Among those seated in the VIP section, those with very good eyesight would probably have read what was written in that letter.
[Cloud collection. I leave the festival entirely to the students. ― S.]
It was a terribly irresponsible letter. For the headmaster to be absent on his own academy’s founding anniversary.
Fortunately, no signs of dissatisfaction were visible on the guests’ faces yet. The tarnishing of Kaiserion Academy’s image was something no one in the Student Council wanted.
“Cloud collection? Is something like that even actually possible?”
Nigel had also been curious about that. Just then, one student who possessed shallow but broad general knowledge muttered.
“……I vaguely remember hearing about it in alchemy class…. It’s probably an actual procedure that exists.”
In the midst of the chaos, the Student Council President shouted with a face that had turned pale.
“Is that what’s important right now? What are we going to do now! Huh? All the guests are waiting for the opening declaration!”
Simultaneously, all the gazes of the Student Council members turned toward the President.
“…….”
“…….”
Understanding the meaning of those gazes, the President waved both hands and said.
“I, I can’t do it! All the magic devices on the continent are projecting me! There are even VIP guests from other kingdoms here, what kind of speech can I give in this situation!”
His already bloodless face turned deathly pale. It would have been better not to have run in the Student Council President election back then. The karma from challenging it just once, blinded by that damn lust for power, was coming back like this now.
“Then who else will do it? You’re perfect for it, President.”
Lios Cesare’s final words kicked the President off the cliff he had been teetering on.
“……I’ll announce that the opening ceremony will be delayed by about 30 minutes.”
Nigel, who had been waiting in case the trouble might splash onto him, was an accomplice too. Nigel quickly went out to the podium and informed the VIP guests of the news. The people who had been waiting for the dragon could only nod with frozen expressions at the sudden appearance of the Empire’s Crown Prince.
“Thi-thirty minutes should be en-enough.”
In his hands, the speech manuscript that should have originally been delivered to Headmaster Silvanus trembled like paper.
At that moment, Lios Cesare, who had been watching from behind, grabbed the President’s shoulder with a cheerful laugh.
“President. The VIP guests who came from afar mustn’t be disappointed, so do well.”
“Lios! Are you joking in this situation right now? Just go out there instead of me!”
“If I go out, it’ll become a new guild promotion instead of a speech, would that be okay? Now, now. Don’t worry. Behind you, President, none other than the Empire’s Little Sun is backing you up.”
Lios gestured with his chin toward Nigel, who was standing silently in the middle of the room. Nigel looked at the President with an unwavering posture and cold gaze.
“……Nigel.”
Can’t you take it on even now?
The Student Council President looked at Nigel tearfully as if he were some kind of hero. However, Nigel’s cold heart, which had experienced twists and turns over the past few days, was not swayed by mere pitiful eyes.
“President. It’s fine even if you mess up, so go out. The VIP guests outside will ultimately place all the blame on Headmaster Silvanus, who arbitrarily abandoned the academy and left.”
At Nigel’s cool rebuke, the President swallowed dryly. Eden Lake, who was standing nearby, adjusted his glasses and gently handed the manuscript back to him.
“President, I’ve revised the originally prepared speech a bit.”
“Ri-right…… I have to go. I must go……”
The promised 30 minutes passed in the blink of an eye. The President stood up, gripping tightly the manuscript he had only read through a few times, let alone memorized.
As the majestic orchestra’s melody changed, figures dressed in full uniforms appeared from the exclusive passageway. At the very front stood the Student Council President, who looked weak-willed, wiping cold sweat, and behind him followed the Student Council members, including Nigel, as if escorting him.
The momentum of them descending the crystal staircase was enough to overwhelm the plaza.
Especially, the presence of Nigel walking a few steps behind the President was unparalleled. His black hair that seemed to have melted down the night sky and his cold amethyst eyes. The moment he appeared, the noisy plaza instantly became solemn as if cold water had been poured over it.
