ocean-life Chapter 23: Let's Get Along (3)
Chapter 23: Let's Get Along (3)
Chapter 23: Let's Get Along (3)
Meanwhile, at that moment, having left the Dean's office, Ulan returned his cloak to the guard who had stopped him earlier at the entrance. Then, just as he was about to head towards the dormitory, someone blocked his path.
"Hello. Can I bother you for a moment?"
Someone stood in front of him - a neatly pressed school uniform, dark hair, and a slightly melancholic young man. Amidst this encounter, there was something that caught Ulan's attention.
A purple necktie.
That meant he was in the third-grade.
Just as he was retrieving the information he had stored in his mind, the young man extended his hand with a smile.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Mond Parcheka, an executive member of the Arsene Student Council."
"Im Ulan."
He offered to shake my hand.
But when Ulan stretched out his hand, Mond swiftly withdrew his own hand as if in the blink of an eye.
What? Didn't he initiate the handshake?
Ulan tilted his head, puzzled. At that moment, Mond approached him with a smile once again.
"By the sounds of it, you passed the entrance exams as the top sorcerer, is that true?"
"It happened to turn out that way."
"Wow, it's true. That's impressive."
After exchanging a few casual words, Mond revealed the reason he had approached.
"I came to see you today because I have something to pass on to you about tomorrow's entrance ceremony."
"Entrance ceremony?"
"Yes. Every year, the Arsene Student Council delivers a welcome speech to the new students. And there's a tradition where the top scorer responds as a representative of the new students."
After finishing his explanation, Mond handed something over to Ulan. It was a document enclosed in an envelope.
"This is the speech I'll be giving at the student council tomorrow. You can refer to this and compose your response."
The words were scrawled on a white sheet of paper.
When Ulan glared at it, Mond burst out laughing.
"Haha, there's no need to feel overwhelmed. It's just an ordinary speech and response. Just think of it as delivering a few words in front of the students."
Just as he finished his short pep talk, Mond turned around.
"Since I've clearly explained everything, I'll take my leave. See you at the entrance ceremony tomorrow!"
Mond quickly disappeared from sight.
Ulan watched him go and thought to himself, What a peculiar fellow.
It was quite understandable.
Throughout the conversation, Mond smiled, but his eyes didn't share in that smile at all. Worst of all, there was no kindness in his eyes. Instead, they emanated an emotion closer to disdain, much like Professor Dirac whom Ulan had encountered yesterday.
More than that, what's this about a speech?
Though he might not know the details of speeches and responses, he did understand what a speech was.
Before hunting or engaging in large-scale battles on the grasslands, they often attempted to boost the morale of the warriors with speeches.
Just.
That was a battlefield speech.
It was not the same as a commencement speech.
Is that why?
Even though he was given a script in advance, he still had no idea how to write his response.
He was walking down the aisle as he pondered this.
"Hmm?"
Just then, the perfect person to ask for help in this area came into view.
Unlike other students who were chatting in small groups, a lonely dark-haired girl was sitting alone in a shaded area.
It was Noah.Upstodatee from
* * * * * * * * * *
The sunny weather cast a radiant glow as Noah eagerly anticipated the dawn.
There was only one reason for her excitement - today marked the first morning after entering the dormitory.
The morning before the entrance ceremony.
Students trickle out into the square.
One by one, students emerged onto the square, driven by curiosity about their unfamiliar surroundings and the desire to catch a glimpse of their future academy peers.
Noah shared the same sentiment. She had a purpose, after all.
First, I need to make some friends.
Before arriving in this world, Noah had experienced failure in school life. It wasn't her fault, of course. She had merely caught the attention of the mischievous kids while spending time alone in a corner of the classroom.
Soon after, hell began for her.
Unpleasant memories she'd rather not recall. She attributed it to her failure to make friends at the beginning of the semester.
Haunted by these traumatic memories, Noah was gripped by an obsession to make friends at all costs.
So, I originally thought of getting to know my roommate first
She thought that sharing a room with a fellow student would make them closer much quicker than others.
However, her expectations were dashed.
Don't talk to me casually.
Belkina Rudishant.
She was the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Rudishant and Noah's roommate. With hair as red as a coveted apple, she glared at Noah with disgust.
Don't come near me. Maybe you should cut that ominous hair of yours. You never know when a curse might spread.
