NOVEL NEXT chapter 17
17 – I am Edgar Fix.
“Edgar Fix, come up to the podium.”
The princess calling Edgar Fix.
A heavy silence settled in the hall.
A talented person that the princess pays attention to, and a commoner who has learned mana on her own.
Everyone is holding their breath to confirm the identity with their own two eyes.
“Prepare the scoop.”
In this silence, journalists were silently busy.
Provocative headlines were already being written.
All that was left was to press the camera shutter, waiting for Ed to come up on the podium.
“Sigh···. Cephilia.”
However, all of this was a headache for Elena.
Ed is the second disciple he accepted.
I tried to grow it slowly without exposing it to the outside world as much as possible.
He was a child with unprecedented talent in history, so he tried to raise it as carefully as possible.
As much as the ripple effect was enormous, I was worried about the aftermath that would blow over Ed.
However, the capricious disciple, Princess Sepilia, turned everything upside down.
Originally, Ed should have been introduced when it was her turn, but the princess knocked the ball out first.
And that too, in a way that exposes everyone to it.
-Jeobuck… Jeobuck…
But the water has already spilled.
As long as the princess gave the order, they had no choice but to follow it.
Ed, who had been burying himself in the darkness of the backstage, appeared.
The sound of his footsteps quietly resonated throughout the hall.
gulp.
Everyone looked at the handsome boy climbing the stairs with a nervous expression on his face.
“Eh, Mr. Edgar…?”
The first person to recognize Ed was Enya.
When the princess called ‘Edgar Fix’, she thought it was impossible, but she didn’t expect it to be real.
The Edgar he knew was not Professor Schneider’s son.
“What, what happened?”
“Didn’t you say Professor Schneider’s restraint?”
“A commoner’s brat… is that right?”
And it wasn’t just Enya who was surprised by Ed’s appearance.
The children of her old friends, the Duke.
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Lucas, Claire, and Isabella also watched Ed as he climbed onto the podium with a surprised look on his face.
Because of his neat appearance and dignified manner of speaking, it was naturally assumed that he was the son of an aristocrat.
Above all, I saw with my own two eyes that the special system was used, and Schneider was a family that dealt with the special system.
For that reason, they were the ones who easily accepted Enya’s words.
“Meet the princess.”
At that time, Ed, who came up on the podium, bowed to the princess.
Kneel on your left knee, place your right arm on your left chest, and place your left hand on your waist.
It was the etiquette of a perfectly educated aristocrat.
At this, the intestines were in an uproar.
– Are you a commoner?
-Anyone can see that he’s just an aristocrat.
-You’ve never met the princess, how could a commoner have manners?
Why is the hall so noisy?
It was because Ed’s posture was perfect.
In particular, there were many cases in which lower-class nobles, such as barons, were not familiar with the manners taken by the imperial family.
It was a rare occurrence for them to treat the imperial family alone.
But Ed perfectly understood the etiquette and did it flawlessly.
On the subject of being a mere commoner.
‘Is it fun?’
And the princess was looking at Ed with interest.
It is because the picture he was drawing became a completely different aspect due to his calm attitude.
‘Hmm. I was just trying to embarrass myself.’
Originally, Edgar was trying to embarrass Fix.
After suddenly summoning him to the podium to embarrass him, he planned to make him a laughing stock for not knowing what to do with the royal family.
Because there is no way to know the manners that commoners and the like take to the imperial family.
‘Did my sister teach me?’
But Ed’s posture was perfect.
It was commendable not only for his posture, but also for holding it until permission was given.
Soon after, the princess raised the corner of her mouth and called out to Ed.
“Wake up, Edgar Fix.”
Ed gets up when Yun-heo runs out.
The princess stepped aside slightly and pointed to the podium she was standing on and said.
“This is a place prepared to let you know. I would like to hear your aspirations for entering this place beyond your status.”
By that I meant to introduce myself.
A sudden self-introduction is an opportunity to see the person’s improvisation.
In this situation where everyone is paying attention, I was very curious about how this unusual boy would define himself.
Eventually, Ed stepped onto the podium.
In the midst of tension, he finally opened his mouth.
“Nice to meet you. Edgar Fix.”
Ed started his self-introduction with a casual greeting.
And it was intentionally left out.
to get everyone’s attention.
After a while, Ed looked around the audience and continued.
“Today, I heard several rumors about me. It must be the scion of a fallen nobleman. It must be a nobleman who inherited the lineage of the trait system. It must be Professor Schneider’s restraint… They were all rumors speculating on my origin.”
Ed comments on the rumors that follow him.
Most of the incoming students nodded.
A new face that made Enya laugh.
A handsome black-haired boy.
This is because most of the new students consumed Ed’s rumors as gossip.
“However, the surname ‘Pix’ was never mentioned in those rumors. Entering here with the last name of a commoner is something no one could have imagined.”
Everyone agreed with Ed’s words.
As he said, it was unimaginable for a commoner to become a student here.
Ed pointed out a fact that everyone could agree on, and then continued.
“However, even with the surname Pix, I was able to become a student at the Imperial Academy here. It is because I received the grace of the princess.”
Ed paused for a moment and looked around the audience.
Up to this point, everyone was agreeable.
Because he only told the truth.
However, this was intentional.
To be able to accept your own words naturally.
I only mentioned the facts that everyone can easily understand.
“However, I cannot be recognized just because I received the princess’ grace.”
And from here, it was a turning point.
It is to open everyone’s ears to the obvious fact, and suddenly point out an uncomfortable fact.
