Chapter 84
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: I Have a Dream
Today was the official founding day of the Uphills Foundation.
The VIP seats at the venue were packed with the Empire's most influential figures.
The Capital Guard Captain, who generously expanded the patrol radius all the way to the foundation's vicinity by broadly interpreting the relevant laws.
The Central Bank President, overseeing our foundation's funds.
The House of Nobles representative who helped enact the laws for our paper business.
And my greatest ally, Her Highness the Princess.
Solid backing, indeed.
At that moment, the Princess seated next to me whispered just loud enough for those around us to hear.
"If we dragged a duke and a legion commander in here, it would look just like the imperial throne succession ceremony."
...What did that mean?
Just then, Giuseppe next to me started coughing repeatedly.
Cough, cough.
Laura, too, was uncharacteristically wide-eyed and flustered.
I realized.
'...That was some seriously domineering rhetoric.'
The Princess smiled as she spoke.
"Just kidding."
"..."
I had no idea what to say in response.
Laugh it off, I guess.
The Princess continued.
"You're quite the enigma."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You fret endlessly over trivial matters, yet radical statements like that barely faze you."
"..."
That's because I'm someone who lived nearly thirty years in a democratic society.
Of course, I couldn't say that outright.
"...I was actually quite shocked."
"Liar."
The Princess grinned mischievously before adding,
"Sometimes, I even find that trait endearing. Just keep being you."
"...Understood."
A short while later, the founding ceremony began.
There was no ribbon-cutting, but there were plenty of miscellaneous formalities.
I think I zoned out, just staring straight ahead.
The real stars of the show were right there, after all.
The faculty and staff who would work for the foundation, the laborers who sweated to build it, and... hundreds of children.
Orphans gathered from all corners of the Empire—no, my siblings—gazing up at the podium with sparkling eyes.
Soon, the Princess's congratulatory address began.
The children's attention locked onto Princess Isolde.
Perhaps considering their average age, her speech was far more lively and upbeat than usual.
If the medal ceremony speeches felt like they'd sprout a mustache just from listening, this was more like a formal stand-up comedy routine.
Clap clap clap clap!
Amid thunderous applause, the Princess stepped down.
Now it was my turn.
My heart was pounding.
It felt even shakier than when I'd flown through the skies with the Emperor.
That time, I'd stuck mostly to the script the Princess had prepared for me. Not this time.
Of course, my speech was mostly plagiarized from Earth's...
Just then, as the Princess descended the podium, she approached and whispered,
"No need to be nervous."
"Is that right?"
It wasn't that simple, but I smiled anyway.
The Princess continued.
"I read your speech draft in advance. It was far superior to mine."
"..."
"So just relax and let it flow."
Endorsed by the Empire's greatest orator? That eased my mind a bit.
"Yep. Thanks for the encouragement."
I took a deep breath and stepped forward to the podium.
-"Next up, a congratulatory address from Foundation Chairman Isaac Uphills!"
Woooaaah!
As I appeared in sync with the announcer's words, cheers erupted that seemed to shake the entire field.
'It was pretty loud for Her Highness, but...'
This was on another level entirely.
If there'd been bad blood between us, I might've ended up with a target on my back.
Uphills! Uphills!
Faculty, laborers, siblings—everyone was chanting our family name at the top of their lungs.
I couldn't utter a word for a moment.
"..."
Anything I said right now wouldn't carry anyway.
So I just stood there, lost in the moment, gazing out.
It took quite a while for the uproar to die down.
I confirmed the voice amplification magic was active and took my place at the lectern.
"..."
The stares stung.
...Better dive into the main part before it gets any more awkward.
"I have a dream."
-"I have a dream."
Isaac's voice echoed across the field.
Yohannes lifted his head to gaze up at the podium.
There stood Isaac Uphills for real.
Gone was the cheerful workshop vibe.
Now, he faced hundreds of eyes with resolute determination.
-"Whether we face trials yesterday or today, I have a dream. A dream deeply rooted beside our names."
The younger kids just sparkled with awe because the 'big uncle' was talking.
The slightly brighter ones focused intently, knowing the man before them was the capital's hero.
But Yohannes and the other upperclassmen, along with the faculty, saw deeper.
They pierced the meaning woven into his words.
-"It is a dream to make real the words that Uphills Castle has been bestowed upon the Empire's sons and daughters."
At those words, Yohannes's throat tightened.
Normally he'd clear it with a cough, but not in the middle of a speech.
