Chapter 901 - 902: Page

Seeing the academy gates, Damon had an ominous feeling, but even three days after the academy’s resumption nothing happened. No one said anything, which made him feel as if the old High Templar was just pulling his leg.

Damon started to relax. He took a deep breath, sitting on a large picnic mat with Leona.

The beast-kin girl didn’t seem to have a care in the world. She just ate a large pastry with gusto.

He shook his head. She was too relaxed.

"Hey, should you really be eating? We’re supposed to be overseeing the entrance exam for the new students..."

Evangeline appeared in a flash of light, her face scrunched up in anger at the two of them having a picnic.

Damon glanced at her with a bored expression.

"Who is this chick... she kinda looks familiar..."

Leona, taking a bite of a creamy pastry and putting down her spoon, said,

"We don’t have money. Go away."

Evangeline’s face turned red with anger.

"I’m not a beggar..."

They glanced at each other.

"Hide the food... I heard people like these are like demon raccoons, always stealing food."

Evangeline walked up to them and grabbed both their ears.

"Listen up, you two. We have to make sure this exam goes perfectly. Our grades are on the line, and I’ll have you know, Mister Number One on the rankings, we’re second-years now, and I may reclaim my top spot..."

Damon pulled Evangeline into his arms so she’d stop pulling his ears. He brushed her hair aside, holding her face.

"Eva... that’s never gonna happen. The people here love me..."

"No... no they don’t. Everyone hates you," Leona said between bites.

"Shut up, Leona. Nobody asked you, and whose side are you on..."

Evangeline pushed herself off his chest, shaking her head.

"Be that as it may, we are still on a job. If anything happens and we lose the designated number of first-years, our grades will be halved..."

Damon shook his head.

"Don’t worry, I got this. I’ve been watching this new crop of first-years take the exam, and besides, they aren’t our academy’s students until they pass..."

Evangeline nodded, knowing he wasn’t taking this seriously.

"Iris is taking the exam..."

He nodded slowly.

"I know. She’s strong enough to beat all those bums. I trained her myself... I have nothing to worry about..."

Evangeline nodded before dropping the bombshell.

"Luna is taking the exam too..."

Damon froze. He was just about to take a sip of his drink. He glanced at Evangeline.

"You jest..."

"No, I’m not. She’s here..."

Damon’s hands trembled just thinking that his sister was suffering. He reached for the charm in his shadow storage.

In a partitioned area of the academy, a small forest terrain had been created. It stretched several kilometers and was designed to recruit new students. The inside was filled with low-level green goblins and small monsters designed to be a threat. It was controlled, but death was a real possibility, and the academy allowed it to pick out the cream of the crop. Of course, if your family was super powerful, they would act to save you, but officially everyone was equal.

That was why Damon and other powerful students were for saving the rich and powerful.

He wanted to hate on it, but he was technically one of the rich and powerful at the moment.

His voice echoed through the exam site.

"Testing, testing... everyone please stop what you’re doing..."

His voice echoed through the exam site with the help of his charm.

Everyone stopped what they were doing... those who were fighting each other or monsters, everyone paused.

"Hey you, the one surrounded by five green goblins. Are you deaf? I said stop, or do you want me to disqualify you?"

The young man who was fighting the goblins was bleeding and clearly at a disadvantage. This person was being unreasonable. Maybe he could help him, but no—he was just observing, but for all that was happening he couldn’t see him anywhere.

"As expected of Aether Academy, everyone here is a powerhouse."

"Are you deaf, boy? Yes, you—the one bleeding to death..."

The voice echoed out.

Damon got pissed and picked up a few cutlery spoons and forks, and despite the several kilometers distance, he killed each of the goblins.

The young man paused when he saw the goblins die. Mind you, he was in a forest and Damon was sitting far outside having a picnic, but still killed them accurately.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, what followed next was his fourth-class aura that suppressed the entire forest.

Everyone in the forest was forced to stop, even the monsters. No one could breathe under this aura. All the shadows seemed to come alive.

"Ahem, ahem... thank you..."

