Chapter 288: Switching Academies…

Knock, knock!

Elárien entered first, moving with her usual graceful elegance. Right behind her came Headmistress Aurora.

Aurora looked as captivating as ever.

Her long auburn hair flowed like rich, molten copper down her back, catching the light with every step.

Her vivid red eyes held a deep, intense gleam that she always tried to mask behind a warm, yet professional smile.

The small black mole just above her reddish-pink lips added an alluring touch to her mature beauty.

She was noticeably taller than Gray, with long, shapely legs and a voluptuous figure that her dark academy robes could barely restrain, especially around her massive, full breasts.

The moment she stepped into the room, Gray felt that familiar possessive energy radiating from her, even though she hid it perfectly behind a calm and elegant facade.

“Gray~” Aurora greeted him with a soft voice, her red eyes scanning him from head to toe with hidden satisfaction.

“Elárien already informed me of everything. Three months and seventeen days in deep meditation… That’s quite impressive.”

She didn’t waste any time getting to the point.

“I’ll make this simple for you,” she continued smoothly.

“If Headmistress Gloria refuses to allow late exams or forces you to repeat the first year, you are more than welcome to stay here permanently. I will personally enroll you directly into the second year. No questions asked, no unnecessary procedures.”

Gray nodded calmly at her words; he was already expecting something like this from her.

“Thank you. I’ll accept that offer if Gloria doesn’t allow me to take the late exams or decides I have to repeat the year.”

Aurora’s smile remained perfectly composed on the surface, but Gray noticed the very subtle tightening at the corners of her vivid red eyes.

She wasn’t fully satisfied with his conditional answer. She wanted him here unconditionally, completely under her influence.

She kept her tone calm and understanding.

“Such a deep meditation, huh~?” she exclaimed with feigned surprise, though a clear hint of delight sparkled in her eyes.

“It even brought you all the way to the late stage of the Great Grandmaster Realm! How truly impressive.”

Gray simply nodded once, offering no further explanation.

“Alright then…”

Seeing his calm, almost emotionless reply, Aurora let out a soft, elegant sigh and snapped her fingers.

A swirling violet portal instantly materialized in the middle of the dorm room, its edges humming with stable spatial magic.

“Let’s get your enrollment sorted already,” she said confidently, stepping gracefully toward the portal.

She knew Gloria very well.

knew how strict and perfectionist the Headmistress of Gloria Academy was, and things like special favors, late exams, or skipping grades were almost never granted.

“Mhmm!~”

Gray stood up from the bed, stretched his body one last time, feeling the immense new power flowing through his body, and followed her through the portal without hesitation.

The moment they stepped out on the other side, they were standing directly in front of the grand wooden door leading to Headmistress Gloria’s office.

Gray didn’t seem surprised by the direct teleportation. He simply raised his hand and knocked politely on the door.

“…You don’t need to knock, Aurora,” came Gloria’s cold, emotionless voice from inside the room.

Aurora’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.

Without waiting any longer, she pushed the door open and walked inside with graceful confidence.

Gray followed right behind her.

The office hadn’t changed at all.

Headmistress Gloria sat behind her large, polished desk, radiating the same icy, regal aura as always.

Her long, luscious golden locks framed her flawless face perfectly, and her sharp golden eyes carried their usual cold, emotionless shine.

She had an impressive chest, though not quite as overwhelming as Aurora’s, and her presence gave off the clear vibe of an untouchable ice queen, elegant and emotionless, distant.

Gray stepped forward calmly, meeting Gloria’s cold golden eyes directly.

“Headmistress Gloria,” he decided to greet her first.

“I understand the rules. However, I would like to request the opportunity to take late exams so I can complete the first year properly. I don’t mind if the difficulty is tripled, or even quintupled. I’m also willing to take exams from the third or fourth year if necessary. I simply don’t want to waste an entire year repeating material I’ve already covered.”

Gloria remained silent for a moment, her expression as icy and emotionless as ever. She was clearly about to refuse him outright.

But then she felt it.

A vast, dense wave of mana quietly leaked from Gray’s body, extremely deep and far stronger than anything a first-year student should possess.

Her golden eyes narrowed slightly.

“…Oh? In just three months, you’ve already reached the Late stage of the Great Grandmaster Realm?” she said, a rare trace of genuine surprise slipping into her voice, though her face stayed perfectly blank.

Before Gray could respond, Aurora chimed in with a sweet, almost teasing tone.

“Right~! Surely you wouldn’t want to lose such a talented student just because of your strict ethics, would you, Gloria?”

At those words, Gloria’s eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly.

She was someone who lived by her own rigid principles.

