Beep—
The sudden vibration of the Sorting Card made Dark glance up.
He hadn't left his room since waking that morning, spending a rare, lazy stretch of time flipping idly through books.
He set the book down now and casually drew the Sorting Card from the pouch by his bed.
"Are the results out?" Dark wondered, feeling none of the usual nerves that came with exam scores.
He held the card up before him and fed a thread of mana into it. The surface lit up, and an icon like a mail notification appeared at its center.
He tapped the icon, and sure enough, a transcript appeared.
"Let's have a look."
[Name: Dark Demon]
[House: Noble House]
[Year: First Year]
[Summoning: 100]
[Potions: 99.5]
[Magic Guide Theory: 98.5]
[Arithmetic: 100]
[History of Magic: 97]
[Dueling: 100]
[Monster Studies: 100]
[Astronomy: 98]
[Total Score: 793]
[Rank: 1]
Tapping into each subject's score, he could see the practical and written portions broken down further.
Dark looked closely and found that his points had been docked from the practical sections in both Potions and Magic Guide Theory.
"Seems my potion formulation and Magic Guide Card Forging still aren't quite perfect."
He shook his head slightly, then turned to the written feedback on his History of Magic and Astronomy papers.
Both Professor Ryan Hacks and Professor Medea Bartholomew had written two or three lines of brief commentary, pointing out the papers' weak points.
Still, that these two term papers had scored so high was, frankly, more than Dark had expected.
He was rather pleased about it.
"A total of 793, ranked first — about what I expected."
Though at the start of exams he hadn't been entirely certain he'd take first place.
But after the practicals for Summoning, Potions, and Magic Guide Theory, he'd known his advantage was already overwhelming.
The only thing that could have kept him from the top of the year was the paper scores for History of Magic and Astronomy.
But since neither of those scores had come in low, first place was all but guaranteed.
There was some surprise in it, but not much.
Dark got up and straightened his clothes, ready to head out.
The professors obviously couldn't send every student's scores to every card individually — if he wanted to know how his classmates had done, he'd have to check the posted results board.
He pushed open the door and stepped into a hallway already busy with foot traffic.
"Hey, Dark."
The boy who lived next door in Room 202 happened to be stepping out as well, and called out, "So, did your transcript come in yet?"
"Of course it did," Dark said with a smile. "Looks like yours turned out well?"
The boy said proudly, "Better than I expected — passed everything! How about you?"
"Also passed everything," Dark said.
"That's great!" the boy's voice rose. "I can't even imagine what it's like for the people who failed. Retakes? Remedial classes? Held back a year? Oh, man!"
"They won't hold anyone back," Dark said. "Retake exams usually aren't hard to pass."
"Maybe," the boy nodded. "Same material as before, after all. So, heading to the notice board together?"
"I'd like to," Dark said, shrugging and spreading his hands, "but someone's already waiting for me."
The boy glanced back without thinking and saw the two golden flowers of Noble House standing prettily behind him.
When he turned back around, his expression had gone knowing. "I won't keep you, then."
Dark gave a discreet smile and walked over to join Diana and Rose.
The three of them set off side by side.
Diana looked a little bouncy, while Rose wore a quiet, contented smile.
"Good results?" Dark guessed.
Diana bounced up at once. "I was just waiting for you to ask — I made the top ten!"
"Really? That's excellent," Dark said, quick to congratulate her.
"Of course it is!" Diana's little nose tipped up. "You should see how hard I worked!"
"And Rose?" Dark asked.
Rose said shyly, "I passed everything. Ranked thirteenth."
Dark seemed a bit surprised. "Did Magic Guide Theory and Potions drag your score down?"
Rose nodded. "Mm-hm."
The three of them walked down the stairs to the common room as they talked.
The common room was already packed with first-years.
Little Magic Guide Masters traded scores and rankings, every emotion on full display.
The room fell suddenly quiet the moment Dark appeared.
It wasn't until Doron suddenly shouted out that the air started moving again.