There were two reasons for her aversion.
The first was the fact that Noah was from a barbarian tribe, and the second was Noah's hair color.
Hair as black as the night sky.
In the Empire, such hair color was superstitiously associated with bad omens and death.
Noah sighed.
Should Idye it?
Even if she did, it didn't seem likely to change Belkina's attitude.
Despite the initial setback, Noah remained determined. She still believed she could make friends on the square. Surely, not everyone in the dormitory was like Belkina.
But even that hope was crushed.
"Hey......"
"We should go somewhere else to talk."
"Yeah, I guess we should."
"That's why I called you."
Ulan explained what had happened with Mond.
A short while later, as the explanation came to a close, Noah nodded her head, as if understanding roughly what it was all about.
Ah, the entrance ceremony event.
It was an event Noah knew about.
A hidden event that only occurs when a commoner enters the academy as the top-seat.
However, the conditions for triggering it were rather demanding, and Noah had not personally experienced it due to its elusive nature. She had merely encountered it on the strategy boards.
A turning point where one interacts with the existing Student Council.
The current student council of Arsene Academy was composed of scions from renowned noble families.
Given their lofty pride as nobles, if a commoner were to outshine the nobility in any way, they would try to interfere somehow undermine you.
...Childish, really.
They're such childish people.
They had no intention of winning through merit.
Regardless, if the event unfolded as she knew it, the student council's interference will begin with the speech.
They'll surely deliver a speech with content entirely different from what they handed to Ulan.
The interference would continue thereafter.
During the inspection tour, intentionally creating a distracted atmosphere or similar tactics.
In other words, the student council would try to embarrass you in front of your classmates and professors.
But if you respond well, you'll be able to get the job done
If you could navigate the Student Council's machinations without faltering and conclude the inspection smoothly, you would reap rewards.
Catching the attention of the next Student Council president, you would gain an invitation to join the newly forming Student Council in the following year.
'I think there were also treasures that could only be obtained by being a member of the student council.'
She couldn't quite remember what it was, but in any case, this was an opportunity.
Noah was motivated.
"Alright. I'll help you."
"Really?"
"Sure! Ulan and I are friends, right?"
The word friends seemed to carry an unusual weight.
Ulan smiled slightly and spoke, "Thank you for your help."
"Yes! You can count on me."
Noah replied cheerfully.
Staking her pride as a gamer of [Arsene Continental War] and a Korean liberal arts student, she would flatten the noses of those Student Council rascals.
With that resolve, Noah set forth.
And so, until evening descended, the two of them poured their efforts into drafting the script.
* * * * * * * * * *
And the next day.
It was the morning of the entrance ceremony.
As soon as the dormitory curfew was lifted, Noah went to see Ulan for a final rehearsal before the ceremony began.
"Greetings, I'm Ulan Bator, Arsene's freshman representative. I sincerely thank the professors and seniors for their warm welcome."
With Noah standing before him, Ulan read through the content of the response with a serious expression.
"Though our origins and backgrounds may differ, as we all stand at a new starting point, I hope we can strive to foster camaraderie and dedicate ourselves to studies."
As he smoothly continued the response,
Suddenly, Ulan closed his mouth.
"What? Why did you stop talking?"
"I've memorized up to this point."
"What?"
"It's just that I can't remember anything beyond this."
"......."
The moment Noah heard those words,
Noah realized anew.
Ullan was an idiot.
She'd gotten so caught up in writing the script that she'd forgotten. However, there was no need to worry.
"Well, that's still alright. Just take the script with you and recite it as it is!"
"That seems like a good idea."
Of course, having the script on hand was perfectly fine.
However, Noah couldn't just let it go at that.
"Also, I'm mentioning this just in case."
"?"
"If you find yourself in a situation where you can't read the script, just greet them warmly, say it's nice to meet them, and let's get along well in the future."
"Why would I"
"It's foresight."
Explaining things was a hassle, but going around it like this usually resolved the matter. As Noah had anticipated, Ulan accepted the advice nonchalantly.
"I see. I'll keep that in mind."
Noah was relieved to hear back.
Alright, we have some insurance now.
Now, all that was left for Noah to do was to observe what the student council would do.
Anxious eyes turned to Ulan.
Some time later.
The entrance ceremony for Arsene Academy had begun.
(End of Chapter. . . . . . . . .)
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