The shadowy Dragon hovered in the air for a few more seconds before it folded its wide wings and dove toward the ground. The giant shape left a trail of black mist behind itself as it descended, gaining speed, and size in everyone’s eyes as it grew closer.

Covering half of the initial distance, it neared close enough for people to spot something on its back as the misty beast spun around its own axis. No one had any doubts about it. That was clearly a person riding the Dragon.

Some guests sitting in the rows furthest from the stage noticed where it was heading and began frantically standing up, trying to get away from the upcoming area of impact as the creature showed no signs of slowing down.

Just as they expected, the ominous shadow crashed into the ground where the red carpet began. A tall wave of black smoke exploded to the sides and surged towards the audience, covering the small plaza completely like a tsunami.

The obstruction quickly dissipated and revealed a person kneeling on one knee where the Dragon had struck the ground. A good-looking young man with short white hair, wearing black clothes and a slightly fierce dark crimson coat, stood up and glanced towards the stage. His gleaming scarlet eyes glinted ferociously.

As he began confidently walking forward, the tigers lowered their heads in respect while he passed in front of them. Their riders followed suit, sheathing the sabers they had kept extended until now.

“Who is that handsome guy? Is he an alumnus?” a girl asked her friends with visible curiosity.

“I don’t know but he’s clearly someone big. Did the professors mention some amazing graduate with white hair and such beautiful, piercing eyes?” another one replied.

“That was a Dragon, wasn’t it? Was it his summon? It’s impossible, right?” some freshman wondered out loud.

“Do you think he is single?” a different girl joined in before anyone could answer the boy’s question.

Meanwhile, as the whispering grew louder amongst the people in the audience, the mysterious man had walked most of the carpet and reached the front rows. A bunch of girls gasped quietly when he glanced to the side while the boys looked around to see if he was staring at any of them. Only one shivered under his powerful gaze.

Arriving in front of the stage, Asterios nodded respectfully toward the Nobelle and Richtenstein families. He smiled at Viscount Thomas and Viscountess Luna, who responded with the same. Marquees Wilhelm was clearly surprised to see him there, but not as much as his son. A cold sweat covered Roz as their eyes met.

Turning towards the raised scene, Asterios met Tina’s stupefied gaze.

“Hopefully, I’m not late, am I?” He smiled softly at her.

Tina instantly broke out of her stupor and lunged forward, flying off the edge of the stage. Ast’s eyes widened but he easily caught the short girl from the air and steadied her fall. The moment she reached the ground, Tina wrapped her arms around him and stood on her tiptoes to join their lips in a passionate kiss.

The crowd gasped, some ooh’s and aah’s followed, and a certain female student sighed wistfully. Asterios was taken aback by Tina’s bold display of affection but he quickly reciprocated her feelings and began brushing her back as they exchanged gentle pecks in the middle of the graduation ceremony.

After a few short moments, Tina withdrew herself from him and glanced at Asterios from below with a rosy blush covering her cheeks.

“You came…” she whispered as a wide smile gradually snuck onto her lips.

“I promised, didn’t I?” He smiled back at her. “Although, I didn’t expect you to jump off the stage like this.”

“Sorry.” She giggled quietly. “I thought something happened and you couldn’t show up.”

“And I’m sorry for making you think that.” He pecked her charming lips once more. “With how smart you are, you would have quickly realized our plans if I made any excuses.”

Tina blushed even more. “You are thinking too highly of me.”

“No, you are thinking too highly of me. Did you like your graduation present, by the way?”

“So it really was your doing, wasn’t it? How did you even—actually, never mind. I shouldn’t even be surprised considering it’s you.” She chuckled.

“Hey. What’s that supposed to mean?” Asterios laughed with her and they stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. “Well then. I believe you were about to make your graduation speech as the ace of the academy.”

Tina moved her hands away from his back and grabbed Ast’s palm. “Come with me. I want you up there by my side.”

“Lead the way.”

