The following week arrived.
An uneasy atmosphere hung over the entire Academy. And for good reason: today was the day the Academy would announce the students' passing grades and class promotions. For the fourth-year students, today would determine whether they were worthy of graduating and entering society as elite graduates of the most prestigious institution in the Empire.
Meanwhile, for third-year students and those below, today was also a decisive moment and a test of whether they deserved to stay here or face the shame of having to repeat a grade.
For personal reasons, the students received the announcement via letters handed out directly by their homeroom teachers. Of course, for the nobles, the Academy had also sent the results to their respective families so they could all be aware of their children's academic performance.
"Ugh, I'm so nervous…!" said a girl with fiery red hair in a nervous tone, Dianne. She felt uneasy looking at the luxurious white envelope bearing the Zeris Academy emblem.
Cornelius patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, Dianne~ Even if you don't move up a grade, I'll still be your friend~" The fiery girl glared at the aloof boy.
"So noisy!" Dianne scoffed. Meanwhile, Alex and Silvia, sitting side by side, smiled slightly at their two friends' antics. Alex sighed and said softly, "I can't believe a year has already passed."
"Indeed," Silvia replied, "...I still remember when I first met you all." She smiled sheepishly. The wind gently ruffled her long silver hair, and she blinked as she looked at her friends.
Cornelius snapped his fingers. "Okay, okay~ Let's open them together to see the results. Ready?" The four of them began opening the envelopes and taking out the pieces of paper inside.
"One..." said Cornelius and Silvia
"Two." Alex joined in.
"Three!" Dianne shouted with fervor.
The four of them looked closely at the announcement. When they were done, they smiled widely and looked at one another.
"I did it!!" Dianne pumped her fist in the air. Cornelius clapped his hands, Silvia softly chuckled, and Alex smiled contentedly. Without a word, they held their papers up.
Dianne Videno - Passed - (Rank: 386 of 490)
Silvia Eringrad - Passed - (Rank: 4 of 490)
Alex Justitia - Passed - (Rank: 10 of 490)
Cornelius Bougden - Passed - (Rank: 199 of 490)
Dianne's eyes widened when she saw she was ranked lower than Cornelius. "Eh, no way! I'm lower than you!?" Cornelius puffed out his chest smugly, "…Luck is my middle name, you know~!"
Meanwhile, Alex congratulated Silvia and looked at her admiringly. "Congratulations, Silvia. You made it into the top 5." To which Silvia replied, "Thank you, but I'll keep trying for next year."
"That's the Silvia I know," said Alex with a small laugh. Silvia smiled at that, then noticed Dianne and Cornelius grinning widely.
"Oh my, are we interrupting your alone time?"
"Stop it, Dianne~ Let them drown in their romantic moment, hehehe~"
Silvia and Alex were slightly flustered, and the teasing duo ended up laughing loudly. Truly, it was a happy time for the four of them.
***
Eric was sitting in a corner of the school cafeteria. On his desk were an empty plate and an empty glass, showing that he had just finished lunch. Soon after, he sensed someone approaching him, and that person was Jeremy.
"Hi, Eric! Mind if I sit here?"
Eric just nodded while focusing on the white envelope in his hands. Jeremy asked him out of curiosity, "Haven't you opened it yet? I already did, and thank goodness I passed!"
The timid boy casually handed him the paper containing his results, Eric took it and read the report.
Jeremy Memo - Passed - (Rank: 201 of 490)
"There should have been 500 students in this first year... which means 10 kids didn't move up..." Eric whispered to himself, then he handed the paper back. "Congrats. You deserve it."
"Thank you! But what about you?" said Jeremy. Eric carefully opened the envelope and pulled out the paper. He scanned the contents and felt relieved upon seeing the words he'd been hoping for.
Eric Ostheno - Passed - (Rank: 359 of 490)
Without a word, he handed the paper to Jeremy. At first, the boy hesitated, but seeing that Eric didn't mind, he accepted the paper and smiled at the information on it.
"Wow! You did it!" Jeremy exclaimed happily. "Thanks to your help." Eric leaned back in his chair, slumped. "No, no. It's because of your own hard work too." Jeremy shook his head.
"After this comes winter break, right?" Eric asked. "Are you going back to your mom and dad's house?"
"Uh-huh. I'm going back home. There's so much I want to tell them, especially about my adventure with you back then!"
Eric sighed as he looked at the wimpy boy's sparkling eyes. It was true that the incident with the banshee back then wasn't something ordinary and was definitely worth telling.
"What about you, Eric?"
"Me? Hmmm… I'll definitely be going home because there's something important my old geezer wants to discuss." Eric answered while propping his chin. "Also, I'll pack my clothes in my room and leave the day after tomorrow."
"Oh, right. Earlier, Professor Anthony said to pack properly in case we're coming home, since winter gets heavier and colder every year."
Eric looked out the window, where snow was beginning to fall. It had been nearly three months since Eric had come to this world and taken over this body, and during that time, he hadn't found a purpose in life or anything else to keep him motivated. He was just drifting around, pretending to be a student.
Jeremy then remembered something and stood up. "Right, I forgot! I need to return the borrowed books to the library! Happy holidays, and uhhh...see you next spring, Eric...?"
Eric watched the timid boy extend his hand, he immediately shook it firmly and nodded. "See ya. Don't follow any weirdos, okay, you hear me?"
Jeremy made a strange face and nodded. Watching the boy leave, Eric fell silent and also got up from the cafeteria. He began preparing to head home by packing his things in the dorm and buying some food to eat on the way.
***
The cold of winter did nothing to dampen the spirits of the residents of Zeris City from merchants and scholars to adventurers. Inside the large, warm building of the Zeris City Adventurers' Guild stood a young girl carrying a uniquely shaped wooden bow and a quiver slung over her shoulder.
The girl was covered from head to toe in her cloak, as if she wanted to hide her identity and physical appearance. But don't be fooled, she exuded a powerful warrior's aura, causing the adventurers around her to avoid getting into trouble with her.
"Oh, there you are, my precious sister!"
The girl, who had been staring at the quest board, turned around to see a burly man carrying a large shield and a spear waving at her.
"Big Brother, please stop calling me that. I'm not a little kid anymore."
Hearing his sister's grumpy remark, the short-haired man in armor scratched his head awkwardly.
"My bad, my bad. Anyway, we found it. A decent job, just escorting a noble kid."
The young girl huffed. "Noble escort? Well, if you insist. Details, please?"
"Excellent! Now, we just need to escort the son of a marquis from the Academy back home. The pay is 15 gold coins if we manage to get the kid safe."
The girl's eyes widened at the amount of money. "Wow, that much money for a single escort job? Anything else I should know?"
The shield-bearer guy nodded, propping his chin in his hand. "Apparently the kid is the heir to that marquis's house. Ah, I remember. We only need to escort him halfway. The kid will be picked up by a knight's squad for the rest of the journey."
"Makes sense. I thought that noble kid had been abandoned by his family. And? What's our target's name?" the nonchalant girl asked, crossing her arms.
"Eric Ostheno. That's the name of our target for this job."