Chapter 55. The Academy's Secret Passage
The dormitory curfew was 9 PM.
Radel turned off the lights and looked out the window.
Flying golems were circling around the Black Falcon Dormitory.
"The surveillance is surprisingly tight."
But sometimes, one had to avoid the surveillance of the flying golems.
Creak.
Radel slightly opened the door and checked if anyone was in the hallway. Fortunately, the rooms of the seniors who were said to be living on the same floor were also quiet.
Radel cautiously approached the secret passage.
Then he placed his hand on the secret passage.
Paaaa!
A light that only Radel could see emanated.
* * *
When Radel opened his eyes, he found himself standing in an unfamiliar place.
It was a place that looked like a library.
Looking up, he saw a ceiling glittering with stars like the real night sky, and bookshelves filled with numerous books surrounded him on all sides.
There was also a long table where one could sit and read.
A single book was placed on the table, and it somehow looked familiar.
"I think I've seen something similar before."
Radel approached and picked up the book.
On the cover were familiar initials.
- H.L.K
Radel knew who he was.
Hayden Reinhard Cretian.
"It's my ancestor."
It was the diary he had read in the 8th Prince's Palace.
Looking closely, it wasn't a diary.
On the cover was written 'Academy Research Journal'.
What did he research while attending the academy?
Imperial Calendar XXX, March 9th
The mana of the Marcellent mountain range is truly amazing.
With the era of peace, magicians are flocking in.
It's a new city now, but in a few hundred years, it might be called the city of magic.
Imperial Calendar XXX, March 23rd
A den of monsters suddenly appeared.
We decided to call it a dungeon.
Imperial Calendar XXX, April 3rd
I explored the dungeon that appeared in the academy.
Dungeons are dangerous places.
But people will endlessly seek this place.
For there are many temptations that are hard to ignore.
Imperial Calendar XXX, May 11th
I finally discovered the rules of the dungeon inside the academy.
I'll have to go in a few more times to be sure.
Imperial Calendar XXX, June 31st
I recorded what I found out and made a map.
I categorized the dungeons inside the academy and marked their locations.
I think I can fix a few of them.
It was interesting content.
To think that dungeons had appeared in ancestor Hayden's era.
On the last page, it was written like this.
To the descendant who will one day find this space.
Congratulations on your admission to the academy.
Did you like the things I left in the palace?
And, did you visit the Bell Tower in Marcellent?
Seeing as you've come this far, you must have done well.
I hope the things I've left here will be helpful.
I hope you enjoy the academy to the fullest.
May you have good fortune.
- Archmage Hayden Reinhard Cretian
As Radel closed the research journal, a new door appeared on one of the walls.
He had a feeling that if he went through that door, his exploration of the academy's secret passages would begin.
Radel didn't hesitate for long and opened the door right away.
* * *
The next morning, all the first-year students of the Black Falcon Dormitory gathered in the auditorium.
Today, an oath-taking ceremony was scheduled to commemorate their official status as academy students.
Professor Marianne went up to the stage and briefly explained to the first-years.
"You will now take an oath to become a magician who will share the ideals of the academy."
It was also a ceremony to place a powerful restriction so that they could not reveal the confidential information they learned while attending the academy to the outside.
Radel was listening to Professor Marianne's explanation, trying to hold back a yawn.
His eyes kept closing because he was short on sleep from wandering through the secret passages last night.
"Radel Silvert Cretian. Come forward."
At the sudden call, Radel's sleepiness flew away at once. He wondered if he had been caught yawning secretly behind the professor's back.
As Radel came forward, Professor Marianne smiled and handed him the oath.
"Congratulations on becoming this year's first-year representative."
"Me?"
"Yes. Everyone agreed unanimously."
Unanimously, who on earth……?
Radel was only able to understand the situation after seeing the people standing behind Professor Marianne.
It was because the professors who had evaluated the first-years during the freshman adaptation period were looking at Radel with proud expressions.
Professor Lilian, in particular, had an even prouder face.
'Could this be the reward she mentioned when she came to visit me when I was sick?'
Surprised by the unexpected reward, Radel went up to the stage in a daze.
He had caught the Swamp Serpent first, but he had never imagined he would become the year representative.
It felt like just yesterday that he had entered with the lowest score in the entrance exam.
It was a situation he had never even expected.
Before reading the oath, Radel made eye contact with the first-year students.
He saw Gusto with a proud expression, Inette whose lips were twitching as she wanted to tease Radel, and a moved Edward.
Even Armandy was looking at Radel nonchalantly, as if he had expected this.
'No one is surprised.'
Was I the only one who was surprised?
Radel calmed his flustered heart inwardly.
As Radel calmly read the oath and led the chant, the rest of the first-years took the oath together.
It was about protecting the knowledge of the academy and fighting against evil forces as a magician.
The moment everyone raised their right hand, a white cluster of light appeared in the auditorium and spread around the first-years.
It was a magnificent sight.
As they watched the cluster of light, formed by the gathered magic power of each and every freshman, the professors threw a few words.
"This is my favorite time."
