NOVPUB[Translator - Ramen]
[Proofreader - Artethrax]
Chapter 273
"Simon! Simon! Simon! Simon! Simon!"
As the crowd fervently called his name, Simon received the loudspeaker crystal ball from the MC.
"Now, Mr. Simon, please tell us how you feel right now!"
Said the MC with a wink.
Simon raised the crystal ball to his mouth.
"Hello. I am Simon Polentia."
Having been asked about how he felt, he continued with something formal but not unnecessarily so, saying how he felt thankful to the professors and his teammates for training with him in their spare time and that he will train harder.
At that point, the MC interrupted at the right time and asked another question.
"I guess we can't help but talk about the deimos! I'm curious how you got that rare summon and why you didn't turn it into a nether whale!"
Simon was about to answer, but he hesitated for a moment.
'Would it be okay if Professor Walter discovered I went to the fish market?'
Simon slightly changed his answer.
"I got help from a senior in my club, Benya Vanilla."
He explained that there was a successor of the Vanilla company in his club and that he obtained the corpse from there.
The reason why he didn't turn it into a nether whale was because the raw materials were in poor condition, though.
In the end, Simon thought turning it into a skeleton was the best choice, since he could have a deimos skeleton with the Alpha abilities.
The MC nodded in satisfaction at Simon's public speaking skills, being able to walk the fine line of saying as much information as possible while keeping his answers smooth and concise.
"I would like to send my thanks to the people who gave me this chance. To Benya, and… Ah!"
Simon's eyes widened.
Out of many spectators, he recognized a couple of familiar old men who were cheering particularly loudly.
'They've come to watch!'
It was Diego and his juniors.
Simon quickly continued,
"I'd like to thank the artisan necromancers of Vanilla—Diego, Marco, and Rodrion—for perfecting the deimos they brought to life for the first time! A round of applause for them, who are here today!"
As Simon gestured toward them, the crowd's attention was also drawn that way. There was a burst of excited clapping, and the screen showed the three of them smiling awkwardly.
Since he had gotten a lot of help from Vanilla for this BDMAT, he thought it was only fair to help them out with a little advertising like this.
"Then, lastly, I would like you to hear what you have learned from this for the future!"
Simon nodded at MC's words.
"I got lucky this time and finished in first, but in the chaotic landscape that is the BDMAT tests, I believe anyone can end up one of the 50 students facing expulsion. I will keep my guard up and work harder. Thank you!"
And so, Simon finished his interview along with a storm of applause and walked off the stage. He heard the MC calling for Elissa, the next interviewee, to the stage.
"Well done."
Said Jane, standing with her arms crossed.
Simon bowed his head with a bright smile.
"Thank you! I got first place again, Professor."
"Indeed."
Simon scratched his head.
'She's a lot calmer than I expected. I assumed she'd be happier that I got first.'
Jane stood blankly, but an arm she held behind her back—away from the students—was shaking with delight.
"Hello! I am Elissa Seline!"
Finishing his turn without trouble, Simon let himself relax as he listened to the other students' interviews.
Elissa's speech was a bit long.
She was sending her thanks to her parents for giving birth to her, to her nanny and the servants who took care of her when she was young, to the necromancy professors, Professor Umbra especially, the assistant teachers, the dorm officer for giving her a good place to sleep, to her friends for lending her their notebooks, and every other person she could think of.
It was like a medal ceremony, not an interview.
The MC couldn't hold it and cut her off to call up the next student. At this point, Elissa was even mentioning the name of the horseman who had taken her to Kizen at the entrance ceremony.
Next up was Laheim. He suddenly turned around and shouted, pointing at Simon,
"Our duel in this test was a draw! Zimon Valentino!"
Simon let out a wry laugh.
'…He's still on that?'
"You and I both didn't get knocked out either, did we? Let's save the duel for Meilyn next time!"
After Laheim, it was Hector's turn.
He targeted Laheim as soon as he received his loudspeaker crystal ball.
"Bullshit. I'm the one who's going to beat Simon Polentia."
Simon smiled while preserving his facade of calmness, but the corners of his mouth were twitching.
"Don't you ever think that seat will be yours forever."
Wanting a provocative interview like this, MC responded with excitement.
"Wow! A declaration of war! Will the two of them finally settle this on the fourth BDMAT? Please come to watch the next test as well! Yes, and the last student to be interviewed is…!"
