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Chapter 329

The exchange meet was just around the corner.

Well, exchange meets were nothing new.

They’d always been the usual back-and-forth events.

The Imperial Academy was known as the best academy on the Central Continent, while the Western Continent had its own academy that was considered the best there.

Now, to have the fresh chicks of these two academies clash head-to-head—well, for some bored nobles desperate for entertainment, there could hardly be a better spectacle.

Over time, the exchange meet had come to symbolize each continent’s pride, which made matters far more complicated.

“By the way, isn’t there someone at the Academy from the Western Continent? A mage clan, wasn’t it?”

“What does that matter? It’s the academies competing, not countries going to war.”

“Still, isn’t it like a pride battle between the Central and Western continents?”

“Once you’re affiliated with the Academy, things like that don’t mean much.”

Melissa answered wearily as she stamped her seal onto the stack of paperwork.

On one corner of her desk sat the spirit of heat, Sur, who had his head buried in a huge cake, devouring it.

Melissa had bought the snack as thanks after hearing Sur had gone out of his way to find a Heat-bloom for her.

But when Serqet tried sneaking his head closer to snatch a piece, Sur instantly noticed and smacked him on the head with his tiny wings, chasing him off.

Beep!

“Don’t covet what’s mine!”—that was the clear message in his cry.

Serqet, sulking, flopped onto his back and rolled around on the floor.

Then Grivy crept closer, cautiously watching.

“Um… Sur, could we maybe share some too?”

Sur hesitated.

It looked as if he were pondering one of life’s great questions as he tilted his head.

Finally, he let out a sharp beep!

Grivy’s face lit up in delight.

“Thanks! Let’s eat, Serqet!”

Generously, Sur had chosen to share with the two spirits.

“They’re so cute every time I see them. But where’s Arsha?”

“She’s studying right now,”

I replied offhandedly.

Lately, Arsha had been hard at work learning all kinds of cultural knowledge.

She wanted to quickly master it so she could help Melissa.

A commendable intention, really.

“She’s working hard. Heh… Still, I’m looking forward to it a bit.”

“Tsk tsk.”

Melissa looked like a child with a brand-new toy, gleefully anticipating the chance to crush the fresh chicks who had only just begun to shine with Sword Master-level skill.

“Well, better that than getting beaten up out there.”

“I still never want to go through training like that again.”

“The remaining elixirs—I’m planning to either sell them or use them as bargaining chips.”

“That raw mana-infused oil. Do you have other uses for it?”

“It does help with artifact creation. But I can’t be tied down making artifacts all the time. I’ll need to find someone skilled enough to handle it.”

The first ones that came to mind were the brother and sister from the Mage Association I’d met during the mine development project, but I dismissed the thought.

Bringing in people tied to another faction was always messy.

And besides, their latest letter said they were traveling around the continent investigating dangerous areas.

They were too busy to be tied down with this.

“In that case, why not look into dream demons?”

“Dream demons?”

“Guess you don’t know much about them, but dream demons are naturally talented at artifact creation. Just as dwarves are gifted with metals, dream demons are born with skill in crafting artifacts.”

Oh, I hadn’t known that.

But there was a problem.

“So… where would you even find a dream demon?”

None had been discovered up until now.

Suddenly going out and finding one wasn’t exactly feasible.

“Didn’t Sur meet one yesterday?”

“Yeah, but it already left.”

How were we supposed to track down a vanished dream demon?

For now, it was something to shelve.

And soon, another matter pushed thoughts of dream demons out of mind entirely.

The Academy’s headmaster had called me in for an urgent discussion.

“You want me to serve as supervising professor?”

“Well, I did overlook that incident before. I’d very much appreciate your help, Lord Leon.”

“Heh… so this is how you collect payment.”

“If you truly dislike it…”

“No, I’ll do it. Conveniently enough, I have business near the venue anyway.”

Whether by coincidence or not, the exchange meet’s location wasn’t far from both the cult’s stronghold and the place where Nyala was hiding.

Why those two trash groups, who were anything but allies, happened to be holed up in the same region—I’d find out soon enough.

