Stepping up to the podium, I cast my wintry gaze on the crowd.
Clapping his hands, Fabien gestured to Emilia and me.
"These are my two candidates for the student council, both are highly qualified for the task and without further ado, I will let them introduce themselves to you all." he waved his hands magnanimously before stepping back.
'Oh shit, fuck okay here we go.'
~ 'Just like we've done before, don't worry about it we have your back' ~
Tentatively, I stepped forward and took a breath.
"Thank you, Fabien," I said, giving him a curt nod.
Looking out over the auditorium, I tried to memorize every detail of the scene.
I would never forget the faces of those present.
Taking another deep breath, I turned to Emilia.
Her expression was stoic, but I could tell there was something brewing within her.
An emotion hidden behind her cool facade.
Whatever it was, I couldn't help but think of how similar we were despite our differences.
While I was cold and cynical I hid behind a mask of innocence, Emilia was the complete opposite.
She was kind and generous and hid behind a mask of arrogance due to traumas in her past.
However, she wasn't weak.
Not by any means.
It was just that her nature was different from mine.
More gentle.
More cautious.
She was the type of person who preferred to work behind the scenes and not draw attention to herself.
To do so would be too dangerous.
If we were to ever meet outside of this school after graduation if the plot didn't exist, she'd likely try to avoid me.
That's just how she was.
A gentle girl who always had her guard up.
Just like I did.
We were very similar in that way.
We both hid our true selves behind a mask.
In another timeline, we probably would've gotten along well.
I found myself wishing that we could be friends.
That we could spend time together.
I knew I couldn't have her, though.
Even if I wanted to.
After all, I was an outsider.
An outsider in a world full of my own creations.
No matter how much I tried to blend in, I would always stand out.
I also wouldn't be able to hide my seemingly infinite knowledge of everything forever, webs of lies only last so long before they are shredded by a single thread coming undone.
It was only natural that people would look at me with suspicion.
But since when did I fucking care what people think about me?
Wait...
*Smiling training flashbacks*
Fuck...
I'm shallow...
Noooooooo...
'Oh, give it a rest will you I mean we're trying to formulate a speech here.'
'Sorry.'
'Also since when have we needed companionship?'
'We're doing just fine on our own.'
'True, but anyway focus!'
Tearing my gaze away from Emilia I turned to the eagerly awaiting crowd.
I could feel their overwhelming gazes as they all focused on me.
Taking a deep breath, I let it out before a smile formed on my face.
'You can do it, just like we practiced.'
"My name is Isaac Moreau, for those of you who may or may not know me I am the son of the Duke of Aspon and the Witch of Direfall." pausing momentarily to let it sink in, I sighed in contentment as I watched their pathetic little brains comprehend what I said.
'Sorry, not pathetic, bad Isaac.'
'STOP!'
Quelling the moron dwelling in my head, I prepared to speak again.
After all, things would be easier now, humans were after all simple creatures.
They obeyed those with power, or at least perceived power.
And perceived power was what I had.
You see, although the Duke of Aspon and the Witch of Direfall were dead their legacy lived on through me.
What did that mean?
It meant I was destined to be powerful.
Now obviously that wasn't the case and I was aware of it however they weren't.
From the information they possessed, they could only conclude that I would become a powerful figure in the future and therefore possessed the right to lead them.
It was the rules of nature.
And it's not like they could check my files for my status as that was classified information for every student.
I still didn't understand how Vera got a hold of it and it was irking me in the corner of my mind.
Once their whispered words quieted I began to speak once again.
"Although my mother and father are no longer in this world, I carry their legacy and intend to see it through. I hope you can all trust me enough with this position in order for me to see it through."
I could see in their eyes that many agreed with me, mostly the students who came from high-class backgrounds.
However, there were still some doubters mainly from those from a lower position in society who had achieved their respective grade rankings through hard work and talent with no support, it seemed my approach wasn't enough.
Well, that was fine.
I had a plan.
As I stood there looking out over the crowd of students I noticed a student with a rather odd face.
