Chapter 106: Graduation Ceremony (2)

Chapter 106: Graduation
Ceremony (2)

The
carriage entered the Academy grounds and stopped near the main
auditorium.

The
area around the auditorium was already crowded with numerous
carriages and people. Since the students were inside the auditorium,
these were mostly parents.

Perhaps
because of the dinner party that night, the parents were also dressed
quite colorfully.

“I’ll
be right back, but you should go inside the auditorium first.”

“Okay.”

I
stepped out of the carriage alone while Diana had excused herself and
headed off somewhere.

Presumably
to prepare for the Blues Clan raid I’ve told her about.

‘I
feel a little sorry for her.’

I
wondered if I had said the wrong thing to a mother who had come to
celebrate her daughter’s graduation and caused her to worry.

I
shrugged it off and walked into the auditorium.

As
soon as I entered the auditorium, I saw a tired-looking assistant
guiding parents around the room.

I
recognized the face from memory.

“Ms.
Gelsia?”

“⋯Ah.
Mr. Balkan?”

I
recognized her because she was the academy assistant who had
accompanied me on the labyrinth the last time I received a request
from the academy.

Gelsia
remembered my appearance as well.

We
weren’t friends, but we were acquainted, so we exchanged formal
greetings.

“I
never thought I’d see you in a place like this. Are you a parent?”

I
wasn’t technically a parent, but I didn’t want to bother explaining,
so I nodded.

“Yeah.
Something like that, by the way⋯
are you okay?”

Assistant
Gelsia’s face was not in a good state even to say the least.

The
dark circles were deeper than before, and she was on the verge of
collapse.

Moreover,
her unfocused, wobbly eyes reflected intense anxiety.

“⋯A
slave on the verge of emancipation is always in this state⋯”

“Ah,
congratulations.”

“Haha⋯”

It
seemed that Assistant Gelsia was able to escape from Professor
Mankostil’s arms. It was the fulfillment of every graduate
student’s wish.

However,
after nodding, Gelsia’s expression did not brighten.

“Is
something wrong?”

I
felt strangely cheap and unnecessarily intrusive.

“⋯No,
nothing, it’s just a personal matter.”

I
was dismissed as a prying question. There was nothing else to say
about family matters.

But
why?

The
nape of my neck grew cold, and the feeling of cheapness intensified.

“When
I came in today, I saw in the guest book that you brought in 15 oak
barrels. I assume they’re for the dinner party, and I was wondering
if you could give me a hint as to what kind of wine they are?”

“⋯⋯Yes?”

“Oh,
I used to work in a liquor store, so I’m kind of interested in this
stuff.”

I
honestly didn’t know what the hell wine tasted like but assistant
Gelsia stiffened sharply at the keyword “oak barrels,” and then
relaxed with relief when I added the word personal interest.

“It’s
⋯Andrée
Clouet Bleu Reuther Gold. It has a distinctive blue-apple scent.”

“Is
it? I’m already looking forward to the dinner party.”

“⋯Haha.
Yes⋯
Parents’ seats are upstairs on the second floor.”

Ms.
Gelsia told me to go to the second floor as if to dismiss me.

When
I looked back, there was a line of people waiting to get in.

“If
you are suffering from anything, please do not hesitate to tell me.
I’m an explorer myself, so I can accept non-lethal requests.”

“⋯I’ll
be in touch if that happens.”

I
received a polite refusal so I had no choice but to go up to the
second floor.

Sitting
down in a suitable seat, I sat still and thought.

“Something’s
wrong.”

“What?”

I
replied, unfazed by the words coming from right behind me.

“That
assistant. She’s got a weird vibe about her.”

“⋯⋯”

Ellie
fell silent at my words.

“⋯Mister.
Why are you not surprised when I
suddenly talk to you from behind?”

Puffing
out her cheeks, Ellie plopped down on the seat next to me, which was
meant for Diana.

“There’s
been a little commotion around here, so I’m a little wary.”

“Hmm.”

Since
it wasn’t a place I usually went to, I had to keep my awareness on
and be on constant alert, like in the labyrinth.

As
a result, I can quickly detect any unfamiliar or familiar signs in
the vicinity.

