After the duel ended, everyone was quite satisfied.
Although he smoked in class, Professor Cronos didn't deduct many points from Professor Moushou for such an act. Instead, because of his active involvement in dueling during class, he was consistently praised by teachers and students alike.
If nothing unexpected happens, Professor Moushou's qualification evaluation this year is secured, and even if Professor Cronos becomes the principal in the future, he should be stable as a branch professor.
Of course, qualification evaluation is one aspect; another aspect is that Judai, as he said, decided not to sit and wait for death.
He plans to gather some like-minded people and, in addition to patrolling the academy, leave the Duel Academy Main School to explore further areas, looking for the Spirits that came to this Dimension, and persuade or convince them to surrender in advance.
If successful, it might be easier to combat the invaders with the power of these Spirits.
Even if unsuccessful, it may still provide some sort of intelligence.
However, those with such "courage" are ultimately a minority. Apart from Marufuji Shou and Kenzan, who volunteered to go out and investigate with Judai, very few responded to Judai's call.
Yet Judai understands, after all, not everyone has the courage to venture into more dangerous places. Some just want to live safely, and that's not wrong.
Despite this, Judai still managed to gather some support. Besides the two "younger brothers," O'Brien also decided to team up with Judai.
In fact, if it were the O'Brien of the past, he would most likely explore on his own, but after being in contact with Judai at the Critical Point for a long time, he has grown to trust Judai particularly, so when he heard Judai wanted to explore together, he readily agreed.
What disappointed Judai was that John and Tenjo Hikari were not planning to go out with him.
Judai understands Hikari's situation, and frankly, he also prefers Tenjo Hikari to stay in the main activity area. With Tenjo Hikari as backup, he feels assured.
John not going on the adventure with him came as a bit of a surprise, as John himself is a restless person and likes to run around, yet he chose to stay at this time.
But then he thought about it.
That's right.
Recently, John has been learning "Polymerization," often seeking advice outside of class from himself, Hikari, and several other professors. It might really require some more time to settle before heading out.
Judai didn't mind, equipped with the full set of "Enhanced Exploration Gear" specially prepared by Tenjo Hikari, he called upon his friends and waved his hand as he ran outside.
The manner of it all made it seem like they were going on an outing to those unaware.
Days seemed to pass stably, with teachers conducting regular classes, and students attending school as usual. Professors rotated on patrol outside, while Judai occasionally brought back strange news from further abroad, as if student life had returned to an ordinary routine.
However, what lay beyond the routine was a deep, unfathomable sea.
Paladin yawned, stretched, and returned to his room.
Seraph's "disappearance" had kept him mentally tense recently.
It's not that he and Seraph had a close relationship; although their academies were close, it didn't mean they were familiar with each other.
Moreover, precisely because the two schools were close, the competition between them was even more fierce, just like the evident rivalry between the Duel Academy Main School and the Northern Branch, with rumored annual duel competitions.
In short, he and Seraph were not really friends and didn't have much of a relationship.
But, losing a professor meant the patrol team schedule became tighter. Even though he only had one class every three or four days, each class required him to prepare the lesson plans, which was actually very mentally taxing.
Additionally, because of his handsome appearance, exotic flair, and the interesting classes he taught, female students or diligent students surrounded him every day.
He wasn't annoyed, but he was admittedly a bit tired.
After all, he wasn't from a military or mercenary background, and although he used to be an adventurer, his physical condition was far from exceptional.
"Sigh... maybe I should take a break in the next class..."
Opening his room door, he sighed.
But thinking about the students constantly asking him questions made him feel a bit embarrassed.
Moreover, during this time, everyone was working hard, and taking a break would bring difficulty to other professors.
As an excellent professor, he couldn't do that...
"Welcome back."
As he was thinking, he heard a pleasant voice coming from his room. Looking up, he saw a silver-haired girl gently sitting on the edge of the bed, smiling as she welcomed him back.
He was momentarily stunned.
Then, he reached out, attempting to grasp her hand in mid-air, and, as if responding to him, the girl extended her right hand, but with her movement, her figure gradually faded from his eyes.
He shook his head, shivering, as if plunged into hot water, covered in sweat.
He gasped for air.
"Damn it... do I really need a break, am I hallucinating?"
He took off his uniform, hung it on the rack, and gazed blankly out of the window.