I Became the Academy's Disabled Student-Chapter 269: Opening Ceremony (2)

Even in winter, the sun naturally rose.

It was entirely expected. The fact that it didn’t rise would be the strange part. The Earth in this world was still rotating, and the sun was still burning brightly.

‘Though the arrival of the harsh cold might change things a little...’

I left the mansion and headed toward the location of the opening ceremony.

As I observed the sunlight shining on the ground, a thought suddenly crossed my mind, and I glanced over at Baek Arin.

In the original story, it’s hard to see sunlight when the Lord of the Winter Tower has properly descended.

He was both the final boss in terms of personal strength and the army he commanded, but especially the environmental changes that occurred when he descended were horrendous.

Dark, gloomy clouds mixed and covered the sky, and cold blizzards ravaged the world.

To describe it from a game perspective, the world itself was debuffed.

Plants and animals were buried under snow and cold, and magical facilities scattered across the world would freeze and break down.

As a result, even those who managed to survive were not exactly unharmed. Their movements became restricted, and with a shortage of food and materials, living became difficult.

The Lord of the Winter Tower was a troublesome entity just by appearing. That was true even in the original story, so imagine how much worse it would be in reality.

Thus, if there’s any sign that the Lord of the Winter Tower is about to descend, it’s best to remove the root of the problem without hesitation.

“Why do you look like that?”

Baek Arin, who had been walking around and looking around, tilted her head. Though her eyes were closed, it seemed she could still see me turning my head toward her.

[Nothing... I’m fine.]

“Hmmm...?”

She shook her head slightly, and her ocean-blue eyes became slightly unfocused. Her gaze seemed to ask if everything was truly fine. I kept my mouth shut and turned my head away, avoiding her gaze.

Despite the somewhat cold weather, there was a lively atmosphere around us. Along the wide streets, common market stalls and food carts were lined up.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

Although the opening ceremony hadn’t even started yet, some vendors had already begun selling. There were many food stalls, most likely aiming at the newly arrived visitors.

Right now, it was mostly vendors who originally lived in Shiyoram or those specially granted access to set up shop. But after the opening ceremony, cadets would likely start opening their own stalls.

There was no pressure, but they set up the stalls to create memories for themselves.

Even if not at the stalls, there were many clubs planning to hold competitions or performances.

Thanks to that, there would be plenty to see just by wandering around Shiyoram. Even though it was the first day, I didn’t think I would be bored walking around with Seo Yul.

“Hmm... Well, I’ll let it go this time.”

Baek Arin, who had been staring at me as I turned my head, reached out. Her slender fingers gently squeezed my cheek.

[Eh?] [Cold]

As she continued to touch my face gently, I could feel her touch was quite cold, even more so than the chilly air. Without hesitation, I raised my right hand and grasped her hand.

Whoosh

The flame from my cursed fire wrapped around her hand. Baek Arin, who had been looking groggily at me, suddenly opened her eyes wide.

The surrounding area was gradually warmed by the gentle light, pushing the cold away.

Oh, what’s this? It suddenly got warm!Really? Maybe magic in Shiyoram... Wow, hey, look at that!Over there? Why... wow, the fire’s really pretty.

Even passersby, wrapped in thick clothing, widened their eyes at the sudden change and started looking around, soon gazing at the flame wrapping around my hand in awe.

There were many people around us. Many cadets like us were heading to the opening ceremony, and many people who originally lived in Shiyoram were also there.

But what caught my attention was the far greater amount of information being recognized now. The foreign visitors allowed into Shiyoram after a strict identity check.

Whoosh! The cursed fire that had caught the attention of so many swirled around brightly. Unlike its owner, who felt uncomfortable under the spotlight, the flame seemed to enjoy dancing with all the attention it was getting.

“Thanks. It was cold before.”

After widening her eyes in surprise, Baek Arin looked briefly at the hovering drones around us. Her eyes softened into a smile.

She took my hand, still wrapped in the cursed flame. Somehow, I felt warmth spread into my hand from hers.

Baek Arin shrugged as she gently pulled my hand toward her cheek.

“You really are considerate, Ha-Yul. It’s nice and warm... Ah! Wait! This isn’t warm, it’s hot!”

But her cheek didn’t actually touch mine. It was due to Hong Yeonhwa’s hand, which had reached near Baek Arin’s cheek.

Hong Yeonhwa’s hand, like mine, was wrapped in cursed fire, but unlike mine, it burned fiercely, like blood, and was full of aggression.

“What’s wrong? This is cursed fire too, right? Come here, I’ll rub it all over you.”

“Ahh! Crazy girl, you’re going to hurt someone on a festival day!”

In sheer fright, Baek Arin quickly pulled her hand away and jumped back. Hong Yeonhwa immediately chased after her. A red scarf fluttered from Hong Yeonhwa’s neck as she ran.

Whoosh...

The sudden chase made everyone blink in confusion. As they were trying to process it, the broadcast drone seemed to think it was an amusing scene and followed the chase.

It was indeed a rare sight to see the successors of cursed fire and Changha chasing each other like that. Since it wasn’t a sensitive scene requiring editing, it would be a shame to miss out on such an entertaining moment...

‘Oh.’

It wasn’t a sensitive scene to be edited, and it was an amusing one too.

