Rivers of the Night-Chapter 286: Sura
Chapter 286: Sura
Sura seemed to realize this first, followed by Drake, who cocked an eyebrow and then shrugged his shoulders without a care.
The words Lyn was speaking sounded smart, but this sort of rebuttal was something only a child would write when trying to make up the word count for a long essay they didn’t want to finish.
Ironically enough, they, as First Years, were children. But they were geniuses in a category all their own—at least when it came to matters of intelligence, insight, and the sharpness of their wit.
They all saw through Lyn like he was a joke and couldn’t help but wonder if all of the Auran Clan’s representatives were this pathetic.
This reminded them all of the Fourth Year who had been stirring up trouble with Thessa and the Firewings. Sura especially had a visceral reaction to all of that, and she seemed like she might implode if she heard Lyn speak one more word.
But this was the worst-case scenario. You couldn’t just step onto the stage and refute everything your allies had said. They were being graded as a collective. Because of that, even Theron’s opening statement weighed heavily.
All of a sudden, Sura couldn’t decide whether she should be blaming Theron or Lyn more. But in the end, she just wanted to glare at Theron. At the very least, some of what Lyn was saying was coherent. But she still couldn’t understand what nonsense Theron was getting at.
Did he really think that the Black Clan could get away with being so flagrant in their bias? What the hell was he doing?!
Sura was so lost in her thoughts that she ended up letting Lyn go a full 30 seconds over his minute of immunity before she finally had no choice but to raise her own flag.
“… And this is why we should all be careful with the words we choose to—”
“What a surprise! Another flag has been used! Scholar Firewing, please step forward!”
Lyn’s mouth hung open for a bit as his words remained on the tip of his tongue, but then he smiled and took a step back. He gave Theron another glance, only to find that he was still just standing there, smiling.
At this point, Lyn was convinced that Theron was a fool. It was too ridiculous for him to still be so calm. He really must have thought the Black Clan would save him. freeweɓnøvel.com
None of them believed that Theron was foolish enough to not understand what was happening. The Nightingale Empire wouldn’t nominate someone truly useless.
Instead, the mistake he was making now felt far more real.
“—Yes, the importance of words. What my fellow Scholar was getting at is truly the key to everything. On the surface, words seem like the perfect analogy for the opposition’s points. Words evolved slowly over time, first starting with gestures, then simple vocalizations, before evolving into something much more complex and eventually forming alphabets and writing.
“This progression is quite analogous to what Scholar Sangun has been speaking toward, but it neglects one thing. Often, the meaning of words can change—a single pivotal moment in history or a shocking feat by a single man can change and warp everything.
“It’s similar to how the last name of a genocidal maniac might become a new meaning for the horrible, or how a heroic general’s name might become the beacon of young heroes everywhere. The name of a military strategy might become synonymous with intelligence, or a blunder on the same field might become the essence of stupidity.
“While it is true that words can be built up over long periods of time, it is likewise true that words themselves can undergo abrupt changes—and that is what I believe my two partners are trying to get at.
“It is not a zero-sum game. There are situations where the strength of the many is important, but it isn’t meant to be to the extent of suppressing the light of the talented either.
“I believe the question for this debate isn’t whether one is true or not, but whether Scholar Galethunder should be allowed to participate in both streams. I believe that with these arguments laid out as such, it is only obvious that he should be able to. Otherwise, you just may lose out on the light of a talent—and a chance to reshape words and their meaning.”
“Time!”
Theron raised an eyebrow, his smile deepening. Honestly, that wasn’t too bad of a rebuttal at all. She did well to take the pile of shit she was given and turn it into something decent.
“And with that, the middle sequence has been concluded, and we will move on to the final closing statements. Scholar Sangun, please come forward.”
Faustin nodded, his expression still confident.
“Scholar Firewing has done well to attempt to make up for the mess her partners left her. Still, while I believe her attempts are valiant, her existence itself proves why I am correct. Her argument stands on the shoulders of ants, so it is inherently flawed.
“If words matter so much, then why is it that the opposition’s opening statement relies so heavily on the word ‘coward’? If I recall correctly, this is what Scholar Galethunder deemed to call us for having such thoughts. Then Scholar Auran proceeded to speak about ‘the hills of ants’ and ‘the mediocre.’
“Harsh and grating words, even for me to hear. I don’t deem myself as a man who is easily offended, and I don’t believe myself to be an ant or a coward since I can stand on this stage. But this is the sort of arrogance and superiority that creeps into culture when such things are allowed.
“Scholar Firewing did well to point out just how much culture can shift around words, but failed to mention that it is already happening right before our eyes. What it means to represent an Empire has been forgotten, leaving us with so-called scholars who sit on their high horses, throwing down ad hominems wherever they so please.
“Isn’t that exactly what we should be avoiding?”
