Raised in Dungeon

The opening ceremony for the new academic year of praeterea class began.

All students had gathered and arranged in clusters according to their respective faculties. Some seniors from the disciplinary commission and the student executive stood nearby, where the teachers were seated. Their distinction was evident through their headgear, each adorned with differently colored cloth.

The teachers donned black straps, the members of the disciplinary commission wore green ones, those from the student executive sported red, and the praeterea students wore blue straps.

The secretary of the disciplinary commission, a demi-human spider, stepped out of her chair and proceeded towards the rostrum.

"Dear students, welcome to the commencement of the new academic year for praeterea. I am Loukia Miskakou, and I am your host today," Loukia warmly greeted the students. He then delved into a concise history of the academy.

In the midst of Loukia's speech, Sharik anxiously scanned the surroundings. "Have you seen Felicia?" he inquired, his gaze sweeping across the enchanter faculty row.

"She's in the front row," replied Allen.

Sharik attempted to rise from his seat to catch a glimpse in her direction, and indeed, there she was, obscured by a massive demi-human, making it quite challenging to discern her precise location from their seats.

"Amazing! How did you know? Is this some of the fighter sense of yours who can see through the wall?!" Sharik marveled.

"I saw her sitting there earlier," Allen responded. However, that was a lie; he could feel Reig's position on Felicia's body.

After Loukia's speech concluded, she proceeded to initiate the event's program. "I would like to respectfully invite the principal of Oxwade Academy, Eliphas Ingranius," Loukia announced.

At the mention of Eliphas's name, a small cheer rippled through the rows of students. They appeared as intrigued as Allen about the enigmatic figure of Eliphas, even though it was not the first time they had seen him.

'Which one is he?' Allen thought, confused because he was sure that there he wasn't sitting in the teacher's row.

A slight tremor rippled through the hall, and the audience quickly discerned the direction of the tremor.

"The Great Eliphas..." Geirhild murmured, glancing back, followed by Allen and all the students.

Eliphas Ingranius made a conspicuous entrance at the back of the hall. He was garbed in a white robe, adorned with a unique pattern, and interspersed with red and gold stripes. A grand triangular white hat adorned with ermine fur rested atop his head. He held a unique staff in his hand, a wooden implement embellished with several metal components, crowned by a floating black circle, enveloped by wooden intricacies.

The tremor that accompanied his arrival wasn't merely a momentary disturbance. It emanated from something at Eliphas's feet. "The ground under him... is moving?"

Eliphas didn't stride to the front of the hall; rather, the hall carried him forward. The ground beneath Eliphas's feet elevated, resembling a long, like shaggy carpet, conveying him towards the pulpit.

"How did that happen?" asked Allen.

The floor appeared to defy natural laws, as if it shifted solely to transport Eliphas to the lectern. Despite the room quivering due to this phenomenon, there was no trace of the ground protruding.

"The staff moved it," Geirhild explained. "It was the adfeqtus reliqua of the Great Eliphas, Horivaid. It has the ability to control the entire dungeon according to its owner's will. That's why this dungeon can be a safe place for everyone. He used that power to create the academy."

"Then the way he walks is not intentional," Sharik added.

"Rumor has it he was cursed by the gods due to his knowledge and power, which had transcended the limits of god's creation," Geirhild continue. "God put a curse on him, took the agility from his body, that is a limit that god give to superior being like him. To be honest, I still don't believe the story."

"If that's not the case, then he's just lazily walking," Allen remarked.

Sharik, concerned about Allen's outspokenness, cautioned him, "Allen, you... you really dare to say something like that to the principal, If not for the noise in this place, you might have already faced retaliation from other students.

As Eliphas finally reached his pulpit, he surveyed the room, taking in the expectant gazes fixed upon him. Slowly, he began to part his lips.

In that fleeting moment, all surrounding noise ceased, and every eye in the room was trained on Eliphas, eagerly anticipating his words.

"MY DEAR STUDENTS."

That sentence...

It was a simple utterance, void of any ostentatious flair, and without any particular amnis….

Yet, when the words left his lips, a profound hush fell over the audience, and a collective shiver coursed through them. His voice, though soft and tinged with a hint of hoarseness, possessed an inexplicable power, resonating through the entire chamber.

"So soft, yet so commanding. He really knows the exact moment when all the sounds in this room disappearing," Allen mused.

On the other hand, Loukia was also contemplated the same thing as Allen, "No, that is not just the timing. it's as if he's woven a blanket of silence over the world, allowing only his voice to pierce through, like silencing the entire room at will."

Eliphas cleared his throat twice, this time draw the an amnis voice, and began to address the gathered students.

"I've heard that young people these days don't have much patience for long speeches. I won't bore you with an extended oration. Some of the senior students present may have already heard similar words from me in the past."

Once again, after the whole world fell into an intense silence, with firmness, Eliphas locked his gaze onto the audience before him.

"Learn and survive," he declared.

"Nescience is a sin, knowledge is a weapon, and morality is a shield. When you step through these academy doors, your purpose is to learn. Absorb all the knowledge bestowed upon you, for one day, you will wield that knowledge as your most powerful weapon."

n that moment, every student felt a deep connection with the old man speaking to the audience, all of them felt like he was talking to them one-on-one, looking them straight in the eye.

"These words do not apply solely to the fighter faculty, the enchanter faculty, or any particular discipline. They are universal, transcending all fields of study. With knowledge, the world you perceive today will expand before you, unveiling new perspectives and enabling more precise actions.

When you undertake something with regret, learning turns that regret into valuable knowledge. Though learning may not solve every problem entirely, but learning gives you options to solve your problems."

Eliphas's face slowly broke into a warm smile, and this smile had an almost magical effect, drawing every eye in the room towards him. Heartbeats quickened, and the audience collectively held their breath.

"Now that I've opened the door, step inside and embark on your learning journey. There is nothing to worry about, for Knowledge is something that can never be wrested from you."

Everyone looked at him with tension and excitement welling up inside them, their emotions running high. Every person there harbored dreams and aspirations, seeking something that could bring about profound change. All the people there were people trying to fulfill their dreams. Allen, clutching his chest tightly, was no exception.

"Knowledge is something that can never be wrested from you," Allen murmured, echoing Eliphas's profound words. Those words etched themselves deep into his consciousness and settled firmly in his heart. For Allen, strength had always been paramount, especially after enduring the loss of everything he held dear—his home, his mother, and the many other things that had been taken from him. He bore these losses in silence, like heavy burdens on his shoulders.

There are so many strong people in that world.

He still didn't have the confidence to defeat someone like Leofric, the man who had taken his mother and home from his.

Allen often pondered, "If only I had been stronger back then." However, the sands of time had shifted, and even with his current strength, he grappled with doubts about his ability to overcome that haunting situation.

But what if... back then he had "knowledge," if he was smarter than the others, if he learned more from Lavinia.

What if... he had learned the healing amnis earlier... maybe his mother would still be inside the Barkaley dungeon right now.

Maybe he could leave the dungeon and work at Rodion's place, then on his days off visit his mother in the dungeon.

Such hopeful scenarios, yet impossible, played out vividly in Allen's mind, conjuring a faint but genuine smile upon his lips. "Father Nicholas," he acknowledged with gratitude, "once again, your word is always true," he said as he recalled Bishop Nicholas that telling him to meet Eliphas.