Chapter 108 : Chapter 108
Chapter 108. Exchange Meeting Preparations
“Professor, what did you call me for?”
Radel, having been summoned by Professor Marianne, stopped by her office.
Professor Marianne, who was watering the plants in a pot, greeted Radel.
“Welcome. I called you today because I have something to tell you.”
Marianne offered Radel a seat and sat opposite him.
“Soon, students from Hellington Magic School in the capital will be coming for an exchange meeting. I called you, the grade representative, because of the preparations to welcome them.”
Radel nodded.
“Yes, what should I do?”
He thought he might have been chosen for the team to go to the debate or to clear the dungeon, as he had heard from Senior Pasion.
However, what came from Professor Marianne was something completely different.
“First, cleaning. We have divided the cleaning areas by grade, so read this.”
Radel unfolded the paper Professor Marianne handed him.
The cleaning areas for each grade were colored in on the academy map.
“We also need to form a team for the friendly competition. You can see that on the next page.”
Listening to Professor Marianne's words, Radel turned to the next page.
On it was written the friendly competition schedule and the number of members to participate.
“So I’m thinking of delegating all authority regarding the exchange meeting to you, who knows the first-years best.”
“Pardon?”
Didn't she say the supervising professor decides the participants for the friendly competition?
Radel was flustered by the sudden responsibility.
“There’s not much to do. You just have to distribute the cleaning areas fairly and form a team to participate in the friendly competition.”
Marianne thought Radel would do well.
That was a belief she couldn't help but have, given Radel's actions so far.
“We have had an exchange meeting with Hellington every year. Last year, the first-years lost in the debate and won in the dungeon clear. In other words, it's a 1-to-1 situation. But it has to be different this year, right?”
Professor Marianne added.
“For your information, the Black Falcon Dormitory seniors, who were fourth-years last year, won both events.”
So you’re telling me to win unconditionally.
Radel sensed that the situation was not going to be easy.
“Of course, I plan to reward you if you achieve good results.”
“A Marcellent outing permit would be nice, professor.”
Since it had come to this, Radel was quick to state the reward he wanted.
He had many things to go to Marcellent for related to the Dice Store and the House of the Undead, so it was a good thing.
A small smile hung on Marianne's stern face as she watched Radel, who was burning with passion for the reward.
* * *
Radel gathered the first-years in the common room of the Black Falcon Dormitory.
The first-years, who heard that there would be an exchange meeting, were abuzz.
It was because they all knew about Hellington Magic School.
“It's famous that the graduates from there are secretly wary of the academy graduates.”
“Isn’t that a place where magic supremacists with severe conditions go?”
At that, the first-year magic supremacists flared up.
“To compare them with us!”
“It’s an insult to magic supremacists!”
“They are not magic supremacists, they are magic fanatics!”
The magic supremacists insisted on the difference between themselves and the magic supremacists of Hellington.
Among the academy students, there were also cases where a family member attended Hellington.
“My older sister goes to Hellington. You have no idea how tiresome she is, saying her school is better.”
“What? Of course, the academy is better. Why do you think the academy is the Imperial Magic Academy!”
It was a conversation that made one feel the long-standing connection between Hellington Magic School and the Imperial Magic Academy.
He had felt it when talking to Professor Marianne, but it seemed the academy students also didn't want to lose to Hellington.
“Alright, to prepare for the exchange meeting, we will now divide the cleaning areas.”
Radel distributed the cleaning areas to his friends, who were more serious about the exchange meeting than he had thought.
The cleaning area assigned to the first-years was the first floor of the main building, the Black Falcon Dormitory, and in front of the academy's main gate.
“Edward, Charles, Marco. You guys have rooms 101 to 103 of the main building.”
It was when Radel, who was calling out the cleaning areas in order, called Leon's name.
“Leon, you have rooms 105 to 110.”
At those words, Leon's followers rose up.
“What is the meaning of this? Are you saying that Prince Leon alone should clean all those classrooms?”
“This is absurd! This is unfair!”
Radel had an expression that said, 'what's the problem?'.
“Leon is good at magic, so it's fine. He'll finish that much in no time.”
The standard by which Radel had divided the cleaning areas was efficiency.
In Radel's opinion, assigning more areas to those who were good at magic was the way to finish cleaning quickly.
At that, this time, Inette's followers rose up.
“Wait a minute. Then what about our princess, who is in charge of the dormitory common room? Are you saying, since she can't do magic, she should just clean here?”
“Is cleaning a joke? Are you disrespecting our princess!”
The story was flowing in a strange direction.
“Please give our princess more areas! This is unfair!”
“That's right! Please treat Her Highness according to her abilities!”
At the followers' clamor, Radel glanced at Inette.
Sure enough, Inette's face, who was watching the scene, was flushed with anger.
“Those bastards really……!”
The angry Inette shouted at her followers.
“If you do that, it means I have to clean more!”
Inette glared daggers at her followers so that they couldn't say anything more.
They were really unhelpful fellows.
* * *
A few days later, a group of people arrived at the academy's main gate.
They were the first-years and their supervising professors from Hellington Magic School, who had just come from the capital.
“Professor! Is this the Imperial Magic Academy?”
“It seems much bigger than Hellington.”
The first-years of Hellington were a little nervous.
