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Chapter 279 part 1

After the selection process for the representatives of the Magic Tournament was concluded, Dran and Christina, having accepted the invitation from Olivier, their former teacher at the Magic Academy, whom they had just met a few days ago, found themselves engaging in a chat after a long time in the dean’s office.

Given that their previous visits to the Dean’s office were mostly for post-problem reports or pre-incident notice, this occasion for them to simply talk about each other’s current status was exceptionally valuable.

Dran and Christina were seated side by side on the reception couch, and there was no one else in the room except Olivier. This was also valuable as they could talk without hiding their identities.

「We are glad to see that our dean is still in good health after our graduation」
Bern
The words from Dran are simple yet heartfelt. But Olivier smiled with a hint of resignation.

This expression was unusual for Olivier, who rarely showed her emotions. She had been surprised quite a few times by Dran and the others, though.

「 Still, you say? Ideally, we wouldn’t want national or global upheavals happening as frequently as I did when you were here. However, we still can’t afford to be negligent.

Last year alone, we had countless events. We faced the battle against the Ocean Demons, the demons targeting Ente Yggdrasil, Bastrell’s group of the world’s most powerful sorcerers, and the Abyss Dawn kidnapping the Crown Prince and Princess. 」

「Hmm, looking back on it, this past year made me wonder what the fifteen years I lived as a human were all about. I much prefer a peaceful time, so I really don’t like all this constant fighting.」

「It’s already fortunate for all other life forms that you have such a temperament. As for the academy, even though there will be fewer incidents involving you and Christina, Lenia is still enrolled there.

Since meeting you, she has turned over a new leaf and become a top-performing student. Her only flaw is her tendency to take actions beyond her role as a student.」

As Dran wryly smiled, remembering all too many incidents like those, Christina, who had been diligently helping herself to the tea and cakes, let out a small exclamation. She, too, remembered an example of Lenia’s assertiveness, which Olivier had mentioned.

「It seems she single-handedly filtered the Magic Tournament contestants, more or less.」

「Indeed, with your graduation, Lenia undoubtedly became the academy’s strongest magic student this year. Her teaming up with Nelneshia, who has secured a spot, did make them the winners of most rounds. They might have seen, well, maybe just mild intimidation from the enthusiasm of other kids.
That said, although a significant number of them had their spirits crushed, all the remaining kids were remarkable students.」

「Which is precisely why it’s such a headache—or rather, why you made such a things-become-too-much-to-handle face.」

Christina showed great sympathy to Olivier’s feelings and nodded compassionately. Dran, though, compared to Lenia and Nelneshia, had caused Oliver a lot more trouble, so he couldn’t sympathize as deeply as Christina.

「With Irina keeping Lenia in check and Lenia herself realizing her central role in the upcoming Magic Tournament after you guys graduate, her general demeanor in class has markedly improved.

This year, thankfully, she didn’t need to participate in the preliminary rounds of the Tournament, but her extremeness is still a concern in another sense because she got very excited about them.」

「Hmm, If I may defend Lenia as a spiritual father, I must say she’s still learning to moderate her extremeness. It will take some time before she stops causing a stir for you and other students at the Academy, and I hope everyone can be patient and supportive.」

「With your antics last year and Lenia’s this year, I feel I’ve endured a century or two’s worth of worry and distress. As an elder, it’s pathetic for me to grumble like this to you guys, the graduates…」

「Although Lenia and I, in terms of our souls, are far older than you, but in human ages, we’re quite young, so we may thoughtlessly keep causing trouble. Please forgive us for that.」

Given Dran’s sincere apology and his unique position as the bearer of an Ancient-Celestial Dragon soul and a descendant of the Seven Heroes, Olivier, bounded by this deep-rooted connection, couldn’t press further.

His complex lineage made him a particularly incompatible individual with Olivier.

「Phew, let’s talk about something more constructive. You’ll be attending tonight’s dinner hosted by the governor to lay the groundwork, right? How do you plan on spending your time until then? I took the liberty of assuming you’d at least briefly visit Lenia’s group to give them some encouragement.」

Olivier changed the subject, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer and burden himself with more worries. He was sure that Dran and Christina would visit the Galois Magic Academy to see Lenia and the two.

「We’ll also accompany them in their special training for a while and congratulate them on being selected as the academy’s representatives. Because we both participated in last year’s Magic Tournament ourselves, and in our roles as the lord and her aide, such a visit should be allowed.」

「Yeah, that’s well within acceptable limits from my perspective, too. Except for Lenia and Nelneshia, the others might even want to follow in you guys’ footsteps and pursue a career working under you.」

Upon hearing Olivier’s words, Christina found herself curious and inquired straightforwardly.

Now that Christina had been officially knighted as the Baroness of Berne, Olivier was clearly her superior in terms of nobility. While they can no longer maintain the casual distance of a student and teacher, their private and intricately bizarre circumstances would enable them to afford to be more informal.

