Advent of the Three Calamities
Chapter 203: He looks [2]

The next few days at the Academy were strangely peaceful.

A little too peaceful.

To the point where it just started to feel like something was wrong.

'This sense of peace… I feel like it's been a while.'

Well, the feeling was short-lived.

Today was the day I'd have to go out of the Academy once more.

….It was time for me to receive my award.

The acting one.

It was supposed to be a rather large event that only lasted a day. I secretly hoped that nothing would go wrong, but knowing how my life was, I knew something was bound to happen.

I just hoped it was something reasonable.

I... didn't want to fall into another illusion again. Nor did I want to face monsters that could track me through sound and were creepy to look at.

There was another thing.

'Hopefully, I win something.'

I really needed the money.

My rate of progress was fairly good when considering the rate of progress of the other cadets, but I was far from satisfied.

I wanted more.

To become even stronger.

I knew that I was still lagging behind by a little compared to Leon and the top rankers.

"Are you ready…?"

Greeting me at the entrance of the Academy were several people.

I could recognize a few, but not too well. All I knew was that they were people from the Curtain Call Collective who I had met back during the festival.

Aoife was also one of the people attending.

Dressed in a complimentary red dress, her looks attracted the attention of all those who passed her.

Despite looking normal on the outside, I could tell at a glance that she was extremely nervous.

I felt compelled to say something to her.

"Don't worry."

I thought about patting her on the shoulder but chose otherwise.

Turning her head, she looked shocked to see me.

But then, her expression calmed down.

I was just about to tell her that she didn't need to feel nervous since she was probably not going to win when she spoke.

"…..I'm not worried. I know I'm not going to win. I just wanted to see how many votes I receive at the ceremony. With yours counted, I hope I get one more."

"….."

I pursed my lips.

All of a sudden, I felt like I had been slapped over and over again.

'Shit.'

It had been a memory I had almost completely forgotten about.

But…

'I didn't vote for her.'

That day, I had lied because I didn't want her to think that I had voted for myself.

Even I knew shame.

"Right."

I bit my tongue and my expression strained a little.

"….You can do it."

"Thank you."

Aoife looked genuinely thankful, and I felt like getting slapped again.

'Oh shit.'

*

The location of the award ceremony was quite far.

Located all the way in Roselle, a small town located near Bremmer, the capital city, it took about four hours for us to reach the destination.

It was also for that reason that the event was hosted on a weekend.

It was an overnight event.

A hotel was booked for us in advance, and the moment we arrived, we headed for the hotel where we dropped all of our luggage.

"It's not bad."

The place was rather nice.

Looking around, the decorations were tasteful, with elegant wallpaper and stylish furniture that created a cozy yet sophisticated ambiance.

The bed, with its plush pillows and luxurious comforter, looked incredibly comfortable.

Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to admire the room.

"It should be this one."

Opening my bag, I quickly changed into something decent. It was a black suit with a crisp white shirt.

The suit was tailored perfectly, accentuating my frame in all the right places.

Nothing too complicated, but I had to admit, it looked great on me.

After smoothing down my hair and ensuring it was neatly polished, I took a deep breath before heading out of the room.

Finally…

My money.

***

Aoife stared at the mirror in front of her.

She had gotten dressed before coming to the venue, applying her makeup and everything before boarding the train.

The process had garnered a few odd looks, but considering it would take her hours to get ready otherwise, it was a necessary inconvenience.

"Huuu."

Taking a deep breath, she pressed her hand against her chest.

She could feel her heart pounding loudly.

Aoife could hardly contain her nervousness.

Despite telling herself that it wasn't anything important and that it didn't mean much, she knew she was lying to herself.

This was important for her.

All the effort she had put into reaching this point—it was all for validation. Even if it was just from one person, Aoife wanted to see it.

'For myself.'

It was for nobody else but herself.

To Tok—

The door knocked suddenly, and Aoife turned her head.

It was the staff from the Curtain Collective.

"I'm coming."

Fixing her clothes and makeup one last time, Aoife took another breath to calm her nerves before heading to the door.

It was time for the award ceremony.

***

The Jovinc Award was a very prestigious Award.

Within the Empire, everyone knew about the award and what it signified.

It was for this reason that the ceremony was broadcast throughout the entire Empire for the citizens to see.

