During that time, the Academy managed to shake off a significant portion of the aftermath of the Ordeal of the Tower.
After it was revealed that the unknown intruder was an agent of Bimar, public opinion against Deculan boiled over, but Pahern's performance was enough to quell the unrest.
Of course, that wasn't the only reason.
- We will send a direct descendant of Deculan to the Academy as a student.
It was a bold declaration.
Sending a direct descendant of Deculan to the Academy was a first in nearly several decades.
However, the implications were even more radical.
'Hostage.'
The strongest card a noble family could play.
By entrusting a blood relative to the Academy, Deculan was directly stating its position.
Whether it was a coordinated move or not, the royal family's subsequent response was quite unexpected.
- The Third Princess will enroll in the Academy.
Deculan's bloodline and the royal family.
The changes brought by the Ordeal of the Tower to the Academy were significant.
However, this was a story for a bit later.
The enrollment of Deculan's bloodline and the royal family in the Academy would not happen until the next semester at the earliest, and possibly the following year.
But.
Regardless, the current Academy students were shining with excitement over the upcoming event.
The event in question was...
The Pistinike Festival.
Originally, the Academy held a regular festival once a year, but the Pistinike Festival was not strictly a formal festival.
It was more of a...
'Victory Parade.'
A relic of the war era.
During wartime, the Academy functioned as a single military unit, and Pistinike was the victory parade held when the Academy students returned victorious.
Why was the Pistinike Festival being held at this time?
'The Academy is treating the Ordeal of the Tower as a similar event.'
Of course, there were other reasons.
After the Ordeal of the Tower, the overall atmosphere of the Academy had indeed become somber.
Even though the incident ended well, the affected students must have suffered psychological impacts, known or unknown.
Anyway.
"..."
Following Damian and Chenbi, we arrived at the Academy grounds.
The serene and historic scenery was now bustling with noise.
Food stalls were set up in the squares scattered throughout the grounds, and performers and artists were giving shows on the roads.
Not only Academy students but others were also wandering around.
"Balloon! Mom, look, a balloon!"
A child holding his mother's hand, admiring the festival.
"Hehe! Drink! The one who finishes it all gets it all! Come on, put your bets down!"
Nearby mercenaries also joined the festival.
A few of them were wearing uniforms with the Academy's emblem, indicating they were hired for the Academy's security.
Judging by their bold drinking, they were probably off-duty.
One might wonder why there was alcohol at an Academy festival, but the Pistinike Festival was originally a victory parade.
The presence of alcohol was not unusual.
And Damian...
"I want to! I want to!"
He marched to the stall where the mercenaries were gathered, boldly placing his bet and declaring his participation.
"..."
"..."
The cold silence was inevitable.
Fortunately, Damian did not end up joining the mercenaries' drinking game.
Thud, thud.
A woman with a blank expression appeared from somewhere.
"Master Damian?"
A familiar face. The blunt and clueless servant, Lansi.
She had accompanied Blando during the Ordeal of the Tower and stayed on leave.
Though on leave, she had no servant attire or official duties, but she couldn't just let Damian's drinking bet go.
For Damian, this was the worst possible luck.
In a way, Lansi was Damian's only nemesis, aside from Camo Bianca.
Her presence was powerfully felt even during her leave.
"..., ..., ..."
As Lansi whispered something into Damian's ear, his face turned pale.
Damian slipped out of his seat, looking like a soulless person, and left the game shortly after.
What did he hear?
Just as I was curious.
Shh.
Lansi put her finger to her lips, and Damian weakly nodded.
"Then, I'll take my leave. Enjoy your time."
Lansi bowed to me and then walked away, disappearing like a ghost.
Chenbi, watching this, opened her mouth in surprise.
"That's the...?"
"Yes, the blunt and clueless servant."
"What did she say? How could she make Damian... Ahem."
Chenbi stopped speaking, having said enough.
It seemed she had suffered a lot trying to control Damian.
I didn't respond.
Actually, I was curious too.
Damian is a learning animal.
He accumulates data from his environment to build a foundation and can perform inference and deduction smoothly.
'Now, expulsion or anything like that doesn't affect him.'
But what did she say to make Damian behave so suddenly?
It was a mystery.
I might never know.
While I was lost in thought.
[This is an announcement to the entire Academy. The Pistinike Medal Ceremony will begin shortly. Those who wish to attend are requested to gather in front of the Sage Hall.]
A voice came from the voice-transmitting artifacts installed throughout the Academy.
The Pistinike Medal Ceremony.
