Chapter 323

Chapter 323

Once Chenbi finished speaking, a quiet stillness settled over the table.

Even Damian was uncharacteristically silent.

And with good reason—everyone was acutely aware of the reality.

‘One year.’

Once those twelve months slipped by, opportunities for the four of us to gather like this would become incredibly rare.

Naturally, our paths might cross again down the line as each of us pursued our individual journeys. Yet, those encounters would be nothing more than brief, fleeting instances, and it would be a stroke of pure luck if we managed to maintain any real, consistent connection.

“Making memories… that doesn’t sound terrible.”

Surprisingly, Evelyn spoke up first, nodding along in full agreement with Chenbi.

Personally, it felt strange to hear that.

‘Evelyn, of all people…?’

From the very start, Evelyn had never placed much value on the academy itself. You only had to look at her scheme to establish a black market on campus to know she viewed the institution as merely an extension of her commercial ventures. For her to bring up “memories” was unexpected.

How about an adventure instead?

“Yes, an adventure. There must be some escapades we can find within the academy. Or we could save it for the break,” she suggested. “Though… is there anything we can actually fit in while juggling our third-year workload? As you all know…” Evelyn let her voice trail off.

Her gaze shifted toward Chenbi, though it wasn’t as if she was oblivious to the situation. Everyone saw the grueling effort Chenbi put in just to keep up with the academy’s courses.

Truthfully, she was pushing herself to the absolute limit. She sacrificed precious hours of sleep every single night to review course materials, dedicating every spare second when she wasn’t talking with us to prepare for the upcoming lectures.

Even so, her grades hovered right around average. They weren’t terrible, but there was no denying she was finding it difficult.

Which meant one thing.

‘If we pile any more onto her plate, Chenbi is going to break.’

Creating memories was a lovely idea, but unlike Evelyn, Damian, and myself, Chenbi desperately needed good academic marks. Academia Jenion might be the premier institution on the Eastern Continent, and finishing the basic curriculum earned a person immense prestige, but poor grades could ruin everything. A mediocre standing was incredibly precarious.

“Hmm.”

At this point, even I had to pause and ponder.

Why? Because I shared that exact same hesitation regarding our school life.

“I don’t mind. Grades are important, but…”

“No, that’s not it,” I interjected, shaking my head to cut Chenbi off.

The days behind us were gone forever, clearly. But that didn’t mean we should throw away our future just to enjoy the present moment.

The real issue was whether we actually had a viable path forward…

‘Ugh.’

We didn’t.

What could we possibly accomplish next year to leave a mark? Or rather, how are lasting memories truly formed? A few more suggestions were tossed around after that, but none of them really stuck. The only one that came close to being realistic was:

“What about a time capsule?”

“A time capsule?”

“Exactly. We can bury letters addressed to our future selves ten years from now. Then, a decade later, we’ll meet back up to dig them up!”

It was a simple time capsule.

“But where would we bury it?”

“Since we’re at Academia Jenion, how about right beneath the Torre de los Sabios? Sneaking into the Torre de los Sabios would be a massive adventure.”

…Yeah, absolutely not.

That would only result in disciplinary penalties and leave Chenbi in tears. Still, while the proposal required a few adjustments, the core concept of a time capsule was quite appealing.

‘Letters to our future selves, a decade down the line…’

Sounds pretty great, doesn’t it? We could also set a firm date to meet up ten years from now. It was the perfect way to turn our current reality into future nostalgia.

And…

‘I know the ideal spot to bury it.’

Where?

The senior director’s hideout.

There was no certainty he would still be the senior director in ten years, but the academy’s expansion plans placed that specific plot of land very low on their priority list. Unless some random billionaire suddenly dropped a massive fortune in donations, that ground wouldn’t be disturbed.

Excellent. The burial site was essentially taken care of.

“For the time being, are we leaning toward the time capsule?”

“Are you actually considering the Torre de los Sabios?”

“Are you insane? I already have a specific location in mind.”

I suppose, in the end, she was lacking “memories” from the Black and White Slums. She was balling her fists when Damian stepped in to rescue Evelyn.

“Alright, so we’re going with the capsule…”

“Perhaps?”

“Awesome! I’m actually really great at writing. This is going to be so much fun!”

Damian beamed, already thrilled by the concept, and Chenbi appeared rather happy with it too.

And with that,

“Let’s wrap things up for tonight. Everyone, start brainstorming what to put inside the time capsule.”

We deliberated briefly on what items to bury before concluding our evening. Letters addressed to the other three, excluding ourselves, alongside some small gifts. That was how we began preparing for our eventual parting while binding ourselves to a future reunion.

Time flew by in a flash.

Did Chenbi foresee this?

We used to spend almost every waking moment together, but as the relentless pace of daily life accelerated, we gradually began to drift apart.

“Ugh. This is absolute madness. Why are these exams so brutal? I even have a quiz tomorrow…”

“Just make sure you don’t fail. Don’t fail.”

