The students leisurely greeted Jarron when he entered before taking their seats. Jarron wasn't sure what to feel about the students' attitude toward him. Back when he was a student, all the instructors had been respected and some were even revered or feared.
He shook his head lightly as he placed his notepad on the table. The only person he could blame for it all was Zach.
Jarron greeted the students and took attendance before moving on to the truly important things.
"Welcome back, everyone. It seems no one got lost on their way back. That's great. Usually, there are at least one or two desert—late-comers every year. I hope you've all spent the break resting, playing, and preparing yourselves.
Personally, I've been on several dates, so if any of you need romantic advice, feel free to come see me." Jarron scanned the students and met their eyes to make sure they knew he was serious. Then he nodded.
"Now then, like last year, we will continue with summoning this year as well." Jarron chuckled a little at his own joke. Of course, they would continue with summoning. It was the Academy for Summoners. What else would they be doing?
But the class was silent, so he quickly moved on.
"Ahem. And the Underworld is still the main topic. This year, however, you won't be gathering information to earn marks. In addition to some ordinary subjects like geography, history, and so on, you all will be in charge of cleaning up the forest."
The students looked at each other in confusion. Were they going to become lumberjacks now? Only a few knew what Jarron meant.
"Some of you might have noticed already, but Froltip Forest has been contaminated by one of the Underworld's weapons. Your job is to contain the spread of underworld energy and purify it," Jarron quickly clarified for everyone.
"On a separate note, since you're second years now and have more time on your hands, compared to your first year, there will be more time for extracurriculars. At the principal's request, we are also establishing a new club, the Underworld Research Club. Its main focus will be researching the Underworld and underworld energy, and it will be led by our very own Zacharia." Jarron pointed at Zacharia.
In doing so, he saw and remembered the tall maid behind him.
"Ah, right! We'll also delve into summoning a second familiar. I'll go into the details later, but I hope you're all looking forward to it." Jarron ignored the intense stare coming from Zach with beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
"Back on topic then. The Underworld Research Club is not mandatory, but I'm sure they will spend time also working on the forest, so those who join it have a chance for extra credits on their grades. Other than that, you're free to join whatever club you like, of course. That's actually what the rest of this class is for. Take a look around the campus.
The third and fourth years have their clubs ready for your visits." Jarron quickly picked up his things and started leaving before anyone could stop him.
At the door, he stopped and turned around.
"Oh, the student council is probably also looking for new members if anyone's interested in running the Academy." Jarron fled the classroom.
Zach hurried out after him, but he was nowhere to be seen. He glared up and down the hallways before returning to the classroom. Since Jarron had abandoned it, he was going to use it as the base for his club.
He told his classmates that, but almost all of them still left the classroom to explore the other clubs. Extra credits were nice and all, but no matter what they did, they wouldn't be getting first, second, or third place in the class. And no one doubted that they would pass. There was no way they would fail after everything they had been through last year, right?
In the end, only seven students remained in the classroom.
Zach, Dukiel, Julius, Anerias, Violina, Rierdan, and Nessa.
Dukiel and Julius stayed to join the Underworld Research Club for multiple reasons. They were friends with Zach. They wanted good grades. And Julius wanted more and better underworld energy for his Mannequin.
The others' reasons were mainly the grade, but also because they were interested in the Underworld.
Some of their classmates were actually interested in the Underworld Research Club. They just weighed their interest against Zach. They had nothing against him personally, they just didn't want to take any chances.
Anerias and Violina weren't stupid enough to let superstition get in their way of better grades. Violina had also accepted the fact that Zach was extraordinary. His presence was more impactful than most others. He couldn't simply be called unlucky. There was more to it than that.
Anerias subconsciously knew it, too. But he was too proud to accept that Zach of all people was greater than average.
Nessa and Rierdan had cooperated with Zach and the others during the first tiger hunt, so they were used to Zach and knew him better than to shy away from him. If anything, it was great that he was the club president. With him at the helm, they could expect phenomenal grades, just like Dukiel and Julius had benefited during the first year.
When they had signed the application forms to become official members of the club, Zach figured they might as well get started with their activities. It wasn't like they had anything better to do.
And Zach had already decided on the first order of business. It was so important that it was the first thing they had to do before anything else. Before they could start anything else, whether it was to go to the library or start preparing for an investigation into the forest, Zach had something they must talk to the principal about.
So, he had all his club members sign a petition, even if they were unwilling. It was a requirement.
When they had signed it, he left for the principal's office.