Chapter 347: The Grand Hall Dinner (1)

The moment he returned to the infirmary room, Ruvian immediately realized that Julian was no longer there.

’He must have gone back to the room assigned to his squad. That bastard probably didn’t want to stay here with me any longer. Well... not that I wanted that either,’ Ruvian thought.

As he stepped further into the room, Ophelia quietly closed the door behind him and remained there for a brief moment before finally calling out to him.

Judging by her expression, it seemed she still had one final thing she wanted to say.

"Scholar Ruvian," she called in a firm, composed tone. "Before you rest, there is one matter concerning this evening’s ceremony that I believe you should be informed of."

Ruvian slowly turned around to face her.

Ophelia continued.

"As you are already aware, aside from the squad rankings, the academy will also be presenting an Individual Award to the scholar who achieved the most outstanding performance during the examination."

’Individual Award...’

Ruvian had certainly not forgotten about that.

In fact, the moment the Chancellor brought it up personally, he could already tell where this conversation was heading.

’So I’m the one getting it, huh?’

Ophelia did not leave him wondering for long.

"Although the official announcement will not be made until the ceremony, I see little reason to conceal it from you any longer," she said professionally. "You are the scholar who has been selected to receive that award."

Ruvian remained silent, though he was hardly surprised.

"The award itself is not merely ceremonial," Ophelia continued. "As the top individual scholar, you will be granted the right to make one request of the academy. Provided that request falls within our authority and does not violate academy regulations, we will do everything within reason to fulfill it."

She paused, studying his expression.

"That is precisely why I wished to inform you ahead of time."

"When the award is presented this evening, you will be asked to state your request before the academy officials. I would prefer that you have already given the matter some thought rather than deciding something important on impulse."

Ophelia’s violet eyes settled directly on him.

"So, Scholar Ruvian... What is it that you intend to ask of the academy?"

Looking back, Ruvian had originally preferred for someone like Calyra or Silvena to receive such an award. But after witnessing the original Ruvian’s regression firsthand, he had changed his mind.

Instead, he decided to proceed with his alternative plan — he would ensure that he was the one who ultimately received the Individual Award.

"I see. Thank you for informing me beforehand, Chancellor," Ruvian said with a small, appreciative nod. "It certainly saves me from having to come up with something on the spot later."

He paused briefly before looking at her.

"Though, if that’s the case... would it be alright for me to tell you my request now?"

Ophelia raised a brow slightly before giving him a composed nod.

"Of course. If you have already decided, I see no reason why you cannot tell me now."

Hearing that, Ruvian let out a knowing smile. He had already anticipated this opportunity long before Ophelia had even brought it up.

"Then..."

He looked directly at her.

"I would like to use my request to ask you—"

*****

[Yerin’s POV]

An hour before the award ceremony...

Yerin stood quietly before the full-length mirror, carefully examining the dress she had chosen for the ceremony.

It was a deep forest-green gown, elegant without appearing overly extravagant, with a neatly fitted waist and a long skirt that flowed smoothly down toward her ankles.

The darker shade complemented her ash-brown hair and hazel eyes surprisingly well, making the softer hues stand out even more beneath the warm glow of the room.

She had also taken far more care with her hair than usual.

Instead of leaving it loose as she normally did, her ash-brown hair had been woven into a beautiful braid that ran neatly along the back of her head before falling over one shoulder. A few thinner strands had been deliberately left around the sides of her face, softening the otherwise formal hairstyle.

Yerin turned slightly from side to side, checking herself from several different angles.

’Hmm...’

For a change, she had to admit that she looked rather stunning!

The room itself was still the same one assigned to her squad since the journey to the island, meaning she technically had to share it with Arlok, Shima, and Horren.

Fortunately, the academy had anticipated that scholars would need some privacy while changing into their formal attire.

Several temporary partition screens had been installed around the room, creating separate changing areas and giving the female scholars some much-needed privacy.

Just as Yerin finished checking the last few details of her appearance, a familiar voice suddenly came from beyond one of the partition screens.

"Hey, Horren... are you seriously putting your trousers on backwards?"

"W-What?!"

Another pause followed before Arlok burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! I knew it! How the hell did you even manage that?"

"Arlok!" Horren immediately hissed, his voice filled with embarrassment. "D-Don’t say that so loudly! They can hear you from the other side!"

Hearing the commotion, Yerin could not help but smile faintly. Even before the ceremony had begun, those two were already making a mess of things.

"Seriously... that idiot is always so damn loud."

A familiar voice came from beside her.

Yerin turned her head toward the source and found Shima standing only a short distance away.

For a moment, her gaze lingered on her.

