BXBX NOVEL Chapter 212: Sophomore Year
His vacation already ended and the 2nd school year for their batch was about to start. From this day onwards, Cedric was now a Sophomore Student of the Starlight Royal Academy.
The rules haven't changed, he still needs to enroll in class using his Academic Units. The Sword Path class remained in his enrolled subjects because it's a special case.
As a sophomore student, they were given a total of 30 Academic Units which they could freely use to enroll into subjects that they fancy. They may use all or not, the students will decide this.
The Sword Path class costs 10 Academic Units which were already deducted from his total, so he has 20 AUs left.
Cedric didn't go ballistic in his choices. He scanned his choices and picked subjects that he already had a good foundation on.
Demonology for 10 AUs, and Outer World History for another 10 AUs, a total of 30 Academic Units.
Both of these subjects are considered advanced classes. Demonology is something that Cedric already has a good foundation on thanks to his 2nd Job Class - Demon Slayer. If he's really pressed for time, he could probably afford to take the advanced graduation from this subject to free up his schedule.
As for the Outer World History, well...he technically knows nothing about it but it's one of his great interests, so he enrolled in it. That settles his subjects for the entirety of his sophomore year.
In addition to this, Cedric also gained access to other places within the Academy as a Sophomore Student. There were training areas that could mimic a specific environment to increase the efficiency of one's training, challenge rooms that allowed the students to refine their weaknesses, clubs they could join to meet like-minded people, and so on.
Cedric wasn't attracted to any of this since he already had everything that he needed. His focus is to improve the skill set he already has, he already has a lot so he's not planning to add more.
Additionally, he needs to put greater emphasis on his Concept of Laws. Even with absurdly high comprehension ability, learning Concept Laws was challenging.
Of course, he can't expect his Sophomore Year to be smooth sailing. Just because he already adjusted to life within the academy doesn't mean that it'd be easier from here on out. If anything, he should expect the Academy to ask more from them since that's how it should be.
**
"...another mission? Isn't that like, the 3rd time in a row now? You guys barely get enough rest. Is there something going on?" Cedric asked the girls in a concerned tone.
Chrissy and Erica just told him that their team had been summoned again for another mission. It would be another world expedition but they won't go that far. Obviously, they can't tell him the specifics since that's not allowed but they could give him an idea and he could fill out the rest with his imagination.
"Well, that's work 'ya..." Chrissy sighed as she stuffed her things into her military-issued backpack. "...we chose this line of work and we are needed, bound by duty and all that."
"Yeah. I'd like to get some vacation too but alas, we're a bit unlucky." Erica sighed as she too arranged her things. "Nobody knows what's going on but the Demons have become somewhat active recently. Even more so during the past week from what I've heard."
'Is this my fault?' Cedric gloomily muttered to himself.
He still hasn't forgotten his encounter with Demon Lord Deliora. He fed the obnoxious thing to Acala which might've been the reason why the Demon Race has become so active this past week or so. After all, the disappearance of a Demon Lord should be enough to alarm them.
Well, it's not certain if this was truly the case. He had no way of receiving direct intel from the demons, after all. Even so, he should at least do something to ensure that his girls would return to him.
Walking behind Erica, he swept her long hair to the side to put on a necklace he created much to her curiosity.
"Oh, what's this? Is today a special day?" She asked. This of course gathered Chrissy's attention as well.
"No, not really," Cedric replied as he secured the necklace. "It's a little something I made for the two of you."
After putting on the necklace for Erica, he moved to Chrissy to do the same.
"Thank you, it's really pretty," Chrissy replied as she inspected the necklace.
The necklace had a thin silver chain which almost blended with the girls' skin tone, making it look almost invisible or at least, unnoticeable, an amulet was attached to it around the size of a marble. It's flat and cold to the touch. It had a pretty design that the girls had never seen before.
"Never take these off, okay?" He told them both. "It contains a little something that should save you in case of emergency. I'd prefer it more if it's never triggered, though."
After doing this for the girls, he helped them pack their stuff and sent them away with a gaze.
Once they were gone, Cedric's worry returned. He's feeling antsy. He obviously can't help but feel worried about the safety of his girlfriends. This isn't to say that he doesn't trust their teammates to protect them, they are highly capable people and they've been a team for years now.
They've been through thick and thin together and that forged a strong bond and mutual trust despite their constant bickering.
What Cedric was worried about was the idea that he might've caused this entire string of events that caused his girlfriends to be implicated.
The Vivic Flames he created is a true Demon Slaying technique...
See, True Demons won't truly die even if they're killed. Sure, they will leave a corpse behind and maybe some of their bones, but as long as their souls are intact, they will be revived within a few years.
Their souls will return to the fleet, attached to a new ball of flesh, and be incubated until they're ready to kill once more. So long as a piece of their soul remains, they can be resurrected, and the injuries that their soul suffered from will recover thanks to the advanced tools the Demon Race has.
This was one of the ways they were collecting intel on Humanity. It's also why Humans have been losing the protracted way against them because Demons just refuse to fucking die.
Death by Sunlight, Sunfire, and Vivic Flames negates this false immortality of theirs because these elements seep into their souls and cause their complete demise.
Vivic Flames, the one that Cedric invented recently, is probably something that's the most effective against them. It's a tool that not only permanently kills Demons, it also converts their existence into a nourishing sacrifice to Acala.
Any Demon killed by the Vivic Flames will be fed to Acala, allowing her to restore her energy and permanently kill one of the pesky things.
The demise of Deliora probably rattled the Demon Race badly, that's why they're so active right now. They're probably searching for the killer or at least, busy pointing fingers at everybody.
Either way, they alarmed the army and in extension, also alarmed the Outer World Expedition Teams, which Chrissy and Erica were part of.
'Relax, Cedric...' he told himself, 'they'll be fine. They've been in this gig for longer than you've been a student of this academy. They will be fine, believe in them, they're not weak and helpless.'
'You've given them the necklace. It's powerful enough to severely hurt a Demon Lord. The chances of the OWET meeting a Demon Lord are very low, they'd be fine. They will return to you.'
Cedric took a deep breath and slumped on his chair. He worries too much, but nobody could blame him. The girls have wormed their way into his heart and they're all he has now. He vowed to protect them the best he could. Eventually, he will join them in their missions, and when that happens, he'd be there to protect them better than he could right now.
As of the moment, he can't do that just yet. So, he could only settle for the next best thing...to protect them from afar.
'Okay, my girls are busy. I should do something too. I can't waste the free time I have and the gifts that have been given to me.'
Cedric stood up and stretched his body for a bit. He was about to go to the lab when all of a sudden, he felt something shifting around him.
He unleashed his senses and scanned his surroundings carefully. It took him a couple of seconds before a smile appeared on his face.
Opening the windows of his room, he looked up and saw the faint golden radiance roaming above. Not all people could see this but he could. It was followed by a very familiar warmth which only meant one thing...
'The House of Light finally replaced the light source.'