Chapter 463: 16-year-old Inglis and the Knight Academy Seminar Festival (1)

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Fireworks smoke rose into the clear blue sky above Lake Vault. Just above the Flygear Dock, on the specially prepared stage atop the giant Flygear Carrier, stood Silva. The area was packed not only with students from the Knight Academy but also with a large crowd of residents from the royal capital, Chiral.

Today was the public seminar festival, where the Knight Academy students would showcase the results of their daily training to the citizens. And the one delivering the opening speech was none other than the student representative, Silva.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for gathering here today. We have been blessed with fine weather, and I am truly pleased to have this opportunity to present the results of our daily training before you all.”

Silva’s speech was as formal as ever. With so many citizens—who were not students of the academy—watching, he seemed a little more nervous than usual.

“Silvaaaaaa! Your big brother’s got your back! RELAAAAAAX!”

A deep, booming voice rang out in support of Silva. The speaker was none other than Silva’s older brother, Redas Eiren, the captain of the Imperial Guard Order. As always, Redas was overly protective of his younger brother. He had been invited as a guest, but even if he hadn’t been, he surely would have shown up on his own.

“B-brother, stop that…! Be quiet…!”

The audience chuckled at Silva’s flustered reaction.

“Haha, that’s embarrassing~.”

Rafinha watched from nearby with a wry smile.

“It really is. Mister Redas’ voice carries so well, too.”

She hadn’t forgotten the time when they had helped out at the Weissmall Troupe’s performance at the grand theater in the royal capital. Inglis had been on stage when Redas had showered her with loud cheers, making it unbearably embarrassing. And to make matters worse, his subordinates from the Imperial Guards had joined in, turning it into a public spectacle.

Inglis and the others were waiting in their Flygears, ready for the formation flight that would begin after Silva’s speech. Inglis, Rafinha, and Liselotte each had their own machine, while Leone and Meltina shared one with Leone at the controls.

“Then, next, it’ll be Meltina’s turn to get showered with cheers, won’t it?”

“……”

But when Liselotte made her teasing remark, Meltina remained silent. She sat with her head slightly lowered, seemingly deep in thought.

“Meltina? What’s wrong?”

“Huh!? Oh…! Did you say something?”

Meltina suddenly lifted her head as if startled.

“The one who really needs to relax is you, Meltina. Leone, why don’t you give her a shoulder rub? It might help her loosen up a bit.”

At Rafinha’s suggestion, Leone nodded.

“You’re right. Now, turn around, Meltina. Just relax, okay?”

“Thank you. I’m not used to things like this… I get so nervous.”

Meltina took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

“But as a princess, don’t you often have to appear in public? You still get nervous?”

“This is different…! Singing in front of such a huge crowd—”

That was exactly why Meltina wasn’t holding the controls.

Even though this was supposed to be a public seminar to showcase their progress, Principal Miliera had decided to turn it into more of a festival, having the students put on various performances and even setting up food stalls.

Apparently, they hadn’t done anything like this in previous years, but the idea was to charge an entrance fee in exchange for a more extravagant and entertaining event.

“Meltina is just another victim of the principal’s whims~.”

The first-year students were tasked with a singing performance, and after holding an actual audition to determine who was the best singer, Meltina came out on top.

“Well, you could also say that the principal is just Rafinha’s and Inglis’ victim…”

“Indeed. The academy’s budget has been stretched thin, and this event probably became a paid one to help cover the costs.”

“Now, now, let’s just enjoy the event. Cutting it loose is fun every once in a while.”

“Inglis has a point.”

“Yes. We’ve been on edge a lot lately, so this will be a nice break.”

Leone and Liselotte both nodded in agreement.

“Glis, I’m pretty sure you’re just looking forward to the live combat exercise later.”

“Fufufu… No, no. Since we have paying guests coming to watch, we have to put on a proper show—don’t you think?”

“You mean you convinced the principal and forced

your way into the lineup, right~?”

“No, no, it was simply a suggestion to improve the event, you know?”

“You never run out of comebacks, do you?”

Watching Inglis and Rafinha go back and forth, Meltina let out a soft giggle.

“Fufu. You two really do get along well. It’s quite entertaining to watch.”

“Oh? You’re laughing. Feeling less nervous now?”

“Yes, a little. I realized I’d be missing out if I didn’t relax and enjoy myself.”

“Exactly! That’s the spirit! Alright, now that Meltina’s loosened up, let’s fire ourselves up, err…”

Just as Rafinha was about to get all hyped up, it became clear that Silva’s speech atop the Flygear Carrier wasn’t ending anytime soon.

“The duty of knights entrusted with Artifacts is to protect the people from the Prism Flow and the Magic Stone Beasts born from it…! Day and night, we train tirelessly to fulfill this mission. Today, by showcasing our efforts, we hope to help you understand our work, and in turn, renew our vow to become the shields that protect you all, as sworn upon our Runes—”

Perhaps thanks to Redas’ earlier encouragement, Silva’s speech was now in full swing.

“Senior Silva! That’s enough! Let’s just get started already!”

Rafinha, growing impatient, shouted at him. Well, she was right… but at this point, it was basically just heckling.

“Wha—!? Rafinha, be quiet! I’m delivering a very important speech!”

Once again, chuckles spread through the crowd at their exchange.

“Rani, Rani. You shouldn’t interrupt him, you know?”

Inglis tugged at Rafinha’s sleeve to hold her back.

“Ehh? But we finally got Meltina to loosen up. If we don’t ride this momentum— Oh, I know! Miss Ripple! Miss Ripple, tell him to hurry it up too!”

Rafinha turned to Ripple, who was seated among the honored guests, pleading for backup.

Today, besides Redas and the royal guards, Raphael and Ripple from the Holy Knight Order had also been invited. Since they were currently stationed in the capital, the timing worked out perfectly.

They weren’t just here as guests either—the academy had roped them into helping with the event to boost excitement.

On top of that, Prince Wayne, Special Envoy Theodore, and the Highlanders who had evacuated from Illuminus were also present.

“Huh? Me?”

“Rani, just wait a bit longer…”

Ripple blinked in surprise, while Raphael tried to gently calm Rafinha down.

Both of them had their own duties, but it seemed Principal Miliera had practically begged them to attend. Given the academy’s intent to capitalize on the popularity of Raphael, a Holy Knight, and Ripple, a Hyrule Menace, it was clear they were serious about attracting an audience.

“Hmm, Silva~. Rafinha has a point, you know~? And honestly, I can’t wait to see the rest already…”

“Yes, Lady Ripple! That concludes my speech! The Seminar Festival will now commence!”

“Whoa, that was fast! His reaction was totally different from when I said it!”

“ “ “Ahaha…” ” ”

His swift about-face was impressive, but since Rafinha had knowingly exploited the situation, she really had no right to complain.

“And now, we present the formation flight of our first-year students, who just joined the Knight Academy this year! Alright, everyone, go ahead!”

Stepping forward in place of Silva, Principal Miliera signaled Inglis and the others to begin.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep