Chapter 174 174 The students
[Lucy's POV: ]
-Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!
Applause filled the room as we made our way through the crowd of students, heading toward the stage located one floor above the ground floor of the academy castle's ballroom.
This ballroom was quite captivating, featuring a vibrant red carpet, elegant curtains adorning the large windows on either side of the spacious room, pillars that would soon become favorite rendezvous spots for new couples, and an orchestra nestled in the right corner while a food station occupied the left corner.
Students were scattered throughout the ground floor, with teachers and other attendees positioned on the balcony-like stage area, which served as the platform for addressing those below.
Connecting both the balcony and the ground floor were two spiral staircases, and we ascended from the left side, each of us holding a glass, one filled with exquisite orange juice and the other with wine.
'It's quite liberating how there aren't any restrictions in this world, like legal drinking ages and such.'
Some cultures do have the norms but, there's no actual rule in this world that prevents one from doing what they wanna drink.
'Still though… alcohol will always be unattractive to me.'
There's a specific reason I typically avoid alcohol, and that's why she has to use her wishes to coax me into drinking with her. But honestly, it's for the best, and she knows it too.
"You know vice amplifications, right?"
"Yes, vice headmaster."
"Hulu, I want to have a personal chat with you two, however, I can endure till the school starts. Let's talk then and have a good long chat."
"It would be our pleasure, vice headmaster."
She is a sexy woman. Bewitching even.
Her witchy charm is one of a kind on this entire planet, and perhaps, that is the reason she had been the vice headmaster of this great academy for the past few hundred years.
"Huhuhu. Alright then, cute ones. Start whenever you want."
The speech is a tradition of the academy so almost everyone knew about it.
We have done this many times in the game as well so we have a rough idea of what things would happen after we start however, we don't know the future.
Anything could happen now…
[ "Start Lucy." ]
[ "No, you start. I will cover up if you mess up anything, which you will, certainly." ]
There was no way she would finish this up cleanly without anything going wrong. I had faith in this sister of mine, and her mind, of course.
"Hello to all my fellow students on this fine evening."
Thankfully though, she knew how to politely burn someone without using curse words when it wasn't necessarily needed in this kind of setting.
"I am Auriel, and beside me stands Lucifer, my unwavering support.
We stand before you not as representatives of our class, but simply as two individuals who, by sheer chance and after overcoming countless life-threatening challenges, managed to secure the top spots in the entrance exam, in accordance with this prestigious institution's time-honored tradition.
Our lives, until this point, have been rather unremarkable, devoid of any extraordinary experiences or unique elements. We hail from humble beginnings, our origins steeped in modesty, and everything we possess today has been earned through our own strengths and hard-won experiences.
Exhales deeply...
I'm uncertain whether you'll find this hard to believe, but the truth is, we were once orphans. We spent our formative years in an orphanage, overseen by a cruel owner, a demon who, in my opinion, received a fate far more merciful than he deserved.
Exhales deeply once more...
The 'Black Incident of Inizio,' perhaps some of you may recall this dark chapter from a few years ago... We were among the children who managed to escape that horrific place with our lives. To be honest, I'd rather not dwell on those memories."
She smiled bitterly while looking down, making the entire place silent.
Among the students, a variety of emotions played out on their faces. Some regarded us with a mixture of complex sentiments, some took a more positive view, others extended their sympathy, while a few looked upon us with undisguised disgust, as if suddenly realizing that we were nothing more than common orphans.
The reaction to her words was diverse, but, what she had just said was also not wrong.
They were true words, and that's why she was able to convey them to all these young students perfectly.
And though the reactions were diverse, they were mostly as she had expected.
'Hmmm. All good until now. Good good. She has gotten better.'
She was saying all that came to her mind. Though, thankfully, after filtering the unsafe things like, how that bastard had died or how he used to treat the children, as well as our Eva.
"Huuuu. So, yes, we aren't from any noble or royal family.
We are mere <A> rank adventurers who were lucky enough to find some good things in the great forest of Doxiloca, earn some money, and-"
"A-rank?! How is that possible?!"
"How can you be an A-rank adventurer already?! Is that even possible?!"
