Novel Bin Chapter 221: Graduation Ceremony (1)
The semester has long been over and the seniors\' graduation has long been delayed.
It can\'t be helped; traveling with such a grand convoy was bound to be slower compared to traveling with a few small carriages as they did previously.
Moreover, they spent way more time in Valenzia City this time; they won the whole thing after all.
Due to this, the graduation ceremony was moved to today.
It couldn\'t be delayed any longer as the next semester was fast approaching and the academy still had to make preparations to accommodate probably the largest influx of entrance examinees in the history of the academy.
Hence, Shye only had a few hours to indulge his sentimental heart.
Groggily standing up from his bed, Shye gently rubbed his eyes as he yawned. He wanted to sleep a bit longer, regrettably, he couldn\'t do so today.
After washing his face, the last bits of sleepiness faded away, allowing him to descend the stairs, fix and relish a hearty breakfast, before ambling out of his dormitory.
It was a great day.
Temperate winds gently caressed his skin, moving in and out of his lungs as Shye took one deep breath.
Strolling through the academy grounds in a good mood, he visited all the facilities one last time.
The quest hall, the skills pavilion, the reward hall, the academy shops, the academy canteen, the dueling grounds, and last but not least, the training grounds where he spent most of his time as a freshman student.
Memories of training under his favorite instructor, Fienna, resurfaced in his mind and he couldn\'t help but smile gently.
\'I should make time and visit them once in a while in the future…\' thought Shye as he observed the unusually busy training grounds.
Despite it being the semester break, numerous freshmen and sophomores were training fervently, their eyes ablaze with determination.
Shye wasn\'t stupid—well, not anymore at least so he had an inkling of why these students were training so hard; they were inspired by their academy\'s victory in the recent Adventurer Academy Competition.
\'Hehehe…Becoming an academy celebrity who inspires others to work hard sure feels good…\' thought Shye before checking the time.
"Crap! I\'m gonna be late again!" he exclaimed before making a mad dash towards the dormitory.
He still needed to prepare and look good for the graduation ceremony after all.
***
An hour and a half quickly passed.
Under the proud gaze of the blazing sun in the sky, seven dormitory doors swung open simultaneously, as if the occupants of those seven rooms had orchestrated the action.
Naturally, the seven occupants were the seven Colzen representatives.
Usually, the graduation of Colzen Monastery students was done inside the monastery itself, however, just this once, the archpriest was willing to make concessions, allowing not only Wendy but also other senior priest and priestess students to graduate with their friends from the academy.
Due to this, the Colzen Academy square, where the graduation ceremony was held, was quite packed this year.
There were lots of priest and priestess students after all.
However, this distinctive graduation ceremony was bound to leave a lasting impression, eventually evolving into a tradition at Colzen Academy—observed solely when the academy secures a spot in the grand finals of the Adventurer Academy Competition.
Coincidentally meeting each other halfway towards the square, the Colzen representatives happily chatted with each other as they walked towards the ceremony\'s venue, unknowingly forming a striking group.
They didn\'t realize that their graduation uniforms were different from the regular graduates, hence, when they arrived, heads inevitably turned towards their direction.
It wasn\'t solely the strikingly different robes that drew attention, although they certainly contributed; rather, it was their status as the seven heroes of the academy that caused heads to turn in the square.
Astoundingly, a few moments later, the crowd began to cheer upon their arrival, as though no other graduating students mattered except for the seven distinguished individuals.
Things got chaotic.
However, the five deans (including the archpriest) merely smiled; they had no intention to stop the ongoing ruckus.
As novice adventurers with promising futures ahead, these seven individuals had to acclimate to such attention in order to maintain their composure and prevent themselves from appearing foolish in future endeavors.
Hence, the deans waited for things to calm down before starting the ceremony.
After a while, Dean Privett stood up, stepped forward, and grabbed the mana-powered microphone.
"Students, instructors, and staff members, today signifies the occasion of our 108th Graduation Ceremony. Let us applaud not only for our achievements but also for the cherished institution that has nurtured us." said the dean, taking the lead in applauding themselves for a great academic year—the others, promptly following suit.
Pausing to allow the atmosphere to settle, the dean cast her gaze over the crowd, her expression a blend of gentleness and dignity, before resuming her speech.
"As most of you know, our academy customarily holds the graduation ceremony a bit earlier, however, due to certain extremely welcome circumstances, we were delayed and we, the deans, sincerely apologize to everyone."
"The graduates of our beloved academy have always been excellent—consistently a notch above others as they entered the world of professional adventurers. This batch was naturally not any different and I, Evelyn Privett, congratulate each of you for four years of a job well done."
"As faculty members, we watched with pride as you, our cherished students, conquered the most challenging obstacles. While we wish every one of you could have succeeded, it\'s an unavoidable reality for adventurers to suffer mishaps as it\'s an inherent part of our duty to bravely confront dangers in pursuit of a better future."
"To those of you who have reached this milestone, hold your heads high with pride. While this signifies the conclusion of your time at the academy, it also marks the commencement of your journey as bona fide adventurers. Remember, you are never alone; your instructors and we, the deans, will always be rooting for you."