Ellie
had been following me ever so slightly as I climbed the stairs to the
second floor.

“Chi.
I was trying to surprise you.”

“Next
time, try harder to hide your presence.”

“Ugh.”

Sighing,
Ellie in her school uniform put her elbows on her knees and picked
her chin.

She
looked down at the students sitting in the auditorium on the first
floor.

“I’m
graduating with honors.”

“That’s
great.”

“Yeah,
well, I guess it’s kind of amazing, since I’ve been recommended to be
a royal wizard.”

“Speaking
of which, how did it go?”

The
reason Ellie went to the royal castle for a few days was to decide
her next move.

Would
she become a royal wizard and have a successful career or would she
try something else and expand her horizons?

“⋯I’m
still thinking about it. I’m not sure what I want to do.”

Ellie
clenched her jaw and sighed heavily.

Your
life depends on the path you take so she must have a lot on her mind.

It
was time to show her some adult acceptance.

I
patted Ellie’s back with my thick hand.

“You’re
smart, Ellie, and you’ll do well in whatever path you choose. So my
advice is, do what you want to do, and I’ll be behind you no matter
what you choose.”

The
sooner Ellie gains confidence and develops her skills, the sooner she
can make progress on her research into the Portal.

Portals,
a mysterious phenomenon that only exists in the Labyrinth, may have
some connection to the Labyrinth’s secrets.

And
I believed that Ellie, the self-proclaimed genius mage, would one day
uncover the secret.

“⋯⋯”

Ellie’s
breath caught in his throat at my words, and he blushed, jaw
clenched, and glared at me.

“Mister.”

“Yeah.”

Red
hair, red eyes, and perky elf ears came into view one after the
other, and then red lips parted cautiously.

“⋯You’re
so sweet to my foster mother, aren’t you?”

This
was not the reaction I expected.

I
was expecting Ellie to go into her usual “Hmph! Of course, I’m a
genius!” mode, which is how she usually responds to praise.

“⋯?
Of course. Because she’s my benefactor.”

“⋯Benefactor⋯”

After
a moment of mumbling, Ellie stared at me.

“Mister.
I have something to say-”

Beep!

A
sharp noise rang out, it was the sound of a microphone being set up
before a broadcast.

-The
Dean’s speech is about to begin. Graduates and parents, please take
your seats.

The
announcement was indeed made. The students and parents who had been
moving around in a hurry began to find their seats.

“⋯I
have to go!”

Ellie
said, jumping to her feet.

“What
were you going to say?”

“⋯ Heh
heh. I’ll tell
you later. I’m graduating at the top of my class today, so I’ll
be giving a speech, so please listen carefully.”

Smiling
broadly, Ellie waved her hand wildly at me as she said that.

“Your
daughter is so lively. I wish my daughter was like that.”

“⋯Is
that your daughter? She has a weird look in her eyes.”

“Making
a daughter through incest with a daughter-in-law⋯”

“That’s
low class! Don’t denigrate sacred family love like that. How nice is
it to see a father and daughter getting along?”

“No,
she called him mister in the first place, is he family?”

The
attention of the people around me increased.

The
helmet and suit had drawn stares before, but now it was too much.

I
smiled bitterly and gestured toward Ellie, then turned my attention
back to the first floor.

“Ego…
Ahem… Our Royal Academy…”

The
Dean of the Royal Academy, a wiry old woman with a cane, was
beginning her speech.

It
was just as boring as you thought it would be.

Just
as the Dean was about to finish, Diana returned.

“Haha.
Thank goodness I’m not late!”

“I
saved you a seat.”

“Oh,
thank you, Balkan.”

Diana
sat down somewhat uneasily, her purse on her lap.

“⋯?
Ta, it’s warm⋯”

“Ellie
was in and out. Did you get your work done?”

“Uh,
yeah. I told her we needed more guards, just in case, and she said
she’d hire more. Professor Mankostil herself has taken matters into
her own hands, and I’m a little relieved to hear that she’s adding
five more wizards at the assistant level.”

Was
it Professor Mankostil you met with?

‘Come
to think of it, Professor Mankostil was also an explorer.’

