"Since there were many casualties among the students, the academy has decided that special training will be held for Class E and below, in order to quickly improve their abilities."
Virelle explained the changes that would take place at the academy while everyone was still surprised that they had been promoted to Class C.
"This is the first time in the history of this academy that something like this has happened. There was only one month left before the first class was dismissed, but, since many students died, they decided to offer additional training. Still, if they do not pass the training, they will be expelled. Now, do you understand why this is happening?"
Faced with the students' confused looks, Virelle continued:
"Because this did not happen only at this academy. It happened throughout the entire continent. Mages who had just entered or were already inside dungeons were caught off guard by the increase in difficulty, and many died, reducing the military power of all the kingdoms. Because of this, the kings of each region summoned all the academies and ordered an increase in student training."
Watching everything from his seat, Enrico sighed.
'I knew something would happen to cause a change, but this is good... it could bring in strong people I never met in the original story, especially now that Chalés and Tolen are dead, and Kevin quit...'
He shook his head to push those thoughts away, rested his hand on his chin, and looked at Valença.
'Thank goodness she stayed... losing her would have been terrible.'
"Professor, excuse me, but why are we being promoted to a higher class instead of receiving the same training as the students from the lower classes?"
Sílvia was the one who asked, raising her hand. Her eyes looked extremely tired.
Virelle looked at her.
"Because by surviving that dungeon, you proved that you are strong enough for this."
"And what about the survivor from Class E? Didn't she also prove that she is strong by surviving?"
"It's better to prepare her properly before moving her up, because even though she survived, her level is still low."
Kai quickly raised his hand.
"So are we going to meet the other two students from Class C?"
"No. They were also promoted because three people from Class B died in their dungeon. To complete the class, the academy allowed three students to be promoted. And since there are only two left from the previous group..."
Virelle became more serious as she looked at everyone.
"This also means that there is one spot available among you. I would tell you to send the strongest, but, in my opinion, none of you are ready yet. So, what are you going to do?"
"I'm still not ready to move up, so I'll remain in Class C."
Enrico was the first to answer, without showing any hesitation.
"Me too."
Right after him, Serenya, Elian, and Caelan answered practically at the same time. Virelle nodded, satisfied with the four's decision. At least none of them seemed to be trying to move up a class simply out of pride.
"I prefer to stay because I have some personal matters to take care of, and I also don't think I'm strong enough yet, of course."
Valença glanced at Enrico, who pretended not to notice. Kai was the next to answer, keeping a smile on his face as he thought about the matter.
"I'm not going either. I think I'll become stronger by remaining in Class C."
'Besides, Enrico seems to know a lot about my father, and I feel like I'll become stronger by staying by his side.'
"And you, Liam?"
"I'm definitely the weakest one here. I don't even have an arm, and I'll only be able to get a prosthetic one or heal it if I make a lot of money. So I'd rather increase my power in the best way possible."
Liam raised his shoulder, showing that everything below his elbow had disappeared. Virelle had already expected that answer, but Kai and Valença's decisions surprised her slightly.
Then, her eyes turned toward Sílvia.
She remained silent for a few moments, reflecting on her choice. Then, she raised her head and answered:
"I will."
Everyone was surprised.
Virelle frowned.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Virelle stared at her for a few seconds before speaking again.
"Your level is far too weak, Sílvia. It is lower than that of many who refused."
Sílvia tightened her hands over her legs, but did not look away.
"I know... but I want to try."
Sighing, Virelle picked up a sheet of paper and handed it to Sílvia.
"Very well. Then sign your name and submit this to the administration. Since your ranking is lower than your classmates', you will receive a new position similar to theirs, but your relative position will remain the same in Class B."
Virelle then revealed the new rankings:
Rank 91 – Serenya
Rank 92 – Enrico
Rank 93 – Kai
Rank 94 – Valença
Rank 95 – Liam
Rank 96 – Elian
Rank 97 – Caelan
Rank 98 – Sílvia
Liam was surprised to see the ranking, while Caelan and Elian seemed like they wanted to complain. However, because they were afraid of Virelle, they remained silent.
Enrico observed the new ranking and could only think about how wrong it was while the teacher continued speaking.
"Serenya should have been the one to go to Class B, so be careful. Your ranking will remain the same, and they will underestimate you."
When Virelle finished speaking, Sílvia had already finished signing the paper and received permission to leave.
"Goodbye, everyone, and thank you, Professor."
She cast one last glance backward before leaving the classroom.
Liam followed her departure with his eyes and then hit his head against the desk.
"Is this really going to work? Something like this has never happened before at the academy..."
"This is a test. If she does not improve quickly, even with all the pressure they will put on her, she will be sent back to Class C with you. Let's say this is more of a visit than a permanent transfer. It would only be permanent if she were Rank 91, about to become Rank 90 like Serenya."
Enrico began to sweat at Virelle's words, which carried a trace of irritation.
'Then why didn't the teacher warn her? Sílvia must have annoyed Professor Virelle.'
Judging by Virelle's expression, he probably wasn't wrong. She did not seem to be in a good mood after Sílvia accepted.
"Professor, who will our new teachers be?"
Upon hearing Kai's question, Virelle answered as if the answer were obvious.
"None. They will be the same."
Kai frowned, trying to understand.
"Why? The academy's rules say that unless a teacher from a lower class defeats... wait... does that mean..."
He began to understand what had happened.
"Yes. We defeated the Class C teachers in a duel and took their positions."
