“Dean, you!?” Mark sat on the ground, staring at the scene before him as if he still wanted to speak out to stop it.
“What?” Before the elderly dean could speak, Velis turned her head and said, “Does the Vice Dean have something else to say?”
Facing Velis’s gaze, Mark dared not look directly at her and simply lowered his head.
“N-no…”
“Heh, best if there isn’t, Vice Dean.”
The cold gleam in Velis’s eyes had already pierced Mark to the point where he dared not make another move.
Meanwhile, Velis expressionlessly pinned the badge to her chest and casually stuffed the permission card representing the Imperial Royal Academy into her pocket.
That carefree, unrestrained air was filled with confidence.
In contrast, Mark, the one who had brought all this about, now wore a face full of dejection and defeat, yet with a trace of unwillingness lingering beneath.
“Now, this academy announces that Willis Egbert officially becomes a teacher of our Imperial Royal Academy!”
The dean’s voice was not loud, but amplified by the amplification magic, it remained resounding and forceful.
With his affirmation, the applause from below rose once again.
Most of it was for the mysterious dean who rarely showed his face.
Turning his head, the dean looked at Velis and spoke in a tone of earnest admonition.
“Velis, as a teacher of our Royal Academy, you must always remember the academy’s principles…”
These were all pleasantries, and once Sylvester Joyeuse finished speaking, Velis was only short of a formal letter of appointment.
And now, she could already be considered a teacher of the Royal Academy.
The Imperial Princess’s inaugural speech thus came to a close, as a teacher stepped up to help the fallen Mark to his feet.
The vice dean stood up trembling with fear, but only dared to lower his head, not daring to cast his gaze toward Emperor Lubas or Velis.
Under the gaze of the crowd, he opened his mouth, a flicker of fear flashing across his already dejected face, gradually twisting under the thundering applause from below.
At that moment, countless battles raged within Mark’s mind, all in a desperate attempt to salvage the current situation.
At that instant, Velis, standing beside him, tilted her head slightly.
Beast fighting in a corner?
This man, at this point, still thought he could stir up waves?
Velis sensed the desperate, all-or-nothing aura emanating from Mark, but the dean had already completed the ceremony of appointment. Even if he refused to acknowledge it now, what could he do?
But before Mark could speak, the soldiers guarding and maintaining order around the Moon Hall suddenly roared in unison, cutting off the applause that had been following the Emperor.
Within three short seconds, the entire hall fell silent once more.
Only the departing Lubas was heard, speaking in a low voice: “Velis, do not forget the words you spoke today. Do not disgrace my royal name!”
The moment Emperor Lubas said this, Mark was completely stunned.
At that moment, he even made a presumptuous move, stepping forward and shouting, “Your Majesty!”
But Lubas paid no further attention to anyone and left directly with his entourage of guards.
After the Emperor of the Empire departed, the atmosphere in the entire hall lightened.
Although there was still an infamous Imperial Princess present, compared to when Emperor Lubas had been there, the atmosphere was much better.
Seeing the Emperor leave, the elderly dean Sylvester Joyeuse urged from the side.
“What’s the matter, Vice Dean? Hurry up and wrap up your remarks.”
Hearing this, Velis looked in surprise at the kind and benevolent old man before her.
There was no mistake; this man was indeed helping her.
But why?
She and this dean had only met for the first time today; they had never crossed paths before.
Moreover, as the dean of the Royal Academy, he surely knew all about her predecessor’s various misdeeds. Why was he showing her such goodwill now?
Could it be merely because of her status as Princess?
Or… did he simply see that the tide had turned and wanted to do her a favor?
Hearing the dean’s urging, Mark, though unwilling, could only take Velis’s place and deliver the closing summary of today’s inaugural speech…
And declare it over.
“T-t-today, we thank the Imperial Princess… Princess for bringing us such a brilliant inaugural speech…”
At first, Mark was still gnashing his teeth, but soon the flattering words flowed smoothly and endlessly.
But Velis couldn’t be bothered to listen to him. Because this was a public setting, she had been holding back, and the Emperor was also present.
But with this matter concluded, Velis was already scheming in her mind about how to make this vice dean disappear from the world forever.
Not just this vice dean—there were many others within this Imperial Royal Academy who needed to be purged!
A cold gleam flashed in Velis’s eyes as she swept her gaze over the professors and teachers seated below…
Among them, some had already made it onto her blacklist.
As for what consequences came with being on the blacklist, they would find out. But not now.
Taking a deep breath, Velis closed her eyes slightly.
‘No, no, calm down. This is the original Velis influencing me. Don’t let it cloud my judgment.’
When she opened her eyes again, the killing intent in them had faded, restrained and subdued.
Now, she just wanted to leave this place quickly.
Having just survived an assassination, expended her energy on the speech, and used her true eye to drain her mind refining techniques…
She was now extraordinarily exhausted.
