Chapter 44: Academy Arc Conclusion
“Your Majesty?”
Nash, seeing that Israel had remained silent for a long time, asked with a hint of concern.
Had the opinions of these church people overstepped their bounds and angered His Majesty?
That was indeed possible. Regardless, Count Radcliffe was a noble of the Empire. How could the Church simply demand him as they pleased? Even if they wished to invite the Count for assistance, they should at least send a few people, present formal documents, and issue a solemn invitation—that would be a sign of respect.
The middle-aged warrior thought this and nodded to himself. Although such procedures seemed a bit cumbersome, this was the proper protocol for communication between major powers. A single sentence demanding a person was impossible.
“How interesting... and right, Eagle isn’t a fool either.”
On the other side, Israel did not appear angry. He merely tapped the armrest of his seat rhythmically, nodding thoughtfully as he said, “The Church is currently dealing with the Dragon Calamity. They borrowed the Fusion Core Star from me, likely to delve into some region polluted by Chaos. Now, even the Fusion Core Star isn’t enough to meet their demands...”
Having said this, he did not continue.
The Fusion Core Star in the Diamond Royal Family’s collection was not particularly powerful in terms of purification ability. After all, there were vast differences between various types of positive energy. The Fusion Core Star’s sunlight-like positive energy was naturally the best choice as an energy source, but its purification and healing abilities were far inferior to Holy Light.
And Holy Light, in terms of pure purification, was also inferior to the ‘Order Force’ left behind by the Sage.
If the Far Sea Holy Mountain were not conserving strength to deal with the concentrated assault of the main Mad Dragon forces, they would not have needed to seek help from the Empire. But now, Israel believed that the Church had encountered a major problem in that polluted region and could only pin their hopes on Joshua, who possessed the Order Force.
As for why not Brandon, the answer was simple. Not long ago, Robzek and Sa Ya had personally witnessed Joshua in action and even spoken with him, establishing some connection. Meanwhile, the Blonde Swordsman had already returned to the Northern Lands at that time. They had never met him and were not familiar with him.
People naturally choose those they know and understand.
“This isn’t a bad thing.”
Noticing Nash’s worried expression, Israel shook his head. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Lord Radcliffe’s strength being recognized by the Church of the Seven Gods is a kind of honor. But even as Emperor, I cannot force a territorial noble to leave his domain and travel to the distant Far South.”
“So, Nash, inform Nostradamus of this matter and have him relay it.”
The Emperor issued his command decisively. “As for whether to accept the Church’s invitation, that depends entirely on our Northern Count’s mood.”
That same day, at Nissier Snow Mountain, Winterfell Academy.
Like an iceberg, four-fifths of Winterfell Academy’s volume was embedded within the mountain, with only one-fifth exposed. There were two reasons for this construction: first, there was no sufficiently large flat space on the entire snowy mountain to build the academy; second, the temperature inside the mountain was far warmer than the outside, making it more suitable for human habitation.
At this moment, deep within the academy, inside the mountain’s core, a large arena surrounded by spectators was witnessing the final moments of a duel between apprentices.
“You’ve lost, Amira.”
The unsheathed blade rested on the girl’s delicate shoulder, its cold, gleaming edge pressed against her fair neck. The boy, nominally her brother, spoke in a calm tone. “I win this time.”
“Fine... you win this time, my brother.”
Realizing there was no way to turn the tide, the girl sighed helplessly. Tilting her head slightly, she could see their faces reflected in the silver sword light. Knowing the situation was hopeless, the girl named Amira decisively lowered the shortbow she had been about to draw and raised her hands in surrender. “Congratulations—and, Ivan, when did you learn swordsmanship?”
This was indeed a puzzling question. The girl had always believed that her brother, like her, had only learned some archery from their hunter father. Who would have guessed he possessed such exquisite swordsmanship? It was completely unexpected.
“Teacher Theodore taught me.”
Seeing that his sister had completely given up resistance, Ivan shrugged and withdrew the longsword from her neck. “He said that as a mage, one should at least learn some close-combat skills, or else they might find themselves at a disadvantage sometimes.”
“Regardless, I never thought you would actually draw your sword against your own sister.” Shaking her head, Amira said with some emotion, “You said you would protect me for life!”
“My dear sister.”
Ivan retorted with a scoff, “You weren’t exactly merciful when you fired those chain fireballs and lightning arrows at me.”
“Hmph.”
After speaking, he sheathed his sword, and the relaxed boy finally came to his senses. He was drenched in nervous sweat, especially his forehead, which was covered in fine beads of perspiration.
Clearly, the fight with his sister had not been easy. This victory was merely a narrow win.
But regardless—I won.
Ivan whispered to himself in his heart.
—I defeated Amira.
—This final arena match of the comprehensive evaluation is mine!
Only now did the true feeling of victory slowly dawn on Ivan, causing the boy to clench his fists, barely suppressing a cheer.
