It was the day after Hayna grabbed the headlines, coincidentally a weekend.
Hayna returned to the Royal Law University after a long absence.
Though it was a rest day, there were still quite a number of people on campus. After all, final exams were only a month away, and even last-minute cramming had to start sometime.
Hayna, however, was not the least bit anxious.
She even donned her armor and paired it with the short sword exclusive to Inspectors, standing at the bottom of the girls' dormitory building, smilingly watching her juniors come and go.
"Good morning, Senior Hayna."
"By the Silver-Crowned Dragon... I wish you well, Miss Hayna."
The juniors passing by, and even those of the same level as Hayna, politely greeted her upon seeing her. The busy students couldn't help but cast envious glances at the leisurely Hayna.
They were still working hard preparing for their final exams, but Hayna had already graduated early!
But they could never have guessed Hayna had done this on purpose.
She wasn't back because she was busy with something.
She simply wanted to stroll around campus leisurely while watching her juniors busy with their exams.
So refreshing. Ah, so refreshingly liberating.
It was as if the fatigue and pressure accrued from staying up late to prepare for her early graduation exams had been cleansed...
The Royal Law University was not purely a Transcendents' school.
It had a hundred and forty buildings for teaching, and six departments. Only two of these departments taught students how to become Transcendents, and two more departments prioritised teaching mystical skills of other Paths.
These were the "forbidden arts" that started to be taught only twenty years ago, under the queen's charter, pursued for the prosperity and development of the kingdom—such as Alchemy, Arts, and Preservation Arts.
The remaining two departments focused on producing high-quality Civil Servants for Avalon, with the largest number of students, all of them ordinary people.
The crisscrossing teaching buildings could be considered a small town in their own right. Divided into six major areas by the intertwined streets, each area was filled with various merchants and residents. In fact, one could purchase most of what they needed without ever leaving the "University" territory.
The layout of the Royal Law University took up a significant area of the Red Queen District. Thus, the Red Queen District was also known as "University District."
The property prices here were extremely high, so much so that Hayna could not even fathom.
The core areas of the Red and White Queens on Glass Island were noble precisely because one could directly view the "Lake in the Island"—one could even see the Hall of Silver and Tin glittering under sunlight from the top of a teaching building with the naked eye.
Here, it was almost a daily occurrence to run into Knights.
Hayna's department was the Individual Tactics department. Although they were Transcendents, they also needed to learn cultural knowledge.
—This was a policy proposed by Her Majesty to improve the quality of Transcendent talents.
To make Transcendents into governors with extraordinary powers rather than a source of chaos—there's no need to worry about how much to concede to Transcendents to keep them appeased, because they are the pillars of the kingdom.
This was why the academic pressure at the Royal Law University was immense.
Irisian Language, Star Antimony Language, Elvish Language, Advanced Mathematics, Fundamental Theology, Modern History, and Document Writing were general education courses that all departments were required to master.
Specific to Hayna, she also had "Law," "Rhythm Tactics," "Swordsmanship," "Aerial Riding Skill," "Battlefield Command," "Path Identification," "Equipment Maintenance and Battlefield Healing," seven specialized courses.
Beyond that, she was also required to take four elective courses.
Her choices were "Applied Emerald Gemology," "Anesthesiology," "Wine Brewing Production Management," and "Common Veterinary Disease Prevention and Treatment."
While it seemed she was studying a vast array of subjects... in fact, her motivation was clear and traceable.
—This was Hayna taking advantage of the Royal Law University's strong educational resources and the plethora of professional books readily accessible in the library, based on the assumption that she might be severely injured or even disabled and lose her job in the future, preparing in advance by learning four courses that would likely be able to sustain her.
But at the same time, she was unsure what would be profitable in the future. So she studied four completely unrelated fields haphazardly.
With a foundation laid down, further learning would be much simpler.
Just then, Hayna suddenly shivered.
Instinctively, she sensed someone had silently appeared behind her.
A paralyzing fear gripped her heart as her eyes opened wide instantly. Like facing a gust of wind head-on, she gasped for air but couldn't draw a single breath.
Tense with nerves, she subconsciously clutched at the short sword in its scabbard—
"—Good morning, Hayna."
A robust and clear female voice rang out, "Hey, don't be scared. [Put it back]."
With a clink, the short sword that Hayna had drawn slightly slipped from her grasp and slid back into its sheath as if the weapon itself refused to be drawn in front of this person.
Only upon hearing her voice did Hayna finally relax and slowly released her hand.
"Department Head Meg..."
How could such a significant figure appear out of nowhere without any noise? It really gave me a scare...
She mentally grumbled, turning around and, with her right hand over her chest, bowed respectfully: "Good morning, Department Head Meg."
Before Hayna stood a middle-aged woman with silver-white hair, prominent cheekbones, and clear wrinkles on her face.
Judging purely by skin and appearance, she looked to be at least in her fifties, maybe even over sixty. But her bright and spirited eyes, along with her robust body and loud voice, made her appear at least twenty years younger.