n

n

n

n

nEvelyn’s group left the clubroom with frustration written on their faces. They didn’t get the reaction they wanted from Vale. They wanted some conflict to happen and wanted to show that they were more talented than him.

nHowever, Vale didn’t seem to care about them and was even happier knowing that there were 30 more disciples who could have been better than him!

nEdward also felt unhappy with how their conversation ended just like that. Their Senior Disciple even invited them to join his club, which was somewhat unexpected. 𝙡𝒃𝒆𝓪.𝒎

n“Let’s not think about him anymore. I guess he was still thinking that he’s better than us.” Edward said as they walked through the hallway.

n“Huh? Why will he think of that?” Odell asked, confused by Edward’s sudden claim.

nEvelyn also frowned and waited for Edward to explain.

n“Did you forget what Master Heinz told us? He previously claimed that only those with Special Physique can learn the Malefic Branch. This is what he taught to Senior Vale. Until now, Senior Vale probably believes he has more affinity in Malefic Branch than us since we didn’t “die” during the Darkness Possession like him and Master Heinz.” Edward explained.

nEvelyn and Odell’s eyes lit up after hearing this.

nIndeed, their Master hadn’t perfected the potion at the time when he accepted Vale as a disciple. However, during their time in the Manor, they received the perfect potions, so they were able to learn the Spell Dispersion and acquire the Incorruptible Body without experiencing “death.”

n“So it was like that…” Odell muttered as he felt relieved.

n“That made sense. Let’s just let him feel superior for now. Soon, he will hear our names as we spread the greatness of our Branch.” Evelyn said as she clenched her fist.

n“Ahh! But we forget to ask if he will be participating in the Competition.” Edward said as he stopped walking, considering whether to return.

n***

nIn the meantime, Vale was listening to their conversation as they were still within the range of his Magic Zone.

nHe couldn’t help but chuckle as he realized that they were really dedicated to spreading the Malefic Branch. He even suspected that Heinz had really brainwashed these kids.

n“Let’s give you a mark for now so I can observe your movement in the Academy.” Vale muttered as he activated his Divine Sense and left a Mark on each of them.

nIn any case, the usage of energy is only one time, and he didn’t have to maintain it. The Mark will automatically be removed after three months unless he places another mark.

nAfter finishing this, Vale momentarily paused as he sensed the Headmaster entering his Magic Zone.

n“This…”

nHe immediately realized that he had been careless, and the Headmaster had probably detected the Mark he left behind.

nLuckily, the Headmaster seemed to have just passed the building and wasn’t monitoring his movement.

n‘Now that I think about it, can someone sense the Mark inside the Academy?’ Vale mused. If someone detected the Mark and traced it back to him, he would surely be in trouble.

n‘Should I remove it?’ Vale was conflicted. However, after some thought, he felt quite fearless, considering how much he had in his arsenal.

n‘Headmaster Jean needs to win that contest in the Competition. I should be fine until then.’ Vale thought arrogantly as he dismissed the idea of removing the Mark.

n***

nAs the weeks turned into months, the Academy buzzed with anticipation for the upcoming Twelve Academies Competition.

nThe Academy Publication Club’s newspaper was filled with articles, speculations, and predictions about the event. Predictions about the Academy’s participants and even students in other Academies were written in the newspaper.

nOf course, the official participants weren’t announced yet.

nStudents from the Fourth Year to the Tenth Year eagerly awaited the announcement of the selected participants who would represent their respective branches and academic years.

nSince there were five branches in Vermont Academy – Rituals, Necromancy, Dark Alchemy, Dark Magic, and Essential Corruption – each academic year would send their top three students to compete against the top three students from each of the other branches.

nThe ultimate goal was for each academic year to secure five spots for their respective curriculum.

nIn the Rituals Branch of the Fourth Year, Vale Chambers, Leonore Roland, and Maya Featherstar earned the opportunity to represent their Branch in the selection. 𝑟.𝘤𝘰𝑚

n“It’s quite different now… Before, the professors would just select the top five according to their preference.” Maya muttered after realizing the format of the selection event. It seems that the Academy is taking the competition this year seriously.

nThe stage was set for an intense showdown as the top three students from the Rituals Branch would face off against the top three students from the Necromancy Branch, Dark Alchemy Branch, Dark Magic Branch, and Essential Corruption Branch.

n“Indeed… But sounds like the Dark Magic Branch would have the edge in this selection.” Leonore commented. After all, the Necromancers, who were strong contenders, would only have strong summons in their sixth year. The summons of the fourth-year necromancers would only be Skeleton Warrior or Unclean Zombie at this stage.

nAccording to the statistics shown in the publications, from Sixth-Year to Eighth-Year, the Academy would normally send Necromancers to the Twelve Academies Competition.

nThe Ninth-Year and Tenth-Year were the only ones that varied since they had Special Dark Spells and had a chance to learn Shadow Soldier that year.

nAs the day of the Selection Competition drew near, the Academy Publication’s newspaper was filled with articles profiling the selected participants.

nAt this point, the achievements of each participant over the past year years were revealed.

n“W-what?” Evelyn held the newspaper with trembling hands as she read such an absurd claim in the articles.

nHer friends immediately noticed her reaction and looked at the article she was reading.

nThere, they saw Vale Chamber’s profile and his achievements over the past three years. What stunned them the most wasn’t his strength that rivals the Slender Zombie but his Power Strands, Life Strands, and Spirit Strands, which shouldn’t be possible at his young age!

n“Impossible!”

nUpdated from 𝑖𝑟𝘦.𝒸𝘰𝘮

n