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Chapter 244: The Center Seat!

When it came to entrance ceremonies, be it in Roel’s previous life or the current one, there was always a standard procedure that everyone would have to go through. Usually, the more prestigious the academy was, the grander the procedure would be.

It started off with the opening speech from Leinster’s mayor, followed by speeches from important figures of the various Scholar Guilds. It was worth noting that there were all high-level transcendents. Of course, these powerhouses wouldn’t be personally teaching in the academy, but still, it was quite a feat to gather all of them together in a single location.

One must know that the Scholar Guilds weren’t necessarily in partnership with one another. There was a great deal of rivalry going on, and sometimes, conflicts could get really intense between scholars who had contrasting views on a subject. It was similar to how the physicists in Roel’s previous life got really passionate about the debate on the true nature of light. At one point, things got so heated up that the particle faction and wave faction nearly came to blows with one another, wanting to wake up the other’s idea by whacking their heads.

It was the same for the scholars on the Sia Continent too, just that things were a teeny bit more dangerous here since these scholars were powerful transcendents. If they really came to blows with one another, someone would likely walk out with severe injuries or even end up dead, so they always tried their best to remain calm. Nevertheless, it was still rather dangerous whenever they gathered together for a symposium.

In past academic exchanges, there would be scholars who got completely riled up from having their life’s work refuted by another and ended up resorting to fists. With an attitude that could be encapsulated with ‘Theory? Screw that! Let’s put it into practice and see who’s better!’, they nearly knocked themselves out.

Well, it couldn’t be helped that scholars tended to be quite strong-headed, and their extreme devotion to their research often meant that they lacked social interaction, resulting in them being terrible with words and managing their emotions. Whenever they found themselves angered and frustrated, the only means they knew to express their feelings was through violence.

Ironically, even the instructors hired from Knight Kingdom Pendor were much more well-tempered than them. They would criticize others, but rarely would they resort to violence in order to resolve a conflict. After all, unlike scholars who holed themselves up in their labs for research, these knights had traveled around the world and accrued societal experience, so they were much better at peopling.

If there were any occasions that could make these scholars put aside their grudges, it would be the entrance and graduation ceremonies held in this assembly hall. It was common knowledge that the best way to recruit an individual was when he was still young and ignorant, which made it much easier to hoodwink him into joining an organization. Given so, it went without saying that the annual entrance ceremony was an extremely important event for Scholar Guilds as it determined whether they could secure fresh blood or not.

The graduation ceremony was even more so important for obvious reasons.

Other than those who had to return to their homeland to take over their house’s legacy after graduation, there were many other students who were not next in line of succession, children of merchants, locals, or fell in love with this city after having studied here for four years. This meant that there were many talents that the Scholar Guilds could recruit from the academies during each graduation season.

So, just like how animals had their mating seasons, during the graduation season, the usually lofty leaders of the Scholar Guilds would suddenly become terrifyingly intimate, just like a venus fly trap giving off a sweet scent to snag its prey.

So, as one could imagine, the representatives of the Scholar Guilds would maintain a beaming smile on their faces during the entrance and graduation ceremonies, hoping to leave a good impression on the students. They wouldn’t dare to lag behind on their publicity efforts too as they placed floating illumination devices and posters wherever they were allowed to. Hell, there were even some who resorted to ‘inviting’ students off the streets to their base of operations.

The important thing here was to get as many people as they could. Every student they failed to recruit could mean the bulking up of the rival guild.

Looking at the representatives of the Scholar Guilds on the stage, Roel was filled with retorts, but he dared not to openly comment on them. Instead, he sat up straight and maintained a solemn look on his face, looking just like a model student earnestly listening to class.

As someone who was a student almost his entire previous life, there was no way that Roel would actually be interested in the entrance ceremony. Rather, he was forced by the circumstances to put on a ‘good boy’ act.

Roel was currently seated in the middle of a long row of seats. On his left was Nora Xeclyde and her subordinates, and on his right was Charlotte Sorofya and her followers. It was quite a frightening line-up, to be honest.

It simply couldn’t be helped since the two young ladies had gotten into a fight prior to entering the assembly hall, and neither of them refused to budge in their positions at all. They even got into a bicker as to where Roel ought to sit.

It was then that an idea sparked into Roel’s mind, and he turned to look for his ‘good friend’, Mister Paul, only to find the latter shooting him a thumbs up and an encouraging smile before slipping away.

Big brother Roel, all the best!

It might have been Roel’s imagination, but he felt like he could hear Paul’s thoughts. The latter probably felt a little awkward after knowing of Nora’s identity and seeing Charlotte coming over, so he chose to make a silent retreat. He probably couldn’t have imagined that this was the moment that Roel needed him more than ever.

Son of a banshee! Why are you running off?

Roel gritted his teeth furiously as he helplessly watched Paul disappear into the crowd. Having lost the ‘Paul Shield’, he had no choice but to face the amazing firepower of the two ladies head-on. After a long bout of grueling haggling, things eventually ended up as they were.

Roel might look calm on the surface at the moment, but his heart was actually trembling in fright. He was exceptionally guarded toward Nora, who seemed to have no qualms about engaging in public displays of affection anymore. To make things worse, she seemed to enjoy the thrill, especially the fearful look on his face afterward!

