Chapter 129: Chapter 127: Do You Like It?

Chapter 127: Do You Like It?

In the classroom, Aurora gave her full attention to Professor Santulli.

“Members of religious cults usually hide even more than demonic cults. That’s because they believe they are doing something ‘good’ by the guidance of their God or are performing tasks for a ‘greater good’ which we cannot understand,” Professor Santulli explained, and as she walked around the front of the classroom, she added. “Finding them is difficult. Sometimes our friends, family and acquaintances may belong to a religious cult, believing that what they do is right.”

People acted out of what they believed was right and sometimes went to extremes to achieve their goals.

And while it was normal, members of religious cults took it to a new extreme.

“And what determines whether their actions are right or wrong?” one student asked by raising his hand.

A complex question to answer because of the ambiguity of the meaning ‘good’ and ‘bad’.

In different societies, sets of values prevailed that differed with others determining what was right and wrong.

Hundreds of years ago, most looked favorably upon colonizing and enslaving natives in the so-called New World and even earlier than that, it was common for conquerors to plunder the city slaughtering everything in their path.

In Terra nova, there were demon cultures that saw humans as garbage and that only were slaves.

Some elves’ kingdoms perceived themselves as superior and, therefore, more important than any other race.

Whether demon, human, or any other race, it was undeniable that their own values and sense of morals, which could sometimes differ from the general standard, drove them.

“That’s an important point. You can debate it philosophically and doubt those concepts. You can say the end justifies the means, but in the end, it’s still the same thing. No one wants to die because of some lunatic who came up with the idea that they should sacrifice us for the ‘greater good’,” Professor Santulli replied, and with a shrug of her shoulders, she pointed out. “The easiest way to determine is by today’s standards. If a person seeks to murder innocents for some supposed ‘greater good,’ then you have to be careful.”

How they might parse the meaning of right and wrong differed, but there was one common constant in any situation... No one wished to die for the beliefs of another.

“After all, no one is saying that innocent person is you or any of us,” Professor Santulli added.

No one wished to be on the ‘innocent’ side and be used by individuals who acted in the belief that they aimed their actions at the greater good.

Professor Santulli was expressing the importance of one’s life in the face of such dangerous beliefs of third parties.

“What is relevant about these cults is that their gods seek to cause harm to humanity. Perhaps that is too wide a margin for that explanation, but the point is that in the end, humanity will end up losing,” Professor Santulli said and looking that it was time to end the class, she revealed. “For your luck, we will not have any exams for theology class or this dark arts class. However, you will still have classes with me and we will talk about other subjects.”

Seeing everyone nod happily, Professor Santulli left the class, and when she left, the students celebrated.

Aurora was one of those people who was happy not to have an exam.

Since the Theology, Dark Arts, and Combat class would not have exams, it had saved her from having to study for three exams.

The professors were giving students time off to focus on the tournament and, to Aurora’s advantage; she was a beneficiary.

Knowledge was useful and while Professor Santulli was trying her best to teach subjects that everyone was unfamiliar with, for Aurora it ended up being overwhelming at times to have to study.

Even more so when she didn’t want to officially become a hero and didn’t need to get a good grade in the exams.

“The teacher has a fixation on religious cults and demonic sects,” Cithrel muttered under her breath.

While Professor Santulli talked about rituals and how to stop them in case they came across some, she was of prioritizing religious cults and sects.

There was a reason for that.

“Humanity already suffered because of an occult demonic cult,” Aurora replied and, with a shrug, she commented. “It makes sense for me to prioritize it. First, it’s not like you can go around asking if someone belongs to a cult or a religious cult.”

A cult that sparked the desire of skill users to take control triggered the European civil war in the early years of the Great Cataclysm.

After the truth was discovered, the nations sought to inform about the danger of cults and that event became a warning, which they sought to teach.

Unless mental magic or other techniques were used, it was impossible to know people’s secrets and, therefore, impossible to determine if that person was involved in shady dealings.

