Chapter 187: Dark Demon Doesn't Understand the Moonlight
In a blink, it was the last week of the first semester.
On Wednesday of this week, students finally relaxed after submitting their last major assignments for the semester.
It was Wednesday afternoon.
The second class in the morning was the last summoning class, where Professor Sarah clearly outlined the holiday matters.
Because the holiday was only a short one week and two days, no homework was assigned for this short break, making the students, who had endured a semester of hard work, laugh as they walked.
Also, because St. Marian's castle was geographically located on the visible surface in the far outskirts of the kingdom, extremely far from the kingdom's center, only a small number of students could complete a round trip within these nine days.
But if most of the time was spent traveling, it was clearly meaningless.
So very few students chose to go home.
However, unlike the students, professors, even if they didn't go home, would want to go out and wander; they had various needs.
After Friday, a large number of professors would leave the castle, and Professor Claire was one of them.
She certainly wouldn't take a slow Magic Guide Locomotive.
From the castle to the Royal Capital, including changing stations and other needs, it would take at least a week.
That was far too long.
Claire always traveled by dragon!
And a creature like a dragon, even a tamed flying dragon, would not allow anyone other than its master to ride on its back.
Fortunately, Dark hadn't thought about hitching a ride on a dragon from the start.
The first Christmas spent with classmates at the academy would be a very important part of the young mages' academic lives.
According to statistics, the number of first-year students who chose to go home at this time each year never exceeded five.
The weather was getting colder and colder.
Even the warming school uniforms were gradually becoming insufficient, and students began adding scarves around their necks and wearing various types of gloves.
And scarves and gloves also became some of the rare ornaments that did not violate school rules.
Girls, unable to change out of their damned school uniforms, tried various ways to change scarves and gloves to make themselves more beautiful and tasteful.
DemiDevimon, whenever it flew outside the castle, would smugly think: "Among all Magic Guide Spirits, only I, DemiDevimon, have a scarf!"
...
Two in the afternoon.
Dark met his senior at the library entrance.
They had agreed last night to find a lab this afternoon and work together on the production of the [Fusion] card.
Senior Pandora had experience with [Fusion] production, but she had only alchemized three in total and had failed many times repeatedly.
This showed how high the difficulty of alchemizing [Fusion] really was!
Dark had long given up the expectation of a single success.
If it weren't for wanting to use this opportunity to learn more about his senior, he would most likely continue to research for another month or so before starting.
However, hands-on experimentation was actually a good way to accelerate learning.
It was just a bit costly.
"Senior, have you submitted your major assignment too?"
"Submitted."
Pandora had a relaxed and joyful expression.
It seemed even the "Silver Dragon Maiden" couldn't withstand the power of a major assignment.
She continued: "From now until Christmas, I'll be very free. It's rare a few times a year."
Dark asked curiously: "What about after Christmas?"
Pandora: "I'm going on a long journey."
Why did she say "going on a long journey"?
Because St. Marian was her home.
Her only home.
...
Dark didn't ask her what she was going out for, but instead steered the conversation back to within the school.
For example, he casually asked her when she started working part-time as a librarian.
Pandora then told him it was the second month of her first year.
When Traveler's Street was first opened to first-years.
While everyone else was pulling each other to run to Traveler's Street, she had stayed cooped up in the library all day, and was thus noticed by Mrs. Bella.
Mrs. Bella truly was a kind person.
Pandora's face would show a hint of filial reverence whenever she mentioned her.
Dark could tell that she respected Mrs. Bella as a mother figure.
This quickly made him realize.
His senior's background was not ideal.
She very likely had no relatives.
Before he tried to understand her, Dark had never felt a trace of sadness stemming from this in her.
Was that a manifestation of fortitude?
Or just a facade?
Or perhaps, it was simply because he had never truly sought to understand her and thus hadn't discovered it?
This was very different from the impression Senior Pandora had always given him.
The more Dark learned, the more he felt truly superficial.
The deepest part of a woman's heart always seemed to hide a delicate softness.
They were accustomed to wrapping a layer of steel around their soft inner selves.
