Damn Academy - Chapter 206

Chapter 206

Host (3)

The next morning, I waited in the Art Department’s greenhouse.

I, Lilith, Jenia, Haley, and a few other confirmed participants and candidates gathered to hold a meeting.

Under the officer’s guidance, the meeting proceeded smoothly.

“This is the mission for the lower grades.”

Haley spread out a scroll on the table.

Lilith and I examined the mission details.

[Location: Northwest Shin Tagma Region of Eternia Territory]

[Mission Details: Uncover the truth behind the disappearance of residents in the Shin Tagma region and retrieve evidence.]

Jenia added an explanation.

“We call this volunteer work. The upper grades have monster extermination missions, but yours are much less risky. Eternia occasionally accepts external requests and sends students to assist for free.”

“Who will be the leader?”

Haley pointed at me.

“The leader of the first and second-year group is you, newbie.”

“I can’t do that. There are seniors with more experience than me.”

Haley firmly cut me off.

“This is a decision all of the Art Department agreed on. You have the skill to defeat even second-year seniors, right? We’ve all seen it. You’ve successfully completed the mission to guard the Duchess too. The others play their roles well, but the problem is they’ve never stepped outside the mold they’ve been given their whole lives. That’s not what we’re looking for here, and I think you understand what I mean.”

“….”

“And Pavela is also a crucial asset, though it’s uncertain if she’ll participate. She hasn’t been coming to the Art Department much lately.”

“Where is Pavela now?”

“She isn’t here, obviously.”

I took another look at our members.

Right, Pavela wasn’t present at the meeting.

Maybe the sparring evaluation had some impact on her.

Perhaps we wouldn’t encounter her again.

Then, the greenhouse door suddenly creaked open.

Everyone turned their gaze to the entrance.

Pavela stood there, hands clasped together, looking somewhat shy.

It was the first time I’d seen her face clearly since the sparring evaluation.

Jenia greeted her with a slightly awkward expression.

“Long time no see, Pavela. I thought you quit the Art Department.”

“Sorry for being late.”

***

Eternia wasted no time and started the competition right away.

Usually, the mission details would be announced a week in advance, but due to past cheating incidents involving hiring surrogates, the rules changed to announce missions on the same day as the competition.

As a result, we had to set off hurriedly without any time for prior investigation.

The mission deadline was four days. Traveling to the Shin Tagma region would take half a day, so we’d be left with about two days for thorough investigation.

The remaining first-year member of the Art Department was chosen after several meetings. We selected Metz, an expert in alchemy and semiotics.

The second-year members included Pavela from the Magic Department, Sierra from the Combat Department, and Tami from the Magic Studies Department. Most of them were selected by Haley and Jenia, not by me.

Without testing our teamwork, the Art Department group waited for the carriage we had summoned at the main gate of Eternia.
T h i s w as c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g

In the meantime, we discussed our plans.

“Does anyone know anything about the Shin Tagma region?”

Everyone exchanged uneasy glances without saying a word.

Lilith belatedly unfolded a map of the Eternia territory.

“It’s understandable not to know. Shin Tagma isn’t just a small village. The area is vast, comparable to an entire administrative district of the Empire.”

Pavela added.

“If we investigate everything one by one, it would take months. Determining the location is also part of the mission.”

The announcement didn’t specify the exact location of the incident.

We faced a challenge right from the start.

Second-year member Sierra provided a solution.

“There is one way. During my visit to the Magic Society, I learned that most requests occurring near the Eternia territory are initially directed to the Rigved branch of the Magic Society. Only a selected few are transferred to Eternia.”

“So, the Magic Society…”

“Yes, they still have the original request forms. They should have detailed records of the incident’s location and other relevant documents.”

T hi s was c o p i e d f r o m ki n g m t l . o rg
Carriages began arriving at Eternia’s main gate. Other department students, also waiting like us, started to depart. Seeing them leave made us feel rushed.

“Let’s head to Rigved first.”

Everyone agreed without objection.

Soon, the carriage I had summoned arrived at the main gate.

Seeing Eternia’s emblem on the black carriage, the group members and nearby students were taken aback.

Sierra spoke with a trembling voice.

T h i s w a s c o pied f r o m ki ng m t l. or g
“Isn’t that Professor Silveryn’s carriage?”

“Yes, please get in.”

“So it was true. The rumors about being her disciple…”

I helped each member into the carriage. Pavela was the last to remain before I got in.

She stood at the door, staring at the carriage with a vacant expression.

“What’s wrong?”

She snapped out of her thoughts and spoke.

“Oh… nothing, let’s go.”

***

We parked the carriage at Rigved Plaza and observed the situation from our seats.

In front of the Magic Society’s branch, a group had arrived before us. Many seemed to have had the same idea.

However, they couldn’t enter the Magic Society and turned back.

T hi s was copi ed f r o m ki ng m t l . or g
“Can’t Eternia students enter the Magic Society? Even those in the Magic Department?”

Lilith replied.

“Only registered members can freely enter. You need an accredited academy degree to become a member. For outsiders, the entry requirements are very strict.”

Just then, a carriage stopped behind us.

A group of students disembarked and headed towards the Magic Society’s main building.

Sierra recognized them and spoke.

“It’s the Dance Club.”

I also saw familiar faces. My Combat Department classmate Victor and Riddiger, who had mocked the Art Department yesterday, were also there. But there were only five of them; Gale was not present.

Riddiger stood at the entrance of the Magic Society and handed something to the person guarding the door.

I quickly got out of the carriage and hid behind the fountain to eavesdrop on their conversation.