"Can a commoner even be an <A> rank adventurer?! How aren't you nobles yet? Even the <B> rank adventurers receive titles of (Viscount)!"
She continued speaking, but a commotion had already erupted below us.
The young students seemed unable to fully accept that we held high-ranking adventurer status, despite witnessing our abilities during the entrance test. However, their real concern lay elsewhere.
Their confusion stemmed from the fact that we lacked noble titles, even though we were high-ranking adventurers. In truth, there was a simple answer to their legitimate question.
But then...
"Hahaha. Wondering why we don't possess noble titles?" She chuckled, her playful smirk spelling trouble for everyone present.
"What's so special about having a noble title and ultimately serving someone else?" She posed the question, her tone brimming with defiance. "Why should a free individual, unburdened by the constraints of family or social status, be compelled to serve another when we can choose to live freely and on our own terms?"
Her gaze shifted down to those who had asked the question, her intent palpable. Even without the use of Mana, her solemnity alone weighed heavily upon them, creating an atmosphere of overwhelming seriousness.
"I despise the notion of being controlled, constantly haunted by some intangible threat," she declared resolutely. "I have no taste for intricate, convoluted schemes. Furthermore, I find it irksome when my decisions, the choices of my past that have shaped me into who I am today, are called into question."
Her voice grew more impassioned. "So, dear fellow students, I kindly request that you endeavor to avoid engaging in those very things that I find distasteful. To be an adventurer is to be a liberated soul, untethered by the snares of political conflicts and the shackles of worldly entanglements."
She paused for emphasis, her gaze sweeping across the assembly. "From the very beginning, all we've ever had in this world is each other. And it will remain so until the end."
.- -... ... --- .-.. ..- - . .-.. -.--
Hmmm? Damn.
'What she was saying was aimed at everyone. Yes, everyone. She really did not like being controlled by others, not even me for a matter of fact.
She likes it when I do it but, only for a short while. After that, back to the neutral or one-sided play.'
In our previous life, she had been meticulously crafted to possess the most brilliant mind that the world had ever known. Her existence had been guided and manipulated from even before her birth, and the hand of control had never loosened its grip on her until the moment she finally rebelled.
For as long as she could remember, her life had been a series of strings being pulled by unseen hands. The place that created her and the individuals who considered themselves her "parents" had shaped her every thought and action. But the weight of such control had become unbearable, stifling her very essence.
And so, one fateful day, she shattered the bonds that held her captive, annihilating the facility that had birthed her intellect and leaving no one alive in her wake. With every ounce of determination, she fled, putting as much distance as possible between herself and her haunted past.
It was on a dark, rainy night, as torrents of water fell from the heavens, that our paths serendipitously crossed...
"Good enough. Should I take over now?" I tapped her shoulder and asked in a low voice and, she smiled at me, happy to see all the reactions she was getting after the things she just said with her powerful voice.
"Wait a minute." She was definitely laughing in her head while enjoying the things that she was seeing before her.
She had already said plenty, however, it seems she still had a little bit more to convey to her fellow batchmates.
"I'm a person of simplicity, my friends. I find joy in the uncomplicated things in life. Occasionally, I do appreciate a touch of uniqueness, but generally, it doesn't take much to please me.
I cherish making friends, but only those who are genuine and unguarded in their interactions. I have no interest in befriending masked individuals or wolves disguised as sheep.
Money? Well, I have a soft spot for Oz, and I'm willing to part with my intellectual or physical possessions if the price is right and you have both the funds and the capability to acquire them.
Now, before I pass the baton to Lucy for the remainder of this speech, I'd like to make one thing clear: as you might have observed, Lucy is a [Swordmaster]. While I possess unique talents and skills that allow me to cast magic at the level of an archmage, it will still take me a month to officially attain the rank of [Spellmaster]. This is a matter of fact, not a bluff.
Thank you."
She dropped a bomb before finishing her speech, and, as soon as she was done and I had taken her place, the room was overwhelmed with questions of confirmation, voices of students who were skeptical at the moment, and, doubts of the teachers that were sitting on the chairs right behind me…
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