"You there." I pointed at him as everyone's gazes landed on the boy I singled out.
The boy looked up at me and then nodded.
"Yes?" He asked.
"How do you feel?"
"Excuse me?" he replied in confusion.
"How do you feel about the way you're treated in this school as a commoner?" I asked him with a bite to my tone.
Hook them and then reel them in.
"Uh... I-I don't know umm... what do you mean by that?" he asked again tentatively.
"Don't you feel it's unfair?"
"What is?"
"The fact that you have to work harder than everyone else, that you're always going to be below those with a better background? how does that make you feel?" I continued to pester him with a fire in my eyes as my heated words reached the words of others like him.
"Well, it's just hard..." he replied.
"Hard? Hard for whom?" I asked.
"For me." He said defensively.
"But why?" I asked him as I stared into his eyes.
"Because I'm a commoner." He replied.
"Why is that such a bad thing?" I asked.
"Because it's not fair." He said again.
"It's not fair for you, or for anyone else here. It's unfair for those who have gone through hardships. It's unfair for those who have to struggle to scrape by just so they can stay in this school. It's unfair for the people who have to fight to protect humanity. And it's unfair for the people who are trying to better themselves and the world. So why do you think that makes it any different for you?" I asked him.
He was silent.
"You want to be treated equally. You want to be respected as an equal. But you're not, are you?" I asked him as I looked down at him.
"No." He said.
"Then what do you expect?" I asked him as I stood up.
"I don't know..." he replied.
"Do you want to be treated like a person? Or do you want to be treated like a second-class citizen?" I asked him as I glared down at him.
"I don't know..." he said.
"Well let me tell you, I want to change that perception!" I began to do what I did best.
Convincing people that they wanted what I wanted.
After all, I already hooked the nobility gathered here with the fact that I was nobility myself.
Nobility was of course not real nobility, it simply referred to those who stood above the rest whose families were key figures with vast influence in the Alliance.
All that was left was to persuade those from a less than prestigious background.
"I don't believe in inequality between mages. After all, a mage is classified based on their ability not on their background, isn't that so?" I began gesturing with my arms and hands as I contorted my expression into the types of speeches I had seen in clips of world leaders during wartime.
I mean, the greatest actors of all time are politicians. especially during reelection season and wartime.
I could see most of the crowd nodding along with me.
Now it was time to end this.
"So what if you're a commoner? Does that make you any less of a person? Does that make you any less of a student? Does that make you any less of a mage? Of course not! We're all mages here and we're all classified by our talent, not our background." I said as I stared at him.
"And I'm going to show you that!" I shouted as I threw my hands up.
"I'm going to show you that you're just as important as anyone else. You're just as worthy of respect as anyone else." I continued as I stared at him.
"I myself am a person lucky enough to be born to an affluent family, however first and foremost what am I? a mage just like each and every one of you. and together we must unite to fulfill the purpose we were brought into this world to accomplish! to secure the future of humanity!" I finished my speech to complete and utter silence.
I felt the overwhelming pressure of tens of gazes on me, the gazes of the best students in the school after all only they could be invited to such an occasion.
Did it not work?
I used the classic tactic of hook line and sinker however it seemed they weren't willing to bite.
Just as I was about to give up hope, suddenly someone clapped.
and then another.
Soon enough a wave of clapping resounded through the hall.
I gazed down at the mages below me as I replayed my speech in my mind.
I really was a bastard, playing both sides without ever committing.
And I still had to wonder why I could never get a girlfriend.
Chuckling under my breath, I began moving back toward Fabien in order to let Emilia take the stage.
Looking up at the smug bastard's face, I watched as he let loose a feral grin at me, his eyes lighting up mischievously.
"I knew I didn't choose wrong." I heard him mutter as he faced away toward Emilia.
'Bastard, just wait your turn because unlike the previous soul in this body, this one has no room for mercy.'
*YOSHHHHHHHHHHH*
I did my best to make a speech i don't know if its that good but whatever, anyways same as usual hope you all had a great day and as always, Hugz <3