Doron trotted over and clapped Dark on the shoulder enthusiastically. "First place?"
Dark nodded. "First place."
"Knew it! First place!"
Doron leapt up as if he himself had taken the top spot, bouncing off cheerfully back into the crowd.
A moment later he could be heard shouting at the top of his lungs, "This year's Academy Cup wasn't ours, but the first-year top score is Noble House's! Tomorrow, next year, the year after that... it'll always be Noble House! Let's go!"
"Let's go!" a cluster of boys roared back, spirits soaring.
Doron went on, "No slacking off over the break either — this is our chance to catch up to the other houses as a whole. Next year's Academy Cup will be ours!"
…
Dark Demon slipped past the group of suddenly fired-up boys as though nothing were happening, and eased out of the common room.
Just before the door shut behind him, he caught the tail end of an irritated girl's voice: "Hey, can you all knock it off? Acting like you're the ones who came in first. Fine, even second or third place I'd let you crow about.
But what happened? Doron, you were the loudest one of all — what rank did you actually get? Go on, tell them. Can't even say your own rank now? Useless!"
…
"Sometimes I really think the little nobles of the first year have a lot of knightly spirit," Dark remarked, once they had crossed the outer bridge.
Diana's eyes rolled, and a thought struck her. "You mean Knight House spirit?"
Dark chuckled. "Noble House is brimming with confidence and hates to lose; Knight House charges ahead full of drive — the two are actually quite alike in that way, both burning to come out on top. That's why Knight House and Noble House always argue the loudest. Come on, let's go check the notice board and see who's second and third."
The three of them chatted as they walked, and were soon out of the Castle.
They found the notice board just outside the Castle's front gates.
A crowd had already gathered around it, and more people kept joining.
About half were first-years, the other half upperclassmen.
Only the first-years' scores had been posted so far, but clearly the upperclassmen were curious about the first-year rankings too.
Just as the Dueling Club's recruitment tournament drew club scouts hunting for new talent, end-of-term scores were another useful reference.
Dark spotted third-year Helena Tracy in the crowd at a glance.
This tall, striking third-year, close friends with Emma, was a member of the Literary Club.
At the edge of the crowd, a member of the Noble History Research Society was also watching from a distance, though it wasn't Mike Owen, who had handled recruitment before.
Of course, besides those there with a purpose, plenty of others were simply there to see what the fuss was about.
The lively scene made Dark frown slightly.
Diana didn't seem to mind, but Rose clearly didn't want to push into the crowd.
So he said, "Wait out here. I'll squeeze in and take a look."
With that, he pushed his way into the crowd.
After a while he finally squeezed his way to the front of the notice board, where a neatly posted sheet listed rank, name, house, and score in order.
He drew out his Magic Guide Scribe, rubbed two fingers together, and a faintly glowing book appeared in his hand.
"Record this."
The Magic Guide Scribe, obeying the command, scanned the entire results sheet in a single glance.
Dark then began to work his way back out.
Fighting against the current proved harder than pushing in with it.
By the time he made it out of the crowd, even he couldn't help letting out a breath.
He called the two girls over and sat down with them on a nearby bench, opening the Magic Guide Scribe.
"Let's see who's second..."
"It's not Emma?"
Diana pressed in close, and a milky sweet scent drifted into his nose.
Because Dark and Emma had worked together before, the two girls had grown fairly close to her as well.
But second place wasn't Emma — it was Sarah Swati!
"Well, she is the Sage of Winter's daughter."
That wasn't so hard to accept.
Emma and Sara's scores were almost identical — a difference of just one point.
"Second place, Sara. Third, Emma. Fourth place... Diana, so you're actually fifth?"
"Hee hee hee!" Diana couldn't help snickering.
Dark feigned shock. "I thought you'd only made the top ten!"
Diana said smugly, "How about that? Not just top ten — top five!"
"Impressive," Dark praised without holding back.
Diana wasn't naturally academic.
