Chapter 54: Graduation 2
In the year 894 of the kingdom’s history, the graduation party for the Academy of Magic began.
A total of 88 students, not only the special class of nobles but all the students graduating in the same year, a total of 88 people, participated in the party.
It may seem like a small number when you hear it. But even though the human species in this world has magical power, there aren’t many who can use it on a practical level.
That’s why those who have strong magical powers are valued, and the descendants of those who became nobles for using their power at the founding of the country can handle magic well.
Because of such a tendency, it was probably inevitable that the Lady of the Michelle family, who was a Marquis but was unable to handle magic due to difficulties in controlling her magic power, was despised.
Even if there were 88 graduates, if you include escort partners, family members, and people involved in the academy, the number of participants lightly exceeds 300.
Besides, because a band is also necessary, the large auditorium that can accommodate more than 1,000 people in the academy was used for the event.
Although there is no formal difference in status within the academy, there is a clear difference between the ordinary citizens who have already entered the academy and the aristocrats who come in later.
At first glance, the food and drinks are the same, but on the aristocratic side, the ingredients and cooks are carefully selected, and when the general students and their relations try to head that way, they are gently blocked by the knights.
A nobleman with such a strong power is respected. Hence, a nobleman who cannot handle power will be despised by the commoners as well.
This year’s graduation party had a slightly different atmosphere from the previous years.
The aristocratic students enter through the entrance on the aristocratic side. The first to enter are the middle nobles, such as barons and viscounts, while the lower nobles, such as associate barons and knights, are treated the same as ordinary students.
However, what the general students and noble officials were paying attention to was not the noble students, but the intelligent creatures they summoned from another world – the [partners].
”I heard that this year’s summoned partners were the human race.”
“Not since the days of our saint hundreds of years ago.
“Is the human race summoned by the goddess to avert a great calamity or is …… something going to happen? It’s horrible.”
”Haha, there have been some major incidents, but they’re over. Even in the past, the country prospers greatly after a major incident, so I’m looking forward to the future.”
“This must be a goddess’ gift to us, too.”
“Look. Those people have black hair and black eyes ……?”
Eyes are drawn to the boys and girls with black hair and black eyes who enter from the noble side.
Even though they are of the same 【Human Race】 as themselves, they are from another world.
However, as more and more【Partners】entered, the expressions of the aristocrats became distorted as they wondered.
”What do you mean? Why is my nephew escorting his maidservants!”
“So is my granddaughter. ……. ‘You mean she didn’t get a partner?'”
About half of the noble students had not gotten a [Partner].
Almost all of the boys who were potential partners had become noblemen’s partners, but more than half of the girls with tired expressions had entered with the escort of a butler.
Amidst the buzzing aristocratic officials wondering what’s going on, one woman muttered as if she were spitting.
”My sister told me. She heard that Miss Sharon of the Michelle family had decided on a partner prematurely to His Highness Joel.”
“I’ve heard that too. Kidnapping the most beautiful girl, turning her potential partner into a maid and treating her like a slave.”
“Well, what a terrible thing to do: ……”
“I’m told she is a lowborn inferior who can’t even use magic.”
Perhaps they heard the voices of these nobles, and some of the ordinary students showed glimpses of anger.
Sharon was previously feared and spurned due to her silent and stern impression. But from the resolute attitude she showed towards the crisis in the academy, they realized that she was only trying to fulfill her duties as a nobleman, and she was also being reevaluated for her magic skills.
To begin with, the bizarre interactions between Sharon and her partner, the maid, had been witnessed by many in the academy, and her popularity had gradually increased due to her cute appearance.
In hindsight, it was enough to make them bury their heads in the sand, wondering why they had been so estranged from her.
But even if they thought so, they were not allowed to argue with the nobleman as ordinary students.
At that moment, the hall buzzed for a moment.
It was because Sharon, the Marquise Michelle’s Marquise daughter, who had just been talked about, had entered, but even more than that, her beauty attracted the attention.
Was she this beautiful? She was dressed in a fine dress of a sheen I had never seen before, reminiscent of her birth mother, who was called the White Rose.
It was also a shock to everyone around her that Sharon, a prospective fiancée of the second prince, His Royal Highness Joel, was being escorted by an heir of the Marquis de Mercia.
The Marquess of Mercia, Andy, still single and good looking, was very popular with the ladies as he was the captain of His Highness Joel’s bodyguard.
This shock was overridden by the next appearance of His Royal Highness Joel, who was escorting the dark-haired young lady, who no one had seen before.
