“Okay… give it a try.”
She was a child who had just barely learned to read.
And Melin, especially, was someone who absolutely hated studying and got bored easily.
‘I can already picture it… it’s so clear.’
Her giving up almost immediately.
That’s how it usually went.
A few days later.
Melin proudly showed up in front of me holding her admission letter.
Most of her scores just barely made the cut, but considering her poor academic ability, this was an extraordinary achievement.
‘…I’ve lost.’
I had no choice but to acknowledge her.
The admission letter stated that Melin was placed in Class C.
‘Lennox is in Class A, so…’
Since classes were assigned by grades, aside from general education courses, students rarely shared the same schedule if they were in different classes.
That meant the chances of them running into each other would be slim.
‘Still, I’m worried.’
The difficulty level of the academy’s classes was known to be quite high.
I wasn’t sure if Melin would be able to keep up.
But I couldn’t just ignore this first effort she made on her own.
“Alright. But promise me one thing.”
“Okay! Sure!”
“…You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
“Huh? No idea!”
…Should I really let her go to the academy like this? I was getting a bit worried.
I gave her one firm warning.
“You must not use spirit magic. No matter what. Not in front of anyone.”
Melin hesitated for a moment, then nodded firmly.
“Okay! I absolutely won’t use it!”
Before long, the day of the academy’s entrance and graduation ceremonies arrived.
Upon arriving, Lennox took in the sight of the pristine white-brick academy buildings. They were larger and more magnificent than anything he’d ever seen, and most of all, the place was packed with people.
Unconsciously, Lennox went on alert and scanned his surroundings. His recent outing had made him aware that there were people trying to harm him.
“Lennox, since you’re in Class A, stand over here.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Lennox gave a polite nod to Callisto. Though Callisto had told him numerous times to loosen up, it was no use.
Watching Lennox draw a clear line between them, Callisto gave a bitter smile.
He must’ve grown up in such a harsh environment. No wonder it’s hard for him to open up to people.
“Um… What’s your name?”
“My name is Enrico. What about you?”
Contrary to Callisto’s concerns, the incoming students began to approach Lennox with interest.
It was only natural that he attracted attention.
Hair like melted gold, eyes like summer foliage.
With skin pale as snow and refined features, Lennox stood out among all the new students.
And it wasn’t just his looks that caught people’s eyes.
“Hi! You’re the top student this year, right?”
He was the top scorer among the incoming students.
“You’re the commoner who enrolled at the top this year?”
Lennox, not particularly interested, nodded slightly. With the young marquess beside him, they didn’t dare say anything rude.
‘…Annoying.’
Lennox sighed softly and shifted his gaze elsewhere with a bored expression.
Meanwhile, Callisto misunderstood his aloof behavior.
‘He must be really shy around people.’ he thought, watching with concern.
As Lennox continued scanning the crowd, likely looking for Clemence, the academy principal, Albrecht, took the stage.
“Welcome to Esland Academy.”
The principal’s speech began.
As with most ten-year-olds, few truly paid attention to the speech.
Once the speech was wrapping up, the principal made an unexpected announcement.
“And today, we have a special graduation address from one of our graduates.”
“…A graduation address?”
“My brother said they don’t usually have that… Ugh, this is boring.”
Lennox heard murmurs of complaints behind him from other new students. But when the speaker stepped onto the stage, their whispers turned into a different kind of buzz.
“Isn’t that a fourth-year necktie?”
Each grade had different colored neckties in the order of the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, navy, violet.
The green tie definitely meant fourth year.
“But graduation is usually in the eighth year, right?”
Graduates wore black ties.
“Why is Clemence up there…?”
Beside him, Callisto sounded surprised.
Lennox, who had been indifferent until now, suddenly focused sharply.
His gaze locked onto the student standing on stage—and didn’t budge.
He immediately recognized who it was.
‘Clemence Jacqueline.’
She stood on stage wearing a graduate’s cap. It was the first time he’d seen her without a mask, but he was sure.
‘That’s Rose.’
It was instinct.
Even though it was his first time seeing her bare face, his heart pounded in his chest.
Without realizing it, a thought crossed his mind:
That she looked completely at home and radiant up on that stage.
‘Ugh, I seriously hate this kind of thing…’
I scowled.
Originally, I’d only planned to see Melin off at her entrance ceremony.
But then, out of nowhere, Principal Albrecht asked me to give the graduation speech.
So here I was, writing a speech for the first time in my life.
Someone might ask, “Why didn’t you just say no?”
‘I couldn’t. He said he’d pay me.’
I was totally swayed by the promise of a financial reward for being an exemplary graduate speaker.
Sure, they said “a small token of encouragement,” but I didn’t believe it would actually be small.
‘Please be generous, Principal. I’m counting on you.’
Clearing my throat, I prepared my draft. Or maybe I should warm up my voice first?
Just then, a student—probably from the broadcasting club—approached to explain the schedule.
“What? The speech is in 15 minutes?!”
What the heck, you’re not even giving me time to finish my script?!
“Yes, please come wait backstage at the auditorium now.”
And just like that, the student started dragging me off. Hey—wait! I don’t even have a script yet!
“At least give me past graduation speeches to reference!”
You know, like… templates?
“We don’t have those.”
The student looked at me with wide, innocent eyes. Eyes that said they were definitely telling the truth. That’s when I knew—I was completely screwed.
“…Oh, whatever.”
If the speech goes terribly, it’s not my fault—it’s the principal’s for springing this on me.
But I’ll still be the one embarrassed…
“And now, a special graduation speech.”
Before I could finish a single paragraph, the principal finished his own speech.
When the broadcast student told me it was time to go up, I sighed deeply and climbed the stage, holding the magic audio device.
‘What did the university president say during my own entrance ceremony…?’
I could feel the puzzled stares from the new students.
I needed to get through this somehow. My brain spun into overdrive.
Including grad school, I’d wasted nearly ten years in academia.
I’d helped prepare a lot of ceremonies, so I’d heard a ton of speeches. I vaguely remembered the structure…
Vaguely being the problem.
“Dear new students. I am Clemence Jacqueline, the graduate giving today’s address.”
Okay, good start…
Now’s the time to slowly scan the audience, right?
“After the cold of winter, spring brings blooming flowers. A time when all life begins anew. I believe you’ve all come here today to pursue your dreams.”
Oh, hey… That actually sounds decent?
Feeling a bit more confident, I cobbled together lines I’d heard before.
About how Esland Academy was a wonderful place for learning. Just the usual fluff.
Eventually, I could sense it was time to wrap things up.
“Lastly, life is a series of storms. You’ll face misfortune beyond your control, and sometimes deep sorrow. But I hope that here, you’ll build a foundation to withstand those storms. That is my wish.”
Wow… this is so… cliché.
“Thank you.”
As expected, awkward silence followed. Embarrassed, I gave a stiff bow and stepped down.
‘I tried my best.’
Now, time to go get that nice fat envelope.
I ran toward the principal’s office, completely missing the applause that erupted just after I left the stage.