Just then, one of the broadcasting servants ran up to the stage and handed the MC a note.
"Oh, I think we're going to have some adjustments!"
Said the MC, looking at the note.
"Apparently, Jules, who finished 3rd, is being treated for an injury in the ward. So, instead of Jules, we will be bringing in the student who finished 6th for our final interview! The woman who placed sixth in this test, please come up!"
Step, step, step.
A familiar student was walking onto the stage.
Simon couldn't keep his mouth closed from surprise.
"Here's your loudspeaker, miss."
"Thank you."
As she took the crystal, she gave a quick mic test. Then, with a little bit of a nervous look on her face, she spoke.
"Um, hello. I am Claudia Menzies."
Sixth place for the third BDMAT this time was none other than Claudia.
"Welcome, Claudia! One of the biggest topics of the third BDMAT has been the strenuous effort of the poisonous alchemy aspirants! They showed a strong presence in the ocean, and Claudia's growth has been the most remarkable of them all! 710th in the second BDMAT, and now 6th overall!! That's really amazing! Do you have any secrets to your growth in Kizen?"
She replied with a stiff smile out of nervousness.
"I-I don't think I've grown in particular. I think it's just that this third test was a theme that favored poisonous alchemy students a lot. There were a lot of poisonous monsters, and only poisonous alchemy aspirants could easily make wide-range attacks in the sea."
The MC clapped his hands. He wasn't an adult who'd just pass a topic like this.
"Hahaha! How modest of you! Isn't '6th overall' quite a position to be in just for having a favorable theme? I'm guessing that there must've been some major change of heart or some personal realizations!"
She nodded slowly and continued her answer. 𝓷ℴ𝓿𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
Perhaps Claudia was feeling nervous in front of a large audience, as her voice was wavering and words were slipping out of her mouth.
It was worlds different from the way she had pushed for action in front of her classmates.
It felt like she had reverted to being the regular student she was before the boycott.
"U-Uhm…"
"Yes! Feel free to talk!"
"May I give my thoughts, as well?"
"Ah! Yes! Of course!"
She then took a deep breath, turned her head to glance at Simon behind her, then looked straight forward again.
"There was a moment where I wished I could turn back time."
Her silvery voice rang out.
"It was a stupid act caused by my paranoia, my sense of crisis, and my desperation. I led a boycott in my class."
Clamor.
The crowd became noisy.
"The reason was lame, even for me, so I used a bunch of flimsy excuses such as student rights and everything to defend myself. I've hurt some people in ways that can't be undone for what I've done. I'll visit them one by one and ask for forgiveness."
She then let out a long sigh before continuing,
"The truth is, it all started from a misunderstanding on my part. Thankfully, the professor came to talk to us first, and I eventually realized my actions and foolishness. And thanks to the professor, I've placed sixth, it's a huge honor."
Claudia smiled.
"However, at that time, the professor told us something that I couldn't really understand."
"Some guy asked me to."
"The more I think about it, the funnier it is. I told him I'd do him any favor, and then he makes an event like this for someone who has nothing to do with him."
Whether it was out of goodwill, sympathy, nosiness, or just a random thought…
She didn't know why he asked Belya for such a favor.
But one thing was certain.
"I don't know who it is, but…"
She wiped a tear from her eye.
"But if he's listening, I'd really like to tell him this."
She smiled brightly.
"Thank you. Your words changed my life."
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator - Ramen
Proofreader - Artethrax
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* * *
The center of the storm for this third BDMAT was undoubtedly Belya.
There was an unprecedented situation where her class was boycotted, and there was a lot of criticism from elders and parents about her having students eat poisons.
However, all of a sudden, the poisonous alchemy aspirants retracted their boycott and showed up for the test equipped with a new skill called 'runic poison'. They then performed brilliantly.
Needless to say, it was thanks to that that Claudia placed sixth overall. If the story was as simple as the test merely having a theme that favored poisonous alchemy aspirants, things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand. The problem was someplace else.
It was the fact that there was a massive difference between the performance of the students who had taken Belya's Poisonous Alchemy class and those who had taken another professor's.
After the test, the students of other classes began to ask for transfers, saying they wanted to take Professor Belya's Poisonous Alchemy class.
Obviously, Belya's fame went up significantly. Kizen headquarters also had a change of heart.
[She found a big shot, although Professor Belya's wildness was something which we needed to be wary of.]
