What is the purpose of making an entrance ceremony?
Is it something really important?
In a sense, the entrance ceremony could be said for those who wanted to celebrate their achievement.
Most of the time, it is not informative enough, nor is it important.
But, there is a reason why the academy made this ceremony a mandatory one.
To make the students that were attending the academy know how to obey the rules, and also make them know the bigshots that will represent the academy.
Since if they didn't ask us to come here, I would not be present, which is also the thoughts of other high-ranking students.
This would result in the closure of the higher ranks and make them disconnected from the rest of the academy. But, with such events being forced, this situation will be prevented.
"Today, as the headmaster of this esteemed institution, I stand before you with great pride and immense gratitude. It is a moment of joy and celebration as we gather here to honor the accomplishments and the promising future of our exceptional students. Welcome to the annual address of Ark Academy, a place where dreams are nurtured and destinies are shaped."
Headmaster, Maximus, said while looking at the crowd.
At this point, the crowd had already calmed down to the point it was quiet, thanks to the high charisma that was overflowing from the man.
Though, I also knew the soundwaves that were really hard to detect also had an effect on this.
Because the brain of students inside was responding to those sounds that were being released from the stage behind.
'To think they are using such a method. They are as clever as ever.'
I thought as I listened to the speech of the headmaster.
"Ark Academy, a name that resonates with power and knowledge, stands tall as a beacon of enlightenment in a world brimming with wonders and possibilities. In the halls of this magnificent institution, we strive to instill within our students not just the pursuit of academic excellence but also the values of integrity, compassion, and resilience. It is these qualities that will guide them on their extraordinary journey ahead….."
Though the speech was pretty boring since it only contained a bunch of lip service; therefore, my head naturally took his speech as background noise….
At this point, my mind was on the response that Arthur gave when he saw me.
'He was surprised…. A lot more than Emma and Celia.'
I thought.
This could mean a lot of things.
'Considering I didn't have much interaction with him in the past, I can't infer what kind of person he is from my memories, and he too can't do that from his.'
'This makes me think his brain is filled with the information that given to him by Emma and Diana, which is probably the latter. This could be true since Diana has the brains to do that, rather than Emma….'
'But, even if that is the case, Emma and Celia must have also been surprised since their thoughts too would be affected by Diana and the way they had seen and learned.'
'Seeing Emma and Celia right now, it looks like they had matured quite well and now think with their heads above, and there is no way this Arthur guy got more stupid as the time went, right?'
'Then, that means there is a chance that he knows something that those three don't know. This brings us to the point of transmigration. If he knew the storyline and transmigrated to this world later than me, that would explain his reactions, since before, he was not looking like a normal person.'
'Though this is just a speculation for now, inferring all those things from a single response would be too radical and rushing blindly. It is also highly possible that I am way too biased in this perspective, but somehow I feel like I am true. But, let's observe a bit more; I will crush him anyway.'
/CLAP/ /CLAP/ /CLAP/ /CLAP/
"Thank you, and may Ark Academy forever be a beacon of light, inspiring generations to come."
As I had thought, suddenly, the sounds of clapping filled my head.
"I appreciate your attention during my speech. At this time, I will hand over the floor to our senior representative and the leader of our student council. I wish you all the best during your time at the academy."
Maximus said while looking at the crowd with a smile on his face, clearly enjoying his speech.
But, I could see his eyes locking down with mine for a second while also an aura of pressure descending upon me.
'Krugh-! Are you mad now?'
I thought as if the pressure on me was no joke.
'It seems this old man is pretty petty.'
Slightly glancing to the sides, I saw others were unfazed, meaning this pressure was only on me.
/SWOOSH/
'But, I won't just accept this freely either.'
With that thought, I started leaking my own aura as well.
However, before I could even start fighting against it, he disappeared as the pressure vanished.
Seeing this, I retracted my aura as well.
/SWOOSH/
Though, just as he disappeared, another person appeared on the scene.
Another person that I was expecting to see, and I was also familiar with from the game.
A woman that had the signature clothes that I had seen in the game for a long time.
Her hair which was pitch black, was cascading down to her shoulders which were covered by a bunch of ornaments that symbolized her position as the head of the student council.
Her eyes, that was cold and calculating, were looking at the crowd.
"Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed faculty members and my incredible fellow students."
As she arrived, the students, who had been feeling bored due to the headmaster's tedious speech, immediately turned their focus back to the scene.
"After hearing the inspiring words of our esteemed headmaster, I am honored to address you today as your Student Council President, Jasmine Andrews."
Her elegance that filled the scene and the high charisma that she was excluding were enough to grab everyone's attention once again.
But, this time, the gaze that was on the crowd reached me, the person on the first seat, as she locked her eyes with mine.
'Student council president of the Ark and my fellow villain in the game, huh? I wonder why you are looking at me like that.'
I thought, while not backing off from her gaze.
"As your elected representative, I stand here not just as a voice but as a conduit between the student body and the administration while also leaving the title that I had outside the academy. Here I am standing as an equal in front of any other student that had the qualities to enter the same academy as me….."
Though this time, the speech that was spilled from her mouth was a lot different…..
--------------------------A/N-------------------------
With my final exams coming up in just a week and several end-term assignments to complete, I have limited time to devote to the story. As a result, my focus has been significantly reduced.
However, I am still trying to explain everything about the academy and set up a solid base since this volume is very hyped, so I don't want to miss any details and leave any plotholes.
Please let me know if you've noticed any plot holes so that I can address them and make necessary fixes.
Hope, you liked the chapters!
