Chapter 384: Even Dark Demon Said It Was Good (17/233)
The Free City.
As soon as Dark Demon entered, Aurora used Principal Altair’s magic mirror to observe him closely.
Aurora was not someone who obsessed over appearances, but who wouldn’t like someone beautiful?
Dark Demon DiMont’s appearance was flawless even to the most critical of eyes. His focused and meticulous demeanor during the competition, his composure and calmness when the golem was in danger, his gentleness and reliability in asking the golem for advice before accepting a challenge, his humility in victory, and his indifference towards malice were all truly on display.
There was no flaw to be found.
He was completely different from the rumors that had been circulating recently.
In fact, those rumors almost seemed like they were deliberately fabricated.
However, from the information revealed by her mother and Principal Altair’s conversation, it didn’t seem so.
“Could one really change so much in such a short time?”
Reflecting on her own transformation from understanding things at age five, Aurora believed it was possible.
But this new Dark Demon DiMont made her feel a bit unfamiliar.
Her impression of the person she was supposed to marry should not be like this.
Patiently, Aurora watched, gradually replacing her old impressions with the image before her, feeling a faint sense of melancholy.
It was not long before she would graduate from Saint Maryann Academy.
Soon, she would leave the familiar environment, bid farewell to her loving mother, and go to study in an unfamiliar and distant place.
Aurora was not without resistance.
But as she grew older, children must eventually leave their parents’ care; it was just a matter of time.
In the future, that boy who had been fated to cross paths with her since childhood might play a significant role in her life.
Originally, she was very confident, integrating herself into Dark Demon DiMont’s life and doing everything she was supposed to do.
At that time, she wouldn’t need to think too much; it would come naturally.
Isn’t there a saying, “Familiarity breeds affection”?
Aurora always believed that five years would be enough for both sides to get used to each other’s presence.
Graduating and getting married would then be a natural progression.
Now, however, she felt somewhat lost.
Dark Demon DiMont was far more outstanding than she had anticipated, so outstanding that she didn’t know how to fit in.
Even less so into his life.
And such an outstanding and charming individual would inevitably attract admirers, right?
Aurora’s gaze fell upon the girl walking beside Dark Demon DiMont.
This made her pupils contract slightly, and her heart stirred.
She was a very adorable girl with silver hair similar to Aurora’s, and her large eyes seemed to sparkle with vitality.
First-year student, twelve years old, a year older than Aurora, but looked younger.
Perhaps Aurora seemed slightly older?
Moreover, unlike Aurora, who wasn’t very good at laughing freely, she was a very cheerful child whose smile was highly infectious.
Surely, being around such a child would bring endless fun every day?
From an outsider’s perspective, it was evident that this girl harbored feelings for Dark Demon.
Aurora couldn’t help but look down at her chest, her doubts deepening.
“Can I really do this?”
…
Countess Montiel Farley was actually a person who was both rough and meticulous.
She immediately saw through her daughter’s thoughts and casually asked, “Altair, who is that child? Also a first-year student?”
Principal Altair smiled faintly, “Diana Gretbail, the precious daughter of the Great Bear family.”
“That Great Bear family? You’re not mistaken, right?” Countess Montiel Farley’s composed face instantly broke.
There was no helping it; the Gretbail family members were all true “Great Bears.”
Countess Montiel Farley and Viscount Gretbail had even fought side by side, making it hard to imagine such a cute child could be the daughter of the Great Bear family!
“Could it be a throwback? No, if it’s a throwback, it would be a bear, right?”
Countess Montiel Farley couldn’t help covering her forehead, feeling a bit confused.
Principal Altair said, “She’s Camilla’s child.”
Countess Montiel Farley widened her eyes, “That Camilla?”
Principal Altair pressed her lips together and nodded with a smile.
Countess Montiel Farley then bit her lip, “That Camilla actually married into the Great Bear family and gave birth to such a child?”
Aurora had been quietly listening all along. At this moment, she raised her head and asked, “Mother, which aunt is Camilla?”
Countess Montiel Farley turned her head and said, “Silver Wolf Knight Camilla, a shameless woman. Aurora, you mustn’t lose to her daughter, understand?”
“Yes.” Aurora nodded subconsciously, then immediately realized something was wrong, “Silver Wolf Knight isn’t Father’s…”
Countess Montiel Farley licked her lips, her eyes burning with a fierce fire, “Right, she’s your father’s half-sister.”
Aurora understood, “So Diana is my cousin?”
