Gossips surrounding Euphyllia lingered at the academy for a long time.
So much so that even during her lectures, students would ask:
“Professor Euphyllia, between you and Headmaster Mythina, who pursued whom first?”
“Dean Euphyllia, could you tell us what the Headmaster is like in private?”
“Professor Euphyllia, blink twice if the Headmaster is blackmailing you.”
Euphyllia simply threw them out and made sure to thoroughly ‘train’ them during outdoor classes.
Life at St. Ferris Academy was, in fact, incredibly demanding.
As the most prestigious and elite institution in the Great Star Realm and its surrounding regions, the academy imposed exceedingly high standards on its students’ academic performance and personal conduct.
Admission was only the first hurdle. After enrollment, students faced one challenge after another until they finally reached graduation.
In such an environment, there weren’t many ways for students to unwind and indulge in lighthearted gossip.
This incident had been an unexpected burst of entertainment.
Until the next major event, this topic would inevitably keep resurfacing with increasingly absurd rumors.
The credit for the later, wilder speculations naturally went to Flying Petals Press.
Although Yulia was the editor-in-chief, she couldn’t outright reject every single submission. Out of ten articles on the subject, rejecting seven or eight was already her limit.
She was forced to let two or three of the less outrageous ones slip through.
During this period, most students remained focused on their studies.
Inev, of course, had little interest in the rumors about Euphyllia. She only paid attention at the very beginning.
Hetis dismissed them as obviously fake and didn’t give them much thought.
Cathy… Well, Cathy was very invested. After all, she was publicly known as Euphyllia’s direct student, so even if she wanted to ignore it, others would still pester her for details.
But she firmly stood on the same side as Yulia—Professor Euphyllia is even more impressive than the Headmaster!
This stance, however, meant that some of the wilder rumors might have originated from her own words; taken out of context, of course.
Incidentally, Cathy had ultimately chosen the Department of Magic, but under the Modern School.
When asked why, she didn’t elaborate much, simply saying that she liked it.
The truth was, she had once held fantasies, but they now felt distant.
Her only remaining fantasy was ‘Lady Lia’.
Yulia didn’t mind. Cathy could choose whichever path she wanted, and she’d still be able to learn from her.
But Yulia’s teaching style… well, it carried on Edward’s fine tradition: emphasizing the students’ initiative and cultivating their ability to solve problems independently, all to better prepare them for the complexities of the future.
On another note, Little Li had eaten its fill during the previous extra meal, then promptly fell asleep… and didn’t wake up for over a month.
When it finally did, it gained weight again!
Its body remained tiny, but if you picked it up, you’d realize that it’s now a heavy lump.
The last time Cathy visited and tried playing with it, she nearly toppled over from its weight.
Moreover, its strength had leapt to Jade Rank, surpassing the vast majority of students at the academy.
In terms of combat ability, it might even be able to defeat some of the professors.
Basking in its newfound power, it had taken to treating Cathy as its personal mount, ordering her around.
Unfortunately, Cathy couldn’t understand it, and Euphyllia refused to translate for it.
At last, St. Ferris Academy’s grand anniversary celebration was approaching.
The upperclassmen had long spread the news, and this year’s freshmen eagerly joined in on the excitement.
The celebration consisted of two main events: the School Festival and the Club Competition.
The festival would last three days, during which the entire academy would open its doors to the public, inviting outsiders to visit.
There would be a main stage for performances by various clubs, as well as smaller venues hosting all kinds of unique activities. Based on their performances across these events, clubs would be scored and ranked.
For the clubs, this was both a challenge and an opportunity for growth.
Even students who hadn’t joined any club, or those whose clubs had given up entirely, could still enjoy the spectacle as audience members.
Take, for example, the Forbidden Secrets Book Club.
They weren’t a small club, but their reputation wasn’t exactly widespread, aside from that one incident when ‘Lady Lia’ joined.
And their activities weren’t exactly presentable. What were they supposed to do, gather around a statue and kneel in worship?
…Actually, Wales had suggested exactly that.
The problem was, which statue should they kneel to?
A divine statue wouldn’t be appropriate, both due to the setting and the potential discomfort it might cause to other attendees.
But there is one perfect candidate!
She is human, widely known within the academy, and had a stellar image.
Naturally, Yulia firmly rejected the idea.
Are you kidding? This isn’t something to be taken lightly!
With their only decent idea shot down, the Forbidden Secrets Book Club had no choice but to give up.
And if they were giving up, Yulia was thrilled.
She was born to be an audience!
Three days before the celebration, Yulia dragged her three roommates out for a shopping trip.
Since it was a major event, even if none of them were participating and ended up as spectators, they still wanted to dress up a little. At the very least, they needed some unique outfits.
This was one of the rare times that the academy didn’t enforce the uniform dress code.
Hetis had initially refused. She had nothing to buy and planned to just wear her uniform.
The others didn’t know much about her circumstances, but they were aware that she wasn’t well-off and had been supporting herself in the academy.
Then the princess of their group declared that she would cover the expenses.
Naturally, that was Princess Inev.
Yulia cheered.
Free stuff? Hell yeah!
Under the enthusiastic urging of the other three, Hetis had no choice but to tag along.
St. Ferris Academy was located in the heart of St. Ferris City, which was far larger than the academy itself.
Beyond the city were vast forests and plains.
It was an independent city.
And right now, it was bustling with activity.
Many had arrived early, timing their visits to coincide with the academy’s anniversary celebration.
Even more would flood in on the eve of the event and the day itself.
But even now, the streets were packed.
Plenty of students shared Yulia’s idea, heading out earlier to get their shopping done.
“So… where should we go?” Cathy asked, looking at Yulia.
Yulia then looked at Inev.
Inev looked at… well, there was no one else.
All three of them were freshmen, and she was the only senior here.
But then Yulia suddenly remembered her own first visit to St. Ferris City. She knew her way around, but as for where to go or what to do, she mostly just wandered until she stumbled upon something interesting.
Yulia sighed.
“Life should be full of surprises,” she declared. “Let’s just walk this way and see where we end up. We have plenty of time anyway.”