The ones who entered the classroom and answered were Sir Drenholm, accompanied by Borem. Both still had some injuries from the duel, while Virelle remained impeccably clean in front of the board, as if she had not even participated in a fight.
'Absurd as always... but I wouldn't expect anything less from someone destined to become an Eighth Circle mage at twenty-two.'
Enrico finally smiled slightly. Then he stood up together with the other students and began applauding, congratulating the teachers on their victory. Gradually, all the students joined in, while Virelle, Sir Drenholm, and Borem received the applause with a certain pride on their faces.
"To think that, until the test at the end of this month, Class C will have only seven students..."
A man dressed in a completely white military uniform was observing a projection of the classroom. The image showed the newly promoted students, including the empty seat left by Sílvia after her transfer to Class B.
"It's only temporary. What I didn't like was the idea of sending someone who isn't even Rank 91 to Class B. And, worse, she seems to be the weakest. Don't you remember this school's philosophy, Director?"
The woman speaking now was dressed like a knight in red armor. She stood before a seated man, clearly bothered by the decision made by the academy.
"She won't last long. That girl will be devoured by the other students, who won't accept her either."
On another sofa, a man who looked extremely lazy was lying down. He wore blue mage robes and didn't seem to show the slightest interest in the conversation.
The man in white looked at him with an empty expression.
"Could you at least act decently in front of the director?"
The woman nodded, but the man in blue completely ignored them both. His attitude made both of them even more irritated.
"This was my decision. If that girl can endure this, she will become strong. And, at this moment, strong students are exactly what we need to remain the best academy."
An old man dressed in a robe stood up from his chair and carefully observed the projection. After a few seconds, he continued speaking.
"Perhaps these children are even stronger than the previous two best students from Class C."
The other two nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, the third man seemed to have fallen asleep.
Irritated, the two began kicking him while he tried to protect himself, covering his head with his hands.
"Wait! Calm down!"
The director continued observing the projection for a few moments before looking out the window, ignoring the three in front of him who were making a mess.
'Well... we'll see if this is true in a month, during the ranking competition.'
Turning his attention back to the front, he decided to continue ignoring the mess and simply began working on the damn papers in front of him.
In the girls' dormitory, a student was trying to sleep but couldn't. Her eyes carried the marks of several sleepless nights, something completely understandable considering that she had been the only survivor of Class E: Bruna Robin, Rank 151. She wore the normal Astrong Academy uniform, without the armor she normally wore during training.
'I want to quit... but my parents won't let me...'
Ever since she had managed to survive that dungeon filled with giant humanoid flies, Bruna had been unable to have a peaceful night's sleep. Whenever she closed her eyes, she remembered what had happened in that place. Even after a few days, the feeling of danger still hadn't disappeared.
Tired of remaining in bed, she got up and walked to the window. She opened it and realized that it was already morning. Bruna stood watching outside for a long time, trying to organize her thoughts, until someone waved at her from below.
"Wait... he's... damn it. I thought he'd forgotten about me these past few days."
Bruna sighed when she recognized Enrico. It was strange, but that boy awakened two completely different feelings in her. One of them was fear of that damn training he always demanded. The other was a kind of gratitude, because thanks to that training, she had managed to become stronger and survive the dungeon.
'I better hurry, otherwise this demon is going to complain to me.'
Without caring whether anyone might see her, Bruna simply jumped from the third-floor window toward Enrico. Her feet touched the ground with some force, but she didn't feel much pain, only a slight tremor as she absorbed the impact.
"Would you like to speak with me, leader?"
"Yes. Considering how you've been, I decided it would be better to help you move up a class right away."
Her head turned to the left. Honestly, Bruna didn't want to train that much at the moment. Her body was still tired, and the idea of spending hours training again didn't seem pleasant at all. Enrico noticed her reaction and watched her curiously.
"If you don't want to train, you can tell me. I won't push the training too much while you're in this condition."
Hearing those words, Bruna was surprised. She hadn't expected that she could simply ask to rest and that Enrico would actually allow it. Until then, she had imagined that he would insist that she continue training, as he always did.
For a moment, Bruna didn't know what to answer.
"I'm not completely a demon, my subordinate. I'm just a little demonic."
She simply snorted when she saw his demonic smile. Besides being demonic, that smile looked like that of a playful cat.
"I'm not completely a demon, my subordinate. I'm just a little demonic."
She simply snorted when she saw that demonic smile on his face. Besides being demonic, the smile reminded her of a playful cat, which made Enrico even stranger in her eyes.
"Then don't worry. I don't want to lose a subordinate I like because of exhaustion from too much training."
He made a gesture with his finger, although his thoughts were elsewhere. He hadn't only lost important characters from Classes D and C. He had also lost the knights who could have helped him greatly in the future. The only survivor of the four knights was Bruna, and forcing her to train in that condition could end up causing more problems.
"Besides, I know what you're going through. I also lost my companions in the dungeon."
Bruna's shoulders trembled slightly upon hearing those words, while her eyes seemed about to tear up. Enrico observed her reaction without showing any expression before beginning to walk, signaling for her to follow him.
"Come."
"What is it? Regretting giving me some rest?"
"No. Just follow me. I know you want to talk a little. I won't force you to tell me anything, but I'll listen to you."
His words left Bruna unsure of what to say. She watched Enrico walk to a spot beneath a tree and sit down. He then tapped the space beside him several times, indicating that she could sit there.
Bruna sighed and naturally followed him.
'He really has changed compared to the stories I was told about him... I think that's a good thing.'