Free Web NovelChapter 239: Graduation Ceremony (1)
I finally returned to the classroom after my long suspension. The lecture hall felt almost unfamiliar. Still, I looked forward to class. However, what greeted me was the closing ceremony, marking the end of the semester.
Professor Kane looked at the cadets. “Alright, everyone. You’ve all worked hard this semester.”
Isn’t this situation even worse than it was in my previous life? I thought.
Back then, at least I had attended classes. This semester? Aside from sitting in on a few lessons at the very beginning, I had barely shown up at all. No, classes weren’t even the real issue. I had skipped both the midterms and the finals.
The professor glanced at me. Even though he knew my situation perfectly—no, precisely because he knew it so well—he curled his lips into a grin. “Hm? Who’s that over there? Did a second-year cadet wander into the wrong lecture hall?”
I groaned. “Ugh!”
He continued, “Well, getting familiar with the third-year lecture hall ahead of time isn’t a bad idea. You might be seeing it for the next year, after all.”
No, being at the bottom already hurts enough. Don’t tell me I’m getting held back too!
I muttered, “R-repeating a year, anything but that.” freewebnøvel.com
“Hey, kid. Have you no shame? Huh? You skipped more than half the semester’s classes and still think you can avoid repeating the year?”
“Guh.”
You despicable bastard. Using facts against me like that! I said internally.
Professor Kane burst into loud laughter, one hand planted on his hip. “Hahaha! Looks like I won’t have to see your annoying face anymore!”
Just as he was thoroughly enjoying himself, a low knocking sound echoed through the lecture hall.
Professor Kane frowned and strode toward the door. “Which insolent fool dares to be late to this sacred closing ceremony?”
Elisha stepped into the lecture hall. “It’s me.”
Professor Kane was surprised. “H-huh? S-Senior?”
Elisha glanced in my direction and gave a playful wink, then crooked her finger at Professor Kane. “You. Come out.”
“C-come out?”
“It’s a message from the headmaster.”
She turned sharply and walked back out of the lecture hall. Professor Kane followed her, looking thoroughly awkward. About five minutes later, the lecture hall’s door opened again.
Professor Kane walked back in, his face completely drained of color. “Dale.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s talk for a moment.”
Tilting my head, I followed him out into the hallway.
“You? What on earth have you been up to?” he asked.
“What do you mean, what have I been up to?”
“What did you do for the Empress to submit a petition demanding your advancement?”
I was surprised at this news. No way. That woman... She filed a petition with the academy? fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
The professor continued, “Haa! And on top of that, Headmaster Ryu himself is ordering us to advance you to the next year, disregarding all procedures.”
He stared at me as if he couldn’t believe it. His reaction was only natural. Two out of the only five Masters in existence had joined forces just to push a cadet forward.
I replied, “Well, I suppose it’s thanks to my exemplary attendance and diligence.”
“That’s bullshit of the highest order.”
“Hey.”
That’s a bit harsh, don’t you think? I said internally.
Professor Kane clicked his tongue, his expression sour. “Haa!. Anyway, the final decision is advancement.”
“Why do you look so unhappy, Professor? This should be good news for you too.”
“What’s good about it, you punk? I have to deal with a headache like you for another year.”
“Hm! That’s strange.”
“What is?”
Crossing my arms, I shrugged. “Professor, wasn’t it you who argued most strongly in the faculty meeting that I absolutely had to be advanced to the next year?”
Flustered, he blurted out, “Y-you! Where did you hear that?”
“Well, who knows?”
Obviously, I had heard it from Elisha.
Clutching his forehead, Professor Kane groaned, clearly having guessed the culprit. “Guh! Senior! Leaking faculty meeting discussions to the outside! I-I never said anything! That was all Professor Baldwin spouting nonsense!”
“Yeees, of course. I’m sure it was.”
“Damn it!”
Fuming, Professor Kane stormed back into the lecture hall.
Seriously, this man!
Chuckling to myself, I followed after him.
***
Back in the lecture hall, Professor Kane unfolded the paper in his hand. “Now then, before the closing ceremony, we will announce the comprehensive evaluation rankings for the final third-year cadets.”
At the mention of rankings, the lecture hall erupted into murmurs.
“Guh!”
“Please!”
“If I fall below the top 100 this time, I won’t be able to go home!”
Professor Kane continued, “First, the cadet with the best performance in Class C is... Morris Jin.”
All eyes turned to the black-haired cadet seated at the very front of the lecture hall.
“Ah, figures it’s Morris.”
“But overall first is Yuren, right?”
“Yeah, that’s what I heard.”
“Tch. Morris is second again?”
Possessing black hair and black eyes, traits now rare even within the Republic, Morris Jin was a cadet forever overshadowed by Yurina. He was infamous for his humiliating nickname, the Eternal Second Place.
