CHAPTER 510: CHAPTER 510 - THE START OF MY FIFTH TERM IN THE ACADEME

The remaining days of the term break passed by so fast that it felt like it was just a blink of an eye. I did complete the tasks I set for myself and visited everybody that needs to be visited but I feel like I never had a vacation before the new term started.

As expected of the academe’s rituals, due to the sudden increase of enrollees, the current term will start with another opening remarks as well as a meet and greet session with the new students led by the grandmaster. The new students are comprised of the first batch of priests from the Church of Lumienere and some children of nobles and rich merchants that are trying to push their children to meet with possible marriage targets inside the academe.

Though the term usually starts with the same events, I couldn’t help but reminisce about the fact that I am back again to the place where I first appeared when I came to this world. I opted to day dream and let my mind wander instead of listening to the grandmaster spouting some shi-... I mean nonsense again.

On the stage right behind the grandmaster, there were 40 men who were in religious garbs standing confidently in line and about 10 men that were wearing their grandest formal attire as if they are attending a ball in the royal palace. They were divided into two groups wherein the priests stood on the right side of the grandmaster and was divided into 4 lines with 10 people each like an army battalion of some sort. The nobles opted to stand in one full line on the left side instead.

With the sheer number of new students, I am sure this opening ceremony will last ages again. I did not even pay attention to most of what’s happening once the priests started introducing themselves. It is not like I have to know any of them on a personal level. They will be staying here for barely a few months anyways. I busied myself with organizing things inside my storage space instead and checking how much money I have so far.

I only turned my attention back to the stage once there were only very few people left to introduce themselves, about 5 people I think. Just as I laid my eyes on the stage intending to give a quick look on everyone currently standing on stage, I saw a familiar face right at the end of the fourth line of priests.

I only laid my eyes on him for barely a few seconds but our eyes have met at that brief moment which means that he is most likely been staring my way from the start of this assembly. I pretended not to notice that he was staring and that he was a stranger. I continued staring forward, passing my eyes from one place to another, looking at nothing in particular.

After the meet and greet that lasted almost two and a half hours, I left the hall as quickly as I can and went my way to the very first class I have for this term. I ignored the fact that I actually saw on Priest Clarence running down the stage and running towards my direction on my peripheral vision. I am quite sure that he must be trying to catch up to me.

To make sure that he doesn’t succeed in talking to me, I did a sharp turn to a secluded corridor after exiting the door and walked as fast as I could. Once I confirmed that there was no one around and he is already at a distance from me, I teleported near the door to my first class for the day.

The first day of classes clearly became a hide and seek game between me and the said priest. I usually see Priest Clarence on the corridor where the room where I am having my classes were. I only have four classes today but they are held in different parts of the academe that are considerably far from each other.

For someone who came here to take classes and was instructed to focus on "learning worldly things", it seems like he doesn’t have any intention to attend any of the classes or do anything the whole day other than stalk me.

Seeing him standing only a few meters from the door of the classroom I am using right now, it was as clear as day that he was waiting for my class to end. He might be planning to block my way or cover my mouth like a kidnapper so he could force me to talk with him.

I clearly told him back in Rigden that I do not want to have anything to do with his church or anybody from it. The face that I am currently using here in the academe is not the real one I use whenever I am in Eieneos but I guess he has abilities strong enough to see through the illusion spell I am currently using on myself. It must have something to do with his powerful light and holy magic that makes him immune to illusion magic.

I guess I can just call myself unlucky. It seems that whatever he may have done, he has already marked me with some type of tracking magic that no matter where I go and how I look like, he will be able to know it was me..

At the end of my first week of hide and seek, right on the weekends, I made sure to leave the academe and drop by at the palace to visit my men. Of course, I have another agenda in the palace as well and that is to talk with my in-laws regarding the specific details of their deal with the Church of Lumienere.

Upon reaching the gates of the palace, the royal guards assigned on the main gate immediately opened it for me and let me in without any verification. I walked straight to my in-laws waiting room to a conversation with them. When the maids saw me enter the main hall and make my way to the waiting room, one of them immediately ran of to the direction of my in-laws palace where my in-laws lived to tell them that I have arrived.

Before my in-laws could even reach the waiting room. my five men suddenly appeared by the doorway, looking towards my direction with big smile on their faces. While waiting for the empress and the main consort to arrive, we shared stories with each other some stories mostly topics about work, earning money and how happy they were receiving the gifts I send every now and then while I am outside Hoffen City. They also did not forget to brag about their profits and management of the business that I have assigned to them and their patriarchal healers and companions.

After all of them have shared their activities, I finally told them that I actually arrived earlier but decided to complete some errands but mostly I spent the term break doing tons of adventurer work and alchemy stuff.

I looked around and noticed that most of them a bit tired, there is happiness in their eyes when they were telling me stories about the things they did. I quite understand where that feeling came from.

Now that they are married to me who did not accept the title of princess for this empire, just as I was given freedom do live as I please, this benefit actually extended to my husbands as well. Now, each of them can move more independently from each other. It was a stark contrast during the time when Calyx, Helios, Xenos and Yren used to have their whole life rotate around all of Aurum activities as a prince. They could not even leave his side for too long even if they have personal things that they needed to handle.

It took about half an hour before the empress and the imperial consort finally arrived at the waiting room. They apologized for making me wait since they had no choice but to ensure that they are dressed appropriately to meet anyone even if it was just their daughter-in-law. They also reiterated that I am also a royal myself so it would be inappropriate to face me in their sleepwear. It is indeed tiring to keep up appearances all the time due to one’s official roles.

Once they are seated inside the room, I went straight to the main reason why I came to the palace for in the early mornings of a supposedly lazy Saturday. I directly asked about the exact details of whatever agreement they made with the pope of the Church of Lumienere. I also asked what the pope’s letter say about me since all of this started when I met that priest in Rigden. I have also admitted that the grandmaster of the academe already ratted them out since he did not want to receive the brunt of my anger a week ago so it would be useless to withhold any information from me.