…
“Diana, Diana is great!”
In the capital city, Alvaraite watched Diana disappear with Dark Demon at the tunnel entrance and couldn’t help exclaiming.
When she saw her in the Novice Tournament, she thought this child had a lot of talent and was also very cute, with pure eyes.
“Diana and Anna are both named Anna.”
Princess Angie crawled onto the Valkyrie’s lap and secretly reached out to grab the white cat model in her hand.
Alvaraite gently moved the Deoxys model aside, thinking about the letter she received from Montiel Farley recently, which included a photo of her daughter.
The Aurora in the photo bore a striking resemblance to Diana.
Aurora’s reputation was also excellent; she heard that at ten years old, Aurora had already started helping her mother manage affairs, and would surely make a good wife in the future.
For her beloved son, who strongly rejected such matters, having such a capable wife would make life easier in the future.
At that time, Alvaraite felt Aurora was truly wonderful.
But human nature is greedy.
Contentment is built on rationality.
Now, Alvaraite felt that Diana was also quite good.
This brought her some happy troubles.
As for the two little princesses… they were still a bit playful.
…
After Dark Demon DiMont and Diana arrived at the circular belt, they quickly found Rose.
But he immediately noticed that only the unopened Easter Egg occupied the empty spot next to Rose.
This made him feel a bit awkward.
Diana, however, didn’t think much of it and ran over to Rose in a few steps.
Before him, she happily recounted her experiences in the preliminaries.
Only when Dark came over did she shift slightly, squeezing Rose to the side, making room for three-quarters of the seat, and winked at Dark.
Dark hesitated but still sat down in the empty seat.
The three children sat closely together, their smiles warm.
…
Spring arrived with the spring breeze, yet the capital city was blanketed by a light rain.
Due to Big Princess Eliza’s early observation of the rain, she had already moved the outdoor speeches indoors.
People sat comfortably inside, listening to her eloquent speech.
Among the people seated in the spacious hall, there were equal numbers of men and women.
Big Princess Eliza mainly talked about grassroots issues, the future, children’s education, housing construction, law and order, safety, and women’s liberation.
She appeared mild and utilized the unique advantages of women, ensuring her tone was as friendly as possible, allowing people to empathize with her ideas and follow her train of thought.
On the other side,
Prince Charles did not do the same.
He merely ordered raincoats to be distributed just before the fine rain began, while he himself delivered his speech under the rain, to create an imposing aura.
However, apart from the topic of women’s liberation, his speech was no different from what Big Princess Eliza had discussed.
Regarding the rejection of alien races and discrimination against sub-human species, he did not mention them at all.
Naturally, he wouldn’t bring up such topics in a speech aimed at gaining favor.
Unlike Big Princess Eliza’s focus on “internal development,” he preferred “external expansion,” attracting passionate males through “achievements” and “territorial expansion.”
Both speeches attracted specific audiences, creating different atmospheres.
The effects of these speeches would likely differ greatly.
As the rain intensified, the Easter Duel Festival’s preliminary event was likely to end before noon.
Big Princess Eliza planned to head to the St. Maryan Duel Branch after the event, hoping to perhaps have lunch with her two younger sisters.
Prince Charles, however, intended to return home directly.
But someone in the heavy rain brought news that made his expression change slightly.
…
The second round of the Easter Duel Festival’s preliminary battle took place as scheduled.
The 171 participants from fourth to sixth year gradually took the stage.
Compared to the less famous first to third-year students, there were many star contestants among the fourth to sixth-year students.
Notably, one of the most eye-catching was the fifth-year student from the Knight Academy, known as “Baron of the Night,” who had gained a massive fan base due to his “Red Spine Black Dragon.”
Why was a student from the Knight Academy called “Baron”?
That was because he was indeed a baron, having been ennobled during his third year.
“Baron of the Night” was not only a famous duelist but also a young hero who had defended his hometown in times of disaster. He was promoted from a knight to a non-hereditary baron due to his heroic deeds and became a prime example of success, thus gaining widespread fame.
Unfortunately, “Baron of the Night” was not considered handsome, lacking a bit in personal popularity.
Therefore, even though “Red Spine Black Dragon” and “Sky White Dragon” had similar popularity, “Baron of the Night” and “Silver Dragon Lady” had a slight gap in popularity as magi.
However, without “Silver Dragon Lady,” “Baron of the Night” still had enough popularity to command attention.
As for the stars among the sixth-year students…
Most of the sixth-year students were preparing for graduation, and some were already out of the academy. They lacked interest in participating in this entertainment-focused competition.