Shima had chosen a white dress for the ceremony, decorated with several elegant violet patterns that traced along the edges of the fabric and curved subtly around her waist. The combination suited her almost perfectly, especially alongside her short silver hair and striking purple eyes.

Combined with her petite height and the stern expression she almost always wore, she somehow looked less intimidating than she probably intended.

Rather, she resembled a small, elegantly dressed girl who was perpetually angry at something.

Yerin had to resist the urge to smile again.

’How cute...’

Shima seemed to notice her staring.

"What?"

"Nothing."

Shima narrowed her eyes suspiciously at her, but eventually let it go.

Instead, she turned around and swept her silver hair away from her neck, revealing several thin violet cords running down the rear of her dress.

"Anyway, Yerin."

"Hm?"

"Help me tighten these."

She glanced back over her shoulder, looking mildly irritated by the entire situation.

"This dress is so annoying... I can’t reach the upper fastening properly."

"Sure."

Yerin stepped behind Shima and began carefully tightening the violet cords along the back of her dress.

As she worked, Yerin remembered something.

"Oh, right. I forgot to ask earlier since I was still in the bathroom," Yerin said while adjusting one of the upper fastenings. "What did the official say about Ruvian?"

At the mention of his name, Shima let out a small sigh.

"Ah, that guy... he’s still in the infirmary."

"According to the official, they still don’t know for certain whether he’ll be attending the ceremony tonight. But apparently, if he’s recovered enough by then, he’ll be there. So, let’s just hope."

"I see..."

Yerin’s expression gradually became more concerned.

Ruvian had already fought against numerous scholars throughout the examination, only to later end up at the very center of the incident involving that terrifyingly powerful Voidspawn.

Even now, she still did not know exactly what had happened after everyone else had been recalled from the island.

’Hopefully, nothing serious happened to him...’

"Done."

Yerin gave the final cord a small tug before neatly securing it into place.

Shima moved her shoulders slightly, checking whether the dress felt comfortable, before turning back toward her.

"Thanks."

"Mhm."

With both of them finally ready, Yerin and Shima left the changing area and made their way toward the other side of the room.

The moment they stepped past the partition screens, they found Arlok and Horren already waiting for them.

’Oh...’

Surprisingly, Arlok actually looked presentable.

His usually short, spiky hair had been properly combed and styled for the occasion, though the distinctive white streak remained clearly visible among the darker strands.

With a fitted black formal suit complementing his robust build, he looked considerably more refined than usual.

Of course, the grotesque scar stretching from the corner of his mouth toward the edge of his ear made it difficult for him to appear completely respectable.

If anything, dressed like that, he somehow looked even more intimidating.

Standing beside him was Horren, noticeably taller despite his much leaner build.

He wore a dark formal suit of his own, while his short dark-olive hair, usually left rather plain, had been carefully combed into place.

His matching dark-olive eyes still carried their usual timid look, and the awkward way he stood made it obvious that he was not particularly comfortable dressing this formally.

Even so, his tall and slender frame suited the outfit surprisingly well.

Horren actually looked rather handsome.

Just painfully shy about it.

Shima’s eyes moved between the two boys before a faint, haughty smirk appeared on her face.

"Ha. So you boys actually do know how to dress properly."

Arlok raised a brow before giving her a wide grin.

"Funny, I was just about to say the same thing about you." His eyes briefly swept over her dress. "You actually look like a little doll today."

The smile on Shima’s face immediately disappeared. A vein nearly seemed to twitch near her temple as she stared at him.

"Call me a doll again," she said in a dangerously calm voice, "and I’ll add another scar to that face of yours."

Arlok stared at her for a second.

Then he burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha! There she is!"

Still chuckling, he leaned slightly toward Horren and lowered his voice.

"Hey, she’s not actually going to do it, right?"

Horren’s face immediately went pale.

"W-Why are you asking me something like that?"

Unfortunately for him, Shima’s purple eyes immediately shifted toward him as well.

Horren stiffened, then swallowed nervously.

"...I-I think she might."

Before Shima could say anything else, however, a firm knock came from the door.

Knock. Knock.

The four of them turned toward it.

A moment later, the door opened, revealing one of the elderly academy officials who had been assigned to oversee the scholars aboard the Leviathan.

His gaze briefly swept across the four of them, seemingly checking whether they were prepared.

"Good. It appears all of you are ready."

The old man adjusted the academy insignia pinned neatly against his uniform before continuing.

"In a few minutes, I will be escorting your squad to the Grand Magisterial Hall, where the Award Ceremony will be held."

"So please make whatever final preparations you still require. Once I return, I expect everyone to be ready to depart immediately."

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[Chapter 347: The Grand Hall Dinner (1)]