Morris sprang to his feet, looked around the room, and shouted, “Second place is still an achievement!”
The cadets burst into laughter at his outburst.
“Ooooh!”
“Say it again!”
“I said, second place is still great!” Morris replied.
“Hahaha! That’s right!” someone said.
Though I had never really gotten the chance to talk to him personally, Morris seemed to have decent relationships with his peers. Most of them laughed loudly, teasing him as his face flushed bright red. Morris frowned as he looked around at the snickering cadets. He let out a deep sigh and sat back down.
In my previous life, Morris had maintained second place right beneath Yuren all the way until graduation. But with the changes I had brought in this life, how had he still ended up second? I narrowed my eyes and glanced at Camilla and Iris. Even if they weren’t quite on Yurina’s level, Camilla and Iris had grown to a degree that couldn’t even be compared to how they were in my previous life.
In terms of pure ability, at this point in their lives, Camilla could actually surpass Yuren from my previous life. Yet, just like before, Morris Jin had taken second place in the overall evaluation. Had someone in Camilla and Iris’s party trolled the finals or something? The final evaluation was fundamentally a party-based assessment, so that was a possibility.
Moreover, I had never heard Morris’s name even once after graduation in my previous life. Although he had graduated from the Hero Academy as a top cadet, second overall, no less, I couldn’t recall hearing about him afterward at all. Well, it was not exactly rare for prodigies in school to crash and burn after graduation.
I tore my gaze away from Morris and let out a deep sigh. The overall rankings were being announced one by one, starting from the top. As expected, if not inevitable, my name didn’t come up.
“Haih.”
How could someone who had skipped more than half of the second semester’s classes avoid the bottom rank? Just avoiding expulsion was already a win. Honestly, at this point, did grades even matter anymore? Regardless of all that, I didn’t want to finish dead last. Maybe it was lingering regret from my previous life, but I wanted to escape this cursed last place, at least once.
Professor Kane’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. “Delton, ranked 418th. Try to achieve a better result next year.”
Delton bowed his head weakly. “Yes, sir.”
Out of a total of 472 cadets, 418th was a miserable rank, one he could never boast about after graduation. He was probably already agonizing over what he would say when he returned home for the winter break looming just ahead.
I glared at the sighing Delton, hurling curses inwardly. Hey, wipe that look off your face, you bastard. You got 418th. Why the long face?
For some, 418th would be a rank worth agonizing over, but to me, it was like a flower blooming atop an unreachable cliff.
“Next is Dale.”
At last, my name was called. I let out a sigh and lowered my head. Still, I had made up my mind back when I took Laneige’s punishment in her place. Honestly, just avoiding being held back was already a relief.
Professor Kane looked at me, “Dale’s rank is.... 471st.”
It was not 472?
“What? W-wait! Did you say 471st?” I shouted.
Professor Kane nodded. “That’s right. You ran a few errands for the headmaster during your suspension, didn’t you? You got a small bonus for that.”
I had forgotten about it. “A-a bonus! Huh? But didn’t I get three disciplinary actions? Shouldn’t that automatically zero me out?”
In the last semester, I had decent grades but ended up dead last because my disciplinary record wiped them out.
Professor Kane explained, “Normally, yes. But bonus points granted by the headmaster are applied to the overall ranking regardless of disciplinary penalties.”
“Oooh!”
I never imagined such a rule existed! In my previous life, I had never received so much as a single bonus point, let alone one from the headmaster, so this was news to me.
The professor continued, “And lastly, the 472nd place goes to Lloyd, who suffered severe injuries during the recent monster attack and spent three months hospitalized in intensive care.”
Lloyd nodded weakly, sounding half-dead. “Yes, sir.”
Even after three months in the hospital, it seemed his injuries hadn’t fully healed. He looked barely alive. Bandages wrapped much of his body. I clenched my fist, deliberately averting my gaze from him as he coughed weakly.
S-still, that meant I was not last anymore. Yes, my rank was 471st out of 472. Some would scoff and say, “What’s the difference between 471st and 472nd?” However, for someone who had lived his entire life at the very bottom, that single-rank difference meant everything. Now, there was actually someone below me, even if that cadet happened to be an unfortunate soul who had been gravely injured fighting monsters and couldn’t attend classes anymore!
I trembled with joy rising from deep within. “I’m...! I’m not in last place anymore!”
At that moment, Professor Kane added, “Oh, and for reference, Lloyd has requested to repeat the year.”
“What?”
What did that mean?
The professor continued, “He still requires further treatment, and he missed most of the second semester. The academy accepted his request to repeat the year and will provide full scholarships for all remaining semesters.”
Wait. If that’s the case...
“With Lloyd repeating the year, the total number of third-year cadets has been adjusted from 472 to 471.”
That means... No way, right? I’m in last place again?
I was dumbfounded. “What the fuck is this?”
