It was Maria again who pulled it all together.

She leaned forward, her eyes steady. "What about this…?"

Her voice was quiet, but the room hushed anyway.

"I am not here to rule you. I am not here to command. I am here to stand beside you, to shield you when no one else will. Not as a noble, not as a warrior but as a student, like you."

The silence after was different this time. Heavy. Resonant.

Michael looked at her, stunned. "…That's it."

Leon whistled low. "Damn, Maria."

Aurelia smirked knowingly. "Well, looks like someone found his speechwriter."

Maria's cheeks colored again, and she looked away quickly. "…It's not perfect. It's just a start."

But Michael smiled faintly, a rare softness on his face. "It's more than a start."

---

They stayed like that until late into the night, drafting and redrafting, arguing over commas, teasing each other over word choice, and occasionally pausing just to laugh at how ridiculous the process was.

And when they finally had something coherent messy, imperfect, but undeniably Michael they leaned back, exhausted but satisfied.

The parchment in front of him wasn't just ink anymore. It was a promise.

Not borrowed. Not forced.

His.

===================

Next Morning —

The Grand Assembly Hall of Hero Academy had never felt so alive.

Sunlight slanted through tall arched windows, catching the dust in golden rays that fell across polished stone floors. Banners bearing the academy crest .

The air hummed with noise, with expectation, with the nervous energy of several hundred students pressed shoulder to shoulder.

Every club sat together, banners raised above their clusters like small armies waiting in camp. Nobles in pristine uniforms whispered behind fans or smirked with aristocratic confidence. Commoners sat a little straighter than usual, their eyes sharp, their voices hushed. Mercenary cadets leaned in the aisles with arms crossed, exchanging bets on who'd come out on top.

It wasn't just a school event. This was the Student Union Nomination Assembly—the day power shifted hands.

Michael sat in the back row beside Leon and Aiden, trying not to fidget. He could feel the weight of it pressing on him—the sense that this wasn't just about who gave the prettiest speech. It was about the academy's balance of power. Nobles vs. commoners. Tradition vs. reform. And somehow, he was caught in the middle.

"Man," Aiden muttered under his breath, running a hand through his storm-gray hair. "Feels like we're waiting for the Emperor himself to show up."

Leon chuckled softly, golden eyes glinting. "For some of them, this is more important than the Emperor."

Before Michael could answer, the room hushed as a single figure walked across the stage

Vice Principal Sophia Emberheart.

She stood tall, draped in crimson robes embroidered with golden phoenixes. Her presence alone was enough to silence a crowd of three hundred. Her eyes—amber and sharp—swept the room, meeting gazes and pinning them down until no one dared whisper.

"Students of Hero Academy," she began, her voice cool and commanding. "Today begins a of Academy major Event Cycle that has been going every two years Cycle as more than any of you. The election of your Student Union. Here, you will choose your leaders. Those who speak for you. Those who guide you."

Her gaze paused for just briefly moment on Michael, before moving on.

"The Union is not a game," she continued. "It is a reflection of the world outside these walls. Nobles, commoners, scholars, warriors , you all hold pieces of Academ's future. Choose wisely."

The hall breathed as one, waiting.

Sophia lifted a hand. "Now. We will hear from those who stand for nomination. First will be Emily Lionheart, candidate for President of the Student Union."

Emily rose from her seat with quiet grace.

Her uniform—white trimmed in gold—fit her like armor, though she moved as though weightless. Blonde hair cascaded in waves, her green eyes steady and serene. She stepped onto the stage and, for a moment, the room felt smaller, as if drawn inward by her presence.

Michael leaned forward, instinctively.

Emily didn't raise her voice. She didn't need to.

"Fellow students," she began, her tone calm but carrying to every corner of the hall. "Two years ago, I had the honor of serving as your President. In those years, I saw strength in every corner of this academy—not only in the duelists and dungeon raiders, but in the scholars, the alchemists, the artists, the cooks. Each of you contributes to Velcrest's brilliance."

A murmur rippled—polite, approving.

Emily's gaze swept the audience, not as a ruler surveying subjects, but as if she were looking at equals.