And as paranoid as it seemed, people hid secrets, and Aurora was an obvious example of someone who had secrets she kept from her acquaintances and friends.

“As for invasive means of finding out people’s thoughts, they are forbidden,” Erica interjected and, thinking a bit, added. “Although in the South American Empire and other nations, they use magic contracts with heavy restrictions to stop corruption and other illegalities.”

Aurora nodded at that information.

Interfering with people’s minds was forbidden in most nations and people who wished to restrict others employed different methods.

The contracts were a method of ensuring that people did not commit wrongdoing or go against the contract and since they were magical contracts, there were consequences in case of breach.

Although it ended up being frowned upon if the clauses were excessive.

“In the Falion Empire, we also follow that method with officials or individuals of power. And then we still use the old method of executing those who breach contracts using loopholes,” Cithrel said, nodding softly and seeing the surprised look on her face, she shrugged and added. “Also, if the royals act excessively, they are removed from office and political life.”

“By assassinating them?” Erica asked with an odd expression.

‘Removing them from political life’; to some, sounded like a subtle way of saying they ended up assassinating them.

“We also use that method with some who are annoying, avoiding dangerous seeds. Although such situations haven’t happened for quite some time now, let alone at present, when we have three members,” Cithrel confessed with a shrug, and looking at Aurora, she muttered. “There are some times when acquaintances lead those innocent princes and princesses astray.”

Aurora’s expression quivered.

Taking a princess to a ‘dangerous’ place and beating up some thugs would certainly be considered as going on the wrong path.

And more so when they were in this world, far from the influence of the Falion Empire.

If not dealt with properly, the matter could escalate into a political issue against the Falion Empire.

Aurora could imagine how tabloid media were talking about the princess’s actions exaggeratedly.

“Technically, we ended up stopping thugs. So there’s nothing wrong with our actions,” Aurora said, averting her gaze as if it was nothing unusual.

After giving the information that Andrés had collected and thanks to the participation of Director Vincent, the whole Taqiyya affair became a simple story of two heroines stopping thugs.

“Your Highness has a visitor,” Venali announced, pointing to the entrance of the classroom.

Cithrel turned to observe the visitor and gave a smile as she saw Taqiyya waving nervously towards them.

Because of some students in the classroom glancing in her direction, the young woman became shyer.

“I promised her I would walk her to class,” Cithrel said, giving an apologetic smile, then retreated.

Venali, like a loyal bodyguard, followed them both and Aurora gave a half-smile.

Taqiyya stayed at the mansion for a couple of days and a few days ago she had returned to her own home and during her time of residence, she became close to Cithrel.

A rather pleasant outcome for Aurora.

The princess was a quirky and peculiar woman, being sometimes very joking and, some would say, flirtatious. Even so, she was someone charismatic and with whom it was easy to get along.

Even if Taqiyya was shy and not very talkative, she couldn’t stop Cithrel, who could overcome any barrier of shyness.

Aurora hoped it would help Taqiyya gain confidence and, in case there was any fear left by what happened, it would help her overcome it.

Of course, the greatest danger and the one that only she and perhaps Alice knew about was the gallant and seductive knight that Cithrel hid within.

“Venali is very handsome. He has a very cool atmosphere about him,” ,urmured Erica, looking over to where Cithrel and her group had retreated.

Aurora’s expression quivered.

She couldn’t deny that Venali was handsome and the only problem was that there was a slight mishap.

“Do you like it?” Alice asked, opening a bag of chips.

“He’s charming, but I don’t think he’s interested in anything romantic,” Erica replied with a sigh.

Alice smiled and pulled out some chips, she ignored the look Aurora gave her and smiled wickedly.

“It’s not ‘he’, it’s ‘she’.” Alice revealed without hiding her amusement at seeing Erica’s surprise.

Erica froze as if she thought they were joking and then blinked several times, as if she was doubting her sight.

Everyone could see Venali as a handsome young elf with delicate features, who, by the way, she dressed and her coolness in acting gave the impression of being a charming young man.

