to his bedchamber and found that his father had opened his eyes and was quietly gazing at the curtains on the bed.
Hearing footsteps, she knew it was Ethan coming in, so she spoke, her voice hoarse and strained, probably because she hadn't spoken for many days. Ethan quickly poured her a glass of water.
But then they heard their father's old, hoarse voice: "Why didn't you kill her?"
Ethan stood frozen in place.
"Anna also believed the rumors. I'm the only one who heard that. It's not that serious..."
"You bastard!" King Charles roared. Prince Ethan's eyes widened, and he instinctively knelt on the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
King Charles's policies were moderate, but for Prince Ethan, his father's long-standing authority meant that a single word from him could leave him utterly bewildered.
"Kindness is your virtue."
"But there is no king who is only benevolent!"
Ethan knelt before his father's bedside, and after listening to the old man finish speaking, he gasped for breath and quickly crawled on his knees to offer his father a cup of water.
King Charles did not take it, so Prince Ethan could only hold it up like that.
“Ethan, go, kill her, now.”
The little prince's face instantly drained of color.
King Charles pointed to the sword hanging on the wall of his bedroom: "That is the king's sword. Now take it and kill the servant who spoke ill of you."
“...Yes.” Ethan’s face was pale as he walked to the wall, took down the sword. The sword was very heavy, and he had some difficulty holding it.
Those cloudy yet sharp eyes, the eyes of a king, were fixed on him, watching him walk to the palace door and struggle to open it.
A muffled groan was heard, followed by the sound of a body falling to the ground, and Prince Ethan let out a short cry of surprise.
Then he stepped back a few paces and looked at the palace servants who were tied up and looked disheveled.
The blond-haired youth who brought the palace servants over looked down at them with a half-smile in his eyes.
"Let's do it, Ethan."
“You can choose not to kill this servant your uncle sent, but you should at least pull out her tongue.”
The boy held the sword, which required both hands to lift. He looked down at the palace servant who had served him for a long time. The servant was drenched in sweat, but as he stood at the door, a cold wind blew in, instantly chilling his sweat.
His mind was a complete blank.
Fear and confusion mingled in his heart, and his lips trembled as he said, "Anna... did it all for my own good."
Anna wasn't wrong, was she...?
Lortheran's eyes instantly turned cold.
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Author's Note: Tongtian Dai Lortheran is questioning the meaning of life.
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