The banquet continued.
Although the main figure of the farewell party had left, new characters took the stage, and anyone intending to make progress in the academy, whether teacher or student, had to express their views on the matter.
They approached Kautman one by one to greet him and express their opinions on the previous discussions.
Of course, these opinions were mostly in agreement.
Unlike online where only dissenters speak out, in real life, only supporters tend to voice their opinions. Dissenters usually stand silently on the sidelines, observing everything—unless they intend to make a big move.
Reno, Lee Zonghan, and a group of students from the Naval Command Department stood on the sidelines.
They were outstanding students of the Naval Command Department and proud of their excellence. They didn't need to rely on flattery and deception to gain fame and fortune, so they disdained Kautman's rhetoric.
This was the confidence instilled by the old marshal. At least at this stage, there were still many people with integrity.
But no one knew when all of this would change.
After this misjudgment, Reno dared not hope that it would be too late for everything to change.
Apart from them, Nora and Claire were also silently observing from a distance. They had intended to go out with Marshal but were refused by the old man. He wanted to take a walk alone and left the two granddaughters here.
Reno saw them, and he saw the deep concern on their faces.
It was concern for Marshal. They might not care about Marshal losing his position as dean, but they couldn't ignore the impact of those words on Marshal.
His age was no longer suitable for greater excitement.
Reno wanted to go over and comfort them but didn't know what to say.
Just as he hesitated, he saw Matthew walking over.
As the son of a general, Matthew naturally had the qualifications to attend this banquet. Honestly, although this guy was less capable than Reno, he still managed to get into the academy by his own merit. At least his ability to recite all those regulations and tactical maneuvers from the books was quite good.
Seeing Matthew approaching, Reno's heart stirred slightly.
He discreetly took a few steps back and approached Matthew behind a pillar.
Matthew's voice came through.
"I'm hosting a party at home in a few days and will invite some friends over. Claire, I hope you can come too."
Claire looked at Matthew in surprise and said, "Sorry, but I'm not very familiar with you. I mean... I don't understand why you would invite me."
Matthew smiled.
He looked around as if searching for someone but didn't find them, looking somewhat disappointed.
Then he turned back to Claire and said, "Dean Kautman will also attend the party."
Claire furrowed her beautiful eyebrows. "So what? It has nothing to do with me."
Matthew chuckled. He spoke softly, "Come on, Claire. This is quite significant. You and your sister were the granddaughters of the dean before, so you could do whatever you wanted in this academy. But times have changed. This place is no longer where you can act smug. Oh, by the way, I forgot to tell you, Kautman and my father are good friends."
He turned and raised his glass towards Kautman, who returned a polite smile.
Claire began to understand. "You think we're losing our influence, and you're here to cause trouble... No, to cause trouble for Reno."
She turned to look for Reno.
Reno hid himself even more securely behind the pillar.
As Matthew laughed lightly, he said, "You can think whatever you want, Claire. I just hope you can see the reality. Claire... if you still want to live carefree in the academy like before, it's best not to offend me."
Claire angrily murmured, "I have never abused my grandfather's power. Even if he is no longer the dean, it won't affect me."
"Come on, do you really think you're innocent? Who was able to continue studying in the library after closing time? Who could use the underground training room of the Mech Division day and night? Who could freely enter and exit the administrative building of the academy? You've enjoyed these privileges for too long, to the point where you think they're your entitlement, right? But unfortunately, that's not the case."
Claire fell silent.
Yes, Matthew was right.
Both she and Nora had, to some extent, violated the rules of the academy. Although these rules were just for better learning and didn't harm anyone, it couldn't be denied that they were violations.
And with Marshal's departure, these privileges were destined to disappear.
They could no longer be as free as before.
Then Claire shrugged. "Even if that's the case, so what? These are just some extra benefits. Losing them won't affect us much."
"The problem is, maybe you're not just losing benefits, right?" Matthew smiled and asked, "No one can guarantee that in the days to come, you won't lose more. We all know that there are always fewer students than starship simulation pods and training mechs, and everyone has to take turns using them. You used to have top priority, but now you might be the last or even not get a turn at all... You see, sometimes life is fair like that. Once you were the darlings of heaven, getting more than anyone else. But when you lose, you might pay a higher price."
"You damned bastard!" Nora gritted her teeth and shouted.
She rushed over to hit Matthew but was held back by Claire.
"Let me go, Claire," Nora called out.
"Nora, you need to control yourself. This isn't the place for a fight," Claire said hurriedly.
People had started to notice the commotion and were looking in their direction.
Nora had to stop her actions.
Matthew adjusted his collar somewhat regretfully. "What a pity. It seems you two aren't going to bow to me. Actually, there's no need for that, Claire. I don't deny that I have a plan to use you to get back at Reno, but I can't deny that you're still a beautiful girl worth my attention. Before, you had the protection of that old man and could ignore me, but now, you need a new protector."
"But it won't be you."
A voice suddenly came.
Matthew looked up in astonishment, then his face showed a surprised expression. "Reno? Have you finally come out? You cowardly little wimp..."
Before he could finish his words, Reno had stepped forward.
And then he did something.
He raised his right fist and fiercely punched Matthew
in the face.
Bang!
Matthew was sent flying by the punch and crashed into a table behind him, with a whole bowl of fruits falling on him.
"Damn it!" Matthew angrily shouted as he tried to get up. He wanted to retaliate, but all he got was another fierce punch from Reno.
The scene at the farewell party immediately descended into chaos.
At this moment, Kautman was speaking to a group of people around him, expressing his views, "An overly harsh management style is not conducive to the growth of students. We should give students room to make mistakes, because it's not correct to expel people from the academy for minor matters... What the hell is going on?"
He turned around and saw Reno beating Matthew as if he were beating a chick.
"Oh no!" Kautman exclaimed as he rushed over and grabbed Reno, shouting loudly, "What are you doing? I'm going to expel you!"
"Sorry, but you're not the dean until the end of today," Reno replied.
Although Marshal's farewell party had already been held, Kautman wouldn't officially take office until tomorrow. So theoretically, the academy still belonged to Marshal.
"Even so, I can punish you tomorrow!" Kautman said fiercely.
But the next moment, an even more chilling scream broke Kautman's declaration.
Matthew, clutching his face, let out the most painful scream of his life. Standing next to him, Nora was expressionless as she toyed with something small.
Matthew's eyeball.