The timing was too convenient: the period when Nyala’s hideout would open, the cult’s plotting of some scheme, and the Academy’s exchange meet.

Too many overlapping threads for it to be chance.

Still, my concern was simple.

Find them.

And make them pay for their tricks.

With the title of supervising professor, I’d have plenty of freedom to move around.

“You agreed faster than expected,”

The headmaster remarked.

“Well, I had business there anyway.”

Two weeks remained until the exchange meet.

Plenty of time.

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“But… I won’t be the only supervising professor, will I?”

“Professor Rommel will be accompanying you. And also…”

“And also?”

At the headmaster’s signal, the door opened.

A boisterous old man strolled in, laughing heartily.

“…Ah.”

Great. Just what I needed.

“Leon Cascadia! Don’t you feel stiff at all?”

“No. And I don’t think I will anytime soon.”

I instantly recognized his intentions and cut him off, but he was relentless.

“Come now, how about a spar? No holding back this time, show me what you’ve got.”

“Isn’t it a bit much for someone of your stature, with a title like ‘Star,’ to push for a duel with a junior?”

“You don’t even deserve to be called a junior, brat. You just popped out of nowhere, like some invasive species…”

He muttered, clearly exasperated.

“You’re aware Melissa became a Sword Master, yes?”

I asked the headmaster.

He nodded.

“Indeed. We’ve kept that quiet from outsiders.”

“Is that wise? No offense, but dropping a dinosaur into a chick pen isn’t exactly fair.”

“What does it matter? Melissa is a student of this Academy. And frankly, it’s the other Academy’s failure for not nurturing her first. This will only strengthen our Central Continent’s pride.”

This headmaster, honestly…

“Well, fair enough. If they don’t like it, they can go make their own Sword Master. Simple as that.”

The outcome of the meet already seemed obvious, and I couldn’t help but laugh dryly.

“How many participants are there?”

“Five,”

The headmaster began—

But it was the old man, Spear Saint, who answered.

Melissa Cascadia.

Ashuria Abelgard, the hidden disciple of Grand Magus Luteon Abelgard.

Basara Krevard, Spear Saint’s own grandson.

Lishia Hevilion, granddaughter of the Alchemy School’s head.

And Kanibel Licentra, said to be the disciple of the Sword Master of the Rotorius Kingdom.

Those five.

“Plenty of those fresh chicks I remember seeing before.”

“They’re all proper students now. Not the same as back then.”

What surprised me, though, was that the young heir of the Hontail magic clan and Triana, the world tree’s agent, weren’t among them.

“Rubas has temporarily returned to his family, and Triana has gone back to the Mother’s Forest for a ritual. Nothing we can do.”

Right, the Hontail clan was from the Western Continent.

A pity for the Academy to lose such heavyweights for this event.

“Would you like to meet the students?”

“No. Is that necessary?”

They’d handle themselves just fine.

“Is there anything else you need?”

The headmaster asked.

“Actually… do you know anything about dream demons?”

“Dream… demons? As in the race from fairy tales?”

“Any information at all?”

“Hm…”

The headmaster was thoughtful—

Then Spear Saint Bellion Krevard muttered,

“Dream demons… I met one once, long ago.”

“You did?”

“Want to know more?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll tell you—if you duel me. How about it?”

“…No thanks. Not buying what you’re selling.”

What a tiresome old man.

* * *

Spear Saint Bellion Krevard was more persistent than expected.

Unlike Sword Saint Osberg, who was satisfied with a single bout, this old man seemed starved for battles with strong opponents.

“Come on, brat! Just one fight!”

“Honestly, why is a dignified elder acting like this? I told you, I can’t be bothered.”

Osberg had been content with one duel, but this one wasn’t the type to stop at just once.

In the end, I gave up on wringing information from him and turned to leave.

“Are you sure you don’t want to know? I’ll really tell you, you know! Weren’t you curious?”

Not really.

I glanced back at him with indifference and walked away.

“Tch… boring kid,”

He grumbled, deflated.

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