That she had a certain androgynous charm made people not realize that she was a quiet, cold lady who liked the appearance of a knight.

She also had no problem with her name or anything like that.

She just enjoyed her style of dress and Aurora had to admit that it fit her well and it was better to wear those kinds of clothes when fighting than to wear a dress.

“That... Makes sense,” Erica muttered and scratching her cheek in embarrassment, she explained. “It seemed strange to me that a princess would have a male escort and in the end, it turned out to be female.”

When one thought of a princess’s ‘escorts’, the first thing that came to mind was an entourage of women.

And even more so when it was necessary to avoid malicious rumors that could easily appear.

Such was the general standard and, while not prevalent today, it was still present in some cultures and always stressed by medieval-type films.

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“I also heard that she rejected several students who confessed to her,” Erica added, and seeing them looking at her, curious to know those facts, she gave a bitter smile and commented. “I have so much work and I have to attend so many classes, that listening to those talks is my only entertainment.”

Aurora gave a look of sympathy to her classmate, and inwardly, she was grateful that she selected the minimal classes.

Leaving that class, as a group, they went to the dining hall, the second place where mostly their group was present.

Although at the moment it was just the three of them because Nicole, Leslie, and Clémentine needed to go train for the tournament.

Most of the students were just as busy and the effort they were showing reflected the importance they placed in the tournament.

Arriving in the dining hall, the three of them as they were about to head to their usual table, could see Andrés surrounded by several second and third-year students, led by Oliver and Jordan.

As they seemed to talk and not sitting down to eat, their group approached.

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this task,” Andrés said after sharing information through his holographic watch.

The students nearby read the reports on their holographic watches, nodding in satisfaction.

And as the trio approached, all the students filed out, leaving only Oliver and Jordan who waited for them to arrive.

“Alice, Oliver says he’s ready to be your rival. He hopes you don’t disappoint him and remember your payment,” Jordan said, looking at Alice with a smile.

Oliver, who stood next to her, nudged her, and Jordan walked away with an amused smile.

About forty A-ranked students signed up for the academic tournament and such a number was very high.

Most of those students were interning or working as heroes while attending the academy and took time off from their jobs to sign up for the tournament.

A majority of the second and third-year students were having actual internships and acting as heroes in different locations, with very few being found at the academy.

However, Oliver had taken some time and had quickly won his match the previous time.

“If we meet this time, I won’t go down so fast,” Oliver announced, giving a simple, serious smile.

He was showing some enthusiasm, not wanting to suffer again what happened at the beginning of the academy.

He wasn’t trying to get revenge; he wanted to test his own limits without having to restrict himself.

“As long as I get paid, it doesn’t matter who my opponent is,” Alice replied with a shrug, and looking at Oliver, she added. “You should win your match first.”

The matches of all the ranks had already been revealed, but the two were not facing each other in this round.

So, if he wished to face her, Oliver needed to move on to the next round.

“Fine by me,” Oliver replied in high spirits and took his partner in tow.

“He’s going to lose terribly...”

“Yeah, he’s going to lose badly...”

As soon as Oliver and Jordan left, Erica and Andrés muttered those words.

Alice ignored them and ordered some snacks, leaving Aurora with a smile.

As a first-year student, Clémentine and Alice were in everyone’s sights, as they both defeated their fellow upperclassmen.

Alice had taken the most recognition, as the student she faced was known to be strong and was said to be a contender for the international tournament.

“By the way, why were you surrounded by so many people?” Aurora asked curiously, observing Andrés.

That he was surrounded by so many students gave the impression that he had become popular.

“I’m selling information about the academies and the students that will take part in the international tournament,” Andrés replied and when he was looked at oddly, he coughed and clarified. “It’s nothing illegal. It’s all by legal means.”

No one apologized for looking at him strangely and it was inevitable, when the first thing that came to mind when someone like Andrés works, was that he was doing something illegal.

Aurora couldn’t criticize him, as he probably learned those tricks from Liam and thus it was partly her fault.