I knew there would be many such moments throughout this event.

After the third day’s entrance competition, starting from the fourth day, there would be various events organized for the cadets to enjoy.

Among them, there was also the cross-dressing competition I had signed up for.

‘...Well, if things get bad, I can always interfere with the drone a little.’

As the thought crossed my mind, my eyes twitched. But the moment the solution appeared, my tense shoulders relaxed.

That drone, after all, was just a product of this world and was operated by magic. I had plenty of room to interfere, so if needed, I could just interfere with it...

“Hahaha, they’re already having fun on the first day.”

Professor Liana, who had been beside me, covered her mouth and chuckled. She seemed to find their antics just as amusing.

However, I couldn’t help but feel a bit worried, calculating the growing distance between the two of them.

[Will they be fine? Should we worry?]

“They’re fine for now. It’s not a long distance, so if they’re late, they’ll probably just rush over using their strength.”

[Ah... You’re right.]

Though we were getting further from them, considering their physical abilities, it was actually quite a short distance. If they were late, they would probably just use some martial arts techniques to rush over. Baek Arin would be fine in terms of time.

Satisfied with my reasoning, I nodded and continued walking.

...

Like most festivals, the opening ceremony was a highly ceremonial event.

It was the first opportunity to show off how grand the festival was. If footage from the festival were to be shown on the media later, the opening ceremony would probably be a key highlight.

The Birth Ceremony’s opening ceremony was no different. Ultimately, its purpose was to show the world just how magnificently the festival began.

[Cadets waiting, please gather at the designated location by 9 o’clock. Please find your place according to your grade and class. Once again, I remind you...]

The magically amplified voice rang out into the sky. Thanks to the spell added to it, my ears weren’t overwhelmed by the sound.

I scanned the surroundings as I observed the opening ceremony location, the large auditorium in the center of Shiyoram. If I were to compare it, it resembled a baseball stadium.

The ceiling was open, allowing the warm sunlight to pour into the center.

The wide-open center was filled with cadets, standing in lines according to their grade and class, surrounded by several layers of seating filled with people.

“Didn’t your hair burn? It feels like it did...”

“Burned? You’re crazy, we didn’t even get close.”

“Ugh, no... I swear it burned.”

Baek Arin, standing in the first row of the first-year Spring Class, muttered, fiddling with the ends of her hair.

Despite Hong Yeonhwa’s denial right beside her, Baek Arin’s face still held a lingering doubt.

Fortunately, both of them had arrived before the ceremony began. This way, they wouldn’t be dragged in front of everyone by the Vice-President for a scolding or embarrassed.

Of course, I would’ve just transported them using spatial power if it had come to that.

‘...Everyone’s getting so many new abilities.’

Leaving behind Hong Yeonhwa and Baek Arin, I observed the cadets gathering in the auditorium while playing with Elia’s hand.

The future leaders, growing at an incredible pace with the blessings of growth. The power emanating from them was unmistakably strong, as if to prove that the expression was not wrong.

There was also a strong and diverse sense of uniqueness. While some traits overlapped, many cadets displayed distinct abilities.

Especially first-year students. It had been some time since they received the blessing of growth, and many of them had manifested new abilities or altered and expanded their existing powers.

‘It’s a shame that they haven’t manifested yet, but I’ll be able to observe a lot at the Tower of Growth.’

The Tower of Growth didn’t distinguish between grades. I would experience abilities that had already manifested, and by fighting in the tower, I could fully grasp those powers and accumulate material for imitation.

[Ahem, as of now, the opening ceremony of Shiyoram’s 121st cohort will begin. Cadets, please take your places.]

As we idled, the announcement echoed in the sky. The bustling atmosphere in the auditorium gradually quieted.

Thud!

A short while later, a rippling distortion appeared on the stage, and from within, the Vice-President in a thick robe appeared.

As always, the Vice-President was the one hosting the opening ceremony.

‘What a busy person.’

The principal’s appointed deputy. It had been decades since then. They had managed the affairs of Shiyoram ever since.

I couldn’t help but wonder if there was a face full of exhaustion behind the indifferent expression.

I watched the Vice-President announce the opening of the ceremony with a strange expression. Soon, one of the first-year representatives would have to step up to the stage.

‘?’

As I kept my ears tuned to the Vice-President’s voice to make sure I didn’t miss anything, an unusual piece of information caught my attention at the edge of my perception. My head instinctively turned.

Around this time every year, the Shiyoram Gate Terminal would be crowded.

All because of the Birth Ceremony.

Countless visitors from around the world gather to see the ceremony in person.

The Shiyoram Gate Terminal, one of the largest in the world, feels cramped during this time.

With so many people, the noise is deafening.

Just one person making noise creates a huge echo.

Tick

But right now, at this moment, the gate terminal was unusually quiet.

The noise was reduced, but it wasn’t entirely gone. The only sound audible now was the sound of footsteps.

Other noises were clearly present but drowned out by a greater presence.

Clack

The source of this overwhelming presence was a woman.

She had brown hair that fell just past her shoulders. Her limbs looked slender, but the power radiating from her felt as solid and unmovable as a mountain.

“...”

The woman, the 11th head of the Taesan family, Lee Jia, stepped forward, feeling the ground beneath her feet after a long absence.