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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Visitors to the Academy (2)
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“Guests?”
“Yeah. I hear guests are coming from various countries, with the intention of revitalizing the academy's grim atmosphere.”
With the headmaster gone due to the suicide incident, and even the math professor, who was the most popular among students, having left, the academy's morale was severely low.
The new headmaster hadn't even arrived yet, and the academy's image among the local residents had soured because of the suicide. There was a clear need to change the entire atmosphere.
“What does changing the atmosphere have to do with inviting guests?”
“You could say it's a type of event to welcome the new headmaster, coinciding with his inauguration ceremony.”
By holding such a grand event, they aimed to refresh the dampened spirits and find a reason for a new beginning.
Consequently, everyone throughout the academy was frantically preparing to receive the guests.
Cleaning was a given, and everyone was bustling about, decorating the auditorium where the guests would be welcomed.
With event preparations divided among each class, everyone was moving busily.
“Hey! Sei-an and Kanto! Why are you two just standing around doing nothing?”
Of course, there were always exceptions, and unlike the others who were busy, there was a group leisurely resting in the garden.
That was Sei-an, Kanto, and Lark.
“We're so short-handed right now!”
And Jek, the class representative, had come all the way to the garden to yell at them.
Leaving Lark aside, who never bothered participating in such events anyway, Jek was there to drag Sei-an and Kanto away.
“What's our class assigned to do?”
Kanto asked Jek what their task was. Even if they were going to be dragged along, they might as well know what they had to do.
“We're making a wooden sculpture to put at the auditorium entrance.”
“Huh? Shouldn't experts be doing that? How are we supposed to do it?”
“They said the goal is to show that the students prepared everything from start to finish. What can we do about that?”
“It would have been better if we were assigned something else.”
“Stop complaining and get moving!”
“Alright...”
Kanto replied with a voice laced with annoyance, then slowly rose and began following Jek.
“Aren't you coming?”
Spotting Sei-an still seated, Kanto stopped and called out to him.
“I should.”
Sei-an gave a brief reply, then lifted his head and looked at Lark, who was sleeping in the tree.
“Aren't you coming?”
“...Why would I go?”
“You know that events like this are also a form of class, don't you?”
“...”
At Sei-an's words, implying that it was a class and he should participate, Lark subtly furrowed his brow. Then, he lightly jumped down and silently began following them.
“Heh.”
One would think he'd be used to Lark's antics by now, but Kanto once again let out a small laugh.
Thwack!
“Ugh! W-who throws rocks?!”
“Who told you to laugh?”
“...”
Of course, Kanto was once again struck on the head by a rock flying from behind in response to his laughter, and he cried out in pain.
“...Excuse me, I have a question.”
“What?”
“What exactly is this supposed to be a sculpture of?”
Arriving at the workspace where the class was operating, Sei-an had to gaze at the crudely carved and discarded 'artworks' with a dumbfounded expression.
“Anguish?”
“Pain?”
“Love?”
“Farewell?”
“...”
And with them attaching whatever names came to mind to their creations, Sei-an remained silent for a moment.
“It's magnificent.”
“Isn't it?”
“Only the title...”
“...”
At his subsequent remark, the students also thought they might have gone too far and awkwardly avoided Sei-an's gaze with forced smiles.
“So, what exactly do you want to create?”
Sei-an thought he'd better help them with their work and asked what they wanted to make.
“Anguish.”
“Pain.”
“Love.”
“Farewell.”
“...”
“Ah, just kidding! Sei-an!”
“Don't go!”
And at the children's replies, identical to moments before, Sei-an immediately turned around and started to walk away, prompting the children to frantically grab him.
***
“Sei-an.”
“Yes?”
“Is there anything you can't do?”
“...”
A few days later, the inauguration ceremony for the new headmaster began.
Numerous guests had been invited and were entering the auditorium.
Before these many guests entered the auditorium, they all uttered words of admiration, which were directed at the sculpture Sei-an had created.
“Even if you weren't a noble, you could make a living with this.”
Kanto, who was about to enter the auditorium, also showered Sei-an's sculpture with exclamations of awe.
Sei-an's sculpture, a perfect rendition of the lion, the symbol of Juist Academy, was so lifelike it truly seemed as though it might move at any moment.
“We should go inside now.”
“Right.”
After admiring Sei-an's sculpture at the entrance for a long time, Kanto followed Sei-an, who was now moving inside, and entered the auditorium.
“Hah! This is incredible.”
Although Juist Academy currently had many shortcomings, true to its reputation as the largest academy on the continent, all the guests attending the new headmaster's inauguration ceremony were prominent figures.
