"We need to move faster, or we won't make it in time for the opening!"
Greg urged the two roommates following behind him as he hurried down the corridor.
There were heavy dark circles under his eyes, and his entire posture radiated sheer exhaustion.
Ever since returning to the dormitory yesterday, he had been forced to spend the entire night with Rom and Corwin spinning up a made-up romantic history.
From when each of them realized they liked their respective girls, all the way to outrageous topics like how many kids they planned to have in the future.
By the time someone finally realized they should sleep, dawn was already shining brightly outside the window.
All three of them had collapsed into bed after daybreak, getting two hours of sleep at the absolute most. This caused Greg to wear a mask of utter misery, missing his life in the dungeon already.
If Hajimi hadn't played with that mechanical bird in his shadow all night long and woken him up right as She was preparing to rest this morning, all three of them would probably still be fast asleep under their covers, missing the opening ceremony completely.
"Thank goodness, we made it!"
Out of breath, the three of them burst into the hall. The moment their feet crossed the threshold, the heavy doors behind them began to close with a thud.
Greg looked around the hall.
Every single seat was already filled.
Faculty and students from over a hundred magic academies across the continent sat neatly in their respective areas, their gazes focused on the high platform at the front of the hall.
The entire hall was solemn and dignified, an air of anticipation hanging thick in the atmosphere.
As the scheduled time arrived, five figures emerged from the passage behind the platform, taking their seats at the very top one after another.
Greg recognized all five of them, for they were none other than the headmistresses of the Five Great Magic Academies.
In the original work, although they didn't get much screentime, every single one of them was a critical figure.
From left to right, the first was the headmistress of Ironpledge Crucible, Isadora.
She had long, messy black hair that hung loosely, almost covering her entire face, leaving only a hint of her pale chin visible.
Her entire being radiated a gloomy, oppressive vibe, as if she had been starved of sunlight for years.
One could hardly tell that someone who looked so gloomy actually specialized in combat martial arts magic. Rumor had it that on the battlefield, she was a terrifying figure akin to an Asura.
The second was Olivia.
Though she was still dressed in her spicy cowgirl attire today, her wavy burgundy hair fell loosely down her sides, adding a unique charm of a mature woman to her presence.
She sat with her legs crossed, her posture relaxed and confident, a trace of lazy arrogance in her eyes.
Sitting right next to her was the headmistress of Branch-String Sanctuary, Luna.
Today, she had changed into a white robe adorned with gold patterns. Her long, snow-white hair cascaded down like a waterfall, revealing a pair of pointed elf ears peeking through her locks, glowing with a faint pink hue under the light.
Her gaze appeared somewhat blank, as if her mind were wandering off into space, yet no one doubted her strength, for she was indisputably the strongest among the elf race.
The fourth was a woman with vibrant fire-red hair, possessing a voluptuous figure with striking curves. A pair of curved dragon horns rested atop her head, glistening with a dark red sheen under the light.
She was the headmistress of Ember-Eye Tower and the Grand Duchess of the Dragon Duchy—Aurora.
Wielding supreme authority, her whole presence exuded a bold and confident aura.
On the far right sat a woman who looked exceedingly dignified.
She wore an elegant white robe and cradled a massive white fox tail against her chest—fluffy and soft—while a pair of pure white fox ears atop her head twitched slightly.
She appeared gentle and submissive, looking like someone easily pushed around—yet if anyone actually thought so, they would be dead wrong.
Her true identity was the headmistress of Trench Altar, Yuemei.
Beneath that seemingly delicate exterior lay power capable of making anyone who underestimated her pay a heavy price.
Greg's eyes swept from left to right across these five women of completely different styles, unable to resist complaining inwardly: Why are all these headmistresses women?
But on second thought, remembering that this world was originally a yuri-oriented setting, he instantly found it reasonable.
In a world like this, powerful female characters gathering together was as normal as could be. After all, among the rest of the male characters, he was the only one who even had character sprites.
Afterward, the headmistresses of the Five Great Academies took turns standing up to deliver speeches, officially declaring the start of the Hundred Academy Exchange.
Each headmistress had her own distinct style of address.
Isadora's speech was so brief it barely spanned three sentences, while Olivia's speech carried a touch of casual playfulness.
When it was Luna's turn, she stood up, unrolled the speech in her hands, and read through the contents on the paper in a completely emotionless tone.
Just as everyone thought she was about to sit down, she suddenly folded the speech and added emotionlessly:
"Additionally, I recently took on a human disciple. I am looking forward to his performance in the upcoming exchange."
Having said that, her gaze cut across the crowd and landed precisely on Greg.
Greg froze completely.
Wait, when did I ever agree to that?
How come I don't even know about this myself?!
Didn't I just say I'd give it proper thought earlier?
Did she completely misunderstand what I meant?!
His mind was in total chaos, but Luna had already sat back down as if nothing had happened, as though she had merely mentioned a trivial matter in passing.
The students in the hall, however, completely erupted.
Luna Starfall—a powerful figure at the Great Archmage level, the headmistress of Branch-String Sanctuary, and the strongest among the elf race—had actually taken on a human disciple!
WTF!?
Which bastard was lucky enough for this? Hurry up and step forward to accept your death!
Beside Greg, Rom and Corwin couldn't help sighing in admiration:
"That guy sure is lucky, having such a powerful and beautiful master."
Greg's mouth twitched, but he didn't say a word.
The moment Luna sat down, Olivia grabbed her collar and barked at her with zero politeness:
"Cut the crap, you closet pervert of an elf! He's my student! I'm not letting him become your disciple!"
Luna looked up, her silver eyes gazing calmly at Olivia as she replied in her usual airheaded manner, "He already agreed."
"When did he ever agree?!"
"He didn't refuse me yesterday."
"Doesn't that mean he didn't agree?!"
"No refusal means consent."
The two exchanged back and forth, launching into an argument on the platform as if no one else were around. Fortunately, almost all the students present were swept up in total chaos, so no one noticed this scene.
Sitting next to Luna, the red-haired Aurora watched the two with great interest.
"Talent is indeed the most precious treasure, but to think someone could spark an argument between those two... how interesting."
Aurora looked in the direction Luna had stared earlier. Because his appearance was so striking, she spotted Greg dazed amidst the crowd right away.
Her gaze lingered on him for a moment, scanning him from top to bottom. Then, resting her chin on one hand, she lightly ran the tip of her tongue across her bright red lips, murmuring under her breath:
"He certainly suits my taste... though I wonder how strong he actually is. If there's a chance later, I might as well have my niece test his waters."
Greg had no idea at that moment that before his plans could even officially begin, yet another massive trouble had set its sights on him.
Rate on N.U.
