Chapter 297: The Age of the Warmonger (1)
With the conclusion of the ranking battles between the first, second, and third years, the final exams at Colosseo Academy have come to an end.
The students will now join their parents in the auditorium for the closing ceremony.
Shortly thereafter, students will head home with their parents for vacation and a brief counseling session on their academic performance over the past year.
Students, professors, parents, and more crowded into the large auditorium at the center of Colosseo Academy.
And there was one person who stood out from the crowd.
A huge figure, almost 3 meters tall.
A man dressed entirely in the skin of a sea lion with fearsome tusks and a massive spear on his back the size of a whaling ship's harpoon.
A handsome man with blond hair like a beast's mane and a bold look was laughing.
"Son, congratulations on your victory! This father can't stop laughing!"
Don Quixote La Mancha Cervantes, King of the Sea, patriarch of the Don Quixote family.
He was laughing cheerfully, repeatedly patting his son Tudor on the shoulder.
Then he heard a sullen voice beside him.
"Is that what you want me to hear?"
A skinny figure, but tall enough to rival Cervantes in stature, a face as pale as a corpse's, large but gloomy eyes, bloodlessly thin lips, and long hair as thin as a spider's web.
This is Usher Poe Roderick, the Bow Demon and patriarch of the Usher family.
He glanced at his daughter Bianca, who was following wordlessly behind him, before fixing his gaze on Cervantes again.
"I am congratulating your son on his victory. Although I don't know if it's a win worth celebrating."
"What? All wins are worth celebrating. Are you trying to tell me that your daughter lost to my son and was only runner-up, huh, like a little sissy?"
"What do you mean, like a sissy? No way."
Usher turned to Bianca, who was following him.
"Daughter, I want you to tell me, in your own words, why you withdrew from the final round of the last match."
"Yes, father."
Bianca's gaze shifted to Usher's back.
There was Tudor, in a furious mood.
"I have no taste for performing in front of large crowds, and I'm not a monkey before an apothecary."
"What! A monkey!!! Then why have you been fighting to the best of your ability all this time!"
"... Are you really an idiot? Until the finals, we've been fighting privately amongst ourselves in the school, and from the finals onwards, parents will be watching. I don't want to expose my family's arcane archery to anybody."
So Bianca had dodged Tudor's spear at the crucial moment, only to walk out of the arena and withdraw.
Usher smirked.
"A monkey before the apothecary. Don't be so accusatory, daughter, there's a law in the Empire called 'Crime of defamation based on fact and timing'."
"Yes, father. The law is strict and must be followed. Apparently there's a saying in the far west called 'You're worthy of attention.'."
Usher and Bianca rushed towards the main auditorium with the attendants following them.
Then Cervantes, Tudor, and the Don Quixote family attendants who were left behind began to snort in unison.
"Stop! Hey, Usher, you Gloomy little bastard, why don't you come over here and play a game with me, ugh!"
"Bianca, you're this..., you're so futile! Come on, get back in the game!"
It looked like a father and daughter really looked alike.
But the gaze of the surrounding people quickly shifted.
In addition to the Ushers and Don Quixote, there were many other great people worthy of note.
For example, Hobbes De Leviathan, the patriarch of the Leviathan family, and his youngest son, Grenouille De Leviathan.
Nabokov Lun Quovadis I, patriarch of the Quovadis family of Faithful Saints, and Dolores Lun Quovadis, direct successor.
Iron-Blooded Swordsman: Osiris Le Baskervilles, small patriarch of Baskerville Family, and his half-siblings, Highbro Le Baskerville, Midbro Le Baskerville, and Lowbro Le Baskerville.
The seven pillars that support the empire, each family rivaling the power of a nation.
It was a sight to behold, with the leaders of all the Families gathered in one place, except for the tycoon Bourgeois and the Mage Family Morg.
Meanwhile.
The crowd walked along the main street surrounded by magic walls and trees and finally reached the main auditorium.
There, the professors had already prepared their speeches.
The vice principal's speech, then the principal's speech. Finally, after the first, second, and third year students are awarded their certificates, the ceremony is over.
Everyone was buzzing with anticipation for the upcoming vacation.
Then, Professor Banshee stepped to the front of the podium.
[Good evening, students, staff, and parents, I am Morg Mu Banshee, your new vice principal].
Professor Banshee. His snake-like eyes scanned the crowd gathered beneath the podium.
'The power of the principal's faction is small. Principal Winston is incompetent and has been out of office for so long that he will probably fall soon, which will leave me as the next in line.'
It was natural for Professor Banshee to make this judgment.
Ever since he took over as vice-principal, he has been steadily recruiting rank-and-file professors to work under him.
They're called the "sympathetic faction".
The number of principal faction professors gathered under the podium was extremely small.
The professors of the sympathetic faction are lined up on the side of the podium, pressed by the momentum and unable to make a sound.
And this power struggle between the professors was affecting the students.
'Aristocrats faction'. And the "Baron faction". Both of these organizations that divided the top students were unofficial, but they were definitely a force, and their positions were under the control of the sympathetic professors.
Sympathetic professors supported by baron and aristocratic students. And of course, the person the sympathetic professors supported was Professor Banshee.
On the other hand, the organization under the less powerful principal faction professors is the official organization, the Student Council.
The aristocratic and baron students under the vice-principal professors.
And then there are the principals, who are the ruling party, and the student council, which is not well organized.
Professor Banshee could see all these factions at a glance.