She nodded with a happy smile and spun around, beginning to walk towards the stairs on the side of the stage.

Passing by the front row, she snuck a glance at her parents and saw her father sighing unamusingly, at least until her mother didn’t jab him in the ribs with her elbow. She showed her thumbs up with a soft smile, making Tina’s cheeks rosy again.

As they climbed up the stage, Tina often peeked over her shoulder at Asterios following her and shot him more of her adorable smiles. He couldn’t help but chuckle at her.

They stopped by Principal Teireshia and Silvia. The latter stepped closer to Tina and extended her hand with a gorgeous envelope.

“Here. You dropped this.”

Tina froze and paled a little after realizing that she had literally discarded the king’s invitation and ignored the princess without a second thought. She swallowed her saliva and received the letter again with an embarrassed expression.

Silvia smiled at her softly. “It’s just a piece of paper. Don’t worry about it so much. It certainly is nothing compared to the person you care the most about,” she reassured the blue-haired girl, glancing at Asterios.

Tina had already lost the count on how many times her cheeks grew hotter but she nodded appreciatively, feeling Ast’s hand comfortingly resting on her shoulder. She would much rather have him gently ruffle through her hair like he usually did but she knew he didn’t want to ruin it during the ceremony.

She took a breath and turned towards the audience, letting the others step back from her. Asterios exchanged polite glances with the principal and the princess, stopping by their side. The people below the stage didn’t know who to look at anymore after so many unexpected and unusual guests had joined the graduation.

Clearing her throat, Tina moved closer to the magical artifact enhancing the volume of her voice and hugged the king’s letter to her chest.

“Greetings, everyone. As you might know, my name is Tina, Tina Nobelle. I’m unspeakably happy to stand here in front of all of you as this year’s academy’s ace. I would lie if I said that I didn’t expect it because I did everything in my power to get here. So, yeah. I did it.”

A wave of warm chuckles traveled through the audience as Tina smiled timidly. After taking another deep breath, she continued.

“Honestly, the one thing I didn’t expect was actually me choosing to pursue this spot and title but life can change completely in the span of a day, or even less.”

She glanced over her shoulder at Aserios and he nodded at her kindly.

“It has always been my dream to graduate high and apply to the Royal Division. It was something I strived for, something I considered my ultimate goal. I didn’t have to go this far to try fulfilling it, and if it was just me, I would have most likely not done it. Yet, I’m still here, at the very top. Why?”

Tina hovered with her gaze over every row in the audience, leaving her question unanswered for a while and allowing people to ponder over it. She then returned her eyes to the front and smiled while looking into the distance.

“Because there’s one thing allowing us to push past our self-assumed limits or the lack of drive to strive for more. It’s motivation, and I think everyone here will agree with me on that. There’s no need for me to elaborate further, right?”

A quiet rumble passed through the crowd as people murmured in agreement. At least most of them.

“We also all know how hard it is to find it,” she continued. “But, it doesn’t always have to come from us, in the form of some goal we would love to achieve, or a dream just like mine. Even those can be not enough. That’s where others come in. And it’s only thanks to others that I am currently where I am. Teachers, professors, friends, my parents. I would like to thank them all for supporting me.”

Tina had to pause for a second as the sound of clapping began drowning out her voice. She smiled to herself, glad that she was doing good. It had taken her hours to come up with something to say without it sounding too stiff and bloated.

When the noise grew quieter, she drew another breath. “Amongst those, there’s one person I want to thank the most. It might come as a surprise but there was even a moment when I almost quit the academy due to a certain unfavorable event.”

Gasps of shock filled the air as everyone looked around in surprise. Some people glanced questioningly at the academy’s officials, who weren’t exactly sure what this was about and could only stare back in confusion. Only Principal Teireshia and the involved families knew what Tina had referred to.