“The South American authorities have not revealed which academies will take part. However, all participating academies already know,” Andrés said and smiling amused, he explained. “We just have to find out the names, so the candidates can prepare.”

“It must be difficult,” Erica muttered upon hearing that explanation.

First, there were quite a few academies spread all over the world and some of them focused on particular branches of magic or even specific professions.

Psionics academy, mages, fighters, and countless other academies, some with more prestige than others.

It was even common to find several academies in the same country and it was normal for Erica to believe that the work would be difficult, even though it was easy to identify the important academies.

And even more so when it was not discovering the academies, but the students.

“No, it’s not as hard as it seems. My entire informatics class is working with me as the leader, so it’s easy to find the information. Sometimes someone has an acquaintance of an acquaintance, sometimes we just have to get in contact with some of their students and in the end somehow or other we get the information,” Andrés replied with a calm tone and, looking at the group, he asked. “You know what’s curious?”

There was nothing illegal about the work he was doing and all they were doing was gathering as much information as possible by different means.

Those present, upon hearing his question, paid attention to finding out what he had found.

“The curious thing is that the students of all the academies are preparing the tournament by themselves. That means that the teachers do not select the students, but let the students organize themselves in their own way. The same thing that happens here happens in other academies,” Andrés said quietly, not hiding his solemn look.

The students themselves selected the participants for the international tournament and the teachers did not intervene.

Oliver and Jordan approached their group to urge them to join the tournament.

Making it clear how it worked.

The students would select their own participants who would represent them.

Edward was organizing the whole tournament, revealing that those who had the authority and control were not the teachers, but the upper-year students.

However, as Edward and the others wished to eliminate any doubt or disunity, they set the positions to be taken by the students to challenge each other.

“The academy has not yet announced who holds the current positions, but when they are revealed, it will be a disaster,” Erica assured, nodding confidently.

There was no way it wouldn’t be that way.

While there were some students whose reputation and prestige would prevent others from challenging them, the brave would challenge the weak or lesser-known students.

This method was excellent for removing the doubts of some students who might believe that upperclassmen were making arbitrary decisions to choose from.

Having the strongest students left gave confidence for the future, and the biggest problem with this method was the drawbacks of ‘balance’ on the team.

If all the swordsmen won the positions, inevitably, they would end up having a problem with another team with a better balance among its members.

“The balance problem is hard to overcome,” Aurora said and with a shrug, added. “However, it can also be an advantage.”

If it was as Andrés said and the students organized themselves, then those who chose the strongest without prioritizing balance would have problems that could end up being at the academy’s advantage.

What the authorities were looking for was for the students to organize themselves to put together an organized and balanced team, demonstrating the unity of the academy.

Not always the strongest were the most suitable for some tasks and they learned such teaching in practice.

At least such an idea Aurora was supposing.

“By the way, do you know which academy will take part?” Erica asked Andrés and, realizing her question, quickly added. “I can pay you.”

Andrés and his classmates were working for the sophomores and juniors and, like all work, needed to be paid.

“Actually, we get paid with some beers or other types of drinks,” Andrés replied, giving an amused half-smile.

Erica’s look immediately turned strange at the cheap price.

Aurora, for her part, laughed in amusement at the answer.

They were in the same academy and technically, the students at the international tournament would represent everyone, so it was only natural that they would support each other in this way.

“So far we have the Merlin Academy from the UK, the Cernunnos Beast Tamers Academy, the Psionics Academy from Asia, and other lesser-known academies from other parts of the world,” Andrés replied and instead of explaining the details, he relayed his information and recounted. “We are now trying to approach the students of those academies to see if we can find out who the participants will be and what their weaknesses are.”

The first academies he named were recognized and Aurora, who was reading the other information, realized that the computer science students were putting more effort into gathering information.

Just as Aurora was about to read the report with greater concentration, two messages arrived.

One of them was the report from Director Vincent and the second one was...

“Already found a mission for us to do together!” -LadyOfFrost

The second one was from Akira with good news.

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