"Magister House!"
"Klein Moretti!"
"Fool House!"
As time passed, at last only one new student remained who had yet to take part in the Sorting Ceremony!
He became the person who drew the most attention in the entire hall, receiving the collective gaze of every student at Saint Marian Academy.
Dark couldn't help looking over.
The last new student to step onto the stage had short black hair and features that weren't particularly exquisite, but were all above average. Together, they gave him a rather pleasant appearance.
By comparison, Dark himself was the sort of handsome blond boy whose every feature was exquisitely refined to the extreme, with an edge that couldn't be concealed.
As the villain who appeared throughout the game, players affectionately called him "Golden Hair." He was apparently the older brother of "Yellow Hair."
"Victor Gaude!"
Was that a pun on "white god"?
Was naming people really that random?
Dark was utterly at a loss for words.
Well, this was definitely the original protagonist!
"Gaude? Is that the Gaude family, the family of the Hero?"
With Victor Gaude's appearance, the students in the hall couldn't help discussing him.
Compared to the Dimon Family, which had always been active in the public eye, the God Family had faded into obscurity after the Hero's sacrifice.
Whenever anyone asked about them, the prophets would always exaggerate as they repeated the same line: Whenever a Hero appeared, it meant humanity needed him!
But which came first: the disaster or the Hero?
Did the disaster's arrival cause the Hero to appear?
Or did the Hero's appearance bring about the disaster?
Whether they were prophets or sages, they always avoided answering that question.
"Dark, do you think the Son of the Hero will come to our academy?" Diana asked, her eyes shining.
She wasn't the only one. Quite a few students in Noble House were hoping Victor Gaude would join them!
Though the God Family kept a low profile, they had been a noble family since ancient times. It wouldn't have been at all surprising if he were assigned to Noble House!
"If Victor Gaude joins our house too, then won't the Kingdom's Twin Swords be reunited?"
The students of Noble House chattered excitedly, their voices betraying their anticipation.
But their hopes were doomed never to come true.
Looking at the [Wrath -1] floating past in his field of vision, Dark smiled discreetly.
"So, as long as I want it, I can still make it happen?"
"Victor Gaude!"
"Knight Academy!"
The fireworks released by the Sorting Card formed a huge lance in the air.
Amid the Knight Academy students' wild cheers, Victor Gaude walked over to their table.
"We've got a Gaude!"
The name "Victor Gaude" resounded throughout the hall. The cheers were even more enthusiastic, even more frenzied than those that had greeted Dark's Sorting Ceremony!
[Envy +1]
"Shit!"
[Wrath +1]
Dark hastily reined in his emotions.
He honestly didn't feel jealous at all. So why had the Envy stat gone up by one?
This Trash System had to be broken!
Dark felt as though his character had been insulted!
Principal Arte's gentle voice quieted the cheering crowd. "Freshmen, keep your Sorting Cards safe. They'll guide you throughout the next six years of your academy life!"
At Saint Marian Academy, the Sorting Ceremony was also the occasion when students received their Sorting Cards.
Every new student received a Sorting Card during the ceremony.
The card represented a student's identity. It was also the first Magitech Card they would "make with their own hands" after entering the academy!
These essential tools for academy life would accompany the students through all six years of their studies!
Dark, too, turned to look at his Sorting Card.
As the only son of a duke, he had naturally received an advanced education at home before enrolling. He had a basic understanding of magic power, Magisters, and Magitech Cards.
In the kingdom, anyone who received an acceptance letter from Saint Marian Academy possessed the talent for magic power. They were future Magisters.
A Magister's magic power grew with age. Using it repeatedly could improve its quality, but did very little to increase its quantity.
Since there was no secret art like Calm Mind to increase magic power, humans in the past had been no match for the naturally powerful magic of the Demon Race.
That was until Merlin, the most powerful Magister in history, appeared and turned the tide.
Merlin used alchemy to refine and imprint various elements—including knowledge, magic power, imagination, and Magic Potions—into cards, creating the Magitech Cards that ushered in a new era!
And he selflessly shared this knowledge with everyone!
From then on, Magisters abandoned their wands and kept creating powerful Magitech Cards, ultimately wiping out the Demon Race, which had fallen behind the times!
The Sorting Cards initially provided by the academy were incomplete Magitech Cards. The students had to complete the final step themselves to create a finished Sorting Card.
Principal Arte delivered her final remarks in a few concise words, then drew a Magitech Card from the Gourmet Series.
With a light wave of her hand, she covered every table with exquisite food.