“It’s been a close one, for sure, but that person ignored their very serious problems and focused on keeping my mind away from those stupid thoughts.” She silenced the audience with her words. “It was only thanks to them that I could find the motivation to do anything after I heard about that event. It was only thanks to that person that I didn’t ruin everything for myself right at the very end. Their support and promise allowed me to keep going forward even harder, and gave me something to focus on.”

Tina smiled to herself while remembering that time and rubbed her hands together, still holding dearly onto the letter.

“I honestly think there’s no greater Summoner in the current age than that person. If it was possible, I would have their name engraved in the Obelisk of Wisdom rather than mine. They deserve it way more than me with how dedicated, hardworking, and unshakable they are in pursuit of both their dream and the Summoning Magic itself. They have been robbed of their opportunities yet never wavered for even a moment. They have always been my idol and role model, the Summoner we all should strive to be.”

Finishing with a hard stop, she turned to the side and glanced at the people standing behind her.

“And that person’s name is Asterios Hestizo. My idol, my role model, my great friend who believes in me more than I do and cares about my future, and… my fiancé…”

Tina lowered her voice at the last part but the artifact still caught it and shared her announcement with everyone present. She blushed heavily and quickly bowed toward him.

“Thank you for everything! I’m extremely grateful for all you did for me!”

As she displayed her gratitude to the white-haired man, some faint chattering arose in the audience as the older students began talking to each other with surprised or confused expressions.

“Wait. That Asterios? The Weakest Summoner?” a boy asked.

“No way. It can’t be him. They look nothing alike.” His friend shook his head.

“Besides, he was kicked out for breaking the rules. Even if he wasn’t, he was still useless,” another young man added.

“Guys, guys. Did she say Hestizo? That Hestizo? It has to be a coincidence, right?” a girl excitedly inquired.

“Oh, gods… My father will kill me if we get issues with our supplies… Quick, someone cover me before he recognizes us.”

Just as various young men and women whispered between themselves, half in disbelief and half in anxiety, the members of the Council present on the stage could be seen even more nervous. They had clearly seen the show made by him during his arrival, and a few of them could feel the man’s potent aura Asterios was intentionally leaking out in small amounts. Grea grinned to herself from the sides, enjoying their expressions to the fullest.

Silence descended onto the avenue again when Asterios took a step towards Tina and the artifact. He walked close to the blue-haired girl and raised her shoulders. With a soft smile and slightly raised eyebrow related to her earlier statement, causing Tina to look away shyly, he rubbed them comfortably.

“You don’t need to thank me for anything but I accept your gratitude and I’m glad things have worked out well for you.”

Asterios then turned his face to the audience.

“Tina is right about everything she’s said. Without someone to watch over us and reach out in dire situations, the chances of losing all the motivation and dropping everything we have achieved are very high. It might have been me for her, but I also had someone support me that way, and someone save me when all seemed lost. Don’t turn away from the people around you, your friends, and your family. Their presence can do wonders for you. And remember, you can be that person for someone. Show some support to them, in both success and failure.”

Finishing her speech for her, Asterios glanced at Tina and she smiled at him beautifully. He chuckled lightly. Asterios would have never imagined that he would take part in such a thing. Speaking to the masses had never been his strong side.

Principal Teireshia joined the two at the front and Asterios made some space by stepping to Tina’s side. He exchanged a polite nod with the older woman and she moved her gaze onto Tina. Both could see the exquisite diploma in the Principal’s hands.

“It was truly a pleasure working with you to the very end, Tina. And with you too, Asterios, even if our time together has been cut short.” She smiled at them and extended the certificate to Tina. “I hope that your path will be rewarding, satisfying, and full of success and positive events. Congratulations, Tina.”

Asterios summoned a beautiful leather binding of dark azure color with the Nobelle family crest and Tina’s familiar silhouette etched into the front with a silvery gloss. He opened it and let the Principal set the single sheet of paper inside, behind a strap holding it in place. Then, after closing it, they held it together towards Tina.

