Chapter 728: History on Britannia

The second news item concerned one of the most important events scheduled for Saturday of the last week of the month.

It was the conference on the Arcanist Alchemist rank and the proper principles behind choosing a Secondary Alchemy Path.

The conference was intended to prepare the minds of the First-Years, Second-Years, and Third-Years who had already reached the Meister Alchemist rank, as well as those who were still at the Adept Alchemist rank, for the Arcanist Alchemist rank.

It wasn’t an ordinary gathering.

Reaching the higher ranks of Alchemy required more than simply increasing one’s Cognis reserves or improving one’s control.

There were principles and considerations that students needed to understand before attempting to advance further.

The choice of a Secondary Alchemy Path was also an important part of that preparation.

For the students who had reached the required ranks, the conference would offer an opportunity to learn more about what awaited them beyond their current level.

Even those who weren’t immediately close to advancing would have a chance to prepare their minds for the road ahead.

The invitations would be sent out during the following week, giving the selected students enough time to prepare for the conference.

The News Club continued delivering its announcements.

Around the Academy, students relaxed with their friends, while others spent the long break with their personal servants.

In the pavilion areas, some had their lunches and desserts served to them.

The tables were occupied by students enjoying their free time, with conversations taking place between groups as the broadcast continued in the background.

Some paid close attention to the announcements, especially when an upcoming event concerned their year group or Alchemy studies.

Others were more interested in their conversations and only turned towards the broadcast when something caught their attention.

The long break eventually came to an end.

The students returned to their respective classes.

Like that...

The day came to an end with studies proceeding peacefully.

Assignments were given, and several groups arranged study sessions to go through their lessons together.

The Academy’s ordinary routine continued.

But that didn’t mean the campaigning had stopped.

In fact, it continued even as the students attended their classes and went about their daily activities.

Prince Tristin Aethelmont had announced a small party to celebrate Basil Evermont’s return after he had been found not guilty.

The announcement quickly became another topic of discussion.

The First-Year students had not forgotten the incident.

It had caused a commotion in the Academy, and many had already formed their own opinions about Basil and the girl who had accused him.

Now, the investigation had reached its conclusion.

The lady who had accused Basil confessed that she had lied.

However, further information wasn’t given to the students.

There were still questions surrounding the incident, but the Academy didn’t provide them with all the details.

What the students knew was that Basil had been cleared of the accusation and would be returning to his usual activities.

Basil and his group were also given a warning not to harass the girl in any way, especially not within the Academy premises.

But that wasn’t going to stop them from making her life miserable in other ways.

The only fortunate part for the girl was that her Faction Board had decided to provide her with some protection.

And...

Basil wasn’t entirely innocent, either.

He had actually tried to force her, but only through words.

Nothing physical had happened.

Both parties received punishments for causing a commotion within the Academy.

But that was all that happened.

The matter was settled, at least officially.

Basil had been found not guilty of the accusation, the girl had confessed to lying, and both sides had received their respective punishments.

The Academy moved on.

The party announced by Tristin became another activity surrounding the campaign period, and the students continued discussing the incident alongside the upcoming elections.

The days went by with the usual Academy life for Ezra.

He continued attending his classes, completing his assignments, and following his usual routine.

However, he also had to watch the candidates’ campaigns regularly, even when they took place within his own Wing.

The candidates weren’t limiting themselves to a few announcements or small gatherings.

There were constant public speeches organized throughout the Academy, and students would often find themselves gathering around the locations where those speeches were taking place.

Even when Ezra had other things to do, the campaign activities were difficult to ignore.

The candidates were making their positions known, and their supporters were doing their best to attract attention to them.

The debate between the two princes also finally took place, with Prince Charles Aethelmont brutally crushing Prince Tristin Aethelmont in the debate.

It became another of the most discussed topics within the Academy.

The debate had drawn considerable attention because of the two princes involved.

Their supporters had been following their campaign activities closely, and the students who watched the exchange were quick to discuss its outcome afterwards.

Charles had come out on top.

For Tristin’s supporters, it wasn’t the result they wanted.

For those who had been waiting to see the two princes face each other in a public debate, it became another reason to talk about the election.

The discussion didn’t remain limited to the princes.

Willow Derlis also had a debate against Stacy Britta, followed by another against Ravenor Burnwick.

She came out on top in both.

Her performances added to the attention surrounding her candidacy.

With each debate, more students had the opportunity to hear her speak and observe how she handled her opponents.

Her supporters had another reason to be pleased, while those who favoured the other candidates had to consider the results.

The campaign activities continued to spread across the Academy.

Louis Evergrey, the Faction Head of the Arcane Foundry Faction, also organized a debate against the Royal Crest Faction.

Both Second-Year and First-Year candidates were going to face each other.

It was an opportunity for students from the two year groups to see their candidates engage in the same event, and naturally, many were excited about it.

Especially because it involved Lady Vera Ashenlocke speaking.

Ezra didn’t even bother to attend.

To be honest, he didn’t consider it much of a match.

He had no particular interest in watching the debate, so he stayed away from the event.

Lucy, however, went.

Becky had invited her, and she accepted.

Hermione was also going to attend with Lady Diane Bergwyn, although Diane clearly preferred to sleep.

And she did.

While the others went to the debate, Diane chose to enjoy her rest instead.

Lucy eventually returned and told Ezra about some of the incidents that had occurred.

One of the more surprising moments involved Grace Evergrey.

