YM778.TV Chapter 220: Headmistress
Cedric kept paying attention to any information he could access while progressing steadily with his training.
As time passed, more and more people were being called to the frontlines. Cedric still had no idea what exactly was happening out there, he just knew that Demons were active and that the army was pushing them back somehow.
Just as expected, Chrissy and Erica couldn\'t stay for long. They had 2 weeks of rest at most before they were called back to duty. With the tensions steadily increasing, Cedric knew that the pressure on Expedition Teams would rise as well, and there was nothing they could do about that.
As usual, Cedric could only do his best to keep himself occupied without his girlfriends. He focused on increasing his strength and comprehending Concept Laws. He wants to reach the Intermediate Stage for at least one of his Concept Laws but he also doesn\'t want to neglect the traits he already has.
He polished his skills constantly, seeking nothing but perfection and turning those skills into a work of art...a deadly art when used against his foes.
As he observed the situation, he noticed that more and more Senior Students, including a handful of special students, were being sent to missions.
These \'missions\' were a veiled attempt to conceal the fact that Humanity was preparing for war. In truth, these students were being sent to frontlines. The Academy didn\'t want the students or the public to panic, that\'s why they\'re masking the truth behind these missions.
Now, Cedric doesn\'t know if doing that was wise or not, but it doesn\'t really change the reality they\'re on.
On a brighter note, the House of Light already announced the completion of the Demon Soul Purification Project. They made the public announcement a couple of days ago and introduced the Demon Soul Purification Altar to the public.
To say that they surprised the masses with this reveal would be an understatement. Right now, everybody\'s eyes were on them, which was Cedric\'s goal to begin with.
Of course, some people tried to find fault in this. These people are either those who have been researching this project since forever and were met with nothing but failure, feeling peeved that somebody beat them to the punch, or delusional people who wanted to get their hands on these things to use them for their personal gain.
Cedric was prepared to move against these people since it seemed that they didn\'t understand the overall situation of humanity, but it turns out that he didn\'t need to, the House of Light was sufficiently prepared for this.
The announcement of the Demon Soul Purification Altars was backed by Acala herself. The product received her seal of guarantee, eliminating all doubts the public had in mind. As for those corrupt people who are trying to control the House of Light, well...they\'re unable to do so. That\'s because the House of Light was a bigger beast than they originally imagined.
Cedric had no idea what the Archbishop did but within three days, all of the scheming people practically stopped their attempts. In fact, they stayed away from the House of Light as much as they could, seemingly scared by them.
Since then, many people could be seen going to the nearest House of Light Branch to convert Demon Souls into Essence Souls. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from users, saying that after using Essence Souls for breakthroughs or increasing their skill levels, there\'s no way they\'ll use Demon Souls again unless they don\'t have other options.
The altars also got the army\'s attention. Gabriel told Cedric that at least two High Marshals visited the headquarters to ask for a sample of the product and that on his behalf, the Archbishop cooperated with them.
Cedric gave his blessings to do so of course since that was the plan all along. With the army\'s guarantee, more and more people would use the altars, and the corruption within Humans brought by their use of Demon Souls would progressively disappear.
In conjunction with the Sunlight\'s effects, Humanity will no longer be at risk of being manipulated by Demons, this will also weaken the corruption\'s effect on Humans, and so long as they remain within the civilization, they never have to be afraid of Demonic Corruption.
Still, this was far from enough...
Cedric still has more in store. The Sun Disc Project is still in progress, he still has other plans that need polishing. He\'s just pressed with time but that\'s okay, so long as he\'s around, things will look up.
Since the House of Light seemed to have this covered without exposing his identity, Cedric could focus on his personal things. He wasn\'t expecting them to be that reliable but he was relieved that they were.
...especially since he will be occupied very soon and won\'t be able to pay too much attention to other things.
**
"Ulfric Hawkeye, Melissa Anderson, Isabella Frostwind, Garrick Stoneheart, and finally, Cedric Stormrider...I\'m glad that all of you were able to arrive on short notice."
Within a lavish and expansive room, the five people who occupied the Top 5 ranks of their batch listened to the speaker with rapt attention.
They never expected to be in a room like this. They could see all sorts of magical and technological equipment around as well as numerous bookshelves, trophies, and other paraphernalia. This room was also dense with all sorts of energy; Law Energy being the greatest.
The one who called them here wasn\'t just any individual. It\'s a mature lady who\'s wearing a silk crimson robe that hugs the figure of her curvaceous body. Her skin was pale and smooth, almost glistening with how healthy it was.
She\'s wearing modest heels, smells incredibly good, and has a face that could bewitch any man or woman, she meets. Beyond that, she also releases a strange energy that just draws people to her, she also exudes authority and demands attention whenever she moves.
This woman was none other than the Headmistress Lissandra - Starlight Royal Academy\'s Dean and Founder.
From a single look at her, no one would believe that she\'s beyond 100 years old, nobody would dare to point that out either.
"This is the first time that we are meeting despite you all being a student in my academy for more than a year how. I\'d love to know more about you but I\'m afraid that we have more pressing matters to attend to." She spoke elegantly and formally.
She then released a sigh and said: "I believe some of you have been noticing the...strange vibe all around us recently."
"I won\'t hide it from you. The situation on the frontlines isn\'t looking too good." She solemnly revealed. "Demonic Activity has been at the highest since...since the last war between our races."
After saying that, the atmosphere within the room turned cold all of a sudden.
Cedric wasn\'t surprised, and so was Ulfric - or #5, as Cedric fondly remembers it. The same couldn\'t be said for the other three though, and Cedric could recognize the look of realization on their faces.
"Nothing\'s for certain yet. We are, after all, only responding to the increased demonic activity so far." Lissandra took a deep breath and then said: "But I\'m no spring chicken. I\'ve been alive even before your parents ever thought of conceiving you."
"I\'ve been an adult since the last war that happened, and I know the signs when I see one, that\'s why I can tell when it\'s coming."
Lissandra had an odd look on her face. It seems to be a mixture of helplessness and fondness at the same time. Cedric had no idea why she felt this way and he wasn\'t really interested to know.
"Believe me, I tried to buy time for you. After all, you five are too young to experience a horrible thing like this." She took another deep breath before continuing, "Unfortunately, our numbers are lacking. Even after so many years since the last war, we Humans are still lacking compared to Demons."
"This might sound unfair to you, but your presence is needed...required, to help our war efforts. Simply put, you five are being drafted."
The top 5 remained silent, seemingly simmering in their thoughts.
"Don\'t worry, the army knows not to expect too much from you. You\'re young, after all. Our future lies with you so they will be a little more considerate towards you. None of us wanted this to happen, but it couldn\'t be helped."
Lissandra then handed them a stack of documents before saying: "These are the list of Army Branches you can choose to join. Inform me of your decision by the end of the week so that I can help you make arrangements."
"Also, try your best to not reveal any information about the war. We\'re trying to prevent people from panicking too much. Our situation is a bit sensitive, after all."
"That\'s all I wanted to inform you. The rest of you are dismissed, Cedric you stay."