Chapter 200: End of a Semester

Chapter 200: End of a Semester



"HAHAHAHAHA! YOU LOT! IT'S NICE TO SEE YOUR FACES AFTER A FEW LONG MONTHS! THINGS MAY HAVE GOTTEN HECTIC WITH ALL THE INCIDENTS HAPPENING, BUT REST ASSURED-WE'VE MADE SURE NO REMAINING ISSUES WILL RUIN TODAY'S GRAND FESTIVAL! HAHAHAHAHA!"

With his usual loud, booming voice and hearty laughter, Professor Ferdinand filled the classroom with a sense of both excitement and relief.

The man had a knack for making light of even the most dire of situations, his unshakable confidence and energy radiating outward, as if nothing could break the atmosphere he built.

Despite his jovial demeanor, I could see a hint of something else behind his eyes- a flicker of concern that wasn't lost on anyone paying attention.

His gaze swept across the room, making sure to meet each of our eyes.

It was as if he were silently gauging our mental states, perhaps wondering how we were coping amidst the chaos that had plagued the academy recently.

The man might have been loud and carefree on the surface, but he wasn't a fool.

He knew what we'd been through.

Even if he tried to downplay the seriousness of the events, pretending everything was under control, everyone probably knew better.

'You would have to live under a rock to not see the hidden tension behind the students.'

Behind the scenes, the professors, staff, and even the student council were probably running around in a frenzy trying to patch up the mess that had unfolded over the last few months.

Incident after incident, scandal after scandal-the academy had barely been able to keep its head above water.

The second semester was finally coming to an end, but the damage had already been done. The sheer number of crises we'd faced was enough to make anyone on the outside question whether the academy was still a safe place to learn.

"YOU LOT HAVE GOTTEN STRONGER AND PROVEN YOURSELVES WORTHY OF YOUR RANKS AND POSITIONS! ONCE YOU BECOME SECOND YEARS, I TRUST THAT YOU WILL HOLD ONTO THE POWER YOU'VE GAINED NOW!"

Professor Ferdinand's voice thundered through the room, the weight of his words sinking into us.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

His message was clear-encouraging us to stay the course, to not falter, and, more subtly, to not leave the academy.

It was almost like he was reminding us of our potential while indirectly urging us not to abandon ship.

After everything the academy had endured, it was no secret that some students had been shaken, questioning their safety and future here.

But as far as I could tell, no one here was planning to quit. If anything, those of us left were more determined than ever to make it to graduation-if the world didn't fall apart before then.

I glanced around the classroom, taking in the familiar faces of my classmates.

Seo, Lucas, Janica, Kagami, Theo, Susan, Gilbert...

The whole A-class knight department was present, each one lost in their own thoughts as they listened to Professor Ferdinand and Professor Yuki, who had taken over to explain the flow of the upcoming events.

Though I wasn't paying much attention to the details of Yuki's speech-it was the same rundown we'd heard last year-I couldn't help but notice the weight on everyone's expressions.

The tension was palpable.

Even Seo, usually composed and cold, had a distant look in her eyes.

But my gaze lingered the longest on Theo and Susan.

They both looked... off. Depressed, even.

They had been like this ever since the incident with President Dorothy. It wasn't like I hadn't noticed before, but I hadn't had the chance to talk to them properly.

Or maybe it was more accurate to say I hadn't been able to.

Seo was strikingly beautiful, and her affection toward me was anything but subtle.

To everyone else, it must have looked like I was taking advantage of her or worse, that I was

deliberately showing her off.

I knew Seo's behavior was partly due to her awkwardness. Physical affection came more naturally to her than words ever did, but I couldn't help feeling like I should be doing more to restrain her from time to time.

"Princess Snow, Seo, Rose, Clara, and even our famous upperclassman, Senior Alice... if you keep collecting all the beautiful girls in the academy, you'll probably lose your head in more ways than one. Hahaha!" Kagami teased, his laughter booming across the cafeteria.

"I'm not collecting them..."

"Well, that's not how most people see it! Hahaha." Kagami was relentless, flashing a knowing

grin.

"I've even heard rumors that you're secretly going out with the princess. Isn't that the case?"

"No."

"Really? Well, I've also heard harems are quite common in your empire. Is that what's going

on here?"

"No"

"Hahaha, is that so?"

I leaned back against my chair, exhaling deeply as I shot him an irritated look.

His laughter filled the room, and I could feel the eyes of other boys on me, the mixture of envy

and resentment radiating off them.

To them, it must have looked like I was hoarding the academy's most coveted girls, and

Kagami's teasing certainly wasn't helping.

While I didn't care much about what others thought, it was still annoying having to deal with

their silent accusations.

"Enough of this," I said with a slight edge in my voice. "Why don't we get back on topic

now?"

Kagami, sensing the shift in my tone, quickly swallowed the last bite of his steak. His playful expression softened as he washed it down with a glass of water.

"Sure, sure," he replied, his smile fading as he wiped his mouth.

He wasn't a fool-he knew when to stop pushing.

As the atmosphere between us grew more serious, I straightened up in my seat, ready to shift

the conversation toward something more productive.

I've noticed this recently but this guy....

Ever since we got closer.

He became more annoying.