Chapter 19
Freshman Initiation Ceremony (3)
The central hall of Stia Workshop.
The magic circle installed there activated repeatedly, summoning students in intervals.
They were all students who had been defeated by someone during the freshman initiation ceremony.
Among them were even second-year students. However, the black robes issued to them had weak defensive capabilities, so a few of them were still groaning in pain, unable to regain consciousness.
Priests from the Mundus Order approached and healed them with sacred spells. Watching this, Hazen Louser clicked his tongue.
“I told them repeatedly not to fight each other…”
It was quite common for second-years to be summoned to the workshop during the ceremony. With all their faction disputes, it was rare that no one got dragged into it.
Even though they had added a new rule this time—penalizing second-years for defeating each other during the ceremony—the situation was still a mess.
Hazen let out a deep sigh and looked toward the workshop entrance.
The massive door was covered with projections of surveillance magic, displaying scenes from across the entire Iris Academy.
As the overall supervisor of this year’s freshman initiation, Hazen was closely monitoring the proceedings.
Despite resolving issue after issue, it was only 9:30 AM.
Just the thought of having to continue this for another thirty minutes made his vision darken.
Sure, the participating students changed each year, but the overall shape of the ceremony remained relentlessly the same.
Still, it wasn’t all bad.
This year’s batch of freshmen included quite a few promising students, and some second-years were beginning to stand out as well.
But of course, the student who drew Hazen’s attention the most was Ban Astreia.
Most of the second-years ended up in the workshop after fighting among themselves, but a few had actually been counterattacked by first-years—and most of those encounters were caused by Ban’s team.
“He instantly realized the intruders’ objective was to subdue and prepared counterattacks using traps…”
It was impressive enough to make Hazen smile—but it also made his blood pressure rise.
“How many times did I say reconnaissance comes first during an infiltration?!”
Not a single second-year attempted detection magic, let alone recognized the trap.
Still, Hazen calmed himself, running a hand down his face.
“It just means Ban Astreia’s strategy was that good.”
There were limits to what the surveillance magic could show.
The second-years didn’t go through different classrooms but were directly “guided” into the one Ban’s team had trapped.
If they encountered traces of battle in other classrooms, a surprise attack would’ve been impossible.
“Just like during the Greater Beast Practice, he’s always one step ahead.”
If Hazen had known that Ban had forcibly cloaked the other two in his own mana, he would’ve been speechless.
“And the way they lured the enemies into dropping their guard… Even I might’ve fallen for that once.”
Making it seem like Ridipin, the weakest, was alone in the center to draw them in—and then coordinating a smooth finishing attack at the perfect moment. A clean, effective strategy.
Even the outcome of the battle was interesting enough to melt Hazen’s built-up frustration.
“He’s letting all the credit go to Reina Serenia. Not only did he figure out the nature of the ceremony, he’s ignoring the second-years entirely?”
Hazen was tempted to leave the workshop and verify his suspicions—but restrained himself and turned away from Ban’s feed.
Just then, the central magic circle spat out another second-year. Another victim of Ban’s group.
As Hazen tried to check on other students, a girl beside him spoke proudly.
“Impressive, right? Our class is amazing!”
“You’re Seren Astreia, correct? Is there something you need?”
“Not me—my uncle was worried you might be distracted and asked me to keep an eye on you.”
“That Castro guy…”
“Anyway, our class is amazing, right?!”
Seren’s eyes sparkled like she was about to shoot lasers. Hazen reluctantly nodded.
If it were anyone else, he might’ve hesitated, but this was his niece. She probably knew everything.
Although a part of him suspected she was just blindly praising Ban out of family bias.
However, Seren then surprised him by speaking calmly and insightfully.
“Starting with stealth, ending with the Ridipin decoy—it’s a trap strategy built like they already analyzed all freshman behaviors. It’s clean but not perfect. If multiple enemy groups show up, it crumbles. And if the first ambush fails, that’s the end of it.