"I stand here today," she continued, "because I believe in something simple: together, we are stronger. Hero Academy is not built on one house, one rank, one bloodline. It is built on the unity of its students."

Aiden whistled lowly under his breath. Leon shot him a warning glance, but even he couldn't hide a flicker of respect.

Emily's hands folded lightly before her. "The Union is not about ambition. It is about stewardship. If I am chosen again, I will ensure the Student Union remains a place where tradition guides us, where every voice is heard, and where no student—noble or commoner—is left behind."

Applause swelled, especially from the noble clubs: the Royal Club, the Archery Club, Alchemy, Gym. Even some commoners joined, drawn in by her sincerity.

Her eyes swept the hall—lingering on both nobles and commoners. For a brief second, Michael swore she looked at him too.

"A tree cannot stand if its roots are forgotten," Emily continued. "Let us not sever ourselves from what has made us strong. Nobles and commoners alike , we are branches of the same tree. But the roots is the traditions, the values, the order passed down are what give us strength. To tear them out would be to collapse the tree itself."

Her words painted a serene picture, almost poetic. Unity, stability, continuity.

When she finished, the nobles erupted into applause—clapping, cheering, even some standing ovations. The sound was thunderous, disciplined, a wall of pride.

But among the commoners, the response was muted. Some clapped politely. Others whispered among themselves.

"…She's graceful, but…"

"…Does she even know what it's like to fight for scraps in the cafeteria?"

"…Pretty words, no teeth."

Maria tilted her head, whispering to Michael, "Her words are beautiful. But they're also walls. You can hear it, right? She's speaking to them , not to everyone."

Michael only nodded. She wasn't fiery. She wasn't trying to dazzle them.

She was steady it like a stone wall in a storm. Reliable. Unshakable.

That was her strength.

Emily inclined her head gracefully, then stepped down.

"Thank you,"

Sophia Emberheart said, her voice cutting the applause.

"Next—Magnus Daven."

Magnus rose with the confidence of someone who owned the room already.

His black hair was tied back, his sharp features set in a grin that promised both danger and charm.

He wore his uniform loose, almost rebellious, the sash of his Mage Club tied like a banner across his chest.

"Students!" he called the moment his boots hit the stage.

His voice boomed, rich and fiery, drowning the room in energy.

Emily's calmness had drawn the crowd in. Magnus' fire cracked it wide open.

"Emily Lionheart speaks of unity, of tradition," he said, gesturing toward her with a sharp sweep.

"And yes tradition has its place. Nobles guiding, commoners following, everyone knowing their role. That's what we've been told."

His eyes glittered, voice rising.

"But tell me are you content to always follow?"

The room stirred.

Magnus leaned forward, almost conspiratorial. "Why must the Union serve only those born into power? Why should opportunity be locked behind bloodlines and banners? Velcrest is more than noble legacies. It is our academy —yours, mine, everyone's."

Shouts of approval burst from the mage scholars, the exploration club, the treasure hunters. Even mercenaries pounded fists against their knees.

Michael felt the shift in the air—Emily had been a calming tide, but Magnus was a wildfire.

"The future," Magnus roared, "does not belong to those who cling to the past! It belongs to us, the ones who will build it. Commoner or noble, it doesn't matter. I promise you innovation, opportunity, and a Student Union that breaks the chains of old hierarchies. Together, we will forge a new path!"

' I will change this Commoner flok just wait till win '

The hall erupted in cheers, louder and wilder than before.

Yet just as many sat stiff and disapproving. Nobles whispered furiously, some sneering outright. A few professors shifted uneasily. Emily herself watched with a faint, unreadable smile.

Michael exhaled slowly. Two speeches. Two visions.

When Magnus finished, he didn't bow. He simply stepped back, chest heaving, a smirk tugging at his lips as if daring anyone to challenge him.

Emily, seated calmly behind him, did not flinch. She sat poised, hands folded, her expression as serene as ever. The silence around her was louder than any cheer.

The contrast was blinding.

Tradition vs. Revolution.

Calm Grace vs. Fiery Defiance.

The hall itself seemed divided. One half roared, the other half simmered in silence.

Michael exhaled slowly.

This isn't just a school election anymore. It's the entire kingdom's fracture being rehearsed in a hall of students.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.