The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter
chapter-235

“It feels strange.”

It was the day before the vacation ceremony.

In the corner of the Hydrangea Garden, I finished the last lesson of the semester with White.

After explaining the assignments for the vacation, we sat on the stone bench and talked while looking at the lake.

“Thanks to you, Senior Isaac, I’ve gotten noticeably stronger. It was like being taught by an archwizard. It’s an opportunity you couldn’t get even for a thousand gold coins…!”

“I wanted to get you to at least master 4-star magic.”

“Ah, is that so…? I was such a pest, right…?”

White suddenly became depressed.

“No, I’m worse than a bug… I’m sorry for being such a worthless student…”

“That’s not what I meant.”

I meant that I’m sorry for not being able to teach you better.

I patted White’s head and smiled.

“Thank you for following along so well. You did great.”

Every time I patted her head, White’s sad expression gradually softened. She felt comforted by my touch.

“Senior Isaac, you’re going to stay at the academy, right?”

“I’m planning to, but I might go out for a while to get some fresh air.”

I had to go to Düpfendorf for the coronation ceremony and visit the Whiteclark Duchy for the Council of Kings.

At the academy, I was planning to get special training with the help of the Stone Turtle, Gormos.

Also, if Calgart the Necromancer had already been resurrected, I was planning on hunting him down during the vacation. Although the Phantom Cat, Cheshire, hadn’t returned yet from gathering information.

The destination, Baron Ropenheim’s territory, was too far for my [Clairvoyance] to reach. Even if it could, it would still be difficult to locate the Phantom Cat.

I was worried about the Phantom Cat, but Alice reassured me that she felt there was nothing wrong with him.

“Then, Senior Isaac, please visit Viyans whenever you have time.”

Viyans was the capital of the Zelver Empire.

“It’s alright even if it’s after you graduate. We’ll treat you very well.”

“Thanks, I’ll think about it. Also, about the watch… it was unfortunate.”

“It’s alright. It’s nothing new anyway…”

I had already explained to White the true nature of the pocket watch.

The watch was taken by the Imperial Court and was being thoroughly investigated by the Imperial Tower.

White was shocked when she first heard my story.

She thought it was the only decent gift given by her mother, who had tried to assassinate her until her death, but it turned out to be the most dangerous of all, a hidden trump card.

She looked down for a few days, but she quickly accepted the truth as it was not the first time.

“I was foolish to almost fall for a dead person’s trick… Now, I’ll just try to live diligently.”

Putting the past behind her, White smiled and held out her small fist to me.

“I’ve received so much grace since coming to the academy. Thank you, Senior Isaac. I’ll miss you during the vacation.”

“You too. You’ve worked hard this semester. I’ll miss you too.”

I fist-bumped White.

***

“We will now begin the Märchen Academy Vacation Ceremony.”

The blue sky was clear during the last day of the first semester of my sophomore year. All the students were gathered in the Academy Square, and the vacation ceremony began.

The Student Council President’s retirement ceremony was also held. When elected as the Märchen Academy Student Council President, you would need to serve for three semesters before stepping down.

On the stage, Alice Carroll gave her retirement speech, which was very straightforward, nothing special. At the end of it, she bowed and the students applauded.

The retirement ceremony was conducted according to tradition during the vacation ceremony, but Alice would still serve as the Student Council President until the end of this vacation.

However, Alice told me that it wouldn’t be burdensome as she only had to handle very minor tasks in the final stage.

When the next semester started, an election for the new Student Council President would be held. The movement of the Four Constellations, a student faction involved in academic administration, was already unusual.

Before long, the vacation ceremony ended, and the academy gates were fully opened. Many students boarded carriages and traveled to the continent, but I stayed at the academy.

An imposing Imperial carriage arrived at the gate, escorted by guards. I sent off Snow White and Merlin.

When I asked Merlin if it was okay not to see her sister, she answered that it was fine because she was here to perform her duty as an escort knight.

“I’ll get going, Senior Isaac! See you later!”

When I said goodbye to White, for some reason, the Imperial guards bowed to me politely.

It seemed like a friendly gesture from the Imperial Court, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

I also spotted Tristan Humphrey passing through the gate, but he pretended not to see me and boarded his family carriage.

Afterward, I spent time with Kaya.

Without the personality of Dark Kaya, she had become very timid, but her indecision about whether to kiss my cheek was quite cute. I patted her shoulder and told her to be careful, then saw her off.

Then, while I was walking through the empty training ground, thinking about taking it easy.

“Hey.”

“…?”

A female student called out to me, and I stopped.

Her short blue hair flowed like waves, and she had a petite frame.

It was Ciel Carnedas, the 3rd ranked student in the Magic Department.

Judging by her casual attire, she seemed to be leaving the academy soon as well. It felt like her half-open sleepy eyes were open just because they could be.