No one knew that better than he did.
But this same scatterbrained girl had still landed fifth in the entire year — and that clearly couldn't be chalked up to her practical-class edge alone.
She'd been in and out of the Library constantly lately, and it seemed her effort had finally paid off.
Dark kept scanning down the list.
"Hm, Eudora Vayne, seventh? Didn't she say she thought she'd done poorly?"
Dark blinked in mild surprise.
He remembered clearly the look on Eudora's face two nights ago — it hadn't looked like an act.
But seventh in the whole year — how was that poor?
"Or maybe I underestimated her goals."
Thinking of this, Dark fell quiet.
Eudora hadn't shown up in the common room, nor come out to see the notice board — she was probably with Professor Medea right now.
Like Diana, Eudora's grades had been pretty average at the start of the term.
To score seventh in the year showed just how hard she'd worked.
Diligence and effort really were the surest path to high marks, in the end.
…
"Let's head back."
Dark raised the Magic Guide Scribe in his hand, ready to return to the dormitory.
He could already imagine Emma's gloom at finding herself only third, and Sara's blazing competitive fire at confirming her second place.
As their target to beat, Dark knew he couldn't afford to let up if he wanted to stay ahead.
For those with resources, final exams were just a stage-marker — summer was where the real gap between people widened.
Both Emma and Sara had channels that could let them rise quickly.
And the foundation they'd built this first year would become the springboard for that rapid growth.
Come the new school year, they'd likely return to the Academy completely transformed.
"Still, I won't fall behind in that department either."
…
As evening approached,
students with results they were proud of and students who'd just received failing notices alike set aside their joys and sorrows for the moment and made their way to the first-floor Great Hall.
Tonight's banquet, as always, was held in the Great Hall.
Because the banquet's atmosphere tended to be more solemn, most students wore their uniforms and house badges, without much of the usual festive air.
There would be a dance segment too, but only individual dances kept at a respectful distance, and only at the very end of the evening.
People had already begun trickling into the hall from five o'clock onward.
By the time the three of them arrived, quite a few seats were already filled.
Outside the main doors of the Great Hall, a massive two-meter-long Magic Guide book had appeared at some point, floating silently in the air.
The three of them stopped at the entrance, watching curiously as upperclassmen posed in front of the book — each time a pulse of mana rippled out, two photographs would fly out from its pages and drift down into waiting hands.
"Is that a camera?"
Dark found his curiosity thoroughly piqued.
Diana and Rose looked just as eager.
"That's a simplified imaging device made specially by Magic House — it can capture about two seconds of moving projection."
A girl in a third-year Fool's House uniform had appeared behind them, smiling warmly.
It was none other than upperclasswoman Angelia Hudson.
"Magic House is handling the venue decorations this year, so of course they wanted to show off some new technology."
Seeing the three of them turn around, she smiled. "So, aren't you three going to get a photo taken?"
"A two-second projection, huh?" Dark glanced at Diana beside him and found her practically glowing with excitement. "Let's get one taken too?"
Diana nodded immediately, pecking her head up and down like a chick pecking rice.
Rose glanced at them, then paused, saying softly, "Why don't you two go first?"
Dark nodded. "Sure."
So he and Diana walked to the back of the line.
Rose followed along behind, smiling.
Operating the Magic Guide book was simple enough, and the line wasn't too long — their turn came quickly.
Dark stepped up to the book and, imitating the upperclassmen, touched its cover lightly. As a thread of mana flowed in, the book glowed faintly, and a ten-second countdown appeared above it.
He smiled and leaned in close to Diana.
They wore matching uniforms, their heights differing by about half a head.
One with shining gold hair, the other with dazzling silver.
Dark carried an air of aristocratic poise at all times.
Diana, meanwhile, only had that quiet, refined elegance about her when she stayed still.
Standing together, the two of them made quite a fitting pair.
As the countdown ticked down from ten to two, Dark murmured, "Smile."
"Okay," Diana answered obediently.