“That’s the hardest part…”

Evelyn had always pulled off top marks, but now she was paying the price for slacking off a bit during her first and second years; her days had turned into a relentless, exhausting routine.

And Chenbi…

“I’m sorry, I can’t make it to lunch today.”

Another guidance session?

“Yes. Profesor Jeira is conducting career counseling…”

Chenbi wasn’t just trying to earn academic credits anymore; she was actively preparing for life after graduation. She frequently met with her advisor, Profesor Jeira, who kept emphasizing the enormous amount of preparation required.

“A personal portfolio?”

“Yes. Any individual experiments conducted during our academic years. Or submitting a thesis.”

Experiments made sense… but a thesis?

I was left stunned, though Chenbi’s thesis wasn’t quite the massive monster I had envisioned.

“They mentioned a standard undergraduate level is plenty. Nothing groundbreaking; it just needs to review established theories.”

She downplayed it as though it were trivial, but it wasn’t that simple. While experiments could be woven into job-prep activities alongside the standard curriculum, a thesis was a different story. An undergraduate student had to compose the entire thing entirely on their own, from the opening line to the conclusion. The professors only provided proofreading and edits.

“A career path… locked into a job?”

“Yes, it looks that way. Profesor Jeira mentioned that a combat mage isn’t a bad route, but… well.”

“The Familia Bandera?”

“It’s a bit uncertain.”

Chenbi offered a faint smile at my inquiry. She didn’t elaborate further, but I caught the main gist.

‘Right… that makes sense.’

The moment she associated herself with the familia Llandoga, things between her and Damian wouldn’t remain the same. There was nothing to be done about it.

“Even so, my adoptive mother has been quite lenient—she has no ties to the Blankaga. Talk about luck!”

Considering how sponsored individuals were typically coerced into serving the family business, this was undoubtedly an act of generosity. Sponsorships generally came tied to family obligations.

…Damian was no exception either; he was entirely absorbed in his own distinct path.

“My friend, everything is just a phenomenon.”

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Rain? A phenomenon. Snow? A phenomenon. People are the same. Even if a friend punches me, I don’t get angry. A lightning strike from above? Unfair, sure, but ultimately, it’s just a phenomenon…”

“…Uh, right.”

It seemed he had attained some sort of breakthrough, but his daily output of gibberish was also skyrocketing. For Damian, enlightenment and intelligence appeared to be inversely proportional.

And so it went, as everyone hurried toward the conclusion of their academy days.

“Graduation…”

The others had their own separate atmospheres, but I also needed to get ready for my final stretch.

So, what was there to prepare?

First and foremost… the senior Bibliotecario Teheman.

I had maintained consistent visits and lessons with the elder Bibliotecario Teheman, but the time had come to start scaling back that frequency. Following graduation, carving out free time would become incredibly difficult. Fortunately, the senior Teheman understood.

“Very well, then. Approach this year as if it’s your final one and plan your schedule accordingly. There’s nothing else to do.”

“But, perhaps…”

“Are you wondering if I have no plans regarding a mage tower?”

“…Yes.”

The old gentleman let out a brief chuckle at my query.

“Construct your own tower first, then we’ll talk. Plotting to exploit a blind old man; I always knew you were a scoundrel, but damn.”

“Did I get caught red-handed?”

“As if you could hide it.”

Naturally, I didn’t back down. A forbidden mage tower? There was always the Consejo de los 72.

‘Let’s see… what rank would suit the senior Teheman…?’

I was locked into 4/7, while the senior Mysern was fixed at the 8th. It was set in stone.

So for the elder Teheman…

“Somewhere around the seventh?”

[Me, me! I’m number one!]

I chuckled softly upon seeing the wyvern, who had just roused from its slumber. For the record, I had brought the creature from the Second Black and White Slums right into my dormitory. Since visiting the Second Black and White Slums was no longer an option, there really was no other choice. I had been worried it might feel trapped inside, but the wyvern was holding its ground remarkably well. Or… was it just stubbornly persistent?

[Me, me… number one… zzz.]

It drifted right back to sleep as though it hadn’t even woken up. Recently, sleeping was practically all it did. It didn’t look ill, but aside from meal times, claiming it spent its entire life asleep wasn’t much of an exaggeration.

“Yes, you take first place.”

[Good… friend… silly.]

The winged drake, thrilled to have bypassed the Consejo de los 72, grinned in its sleep.

‘Looking at it now, it seems to have grown a bit, hasn’t it?’

A growth spurt? Whatever.

Everything with the senior Teheman was more or less sorted out. But life at the academy didn’t grind to a halt there.

What else remained?

‘… The Cielo Inverso.’

It was time to go after those remnants of the Cielo Inverso that I had preserved for the academy. I intended to wrap up these career preparations prior to graduation. That required activating the Cadena Infinita; Parun had already consented to provide assistance.

‘I just need to get the Cadena Infinita up and running.’

In truth, my biggest headache lay in the concluding piece.

“Sallier von Decullan.”

The youthful patriarch of the familia Decullan, who was still attending the academy. That was my sole remaining concern.