Novel Full Chapter 387 Vacation & Project
“So you knew…” Damian said.
“Ah… yes. I heard you and her talking. It was during the first gala night, I think. You were drunk… and kinda mean,” Sam replied casually.
Damian sighed, glancing at him sideways.
Sam continued, “I always knew, though. You were too… informed for a commoner.”
“I… I’m not that guy. I never was.”
“I know.”
They parted ways as Sam headed to the Spellborne Legion side, while Damian walked back quietly toward his room.
However, a mana signature near his room made him narrow his eyes. Kamisen was standing outside, waiting. Did he want to talk about the dungeon or something?
“Hey!” the black-fur-clad beastmen boy called out.
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“Kamisen…” Damian replied.
“Oh, so you know me.”
“Not much more than your name and spells,” Damian said with a faint smile.
Kamisen’s expression strained at that, likely because Damian had copied the light-element laser spell—an infamous one in the academy. The original caster had been hounded with endless questions about teaching it to others as well. Damian had felt bad for the boy but gave no explanation when directly questioned.
“They asked you to join, huh?” Kamisen asked, his tone serious.
“What?”
“Those nobles. After all their attitude, they invited you—a commoner. Like everything they’ve done until now will just… be forgotten.” His voice was laced with venom.
“I don’t have time for your limericks.. What is it that you want to say?” Damian urged him to get to the point.
“You’re one of us. Join us. We don’t have to follow their orders anymore. A revolution is coming, Morph Vialist. They’ve caused enough destruction, and people won’t endure it any longer. All they’ve brought is war and oppression.
We have allies—people who can make this happen. With your help, we can truly succeed. Just imagine it, Maximus: a free city, where everyone is equal.”
Damian locked eyes with him, his gaze sharp and unyielding. There was a promise in Kamisen’s eyes—whether it was for freedom or just more destruction was up for debate though.
Another brat who thinks the academy and the outside world are one and the same thing. What’s with people and stupid goals today?
“There’s no such thing as true equality, Kamisen,” Damian said evenly. “There will always be people in charge. Are yours truly better than the ones we have now? Don’t spill blood and sow chaos only to realize later that it’s people—noble or commoner—who are flawed, not their titles.”
“How can you say that after seeing the hardships our people endure just to survive another day?” Kamisen retorted, his voice rising. “Say what you will, but we’re not the same. I’ve never seen a noble worry about how they’ll feed their children at the end of the day.”
Damian sighed heavily. Kamisen read the resignation in his eyes, hardened his expression, and turned away.
Entering his room, entering his protection key, Damian felt more drained than he had the day before—even though he’d passed out after a fight the night before.
The next morning, Damian woke feeling refreshed and walked with Toph, Reize, and his two assistants outside the academy building.
The previous night, Damian had reviewed Reize’s progress in detail. She was nearly done preparing the intricate components for their project. While the designs were theirs, Reize had been fine-tuning them and testing their viability. When something didn’t work, she proposed alternate solutions.
After weeks of preparation, they finally had all the smaller parts assembled. Large sections were still on hold, but today they would begin building everything together to see if the core structure worked as intended.
For this, they needed a large workspace. After speaking with Runefather, they decided to use an empty section of the academy grounds to construct their own workspace. Damian invited Evrin and some fifth- and fourth-year Eldoris students skilled in wood style to help build a massive structure to shield their project from the cold ocean winds.
Damian could use his liquid mana, but it felt wasteful when he had living mana generators available.
Until he could refine the mana core and make it efficient and compact, he needed to conserve every drop of his precious mana liquid.
Of course, Einar and Sam came along with Evrin as a package deal, and to not be left out Grace joined them as well. The exams were over, and students were free to return home for a month-long vacation.
However, many students chose to stay behind, most of them commoners who couldn’t afford the journey or had no one waiting for them at home.
Some nobles from Eldoris, Faerunia and the Empire returned to their families, but those from Dawnstar and Ashenvale faced a different situation. With the borders unsafe, many Dawnstar families instructed their children to remain at the academy to avoid the risks of travel and the looming threat of war. Lucian and Maelor were among them.
Evrin also decided not to return home. Damian hadn’t sensed Alex around for a while—he had likely left already. Grace’s family was safe, yet she chose to stay with Evrin and the others. Damian suspected that the spell-learning opportunity he had offered played a significant role in her and Grace’s decision.
Damian had discussed with Evrin and Grace his plan to allocate his dungeon spots to a few candidates and was in the process of making a list. They suggested several names and detailed what each could offer in return. Instead of sorting through it himself, Damian handed them the papers and asked them to compile the list on his behalf, a task they readily accepted.
When they asked if he wanted anything from their families, Damian wouldn’t have brought it up otherwise, but since they did, he mentioned his interest in briefly examining their dungeon relics and obtaining crafting materials—if possible. Unlike others, however, he made it clear that this wasn’t a requirement for them.
Meanwhile, Sam, Einar, and Lucian hadn’t even bothered to ask if he needed anything. Not that Damian expected much from them, aside from their strength. Lucian, at least, could be excused—she had been teaching him swordsmanship every night, free of charge.