Then, just as the countdown hit zero, she suddenly rose up on her toes and planted a quick kiss on the boy's cheek!
Smooch—
A faint light flashed across the book, and two magical photographs drifted out from its pages, floating gently down.
Dark froze for an instant, but reflexively reached out and caught the falling photos anyway.
The warmth of her lips still lingered on his cheek, and a floating notice — "Lust +1" — drifted past his eyes, stating a certain fact plainly.
He turned to look at her, only to find Diana's face flushed bright red as she'd turned her head the other way, staring fixedly down at her toes like an ostrich.
Behind them, Rose had frozen at the unexpected scene.
"N-next up, me!" she blurted out suddenly, breaking the silence.
Dark smiled faintly and dangled one of the two photos over Diana's head, swinging it in front of her like bait on a fishing line. "Still want it or not?"
Diana blinked, then lunged forward and snatched the photo out of the air.
On it was printed the perfect instant of the girl kissing the boy.
A wave of indescribable joy welled up inside her.
She was already thinking about finding a frame for it the moment she got back, to set right by her bed!
While she was lost in her own little world, Dark had already finished taking a photo with Rose as well.
Then Rose looped her arm through Diana's and pulled her over, and the three of them took a group photo together.
This time, three photographs floated out from the book's pages.
Finally, Rose and Diana took one more photo together, just the two of them.
By the end, each of the three of them had three photographs in hand.
While the line was still short, they slipped quickly into the Great Hall and made their way to the seats set aside for Noble House first-years.
The Great Hall had been redecorated all in black to represent Magic House. The walls were hung with all sorts of odd little magical items, the cloth on the four long tables had been swapped for deep purple, and the floating candelabra had been replaced with weathered-looking iron candle holders shaped like clawed hands. Cobweb decorations hung from the ceiling, lending the hall a crumbling, ancient air.
Ghost-type Magic Guide Spirits hung batlike from the ceiling, adding an extra touch of eeriness.
Above the stage hung a row of enormous banners.
Tonight's end-of-term gathering was, in truth, less a wrap-up of the school year than the sixth-years' graduation ceremony.
Something like the announcement of the Academy Cup was really secondary by comparison.
Not long after the three of them sat down, more and more students poured into the hall.
By six o'clock, nearly every seat was filled, and a sorrowful melody began to swell through the hall.
The first-years didn't feel much about the idea of graduation — it was too far off for them, far less interesting than the desserts on the table.
As they nibbled their sweets, they watched the sixth-years closest to the stage with curiosity, wondering if they too would feel that same sadness once their own graduation came.
A moment later, the professors, dressed in formal attire, filed out from behind the stage and took their seats at the faculty table.
All the professors wore serious expressions tonight — even Professor Lily wasn't up to her usual antics.
Watching the professors take their seats one by one from a distance, Dark's mind wandered to something else: "I wonder if Principal Cynthia has made it back to the Academy for such an important occasion?"
Rose, sitting beside him, asked curiously, "Dark, what are you thinking about?"
"Nothing," Dark said softly.
A moment later he turned his head and saw Principal Cynthia stepping onto the stage.
"As always, Principal Cynthia makes her entrance last."
Dark couldn't help smiling at the thought.
He couldn't tell whether the Principal on stage was her true self or a projection, but it didn't really matter.
…
"It's June already — nine months have passed since the first-years enrolled."
Principal Cynthia, without the flair she'd shown on Christmas Eve, simply stood at the center of the stage, as beautiful as ever, and spoke gently.
"And our sixth-years can finally step out of the Academy's cradle and stand on their own as adults."
"As your Principal, I sincerely hope that once you leave this school, you will make full use of your talents, contribute to humankind, and become pioneers who lead the age toward something better."
"Within these walls, we've experienced a great deal, faced a great deal — but that was only the tip of the iceberg compared to the whole world. Once you step outside, you will see and face so much more."
"When that time comes, I hope none of you forget what you learned here — whether knowledge or spirit."