In short, when the audience discovered that “Silver Dragon Lady” did not appear, they had to settle for “Baron of the Night.”
Of course, there were other popular contestants among the students, and their fans came specially, pulling banners that filled a large area like rolling dragons.
The atmosphere of the preliminary rounds for fourth to sixth-year students was completely different from that of first to third-year students.
Fans shouted the names or nicknames of their favorite contestants, creating a lively atmosphere comparable to some historical concert scenes.
Dark and others were influenced by the atmosphere and watched more intently.
When the battle started and the golems appeared one by one,
he suddenly wondered if any star contestant’s golem might be targeted or intentionally eliminated in this grand melee, causing a riot?
“I wonder if there are any magi holding ‘Silence’ cards in each branch…”
…
The upperclassmen lived up to their reputation, summoning powerful golems one after another.
Soon, someone summoned a third-tier golem amidst the chaos.
The ten-meter-long Flame Giant Python spewed thick fire columns from above, sweeping a wide area.
The mage’s score instantly soared to the top.
But within half a minute, the Flame Giant Python was overwhelmed by a tide of ultimate skills, being obliterated in a scream.
The top spot was quickly replaced by another name.
It was a name hardly known.
But this name didn’t last even half a minute at the top.
The preliminary rounds for the upperclassmen were more intense than imaginable, leaving no room for survival for first-tier golems.
Contestants used unimaginable methods to summon high-tier golems, using various magic cards and ritual cards to avoid group attacks, continuously eliminating opponents and switching golems to keep accumulating points.
The rankings on the big screen fluctuated wildly.
The shouts and screams of the audience, cheering for the duelists’ performances, echoed, creating a sea of people.
When “Baron of the Night” successfully summoned a third-tier golem — the “Red Spine Black Dragon” — the clamor in the Outdoor Duel Arena reached its peak.
“This is the nine-star golem — the ‘Red Spine Black Dragon’?”
Dark looked up at the Western black dragon with a red bloodline on its back, feeling the faint dragon aura emanating naturally, finally gaining a basic understanding of this nine-star golem.
Being able to refine a ninth-tier golem within the academy must mean both strength and opportunity coexist.
Generally speaking, various low-star golem’s transformation-type skills and low-level spells and rituals would not have much effect on this “Red Spine Black Dragon” with magic resistance.
And with just a very short cooldown dragon breath, it could turn first and second-tier golems into ashes.
Similarly, ultimate skills in the hands of high-star golems would show stronger power than those in low-star golems.
However, in the battlefield of the upperclassmen, the nine-star golem “Red Spine Black Dragon” was far from invincible.
When the fans
As the audience cheered for the appearance of the “Red Spine Black Dragon,” they could never have imagined that an enormous “Dargon Slayer Sword” would suddenly appear in the air.
Hanging high above the sky, the “Dargon Slayer Sword,” with its powerful restraining effect on dragon species, severed half of the “Red Spine Black Dragon’s” neck, sending it crashing from the sky to the ground.
Immediately afterward, blinding white light erupted from the ground, a towering light cage trapping the fallen black dragon. Spears of divine light pierced through the gaps of the light cage, striking the magnificent black dragon countless times.
Even though the “Red Spine Black Dragon” managed to withstand the damage and later reversed the situation using the “Night Baron’s” Mana Card, its initial aura was thoroughly shattered.
Not long after, the “Red Spine Black Dragon,” which had become the target of everyone’s attacks, was killed on the spot.
The cries of despair and curses mixed with the cheers of the audience, lingering on.
One could only say:
The waters of the higher grades were too deep.
…
In the end, the “Night Baron” actually fell from grace during the preliminary melee, barely qualifying in eighth place, leaving both the commentators and the audience stunned.
The commentator who had boasted about the “Night Baron” at the beginning of the match wished he could hide underground.
Fortunately, the mode of the preliminary melee was new, and the betting shops couldn’t determine the odds, so they didn’t set up any betting rounds. Otherwise, those greedy bettors might have jumped off buildings.
“Perhaps this is the essence of the preliminary melee.”
The commentator’s bitter smile echoed throughout the Dueling Arena.
…
With the two preliminaries concluded, the excitement lingered on.
Some praised fervently, while others cursed vehemently.
Looking at the time, it was already close to ten o’clock.