And then.
In front of him was Dolores, the student council president and a third-year senior.
She looked tired, like she'd been overworked for days.
Professor Banshee looked at her and clicked his tongue.
'Unfortunately, this is the situation of adults. The circumstances of young children are naturally influenced by the circumstances of adults. There is no principal, Dolores, the student council president.'
Professor Banshee's eyes shifted as he thought about this.
"...!"
His eyes widened slightly for a moment.
This was because there was an empty seat between the rows of professors who were already few and far between.
It was obvious who was missing from this important event.
'Professor Sady. Is this person really....'
Banshee was speechless with disbelief.
The crazy lady professor didn't even show up for her own speech?
What an insane person with nothing to say and no answers.
From Principal Winston's point of view, it's probably better if she doesn't come at all.
It would be a shame to lose a professor to a personless principal faction, but... it's different when it's a troublemaker who gets into trouble all the time.
Professor Banshee was genuinely curious. Why would Principal Winston want to keep such a troublemaker at the school.
Was it respect for the Marquis de Sade's blood, once a great nobleman? Or Professor Sady's formidable strength? Or his record of arresting countless criminals over the years? ...Maybe just fill in the numbers?
'No, no. No.'
Professor Banshee recalled his confidant's report from a short while ago.
'Principal Winston's favoritism towards Professor Sady probably has something to do with the '47 riots'.'
Although the report was nothing more than a few speculative theories based on circumstantial evidence, the fact that the incident was even mentioned in the first place was incredibly serious.
'...Principal bastards. What on earth are you planning?'
Professor Banshee glanced coldly to the side of the podium.
There he saw Principal Winston waving to the students with his usual mild expression.
What could he possibly read into that innocent expression?
With a short sigh, Professor Banshee spoke from the podium.
[With love and respect to all those gathered in the Colosseo, I would like to say that our academy is proud to announce that this year's....]
The consequential stories continued for a while about how many graduates got jobs in prosperous jobs, what noble academic achievements they made, and what great human beings they became.
[...Students at Colosseo Academy may have an emotional dislike for their parents and teachers who are strict with them, but these are precious people who are teaching their children and disciples who will soon embark on a difficult journey, the stamina and wisdom to overcome hardships and adversity. For those of you who have just entered the school, and for those of you who will soon be leaving it, we wish you all the best for the year ahead].
Several students are in tears.
Professor Banshee continues his speech, his voice hard but warm.
[May there always be something to do in your hands, may there always be a spare coin in your wallet, may there always be a path at your feet, may you be slow to make enemies and quick to make friends, may your neighbors always respect you and mean people never pretend to know you, May the wind always blow at your back and the sun always shine in front of your face; may rain sometimes fall on your journey, but soon a rainbow will appear; may you be poor in misfortune and rich in fortune, and may the saddest day you ever have be better than the happiest day you ever had. And I will pray with all my heart that your destinies may always be full of peace and love, hope, prosperity, achievement and satisfaction.]
Professor Banshee concluded his speech with a short(?) sermon.
The students' applause burst into a loud cheer.
The students from the aristocrat clan and the baronial clan were especially supportive.
And with that, Principal Winston stepped up to the podium.
He looked back at the students with a smile that betrayed his age.
[I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by all the nice things the vice principal has said, haha – I should have thought of something better to say].
A light chuckle from the crowd echoed through the auditorium.
Then. With a serious expression and voice, Winston began his speech.
[It may be common advice, but... I want to tell you to make the best of every moment].
He looked around with an appealing gaze and said.
[As those of you who know me will know, I've been taking a sabbatical from the academy for the past few months or so, as my health has become quite poor due to the mana surge].
Winston's long absence as principal had allowed Banshee to skip a lot of formalities and step right into the position of vice principal, and now he had pushed aside the principal faction and was all but in control of the academy.
Few of the parents, professors, and older students were unaware of this complex power structure, so they all nodded in silence.
In the meantime, Winston's pleas became more and more heartfelt and sincere.
[I've been sick, and I know how precious health is, and how precious this moment is, and how we have to live every moment to the fullest because we don't know if we're going to die tomorrow, or today, or in just a few hours, minutes, or seconds].
He looked at the students in the front row and said.
[And that's true for everyone, even if you're not a hero like a soldier or a firefighter putting your life on the line, it's true for you right now. You are human beings who slip on the floor while taking a shower and hit your head on the tub and die. Or you get sick from eating your favorite seafood, or you get hit by a falling potted plant, or you get a sudden mana surge].
The mood of the students became slightly somber at the principal's words.
[You never know when you're going to die, that's why you have to live every moment to the fullest. Students, don't forget the preciousness of life and time even during the upcoming vacation period, and live a life without regrets even if you die tomorrow, or this very moment...!]
Then.
...Poof!
A small sound resounded.
The sound of thin leather being torn apart and the soft things inside bursting.
The sound was not very loud, and the time it lasted was extremely short.
... But it was enough to interrupt Principal Winston's long speech and all the audience in the auditorium who were listening to it stop breathing for a moment.
[...Kuhugh!]
A gush of black blood erupts from Principal Winston's mouth.
Something came out from behind the stage curtain and shot through Principal Winston's back and through his heart.
A knife? No, it's too long for that.
A spear, then? No, it's too loose to be a spear.
Long, and writhing like a snake.
...Pusyug!
It was a single 'whip' that drove a fountain of blood from Winston's chest and back.
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