Grace had brought up the dangers and advantages of Vera’s natural ability to see the future.

She had almost tried to use that ability to her advantage during the debate.

It was an interesting subject to bring up, especially when Vera herself was involved.

But...

The person Grace was trying to create an agenda against was none other than the Jewel of Ash, the Flower of the Kingdom, also known as the Best Flower.

The idea melted like snow in flames.

Vera decided to take things a little more seriously.

It wasn’t easy to use such an approach against someone like her, and Grace’s attempt didn’t produce the result she might have wanted.

Lucy continued telling Ezra about what had happened during the debate, including the reactions surrounding Vera’s response.

At the end of the debate, Vera actually mentioned that she would be voting for Willow Derlis.

The announcement left many students completely shocked.

Vera had already stated that she wasn’t interested in the General Representative position, but hearing her openly name the person she intended to support was another matter.

Some might have expected her to remain neutral.

Others might have thought she would support a different candidate.

Instead, she chose Willow.

But who could read what Vera was thinking in the first place?

Her decision was difficult for many students to understand, especially those who had been following the rivalry between the two girls.

These activities all occurred during the long breaks of the Academy’s schedule and after Academy time.

The debates, public speeches, and other campaign-related events continued to occupy the students’ attention.

Even those who weren’t directly involved had become familiar with the candidates and the arguments surrounding them.

And with everything playing out peacefully...

Friday came with the brilliance of the sun shining brightly.

The First-Year students were packed into the General Classroom.

The classroom was already occupied when Ezra arrived at his usual spot. #

The familiar faces around him were present, and several groups were engaged in conversations about the events that had taken place over the previous three days.

There was quite a lot to discuss.

The debates between the princes, Willow’s victories, the Royal Crest and Arcane Foundry event, and Vera’s unexpected declaration of support had all become topics of conversation.

The students had barely gone three days without something new happening.

Some discussed the candidates and their performances, while others were more interested in the events surrounding the factions.

A few had their own opinions about Vera’s decision, and the discussion occasionally shifted towards what it might mean for Willow’s campaign.

Ezra remained at his usual spot.

He was surrounded by the usual faces, listening to the conversations taking place around him while waiting for the professor to arrive.

Before long, the classroom entrance opened.

Professor Millicent Kane walked in with her assistant.

"Good morning, Professor Millicent Kane."

The students greeted her respectfully.

They also greeted her assistant afterwards.

"Good morning, students."

Professor Millicent returned their greeting.

Her assistant greeted them as well, politely lowering his head before moving towards the teaching equipment.

He began setting up the materials for the lesson while Millicent made her way towards the front of the classroom.

The students gradually settled down.

Those who had still been talking lowered their voices, and the attention of the class shifted towards the front.

After a while...

The Glass Screen board was switched on.

A holographic screen materialized slightly above its glass surface.

The assistant finished arranging the teaching materials, allowing Professor Millicent to begin.

She picked up her Zphone Tablet and sent the document for the day’s class to the display.

The topic appeared boldly.

The Era of the First Villain of Britannia.

Many students focused almost immediately.

It wasn’t their first time hearing about this historical story.

It dated back a long time, and it was one of those subjects that had to be passed down through generations.

And within this era...

The birth of key major things in the Kingdom of Britannia had taken place.

It was a period of history that couldn’t simply be ignored, especially by those studying the kingdom’s past.

Some students had already learned a bit about it during their earlier history studies.

Others had only heard about the era through Scholar Program or from their families.

Regardless of how much they knew, the title alone was enough to draw their attention.

Professor Millicent looked at the topic on the screen before shifting her gaze towards the students.

"I’m sure this topic must be an uncomfortable one for the eyes of you children of Derlis."

She said calmly.

Her attention settled on Willow Derlis, who had a faintly complicated expression as she looked at the title.

Willow remained seated.

Her eyes stayed on the holographic screen for a moment before she let out a breath.

"Ahh..."

She exhaled.

"We Derlis should be fine, Professor. It’s already been more than a thousand years since our ancestors nearly ruined the Kingdom. We have changed, and our records have been clean since then."

She said calmly.

Professor Millicent gave her a soft smile.

"I like that reply."

A few students turned towards Lady Willow Derlis.

Some then shifted their attention to Desmond Derlis, who couldn’t stop himself from laughing silently.

He seemed to find the topic rather interesting, especially considering the connection between the history being discussed and his family.

Willow’s response had been calm, but the subject was still an unusual one for the Derlis family to hear discussed in a classroom.

The students who had taken their earlier history studies seriously would have heard about this period.

They might have known some of the events, the names associated with them, and the role the Derlis ancestors had played.

But there were also students who didn’t know the details.

They knew the name of the historical period, but not enough to fully understand why Professor Millicent had directed her comment towards Willow.

For those students, the professor’s remark and Willow’s response were the first clear indications that the subject had a connection to the Derlis family.

They looked back towards the holographic screen.

Professor Millicent continued.

"So, first, for further study in preparation for your examinations, I will advise you to buy the book titled The First Blood Fall, written by the Third Duke of Derlis."

She said calmly.

The students immediately began jotting it down.

Some wrote the title first, while others included the author’s name so they wouldn’t forget which book they needed.

Ezra also did the same.

He recorded the title in his notes, keeping his attention on the front of the classroom.

The recommendation was important for their upcoming examinations, and the fact that the book had been written by the Third Duke of Derlis made it a useful reference for the topic.

Professor Millicent adjusted her glasses.

"Now, let the class begin."