Chapter 141

Chapter 113: Opening Ceremony

Looking up again, ahead of the field, Mother Teresa was supporting Headmistress Grandma who had already stood at the front of the line amidst the cheers of the students. The teachers lined up on both sides of her, while across the vast training ground, teams from the four towers—Ceylon Lake, Yaha Mountain, Emi Plain, and Triestrey Canyon—filled up nearly half of the area. The bustling noise seemed almost capable of overturning the entire academy.

She raised her hand to signal for silence.

With just a simple gesture, the effect was immediate. The students quickly quieted down. Then, Headmistress Grandma slowly reached into her clothes, fumbling for a moment before pulling out something…

What’s that… It looks like a golden sphere? Yes… It feels like the magic balls in movies, about the size of a fist. There’s something odd about it, as if it might release something strange…

“Thud thud—”

My heart suddenly thumped violently twice.

In front of the crowd, Headmistress Grandma held the sphere and began to chant softly. A soft, gentle golden light emanated from the orb in her hands.

A strange feeling suddenly arose in my heart… It was a very familiar, comforting feeling.

It felt like this, but it quickly vanished. My little brain couldn’t process it yet.

The next moment, dazzling golden light broke through the sky, piercing through the clouds, unimpeded, pouring down like a curtain. Instantly, the road beneath my feet, the iron fence standing nearby, the tiny dust particles in the air, Sarah’s face beside me, everything I could see, was coated with a thin layer of golden light.

I couldn’t help but squint, and all I could hear were the students’ loud exclamations again.

“Wow—”

“It’s a miracle! Ancient words!”

“It’s so amazing…”

Then, a thunderous voice came from the sky, echoing throughout the clouds: “Quiet—!!”

Buzz buzz buzz…

This sound, with its tail end that seemed capable of rupturing eardrums, vibrated and caused me to cover my ears. I recognized that it was Headmistress Grandma’s voice.

“Oh my god…”

The three girls beside me also couldn’t bear such volume, covering their ears and closing their eyes, screaming in fright. The scene gradually became silent after a brief moment of panic.

Headmistress Grandma scanned the four teams with her gaze, pondered for a moment, and then her voice echoed again in the golden light.

“You, are you the new students of the Royal Academy this year?… Is this what you look like?”

Her elderly voice, low and trembling, sounded like a distant rumble, or a whisper close to your ear.

Is this… an amplifier? Telepathy?! No, it’s a miracle…

The power of faith can do even this…

“First, examine yourselves, cough cough.” In the golden light, Headmistress Grandma continued after clearing her throat, “Disheveled, lacking spirit, poorly dressed, hair messy like a bird’s nest…”

Hearing this, Sarah hurriedly tidied her hair.

Grandma paused, then pointed her index finger at those still running in circles.

“Look at their appearance… Twenty laps, doesn’t that sound like a lot? But I left twenty minutes for you. Last year, with only fifteen minutes, there were fewer latecomers. If you can’t even manage a small thing like being punctual, how can you aspire to do great things? That’s why I set the arrival time earlier, to see how many incompetent people there are among this year’s new students…”

“…Don’t glare. You are incompetent. Tell me, what can you do? Give you the best steel sword from the central workshop, who could you kill? Those vicious heretics? Or the bandits blocking the road outside?”

“I don’t care what your status is. Whether noble or commoner, since you chose to come here

“Follow the rules of the academy and leave your outside world behind. The capital is a special place…”

The long speech began, and soon I couldn’t listen anymore. My little mind wandered to another matter.

Something felt strange.

If this golden light was a miracle, shouldn’t it be performed by members of the church? Sister Theresa stood beside me, so why was it the headmistress? She wasn’t part of the church and had no divine power. This wasn’t normal.

“Sophia…”

“This is a miracle,” Sophia said, looking straight ahead with a calm face. Before I could even open my mouth, she knew what I was going to ask. “It’s activated by something called ‘the ancient god’s words.’ That ball in the headmistress’s hand is a divine relic belonging to the capital, with a coverage area about as large as the entire city.”

“A divine relic…”

This thing again.

I looked up at the barrier bathed in golden light. “Like an eggshell?”

“…Please call it ‘Boswell’ properly,” Sophia gave me an exasperated look. “Try not to say that word in front of the residents of the capital; some people find it offensive, thinking it’s blasphemy.”

“Oh.”

But I can’t remember all these complicated names…

“‘Boswell,’ that’s what humans call the ancient god in legends,” Sarah chimed in.

“Right.” Sophia cleared her throat and continued, “Payne, your understanding is also correct. According to historical records, ‘the ancient god’s words’ and ‘Boswell’ were two relics given to the Order Capital by the gods hundreds of years ago, though no one knows what the latter is.”

“No one knows…”

“For safety reasons, we need to keep it secret. The church keeps ‘Boswell’ under wraps, even from the palace. All the public knows is the barrier.”

“So it can be used without faith power?”

“Probably. The queen has used it too, and she doesn’t have any faith power.”

I nodded.

“Oh.”

So, it seems like divine relics are more like… how should I put it?

Just like those stories from my previous life where gods give transmigrators ‘cheats.’ Functional items given to humans? Depending on their traits, each divine relic exhibits different abilities, such as a shield or a trumpet… Is that right?

Well, roughly speaking. It’s hard to say.

I still haven’t seen enough. I should visit the academy library when I have time; there must be more good books there than in Schantel Castle… Or maybe I should visit that woman on my day off—

Gulp.

!!!

My heart jumped, and my eyes darted around—seemed nobody noticed.

…I’m a bit hungry.

I wonder how the royal academy cafeteria is. I remember it doesn’t cost extra money, but I hope they don’t limit portions… They probably won’t, right?!

End the ceremony soon…

“…For a thousand years, the gods have protected the capital, and since its establishment six hundred years ago, countless legends have emerged from here. In recent decades, heroes have risen in abundance. There’s the Sword Saint Rhine, Starfall Rain Magipenny, Flame Rapier Luria, Tulip Kris, and… our queen.”

“They are renowned worldwide, and you, in the future, might become like them… cough!”

Headmistress took a deep breath.

“The heroes of this world wear pure gold medals on their chests, wear sunflower shield armor, and have white iris cloaks draped over their shoulders. They travel thousands of miles and slay demons with a flick of their fingers—tell me! Could they be you?!”

“Yes—!!”

Among the thunderous shouts, Sarah’s voice was the loudest.