He paused for a moment as everyone, even the monsters, was forced to listen to him speak.

"Now then, I’m sure it’s your first time participating in this exam. Personally, I came into the academy without taking this exam..."

Everyone didn’t know what he was talking about but still listened. He was powerful, more so than many professors that would be teaching them.

"Let me make one thing clear to everyone. There is a cute white-haired girl here with grey eyes and an adorable little face. That sweet angel is a blessing on this world and my little sister. If any one of you touches a hair on her head..."

In one corner of the forest, two girls were surrounded by a group of monsters and students in what had been a deadly free-for-all.

When suddenly, the monsters and students looked at one of the girls and slowly inched away.

The girl had white hair and grey eyes, and she had just been obliterating her opponents, and now... suddenly everyone was inching away, except the pink-haired girl her age who was next to her.

"Well, let’s just say Aether Academy allows bullying... if you want to keep living peacefully, or even in this world, you’d treat my little sister like a goddess and stay out of her way. That includes you monsters too. I know you can understand me—I made sure of that..."

"What the hell are you doing, you bastard..." a woman’s voice echoed out as well.

"Eva, what are you doing? Give that back... I have to make sure no one bullies Luna..."

"Shut up, Damon. You’re causing trouble again. I swear, we had one job... one job..."

Their voices echoed until they faded away, but Damon didn’t forget to leave one last threatening message.

"Mess with my Luna and you’re dead... dead, I tell you..."

What followed afterward was quite a sight. Any students or monsters who ran into Luna did not want to fight her.

A student was fighting head-on with a monster, with a clang of steel and magic. Then Luna showed up. As soon as they saw her, the goblin shrieked, tossing its weapon away and fleeing for its life.

The student was a bit confused until he turned around and saw Luna standing there.

"White hair, grey eyes..." He paused, stepping back.

"Miss... are you Luna..."

She lowered her head. That was all he needed. He dived into the shrubbery and fled for his life.

Luna’s face reddened. She felt like crying.

"Wait, please... fight me..."

Her face was quite adorable as she begged him to fight her.

Iris placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Desperation looks bad on you... just let it go and cruise through the exam..."

And that was how Luna ended up passing the exam.

........

Damon stood in a chamber, facing the academy’s senate, including the headmaster, his long beard still as full as he remembered.

"First of all... I can explain. It’s not what you think. I was not breaking any rules... I was just acting like a good upperclassman. It was for their own good. Imagine if they bullied my sister... I would have m—I mean... ahem... I did nothing wrong..."

The headmaster sighed, shaking his head.

"Enough of that. It is of no consequence."

Damon let out a sigh of relief. They didn’t mind.

Wait—if that was the case, then why was he here? What would warrant such a meeting with so many of the academy’s upper echelon?

"The demon wars have officially begun, although at the moment no skirmishes or battles have happened between the two sides. For many years we have been the principal aggressors. It is unheard of for demons to declare war on us first..."

"And we ended up losing most of them. We never won, technically speaking. We invaded and they sent us retreating always, and when they did declare war last time they almost won. That was during Ashcroft’s reincarnation," Damon spoke calmly, even though no one wanted to admit this.

The headmaster nodded slowly.

"Yes... that is unfortunate but correct. Now they have declared war again, and we cannot be caught off guard. To that end..."

He paused.

"Have you heard of the page program?"

Damon nodded.

"Yeah. It’s a course taken by academy students. You go under a figure of renown to gain real-life experience, and it acts as your academy credit. Gather enough and you can graduate..."

"Yes," the headmaster nodded.

"We’ve decided to put most of you in second to final year in the program, and after talking with all authorities involved, we’ve decided someone of your talents would be placed in a vital position."

Damon waved his hand.

"No worries. I would cruise with my grandfather’s army... better to stay with family."

The headmaster shook his head.

"Actually, that won’t do... we are sending you to join Seras Blade on a special mission."

Damon suddenly felt his danger sense flare.

"Em... where?"

The headmaster looked away slightly.

"In the demon continent."