There was more than one woman with such a personality around Dark.
Pandora Dragon was only fifteen years old.
Her entry into St. Marian was initiated by an "Admission Invitation Letter."
...
St. Marian's enrollment methods were basically two types.
One was proactive.
One was passive.
Every summer holiday, the school would proactively seek out children with high magic power reactions.
These children, exceeding a certain magic power threshold, if they hadn't received proper magic power education, were extremely prone to experiencing "Magic Power Outbreaks."
This phenomenon was once called "Omen of Demon Birth" in ancient times, and children who caused it were marked as "Child of the Demon" and would be executed!
Dark Demon was actually one of the victims of this phenomenon.
And the perpetrator of the "Magic Power Outbreak" was Second Princess Anna.
This was the biggest catalyst leading to the deterioration of relations between the two parties.
Among first-year students.
Many students were proactively recruited by the school.
Otherwise, given their family backgrounds, they wouldn't even have access to St. Marian.
The other passive method was the so-called "application for admission."
Many Noble House students were admitted after their parents applied and they passed a test.
The school would charge a certain amount of tuition fees based on the family circumstances of these students.
On the surface, the school also accepted donations.
Of course, compared to St. Marian's overly vast teaching resources, that small amount of donation was completely a drop in the bucket.
The school itself was an extraordinarily huge economic entity; they earned money by themselves.
Operating a school, on one hand, was a tradition that had continued from ancient times.
On the other hand.
...
Among the classmates Dark was more familiar with, Robert, Virt, and Rose were all proactively recruited by the school.
While Emma, Sara, and Diana had their "admission applications" submitted by their parents.
Although even if those "admission applications" hadn't been submitted, the three of them would have received "Admission Invitation Letters" anyway.
Furthermore.
Dark himself also belonged to the proactively recruited side.
If it weren't for that "admission invitation letter" that suddenly flew in, he would probably still be chilling in the Ducal Residence.
The Duchess's intention was for him to enroll a year later.
The reason given was "mentally incomplete."
In other words, "Mom isn't at ease."
...
Wednesday afternoon generally had no classes.
But most students preferred to stay in the common rooms with fireplaces.
In the deserted castle, cold wind gently swirled.
Dark and Pandora arrived at the pre-booked laboratory, inserted the key, unlocked the door, and opened it.
The unique scent of the laboratory wafted out.
Dark stepped in first, then quickly began preparing for the experiment.
Pandora asked: "Have you finished writing your [Fusion] spell?"
Dark said with some difficulty: "Encountered some obstacles."
Pandora smiled: "Tell me if you have any problems. Our core goal this afternoon is to adjust the [Fusion] spell to a usable state, and that's harder than you think."
Dark responded: "I'm mentally prepared."
Even so.
But Senior Pandora wasn't someone who would painstakingly teach you how to flap your wings or how to start running; she was more like an eagle that would throw its fledglings off a cliff to learn to fly by themselves.
Everything still depended on you to take the initiative.
She would only offer guidance at critical moments.
The more complex the spell, the more things needed to be involved.
Many steps required experimentation for refinement and selection.
Determining whether the usage of each incantation, and even each rune, was correct through experimental reactions.
It was indeed much harder than Dark had imagined.
Because he had successfully written a usable [Curse Cage] spell, he was somewhat taking things for granted.
And once immersed, neither of them had the mind to chat anymore.
Time quickly advanced to 6:30 PM; outside, the sky was just about to darken.
Yet they hadn't even started the experiment.
Dark tidied up his tools and said: "Senior, I'll treat you tonight."
Pandora asked curiously: "Treat me? In the dining hall?"
Dark smiled mysteriously and pointed upwards.
...
What did it feel like to stand on top of the castle?
It was hard for those who hadn't experienced it firsthand to imagine.
"Whoa!"
Dark spread his arms, facing the wind.
Besides the Spiral Bell Tower, this was already the highest point in St. Marian.
Now that Professor Didi had resigned, few people would be idle enough to climb to the top of the bell tower to look around.
