Chapter 95

When the final rankings were announced, Tireda gave a faint smile. It seemed as if it was just out of politeness, like hearing someone's courteous praise at a noble's ball; everything was natural, everything was as it should be. This kind of expression and action, Tireda had thought about for a long time. Only by inadvertently revealing such an expression could he appear different from others.

Idria smiled and said nothing. Second place was second place, and it seemed she didn't care at all.

"Now, gather!" the old knight Siru shouted loudly, "Stand up, and within ten counts, if anyone isn't standing in front of me, I'll make you regret it!"

"Ten..." After saying that, Siru the old knight began to count down.

Hearing Siru the old knight's words, the exhausted young students stood up one by one, barely managing to stand in front of Siru the old knight.

"Nine..."

"Eight..."

"..."

Siru the old knight wasn't shouting at the top of his lungs, but his voice could be heard clearly in every corner of the square. With heavy steps, the young students finally stood in front of Siru the old knight before the last count.

"Brats, this time I'm just giving you a taste. Enemies in battle won't give you time to calmly cast divine spells. Whether you are a cleric or a knight, you must strengthen your physical abilities and learn to cast divine spells while moving. This is very important and necessary," Siru the old knight said somewhat rudely, scanning the young students who were either panting or pale, exhausted to the extreme. Siru the old knight paused and continued, "Don't be happy just because you completed the physical training. This is the minimum requirement for you. Those who didn't complete it must train harder. If you don't complete it, don't even think about graduating from the Church Academy and leaving this gate."

Most of the young students in front of Siru the old knight were frightened. Not being allowed to graduate from the Church Academy if they didn't pass such a strict and somewhat cruel physical training? Many young students seemed to already see their miserable future.

"It wasn't like this a few decades ago. Clerics didn't need to do these rough tasks," a young student from the cleric class said resentfully. Although he was resentful, Siru the old knight's stern expression made him unable to argue loudly. His words were like the buzzing of mosquitoes, hard to hear.

But Siru the old knight heard it clearly and said sternly, "How can it be the same as a few decades ago? There wasn't even this academy back then. No matter what divine spells or how to comprehend divine power, you had to understand it on your own, with no one to teach you."

After saying that, Siru the old knight looked at the young student who had just contradicted him. The young cleric student seemed to feel the immense pressure in Siru the old knight's gaze, lowered his head, and couldn't say a word.

Then, Siru the old knight looked directly at Jiang Junming and said, "Your qualities are too excellent. It's because the divine spell of the Goddess of Care is unstable that you didn't get first place. If you change your faith, you will definitely perform better and become stronger."

The young cleric student who had just been sternly reprimanded raised his head in confusion. At first, he didn't understand what Siru the old knight and Jiang Junming were saying. Was Siru the old knight praising him? He didn't seem that excellent, and he was still worried about whether he could graduate from the Church Academy... No, it wasn't about him. Following Siru the old knight's gaze, he realized Siru the old knight was talking to the young student named Junming!

All the young students were shocked. This time, persuading Jiang Junming to change his faith was different from the previous times. After the retest, the two old clerics, one tall and one short, only hinted at their thoughts and didn't directly persuade him. And after the first assembly yesterday, the cleric of the God of Guardians tried to persuade Jiang Junming to change his faith, but because the cleric was too unfamiliar, it didn't have much impact on the young students.

But today was completely different. During the long-distance run, every time the young students passed Siru the old knight or stood near him to pray, they felt an invisible pressure. Especially after their stamina was exhausted, Siru the old knight's indomitable figure, like a dragon spear, had left a deep impression in the young students' minds. When Siru the old knight directly praised Jiang Junming's excellent qualities, the young students felt a severe lack of oxygen in their brains, feeling dizzy.

The stern Siru the old knight actually praised Jiang Junming so generously. Was he really that good? Why weren't the first-place Tireda and the second-place Idria praised, but the third-place Junming was praised and commended? And the light of the divine spell he cast was so weak, completely different from Tireda and Idria. The young students were stunned, looking at Siru the old knight in confusion, not understanding the reason.

Tireda, who had just been proudly showing off, suddenly heard Siru the old knight's deep, heavy voice praising someone, feeling smug. He got first place in the physical training, so who else could be praised but him? But after hearing just one sentence, Tireda realized something was wrong. Because the divine spell of the Goddess of Care was unstable, he didn't get first place? This wasn't about him, but about that kid named Junming!

Unbelievable, incomprehensible, the whole world seemed to spin before his eyes. After the long-distance run, Tireda had used all his strength in the final sprint. Just standing in front of Siru the old knight was already a challenge. Under the impact of his frustration and resentment, Tireda felt like he was about to faint.

How could such a strange thing happen? He, who came in first, wasn't praised, but Junming, who cast a very weak divine spell and came in third, was praised. And Siru the old knight didn't hide his fondness. Although he didn't directly invite Junming to change his faith, everyone present could understand the meaning behind Siru the old knight's words. If Jiang Junming agreed, Siru the old knight would definitely take him back to his church without hesitation.

Tireda barely managed to stay on his feet. Everything he had done just now seemed like a joke in retrospect. The faint murmurs of the surrounding young students reached Tireda's ears, turning into meaningless noise, making him extremely irritable. Those voices seemed to be mocking him, like contemptuous gazes, like slaps in the face.

Idria looked curiously at Siru the old knight, then turned her head to look seriously at Jiang Junming, trying to figure out what made him so worthy of Siru the old knight's praise.

******

Afternoon strong push, aiming for three updates tomorrow!

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