She believed students should earn every opportunity through their own effort, just like Gray had once earned her favor by providing the location of a powerful dragon. Special treatment went against everything she stood for.

After a long pause filled with visible internal conflict, Gloria finally exhaled.

“…I can’t accept you doing late exams.”

The moment those words left her mouth, Gray’s eyes turned completely indifferent.

In that instant, Gloria lost all remaining value in his eyes.

He had thought she might be someone worth maintaining a connection with, especially after she had warned him about the potential demonic involvement in the Sword Festival. But now, from his perspective, that was all meaningless.

’Have my senses dulled…?’ he wondered inwardly for a brief second before shaking his head.

No… his judgment was clearer than ever.

Aurora’s vivid red eyes visibly brightened with barely concealed delight. She let out a soft, pitying sigh.

“Oohh… how terrible~!”

Gray ignored her completely.

Without another word, he reached into his dimensional storage and calmly placed his enrollment papers on Gloria’s desk.

“I’ll quit being a student here then.”

Gloria stared at the papers.

A faint trace of reluctance flickered across her usually emotionless face. Aside from Gray’s older sister, he was undeniably the most talented student she had ever taught.

“I…”

She tried to speak, but the moment she saw Aurora’s scrutinizing, almost predatory gaze fixed on her, the words died in her throat.

“Your ethics are as firm as ever, Gloria…” Aurora added with a gentle smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

That single comment was enough to make Gloria’s hesitation vanish instantly. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to appear weak in front of her rival.

She quickly waved her hand, summoning another official document with magic. The entire withdrawal process was completed in less than five minutes.

“Done,” Gloria stated coldly, stamping the final seal.

“Officially, you are no longer a student of Gloria Academy. This means you will no longer receive any benefits granted to our students.”

’…She’s the easily manipulated?’ Gray was a little shocked by how easily Aurora pressed Gloria’s hesitation to vanish.

Still, he remained calm and simply nodded, completely unbothered.

Maybe… his senses had really dulled as someone as powerful as Gloria was easily controlled by Aurora, just by pressing about her ethics.

He really didn’t need her.

“Sure. Then, goodbye, Miss Gloria.”

He bowed his head slightly, the address toward her noticeably colder and more distant than before, before turning around and walking out of the office without looking back.

Click…

The moment the door clicked shut behind him, Aurora lingered inside the room for a few extra seconds.

She turned toward Gloria with a wry, triumphant smile playing on her lips.

“Surely you didn’t forget about the academy’s competition that will happen at the beginning of the first semester, right?” she added, her voice dripping with mocking sweetness.

At those words, Gloria’s golden eyes turned even colder, like frozen blades.

“…My students are extremely talente—”

“—Right, yeah…” Aurora interrupted smoothly, placing her index finger against her reddish-pink lips while tilting her head to the side with feigned innocence.

“But are they as talented as Gray?”

She let out a soft, amused chuckle before pointing her index finger directly at Gloria’s face.

“I’ll need to thank you~, I didn’t expect to get Gray to myself so easily…”

’As it should be,’ she added inwardly, a dark possessiveness flashing deep in her vivid red eyes for a split second.

“You’ll surely regret that choice, my dear rival…” Aurora laughed wryly, her mature voice laced with clear delight.

Her words struck directly at Gloria’s pride. The ice queen’s usually emotionless face contorted slightly in displeasure.

“Are you that confident in him?” Gloria stated coldly.

Aurora simply nodded, her smile never fading.

After all, she knew Gray to the bone.

There was currently no one on this planet more talented than him. Even his elder sister would eventually fall behind in terms of raw talent and potential.

“Then, how about we make a bet?” Gloria’s lips curled into a cold smile.

“What bet?”

“We’ll simply end our rivalry here. The academy that wins the next competition… will be recognized as the strongest of the two of us. How about it?”

Aurora’s vivid red eyes shone with complete delight.

“Deal! You’re not allowed to back off!”

Snap!

She snapped her fingers, causing a shimmering mana signature to appear in the air.

Gloria did the same, causing the two signatures to fuse instantly, forming a binding mana contract between them.

“Then, good luck~” Aurora winked at her rival, her voice dripping with wry amusement.

“You’ll definitely need it…”

With that, she turned on her heel and walked toward the door, her lips curved into a deeply satisfied, victorious smile as the door closed softly behind her.

The moment she stepped out into the hallway, she arrived just in time to witness a dramatic scene.

“Gray… I heard that you… were quitting this academy?”

It was none other than Lyra, his girlfriend, who had spoken those words. Her voice trembled with disbelief and rising panic as she stood frozen a few steps away from him.

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