"Now then, let's start with something happy — the Academy Cup."
Principal Cynthia's smile was like the bright moon, her voice as soft as moonlight — but the happy news she was about to share wasn't happy for everyone.
The atmosphere in the hall, which had been rising steadily with her earlier words, suddenly dropped at this turn.
Everyone at the Academy already knew that this year's Academy Cup belonged to Magic House, so naturally the other three-quarters of the student body couldn't feel too cheerful about it.
Still, Principal Cynthia carried on as though nothing were amiss, announcing the scores for all four houses one by one.
In the end, Fool's House came in fourth, Knight House third, Noble House second, and — as expected — Magic House took first place!
As the final result settled, the hall below erupted into thunderous applause.
Though three-quarters of the crowd were only going through the motions, it turned out the remaining quarter alone could make plenty of noise.
Looking around at his classmates' stony faces, Dark felt an odd urge to laugh, but held it back.
In any case, the matter of the Academy Cup was settled, with none of the pointless last-minute reversal you'd see in the first year of a certain Harry Potter story.
The sixth-year Prefect from Magic House walked up onto the stage one final time before graduation, representing Magic House to accept a golden trophy.
That was this year's Academy Cup — an oversized replica modeled after the Holy Grail, engraved on its surface with the year and Magic House's name.
"As a student who's served as Prefect for Magic House since second year, receiving such a wonderful surprise right before graduation is a great honor!"
The sixth-year Prefect raised the Academy Cup high, a bright smile blooming across her face.
"I hope that after I've left, Magic House never forgets what we stand for. Those who seek knowledge shall become the wise!"
The hall broke into applause once more.
Once the sixth-year Prefect had carried the trophy off the stage, Principal Cynthia stepped back to the front. She told a couple of chilling old jokes, then suddenly raised her wand and gave it a light tap, causing a point of golden light to flare at its tip.
That golden light burst outward all at once, and a golden ring appeared above the stage.
Through the golden ring, one could see the golden cup still resting in its chamber.
It was one of the Three Wishing Relics — the legendary wish-granting cup said to have been forged by the gods: the St. Marian Holy Grail!
Dark still remembered clearly the line of ancient script engraved on the base of the Grail.
On the front: Those who are greedy shall have nothing.
On the back: Those who are not greedy shall also have nothing.
…
Even from a great distance, the aura the Grail gave off drew people in helplessly.
The moment it appeared, nearly every student's gaze was pulled toward it, as though their very souls were being drawn along with it.
Clap!
Principal Cynthia clapped her hands lightly, and the crisp sound reached every ear in the hall.
Everyone snapped back to their senses at once.
Students beyond first year had seen the Grail before, but even they couldn't easily shake off its pull.
The Grail was brimming with wishing power, rippling like wine within it, its deep base the color of a night sky, dotted with flickering points of light.
Principal Cynthia raised her wand and gave it a small hook of a gesture, and countless threads of golden light were drawn out of the Grail, gathering into a river of gold shimmering with starlight.
"Make your wishes. The Grail will answer your prayers. But remember — those who are greedy shall have nothing."
Principal Cynthia swept her wand, sending the river of gold surging toward Magic House's long table, bathing every student there in golden light.
Wishing power swirled through it, giving off a mysterious aura.
The first-year Magic House students eagerly reached out to touch the golden light.
But the second-years and above among Magic House had already closed their eyes.
A beat later, the first-years finally came to their senses too and hurried to shut their eyes and pray.
Students from the other houses could only watch on, eaten up with envy.
"I wonder how many will actually get their wish granted," Dark mused slowly.
The St. Marian Holy Grail was an artifact beyond ordinary classification — if enough wishing power gathered, even a legendary item had some chance of being obtained.
The odds were extremely slim, but never zero.
Still, over the years, fewer and fewer students had been willing to gamble on that kind of wish.
Most students, drawing on past experience, chose to wish for "increased magic power" instead.