「If anything, I think Lenia would be the one glaring daggers at me, or rather, at Dran…」

「I thought so too for a while, but the current her greatly treasures her parents and the family she was born to. In that regard, she’s not the type to act blindly just because Dran is involved.

Despite being the child of the Great Evil God, it’s also true that she loves and cares for her birth parents with all her heart. Yes, that’s undoubtedly a wonderful thing.」

Dran couldn’t hide the smile that spread across his face as Olivier spoke of Lenia’s unwavering love for her parents despite being the extremely problematic student left at the Galois Magical Academy.

He was overjoyed not only because his daughter was being praised but also because she was clearly demonstrating her affection to others.

After Olivier and Dran’s conversation ended on a positive note, Dran and Christina headed to Lenia and the others’ room to offer encouragement and congratulations, just as they had told Olivier they would.

Last year, when Dran and the others were in the same position, Phenia hosted the pep rally. However, considering how Lenia had acted when she arrived in Berne, it wouldn’t have been surprising if she had funded and hosted the entire party herself.

However, considering their current status, Dran and Christina felt hesitant about attending the juniors’ pep rally, fearing that their presence might dampen the mood. So, instead, they decided to make a brief appearance to Lenia and the others beforehand.

The two of them couldn’t help but think it would be cool if they discreetly covered all the expenses for Lenia’s party and then left without saying anything. After all, they were at that age already.

Meanwhile, Lenia and the others had gathered to hold their rally after the matches, as Manos, Kushli, and Aznar had all advanced in the next tournament round as planned.

Lenia had become much more considerate of others, as evidenced by the fact that she wanted to imitate Phenia’s pep rally from last year and to also show her appreciation for Manos and the others’ efforts.

As arranged by Olivier, Lenia and the others were kept in one of the guest reception rooms so that Olivier could facilitate a quick meeting with Dran and Christina.

While some of the nobles and merchants who had watched the matches were searching for promising young sorcerers to recruit them. Thanks to Olivier, Dran and Christina could comfortably engage in conversation with Lenia and the others without any rush.

In the reception room furnished with magical clocks, dolls, and moving portraits that were characteristic of a Magic Academy, Lenia stood tall and regal as she welcomed Dran and Christina.

Since Dran and Christina hadn’t been particularly concealing their presence, she had likely sensed their approach quickly and stood ready to greet her revered father and his partner (to-be) with all her heart and soul. As usual, Lenia’s efforts to show her devotion to Dran were bewildering.

「It has been a long time, Dran, Christina. I have been eagerly awaiting the day when I could once again behold your august presence, feeling as though each day was a thousand years.」

「Oh my, you’re even more enthusiastic than usual.」 That was Dran’s honest impression. How could she be equating a day to a thousand year…even accounting for her Heavenly-Born Magical Beast’s sense of time…?

While Dran wanted to believe she was exaggerating somewhat, this was Lenia after all. So it wouldn’t be strange if she seriously thought that way, which was worrying.

「As always, I’m thankful you think so much of me. I can’t help but feel grateful. It pains me that I can’t reciprocate your feelings to the same extent.」

「Fufu, Dran, there’s nothing you need to reciprocate. I’m the one who owes you an immeasurable debt that I can never fully repay, as vast as the universe itself」

「Hmm, it seems we’re at an impasse again on this matter. But well, since it does no harm, let’s leave it at that.」

With a mix of mostly exasperation and resignation in his wry smile, Dran turned his gaze to Kushli, Aznar, and Manos as they stood up from the sofa. Needless to say, Fatima, Sierra, and Irina were also present, even though they weren’t selected as representatives.

Christina also looked at them. A satisfied smile appeared on her face as she noticed their more refined looks and auras compared to her previous visit to the Barony of Berne.

「From the look of it, seems you’ve been thoroughly toughened up by Lenia since then.」

For Christina, it was terribly easy to imagine Lenia standing with her arms crossed, shouting orders, and tossing Kushli and Aznar around.

On the other hand, Nerneshiya was more the type to be riled up by Lenia’s attitude and face her head-on, and Manos, too, probably had exceptionally strong mental fortitude. Even if he faltered a bit, he would quickly rebound.

Christina’s words, which were filled with sympathy and admiration, caused Kushli to turn pale as he recalled the grueling training sessions. His refined aura was ruined by his complexion.

「Man, that training was seriously like “as long as you don’t die there’s no issue” premise stuff, making me think I was dying countless times. But, of course, I believe I have improved somewhat.」

Aznar seemed to agree with Kushli’s assessment that they had gained some strength as he nodded confidently.

「The current you all would be able to put up a better fight against Vaje and his family than before. Dran and I can guarantee that. Unless you’re up against someone like Haruto or Eksu, you should have a good chance of victory.」