Amira had achieved the highest score in the written exam, while he was fifth. However, he ranked first in both wilderness survival and the arena matches, so his total score placed him at the top. After two weeks—the longest comprehensive evaluation since Winterfell Academy’s founding—it had finally ended with Ivan Makarov’s victory!
What a grueling two weeks it had been! First, two consecutive days of non-stop written exams across all subjects, then six and a half days of wilderness survival, and after three days of rest, the nerve-wracking arena matches!
Ivan could still recall the six nights he spent alone in the White Frost Forest. Following a pre-made plan, he methodically defeated Frost Slimes, caught three Frost Butterflies, and successfully hunted a large wild boar. Although there were many unexpected incidents along the way, his good personal abilities and thorough planning earned him the highest score in wilderness survival.
But who would have known that to kill that Frost Slime, he spent most of the night playing hide-and-seek with it, finally relying on the morning sunlight’s restraining effect to eliminate that jelly-like creature with its bizarre magic resistance?
The Frost Butterflies and the wild boar went without saying—they were very dangerous creatures, far more lethal than the Slime. If not for his past life experience, knowing their weaknesses and habits, Ivan might not have been able to handle these minor magical beasts.
The subsequent arena matches were relatively simpler. Due to limited mana, most students knew they couldn’t cast many spells on stage, so they chose familiar weapons as supplements.
Ivan was no exception. He selected a cruciform longsword as his weapon, while his sister Amira chose a bow as her auxiliary tool.
The arena battles were not particularly arduous. Ivan’s talent, though not the best in the academy, was still above average. The main reason he could defeat his sister was that she had never expected him to master swordsmanship. Caught off guard, she was forced into close combat, where she was at a disadvantage.
“Alright, students, the final match of this comprehensive evaluation has ended.”
A teacher’s voice echoed through the arena. “Now, please return to your dormitories to rest. The awards ceremony will be held tomorrow. The top ten students will receive generous prizes from the academy.”
Hearing this, Ivan sheathed his sword and prepared to leave the arena.
But at that moment, his mentor, Theodore, suddenly appeared beside him. The middle-aged mage smiled and said, “Ivan, follow me. Lord Joshua wants to see you.”
“Lord Joshua?!”
Ivan was momentarily stunned. He had never imagined that the legendary Count Radcliffe, the strongest warrior in the Northern Lands, would want to see him. “Why?”
“Probably to give you a reward.” Theodore shrugged. “Due to some minor matters, the Lord hasn’t been appearing before the apprentices. This time, he will personally give you a special prize for being first.”
“...Yes!”
Hearing his mentor’s words, Ivan snapped out of the joy of victory. He looked at the door before him, engraved with the emblem of a sword-wielding hand, took a deep breath, and calmed his emotions.
Then, he opened the door.
The afternoon sunlight streamed in from the window, casting a warm glow over the study. Behind a large desk sat a black-haired young man, his gaze fixed on the documents before him. Hearing the door open, he looked up and smiled.
“Ivan, you’ve done well.”
Joshua’s voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority. “I’ve watched your performance. You’re a talented young man.”
“Thank you, Lord Count!”
Ivan bowed respectfully, his heart pounding with excitement.
“Come here.”
With a hint of amusement in his tone, Joshua took out an exquisite silver metal box from the side, its surface covered in dense magical runes. “This is your reward.”
Ivan took a deep breath, looking at the idol he admired, then slowly walked to the desk. The warrior handed him the silver box.
“Thank you... thank you, Lord Count.”
“I can see you already know what’s inside.”
Joshua looked at the boy, who seemed a bit lost and unsure of what to say, and nodded encouragingly. “You’ve earned this. There’s no need to be afraid.”
“This dragon egg...”
Suddenly, the warrior stopped speaking. He turned his head toward the door, where an unusual spatial-temporal fluctuation was spreading.
Then, a very regular knock came.
“Come in, Master Nostradamus.”
He called out. “The door’s unlocked.”
After speaking, Joshua turned back to the platinum-haired boy. He shrugged helplessly and said, “Alright, little one. Due to an unexpected interruption, this award ceremony ends here. If you have any questions about your reward, feel free to ask Teacher Theodore—he’s an expert on the subject.”
“Now, go back and enjoy the banquet the academy has prepared for you. Accept the congratulations from your friends.”
As he finished speaking, the office door opened, and an old man in a gray robe with white hair walked in slowly. The old mage saw Ivan preparing to leave and gave a kind smile, nodding in praise. “Good child, you’ve done very well.”
As he spoke, he took out a small box made of redwood from his pocket and handed it to the still-dazed boy. “Joshua gave you a gift, so I can’t fall behind. Take this too.”
“Th-thank you, Headmaster!”
Even though he was stunned by the series of events, Ivan would never forget who this person was—the true headmaster of this academy, one of the Empire’s strongest mages, Master Nostradamus!
Within just a few minutes, he had encountered two major figures he would normally never see. The boy’s mind was a bit foggy as he walked toward the door as if in a dream, preparing to leave.
Just before he exited the office, the boy, holding two small boxes, seemed to hear a sentence.
“Joshua, His Majesty the Emperor has something to tell you.”