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"Take care~!" Evelyn cried as she saw us leave.

"Are you sure you don't want to participate in the graduation banquet?!" Hasan cried. "You are our best student this year! Please stay!"

"Sorry, we're leaving now. We're sick of this place." I said, walking away, holding my second-year graduation diploma. "See ya next year, old man. Take care."

"Urgh…! You damn punk brat!" Cried Hasan. "Always doing whatever you please!"

"Hahah, leave them be." Laughed Hero Dylan at his side. "They have certainly been exceptional lads this year… I'm sure they might become the hope we needed to win against the demons."

"Hahh…" Hasan sighed. "I sure hope so, Dylan… Well, if the Hero himself says so."

"Take care, students! I love you all! Please make sure to rest well, okay? Next year will be even more intense!" Ataraxia waved her hand at us.

"Alberta, you're going with them?" Wondered Professor Hellburn.

"Yeah uncle…" Alberta sighed. "Quite honestly, I feel more welcomed at Eric's house than on my own. His uncle and aunt are so nice! They're so warm and gentle, and always cheerful. His aunt even taught me some herbology and alchemy, and his uncle gifted me a bunch of potions when we came back from our midyear vacations…"

"I see…" Hellburn sighed, he seemed to be the only of the dwarven family that loved Alberta. "Well then, I'm glad you've found yourself a family, dear!" He hugged her.

"I-I don't mean it like that! My family will always be my family…" Alberta sighed. "But I… well, I like Eric's more."

"It's fine. You're free to do as you please, Alberta. Make sure to take care of that relationship with that human boy. He's a good lad, a rare thing nowadays. Don't lose him." Hellburn said.

"I-I won't! I love Eric more than anything… He's my everything! I will never lose him…" Said Alberta, declaring her mad love for Eric.

He was right behind her so this became very embarrassing for him, who ended covering his face with his hands.

"Hahaha! You got him all embarrassed!" Hellburn laughed. "Alright, go now! One day I hope we can move back to our continent, with your friends!"

"Sure, Blake did say he was interested in going there eventually!" Alberta nodded. "I'm sure they would be glad to meet the Great Architect."

"You talk about him as if he were someone so easily to have a meeting with…" Laughed Hellburn. "Alright, Eric, take care of my little niece!"

"I will, sir!" Eric nodded, as he held Alberta's hand.

The two walked inside the airship right behind us, as Elfriedden didn't had anybody to have a warm goodbye. Ataraxia wasn't acquainted with him, and she hasn't lived in the elven continent for years now.

"Come on, what are you staring at the academy so much?" I asked him. "Let's go back home."

"Back home?" Elfriedden muttered. "I should just go back to my continent, shouldn't I?"

"You want to go there and just get humiliated by your siblings?" I laughed.

"EH?!" He got angrier.

"We already talked about this, didn't we? You'll grow a bit stronger before getting there. That includes bringing us all along. We're going to clean that place of demons." I smiled, patting his shoulders. "Now get in, stop sobbing."

"I'm not sobbing! You…!"

As Elfriedden complained behind me, the airship gates slowly closed. We slowly got farther and farther from Stronghold once more.

A whole year in there, huh? It really felt much longer than that. I never thought I would get to battle two Archdemon Vessels at once.

And make so many good friends too…

"Are you feeling sad we're leaving the academy?" Erika walked by my side, noticing I was glancing at the academy as we moved farther into the skies.

"Nothing like that, I have been merely checking things." I said. "I'm fine, really. How about you?"

"I'm fine~ I'm glad we're bringing our friends and mom with us." Erika said. "I can't wait to just relax back home. You said we were going to go on several dates, right?"

"Ah, yeah, I suppose I did say that." I sighed. "We'll think about it once we're there, relax."

"I know, I'm just excited!" Erika seemed really pumped up. "I wonder how big your siblings have gotten by now!"

"Well it has only been a year, but I can guess they're much taller." I wondered. "I have a lot more of goodies for them. I'll make them some nice potions, I'll give them some gear too, and I think it's about time I help them level up too."

"Ooh! I look forward to that!" Erika was excited as well.

"What about you? Did you manage to Rank Up?" I asked her.

"Yep, I also combined Talents and got myself a new Spirit. Did you see it yet?" She asked.

"I haven't, I napped most of the day yesterday." I said. "Let me see it."

"Heheh, you're going to get surprised! Come out, puppeteer!"

Suddenly, Erika raised her hands as her newest Spirit emerged, the one she acquired after reaching Rank 4.

A tall being materialized out of her pink-colored spiritual energy. It had a humanoid shape, resembling a mannequin made out of pale white wood.

It wore a mask resembling a smiling gentleman, with a green jewel stuck on its forehead, it had six wooden arms, and its clothes were only a long black cave and a black fedora.

There were tiny branches, leaves, and flowers growing over its wooden body. So it probably mutated based on Erika's affinity with Yggdrasil.

The same way she got a dragon puppet based in her affinity with Dragons…

"It is quite an amusing design…" I was surprised. "So what can it do?"

"Alright puppeteer, start the show!" Erika called him.

"Crackle!" The puppeteer made a sound of cracking wood, as it moved its multiple arms.

This puppeteer had a special ability, as it extended several threads of mana out of its six hands and connected them to the Princess Doll House Spirit Erika had.

FLAAASH!

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