Faced with countless delicious dishes and their mouthwatering aromas, the students temporarily forgot everything else and happily dug in.
Only Dark sat frozen, staring at the food in front of him!
"Huh? Dark, don't you like this honey-glazed leg of lamb? Then Diana will help you finish it!"
Diana quickly snatched Dark's honey-glazed roasted leg of lamb.
[Envy +1]
Chapter 4: Dark Dimon Masters the Art of Temperance
With Diana's help (and through gritted teeth), Dark managed to resist the urge to give in to Gluttony!
As for that [Envy +1]...
Dark insisted that he had absolutely no idea what jealousy was!
He looked at his empty plate, suppressed the irritation inside him, and let his gaze travel over the dishes on the table one by one.
Roast beef, roast chicken, lamb chops, sausages, steak, Yorkshire Pudding, Roasted Cream Potato, gravy, tomato sauce... beans!
Maintaining his elegant composure, he quietly swallowed.
Dark served a little from the silver bowl piled with beans and put it on his plate...
"Let's start with the beans! Gluttony isn't the same as eating. Eating in moderation shouldn't make my Gluttony stat go up."
No wonder the food had been made by Principal Arte, who had been granted the title of "Saint." Even ordinary Stewed Beans had a flavor all their own.
Dark picked out one bean from the pile and pinned it in place with a silver fork. Then he sliced it with his knife and put the pieces into his mouth one by one.
As he chewed slowly, the beans' flavor gradually spread across his palate. They were damn sweet!
Dark narrowed his eyes and stabbed into the other half of the bean.
Across from him sat another new student in Noble House, Rose Floty. She was holding a silver spoon and scooping up a big spoonful of beans from a small bowl, then stuffing the whole thing into her mouth.
Seeing that her classmate across the table ate even beans with such refined elegance and aristocratic poise, Rose Floty felt her cheeks grow warm. She quietly pulled the half-full silver spoon out of her mouth...
Imitating Dark, Rose picked up her knife and fork and awkwardly tried to spear the beans, but they kept escaping between her utensils.
This gave her a newfound fondness for Dark, who could skillfully eat beans with a knife and fork.
"I've always heard the duke's only son was a badly behaved, vulgar young man with no aristocratic manners. I never imagined he'd be so cultured."
Girls of that age were always apt to make up an entire persona for someone based on tiny details.
And Rose was a girl who had just escaped the strict rules of aristocratic etiquette. The freedom of life at the academy had her so excited that her brain was practically starved of oxygen—otherwise, she never would have imagined Young Master Dark as some model of aristocratic virtue!
Dark, who was struggling through his beans, hadn't noticed the girl's odd behavior. With the beans on his plate almost gone, he began considering what to try next. Perhaps Yorkshire Pudding would be a good choice?
Though called "pudding," Yorkshire Pudding was actually more like bread, with a similar soft texture. During a meal, it was usually served as a dessert alongside roast beef.
To make it, the oil rendered from the roast beef was spread over a baking tray. Once it began to smoke, the batter was poured in. The pudding swelled into a bread-like shape as it baked, with a crisp golden crust and a soft, delicate interior. Then it was topped with gravy full of minced meat...
"Ahh—"
Just imagining it made Dark's mouth water.
He was about to reach for the Yorkshire Pudding when Diana suddenly said beside him, "Hey! Dark, do you like beans? Then you can have my portion too!"
As she spoke, she dumped the entire large plate of beans in front of her onto Dark's plate!
Then she added, "Consider it thanks for the honey-glazed leg of lamb!"
Turning back around, she added in a quiet voice, "Diana doesn't like beans..."
Dark looked at the mountain of beans piled on his plate. The corner of his eye twitched.
[Wrath +1]
"Damn it!"
He wasn't even that angry, yet the Wrath stat had suddenly increased.
Was his Demon God Bloodline entering its awakening stage, making him more prone to corruption?
Dark silently swallowed his beans.
Inside, he was anxious and irritated. His demeanor remained calm and elegant, his movements unhurried.
By the time he had finished all the beans on his plate, the food on every table disappeared all at once from the plates and bowls!
The main course was over. It was time for dessert!
All kinds of ice cream, apple pies, syrup cakes, chocolate cakes, fried jam doughnuts, rum-soaked jam puddings, strawberry pies...
An intensely sweet aroma washed over him!
Dark gazed silently at the desserts.
He wasn't even close to full!
The hunger in his stomach, combined with the desserts' rich aroma, made them impossible to resist!
He reached for his favorite chocolate cake with his sinful hand!
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