To be escorted by royalty at this graduation party is to be seen as a fiancée as it is.
Where is this young lady from? Even though the appearance of Viscountess Clarice, who was escorted by His Royal Highness the Dauphin, who entered afterward, the talk about Sharon and Joel did not disappear, and Clarice scowled slightly.
”(…… What’s going on?!)”
Princess Emily, who was watching the scene from the noble officials’ seat, was stunned.
According to that dark-haired maid’s report, things were going well, and Emily’s maid of honor was also checking on Sharon who was harassing Ginko.
In the report, Ginko was told that she was on the verge of declining to become Joel’s fiancée because of Sharon’s harassment.
But as of now, Ginko is happily gazing at Joel, and Sharon, who should be angry at being taken by her fiancé, is in a sweet mood with Andy.
Had that dark-haired maid betrayed her? She tried to look for her, but she couldn’t find her in the hall.
It can’t go on like this. If it goes on like this, her beloved brother Joel will be taken away by an unknown woman from another world. Joel should marry a woman he doesn’t love like Sharon for a mere formality and only love Emily for the rest of his life. Emily thought that he was willing to have a forbidden relationship between brother and sister for that purpose.
(Hurry …… quickly, we have to do something about it.)
She must take action before the people here recover from the confusion.
That impatient feeling reached God, I heard a [voice] that seemed to echo behind my ears.
”Stand up, Emily. You must immediately denounce Ginko. Ginko is acting unworthy of a royal fiancée and is acting incompatibly with the common sense of the nobility. If you denounce Ginko now, Sharon will be on your side to testify.”
Emily thought that voice was the [Goddess].
Recalling that those who became queens and saints in the past also listened to the oracle to guide this country, Emily grinned and sneered as she stood up from her seat.
She didn’t even notice that a small spider in a maid’s outfit had left from her ears as she walked briskly …….
“Ginko-san, your behavior is remarkable. You are not worthy of being Brother Joel’s partner!”
“Emily!?”
Suddenly, when Emily began to denounce Ginko, Joel shouted in surprise.
“This woman doesn’t deserve my brother. I will not allow my brother to make her a member of the royal family!”
“What are you talking about? Ginko’s not that kind of girl.”
“Brother is deluded! We have a witness.”
“Witness ……?”
Joel frowns quizzically. Ginko, who is frozen in surprise.
Amidst a sudden buzz from those present, Emily turned to the silver-haired girl as if he was good at it.
“Come on, Sharon, testify!”
Receiving those words from Emil and the gazes of all those present, Sharon pulls and shakes her head with a face like she is about to cry as if she is in a hurry.
”Gingko is a good friend, I won’t do that!”
Emily’s mind goes blank at Sharon’s words.
“Why? I was just following the oracle, so how did this happen?”
“…… Emily.”
“Brother Joel, ……, no, no! It wasn’t me, but an oracle from the goddess!”
“…… oracle?”
No matter how you look at it, it sounded like Princess Emily’s imagination, but the attendees’ gazes were naturally drawn to the altar of the goddess in the hall.
Why would there be an altar that wasn’t there in previous years, only this year? Next to the altar was Elias, the only holy knight in the country. As if he had done something, the altar was unusually full of the goddess’s divine spirit shining out of the altar, attracting people’s attention.
No matter how you look at it, it was a painful falsehood of Princess Emily. Nevertheless, it is not normal for a still young princess who is loved by the people to disgrace her brother’s chosen partner, and the fact that the divine qi overflows from the altar there gave the word ‘oracle’ impossible credibility.
”No way, it’s really the Goddess?”
Such thoughts passed through the minds of those present, and the altar’s holy seal clattered as if it were shaking as if the thought had shaken their faith for a moment.
“Now is the time!”
Suddenly, Elias raised his voice and thrust his sword at the Holy Mark.
When people were astonished that the Holy Knight Elias, who was said to be the most beloved of the goddesses, would do such a thing, and people were astonished that the sword was pointed at the altar, a glowing object flew out of the altar in surprise.
Towards the light, a black shadow that had been sticking up from the ceiling swooped down and entangled the glowing object with a shining thread-like object.
If you looked closely, you would have noticed that the invisible thin thread covered the entire hall like a spider’s web.
A dark-haired maid girl who came down from the ceiling to the light struggling while trapped in the multiple layers of spider webs smiles as she sings.
”maaaaaaaaaayyyyyy.”