Chapter 71: Pioneer

“Greetings, everyone!” I steadied my voice.

“The ceremony might have been unique enough to have drained the life out of everyone here.”

My statement earned a few chuckles from the audience.

“I won’t take much of your time. Firstly, as the new student representative, I must welcome you all on behalf of the academy.”

I said while giving a brief glance to the headmaster, who stood a few feet away from me.

There were some claps among the audience, leading to everyone appreciating my welcome.

“On my way here, I heard our fellow batchmate speaking his mind at this very place.”

My gaze drifted towards where Noah sat.

Not knowing how to respond, Noah waved his hand once.

Fool!

“He spoke about being grateful to the academy for letting students like him learn at this esteemed institute along with everyone else.”

I knew where I was going with my statements.

“And his words—they just touched my heart in ways I didn’t know.”

My voice was steady, as was my expression.

I found it against my character to speak something like this before such a huge crowd, but I had to do it.

As for the students… none of them interrupted my speech. They listened with interest—curious to know what a noble like me thought.

“I realized the hardships that a common man has to endure in this world just to fulfil the mere necessity of being formally trained and educated—what I believe is one of the most basic rights that every individual deserves, irrespective of his origins and race.”

My words seemed to have hit the mark, as many students nodded in approval.

Most of them being commoners.

What I said wasn’t anything new to them… but being spoken from the mouth of someone like me—a noble, and from House Frost no less—had its own importance.

“For the people who have great ambitions and the talent to back them, but are limited due to their financial condition…”

I paused for a moment to let them understand my words on a deeper level.

“The academy certainly provides you with the required scholarships to fund your tuition fees while at the same time allowing you to afford good housing and food. This may sound good on paper, but trust me, getting stronger on the path to power requires more than just having such basic facilities.”

The commoners had a look of realization on their faces as they started to think about their possible futures.

“And it pains me to see the immense loss of talent that we suffer from year after year, only due to the obstacle that monetary wealth creates in your lives.”

I had a serious expression on my face… like I genuinely cared for the future of the masses—

And I really did!

Cough…

“So thinking about the situation, I have taken the liberty to make things better for you.”

Silence.

Be it the nobles, commoners, or the staff from the academy… each of them was glued to their seats, waiting to hear my next words.

As a Frost, my statement had a legitimacy that couldn’t be ignored, irrespective of the rumours about me that had been widely circulated in the world a few years ago.

In order to buy things in the academy, besides the scholarships, the commoners had to earn what they called Merit Points—the base currency used in the academy.

And for that, they had to invest a huge chunk of their time in completing jobs that mostly didn’t benefit them individually.

So investing in these pitiful creatures while they were still at their lowest… was the best possible decision that I could come up with at the moment.

It might not be the most effective, but it was certainly a reasonable choice.

As Kael, I had to have a good image in the world so as not to be associated with X—if by some chance the events in the future turned out against my interests.

I didn’t like being a hero.

It was beneath me.

But that didn’t mean I had to be a villain either.

I could play between the lines without committing to a single side.

And people forgive neutrality more than having a commitment to something and not fulfilling it.

As for why I was supporting the commoners…

History has been a spectator to the fall of many great empires and their rulers, only because the masses had turned against them.

No matter how strong you are… at the end of the day, it is these masses that make you the ruler you project yourself as.

You can’t be a ruler if you don’t have anyone to rule over.

That was why having a good image before these masses was a more practical approach than randomly boasting about my superiority before them and being cold without reason.

No matter the world, I have always been pragmatic in my approach.

“I may not be able to fund all your expenses… but I can say with confidence that I will strive to support you to the utmost of my capabilities.”

Clap. Clap. Clap.

“Woah.”

“Damn, he’s good at heart, man!”

“Yeah. As they say, never judge a book by its cover.”

“Fuck those rumours.”

The students cheered at my proclamation.

I could see the quiet expressions on the students sitting at the front—royals, perhaps.

I had a good amount of wealth generated from D.X.’s sources. But that didn’t mean I would exhaust my money on these… people.

I just had to make an announcement… the rest would soon follow.

After my statement, none of the royals or any of the people in power would be able to stay silent.

They would have to start their own charity campaigns in order to look like the rulers the public expected them to be.

And…

The money they would invest going forward would be, one way or another, attached to my own name.

Heh.

People only remember the pioneers.

This was how the world worked—

And I would make sure it worked the way it should!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep