Chapter 344: Graduation

The war with the orcs was finally over.

After six arduous months of relentless fighting, the allied forces had emerged victorious. All the lands and cities that had once been lost, were now reclaimed.

The final battle between the allied forces and the orcs deep within the Murky Mountains caused great casualties on both sides.

It was because of the sacrifice of the countless brave Magi that the allied forces prevailed.

On the other hand, the orcs were dealt an extremely severe blow. A large number of their Magi had been eradicated, leaving them weakened for an extremely long time.

The atmosphere in the entirety of the Southern Federation was jubilant, to say the least.

People's expressions were filled with joy, laughter, and relief. Yet, there was also a deep sense of loss.

In every village, town, and city, the residents poured into the streets and celebrated from sunrise to sunset.

Their faces were bright with smiles, something that had been absent for the entire duration of the war.

Children were no longer limited to spending all their time in underground shelters, they now ran freely and played around in the streets once again.

Happiness returned to the hearts of not just kids, but also their parents and elders. They had suffered for a long time. Finally, the sun shone on them.

It had been more than a week since the final battle had ended. By now, most of the Magi had returned to their respective homes.

Upon the deaths of Oswald Gracie and Professor Hemingway, their crimes were immediately brought to light.

After a thorough investigation, it was confirmed that they had been found guilty of tampering with orders from higher-ups and conspiring against Adam, Edward, Lisa, and Johnathan.

The King of the Nightingale Kingdom, Arnold Nightingale III, had already let the Gracie Family off the hook after it was found out that Kevin Gracie had broken the sacred agreement and tried to take revenge on Adam for what happened within the Soaring River Secret Plane.

At the time, every Magus was an important asset to the allied forces in their battle against the orcs. Hence, the King had pardoned the family.

However, after he found out that the Gracie Family Patriarch colluded with Professor Hemingway to kill Adam, he was truly enraged.

Thus, after the war was over, he had every living member of the Gracie Family killed.

Overnight, with a simple word from the King, a Magus Family that had lorded over vast regions within the Southern Federation had been erased.

All their wealth, land, and resources had been distributed amongst the victims.

As for Professor Hemingway, he was but a lone Magus. So with his death, everything related to him also died.

What the Rank 3 Magi of the Southern Federation were most shocked about, however, was the advancement of Adam Constantine to the Mana Liquefaction Rank!

It had to be known that even a Magus with an A-grade talent would take at least 6-7 years to go from Mana Foundation Rank to Mana Liquefaction Rank.

Yet, Adam, a boy from humble origins, had done it in five years!

That too with a B-grade talent.

Seeing this outcome, even a foolish person would realize that the youth had come across an extremely fortuitous encounter to have become a Rank 2 Magus in just 5 years.

This was not unheard of, however.

There were countless legends left behind by the Magi of old. They started off as nothing but mortals with barely any talent for spell-casting.

However, when destiny willed it, they came across a once-in- a-lifetime opportunity that boosted them on their paths as Magi, allowing them to soar to the skies.

Adam was one such person.

But no one felt that this was completely unexpected also. After all, he had the backing of the Rank 3 Magus, Berger Glynhorn.

However, ever since the war ended, Adam had been completely out of public sight.

Many Magus Families tried to come forward and build healthy relations with him, but he was nowhere to be found. Very few people knew his whereabouts.

On this day, a special ceremony was taking place within the walls of the Clover Academy.

It was the day of graduation.

Coupled with the festive atmosphere that permeated Moon City, it was a day unlike any other for the students of the academy, especially the fifth-year students.

Throughout the campus, multiple colorful banners displaying the symbols of the eight Schools of Magic could be seen hoisted, gently fluttering in the breeze.

Students from each year were taught the theoretical subjects during the first half of the year. The latter half of the year was when these students applied what they'd learned during team missions.

This year, however, because of the invasion of the orcs, all the students were conscripted for the war. Thus, their performance during the war would serve as the basis for when they were graded.

Of course, as long as a student managed to survive till the end of the war, that would be more than enough for them to receive a passing grade.

The graduation ceremony had already ended. Professor Godfrey had handed out each fifth-year student their diploma and ceremonial Magus robe.

Now, the graduates remained in the academy's auditorium and celebrated this joyous occasion. There was a grand feast set up for them by the faculty.

They drank, sang, and danced.

This would be their final day at Clover Academy.

From here onward, they would set off into the lands of the Southern Federation or even the vast lands beyond and leave their mark.

The tall doors to the auditorium suddenly opened and Edward and Lisa walked out. Their eyes shone with excitement and pride as they held each other's hands and slowly walked down the stairs.

"Feels like it was only yesterday we were admitted here," Edward muttered with a smile as he glanced at the setting sun.

"In the blink of an eye, five years have gone by." Lisa had a reminiscent look in her eyes.

Suddenly she looked to her side and saw that the place that her dear friend would always stand on was now empty.

Her heart was overcome by sadness in an instant. She turned to look back at Edward and softly said, "Eddie, let's go meet him."

Edward nodded with faint smile. "Yeah... Graduation feels incomplete without him."

Hand in hand, they slowly made their way out of the campus.