And now, the fourth-year top student, Sage of Winter's daughter—Winnie Skadi—was also preparing backstage.
After sweeping his gaze over several others, Dark quickly withdrew it.
Then, at last, he spoke. "Good evening, first-year freshmen, second-year students, and upperclassmen of the third year. It is my great honor to stand on this stage as the top student of the second year. During the previous school year, things were not easy for us..."
A very standard opening.
Even Dark himself had not expected to sound so formulaic the moment he opened his mouth.
But he continued along those lines, speaking with such fluency that his words seemed to flow without end.
Several minutes later, he only stopped abruptly when Principal Arte's voice transmission entered his ears. He simply skipped over more than half of what he had prepared and gave an even more standard open-ended conclusion.
"That is enough idle talk. I imagine that while you may have some interest in lengthy speeches, they still cannot compare to experiencing romance for yourselves."
"At the end of this speech, I have condensed the reason I was able to become the top student into three words. I hope those who come after me may learn something from them."
"These three words are: Cut, Relinquish, Detach!"
After those words fell, Dark quickly left the stage amid the slightly puzzled looks of the students below.
Principal Arte smoothly transitioned to the current third-year top student.
Then came the fourth, fifth, and sixth years.
Yet no matter how wonderful the speeches of those who followed were, none could surpass Dark's final summary of just three words.
The more one contemplated those three words he had left behind, the more lingering meaning they seemed to possess.
But when he had casually uttered them, he probably never imagined