Festival (5)
In the midst of a dazzling yet dark room, a man knelt in prayer. Before him stood a grotesque statue.
"Maestro... It's time for the meeting."
"Ah... I know." The man responded and feigned indifference. Slowly opening his eyes, he confirmed the face of the servant who had dared to interrupt his piety.
"What's your name?"
"Oh, my name is Seok Don."
"Hmm, Seok Don, huh." Maestro leisurely stood up from his seat and brushed off his clothes. Then, he stabbed the heart of the servant who had dared to disturb his spiritual moment.
Stab!
"Seok Don, disturbing communication with the divine deserves death. Do you agree?"
"Y-yes. I gladly ac... accept." With a joyful expression, the man collapsed to the floor.
"Consider this as an offering."
"Understood." Another servant waiting in the shadows took care of the fallen corpse.
The man with bloodied hands wiped them clean and strolled towards the meeting room. Naturally gravitating toward his ostentatious marble seat, Maestro took his place. The Pandemic executives gathered around the round table shifted their attention to the man in the marble throne.
"Everyone... is here. Sorry for being late. I was in communication with the Demon King."
Though it was well past the scheduled time, the Pandemic executives patiently waited for Maestro's words without a hint of complaint.
"Report on the progress of finding sacrifices."
"We're gearing up to unleash the monster in the Eiffel Tower in Paris."
"Hmm, not bad. What's next?"
"We're also plotting to target the Celestial Festival at Victoria Academy."
"People are most carefree during festivals. That works. Who's the executive in charge?" Maestro nodded with cynical satisfaction.
"It's Gilbert."
"Then it should be as reliable as it gets."
Gilbert, one of the initial executives of Pandemic. The Maestro trusted him not for his power, but for his knack for efficient work, even though he wasn't particularly strong.
The meeting dragged on, and after addressing the last agenda, Maestro stood up. "Without light, there is no shadow... I must go pray to the Demon King again. I will take my leave."
As he left the meeting room, the executives gradually vacated their seats.
"Oh, that fool stretched it out with some meaningless babble."
"Rebecca, why are you disrespecting Maestro like that?"
"Shut up." Rebecca, the red-haired beauty, brushed her hair back and exited the room. "Dealing with these puppets is exhausting. Hah..."
No matter how many times the meeting occurred, it never got easier. It was more of an announcement than a discussion. The executives never voiced dissenting opinions against Maestro's words. However, as a Pandemic executive, Rebecca had no choice but to attend. She cooperated with the seemingly unrealistic goal of summoning the Demon King from Hell, even though it was destined to fail.
As she emerged from her hiding spot, Rebecca's subordinate approached.
"Miss Rebecca, here are the investigation results."
"Let me see."
"It took some time to sift through hunters with 1-2 years of experience and academy students from seniors to juniors. But only one person met the conditions you mentioned."
Rebecca examined the data brought by her subordinate, which included two short videos. The first showcased the 1v1 duel grand final at Victoria Academy. The man in the video skillfully wielded barrier magic.
"This is... Rune Barrier?"
To Rebecca, who had mastered it her whole life, the barrier in the video felt somewhat off. The basic magic circle was the same, but it seemed like he hadn't received the education passed down from the Rune tribe.
Understandable if it's a child, but he's not. His education should've been completed by now...
Rebecca had some doubts but moved on to the next video. The survival test. A man unfolded a barrier and entered a tent in the short video.
It still looked different from the barriers Rebecca knew. However, this time, she clearly observed the distinctive marks of rune mana in the barrier. The mana form of the Rune tribe's unique rune barrier that only they could recognize.
"I saw your friendly match this time."
"Oh, thank you."
"It was quite a commotion... You really awakened, huh? Your internal state is remarkably clean. Mana flow too. I experienced the same during my training."
"Yes, during training for me too. It just happened."
I couldn't exactly say I awakened during sex, so I steered the story toward training. And maybe the internal condition is due to the Elf Essence.
Did she really awaken and purify without absorbing an Elf Essence?
"During training... Just like me. I also awakened during training."
Oh... She's indeed a genius.
Although it's not something I would say about awakening during sex, awakening through training is genuinely challenging. It's surpassing one's limits, and doing so in training, which isn't even an extreme situation, doesn't make much sense. Of course, one can undergo extreme training, but it's not easy on a mental level. It's just evidence of how genius Im Sol is.
"You're the real genius. I awakened later than you did. Right after graduating from the academy... People were shocked when they heard I awakened during training, not long after graduation."
"Ha-ha... Is that so?"
"My student, you be careful too. It's quite difficult to receive jealousy at a young age."
Well, I don't have friends losing sleep over that, and I've been swatting away interviews, so I'm all good.
"Envy and jealousy are familiar to me. After all, it's usually the inadequate ones who feel that way."
Thanks to Clear Mental Strength, even hate comments don't ruffle my feathers much. I just wonder how tough life must be for them. I said that in that sense... but Im Sol was giving me the sympathetic look.
"Really...? Good for you..."
★ Heroine Status Window
[Im Sol]
[Affection: 62]
[Lust: 25]
[Appetite: 30]
[Fatigue: 39]
Current Status: How much must he have suffered from a young age....
What's she on about?
It sounds like she's cooking up some quirky misunderstanding again. Ah well... let her have her moment. It doesn't seem like it'll cause any harm, and a bit of sympathy for me never hurt.
"Hey, I'm fine. By the way, Professor, do you remember we planned to go to the magic fair together? I've been waiting for the report card day."
"Grades will probably announced after the festival. Some professors are dragging their feet on the grading. Some even suggested letting students enjoy the festival without stressing over grades."
"Oh...."
It doesn't matter either way. I've got the grades on lock. Top in the written exam, second in practical, and aced the special exam. I'm just counting down to the day that shiny report card shows up.
"Oh, come to think of it, instead of the report card... I have something to give you." Im Sol got up from her seat and handed me a box from under the desk. "I've been looking for a potion to give you... but good magic potions have completely dried up. But I managed to get this."
"Oh...! Thank you!"
On the way here, I reflected on thinking I was being deceived. I opened the box with anticipation. As expected, Professor Im Sol didn't let me down.
[Red Mountain Ginseng]
▶ Grade: High
▶ Red Mountain Ginseng collected at the summit of a mountain for 100 years.
▶ Full of essence, excellent for enhancing male stamina and vitality.
"...?"
"H-Hey, you've been looking a bit worn out lately. Just accept it." Im Sol avoided my gaze with slightly flushed cheeks.
It seems like there's a whole lot of personal feelings put into this.