Not only were representatives from noble families of various nations present, but members of the royal family could also be seen.
“Now, let the inauguration ceremony begin.”
A moment later, with the announcement of the ceremony's commencement, students and invited guests alike found their seats and awaited the start of the proceedings.
“I would like to introduce the new Headmaster of Juist Academy, Taylor Rubisen.”
“...”
“Tay... Taylor?”
“Gasp! No way!”
A small commotion broke out among the students at the emcee's subsequent announcement. Everyone who heard the new headmaster's name couldn't hide their surprise.
“My goodness!”
Kanto was no exception.
“...? Do you know him?”
“You don't know who Taylor is?”
“...”
At the reactions of the students and Kanto, Sei-an had to tilt his head in confusion.
“He was the head of the Tower of Sages. He possesses the greatest knowledge currently existing on the continent.”
“...”
Sei-an listened to Kanto's excited explanation without showing any particular change in expression.
“Sigh! I shouldn't even bother.”
Kanto let out a small sigh at Sei-an's reaction.
And rightly so, for anyone pursuing scholarly knowledge couldn't help but react to the name Taylor.
Possessing such vast knowledge that it was said all the world's wisdom flowed through him, he was called the Sage of Sages, an object of admiration among all students and scholars dedicated to their studies.
Step... step...
Receiving the expectant gazes of the crowd, a person could be seen slowly ascending to the podium.
The old man, who looked well over seventy, appeared before the people with a benevolent smile on his lips.
“...”
“Huh? Sei-an, doesn't he look familiar?”
However, at his appearance, Sei-an's eyes finally widened in surprise, and Kanto also tilted his head in bewilderment. The old man's appearance seemed very familiar.
Kanto was considerably flustered by the fact that the old man looked familiar, even though he was sure he had never met such a distinguished person separately.
“If you just put him in some shabbier clothes and...”
Then, as Kanto frantically rummaged through his memories, searching for a meeting with him, convinced something was off, his eyes began to widen.
“No, no way!”
If you changed his neat attire to something a bit shabbier and altered his hairstyle slightly, he was definitely the person Kanto had met.
“The old man from the tavern!”
It was indeed the old man from the regular tavern Lark frequented.
“...”
Sei-an, too, thought it unexpected and couldn't hide the interest in his eyes.
He had never imagined that the old man would become the headmaster of this academy.
He had suspected the old man wasn't ordinary, but he certainly hadn't anticipated him being the former head of the Tower of Sages.
“Unbelievable!”
If Sei-an was that surprised, imagine Kanto's shock. He couldn't even close his gaping mouth, repeatedly muttering “Unbelievable” like someone utterly stunned.
“Greetings, everyone. First, I'd like to express my gratitude to those who called upon this old man to put him to work...”
Taylor spoke in a leisurely tone, a deeper smile gracing his lips.
“From now on, if you ever face any difficulties, come find me. I always welcome a chat with young people.”
“...! It's him!”
Seeing the old man chuckle after that remark, Kanto was certain he was the same tavern old man he had seen before.
His voice and laughter were both exactly the same. It was impossible to think of him as anyone else.
“...”
Sei-an, on the other hand, turned his head to look for someone. Specifically, Lark, who clearly seemed to have some connection to the old man.
“As expected...”
Then, seeing Lark standing indifferently, gazing at Taylor without any change in expression, Sei-an could guess that Lark already knew his true identity.
“Tch! Does this mean I can't drink that liquor anymore?”
“...”
At the words that came from Lark's mouth, Sei-an couldn't help but let out a small chuckle.
Even in this situation, his grumbling, lamenting the fact that he could no longer drink the liquor the old man had personally brewed, somehow felt very typical of him.
Bang!
“...”
It was while the ceremony was well underway.
“Who is that?”
Suddenly, the auditorium entrance doors burst open, and someone strode confidently inside.
“...”
The person who entered, receiving everyone's gaze, seemed to briefly survey the surroundings before speaking with a faint smile on his lips.
“Oh dear. It seems I'm quite late.”
The words he uttered certainly conveyed an apology, but no such sentiment emanated from his demeanor.
Exuding an arrogant aura that only those born to stand above others possess, the man who walked towards his seat in the auditorium was a handsome figure capable of captivating everyone's attention.
“My apologies for the delay.”
Approaching Taylor with a confident stride, he offered an apology, bowing slightly as if observing basic courtesy towards the Sage of Sages, regardless of his own status.
“It's quite alright.”
Taylor responded with his characteristic benevolent smile, continuing his speech.
“Welcome, Your Highness Idis.”
It was none other than the First Prince of the Chezaros Empire, Prince Idis.
