High School of Demon Hunting

After the magic text class on Tuesday afternoon, Professor Montreya asked Zheng Qing to help carry the assignments collected before class to his office. Evidently, it was an excuse since this task was usually done by Tang Dun.

But today, under the professor’s insistent gaze, the monitor shrugged his shoulders and quietly slipped away.

"It won’t take up too much of your time."

Professor Montreya’s voice carried a hint of fatigue, his tone lacking the usual sternness. Perhaps because of their frequent interactions, Zheng Qing rarely scrutinized his former lab mentor seriously. It was only this time, upon close observation, that he was surprised to notice that the professor’s gray hair had gained many strands of white, and his cheekbones seemed to have risen slightly: "——You can conduct time conversion in my office, it’s safer than those empty study rooms."

Zheng Qing wasn’t surprised that a vice dean level Big Wizard at the academy knew about this.

He readily agreed.

Yet, in his heart, he wondered what the professor wanted from him—the most likely reason being something related to the Edge Academy’s "Giant God Soldier" project, where the professor was one of the directors, and he was the only existing "healthy" candidate, perhaps needing to be briefed on some special matters. Another possibility was his role as an assistant at Edge Academy; starting this week, due to various reasons, his Thursday afternoon classes had been canceled, and it was plausible the professor wanted to discuss work matters. Of course, the worst-case scenario was his poor performance in magic text class, and the professor was considering flunking him in the course.

Given Professor Montreya’s stern style, it was quite possible.

Amidst his wild thoughts, Professor Montreya suddenly spoke.

"...I heard that after you won the ’Special Contribution Award’ yesterday, you went to Sakura Pub to celebrate?" The professor didn’t look back, seemingly asking casually.

Zheng Qing’s first thought was wondering how he’d learned about this. To be fair, the group led by Absolution had used invisibility talismans to navigate around Gu Diao Street, even the journalists from Beta Town Post hadn’t caught their tracks.

But he quickly realized.

Sakura Pub was founded by another vice dean of the Edge Academy, so it was unsurprising that Professor Montreya knew.

"Can’t be called a celebration, just a gathering, just a gathering." Even knowing the professor was turned away, the boy still couldn’t help waving his hand somewhat awkwardly, quickening his pace: "The, the Black Prison incident, we were purely lucky, during the gathering last night, everyone vehemently declared they’ll never randomly engage in such dangerous matters again..."

Having been a good student for over ten years, Zheng Qing knew well what words teachers liked to hear.

But today, Professor Montreya seemed to have his focus elsewhere.

"There is no concept of ’pure luck’ in this world, only the concepts of ’luck’ and ’misfortune’."

The professor shook his head, his voice not loud yet clearly heard by Zheng Qing: "——You’ve visited North Beita Town many times, haven’t you? How do you find it?"

How do you find it?

Good? The development in the North District is indeed quite good now.

Bad? From Jiuyou Academy’s perspective, adding another academy competing for resources might feel bad.

"...Complicated feelings." The boy ultimately chose a middle-ground expression, vaguely saying: "Thinking of the bustling yet awkward scene I encountered on my first visit to the North District... utterly different from now."

Thank goodness.

The professor didn’t continue pressing him about the differences.

Instead, he sighed gently, suddenly stopping by Lin Zhong Lake.

"Still, First University is better."

He reached out, pointing at Gouzi who was dozing under the shade of the fake mountain rock nearby: "Good governance, at ease. Even the dogs in school, when asleep, wear smiles on their faces..."

That statement was undeniably accurate, watching the dog grinning in its sleep, Zheng Qing nodded silently.

"...I also visited the North District back then."

The professor’s tone shifted: "Do you remember? Everyone there wore expressions of apathy, their eyes devoid of light, not even a dog’s face managed a smile, and neither did humans. And what changed all that? Was it the high wall wizards’ generosity? No, it was the wizards in the North District who mastered power and chose to stay rather than entering the high wall. Power brought back smiles and hope to everyone."

This statement left Zheng Qing feeling uneasy.

His gaze wandered erratically.

Internally he lamented—after all, it’s still a school here with people coming and going, discussing ’high wall wizards’ and ’generosity’ so lightly, even as the dean of Edge Academy, you can’t be so alarming!

"...Do you know why those Northern District wizards could endure for so long?" The professor suddenly posed another question.

Zheng Qing was instantly dumbfounded.

"Because they knew rebellion offered no hope?" He hesitantly responded.

The professor shook his head, speaking with a plain demeanor that rendered Zheng Qing’s hair stand on end: "——Life lacks hope, rebellion too lacks hope, so why didn’t they choose death instead? Compared to a desperate and powerless reality, death offered them relief. So why didn’t they choose death, but instead continued to endure?"

Zheng Qing remained silent.

He sensed these topics had already far exceeded his expectations today.

"——Because they had seen the sun."

Without anticipating the boy’s answer, Professor Montreya slightly shifted his blue-gray eyes, pausing meaningfully on Zheng Qing’s turquoise little dragon earring, saying, "Because they’ve seen the sun, they can endure the darkness. Likewise, they no longer endure it because they’ve seen the sun."

These words, Zheng Qing vaguely felt he’d heard somewhere before.

Unable to resist, he looked up at Professor Montreya gazing toward Lin Zhong Lake, inexplicably sensing his blue-gray eyes tinting green—it could be the reflection of the lake or merely the lighting.

Ping!

A clear sound rang out, disrupting the boy’s thoughts.

Instinctively, he raised his hand to catch a golden copper coin that fell into his palm, its surface adorned with an animal head resembling a bull, biting an iron ring.

What’s this?

The boy wore a face of astonishment.

"My lab key."

Professor Montreya remarked casually: "The High-level Magic Rune and Bloodline Research Laboratory you’ve visited before. Since becoming Edge Academy’s vice dean, that lab hasn’t been operational for a long while. Furthermore, with the Edge Academy project keeping me busy lately, I may not have the time to visit the lab. Now that you’re the assistant, this task is entrusted to you. Check it every ten days or so, clear the dust. You could also review your coursework in the lab, there are many excellent textbooks there."