Dekalorin had also changed into an extremely formal platinum-gold professor’s robe today. The garment was embroidered with golden threads forming star charts that symbolized wisdom, overlaid with a layer of light gauze.
She led Seraphina and Movira past the noisy main entrance and into a quiet, spacious corridor.
Upon reaching the backstage area, several professors who would be attending today had already gathered.
Saint Eustacia was among them, wearing a pure and solemn saintess gown. Her expression was cool and detached. When she saw them, she simply gave a slight nod in greeting.
Seraphina’s gaze, however, was drawn to the elf in the corner—the same elf she had seen when Dekalorin first brought her to the cafeteria.
The other party was wearing simple yet elegant attire. Upon seeing Seraphina, she returned a gentle smile. Seraphina felt a bit surprised. She had only glanced at her unintentionally… and yet she was noticed? And even received a response… Feeling somewhat at a loss, Seraphina could only return a similar smile.
However, this brief exchange was sharply caught by Movira. The look in her eyes, though not particularly sharp, clearly declared true ownership toward the elf. She quickly shifted her gaze away.
The elf professor was momentarily stunned, then a look of understanding flashed in her eyes. She gracefully lowered her voice and continued instructing the person beside her.
Dekalorin was currently so busy her feet barely touched the ground as she constantly checked the schedule.
Finally finding a brief moment of free time, she had just sat down in a chair to catch her breath when the elf professor quietly took a seat beside her.
“Dekalorin,” she whispered close to Dekalorin’s ear, her gaze indicating the direction of Seraphina and Movira. “Those two have quite a close relationship!”
Dekalorin quickly pressed down on the back of her hand. If it were anyone else, she could let them chat softly like this, but facing Movira, there was no telling whether she might overhear!
“We’ll talk later. Now is not the time!”
From the front stage came the melodious sound of a bell and music, signaling that the conference was about to begin.
Dekalorin’s attention immediately returned to her pocket watch, her expression turning serious and focused.
As the time drew near, Seraphina pressed a hand against her chest. The heartbeat beneath her ribs was beating faster and faster, and her fingers felt somewhat cold.
At that moment, Movira’s warm hand gently covered the back of hers. “Don’t be nervous. You just have to go up and go through the motions. They’re not making you speak. It will be over very soon.”
On the front stage, the Joint Conference was proceeding with solemn dignity. The emcee used a loud, rhythmic voice to thank the student representatives from each branch academy in turn.
Every time an academy’s name was announced, enthusiastic applause erupted from the corresponding section.
“Thank you to the representatives from the Natural Magic Academy. Your understanding of the rhythm of life is the source of the academy’s vitality—”
“Thank you to the representatives from the Healing Magic Academy. Your redemption of suffering is a weapon even the God of Plagues fears!”
“Thank you to the representatives from the Mind Magic Academy…”
To Seraphina, these words sounded as if they were coming from far away, blurry and indistinct.
Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest, and her sense of time became completely distorted. Although announcing each academy’s name and thanks took considerable time, under her tense nerves it felt like only an instant before those voices merged into an approaching tidal wave, surging toward her!
When the words “Bestowing upon Seraphina the honorary title of ‘Arcane Professor’” rang out clearly in her ears, accompanied by ensuing applause, her brain buzzed and went completely blank. All sounds and light around her disappeared.
Think about the times you served as Regent in the Demon Realm. During court sessions, those demon clan leaders and high officials each harboring their own schemes—weren’t they all far more difficult to handle than the students here?
Seraphina wanted to refute that she hadn’t attended many court sessions and had spent most of her time holed up in the study.
But she suddenly realized this seemed to be her only comfort at the moment.
She finally took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Gently pulling her hand free from Movira’s, she followed the memory of the rehearsal and emerged from the side door at the highest point of the tiered conference hall.
A female student was already standing in front of the door. The other party didn’t even dare look directly into Seraphina’s eyes. The natural authority radiating from her gaze was the kind that came only after holding supreme power.
The student timed it perfectly and quickly opened the side door.
In an instant, thousands of eyes from below focused on her all at once. She faltered for a moment. Were there this many people during court sessions? There weren’t even one-tenth this many!
In front of her was the familiar, straight corridor leading down to the stage—the exact same one as that day.
The only difference was that students now filled the seats on both sides.
The moment her foot stepped down, the magic lamps embedded in the floor on either side lit up one after another. Their soft yet brilliant glow created the illusion of walking across a sea of stars.
Although her brain was still somewhat dazed, her body had already taken over. Her steps were steady and her rhythm even.
There was no exaggerated expression on her face, only a dignified sense of aloofness.
She stared straight ahead, as if the scenes on both sides had crumbled in her eyes. Yet the natural aura she exuded quickly silenced the hall, which had still held some whispering earlier. Many students were shaken by this new professor’s temperament, so vastly different from the teachers they usually saw.
The host on stage introduced her with an enthusiastic and passionate tone. “Professor Seraphina is the only newly appointed professor the academy has had in the past three years! With her incisive insights into magic and her unconventional answers, she has won the deep affection of countless students in an extremely short time!”
These clearly exaggerated words of introduction made her cheeks feel a little hot with embarrassment.
What “incisive insights,” what “unconventional”? This was all the result of Dekalorin’s mischievous taste and Movira’s behind-the-scenes support!
These high-sounding words were practically a public execution!
However, despite her inner embarrassment, an inexplicable strength helped her suppress all those negative emotions. As a result, she maintained excellent control over her facial expression.
When she finally reached the center of the stage and accepted the highly symbolic appointment scroll, she gave a slight nod in acknowledgment, her movements elegant and composed.
It was only after she turned around, retraced her steps, and returned to the shadows of the backstage area that Seraphina felt the tight “mask” she had been wearing quietly crack.
In this temporarily private space, she nearly stumbled down the last step before returning to the relatively quiet backstage area.
Her brain seemed to start functioning again only now. Everything that had just happened flooded in at once, carrying a strong sense of unreality. Movira was right there, standing in the exact same spot as when she had left.