It would have been a little better if their seniors were there, but they were even more nervous because only the first-years had arrived first due to a scheduling issue.
“You shouldn't compare it with Hellington in the capital, children. The academy is in Marcellent, so its grounds are bound to be large. Let's go in.”
The supervising professor skillfully eased the children's tension and passed through the academy's main gate.
The academy's scanning magic was activated as usual, and the students and professors were able to enter the academy without any problems.
‘It worked!’
Obsidian, the supervising professor of the Hellington first-years, cheered inwardly.
It was worth drenching himself in holy water in case he couldn't pass the scanning magic.
Although he felt a burning pain wherever the holy water was sprinkled, Obsidian clenched his teeth and endured it.
He couldn't ruin the great undertaking here.
Because he was, in fact, a heretic who had sold his soul to a devil and an executive of the Black Order.
‘I have been waiting for the day I enter the academy.’
It was a hard-won opportunity.
For the resurrection of the master, he absolutely had to enter the dungeon inside the academy.
The great master, Belphegor, who was sealed and asleep.
The Archdevil who had descended on this land long ago and ruled over the foolish humans.
Until the Great Sage appeared and sealed the seven devils with the protection of the Supreme Deity, this world belonged to the devils.
And it was also the world of the devil worshippers.
‘I will regain the glory of the past.’
Obsidian had even sold his soul to obtain Belphegor's mighty power.
However, as long as his master remained asleep, there was a limit to his power.
‘I must quickly enter the dungeon and get the key.’
The Black Order had been searching for a way to break the devil's seal for a long time.
And then they discovered the records and map left by the Great Sage, and they found the answer there.
- He who possesses all the keys shall draw near to the darkness.
Collecting the black keys was the only way to break Belphegor's seal.
Since the dungeons where the keys were hidden were scattered throughout the Empire, Obsidian and his subordinates had to suffer and clear the dungeons.
But as it happened, the remaining dungeons where the keys were hidden were inside the academy.
It was the reason why Obsidian had entered the academy, risking danger.
“Professor, won't the academy students look down on us?”
A Hellington student approached Obsidian and asked.
Obsidian hid his true feelings and said with a benevolent smile.
“There's nothing to worry about. They will welcome us warmly.”
As soon as those words were finished, the academy's main building appeared before their eyes.
No matter how subtle the feelings Hellington had for the academy, they couldn't help but admire the academy's grand exterior.
Especially, the feelings of the supervising professors who had visited last year seemed to be extraordinary.
“It's much cleaner than last year.”
“I know, right. Why is the path so shiny?”
The Hellington professors' question soon led to another question.
“But what have those students been doing since a while ago?”
“I don't know, are they using some kind of magic?”
On one side of the road, large-built academy students were waving their staffs.
“O, wind!”
And then, a suitable wind blew, wrapped up the fallen leaves and dust, and disappeared.
It seemed they were cleaning the roadside with magic.
“Phew, this is easier than moving ‘The Cradle of the Supreme Deity’.”
“No. Wasn't the control for ‘With the Supreme Deity’ harder than that?”
The students, who were talking incomprehensibly, shivered as if recalling an unpleasant memory.
And then they were having another conversation that made no sense.
“Honestly, I think ‘To the Side of the Supreme Deity’ was the easiest.”
“Do you think moving up and down is easy? It’s not.”
“Please, ‘With the Supreme Deity’ moves up and down and even rotates.”
They argued among themselves and yet, they swung their staffs to clean the surroundings.
Their skill was so neat, as if working was ingrained in their bodies.
“Are you perhaps the first-years from Hellington?”
Radel, neatly dressed in his academy uniform, appeared in front of the Hellington group, who were at a loss.
A sense of dignity was felt in his polite attitude.
“I am the first-year representative in charge of guiding you. Please feel free to call me Radel.”
Some students even recognized Radel.
“Isn’t that the 8th Prince?”
“They said he attends the academy, so it must be.”
There was no citizen of the Empire who didn't know the fact that all the royals traditionally attended the academy.
Unlike the academy students who were used to studying with the royals, for the Hellington students, the fact that a royal like Radel was guiding them as a grade representative was a novel experience in itself.
As the supervising professors greeted Radel, Radel began to lead them and guide them around the academy.
“First, we will go to the main building and then I will guide you to the dormitory.”
The supervising professors couldn't help but admire as they looked around the classroom that was so clean it was shiny, and the Black Falcon Dormitory where the first-years were residing.
It was the same for the Hellington students.
It was a cleanliness that made them think they had to clean their dormitory again when they returned to Hellington.
Among the admiring students, the supervising professor, Obsidian, glared at Radel.
‘That is the 8th Prince…….’
The 8th Prince, who had recently emerged as a symbolic figure of the Supreme Deity Order, was right in front of him.
He was a thorn in the side of the Black Order.
If there was a royal with deep faith in the Supreme Deity, it was obvious that the influence of the Supreme Deity Order would expand.
The more the Supreme Deity Order gained power, the harder it became for the Black Order to move.
If he had the chance, getting rid of the 8th Prince would be advantageous.
Was it that he had noticed Obsidian's killing intent?
Suddenly, the 8th Prince looked directly at where Obsidian was.
‘What is it?’
Obsidian quickly turned his head to another place.
It was unlikely, but he somehow felt as if his intentions had been found out.