Morning at Crescent Academy

Monday morning was the time for Crescent Academy's regular morning assembly.

At this moment, all the students and teachers of Crescent Academy were seated in the academy's somewhat old auditorium. That said, there were actually only thirty students and four teachers, Claire included.

"A school truly on the brink of closure."

Rainer remarked beside the podium. A normal magic academy usually had at least a hundred people, while its teachers were few in number, with one assigned to each department. Yet Crescent Academy's current situation forced its teachers to cover two or three departments each, while its student population dwindled year after year.

In fact, when Rainer took over the school, several teachers had already resigned. Most had been poached by other schools. After all, at the time, it seemed that staying would only end in dismissal, so it was better to change jobs early.

The students were all girls. Crescent Academy had a long history, and some families had sent their daughters here to study for generations. They learned not only magical knowledge, but more importantly, the manners expected of a lady. These families had never expected their daughters to become mages, so naturally, they were not overly demanding.

Rainer spotted Charlotte among the crowd. She was sitting with her roommate Ivanna, quietly discussing something.

Claire, as the dean of studies, spoke first. She summarized the previous week and arranged several plans for the coming week. At moments like this, the teacher actually looked quite trustworthy—provided one ignored the maid outfit she was wearing.

Claire had to keep wearing that outfit for a week, but she seemed to be gradually accepting the arrangement. As for the students, they had discussed it at first, but once they got used to it, they no longer had any objections.

"Principal, you're up next."

Aili Miya, the student council president, spoke coldly to Rainer. The brown-haired girl wore an impeccably expressionless poker face, seemingly looking down greatly on Rainer's earlier behavior.

"Thank you."

Rainer did not mind her attitude. Changing one's image was not something that could be done overnight. He walked onto the podium and met Claire's eyes as she stepped down. The dean of studies immediately turned her face away, looking faintly annoyed. No matter what, giving a speech onstage in a maid outfit was simply too embarrassing. This was all Rainer's fault.

Reaching the front, Rainer swept his gaze over the audience. Most of the students looked uninterested. Only students like Charlotte were watching him, waiting for him to speak.

Taking a deep breath, Rainer began. He had no script, because he had already drafted everything in his mind.

"Good morning, students and teachers. First of all, this is my first morning assembly speech since becoming principal of Crescent Academy. However, I have some regrettable news to announce."

His very first sentence caught the students' attention. Rainer paused before continuing.

"Crescent Academy is about to be shut down."

"Huh?" "What, what, what?" "No way?" "How could this happen?"

Rainer's words caused an uproar among the girls. The concept of a school being shut down was far too remote for them, but its meaning was easy enough to understand.

"As you can see, most of the school's facilities have fallen into disrepair due to a lack of funding. Enrollment has sharply declined, more than half the teachers have resigned, and more importantly, the school has ranked at the lowest level for several years. This year, with teachers leaving, we also lack sufficient academic points. If we fail the review three months from now, this school will indeed be shut down."

"Then if the school is gone, where will we go?"

A bold girl in the front row directly raised her voice to ask.

"Based on past cases, you should be assigned to other schools. Of course, since one school cannot take all the students, you may be scattered among several different schools."

Though there were not many students, there had been cases in the past where students from closed schools formed cliques at their new schools. That was why this rule was later established: students from a closed school had to be assigned to different schools so they could integrate into their new groups more quickly.

Rainer's words threw everyone into panic once more. If the school's fate still felt abstract, then the imminent separation from their friends was a crisis close at hand.

Rather than quieting the auditorium, Rainer chose to let their emotions ferment for a while.

Unease, sadness, and hesitation spread among the students. They were still teenage girls, sensitive and emotional, not yet nobles who placed profit above all else or mages who were rational and reserved. Only after these feelings had gradually seeped into everyone's hearts did Rainer speak again.

"But students, please note my condition: Crescent Academy will only be shut down if we fail to pass the review three months from now."

At Rainer's words, the girls' restless chatter immediately fell silent. All thirty girls stared at Rainer, making the principal smile.

"Claire and I already have a preliminary plan to save the school. You will see results before long. Here, I only want to tell you two things."

Everyone pricked up their ears, wanting to hear what Rainer had to say.

"First, I will not stop any of you from making your own choice. I know that some of you come from highly influential noble families. Rather than remain at a school like this, you could rely on your family's influence to attend a better school. If you leave now, you might even still make it in time for some schools' opening ceremonies."

His words made Claire's expression change. Has this guy gone mad? How could he say something like that? It was practically encouraging so many students to abandon Crescent Academy. This kind of self-defeating behavior was unbelievably foolish!

Claire forcibly suppressed the urge to rush up and drag Rainer down from the podium. However, an alchemical servant slowly flew over and delivered a letter to her, stopping her from acting on impulse.

The students were very quiet. No one spoke, and no one left. Even the few girls glancing around did not dare open their mouths under the weight of the atmosphere.

"Second, I would like each of you to write down on a piece of paper what you want to do in the future, or what you want to obtain, and hand it in."

Rainer's words stirred the crowd again. No one understood his intention. Essays with topics like "My Dream" had gone out of fashion long ago, when they were still children. With the school facing a closure crisis, why was Rainer asking them to write such things?

Rainer offered no explanation. He merely gave a mysterious smile before announcing,

"Well then, students, please enjoy your school life to the fullest."

The morning assembly ended, and Rainer slowly stepped down from the podium. Facing Claire's complicated expression, he shrugged innocently.

Claire sighed, seeming utterly helpless where Rainer was concerned. She handed him the letter in her hand, then spoke.

"These are the review results for your paper. Also, a lady is waiting for you in the reception room."