On the day of the soire?e.

    I didn''t know what kind of madness had taken hold of him, but Andrew-san, a member of the Shutrene Ducal House much like Miharu-san, suddenly proposed to Schord that he be the guest speaker for the ?Inception Ceremony? and pestered the latter to say yes.

    Schord did what I expected him to do, and firmly rejected him.

    Nevertheless, Andrew-san didn''t stop with his pestering, and amidst all that, His Majesty noticed the situation and with a look of interest, asked them what it was all about. Schord explained the situation, and why he rejected the invitation.

    "One''s worth is decided by others, not by oneself. And it takes more than rumors to reach that conclusion. At the end of the day, humans would never be convinced of anything unless they decide so themselves. This is our nature.

    Sure, many eyes are upon you right now, but that can be summarized with ''Wow, sounds amazing'' and then they’ll go back to their normal lives. If you have nothing special going for you as you claim, then it would be better to show your true worth and correct the inflated rumors about you. This is your chance if you want others to look at Allen and Roselia for what they are, beyond your teachings. That won''t happen as long as you keep hiding in the shadows."

    This was how His Majesty gave his wisdom after listening to Schord''s explanation. Sure enough, the latter hesitated when he saw logic in those words. On the other hand, a mischievous grin appeared on His Majesty''s face when he saw Schord''s doubt, so he gave him one last push.

    "Well, if you still think this is something out of your league, I can only *increase* the reward meant for the Rovenne family. You see, I honestly don''t believe the rewards I’ve granted are enough, and I obviously won''t stand to see the Rovenne house being underestimated in contrast to your evaluations. It would be pathetic of me as a king if I let such a thing happen."

    ...For the love of all that is holy, just give me the freaking manual book to understand this king!

    Under the pressure of His Majesty''s reward harassment, Father and I hurriedly tried to convince Schord.

    ◆◆◆

    "He''s an exceptional instructor, and also a great thinker. Everyone, please welcome, Master Schord Bainfuas."

    The audience gave the loudest applause for that day when they heard Shutrene-san''s words, their astonished voices mingling among the thunderous echo.

    Great thinker?... I think I now understand the saying, ''Many mouths, many stories.'' His welcome was strikingly similar to a superstar at this point.

    Back at our home that night—

    After it was decided that Schord would be giving a speech after the push from His Majesty, Schord had a dejected aura around him, understandably so.

    "I would prefer if the rumors about me die down, but... I wouldn''t be able to stand it if this brings troubles to Young Master Allen and Lady Roselia. Above all, it would be dishonest to the third-years for me to not do my best on their grand day."

    I promptly dismissed Schord''s words.

    "You don''t have to give it too much thought, Schord. Moreover, neither I nor my elder sister care for what the world thinks about us. Am I right, sister?"

    Agreeing with me, my sister responded with a ''Yeah, I don''t care'' remark in a heartbeat when I sought her opinion to clear Schord''s thoughts.

    I broke out in a cold sweat.

    I didn’t remember telling him to do that... Did he think of it himself?

    *Ahem*, I guess it just means Schord had a lot of respect for everyone present today.

    This beautiful bow silenced the previously noisy venue. A strange vibe spread across the venue.

    Needless to say, the regret of going overboard had started to come to me, and maybe, my action was about to create a new round of rumors.

    Schord remained still until the venue went completely quiet, and in an abrupt, but truly congratulatory tone, he started—

    "...A person’s life is like a long journey, carrying a heavy burden with itself. One must not rush. If you accept the fetters that come with it as a constant, you’ll never feel lacking. Those who fixate on the victory in front of them will never reach their true destination. What cannot be done is often overcome by what surpasses it.

    ...As the moment for you to depart on yet another new journey has arrived, the path does not yet exist. But you must step forward with courage. The path will be made by the very steps you take, and one day it will shine brightly—"

    "...Hey, Allen, where are you going? Aren’t you going to listen to Schord''s speech?"

    "...I’m going to the restroom. Besides, I can already guess his words. Don''t forget, I’ve been learning from him ever since I was little."

    No way could I have listened to Schord''s speech, that was filled with plagiarized words, with a straight face. Moreover, why the heck was everyone listening to him with such somber expressions.

    The last I heard, graduation ceremonies of foreign universities in my previous life were carried out in a more jolly air, with everyone teasing each other. Where the heck was all that?!

    "...You must have dreams—"

    I grimaced and quickly left the venue.

    ◆

    This speech by Schord Bainfause deeply moved everyone present, piercing their hearts like an arrow, and the thunderous standing ovation poured out like rain after his speech had ended.

    Schord kept his head lowered until the applause died down.

    This speech as well as his gestures from the moment he made his entry up until when he left was meticulously recorded by the first-class secretary dispatched by King Patrick. The graduates were handed the full text of the speech along with Schord’s bromide photo, and it quickly spread throughout the public.

    Before long, this legendary speech would earn the title of "The Journey" and would be consolidated succinctly as ''Schord''s Seven Commandments.'' It was so sensationalized that one could always obtain pamphlets of the speech in any bar restroom of the kingdom.

    T/N - Damn, Seven Commandments. Schord''s story archetype sounds like ''repeat until it becomes truth.''

    P.s. - Will be updating missing two chapters tomorrow (Tuesday). A bit of hiccup from last week continued to persist as it appears.