n

n

n‘Hoffman?’ Vale repeated in his mind.

nHe only knows one Hoffman and that is the creepy Headmaster who took his shadow without permission!

nLooking at the confusion on his face, Priscilla chuckled as she immediately explained. “We’re related to the headmaster but it’s not what you think.”

nThis confused Vale even more but since they just met each other, he can’t simply interrogate the two about their relationship with the Headmaster.

n“I understand… I just thought that he had a daughter… and a son.” Vale said as he gently nodded to Philip.

n“Alright, that’s it for the introduction. The next scheduled use for the arena would be on this weekend. The three of your will work together in the Third Arena and it would be our Club President himself who will be managing this important duel so it’s a great opportunity for all of you.”

nNadine said as she gestured to the man who was seated at the center of the round table.

nVale’s eyes lit up after hearing this. He actually didn’t know the Club President and he only knows that he’s currently a 10th-year student according to Nadine.

nAs for the Vice-President, Nadine previously mentioned him. He was Elmer Vermont and an 8th-Year student in the Academy. Elmer should be the one managing most of the matters in the club since the President would be graduating already.

nThe only time the President would get involved is during some important events that the club has to deal with.

n‘So he’s the president…’

nVale then looked at the club president who seemed quite small… As a tenth-year student, he should be about 23 or 24 years old but his appearance was unusual.

nHis height was similar to him and furthermore, he doesn’t look intimidating as he had expected.

nHe seemed more like a freshman student than Vale!

nVale initially thought that the club president would look tough and strong but he was extremely wrong.

n“President Noah Featherstar. I’ve heard a lot of things about you. It’s a great honor to finally meet you.” Philip spoke as he immediately compliment that president.

n“Oh? Have you heard something about me? I wonder what those rumors are…” The blond Club President spoke with interest.

n“I heard that during your mission last academic year, you captured a dozen of Holy Arts Practitioners that were messing with the Dark Alchemy Branch in Remmington. That was really impressive.” Philip replied in excitement.

nThese words shocked Vale for a moment since this implies a few things.

nThe war between the Dark Arts Faction and the Holy Arts Faction seems to have only ended in papers but it’s not in reality!

nAlthough Vale already has these thoughts after seeing the attack in the dockyard last year, he still thought that it was only a special event that wouldn’t be repeated anymore.

n‘If the war is still ongoing secretly, then it’s definitely a high-level one considering the public seems to be unaware of it.’ Vale sighed inwardly as he now believes that this academy must be the safest place right now.

nThe only probably is when he became a ninth-year or maybe even eighth-year student where he has to do an outside mission. He can only hope that the war between the two factions was already over at that time.

n“Haha… So you’ve also heard about it… I was simply too strong for them. If you managed to pass the third year and had to choose a branch for your fourth year, I suggest that you guys choose the Essential Corruption Branch… This branch is the future of the Dark Arts. Not the Necromancy, Dark Alchemy, Dark Magic, and other branches…” 𝙡𝒊𝙖.𝙢

nNadine frowned at these words so she swiftly interrupted. 𝒊𝒆.

n“Ahem… It will still depend on your skills and talent. I suggest that you take the recommendation made by your professor in your third year. They will make a proper assessment of you based on your performance over the past three years.”

nAfter saying this, Nadine led the conversation so they only talk about the matters regarding the club.

nSince they were about to receive a fund from the Academy, they discussed how it will be spent to ensure that the three Battle Arenas weren’t just properly maintained but also for them to be properly rewarded for their efforts.

nDuring this time, Vale learned plenty of things about how the club is being run and how they have to coordinate with other clubs to ensure that the Arena would have a scheduled event every week.

nAfter this discussion, Vale also heard the Club President recommend him as a Referee.

n“Cough… Cough… Pres, I’m only a first-year student. I can’t do that yet. I’ll just be a petty officer for now.”

n“Petty officer? Haha… I like the sound of that… However, I heard that you have 25 Spirit Strands, right? Furthermore, I watched your battle against Wilfred. I think that you’re really fitted as a referee, don’t you think so?”

nVale froze as soon as he heard the President’s words.

n‘My Spell Dispersion is indeed suited for that… However, how did the president learn about it?’ Vale was stunned as he looked at the President carefully.

nAfter a few moments, he erased that idea. Most likely, this person is only sounding him out.

nIn the meantime, Nadine was actually shocked after hearing the president’s words.

n“Ahhh… Wait, you have 25 Spirit Strands as a first-year? I thought you only have ten…”

nVale wryly smiled after hearing this.

n“Secretary Nadine, I think that the Spirit Converging Crystal that you used to test me can only accommodate ten Spirit Strands… You just assumed that it’s my limit as well.” Vale reminded the dumb senior.

nAt this point, the other members suppressed their chuckles as they found it funny that Nadine didn’t properly check Vale’s Spirit Strands.

nIn the meantime, Priscilla turned to Vale with excitement.

nHer eyes were showing admiration and eagerness as she looked at him.

n“So you’re the rumored 25-Strand student… You had a better score than Maya… I heard that she already wrote a letter to her family so she can receive the Spirit Amplification Potion. She probably didn’t like how you exceeded her.”

n𝑖𝘦𝑎.𝗇t

n