Chapter 704 - 109 - Fighting Fire With Fire (4)
"The statements made in that article... were complete lies."
My voice rang out, calm but ironclad, across the gathered courtyard, the sound echoing faintly against the academy walls behind me.
"The Academy has never allowed just anyone—especially not those who haven’t made it into the Gold Class—to become Magic Knights. That article, with all its baseless claims and fabrications, was nothing more than an underhanded attempt to smear the name of Milham Academy of Magic Knights."
I paused for a moment, letting my words settle in the silence that followed.
Dozens of eyes were fixed on me... every face a different mix of curiosity, suspicion, or unease.
"This institution," I continued, with more force now, "has always upheld a proud and sacred tradition that only those who’ve proven themselves through merit and sheer determination can ever hope to rise to the title of Magic Knight. That tradition is our foundation as well as our legacy. What was said in the article contradicts that legacy and undermines every single individual who fought tooth and nail to ascend to the Gold Class and earn that honor."
I stood tall, my hands clasped in front of me as I faced them all.
I had returned to the academy on my day off, just for this—just to cut through the poison that had been injected into public discourse with a single, calculated piece of fake journalism.
"I’m here today," I went on, "to stamp out any notion—any rumor—that the current administration is relaxing standards and allowing unqualified students from any class to graduate as Magic Knights. That’s simply not true."
My eyes swept over the crowd, holding each person in a stare that dared them to doubt me.
"And to the person who published that disgraceful article—filled with nothing but blasphemous lies—I say this: your actions have consequences. You’ve deliberately sown confusion, distrust, and unrest across the kingdom. And whether you believe it or not, justice will find you. But if you come forward—if you surrender peacefully and retract what you wrote—there is still a chance for leniency. A small one. But a chance nonetheless."