“We’re here as representatives of temporary member Hampton Mayhem.”

“So?”

“With this authority, we’d like to access the 23rd Archive of the Magic Society.”

The staff sighed wearily.

T h is w a s cop i e d f ro m k i n g m t l .or g
“Several students have tried similar tricks and left. This isn’t a place to do your homework. Please leave.”

Riddiger repeated his statement.

“We’re here on behalf of Hampton Mayhem. We have membership privileges. Aren’t you going to check? How will you be responsible for this?”

“Temporary members don’t have delegation rights.”

“Think about the consequences…”

The staff stepped forward and grabbed Riddiger by the collar.

“I remember Hampton Mayhem clearly. He’s someone I can treat like this without any repercussions. Now get lost.”

Riddiger’s face turned pale.

The staff pushed him, and he fell down the entrance stairs.

Victor and the others helped him up and moved back.

Entry was no easy task.

I returned to the carriage and opened the door to my group.

“Is anyone well-versed in the Magic Society’s document forms or magical terminology?”

Everyone looked at me blankly, surprised by the sudden question.

I turned my gaze to Sierra, who had visited the Magic Society, and she shook her head.

“I only visited, I don’t know that much.”

After a moment of silence, Pavela hesitantly spoke.

“It’s not perfect, but I understand it to some extent.”

That was enough.

“Then, Pavela, please come with me. The rest of you wait here.”

Lilith looked puzzled and asked.

T h is w as co pie d fr o m kin g m t l .o r g
“Do you have another plan besides the Magic Society?”

“No, we’re going into the Magic Society.”

“…?”

Everyone looked confused.

I confidently walked toward the Magic Society building with Pavela. On the way, we passed the Dance Club group heading towards the carriages.

They stopped and stared at me.

“Hey, you can’t go there…”
Th i s w a s c o p i ed fr o m k in g mt l . o r g

“Victor, be quiet.”

Victor tried to warn me, but Riddiger stopped him.

I climbed the entrance stairs and stood before the staff who had grabbed Riddiger earlier.

The staff frowned deeply at me.

“Are you a student of Eternia?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll keep this brief. Leave now.”

“I’m here on an important errand.”

“Sure you are. Come back with a better plan, or go cry to your teacher to lower the difficulty of your homework.”

I crossed my arms and nodded, pretending to understand.

“…I’ll relay your message to Master Silveryn.”

“…?”

As I turned to leave, he grabbed my arm.

“Wait. What did you just say?”

“I think you heard me correctly.”

The staff’s eyes widened as if a gear had jammed in his mind.

“Did you say Silveryn?”

“Yes, I’m here on her errand.”

I showed him Silveryn’s ring on my palm.

The staff’s expression changed to shock. He had just referred to Silveryn as a preschool teacher.

Things were going exactly as I wanted.

“Uh, Silveryn is one of the most influential magicians in the Magic Society.”

“You just called her a preschool teacher…”

“I’ll allow your companion to enter the society as well. Just promise me one thing.”

I nodded.

“I’ll tell Master Silveryn that the Magic Society treated us kindly.”

He stepped aside.

T h is w a s co pi ed f rom k i ngmt l . o r g
“Please, come in.”

He clapped his hands, and the thick iron doors of the Magic Society opened smoothly.

The Dance Club group watched us closely from a distance. Seeing Riddiger’s annoyed face was satisfying.

I gestured for Pavela to come in.

***

The interior of the Magic Society was made of dark gray stone, similar to marble. It looked like magic stone, known for containing magical power. It seemed expensive, but they had used it extensively to decorate the interior, confirming that the Magic Society didn’t worry about money.

The Magic Society had over fifty archives. Searching aimlessly would be futile.

“Let’s go to the 23rd Archive.”

It was the same place Riddiger aimed for. He seemed to have done some prior research, but now I would find out first.
T h i s w a s cop i e d f ro m k i n g m tl .org

As we walked through the corridors, Pavela spoke softly.

“Haley’s decision was right. There was a reason for choosing you as the leader.”

“The decision to select you was also made by the president. I hope that decision was correct.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“…”

An awkward silence followed. Pavela spoke again.

“Is your injury from before… okay?”

I wanted to avoid it, but she brought it up. It needed to be resolved for us to work together.

“If it wasn’t, I wouldn’t be here.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry about it. If I held a grudge, I would’ve confronted you with a bill long ago.”

We stopped in front of the 23rd Archive marked in the middle of the second-floor hallway.

Opening the door, the musty smell of old parchment hit my nose.

In the center of the archive, someone was already there, examining documents.

Slender shoulders. Long blonde hair. Even from behind, I knew who it was.

She sensed our presence and turned around. Our eyes met.

“Damian?”

“…Luna.”

“Why are you here… oh, it’s for the mission.”

“Yes, to look up the Shin Tagma incident records. You got here first. So… where are your companions?”

“The Drama Club members are waiting outside…”

Luna’s voice was slightly subdued.

Right, hearing it directly makes it clear. The Drama Club wouldn’t be foolish enough to leave Luna out of such an important matter. Until yesterday, we were friends, but now we’re competitors. If we meet in Shin Tagma, we might have to fight. It’s hard to accept.

“Yes, so you’re also part of this mission. The identity check was strict. How did you get in?”

“The Railis family can come anytime. We’ve been premium members since the Magic Society’s founding… Who did you come with?”

Pavela walked up beside me, and Luna stared at her.

Luna clammed up immediately.

The two exchanged no greetings, only calm, steady gazes.

T hi s w a s co pi ed fro m kin gmt l .o r g
It was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over the room.

End of Chapter