“No, most of the new students probably won’t admit it. Even if I realized mana myself, even if I had talent in magic, even if I handled machinery well, even if I received the favor of the princess, deep down in my heart, I would not be able to acknowledge it. Just because my name has ‘Fix’ at the end.”
An uncomfortable truth that was recognized by the princess, but was inherently unacceptable.
Ed was referring to the visceral displeasure a noble would feel.
Although he was a commoner, he did not evade saying that he would like a favor, but broke through head-on.
Ed continued in an atmosphere as if he had been splashed with cold water.
“But I do not consider the discomfort you feel as discrimination. Rather, I think it is a natural emotion that you should feel properly. Because the family name at the end of your name is your pride.”
pride.
Ed said that the discomfort the nobles felt stemmed from their pride.
He cut off his dissatisfaction with himself as ‘originating from pride’.
Now it was time to convince them why.
“Your castle has history and tradition. The Cruell family, which produced seven sword masters throughout the history of the empire. Prince Graham sacrificed himself to protect the North from the monster wave 170 years ago. 230 years ago, when the capital of the empire was in danger of being captured, Duke Bernhard led thousands of cavalry and wiped out the enemies. 115 years ago…”
Ed mentioned the name of a prominent family.
From dukes to marquesses, counts, and barons.
Every time the name of Edgar’s family was called, the newly admitted student with that family’s name flinched and could feel the pride instilled in his heart.
After mentioning the achievements of about 18 families, Ed looked around the audience and said,
“Everyone. The family name at the end of your name is a testament to the history and tradition that has passed down that great will. And I respect the authority and pride that comes from family tradition.”
The audience’s expression changed.
Ed’s few words filled the new student’s sense of calling, which could not be filled even with an hour-long video.
Everyone waited for Ed’s next words.
Eventually, Ed opened his mouth.
“Edgar Fix. But I am Edgar Fix. I am shabby compared to you. Nowhere in Imperial literature has the surname Pix been mentioned.”
Ed who elevates his audience and humbles himself.
some in the audience. No, more than half felt their hearts throb when they saw Ed’s bitter expression.
I fell into Ed’s story and immersed myself in his heart.
But Ed immediately raised his head.
He erased the bitterness from his face.
Then, looking around at the audience, he opened his mouth.
“However, the Fixes have been quietly doing their job on the back pages of history. It’s been hammering constantly. ‘Fix’ literally means to repair or mend.”
Ed’s voice began to gain strength.
With everyone’s attention focused on him, he said the following.
“We, Fixga, have been with you through the history of all your struggles. Even when defending the north from monster waves, when the capital was in danger of being captured by the allied forces, and when demons made fun of many small and medium-sized cities, we continued to beat the hammer. Every weapon born from the tip of that hammer has been put into the hands of a great warrior.”
The atmosphere was heightened.
Ed’s voice rose as well, and his breathing quickened.
“I am not ashamed of my family name. I’m definitely a fix. I didn’t come here to be a sword master, and I didn’t come to be an archmage. I did not come to get ahead by relying on your authority. I’m just here to hit the hammer. Competing with you, learning the same, working together to achieve some goal. That’s how I grew up through it all, and I’m here to put the best gear in your hands.”
Ed took a moment to catch his breath.
I looked around the audience.
The same hostility as before was almost gone.
He started accepting himself.
“So, I dare to promise you here. We will do our best to put the best weapon in your hands. Just a little bit, a little bit, open your heart to me.”
Ed concluded his self-introduction and nodded lightly to the audience.
Then, after lightly bowing to the princess who was looking at him with a blank expression, she left her last words on the voice amplifier (microphone).
“And, to Her Majesty the Empire itself and the successor to the greatest name, Princess Sepilia, thank you for providing such an honorable place. So, this concludes my introduction. thank you.”
The princess twisted the corner of her mouth after hearing Ed’s last words.
I suddenly brought Ed here to embarrass him, but it was because it only raised his status.
and Ed. I was watering myself by saying thank you for giving me this opportunity.
For the princess, it was an outrageous provocation.
‘Keuk. You have a lot of guts?’
However, Ed’s provocation was already calculated.
Having played this game many times, Ed knew very well what to do to unlock the episode of the princess.
She tended to prefer the style of treating herself harshly rather than a well-mannered man.
match. match. match. match. match.
In the meantime, applause began to erupt from all over the place.
A perfect speech, flawless in many ways.
Many nobles opened their hearts to Ed and applauded him.
There were also female students who were interested in him simply because they were attracted to his appearance.
Some of the cadets were moved by Ed’s belief in the surname ‘Fix’ and recognized him.
Or there were those who were satisfied that he had praised them by mentioning their family, and there were the old-fashioned nobles who were impressed by his elegant manners and diction.
Since he was excellent in many ways, most of the nobles were in an atmosphere of accepting Ed for one reason or another.
“…”
And, Enya was blushing as she looked at Ed.
A man who sticks to his convictions without giving in to his status.
Because this is true ‘romance’.
He had the spirit of baldoje.
“Hmm. It’s usable even for a commoner. It also came out pretty cute.”
“Sheesh. The student representative oath will be buried. I thought it was pretty cool.”
“Lucas, you’re too kind.”
Also, the other children of the duchy also recognized Ed in their hearts.
Even Isabella, the king of the end of authoritarianism.
Her cat-like eyes curled enchantingly and focused on Ed.
‘Oh, I want to make it my toy. After making it my own, I want to cherish it for a long time…♥’