Of course, Charlotte was no pushover either. In some sense, it could be said that there was nothing she dared not to do. If she could pull off something as ridiculous as kidnapping him from the Ascart Fiefdom, there was probably nothing in the world that she wouldn’t do.

On top of that, it was worth noting that the Sorofya House was one of the key sponsors of the Saint Freya Academy. If Charlotte did try to pull something, there was a good chance that the academy would just turn a blind eye to it.

Realizing just what kind of treacherous position he was currently in, Roel felt so frightened that he dared not even place his hands on the armrest, sitting completely uptight. To his surprise though, perhaps out of consideration of the occasion and the dense population of students around them, the two of them held themselves back and didn’t attempt to do anything overboard.

Time ticked by with nothing happening, and Roel was finally able to rest easy a little. He finally turned his attention to the entrance ceremony. By this point, the representatives of the Scholar Guilds had already finished their speeches, and it was finally coming to the highlight of the event.

With the heavy tapping of a wooden staff, a tall old man dressed in refined clothes walked onto the stage. The moment he stood before the crowd, Roel could clearly sense a change in the atmosphere in the assembly hall.

All whisperings amongst the students came to a halt, and those who were seated leisurely quickly straightened their posture. Everyone in the room subconsciously adjusted themselves to put on a serious attitude that was more fitting for the occasion.

Principal Antonio of the Saint Freya Academy.

This was a name widely known on the Sia Continent, and in Brolne, it could practically be said to be a household name. There were two reasons behind that.

One, he was simply strong. No one knew exactly how strong he was for he hadn’t made a move in many years, but it was almost certain that he was one of the strongest transcendents of the Sia Continent.

Two, he had lived for a very long time. If Roel’s memories didn’t fail him, this old man should be in his four hundred now. This was quite old even for a high-level transcendent.

While transcendents would be able to live longer with the deepening of their Degree of Assimilation, the truth was that there was so much a low-level transcendent’s lifespan could increase by. High-level transcendents could increase their lifespans by a greater degree, but they were expected to take on greater responsibilities too, especially since the human civilization had been in a shaky position over the last few centuries. Many high-level transcendents ended up dying to the invading deviants from the west.

Fighting a war required a huge amount of money and manpower, which meant that the Country of Scholars, as the cradle of humankind’s talents, was of vital importance.

Even though the Scholar Guilds all had a fair number of transcendents in their midst, many of them weren’t trained for combat, so they were unsuitable to fight in wars. Due to that, Brolne ended up having the greatest number of old transcendents in the world.

Antonio, as one of the strongest human transcendents, had once stepped onto the battlefield to fight off the deviants, and he did achieve significant accomplishments there too. However, it seemed like chaotic times signified an opportunity for the ambitious to shake things up. Every time a war occurred, all kinds of filth and problems lurking under Brolne would surface. There would always be some people who would leap out and sow discord during critical moments.

Knowing just how dangerous it would be if an internal war broke out while they were dealing with external threats, Antonio chose to retire from the frontlines in order to hold the fort in Brolne instead. Naturally, this change in position meant that he was exposed to far less danger.

With age came credentials, but Antonio remained close to the people despite being the speaker of Brolne’s governing council, which was probably the reason why he enjoyed overwhelming support from the populace over the years. On top of that, in his years as the principal of Saint Freya Academy, he encouraged the students to be independent and propagated the abolition of some of the outdated academy traditions. Due to that, he was highly respected by the students too.

Standing before such a great figure, it was only normal for the students to accord him some respect even if this was the first time they were meeting him. With everyone’s attention on him, Principal Antonio finally began his speech. To everyone’s surprise, however, his speech wasn’t motivating but solemn.

‘The responsibilities that came with growing up’, this was the topic of Antonio’s speech.

“The fact that you are currently seated before me shows that you’re talented individuals who are ahead of your peers. In the next few years to come, the gap between you and your peers outside will only continue to grow. You can celebrate your growth and be proud of yourself, but please do not forget one thing.

“When you’re standing at the top of humankind, the responsibilities you’ll have to shoulder will become correspondingly heavy too. As students of the Saint Freya Academy, I hope that the years you spend here won’t just develop your capabilities but your sense of responsibility too.

“The Origin Attributes grant us power and guide our way, but over the years, many transcendents eventually fell into depravity. Why would some of us stray off despite walking on the same path? That’s because their goals differ. They have forgotten about their family, their country, and the whole of humankind. When they avert their eyes from their responsibilities and surrender to their desires, the only path they’ll walk down is the path of destruction.”

The faces of youths turned grim after hearing Antonio’s words. To be honest, Roel felt that such a speech was more fitting for the graduates as these freshmen had only just left their peaceful nest, so they probably thought that the world was a safe place. Putting aside the depraved and evil cultists, these young masters and young misses probably never even encountered bandits before.

Not everyone was like Roel, who had been eyed by an evil cult from a young age and forced to brave through many life-and-death crises. Such a speech was clearly too early for the crowd present.

As an educator, Antonio should be more than aware of this. He wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake. So, it was worth questioning the deeper reason why he still chose to make this speech anyway.

Roel narrowed his golden eyes as he fell into deep thoughts.