Professor Cailin of Alchemy muttered.
Professor Lilian of Combat Magic also agreed.
"Me too. Everyone is the most pure and passionate about magic around this time!"
The professors of the academy, lost in their own sentiments, watched the start of the first-years' journey.
The real beginning of the new semester was from now on.
* * *
"You became the first-year representative!"
After the oath-taking ceremony, Inette ran to Radel.
She had a very excited expression.
But Radel wondered if it was such a big deal.
"What is a first-year representative? Doesn't it just end after reading the oath?"
"No! Being a first-year representative is a huge thing. A representative, a representative!"
"Hmm, I see."
Since Radel didn't know much about the academy, he just nodded his head.
Is it like a student council president?
Since it's a year representative, is it like a class president?
Although Professor Lilian had called it a reward, it wasn't the kind of reward Radel wanted.
Even when he was asked to read the oath, he was just surprised to suddenly become a representative.
Honestly, if he could choose a reward, Radel would have chosen something material.
"Anyway, even if I don't know much, being a year representative is a big deal, right?"
"That's right! You don't get to meet the seniors often at the academy, but they say the year representatives have their own meetings. Wouldn't it be good for networking?"
That sounded pretty good.
He might be able to hear about classes to avoid.
He also thought he could get information about classes where he could get good grades or about the professors.
Radel thought he should organize the things he would ask when he met the seniors.
"Congratulations on becoming the first-year representative, Your Highness."
Gusto came over and congratulated Radel.
From afar, Edward was also waving his hand vigorously at Radel.
Armandy also appeared stealthily and said a word.
"Ahem, you did quite well without getting nervous."
Actually, if it weren't for the help of everyone here, he wouldn't have been able to finish the evaluation assignments first.
He felt a renewed sense of gratitude.
"You're right. It's a good start."
Radel grinned.
The time to take new classes was approaching.
* * *
Radel checked his schedule.
He hadn't mistaken the time.
"Is the location wrong?"
This time, he took out the syllabus and checked again.
The location of the class was definitely the academy's lakeside.
The name of the class Radel had come to take was Mana Training.
The professor's name written on the syllabus was Bronson Sendert. It was a professor he had never met before.
But the professor who was supposed to be here was not here, and Radel was the only student who had come to take the class.
It was strange.
"Don't tell me it was canceled because it wasn't popular."
If he had known this would happen, he should have persuaded someone to take it with him.
It was because it seemed like an interesting class.
The syllabus stated that to handle magic power well, one had to feel the mana properly and train patiently.
Inette had been disgusted when she saw the syllabus, but it seemed fine to Radel.
Radel, who still had little magic power, needed training that would allow him to use his small amount of magic power efficiently.
Feeling disappointed, Radel looked around and saw something floating on the calm lakeside.
It was not a fish or a living creature.
Looking closely, it was a fishing float that someone had cast.
'There's someone here?'
There was no sign of a person, but someone was fishing?
He looked around again, but there was no one at the lakeside.
'I'm not supposed to find it with my eyes.'
Radel closed his eyes.
And he felt the flow of mana.
Everything that is alive has mana.
The earth, water, wind. Even in nature that people don't think of as alive, there is mana.
After getting used to that mana enough, he could then feel the flow of breathing things.
The air flowing naturally.
Among it, there was definitely the mana of someone else.
As he slowly felt the flow of mana and opened his eyes, Radel saw a person sitting at the lakeside.
He had cast his fishing rod idly, and his indifferent eyes seemed to suggest he wasn't very focused on fishing.
Radel already knew him.
"Professor, I'm finally meeting you."
As Radel spoke and approached, Professor Bronson slowly turned his head to see who it was.
"It's you."
"Yes."
That was all.
After looking at Radel once, Professor Bronson turned his head back to the fishing float he had cast.
"If you're here, just fish."
Seeing that he hadn't changed much from the entrance exam, Radel felt a sense of familiarity.
"Is that alright?"
"Isn't that why you came here? Take your pick."
Professor Bronson gestured with his chin towards the pile of fishing rods next to him.
It was as good as permission to take the class.
After confirming that all the fishing rods had hooks, Radel looked for any other differences with his eyes.
Unlike the entrance exam, this time they were all the same fishing rods.
'Then the fishing rod isn't what's important.'
Radel found a spot near Professor Bronson and cast his fishing rod into the lake.
But strangely, he couldn't feel any presence.
Even though he had just spoken with Professor Bronson, it was as if he had been holding the fishing rod alone from the beginning.
Radel closed his eyes.
Now he seemed to understand what kind of class Mana Training was.
This wasn't like other magic, where you used magic power to create something out of nothing.
He didn't have to follow the existing method of receiving mana and refining it into magic power.
'There's no need to focus on magic power. No, I have to forget it completely.'
Everything that is alive has mana.
Radel was also a living being.
How long had it been since he had concentrated?
Professor Bronson, seeing Radel whose presence had faded, chuckled.
The freshman adaptation period was only a month.
During the entrance exam, the guy didn't even know how to use magic, but in just a month, he was starting to look like a proper magician.