Even though Velis hid it well, she couldn’t fool Sylvester Joyeuse, who was right beside her.
So, watching the endlessly chattering Mark—who had suddenly changed his tune to praising Velis—this fence-sitter, the dean urged once more.
“Enough, Mark. No need to say so much. Wrap it up.”
Though the old dean’s voice was soft, to Mark’s ears it carried another signal entirely.
The dean was siding with this Imperial Princess!
At that moment, a wave of regret for his earlier actions washed over Mark without reason. He hastily ended his remarks and declared the assembly adjourned.
In an instant, all the teachers and students in the hall rose to their feet, every gaze fixed on Velis, wanting to take another good look at this Imperial Princess who had just performed so brilliantly.
“Please exit in an orderly fashion.”
As the teachers and students slowly filed out, Xi’eryou happily emerged from backstage, running over in two or three steps to embrace Velis.
“That’s wonderful, Velis! I never imagined you had such a gift for public speaking!”
The pleasant fragrance of this princess sister wafted to her nose, and her skin felt the soft touch of the other’s embrace.
Though her body was weary, at this moment Velis actually felt reinvigorated, reluctant to push Xi’eryou away.
Fortunately, it was only after the other woman’s joy subsided and she realized this was somewhat inappropriate that she released Velis.
“A gift? I wouldn’t dare claim that. It was merely walking on thin ice.”
Velis sneered, her gaze flicking toward Mark, who stood nearby, unsure whether to leave or stay, utterly awkward.
This vice dean, who had long occupied a high position and grown paunchy, was now drenched in sweat. He actually scratched his head with a fawning, submissive air, his round face covered in ingratiating smiles…
“Haha, well… Your Highness jests. Those issues were merely standard procedures. ‘Walking on thin ice’ seems a bit excessive…”
“Ahem… Since Your Highness is now a teacher of the academy, I imagine your office location and teaching materials haven’t been arranged yet. As vice dean, arranging and preparing these for new teachers is my bounden duty!”
Watching Mark grovel and curry favor with her, Velis couldn’t help but admire the man’s depth.
A moment ago, he had looked like he would never see eye to eye with her, yet now he could flatter her without showing the slightest hint of burden?!
No wonder he had climbed from a commoner to this position—beyond his strength, his ability to stay calm, endure, and bide his time at critical moments was truly vicious.
Still, from his eyes, Velis could clearly sense that this vice dean was nowhere near as defeated and submissive as he currently appeared.
True eye!
‘Ah… what boring acting. If you want to flatter someone, you should smile with your eyes and relax your facial muscles more, not stay stiff…’
‘And the words you speak are entirely processed falsehoods, without a trace of sincerity. Especially the flame buried deep in your eyes—it’s brewing a storm!’
“Is that so… Then I’ll be counting on you, Vice Dean.” Velis stressed the words, her tone carrying a hidden meaning.
The other man repeatedly said he dared not, then fled the scene like a startled rabbit.
Just as Velis was about to turn and exchange a few words with Dean Sylvester Joyeuse, a group of students who had not yet left suddenly gathered around her.
From their attire, Velis could tell that a large majority of them were commoners.
In this world where nobles ran rampant, and knowledge was monopolized by the Empire, clans, and various power organizations, commoners who wanted to rise could only rely on fortuitous encounters or desperately fight their way into institutions like the academy.
This might cost an unimaginable price, which was why the commoners who appeared at the Royal Academy all yearned to gain admirable strength and status, climbing higher in society.
And Velis’s words on stage had ignited in them a longing like moths diving into flames.
Even if she was someone with a bad reputation.
“Your Highness the Princess, what you said earlier—was it true? Are you really willing to provide us with techniques for free?”
One student asked with longing, his eyes shining with the same desperate hope as those around him.
So bright, as if gazing upon a deity.
Even within the Royal Academy, where one could learn magic, swordsmanship, and various knowledge, mid-to-high-level magic remained a closely guarded secret of each teacher.
They would not easily teach it to students.
“Naturally. But the prerequisite is that you have to be my students.” Velis smiled.
Velis’s affirmative answer immediately drove the students into a frenzy, but soon, they were shooed away by Dean Sylvester Joyeuse.
“Go on, children. The speech is over. Don’t stay here any longer.”
Sylvester drove everyone else out, and in the once-noisy hall, only he, Velis, and Xi’eryou remained.
The reason Velis hadn’t left was that she was curious about this old man’s attitude toward her.
Xi’eryou was simply waiting for Velis.
“Velis, while this approach can quickly win people over, you should still be careful.”
The moment he spoke, Sylvester’s words left Velis stunned.
“Raising commoners comes at a great cost, and having grown up in harsh environments full of deceit, their loyalty is hard to guarantee. They don’t share the noble or knightly conviction that places vows and morality above life itself…”
Not only was Velis dumbfounded, but even Xi’eryou beside her was utterly astonished.
How was this dean, who rarely showed himself, being so familiar with Velis?