Dark, Diana, and Rose chatted and laughed, enthusiastically discussing the preliminary melee of the higher grades, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
But as the participants of the higher grades’ preliminary melee gradually left, the host senior girl made a stylish snap of her fingers and smiled at the Mana Amplifier: “The preliminary melee of the higher grades ended with an unexpected result, but eight contestants successfully qualified—okay, no more jokes.
Now, please invite the sixteen contestants from both grades onto the stage to bless the audience here.”
“It’s time to go on,” Diana squeezed Dark’s waist and said mischievously.
Dark smiled helplessly, straightened his clothes, and stood up: “Then I’ll go up.”
This arrangement was mostly announced in the waiting room.
He had directly come to the spectator area after the preliminary melee ended, so he wasn’t aware of it.
Luckily, he was present at the scene.
When he reached the stage, he encountered Second Year Senior Maly Bond, and they walked together naturally.
Among the contestants who qualified from the preliminary melee of the lower grades, he was only familiar with Senior Mike Owen.
However, this Senior Maly seemed like an easygoing person.
So, he planned to get closer to her a bit.
As Dark approached, he greeted first: “Senior, hello.”
Maly nodded when she saw Dark coming from afar: “What is it? Do you have something to ask?”
Dark immediately chuckled dryly and cut to the chase: “It’s like this, I didn’t go to the candidate room just now, so I want to ask how the greeting segment works.”
Maly thought for a moment and said: “Just go through the motions. After all, it’s a formal competition, and the audience needs to know who they’re watching. Just say ‘Happy Easter’ if asked.”
Dark pondered over it and replied: “Thank you, Senior.”
Maly smiled: “No problem. If we meet in the main event later, please show mercy.”
Dark turned to face her: “How can I? Senior shouldn’t show mercy then.”
Maly laughed heartily and patted him heavily on the shoulder.
Dark felt a sharp pain.
What was going on these days?
Why were girls getting stronger one by one?
Could boys still be okay?
…
The host senior girl was named Judy, and she introduced herself as “Judy” during her hosting.
Judy was likely the type who looked plump but appeared slim when dressed. She had light brown curly hair, a meticulously applied makeup, and some strands of bangs hanging down, making her very charming.
Once all sixteen qualified contestants were on stage, Judy used her skills to build up the atmosphere and introduced each contestant one by one starting from the top-ranked contestant of the higher grades.
She didn’t need the contestants to speak themselves; she narrated smoothly, avoiding any embarrassment for them.
Finally, she handed the microphone to each contestant to wish the audience a happy Easter, then moved on to the next contestant.
Dark wasn’t particularly interested in the blessings, but he took this opportunity to learn more about the seniors and juniors from the higher grades.
These seniors and juniors might very well become his opponents in future duels, so learning more was always beneficial.
The introduction of the higher grades quickly ended, and soon it was the turn of the lower grades.
Starting from the first-place winner, Winnie Scarlet, Judy gave a brief introduction. When mentioning the “Winter Sage,” it caused quite a stir among the audience.
Next, Senior Winnie stepped forward and casually recited a string of blessings, causing the previous few contestants who had been faking it to shift their gazes away.
The second place was Tom Nixon, a Third-Year student from the Fool’s Academy.
Tom, born in the slums, had black hair and eyes, and hid his face behind his bangs, with a somewhat gaunt face and prominent cheekbones.
After the chaos caused by a loss of mana control, he was brought into Saint Maryann Academy by a professor from the Third Year and received a special scholarship from the academy every month.
Of course, being in the academy, he didn’t need money, so he sent all the money home.
He was a typical example of a student who enriched his family through hard work.
Such students certainly had good promotional value, but the academy did not promote them extensively; they only mentioned them in the context of dueling competitions.
Next was the third place, Stuart Fane from the Noble Academy.
Fourth place was Mike Owen from the Noble Academy.
Fifth place was Paul Dullers from the Mana Academy.
The top five qualifiers were all Third-Year students, representing four different academies. The Mana Academy topped the list, the Fool’s Academy showed strong potential, the Noble Academy had the most participants, and the Knight Academy steadily progressed.
Then came the sixth place, also from the Noble Academy, Else Kevin from the Second Year.
Seventh place was again the Noble Academy, First-Year Dark Demon!
Eighth place was still the Noble Academy, Second-Year Maly Bond!
Counting carefully, one would find that there were five students from the Noble Academy who successfully qualified.
The Noble Academy, with its rich heritage, indeed had a significant advantage in the lower grades.
“Next…”
Dark’s mind wandered for a moment, and Judy arrived in front of him.