He hadn't realized it until he became an orphan himself.
That he'd become one of those 'kids' his parents warned him to avoid.
The hero before him must have endured the same.
Standing tall on that podium after overcoming it all—he could only be described as radiant.
-"A dream that one day, my siblings and I will no longer shiver in the north's biting winds, but receive welcome instead of scorn from fur merchants."
Sniffles leaked out here and there.
Memories flashed: treated like beasts, forced to sell hides for pennies; trembling in cold, reduced to begging.
Isaac pressed on with unwavering eyes.
"Like my sister Anna, a dream where our other siblings can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with nobles' children, strolling the magic university grounds and laughing together."
Hic...
Yohannes's friend couldn't hold back a sob.
Even the teachers, who would've normally shushed him, simply gazed silently at the podium.
-"This is the hope we cherish. This is the conviction we built together as I established this foundation."
Strength filled Isaac's voice.
"And one day, to defeat the monsters that razed our homes and forge the Empire into an even greater nation, that hope must be realized!"
Yohannes clenched his fists.
Yes.
We can't stop at just avoiding insults from others.
-"So let us stand tall. When revealing our origins, do not bow your heads."
We must stand tall.
-"Under His Majesty's almighty name, stand straight!"
Woooaaah!
A roar exploded that threatened to shatter eardrums.
"Woooaaah!"
Yohannes joined in the cheer.
The ceremony's fervor had subsided, and even the afterparty had wrapped up. Late into the night...
[...Under His Majesty's almighty name, stand straight.]
Sonia stared down at the paper she'd typed up herself.
The staff room was empty, yet reading that final line brought the cheers rushing back.
"He really knows how to deliver a speech..."
The Chairman, Isaac Uphills, was such a puzzling man.
One day rumors swirled of a muscle-bound brute; the next, a frail bespectacled weakling.
Yet no rumor ever mentioned his literary prowess.
Sonia tilted her head.
"...Am I just too invested in the foundation, so it hit me harder?"
"I doubt that's it."
Sonia jumped at the unfamiliar voice from behind.
"Eek?! M-Ms. Laura?"
If Isaac owned the foundation, Laura ran it.
Sonia flustered at her boss's sudden appearance.
Laura spoke.
"Still awake?"
"Well... couldn't sleep."
Sonia gave an awkward smile and tidied the speech pages.
Laura approached and glanced at the paper in her hand.
"This is... the Chairman's speech."
"Yes. It was too good to just toss aside."
Sonia asked cautiously.
"What if we copied it at the workshop tomorrow and handed it out to the kids?"
She was certain.
They'd love it.
Yohannes would probably wallpaper his room with it.
"Hmm."
Laura rested her chin, lost in thought for a moment.
Then the corners of her mouth tugged up ever so slightly.
"An excellent idea. But, teacher..."
"Yes?"
"Does it have to be just for the kids?"
Sonia blinked.
What did she mean?
Laura continued.
"The Chairman has plenty of fans outside the foundation too. What if we copied it and sold it in the markets?"
"S-Sold it?"
"Yes. Funnel all proceeds into foundation operations—no rules broken."
And so, the "Isaac Uphills Speech" became the first mass-produced newspaper.
A few days after the founding ceremony.
I sat at my desk in the lab, but my mind was still blank.
'The kids are probably studying right now, huh?'
Glancing at the clock, it was morning class time.
The upperclassmen tackling Intro to Law, the younger ones... learning "proper living."
Officially [Imperial Citizen Ethics], but it didn't stick in my mouth, so I just called it proper living.
Anyway, time to return to routine.
"Wow... woooow...!"
Couldn't focus.
Blame Dolloren, sprawled on the cot sighing rapturously over some document.
I asked her.
"What exactly are you reading? A thesis?"
Dolloren's head snapped up.
"You little punk...! You should've told me it meant this!"
Her eyes were a bit red-rimmed.
"..."
Ignoring my question to ramble instead.
Typical professor quirk, but... not backing down this time.
I wanted to know what she was reading.
I told her.
"Let me see it. What the heck is that?"
"No way. Not giving it up."
"..."
Then Giuseppe chimed in.
"Just let her be, junior. She didn't hear it live—let her savor it this way."
"...You, Giuseppe!"
"Heh heh heh."
The usual lab WWE broke out, but... that wasn't important now.
Speech?
I focused detection magic on the paper in Dolloren's hand.
[I Have a Dream. -Isaac Uphills]
"...?"
What the heck.
Why was that circulating?