Episode 42: Goodbye, magic university!

Seasons had changed while the war against the Horde and daily life continued. The hot days and heavy rains of the venai season changed to the cold and snow of the wyvern season, then to the defrosting and warming of the pasar season. For The Team, the days of wonder and otherness of living in the capital were replaced by a feeling of familiarity and routine. The time to graduate, which once felt like a far-out prophecy, was finally here

Long gone were the days in which The Team felt out of place. They were all diligent students of the academy, properly uniformed, even their hair was well kept, and though they had a solemn aura about them, they kept their playful and warm spirit

Shizuka: haaa I kinda wish our graduation was in a cold season, I really like the cold uniforms

Ari: I prefer the warm season uniforms, the cold ones make me feel too hot

Shizuka: that’s because you are hot, m’lady, hehehe

Ari: y-you never miss a chance, do you?

Sidra: not to be a killjoy, but we must hurry, the queen herself will give a speech, we would be wise to not be late, Taro is already waiting behind the door

Shizuka: huh? I didn't notice him, how did you know?

Nagye: t-the sound of his footsteps…

Ari: now that you mention it, he does have a something to the way he walks, ahh you made me remember when we were in our town, so nostalgic

Nagye: me too, I wonder if m-my house is still in one piece, and-and I wonder what happened to the rock

The Team headed to the university main plaza and joined the other students, orderly formed, waiting for their graduation ceremony to start.

the queen: esteemed students, today I celebrate with you!. you have spent days and nights studying, practicing, training, learning, teaching, and you have made it this far despite the burden of fighting the Horde. you who have reached new highs, you who have been exemplary in your duty to strive, you who braved the obstacles and hardships, be proud! Because I am proud, the entire kingdom of Asarana is proud. We all celebrate that our virtuous and noble students will leave the nest and use all which they have cultivated for the benefit of all!.

students, teachers, and families cheered and cried, The Team reminisced on their time at school, all they had lived together

Taro: (we may not have traveled at all in our time here, but I wouldn’t call it anything other than an adventure, I can’t believe I’m really graduating from a magic university. and I thought I was gonna become an engineer)

the queen: I recognize your prowess in fighting the Horde!, thanks to the united effort of students, teachers, adventurers, guards, and the brave residents of Our Capital, I can confidently declare that we have bested our enemy!. Gone are the days of constant attacks and terror, the Horde flees with its tail between its legs!. Now our duty is to reclaim what was stolen from us! Whatever you may do after you are no longer a student, never forget your noble duty, your grace, your humility, and your strength, I will be watching you succeed!

The crowd exploded in cheers, then other important people gave their speech. After that, the students were called to receive their graduation gifts: a certificate, a special uniform, and a weapon depending on their class. For Taro it was a sword, Nagye, Ari, and Shizuka were given halberds, and Sidra got a short mace and a shield. All weapons had gems inlaid to focus mana

The formal ceremony had concluded and it was time for the banquet and celebration, there was fancy food, students and their families, and paintings being made for them by skilled painters using mana to control multiple tools at once. While the team looked for their people, they found fancy boy archer girl

fancy boy: friends! we am here!

Taro: Artoggio, Angea, congratulation, good to see you

fancy boy: congratulations to you all too, I am sad that we will be torn apart, but I am here to give you all my word that we will see each other again!

Sidra: “torn apart”? goddess gracious

fancy boy: do not fear! What I mean is that I have decided to embark on a journey with my heroic party!, we will give chase to the Horde until they are completely vanquished from our glorious kingdom!

Taro: (I’m glad he managed to assemble his heroic party. after the lanky monster fight, he gained many loyal followers, but I still can’t help but worry for him) I believe in you friend, but, go careful, Horde is powerful menace, never guard down

Angea: hmph! you underestimate me, I will never let my Artoggio to be harmed... but I agree, we will be always on our guard

fancy boy: our first destination will be the forest of Naro, to hunt down the mysterious tree monster and obtain its magic wood! ever since I fought alongside your powerful weapon, I knew no metal in the kingdom could match it. These graduation weapons are good, but I need a legendary weapon worthy of myself!. enough chatter, we must go there immediately!, take care my friends, do not dare allow me to see you unwell next time!

he and archer girl hugged The Team one by one, and left. the court mages, the guild master, and sister Sunny were waiting for their turn to congratulate them

sister Sunny: who would have thought?, that my children would one day graduate from the Capital University of Magic, I am so proud of all of you

Taro: sister Sunny, long time, I’m very happy see you again!

Shizuka: sister Sunny! we really made it, haaaa you really came, I’m gonna cry

Sidra: blessed be the sight of seeing you again sister Sunny, thank you for being here

guild master: I knew you had talent; it shames me not having been able to give you this opportunity earlier, but I guess things happen at the right moment sometimes, congratulations

Ari: father, thank you, I’m surprised you are all here, I thought you were busy

guild master: why would I be busy on such an important day; I moved all my schedule to have this day free. my dear daughter, I’m so proud of you

Nagye’s mom: Nagye, you have grown so much, you really became a professional mage, I can’t believe I’m seeing this

Nagye’s dad: I'm sorry we could not help you more on your way here. not having enough time to nurture you will always be my biggest regret

Nagye: mama, papa, I-its ok, I made it, I really made it. thank you, for being patient with me, I always wanted—-to make you proud—-

Nagye’s tears didn’t let her continue, and her parents embraced her in tears as well. The guild master also hugged Ari, and sister Sunny was hugged by all 3 of her children.

a voice called to Sidra, for a moment she thought she was imagining things, but she heard the voices more clearly

Sidra’s dad: Sidra... Do you remember me?

Sidra’s mom: you have grown so much

Sidra: …most unexpected, father, mother?, it has indeed been a while

her father broke crying, he could not say more, so her mom took the lead

Sidra’s dad: sister Sunny told us you were graduating from the university, she has also been sending us letters of how you’ve been doing… you have gone through so much, ever since we last saw you—when you told us you would become a priestess, you didn’t give us time to properly send you off, sometimes I wondered if we should have stopped you, but now you’re a professional mage, I don't know—--what we were supposed to do, I’m sorry, for abandoning you, for being an awful mother

Sidra: Do not worry about me, that's in the past now, I prevented myself from becoming a monster, I became a priestess, and even though I'm no longer, my life is good. I’m also gonna marry, I am not abandoned at all

sister Sunny: marry? Now that's news to me, may I know who is the lucky gentleman?

Sidra: its Taro, and Ari, Shizuka, and Nagye

all the parents were bewildered and casted a “what?!” to the air at the same time

Nagye: t-that’s right, they are all m-my spouses now

Nagye’s dad: That’s an outrageous claim, when did you decide this?, you didn’t even consult us

sister Sunny: you all have some explaining to do, but first, let’s go outside, there’s still someone we must see

As soon as they all stepped outside, a crowd roared in cheer with very familiar voices. The sidelines were full of the townspeople of Aremi and Siremi, celebrating all their graduates. Turt, his wife, their baby, spear guy, shield guy, and many other familiar faces were among those cheering for the team. They gathered together and hired painters to immortalize the moment in which The Team and other young adults of the towns graduated.