It was a realistic wish, and one with a high success rate.
Dark had once seen the "wish list" and knew the success rate for "increased magic power" was above seventy percent!
In other words, as long as your luck wasn't terrible, you'd get something out of it.
As for the small minority who wished for something else, the warning "those who are greedy shall have nothing" kept most of them from wishing for anything too outrageous.
"Damn it, my candy house!" Diana muttered through gritted teeth.
Dark chose to ignore her mutterings entirely.
He would never, ever tell Diana that the success rate for a candy house was above eighty percent.
…
About three minutes later.
After one more reminder from Principal Cynthia, even the students still hesitating hurriedly made their wishes.
The Grail behind the golden ring suddenly began sending out ripple after ripple of dark light.
Those ripples seemed to pass straight through space itself, spilling out from the ring and spreading across the entire hall.
A chorus of startled gasps rippled through Magic House's table one after another.
Most of those who'd wished for "increased magic power" found, to their delight, that their power had suddenly stirred to life, growing by some measure.
Those who'd wished for a physical object suddenly found the thing they wanted appear out of thin air on the table before them, and burst into wild joy.
Of course, there were also plenty who ended up with nothing at all, looking as though they'd lost their parents.
But the Grail only granted one chance — fail, and that was that, with nothing left to do but hope for next year's Academy Cup.
…
Once everyone had settled down from the excitement, Principal Cynthia began speaking again.
She first congratulated the students whose wishes had come true, then expressed her regret to those whose hadn't, encouraging them to try again next year.
After that, Principal Cynthia recounted, in detail, the major events of the school year.
Despite so rarely being present at the Academy herself, she clearly knew everything that had happened within its walls.
As she spoke, she praised those who had achieved something and gently criticized those who had caused trouble.
Then she moved on to matters concerning the sixth-years.
As she spoke, some of the sixth-years began quietly weeping, and the mood of impending farewell thickened.
When she finished, she invited representatives from each of the four houses' sixth-year classes, along with students who had held important responsibilities, to come up and give speeches.
Then came an open floor, where any sixth-year who wished could take the stage to voice their feelings about leaving.
The whole segment ran until nearly eight o'clock before finally wrapping up.
At last, Principal Cynthia drew out a food-themed Magic Guide Card and gave it a gentle wave toward the crowd, causing every table to fill with exquisite dishes.
Dinner had finally arrived.
…
Tonight's banquet was, in the end, refreshingly free of frills.
After dinner ended, desserts and tea were laid out once more, and the evening moved into its final segment: individual dancing.
Everyone rose to their feet, stepping to the melody beside their seats.
It was both a closing note on a year at the Academy, and a farewell ceremony for the sixth-years.
There was no formal announcement needed to end the banquet — once students finished their dance, they simply drifted out of the hall one by one.
Dark didn't linger in the hall either.
The moment he stood up, Diana and Rose followed along with giggles.
The three of them decided to take a walk around the Castle grounds, to close out their first year properly.
Moonlight lay across their toes, trampled with every step.
The summer night breeze left a warmth lingering in the heart.
Dark hadn't gotten far before the strand of "Blessing of the Wind Spirit" hidden in his hair stirred to life on its own, coiling gently against his ear.
Professor Silf's voice came through it.
Dark stopped abruptly, footsteps halting.
"What's wrong?" Diana asked quickly, and Rose turned her head as well.
Dark's expression showed a flicker of surprise. "I need to go to the Principal's office."
…
"Ugh, no fair!"
Diana and Rose had clearly wanted to keep walking.
But since the Principal had summoned him, there was nothing to be done.
Dark said his goodbyes to the two girls and headed for Principal Cynthia's office.
Even Dark had visited the Principal's office only a handful of times.
He had no idea why the Principal was suddenly calling for him, though he could think of a few likely reasons.
Besides, with Professor Silf involved, there wasn't really much to worry about.
Before long, he knocked on the door of the Principal's office and stepped inside.
____
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