But they compensated for those weaknesses. Ridipin acted as bait, then Lightjust lured the enemies at the perfect time, and Serenia finished them in one blow—each action linking into the next like clockwork.”
Hazen was impressed by her insight. Not only did she reach similar conclusions, but she also identified the weaknesses and how they were covered.
He himself hadn’t even noticed the compensatory mechanisms.
“She truly deserves her title as the next Tower Master.”
Seren might come across as carefree, but occasionally she showed this sharp, penetrating insight.
“And obviously, Ban came up with that plan.”
Hazen agreed Ban was likely the strategist—but asked out of curiosity,
“Do you have any proof that Ban Astreia came up with it?”
Seren answered with a bright grin,
“None!”
Hazen instinctively covered his face with his palm. He should’ve expected that.
“But if I had to give a reason—it’s that the plan gives too much spotlight to the other two. Ban always hides his full abilities. That alone proves he was behind it.”
“I see.”
Thinking back, it had been the same when Hazen first met him.
Despite having enough skill to precisely burn the inside of the test crystal, Ban deliberately lowered his test scores—though he hadn’t meant to.
“Whether Ban planned it or not, it’s clear that after today, Reina Serenia and Ridipin Lightjust’s reputations will skyrocket.”
Not just among the professors—factions would be watching closely too.
“But unlike them, Ban Astreia is being completely ignored. Was that part of your plan?”
“No way! If we’d talked beforehand, I would’ve made sure he stood out!”
“I see. I assumed he was acting that way because you were recruiting him.”
As a direct descendant of the Astreia family, Seren was the leader of one of the academy’s Big Three factions.
Though Ban was known as a troublemaker, Seren’s track record as a sister-obsessed “brocon” made it possible that Ban could persuade her into recruiting him.
Then Seren suddenly grabbed Hazen’s hand.
“You’re a genius, Professor! Maybe Ban really was trying to appeal to me!”
Hazen had merely been speculating, but Seren latched onto it completely.
“Thanks, Professor! I’m off now!”
She skipped away, humming a tune—clearly forgetting her original goal of spying for Castro.
Still, her visit encouraged Hazen, and he resumed observing all the students.
That’s when he noticed a particular male student—one not part of Ban’s group.
Despite the chaos of battle, the boy lay on a rooftop, completely unguarded, wearing an eye patch.
Yet none of the second-years were approaching him. Instead, they were fighting the first-years at a noticeable distance from him.
“That one hasn’t changed.”
Always lazy, always nonchalant, never taking anything seriously—and yet his skills were exceptional enough to leave the professors speechless.
Hazen had tried all sorts of methods to inspire him, but had now resigned himself to letting the boy be.
Watching him made even the most glaring rookie mistakes seem fine.
He turned to look at the first-years inside the workshop.
Most were staring in awe at the videos near the entrance.
Hazen smiled.
“This batch of first-years has the right attitude.”
One reason the initiation ceremony existed was to show freshmen the level of upperclassmen.
First by making them experience it directly, then by letting them review the visuals of their fights afterward.
Most couldn’t even last against second-years, let alone win—so the ceremony served as a humbling lesson.
That’s why Ban’s group stood out as an anomaly.
“They’re taking down second-years left and right…”
If this was their level now, what would they show in the future?
As Hazen pondered that, several surveillance feeds blinked and vanished.
Just then, a panting assistant ran in.
“Professor Hazen! We have a problem! One of the first-years has consumed a Demon Fragment!”
A Demon Fragment—a shard from a demon’s body. When consumed, it merges with the human, turning them into a demon-kin.
While weaker than a true demon, it’s far too strong for a student to handle. Just the transformation disrupted the surveillance spells.
Hazen immediately contacted the professors stationed nearby to get a grasp on the situation.
But while everyone’s attention was drawn to the demon-kin, a few more surveillance screens blinked—unnoticed.
They showed Ban’s group.
The flickering images looked almost like the gaze of a predator circling its prey.
