A peculiar pair
TWO HOURS AND a half have passed, the academic examination has finally come to an end and now, all examinees have a two hour lunch break to waste until the practical examination. After leaving the knight department examinees alone by themselves, and with the exam papers, Professor Yahto heads straight to the faculty hall, where the six observers of the entrance exam are at the moment. And all six were new professors who has yet to have assigned students.
"Oh, Professor Yahto, you're here. I thought you'd get here first." The Medicine Department Examinee Observer, Professor Greyson greeted him. Yahto blinked at the man as he placed the exam papers on the desk next to his, he was surprised to see Greyson here already halved the papers he's checking.
"And I thought you'd get here last, considering how many courses the medicine department has." Yahto says back, and sat on his seat. Greyson laughed before he took a sip on his noon coffee. Greyson leaned back on his seat and glanced at Yahto.
"Well, the medicine department has less examinees since the difficulty has risen. Although they're not more than a hundred, I spotted many potential future students of mine, the youngest imperial princess included." Greyson mentioned, his smile not leaving his lips.
Learn, grow, help, teach, and experience. The Golden Crown Academy was famous for its unique system and curriculum. One of its many systems are the alumni ten-year teaching profession, which is mostly offered to the academy's outstanding alumni. It's a system that keeps the academy from being short-staffed every year. In the past, whenever a new school year comes, there are professors who quit often, and there were times that the academy needed to find substitutes because they are often short-handed.
It's a system that lets alumni experience the academy life once again, but as a professor. And by that, it means when the students move up in another year, the professor moves up with them. It repeats for a decade, until the students graduate and the professor's ten years come to an end. So far, the resignation rate has gone down because of the system.
How does it actually work? The system begins at the entrance examination, and every observer is a new professor that will be assigned to teach and guide the examinees who passed the test.
Greyson turns his attention to Yahto. "What about you? Have you seen a few talented individuals?" He asked and Yahto nodded with a smile.
"They're an interesting bunch too, and I also have a commoner I'm eyeing on. By the looks of it, he might be the one of the first commoners to pass the entrance examination here in the academy." Yahto says and chuckled for a moment. Greyson's lips shaped an 'o' in surprise.
"My, what a coincidence. I have a fallen noble lady I'm eyeing on." The examinee observer of the Business Department, Professor Kelly overheard their conversation as she steps in the faculty hall with a stack of exam papers in her hands. "What's more is, she's the daughter of the famous Steele Armed Guild Master, Celadon Steele." She added and headed to another desk to place her papers.
"So that's why. I heard they doubled their donations here in the academy." The Science and Engineering Department Examinee Observer, Professor Orla joined the conversation. She was in the hall since the beginning, the second one to make it here in the hall.
"Well, if we're talking about interesting students right now, then I also have one lady I'm eyeing on." The examinee observer of the Arts Department, Professor Russet appeared the next second with exam papers on his hand. He walks to the remaining empty desk and placed his papers there, he glanced at his desk mate, only to see her glancing up to his co-professors.
"Although I spotted a few potential passers, I don't think I found at least one of them interesting. The total of my examinees don't even exceeded a hundred." The examinee observer of the Culinary Department, Professor Ash says as she shrugged and Orla second the statement.
"Well, the examinees are lesser than before. When I was eighteen, we were about three hundred." Yahto mentions, and he wasn't wrong.
For the past few years, the number of examinees have been decreasing, and what more for official students? The examination's passing rate is already forty percent, not even half of the examinees pass as official students in the academy, and this year, it's lesser that forty percent. They'd be lucky if they have at least twenty official students.
"Look on the bright side, at least, we'll be less stressed too." Russet says as he shrugged his shoulders and everyone agrees without hesitation. Each department has its own hardships and stress, having less students means less stress too.
Meanwhile, the academy's dining hall was bustling with hundreds of examinees, and Hades and Rufus somehow managed to buy their meal and spot an vacant table. It was fortunate that the dining hall was wide enough for a thousand or two, although it's unfortunate that the official students themselves are not present. This is the academy's only dining hall, its size is big enough to make it a separate building. This is one of the two places where the academy students gather together with all six departments present.
"I heard the academy's official students this year total about one thousand and three hundred. It's lesser than I thought." Hades brought up as he took a seat at the vacant table. From what he remembered a decade ago, the number of official students were over two thousand. Rufus placed his tray down on the table and sat down on the seat across Hades'.
"With the number of examinees, even with the total of six departments, it might not even exceed a hundred passers. For the academy, the 1586th batch might be too easy to deal with, but that may also be bad news for the prominent Golden Crown Academy." Rufus replied as he took hold of his tableware.
"If you ask me, I prefer the 1586th batch with less students." Hades glanced up to that voice, before he knew it, the lady had already placed her tray down and sat next to Rufus without an ounce of care. Her height was about on Rufus' neck and she has beautiful dirty blonde hair that flows just above her chest. Her light blue eyes were shining as if they were marbles, and she has a light skin too.
Hades glanced back to his friend in confusion. And Rufus was unbothered, even without having to glance next to him, he seem have recognize the lady by her voice only.
"How did your exam go?" Rufus asked the lady. The unknown lady had already took a bite of her meal before she could answer, but she simply nodded at him as if she send some sort of telepathic message. Rufus chuckled but then he realized that Hades was here."Oh, this is my friend taking the same department as me, Hades."
The two finally turned their attention to the confused Hades. "And she's Livia Nocturne, we've known each other since we were brats. She's taking the Arts Department." Hades slightly bobbed his head towards the lady, and she replied the same gesture. He was a tad bit surprised after hearing that familiar last name. The Nocturne Family is a famous marquis rank family… one of the few families who was on friendly terms with the Winchester.
Livia swallowed her food and opened her mouth to speak. "For a commoner, you're prettier than Rufus." She stated.
"What?!" Rufus exclaimed in shock, he felt betrayed all of a sudden and by his childhood friend. While Hades started laughing in amusement. "My older sister said that I'm too pretty for a commoner too! So I guess you're not so wrong about that, Lady Nocturne." Hades says as he calms down a bit. Pearl had said it so many times a few days ago.
She said that disguising himself as a commoner would not work, he's too pretty for one.
Livia was indifferent even with the whining Rufus next to her. "You may call me by my name. Our ranks does not apply here in the academy." She said and Hades simply nodded back at her. And now they turned their attention towards their mutual friend. Rufus was still pouting like a child.
"You like him that much you let him call you by your first name?" Rufus asked and Livia arched a brow at him, she could asked the same thing to him.
"If he's your friend, then he's a good guy. I know how good of a judge you are with people, that's why I'd like for him to be my friend too. Now, stop whining, it's annoying." Livia reasoned and that somehow brighten Rufus' expression a little. He casually wrapped his arms around her as if it was the most natural thing in the world, then glanced at Hades with a cocky face. "Heh. She only likes you because of me, understand?"
Hades became blank. 'Ah, of course.' He somehow realized why his friend was whining. Livia seemed to have realized it but didn't bother to say anything, she was unbothered by his casual actions too. It only means that this is not something that she isn't used to.
'He was jealous.' Hades sighed to himself and proceeded eating his meal. He never would have thought that his friend is actually interested in someone. Although, Rufus must be completely clueless or dense about his own situation, that's why Livia did not bring it up. Or maybe they're actually lovers. Who knows.