Chit-Chat.
Thousands of voices from various students from various places echoed in the hall.
The place was shaped like a dome, built using the same material as the front wall. It seemed as vast as a soccer field, or perhaps larger.
Filled with young men and women from all walks of life, they chattered incessantly like chickens on a farm. Everyone wore the same uniform, and some came carrying their personal weapons. Among them, some stood nervously, some tensely, and some excitedly.
Morgan clenched his teeth tightly, restraining himself from doing something terrible. "Goodness, they are so noisy. And so many eyes are staring here."
"Just ignore them and pretend you don't see them," Marie said calmly.
Actually, those eyes weren't staring at Morgan. They were staring at Marie, the Saint and the adopted daughter of Abraham Goldenbell. Although she was the child of a ruler, Marie was still a commoner. She was merely adopted by Abraham and had no royal blood in her veins. Marie had received such stares too often, to the point it had become normal for her.
Their gazes were scornful. Some didn't show it overtly, but they looked at her as if searching for a weakness to plunge their knives into.
Well... some were staring at Morgan, perhaps amazed by his face. But they still looked at him scornfully. Morgan heard some say things like...
"How does that rat have such a handsome face? Could he be the child of a noble?" Morgan decided to ignore them as instructed.
Actually, the Academy never distinguished between the children of nobles and commoners; all were equal. Yet, there were still nobles who looked down on commoners, creating a social gap.
Nobles were not allowed to bring their servants to the academy. But that rule could be circumvented by enrolling the child of one of the servants in the noble's household. Later, those servant children would also become servants to the noble children. Not much different from Marie and Morgan.
Others might also assume Morgan was Marie's servant due to their closeness.
"Morgan, even though you can disguise yourself excellently, I want you not to stand out too much. There might be people who can discover your identity as a demon. You know what would happen if news got out that the Saintess brought a demon to the academy."
"Understood perfectly well."
Suddenly, a piercing, shrill voice filled the room. Instantly, it drew all eyes towards its source, the podium. There stood a blue-haired woman with a witch's hat, draped in a purple robe bearing the academy's logo on the back. Her eyes were incredibly beautiful, like a blend of many colors. Staring into them felt like being under an illusion, unable to look away.
She just smiled warmly. "Welcome to the Sprout of Hope Academy, future heroes-to-be. I, Miranda, the Illusion Witch, welcome you with open arms.
Young sprouts, here we will train and forge you, to become the vanguard in driving the demons from our world. But, before that, we will screen you with a test."
Suddenly, a square appeared out of thin air. The square displayed a map of a complex, winding maze with several red dots scattered about.
"Let me explain the rules. You will be placed in a maze filled with various types of monsters.
The passing requirement is simple. You must earn points by killing every creature in the maze and then exit through the portal before the allotted time runs out. However, that portal is guarded by a powerful demon, so you must face it first.
Those of you who are killed or fail to exit on time will be declared as having failed and must seek another academy. Say 'YES' if you understand!"
The crowd answered "YES!" in unison, loudly.
Miranda smiled. "I hope you pass."
Suddenly, a magic circle formed beneath Morgan's feet. But it wasn't just him; Marie and the other students experienced the same thing. Some were so startled they jumped away. But the magic circle seemed stuck to their feet.
Before anyone could utter a single word. The world suddenly turned pure white.
***
Morgan slowly opened his eyes, realizing he was in a completely different place. He was now in a long corridor, its walls made of stone bricks, material perhaps the same as that used to build an ancient castle. Torches lined the upper walls of the room, illuminating the path as far as the eye could see.
A demon like Morgan wasn't easily affected by illusions. His eyes easily pierced through the created world. He saw the thousands of students who were in the hall, now unconscious while standing. Marie seemed fine.
Morgan closed his eyes. *"So I just have to find the exit, right? How easy."*
Morgan closed his eyes and clicked his tongue. The sound waves produced by that small sound spread through corridor after corridor, tracing every corner, every bend, and every living creature in the surrounding area.
Quickly, a mental map formed clearly in his head. Echolocation easily found a large hall with a large monster sleeping there. The distance wasn't far from where Morgan stood. But the path there was also filled with various monsters and traps.
Morgan opened his eyes with a satisfied smile on his face. The monsters he found were probably just goblins, hobgoblins, orcs. Just a few trivial little creatures.
Nothing here could stop him. Morgan, with his chest puffed out, began his steps.