[When Professor Hong Feng was first assigned, she was criticized for her outdoor classes! But now she has been at the top of the class satisfaction list for five years in a row and now she's become one of the professors who represent Kizen.]
[That's great. Are there any other necromancers from the grasslands? Try getting in touch.]
[Don't get me started. I heard that Alland, Sierra, and Moyran are already on the move.]
[Hahaha! That's why they're always number 2. Always a step slower.]
While there were still some problems, it seemed that Belya's adaptation to Kizen was somewhat successful.
"Cheers!"
With a clink, raucous laughter erupted.
Hong Feng had personally invited Belya and her hardworking assistant teachers to a celebration at the hut.
"Eat up, everyone!"
"Thank you, Professor Hong Feng!"
Blushing from the liquor, Belya gestured,
"Hey, hey! You come over here and drink, too."
"Let me just finish boiling this."
Hong Feng frantically went back and forth between the hut and the fire. A drunken assistant teacher chuckled.
"Haaaaah! You truly never know what's gonna happen in your life, huh! I thought it was all over, but to think that things worked out how they did."
"I thought I was going to get kicked out!"
"I heard that there's been a huge number of transfer requests. I can't wait to see the look on Professor Dunkun's face. That'll show him and his assistant teachers for treating us like dirt!"
"I told you, didn't I!"
Shouted Belya, raising her glass high.
"I told you to trust your big sis and just follow!"
"Right, right!"
"Cheers again~!"
Wahahahaha!
For the first time in a while, everyone put aside their worries and enjoyed themselves.
Being able to smile once more, the chief assistant teacher—who was taking care of the professor and her juniors due to her own difficulties holding her alcohol—saw the girl sitting next to Belya and said,
"Claudia, how long are you going to be there like that? You're making us uncomfortable."
Kneeling beside Belya, Claudia was nervously fiddling with her glass.
"N-No matter how much I think about it, I don't think I deserve to be invited to be here…"
"It's fine! That's all in the past!"
Belya ruffled her hair.
"And even if you caused me some trouble with the boycott, it's all good since you got sixth place in BDMAT and made me feel pompous! Don't y'all agree? Huh?"
"You're definitely right!"
"You bastards!"
Yelled Belya, looking at her assistant teachers.
"I'd like to take Claudia as my direct disciple starting today. What do you all think?"
"Yes!"
"Most definitely!"
The surroundings erupted in boisterous cheers.
Tears welled up in Claudia's eyes with emotion.
"I-I've… I've only been causing trouble to you all, yet…"
"She's crying again! Hahaha!"
"You little! Tell me right now!"
Said Belya, shoving her face closer.
"Are you going to refuse like 'that bastard'? Huh?"
"N-No! I'd very much like to be your direct disciple, Professor! It is an honor!"
"That's how it should be!"
"Well then, to welcome the newest member of the family…!"
"Cheers!"
The mood of the party was heightened.
As the night continued, some of the assistant teachers had drunk themselves unconscious.
Belya stood up with a giggle. The chief assistant teacher asked,
"Professor, where are you going?"
"To the bathroom!"
After giving an excessively loud reply, Belya walked over to the back of Hong Feng's hut. There she saw Hong Feng making soup in a large cauldron.
"Hey."
Hong Feng turned around.
"Ah, big sister."
"You should just go eat as well."
The two stood some distance apart.
There was a moment of silence.
"Congratulations, big sister."
"For?"
"For getting a big one done this time. I didn't think you'd be able to adjust well in Kizen."
Belya giggled.
"You don't speak that stupid only for me, do you?"
"Cut the crap and remember…"
Hong Feng's gaze became serious.
"This place is more brutal than the grasslands we lived on. If you show any signs of weakness, you'll be bitten. How long do you think they're going to go easy on us just because we came from a different culture?"
"Gosh, nagging as soon as we see each other again."
Belya laughed. Hong Feng also let out a soft laugh.
"Hey."
"?"
"Simon told me. He said you were helping me."
A smile formed on Hong Feng's mouth, but it quickly returned to her usual calmness.
"I don't have the foggiest what you're talking about."
Said Hong Feng, while stirring the ladle in the pot.
Belya asked,
"Do you want Simon as well?"
"I bet there's no professor who doesn't want to take him. You too?"
"I'll get him, so give up."
"That's ridiculous."
The twin sisters' laughter filled the night.