I
thought maybe that was the connection.

Anyway,
thanks to Diana’s intervention, security was tightened.

I
was relieved, but not completely relaxed.

–Next,
we will have a speech from the valedictorian, Ellie Ordia.

As
I turned my attention to the broadcast, Ellie was walking up to the
podium.

“Valedictorian⋯or
rather, Ordia, where have I heard that before?”

“No
way, she⋯?”

“That’s
right. That’s right, Ellie Ordia! Diana Ordia’s daughter! My son told
me!”

“If
she has a daughter, does that mean⋯
she’s here, Diana Ordia?”

“But
I only know her name, not what she looks like.”

“I
saw her at the retirement ceremony, her eyes are as piercing as a
problem child, her body as lithe as an elf⋯”

There
was a sudden uproar around him.

Their
ears brushed the name ‘Ellie’ aside, remembering only the last name
‘Ordia’.

‘This
is bad.’

Coincidentally,
Ellie was the most uncomfortable.

Her
feelings of inferiority and defeat over Diana’s exalted name were the
biggest source of her problems.

Sure
enough, a stiff-faced Ellie stood in front of the podium.

‘I
thought things were getting better⋯’

I
thought I had tried to come between Diana and Ellie and make them a
good mother and daughter.

However,
even that wasn’t enough.

The
emotional gap was gradually resolved through mother-daughter
conversations.

The
root cause of the conflict, Ellie’s inferiority complex, needed a
little more time to resolve.

In
her clenched hands, she unfolded her speech paper.

Ellie
stared at the paper for a long moment, her expression stony.

“⋯⋯”

A
hush fell over the huge auditorium.

“What
the hell. Why is she still?”

“She’s
always so high-minded.”

“Ouch.
She’s going to embarrass herself.”

“Well,
now we have something to talk about at the dinner party.”

As
I focused my hearing, a group of mean-looking graduates were
gossiping and snickering at Ellie’s stiffened form at the podium.

Ellie’s
elf ears pricked up impatiently and her hand clutching the paper
trembled.

Ellie’s
hearing was very sensitive.

Perhaps
all the chatter in this great hall was reaching her ears.

In
a place like this, hearing voices of inferiority and jealous mockery
directed at her⋯
naturally, she could not help but stiffen.

‘⋯Those
bitches⋯’

If
I’m listening to this from afar, I can’t help but wonder how Ellie
feels.

I
can’t let them ruin her graduation like this.

“Cheer
up.”

Ellie’s
ears perked up at the muttered words.

Red
eyes that had been darting around came into focus.

Ellie
stood on the dais, her expression stoic, then gradually lifted her
head and turned her gaze to the second floor.

Ruby-red
eyes peeked out from behind the helmet and into my field of vision.

As
she stared at me, I shouted in a loud voice.

“Be
brave!!! Ellie!!!”

A
thick, booming voice echoed through the silent auditorium.

“You
can do it!!! Come on!!!”

The
thunderous voice, which had been raised from a single battle and was
only used to provoke large monsters, rang out, and the attention of
the surrounding people poured in.

“Go,
Ellie!”

Diana
calls out, smiling broadly, and the positive vibe gradually spreads
through the auditorium.

“Come
on, Ellie!”

“You’re
going to give a great speech, what an experience!”

“If
you were born a girl, you should be able to do things like this!
Others can’t even if they want to! Ellie! Ellie!”

It’s
possible that these are simply flattering remarks to Ellie, Ordia’s
daughter.

Regardless,
there was no adult in the room to spew venomous words at the students
who were about to finish their studies and face the world.

The
atmosphere centered on the second floor eventually spread to the
first floor and beyond, reaching Ellie.

“Ugh,
ugh!”

Ellie’s
face flushed red, her ears pricked up, and he finally regained her
composure.

Taking
a deep breath and stepping away from the microphone for a moment,
Ellie looks up at me on the second floor and quietly purses her lips.

–
Thank you.

Her
lips closed tightly as she tried to say ‘me’.

–
⋯⋯⋯⋯Brother.

A
new title was formed in her mouth.

Ellie
opened her lips, her face full of confidence and the valedictorian
speech had been a success.