Weeks passed.

Today was the day of the graduation ceremony for the third-years who were split into two classes.

"Hey, Bakil...! Are you crazy...?! Why are you wearing the black-class uniform...?!" Vasilya whispered baffledly.

The whole student body was present for that occasion.

It was held outside with the students sitting orderly on chairs, facing the entrance of the academy, whereas the teachers and staff members sat with their backs to the entrance. There was a podium for speaking before the teachers’ seats and the white-class students were located on the side, beside the other third-year class, having both students and teachers in their sight.

While Ophelia, the current headmaster, gave a farewell speech, Lily and the others reminisced over their time spent at the academy.

They spent three years there and yet, it felt like yesterday when they experienced all those hardships.

From taking on their first quest in a team...

...facing a demon in said quest...

...training for a long time in order to keep up with demons...

...scuffling with the entire year, participating in the tournament...

...defending Loogam from a demon invasion...

...surviving the king of the jungle in the Great Jungle of Malnor...

...taking part in the exchange program with Grat...

...fighting the students there...

...exploring the Unnatural Dungeon where demons were lingering...

...playing a key role in the civil war between the South and the North of Grat...

...encountering Leviathan and losing friends...

...to joining the group consisting of the pinnacle of mages: the Grand Order.

During their journey, the group gathered a lot of experience and grew much more than anyone could have anticipated, however, they unwillingly had to pay a grand price as their strength came from the desire not to let another friend die or disappear.

Harik and Rachel entered the academy as people trying to hide themselves from society or any events due to their curses. Now, they had their chest out confidently.

Lisa enrolled into the academy as an uptight person who followed the rules but soon she learned how to enjoy her student life like everybody else thanks to the friends she made.

Belian got in the academy as an apathetic person with the desire to grow stronger. He may still remain apathetic most of the time but he came closer to his goal.

Lily, however, went through the most. Not only did she lose her two closest friends but she also lost her parents both physically and mentally. The only thing she gained through her journey at the academy was her strength. It was something she always yearned for but at the current moment, she would gladly trade her strength if she could only get the things she had lost back.

"...In the end, I couldn’t be any prouder to be able to watch my students grow into the students they are now. So let me welcome them on the stage." Ophelia ended her speech, smiling gently at her class.

The five students stood up. Beside the five chairs, belonging to the white-class students, there were additional two chairs and on each one of them were flowers placed.

"..."

The white class headed toward the teachers and the podium first, ready to receive their graduation certificate and give their final words to the academy.

Meanwhile, prominent people attended the academy’s conference room.

It was prohibited to enter the academy today.

After all, the world conference was held at the same time as the graduation ceremony of the third-years.

"..."

"..."

"..."

While Lucio was still wearing his kind smile on his face, Cylia remained indifferent. But in Olivia’s case, she was glaring grimly at Lucio with her arms crossed. The Grand Order was also present on the personal invitation of Lucio.

They stood near one wall of the room across from the other wall where Sara stood.

Sara represented both Grat as their crown princess and Hunters as Olivia was taking her position as the queen of Rostanta. Yarjak, her brother and fellow crown prince, was not at the conference as he had to stay in Grat in case, something happened during their queen’s absence.

"Do you really want to start the conference? We’re still missing some members." Olivia remarked arrogantly, looking around the room shortly.

"She’s right. A good amount of members are missing from the Grand Order. If they were all invited, then shouldn’t we be considered and wait for them to be done with their graduation ceremony?" Cylia added calmly.

"..."

Sara smirked faintly.

"I understand your point but in the end, most of them are still just children. The things we’re discussing here would probably bore them." Lucio replied with his smile still intact.

"And what about Ophelia?" Olivia asked.

"Don’t worry. I will inform her later about the contents."

"Hey, Elsa. Will you really let him get away with disrespecting your squad? If I would have been still your captain, then I would have punched him. Heck. You know what? I will do it anyway!" Olivia remarked, letting an excited smirk creep onto her face slowly.

"Ahem."

Both Elsa and Sara cleared their throats.

"Please, behave yourself for today, your Highness. I will make sure to point that out later once everything’s done here." Elsa stated calmly.

"Your Highness, huh...?" Olivia muttered indifferently after calming down quickly.

The mood was tense despite the conference not having started yet.

"..."

Olivia glanced at the window behind her, focusing on what was going on outside.

"I thank you all for giving me the opportunity to grow stronger during those three years. I will make sure to not sully the name of the academy once I step into the outside world." Belian declared on the podium.

His tone was calm and his face expressionless like always.

The students clapped when Ophelia handed Belian his graduation certificate. Following that, he stood on the sideline with his fellow classmates who also received their certificates already.

"..."

Thus, the next and final white-class student was Lily.

"B-Bakil...? Why are you standing up...?" Vasilya asked quietly.

Instead of addressing the student body, Lily faced Ophelia immediately, surprising even her.

"I have nothing to say." Lily said to Ophelia with her gaze narrowed and cast down.

The student body began to whisper in confusion. Even her classmates widened their eyes.

However, the reason was not Lily’s behavior.

"Understood. I will give you your certificate now."

"Congratulations on your graduation. You can hold your head, you know?" Ophelia added with a gentle smile to cheer Lily up.

"..."

Lily just took her certificate and headed to her class, ignoring the buzz around her.

The whispers turned louder.

"Wait a minute..." Belian muttered in disbelief.

"..."

Rachel turned teary and had a wide and hopeful smile.

"Haha... You’re really made for the spotlight..." Harik chuckled softly.

"You’re kidding, right...?" Lisa said stiffly.

"?"

Lily was about to turn her head.

"Now then, before we proceed with the next class, I kindly ask you to come on the stage and join your fellow classmates."

"!"

It was as if a sudden and strong breeze was coming at her head.

Her eyes were bigger than everyone else’s. Her jaw could not close and her lips trembled.

She raised her shaky hands to cover her open mouth. However, she could not use them to hide or stop her tears from rolling down her reddened cheeks.

"Seems like we can start soon." Olivia huffed satisfiedly.

"I see now..."

Even Cylia had to smirk faintly.

"..."

It was only Lucio who did not smile anymore.

"Heh, sure feels nostalgic seeing you in those clothes..." Ophelia joked, also feeling emotional.

The student who was the center of attention stood on the stage.

"Hahaha...!"

Gerard, a fellow third-year, could not hold back his laughter anymore.

"..."

The student in the black-class uniform grabbed the podium from both sides and leaned forward.

"B-Bakil...?"

Vasilya did not comprehend anything anymore when she saw Bakil on stage.

But she did not know that it was not the Bakil she knew.

"Greetings, students of Loogam."

The boy’s black hair turned golden and once he blinked his eyes, his eyes turned blue and his pupils into white crosses.

"My name is Mika. Mika Elbar."

A halo appeared above his head.

"First of all, I want to congratulate my fellow classmates for graduating. I cannot express how happy and proud I am to see you like this." Mika stated, glancing over at them.

It was barely visible but he had a very small smirk on his usually indifferent face.

"And second of all-"

But before he could finish, Lily jumped right into his chest and hugged him tightly. Her face was buried in him, hiding her teary face.

"Ohhhh~!"

The student body gasped in surprise as it was their first time seeing the cold Lily expressing her emotions like that.

"You idiot... Why did it take you so long...?" Lily murmured.

"..."

The others from the white class saw that as a signal and were on their way to jump in, too.

However, Belian noticed something odd.

"And second of all..."

Mika turned apathetic again. Even with Lily hugging him passionately.

"Evacuate."