Stuck as a Villain!

Chapter 150: Sudden Announcement?

The emperor of Ranghaur—Emperor Arthur Elheim el Bernford, was a strong man with a prideful visage. His presence was enough to make the people conscious of their behavior around him.

Tall and broad frame with platinum golden hair and blue eyes. I could see that my grandparents really must have been a charmer to have someone like the Emperor and mother as their children.

The stage was currently occupied by the Sage—Salamander and the Principal along with the Emperor of the winning team who would congratulate the Academy for concluding on top.

I along with Maydeath and Anabelle stood near the front with our respective glasses in hand as the Sage began to speak.

"Every year I find some new talent and a potential shining above all. An individual who catches my attention the most and someone whose future I could prematurely assume. Take the example of Saebes Lewinhart, the battle junky and the popular muscle head of his time. Many people believed that he would end up dead because of his hot-blooded nature and his naivety when it comes to mind games, however, now we all know where he is currently and what achievements that remarkable man has accomplished. "

Kevin evidently stood more straight when the Sage suddenly brought up the topic of his father. No surprise that Kevin respects his old man so much since Saebes indeed have gone against his odds and it overcame his weaknesses to become the current General of the Knight Order.

"However, this tournament was special. Even if I want to, I simply can not find someone so excessively better than others. It's not because you all aren't good enough, rather I have seen so many talented youths in this tournament that I wasn't able to put any distinguishable factor at the end. "

The speech was the same as what transpired in the canon yet the two ladies on either side of me were intently glaring at the Salamander for some reason.

'Did they want to be recognized... ?' Indeed Anabelle and Maydeath were exceptional on the battlefield but knowing the plot they should have been expecting this, no?

'But...why are you glaring at him all of a sudden, mother... ?' I would pretend to be oblivious to what mutual grounds these three women could grow suddenly wary of Salamander and focus on the announcement for now.

"However, as per the rules I need to decide the MVP of the tournament, and after a lot of consideration, I have come to acknowledge a single individual who has impressed me with such aspects which generally get ignored by most of the youths. "

I surely wasn't the one considering many facts. For starters, I was late for the first round which eliminates the factor of my being a diligent contestant regardless of whatever situation arose from my side.

Somehow I already had a feeling to whom this award could go and when the Sage spoke again, I got my hunch proven to be right.

"Ciel Ionhart, please step forward. "

A round of applause erupted in the hall as the name of the possibly most diligent and hardworking student of Pristine Academy was announced.

The girl in question was startled enough to start glancing around to find whether there was another Ciel amongst the participants.

'Don't panic, Ciel. You deserve it so be proud and go up there. '

I telepathically transferred my words to which Ciel visibly calmed down before she glanced at me with a thankful expression.

I nodded at the girl before she took a deep breath and began walking toward the stage.

"Tch..."

"Such a shame... "

The two ladies on either side shared not-so-favorable thoughts.

The medal and the reward for becoming the most valuable player were awarded to the girl who was on the verge of tears.

The claps from the audience never halted which signified how everyone thought highly of Ciel. For some reason, I was also feeling proud at the moment.

Once Ciel returned to her spot, the Sage once again walked into the spotlight.

"Before we move to the award ceremony of the top three, this busybody student of mine would like to announce something."

This 'student' was referred to as the Emperor of Ranghaur who upon being called stepped forward with a charming smile that made many girls sigh in awe. Seriously, this man was in his late thirties yet even without his title of an emperor many women are still prepared to throw themselves at him.

"My beloved students. Regardless of what position you ended up in, keep in mind that I am utterly proud of you all. "

His booming voice resonated vibrantly across the ceremonial hall. It was backed up by a similar spell as Salamander which let the very last person standing at the backside to hear the Emperor clearly.

A surge of elation raced across the hall upon hearing the words. Though it didn't change anything in their rankings, the happiness of being recognized by such a remarkable man was hefty enough to bring enthusiasm to the audience.

"Moving to the topic at hand, there has been some discussion regarding the sudden elevation of high-crowned temples. It has been recorded that the appearance of so many temples has never been this frequent in the past."

The atmosphere instantly sobered up upon hearing the news that most of the students were unaware of. However, since this was going just as the plot I wasn't surprised.

What grabbed my attention was the fact that why the Emperor was addressing this news all of a sudden now which could make the students panic.

And with the Emperor's following words, I soon received my answer and also the reason why my mother has been grinning widely for a while now.

"To counter the rising danger it has been decided that every empire would be recruiting students from their respective central Academy and train them so one day they could stand at the frontlines while carrying the responsibility of vanguards. "

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