She stared at the charming binding with her small hands covering her smile. Barely holding back the tears of happiness, she quickly received the proof of her graduation and hugged both the Principal and Asterios.

Afterward, she stood by Ast’s side as he rubbed her shoulder, and watched how she kept smiling while looking at the diploma. Madam Teireshia stepped away from them and turned towards the artifact.

“Now, shall we update the Obelisk of Wisdom for the first time in sixteen years?”

She snapped her fingers and the ground began lightly rumbling. Everyone looked behind them and saw a crevice appearing in the midst of what seemed like a simple, grassy roundabout with four benches placed one in each cardinal direction.

The camouflaged shutters covering the well in the middle fully retracted and something gradually surfaced from its depth. A magnificent pitch-black slab of some gorgeous mineral was slowly revealed to all onlookers, usually always present in this small plaza but hidden away for the preparation of the ceremony.

Around one full minute passed before the Obelisk of Wisdom was fully uncovered. It was much taller than some people would assume, reaching higher than even the roofs of the nearby buildings. A golden font decorated all of its sides, representing all the names of the aces the academy had seen since its beginning.

Principal Teireshia glanced at the duo standing behind her and nodded at them. Asterios and Tina hastily followed the woman when she started heading off the stage, walking side by side. The beasts of the Royal Division began roaring again and their riders made a bridge with their weapons as Tina passed in front of them.

“That’s so awesome…” she muttered to herself, admiring the proud beasts of her dreams showing respect to her.

Asterios chuckled lightly. “I know, right?”

“I can’t believe the Royal Division is really here. And that I was invited to join it. What did you do, Ast? You can’t just go to their barracks and ask if they can drop by to some random, unimportant graduation ceremony.”

“It’s not that unimportant to you, is it?” He smiled at her.

“Yeah…” Tina blushed faintly, clutching the diploma and the letter to her chest. “I’m so happy and grateful. I would have never expected it. Although, I’m a little worried about the invitation…”

“Don’t think about it too much right now. Everything will be fine. I’ll tell you more later.”

She glanced at him curiously and Asterios placed his finger over his mouth, showing Tina that he wouldn’t say anything more. A giggle escaped her lips and she then turned to the front again after he pointed that finger ahead.

They just arrived in front of the Obelisk of Wisdom and Tina spotted Professor Grea standing by Principal Teireshia. The demon woman held a puffy, white cushion with golden embroidery. A golden chisel and hammer rested on the slick material.

“So, which one will be doing the pounding?” Grea asked with a smirk.

Tina blushed faintly while Madam Teireshia squinted her eyes at the frivolous researcher, evoking a stifled chuckle from her. Asterios shook his head and picked up the chisel, leaving the hammer to Tina.

The two women stepped aside and left the duo to proceed with the deed. Asterios and Tina exchanged smiles and he knelt in front of the black stone, holding the spike at the first free row under the previous name.

Bit by bit, they carved Tina’s name together, with him moving the chisel and her tapping it lightly. Neither had to use any stronger force as both items were actually small artifacts. Each time the chisel was struck, it not only easily dug into the hard surface but also filled the letter they made with a golden layer.

When both words were finished, the whole pillar glowed in gold as all the names shone together, announcing a new one joining them on the Obelisk of Wisdom. Tina sighed in awe at the beautiful sight, reaching out for Ast’s hand and clutching it dearly.

A round of loud applause followed and they turned around, making a short bow towards the standing ovation. Asterios took the hammer and returned both items to Grea, who winked at him with a warm smile.

Principal Teireshia came forward, stepping between them and the attendees, and looked at both sides.

“With the engraving done, I believe it’s time to move onto another traditional part of the graduation ceremony.”

She turned towards the duo.

“Tina, have you already chosen with who you would like to participate in your obligatory post-graduation showmatch? Let me remind you that you can only pick a person who attends, or attended the academy in the past.”

With a wide smile, Tina immediately moved her eyes to Asterios.

“Yes, I did.”