The crowd of tens of thousands held their breath, seemingly captivated not by the President standing at the podium, but by Nigel standing motionless behind him, coldly looking down upon the entire plaza.
―”……Is that person standing in the back the First Prince of Kaiserion?”
The special envoy from the Kingdom of Geub, seated at the head of the VIP section, whispered to the person next to him while swallowing dryly.
―”That’s right. He exudes an even more…… chilling aura than the rumors suggest.”
Hah, the old duke who came from the Kingdom of Brion also adjusted his opera glasses and let out an admiring sigh.
―”He is truly worthy of being called the Empire’s Sword. Look at that strong jawline and that posture without a hint of disorder.”
―”The Emperor has reason to be proud.”
Praise from the VIP section and shy glances from the young ladies poured toward Nigel. Nigel indifferently received all those gazes and stood behind the President’s back.
The Student Council President stood before the magic amplifier and breathed heavily. Adjusting his grip on the manuscript with trembling hands, he finally opened his mouth.
“……De-dear students of Kaiserion, and distinguished guests who have traveled from afar.”
His voice spread across the vast plaza, riding on magical waves. The mere fact that his juniors were guarding his back allowed the President to barely hold onto his rationality.
Knowing that the gazes of tens of thousands were passing over him to the Crown Prince behind, he raised his voice even more desperately.
“Here at Kaiserion Academy, where the Empire’s intellect and military might gather, we once again promise harmony and proof. In this brilliant journey that will unfold over three days, everyone will make their worth known to the entire continent.”
Before the final sentence, the President glanced back slightly. Nigel didn’t move a muscle, but in his eyes lurked a silent pressure and dignity that said, ‘Hurry up and finish.’
The President turned to face forward again and shouted.
“For the glory of the Empire and the Academy, we raise the curtain on Mardinia!”
“……We raise the curtain on Mardinia!”
As the Student Council President’s declaration ended, everyone repeated the final words in unison. Then, from the academy’s main building in the distance, massive magical light sources surged forth, creating pillars of white light brighter than the sun.
It was Headmaster Silvanus’s magic signifying that all the VIP guests in the plaza were permitted to enter the grounds of Kaiserion Academy. Though he had vacated his seat, it seemed he had arranged for all the necessary magic to activate.
Headmaster Silvanus must have known well that it didn’t matter who made the opening ceremony declaration, but only he could do that one thing.
Waaaaaah—!
Tens of thousands of students roared in unison, and right on cue, the massive birds being raised in the academy forest flew across the sky with majestic cries.
And so, Mardinia began.
After the opening ceremony ended, the VIP guests murmured in front of the six forked paths leading from the plaza toward Kaiserion Academy.
The six forks undoubtedly symbolized the paths of the academy’s six departments.
“Where should we go first, the Magic Engineering Department after all?”
“That’s right. I prefer machines over old-fashioned magic.”
“Old-fashioned! To not know the beauty of pure magic, how pitiful, Sir Ean. If you’re a guest from the Kingdom of Brion, shouldn’t you visit the Magic Department where Prince Veil is first!”
The war of words was as heated as the festival’s fervor.
The academy’s six departments were places that nurtured the next generation of intellectuals receiving instruction from the Empire’s finest professors.
The Swordsmanship Department, Magic Engineering Department, Magic Department, Alchemy Department, Theology Department, and finally the Arts Department. The massive emblems embodying each department rotated silently, enticing the guests.
The emblem of the Swordsmanship Department, with its crossed silver sword and shield, gleamed with a sharp metallic sound, while beside it, endlessly interlocking golden gears flaunted the presence of the Magic Engineering Department.
The seal of the Magic Department with its swirling blue nebula evoked mystery, while the flask-shaped seal of the Alchemy Department with thick greenish smoke flowing from it created an eerie tension.
The Theology Department with sacred white feathers fluttering, and finally the Student Council’s seal with a golden scale floating at the center of all these departments—all illuminated the six forked paths.
