Chapter 8: The Academy’s Entrance Ceremony: The Antonym of Peace-1

“Is there a clause in the imperial law that says the top student has no human rights?”

“That’s not the case, but I seriously want to check.”

It was 6 AM.

The conversation between Leon and me, who had arrived several hours earlier than the entrance ceremony time for the rehearsal, was about the situation.

In front of us were the firmly closed auditorium and a notice posted on the door.

Meanwhile, the early morning wind was unnecessarily harsh, making it difficult to read the notice as it fluttered.

·Notice of Change in Entrance Location: Due to sudden circumstances on the school’s part, this year’s entrance ceremony location has been changed.

“Students are coming from all over the world. Among them, there are some who don’t have a transmitter or a crystal.”

“So, is the idea to have everyone suffer together for the sake of fairness? That’s quite equitable.”

Although Leon spoke like that, he knew well. The administrative office had just messed things up.

Since nothing would change by complaining here, we handed the reins back to Carlos, who was returning from parking, and headed to the newly announced location.

The island where the academy was established was roughly about twice the size of Jeju Island.

And the Hetairo Academy lived up to the empire’s investment.

While the quality of education is not necessarily proportional to the size of the academy’s grounds, the large area and the enormous profits generated from it could enhance the quality of education.

However, as the quality of education increased, the quality of life for the students worsened proportionally.

A large area meant that students had to travel very long distances.

And there were three men experiencing this disadvantage first-hand.

Myself, who was about to die from motion sickness, Leon, and Carlos, who had been driving the car for about an hour amidst screams and groans from early morning.

The place we arrived at, crossing the island, was indeed much more splendid than the original auditorium, as promised in the notice.

“It looks like it can accommodate quite a few people.”

“About 50,000 people.”

Carlos quickly answered the question.

“How many new students are there this year?”

“About 3,000.”

“And the number of current students?”

“Just under 50,000.”

“Hmm… It seems like they plan to invite all current students to the entrance ceremony?”

“Isn’t it probably because of me?”

As I looked at it with that in mind, Leon explained.

Usually, the entrance ceremony would involve only the new students and a few upperclassmen.

However, this year was the day when Leon, the heir of the Parma Empire, was entering.

Those who wanted to see the face of the prince or make connections likely visited the administrative office even before the entrance ceremony began.

Among them, there would likely have been some children of notable power figures, and Leon’s guess was that the result was this absurd situation.

“So, it means the problem is you.”

As expected from a race filled with supremacist beliefs, they played music only they could hear before leaving.

Truly, typical of the ear-people.

The speeches by the Dean and the student representatives, which were more like an advertisement to me, passed quickly as I watched the team preparing for the next performance from behind the stage.

‘Is this the privilege of being backstage?’

As I was watching the teams heading up to the stage for the next performance, I saw a group with horns on their heads preparing.

The group had horns ranging from one to three, and their positions were varied—on their foreheads, crowns, temples, and so on, with no uniformity.

However, they did have a consistent feature that indicated their affiliation.

‘Are they from the Tiger Tribe?’

I pondered as I read the tattoos etched on their bodies one by one.

Oni (demon) tribes naturally have tattoos somewhere on their bodies, which represent their origins.

Although the Oni tribe was no longer a tribal society since they had established a nation, their natural tattoos led them to think of themselves in tribal terms due to their traditional identity.

Each tribe had its own etiquette, and the problem was that they were famous for splitting heads if the etiquette wasn’t followed.

Regardless of globalization or different races, these people prioritized their own traditions.

That’s why seeing Oni reminded me of the Middle Eastern tribes from my past life.

I was checking the tattoos of the Oni to make sure not to offend the Tiger Tribe’s customs, as there might be extremists among them.

I recalled a specific etiquette of the Tiger Tribe.

‘Never stare into their eyes for long.’

To be precise, it was a rule not to gaze into the eyes of a member of the Tiger Tribe if you were not the person they were talking to.

I carefully avoided making eye contact with the performance team and instead directed my gaze toward their bodies.

However, since it was a female dance team, it was difficult to find a place to look.

‘Ugh…’

As expected from a warrior race, their physique was extraordinary.

While my wandering eyes were focused solely on their feet, one of the dancers approached me.

The dancer, a sturdy Oni, was barefoot, as befits her kind.

Although I had no interest in pedicures, her toes kept drawing my attention.

Were the red-tinted toenails a pedicure or natural?

“Excuse me, but it’s a little embarrassing when you stare at someone’s feet like that.”

Only then did I make eye contact with her.

Since she spoke to me, I no longer needed to worry about having my head split open.

‘Huh?’

There was Skadi right in front of me.

The warrior of the Great War, whom I had decapitated in my John persona in the Sanctuary.

And she was my senior.

Although I was momentarily taken aback upon seeing her, it didn’t show on my face.

Acting surprised was nothing.

Instead, I pretended to be a new student who had never seen her before.

“Oh, I’m sorry. It’s because of the Tiger Tribe’s etiquette…”

“Oh, that thing about not making eye contact? How old are you to be talking like those old elders? Don’t worry about it. At least among the Oni at Hetairo Academy, there are no fundamentalists.”

“Ahaha… Thank you.”

Seeing me showing respect in front of my senior, Leon and Carl’s expressions soured.

What’s with these guys?

Even though I look like this, I’ve always been polite to my seniors.

“If my gaze made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”

“It’s not something you need to apologize for. That’s not why I’m here.”

“Eh? Then what’s the matter…?”

“Well, it’s just… Why do I sense my ‘mark of vengeance’ from you?”

…Ah, damn it.