"Mhmm?" Vale felt a bit conscious as they seated close to him when the Hall was quite empty with only 14 students in.
The massive Ceremony Hall could probably fit a hundred students at the same time.
'Ahhh…' An idea suddenly came to his mind as he turned to Maya and Leonore and posed a question that had been lingering in his mind, "Are you guys thinking of participating in the Twelve Academies Competition? I mean, do you know how many students will be accepted for that?"
Maya, with her amiable demeanor, didn't mind his inquisitiveness and promptly responded, "If there are no changes in the rules this year, they will select 5 students from each year to represent our academy. And I have every intention of being one of them."
Leonore, known for her quiet confidence, chimed in with a determined tone, "In that case, I'll strive to secure the second spot. The competition will be fierce, but I'm up for the challenge."
Maya then turned to Vale and softly spoke. "Master Sherah was still waiting for you. She hadn't forgotten how you'd left Senior Cressida to be captured by the Elementalists… Luckily, she was able to escape."
"Huh?" Vale was dumbfounded after hearing her words. He wanted to explain himself, but their conversation was momentarily interrupted as Professor Ludwig, a seasoned expert in the field of Dark Rituals, made his entrance into the room.
The class fell into an attentive silence as he strode towards the podium, exuding an air of authority and wisdom.
With a commanding presence, Professor Ludwig cleared his throat and addressed the class.
"Welcome, students, to the fourth-year Rituals class. I am Professor Ludwig, and I will be your guide through the intricacies of this special Dark Art."
Vale wasn't familiar with this Professor, but he must be quite decent, considering he has 12 Spell Lights with him.
Then, Professor Ludwig began discussing the subjects that would be covered throughout the year, his words captivating the entire class.
Some students even started scribbling down their notes, eager to absorb every ounce of wisdom being shared.
"There will be six subjects that you have to master for this year: Ceremonial Rites, Unspoken Incantations, Sacrificial Rituals, Ancient Magic Circles, Spirit Communication, and lastly, the Ritual Theory and Components."
"Ceremonial Rites will be the foundation of our studies…" The Professor explained in his deep voice… "In this subject, we will explore the power of precise gestures, some important incantations, and the creation of the perfect ambiance to channel dark energies effectively."
As the Professor said this, Harley, one of the students, couldn't help but interject. He was from Class 1 and Maya's classmate. His eyes gleamed with curiosity. "I wonder what kind of incantations we'll learn. Will it be from different languages, or will we only focus on Oardic?"
"We will only tackle both Soineti and Oardic Incantations. It's not easy to use another language. There might be some difficulty pronouncing them correctly; we don't want any unexpected consequences."
Professor Ludwig answered before he moved on to set their expectations about the Unspoken Incantations.
He explained that it's an art of using silent or mental words, thoughts, or intentions to complete rituals or influence magic without vocalizing them.
Leonore nodded at this and softly muttered. "I've heard that mastering Unspoken Incantations requires immense focus and control. It's a discipline that separates the truly skilled from the rest."
"Oh~ Aren't you a Dark Seer? Do you need to learn it?" Vale asked curiously.
Leonore smiled as she felt glad that Vale would initiate a conversation.
"After getting into the first stage of being a Dark Seer, I learned that I have to be more familiar with mysterious entities. The quickest way to do this is to learn from this branch." She answered with a soft voice.
Vale nodded in acknowledgment as they went silent again to listen to the Professor's explanations.
The class continued, with Professor Ludwig introducing the other subjects.
Sacrificial Rituals Class was the subject where they would study the methods, benefits, and risks of offering something or someone as a sacrifice to a mysterious Entity or even the gods worshiped by other people in exchange for something else.
Ancient Magic Circles seemed to be the most interesting class for Vale since they will study the history, design, and usage of various magic circles that can enhance, amplify, or alter the effects of spells and rituals. After all, these things weren't something he could easily extract from people.
As for the Spirit Communication Class, Vale felt that it would be quite easy since it's just an art of establishing and maintaining contact with spirits, ghosts, or other entities that exist beyond the physical realm. With his unusual connection with the Spirit World, he shouldn't have any problems with this class.
'I just hope that I won't attract that Messenger again.' Vale mused as he recalled the terrifying uninvited Being that had appeared in one of his rituals before.
Professor Ludwig then continued to explain the last class.
It was the Ritual Theory and Components. It involves the analysis and understanding of the principles, rules, and mechanisms that govern the workings and outcomes of Dark Rituals. This subject will also cover the exploration and identification of various materials, objects, or substances that can be used as ingredients, catalysts, or tools for performing rituals.
'Mhmm… No wonder Nadine mentioned that I can work as a Museum Curator or some sort of Appraiser after graduating here.' Vale thought as he listened to the Professor.
With each topic, Vale and the other students exchanged whispers, sharing their excitement, questions, and speculations about the class.
Finally, the Professor explained that he would teach the Ancient Magic Circles and Sacrificial Ritual Class.
"Now that you're aware of what to expect in this branch, we can start with the measurement of your Spirit Strands. I already received a report about the Strands that you have, but that was a record of your strands about two months ago. With your current age, changes could happen a lot faster. Any questions before I proceed?"
One of the students raised her hand and asked. "Professor, may I know the three Branch-Exclusive Spells that we have to learn?"