A bright smile spread across my face because Ciel was also an official heroine in ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, so I felt some affection for her.

“It’s been a while, Ciel. How does it feel? Must be sad to lose third place to me, huh?”

“You make me want to start a bloodbath the moment I see you.”

“You said you’re taking Ian?”

“Seems like you picked that up somewhere.”

It was now time for Ian to obtain the legendary ultimate weapon of light, the Luminous Sword, with the help of Ciel.

Ciel must have offered Ian a special training environment in exchange for the opportunity to study his Divine Power. They must have discussed how to conduct the research as well.

Ian would have readily accepted Ciel’s proposal to strengthen his relationship with the Carnedas family and to become stronger.

While training at the Carnedas Mansion, Ciel would pass down the family’s long-standing promise to Ian.

She would show him the token of their promise, persuade him, and then take him to the divine realm where the Luminous Sword resided.

Fortunately, the trial to obtain the Luminous Sword was not a regular battle but a test of mental strength, so there was no need to worry.

The Ian I know is mentally strong.

Ciel continued speaking in her usual calm and emotionless tone.

“Well, whatever I do with Ian Fairytale is none of your business. More importantly, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a trade secret. You understand, right?”

It was about the end-of-semester evaluation last year, during the first semester of our freshman year. I remember her mentioning trade secrets when we were having a hard time looking for Fell Cards using mana perception.

I had forgotten about it, but the memory suddenly resurfaced like a flashback, bringing a smile to my lips.

“So?”

“The Carnedas Family welcomes you. Other families will do the same, trying to impress you in every way possible. They’ll try to marry off their daughters to you, and all sorts of diplomatic gifts will pour into Düpfendorf. The world will revolve around you.”

Ciel shrugged her shoulders as she recited fluidly in her emotionless voice.

It was a forewarning.

I was only strong during combat, not during regular hours. I couldn’t always detect and prepare for danger in advance.

“Get to the point. You want to make a deal, right? And your family will fulfill such a role.”

“Correct.”

Ciel pointed at me with her index finger and nodded.

“Our family is infamous for that. Thanks to this, we hold the weaknesses of many families. You won’t regret it.”

“Then, what do you want from me?”

“To back the Carnedas Family.”

It was easy to understand.

Ciel wanted to graduate safely under my protection and also secure benefits for her family.

For either of us, it wasn’t a losing deal.

“I’ll think about it.”

“I hope you give a favorable response.”

I passed by Ciel but stopped as something came to mind.

“Ah, Ciel.”

“What?”

“I’ll leave Ian and Amy to you, make sure they don’t get hurt.”

I could feel Ciel’s gaze on the back of my head.

Her voice was wary as she realized something suspicious.

“You… knew, didn’t you?”

“Who knows.”

“…”

With that, I headed to the training ground.

* * *

The Carnedas Family carriage picked up Ciel, Ian, and Amy. Ian was brimming with enthusiasm, imagining how strong he would be with the Carnedas family’s help over the break.

Amy, finding Ian’s excitement adorable, smiled but couldn’t help but be mindful of Ciel.

Ciel covered her yawning mouth with her hand and slightly lowered her head, seemingly deep in thought. Amy debated whether to speak to her but decided against it, not wanting to interrupt.

Where did you get that information?

Ciel recalled her conversation with Isaac.

– I’ll leave Ian and Amy to you, make sure they don’t get hurt.

– You… knew, didn’t you?

– Who knows.

Isaac seemed to be aware of the secret promise passed down through the Carnedas family.

The promise to take the Child of Light to the divine realm.

An archwizard with incomprehensible abilities.

Had Isaac already deciphered that promise from an unreachable level?

Or maybe…

Taking Ian to the divine realm might have been Isaac’s intention all along.

While Ciel believed no danger would befall them…

She resolved to protect Ian if anything did arise.

After all, it was her decision to follow the family promise and take Ian to the divine realm. If she didn’t take responsibility for Ian’s safety from start to finish, she would only feel more unsettled.

Especially if protecting Ian aligned with Isaac’s goal of protecting the world.

Ciel planned to graduate from Märchen Academy under Isaac’s protection and live proudly.

With these thoughts, Ciel ended her contemplation.

“...It’s time for a nap.”

She muttered to herself as she looked at her watch. Her drowsiness was creeping in. Napping at the same time every day was crucial for her.

Ciel pulled out a pillow that could make anyone fall asleep from her magic pouch and laid down. The special design of the Carnedas Family carriage, with seats as spacious as beds, became evident.

“You two. I need to take a nap, so no talking.”

“You’re going to sleep here…?”

Ciel soon drifted off to sleep.

Ian and Amy, seeing her sleep soundly despite the bumpy ride, were taken aback.