The ceremony went on and the peak of the events of the day which was the crowning of Sera took place smoothly. She was no longer going to be wearing the white robes but she was going to wear blue robes which marked the status of a core disciple. She was handed the uniform in front of the crowd by the headmaster who congratulated her once again.
She was given a special token also which was also a mark of being a core disciple. She was going to have almost unlimited access to resources and knowledge that she could not access as an inner disciple despite of her ranking. Elders congratulated her and fellow students especially those from her faction clapped until their palms turned red.
Lyren was seated on the front row observing everything. He was getting bored because of the endless clapping. Then came another long speech from the headmaster who went ahead to welcome all the students who had been accepted and he spoke out specifically about the fact that there was not a single student who had shown up and had no cultivation.
This was a clear proof that the Vyl region was now beginning to produce talents. The number of A talents had gone over ten which was a testament for everyone. Having an A talent like Alvin who had a smug look when the headmaster mentioned him was already peak talent. But could that beat having an SSS talent? That was a talent one could not even dream of having.
Lyren almost granted when the SSS talent was mentioned once again. He felt eyes on him and he hated it. Why couldn't no one just mind their business? He did not want attention at all. Once he was well and set in his new faction, he was going to stay away from the politics of the academy.
The headmaster kept on blabbering and Lyren even yawned midway and closed his eyes only to be woken up by a cold sensation down his spine. His eyes met those of the headmaster who had just been looking at him and Lyren was forced to sit upright and pay attention keenly. This would be a good time to read a scroll but without the mind's eye, all he could do was to pay attention.
The headmaster finished his speech and everyone clapped just as hard as they had clapped for Sera. Very exaggerated and Lyren clapped too. Just how could one manage to give such a boring speech for such a long time. He looked at the older people and they were keen all along. What was being said actually? It felt like a very unnecessary exercise to him.
An elder took over and gave instructions on what was going to happen after the event was over. He told the new arrivals to remain and they were going to be allocated their new uniforms and also required things such as their accommodation. They were instructed to go and say goodbyes to their parents or guardians having been given a short break not longer than thirty minutes.
Lyren was leaning on his seat once again and his sword was resting on his lap. He heard that people were going to say goodbyes. What a waste of time. They should just give him his uniform and tell him where he was going to sleep and get done with it. He yawned once again and he realized that he was hungry. He had not eaten anything this morning as Claire had dragged him away before he had anything. Claire…
Yeah, there was Claire. She had come here with him and they were now being sent off. He had almost forgotten about her. He opened his eyes and looked at her direction and it appeared that the headmaster had a lot of time in his hands as he was still chatting with her. One could not believe her composure when they saw her speaking fluently with the headmaster. Not many people could even handle sitting with him on the same seat.
People were already dispersing with the students already leaving while the new arrivals were all heading towards the guest's section to their parents. The platform was already filled and the lectern had been taken away. Lyren stood up too and walked towards that direction and Claire just happened to look towards his direction and then to the headmaster.
They were talking about him for sure. He made his way between the crowd and when he happened to bump into someone and when he looked up towards Claire, she was seated alone and the headmaster had left. Many people appeared to have been trying to have a chance to talk to the headmaster but he had been flirting with a teenager and he had disappeared when her boyfriend made his way towards them.
Claire stood up when she saw him and she walked towards him. She was a smile on her face and Lyren could not help but feel some bitterness. She had become a reliance for him and now he was about to get separated from her. He stopped when she reached him and stood in front of him.
"What's with the long face? Are you probably thinking of ditching me?" She asked and Lyren was surprised by her question and she was somehow right.
"What makes you think that?" He asked.
"Now that you have found my replacement, you even forgot about me. Funny how you moved on so fast. Just a short while of separation and I am no longer important to you, young master," Claire protested and Lyren felt like he had stabbed himself in the foot.
"I wouldn't dare forget my companion. You are my reliance after all," Lyren replied. A silence came between and Claire spoke again.
"For a moment, I thought that you were going to embarrass yourself and when you painted the surroundings red, I was happy because your talent was great and then you went ahead and broke the testing orb. That almost made my heart stop. What the academy punished you? Wouldn't I be affected too?" Claire asked ad Lyren was left scratching his head. Not like it was his fault that the testing orb was nourishment for his mind's eye.
"Since when did you know me to be a failure? I am a man of my word," Lyren said proudly and Claire chuckled.
"I never knew you to be a braggart. Who could have thought the arrogant young master was going to join the Azure Faction. That came as a surprise for me too. To think that you dared to proclaim that in front of everyone…" Claire wore a teasing smile and Lyren felt that there was something that he was not latching on.
"What is it about the Azure Faction anyways? Isn't it the best faction in the academy?"
Lyren asked genuinely concerned.
"Well, you are not wrong actually. It is the number one faction in the academy. You really are good at making decisions," Claire mocked and Lyren realized that he was not going to get an answer from her the same way no one else was going to tell him. It was not going to take a long time anyways.
"Fine by me," Lyren said and Claire just shook her head.
"I hear that there is a policy that does not allow new arrivals to leave the academy the first six months. Had you been one of them, I would have been concerned but you are not. Lucky you. I would have waited for six months before I saw you again and have you come and say hello again," Claire spoke and Lyren was surprised that there was such a rule.
Had he not been accepted as a core disciple and forced to hole up in the academy all this time, he would have probably suffocated. Good thing he was an inner disciple. Then he recalled about the haul he had brought back and when he looked at Claire, she just placed her finger on his lips and silenced him.
"Not here and not anytime soon. What about an auction? Remember it is opened once a month? There is also going to be a major auction happening soon and we can sell them there too," Claire said and Lyren realized that he was still fresh in the game.
Claire knew a lot and the fact that he had not even thought of auctioning them was a shame for his analytical mind. He nodded his head and the topic was closed immediately.
"See you soon then?" Lyren asked and she brushed her finger on his lips parting them.
"Is this how you say goodbye to your woman?" Claire asked as her hands landed on the collar of his robes and pulled him closer to her face.