A ceremony to reward students who excelled during wartime and to boost the morale of the allies, the highlight of the Pistinike Festival.
[Once again, I would like to...]
The grounds were already buzzing with festival excitement, but the true festival began after the Pistinike Medal Ceremony.
"Let's go."
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't have cared about the medal ceremony, but I grabbed the back of Damian's neck, who was pale, and headed for the Sage Hall.
People should receive rewards for their work.
'Time to collect.'
As one of the five recipients, the thought of receiving the prestigious... no, honorable medal made my chest swell with pride.
* * *
The Pistinike Medal Ceremony was quite grand.
The courtyard of the Sage Hall was crowded with spectators.
"Before the ceremony, we have an opening speech by the Third Princess, Veloz Gigas Adelrian."
The Third Princess, who was scheduled to enroll next semester, gave an opening speech on the stage, followed by a dazzling magic show by the Academy's mages to set the mood.
"Next, we have a speech by the Chancellor."
After the soulless, boring speech by the senior representing the Chancellor,
the ceremony finally began.
There were five recipients.
"Dalia de Dinae."
Dalia de Dinae.
As always, she was neatly dressed in her uniform.
Dalia stood up at the call and walked to the stage with a dignified gait, exuding a noble presence.
Next was Damian.
"Damian von Blando."
Still suffering from the aftereffects of Lansi's whisper, he moved like a soulless doll.
The senior continued calling out names.
"Iveline de Flanchet."
Iveline de Flanchet, the daughter of the Goldrin Trading Company, ascended the stage.
"Chenbi."
Chenbi followed.
The last one was me.
"Aster."
At the senior's call, I stood up and joined the other four on the stage.
Despite the bright daylight, the stage was illuminated from all sides, making it a bit blinding, but it was bearable.
In any case, there were five recipients.
Dalia de Dinae, Damian von Blando, Iveline de Flanchet, Chenbi, and me from the Black and White Zone.
Frankly, many students would have questioned my inclusion among these five.
After all,
'Dalia reportedly destroyed quite a few golems.'
She alone destroyed a significant number, and later, she led a coalition of students to attack the golems.
Damian was a given.
Among them, Damian had the greatest contribution.
And Iveline from the Goldrin Trading Company...
'Something seems fishy.'
Still, the consistent testimony of the Ordeal of the Tower students pointed to Iveline as a contributor, so the Academy couldn't ignore her.
Chenbi, on the other hand, was also a student who had made significant contributions.
But what about me?
'Originally, I am a righteous troubleshooter. In fact, I saved everyone, but I don't seek recognition for my good deeds.'
Purely out of goodwill, with not a trace of personal emotion, my spirit, armed with goodwill, is not swayed by honor.
However, the reward is a different story.
Swallow.
I stood in front of the senior giving the speech and looked at the five wooden boxes placed next to the neatly folded medals.
They say a good-looking cake is also good to eat.
Indeed, the wood used for the boxes was extraordinary.
The grain of the wood felt so alive, as if it would sprout roots and grow into a towering tree if buried in the ground.
But the real prize was the contents.
'Ultimate Elixir.'
A noble spirit is swayed by material desires.
After all, good deeds are done to eat and live.
A few days ago, when I met the senior a few times due to various matters and accidentally heard about the reward, my stomach ached quite a bit.
But.
'Chenbi, you clever kid.'
I glanced at Chenbi standing next to me.
The kid, tense and frozen, looked good today, even though such a look can be frustrating sometimes.
The reason I received an award was as follows.
Originally, there were only four recipients.
But Chenbi said,
- I... I don't think it's right for me to be the only one receiving an award. I told my friends, but if it weren't for Aster...
She said she wanted to transfer her reward to me.
A fine friend, with a heart like mine, not swayed by material desires.
In any case, the Academy held a meeting on this matter...
'With the senior, Professor Felina, and finally, the Blando family's contribution.'
The result is what we see now.
"Thus, I award the medals and the Ultimate Elixir to the above five."
The senior, with an unusually stern face, presented the medals and elixirs.
I received them politely and sent a message to the senior.
[Will the medal be returned?]
[Are you crazy?]
[It's just ugly trash...]
[If found in the incinerator, you'll be incinerated too.]
His eyes were cold, but I didn't care.
The Ultimate Elixir is an excellent fuel to advance one step further in my past realm.
'Just pretty trash...'
I'll secretly incinerate it.
Reflecting again, good deeds do require reciprocation.
Beware of those who claim that true good deeds are without reward. They are likely full of greed and evil.