"....."

Upon entering the venue, my eyes were blinded by the glittering chandeliers and the lights that illuminated every corner. The venue was packed, with beautiful women and handsome men milling about, adding to the opulent atmosphere.

For a brief moment, the venue hushed a significant amount.

I felt the gazes of many people fall on me in particular.

The same was true for Aoife, though not as intensely.

I felt like an animal in a zoo exhibit and my brows furrowed slightly. I was just about to say something when a woman appeared.

"Ah, there you are!"

I recognized her instantly. As the scriptwriter of the play, she was someone I knew all too well. Her gaze felt unusually intense, almost burdensome.

It was strange enough to make me shudder slightly.

"I'm glad that you were all able to make it on time."

Although she tried to address everyone, it was clear that she was addressing me. Her attitude was quite a bit different than compared to the past.

She...

Had never been so eager before.

Nonetheless, it didn't bother me and I nodded my head in acknowledgment.

"Here, let's go take our seats. The event will be starting shortly, and I'm sure you don't want to spend too much time interacting with the other people."

And so, tugging me by the arm, she dragged me all the way towards a different area where a brightly lit stage appeared.

Beneath the stage were multiple chairs where dozens of well-

dressed people sat down.

From the way some people reacted, they appeared to be some big-shots of the show-biz industry, and their looks certainly added to that testament, but despite how hard I tried, I couldn't recognize a single person.

"Please have a seat over here. This is your seat."

Olga pointed towards a certain seat and I sat down. Aoife followed right behind and sat on the seat next to me on the right while Olga sat on the left.

As I sat down, I couldn't help but notice the subtle trembling in Aoife's lips and my lips twitched.

"...."

'How should I fix this...?'

If it was revealed that she got no votes... Would the calamity percentage increase?

The thought made me shudder.

Currently, besides the quest failure, there was no real indicator as to what factor affected the calmity percentage increase.

I wanted it to just be the quest failures, but I very well knew that there were other facts at play.

The quest was probably there to tell me the situation rather than increase their percentages.

".....As I was saying, there's something that I'd like to talk to you about after this. If you don't mind, can you spare me some time, later?"

Coming out of my thoughts, I heard Olga's voice coming from my left.

Turning my head, I was confused.

'What does she want to talk to me about...?'

I could only think of a few possibilities, and I shook my head.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to perform again. I have—"

"Let's discuss this later before you reject. At least hear me out. Is that okay...? This might be extremely beneficial for you as well."

I took a moment to stare at her for a few seconds.

'Something extremely beneficial for me as well?'

I couldn't help but become interested then. While I wasn't sure if what she said was true, and whatever she had planned was truly beneficial to me, it would only take me a few minutes to hear her out.

I didn't see why not.

If in the end, it truly did end up beneficial for me, then it was all good.

I was especially in need of a lot of money.

If that opportunity allowed me to gain some money, then...

Clap, clap, clap—!

A sudden round of applause grabbed my attention, and when I looked around, everyone was clapping, some even standing.

I was wondering why, and I soon found the reason.

Standing on the stage was a middle-aged man with a well trimmed beard and black hair. His blue eyes seemed extremely dashing, and the moment he appeared, he seemed to suck the attention of all those around.

"Thank you everybody. Thank you everybody."

Upon entering the stage, he started thanking everybody while bowing his body slightly.

I didn't know who he was, but judging from the reception amongst the crowd, he was probably a highly accomplished person within this industry.

As expected, the moment I started wondering this, Aoife whispered something in my ear.

"He's a 4-time Award winner, Jeremy Lynch. He's regarded as the best actor of our generation."

Surprised, I turned to look at Aoife who seemed a little pale.

"I figured you wouldn't know so..."

"Thank you."

She was right.

I really didn't know him.

But after hearing about his accolades, I knew why everyone was receiving him so warmly.

Gradually, the claps died down, and silence enveloped the theater.

Cla Clank!

The stage lights shone, and the lights across the venue dimmed.

With a smile on his face, Jeremy's blue eyes scanned across the entire venue before his lips pulled up into a smile.

"Thank you very much for allowing me to host the 27th Jovinc Award. It is a great honor for me, and skipping all the unnecessary formalities, I would like to announce the official start of the event!"

And just like that, the award ceremony kicked off.