The probability of them being discovered was reduced to the minimum.
Looking down from the top of the castle, although the entire castle couldn't be fully encompassed, it was precisely that perfectly fitting "being immersed within it" feeling that made it seem even grander.
St. Marian's castle itself was an art passed down through the ages.
Traces of every era seemed to be found in the castle's structure, decorations, and reliefs.
Dark was engrossed, almost forgetting the girl beside him.
...
Not long after, DemiDevimon appeared in sight, gripping a food basket with its claws and flapping its wings vigorously.
This charming scenic spot was actually discovered by DemiDevimon.
When it was idle, it always liked to lie up here, looking down on all living things... rolling around.
Pandora, watching DemiDevimon's efforts, couldn't help but cover her mouth: "Is this your familiar?"
Dark nodded somewhat proudly.
Pandora then summoned her own familiar, a round, cute little dragon with two small wings.
Its big belly made it look like a Western dragon species, but upon closer inspection, one would find it was just an Eastern winged dragon whose belly was distended.
Just a bit short in body.
"Go!"
Pandora poked the little dragon's belly, and it reluctantly turned its head and flew towards DemiDevimon.
With the combined efforts of the two familiars, the heavy food basket filled with tools and ingredients was finally pulled up.
Dark took the food basket, pulled out his tools, and skillfully assembled them.
This was a set of barbecue tools borrowed from halfling chefs. The vegetables and meat, already cut and washed in the basket, were also processed by the halfling chefs with 'auntie smiles' after hearing his explanation.
Dark didn't know if any students had done this before him.
But at least their legends didn't circulate within the academy.
He quickly ignited the small magic power furnace with magic power, and tongues of flame from the furnace licked the bottom of the grill.
Seeing Pandora's reminiscent expression, Dark seized the opportunity to ask: "Senior, have you ever barbecued yourself?"
Pandora pursed her lips slightly and said: "Perhaps. In the wild, barbecuing is the simplest and most tool-free method of cooking."
Her tone was devoid of any rise or fall.
But it made Dark's expression falter.
He braced himself and asked: "Was it for a wilderness trip?"
Pandora chuckled lightly: "It was for survival."
...
People cannot be generalized.
Dark once thought his barbecue skills, if not top-tier, were at least above average.
But soon, he was relegated to merely being a helper.
DemiDevimon didn't even look at his finished products anymore, instead focusing its gaze entirely on the grilled items in Pandora's hands, drooling from its mouth.
A rich aroma continuously wafted.
Pandora displayed surprisingly poignant cooking skills.
In the impression of outsiders, she should have been a young lady who never lifted a finger.
...
Smoke curled, people bustled.
After eating their fill, they lay down on the spot.
Moon in the clouds, shadow in the moon.
The winter night sky was as clear as washed jade.
Two people, two familiars, just lying there quietly.
Dark had many questions, but none came out.
Pandora, however, had a hazy look in her eyes, as if entangled in thought.
...
Nine o'clock sharp.
The biological clock chimed in her heart.
Pandora glanced in the direction of the bell tower, slowly standing up while pressing down on her school uniform skirt.
"Time to go."
"Mm."
Dark also moved.
He turned and picked up DemiDevimon, who had fallen asleep snoring at some point.
Familiars truly were strange creatures.
They didn't need to eat or sleep.
Yet they could eat and sleep.
Dark held it like a baby, his other hand carrying the food basket filled with tools and kitchen waste.
Then he went downstairs with his senior.
Walking in the silent castle, they tacitly remained quiet.
That lingering charm, as if walking side by side through ancient history, made one slightly intoxicated.
Pandora would sometimes suddenly turn, and Dark would follow.
Along the way, they didn't encounter even a single patrolling Golem.
When they reached the second floor of the castle.
Dark saw her off outside the bridge to the Magic House tower.
Pandora walked a few steps across the bridge, turned around at the other end, pressing down her skirt with one hand and lightly gathering her hair with the other, revealing a bright smile.
"I had a very happy evening tonight."
"Me too."
They waved at each other.
The moonlight was beautiful.
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