### Chapter 115: Bad News
He has returned with a torture device!
Twenty minutes later, all the young dragons and their parents had gathered.
The homeroom teacher stepped up to the podium with a smile and nodded slightly.
“Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend our class’s essay competition award ceremony.”
After the opening remarks, the teacher jumped straight to the point.
“The essays submitted by the students are all unique. Each child has their own distinct perspective on ‘family,’ which is truly commendable.”
“I have written detailed comments on every essay, and you can take them home to review once the ceremony is over.”
“So now, I have the top three essays in terms of overall scores. I will announce their authors in order, and based on their wishes, we can decide whether they want to read their essays out loud in front of everyone.”
After a brief explanation of the ceremony, the families in the audience began to murmur among themselves, eager to find out if their child would make it into the top three.
But as per the teacher’s approach, even if they didn’t make the top three, it wasn’t a big deal. They could still learn from her comments to help improve their little dragons’ writing skills.
“All right, let’s get to it! The third place in this essay competition for the Young Dragon Department Class 1 is… Kelly! Congratulations!”
The teacher initiated applause, and the young dragons and their parents joined in, clapping their hands.
“So, Kelly, would you like to read your essay?” the teacher gently asked.
The young dragon named Kelly stood up, sporting a simple ponytail and round glasses. Next to her was her mom, holding her daughter’s hand like a supportive cheerleader.
Kelly nervously clutched her skirt with one hand, hesitated a moment, then shyly shook her head and said softly, “No, it’s okay, teacher.”
Seeing this, Kelly’s mom just smiled, showing no signs of resentment that Kelly was too shy.
The teacher, chuckling, played diplomat, “Well, everyone, even though Kelly may seem a bit introverted and quiet, her essay is filled with love for her mom! Come, Kelly, take your essay back!”
Kelly took small steps to the podium, accepting her essay with both hands, “Thank you, teacher.”
The teacher tousled her little head.
Kelly hugged her essay to her chest and returned to her seat.
“Next, we have the second place in this essay competition. The name is…”
With only two spots left, Leon’s family couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.
They focused intently on the teacher’s mouth, guessing that the first letter of this student’s name does not start with “No.”
“Rand! Congratulations!”
Another round of applause erupted.
Rand was a relatively outgoing young dragon who walked up to the podium and read his essay with great emotion.
As Leon clapped, he couldn’t help mumbling, “Only one more left…”
He glanced at his daughter, Noia, who appeared extremely nervous, clutching her little fists tightly.
Leon pondered for a moment and gently placed his hand on her wrist.
He didn’t say anything, but Noia’s tense fists relaxed a little.
“Now, for the first place in this essay competition! The winner is—”
The teacher stretched out the final word, and everyone held their breath in anticipation.
Especially Ral’s dad, who looked as if he wanted to pry the teacher’s mouth open to let her say that name.
“Ral! Congratulations, Ral!”
Before the teacher even had a chance to ask Ral if he wanted to read his essay, Ral’s dad shot up from his seat, eager to boast.
“Thank you, teacher! Ral winning first place is thanks to you, but since this essay’s theme was about family and kinship, I helped Ral a lot too!”
Hearing Ral’s dad tooting his own horn, Leon felt a mixture of emotions.
Who would have thought that a love story gone awry wouldn’t get noticed…
It was indeed a bit… unexpected.
But he decided to save his disappointment for when he was alone.
Leon shifted his attention to comforting his daughter.
“It’s okay, Noia. After this, let’s look at the teacher’s comments and work on the areas that need improvement while amplifying the good ones.”
Roswiser also held her daughter’s hand, “Maybe mom and dad’s date just didn’t quite shine that day. Next time, we’ll work together to grab a better result.”
Though Noia was still a bit downcast, she was a sensible child who understood her parents had worked hard on her essay. She nodded, “Mom and Dad, you’ve done great already. Don’t say that!”
Roswiser smiled and patted her on the head.
At this moment, Ral’s dad was still basking in his glory.
The teacher had to interrupt, “Ral’s dad, should we read Ral’s essay now?”
“Read it! Of course, read it! Ral, go ahead and read it for your classmates!” Ral’s dad was brimming with confidence; after all, it was first place!
Ral nodded straightforwardly, stood up, walked to the podium, and began reading his essay.
Ral: “Title: ‘Silence of Fatherly Love.’”
Ral’s dad: “Did you hear that? Just the title is so profound, right?”
The other parents could only nod politely, “Yes, yes, indeed.”
“My dad is a duke of the Red Flame Dragon Race. He usually doesn’t have time to play games with me or teach me my studies.”
“But I know my dad is busy with work. He actually loves me very much; he just isn’t good at expressing it.”
As Ral read his essay on stage, Ral’s dad sat below, enjoying every word.
He couldn’t resist chiming in with a comment of praise for nearly every sentence.
As Ral reached the middle part, it was time to tie in the theme of ‘Silence of Fatherly Love.’
“Do you remember that one time I caused trouble at school and thought Dad would scold me when I got home? But he didn’t. The next day, I asked him to teach me some simple magic, but his expression was a bit strange.”
At this, Ral’s dad’s smile froze, as if he realized something.
“Dad didn’t refuse. He started teaching me how to use the small Dragon Flame, but not long after, he was sweating bullets and couldn’t even stand up.”
“This was something I later found out: my dad had hurt his knee a few days prior.”
“I asked him how he got hurt. He said he accidentally hit a hard rock while hunting, and he just needed to rest for two days.”
“But at that time, to prevent me from worrying and to help me focus on learning magic, Dad chose silence and patience.”
“That is the silence of fatherly love!”
As Leon listened below, his once gloomy mood lightened a bit.
So the ‘silence’ in ‘Silence of Fatherly Love’ meant this.
Kid, you need to understand, being made silent by others and your old man choosing silence are two completely different concepts!
However, Ral’s short essay was indeed quite good. It flowed well, with neat handwriting—there was reason he won first place.
After Ral finished reading, he looked up at his dad with sparkling eyes.
Even though he’d taken a little jab at his dad’s knee, it was okay.
First place!
His good boy was in first place!
Ral’s dad stood up, giving his acceptance speech, “Ral, I do love you more than words can say! Today, with such a vivid essay, even if my other knee gets hurt, it’s worth it!”
Such an explosive declaration made Leon glance back.
But once he turned, he met Ral’s dad’s gaze.
He couldn’t help but snicker disdainfully at the person responsible for his knee injury. If it weren’t for class, he might have already gone over to ridicule him!
This is how it starts, huh? Surely it wouldn’t be long before I get to take out that other knee too, Leon thought.
Roswiser tugged at Leon’s sleeve, whispering, “Out of sight, out of mind.”
Leon shrugged and returned his gaze.
Ral’s dad was about to throw in another jab at Leon’s family, but just then, the teacher spoke.
“Oh right, there’s one student whose essay was not submitted to me, so they weren’t included in the rankings.”
As soon as those words were spoken, all the little dragons and parents shifted their attention back to the teacher from Ral’s dad.
Ral’s dad halted his boasting upon hearing there was another contender.
As for Leon, the keyword “not included in rankings” made him vaguely suspect something.
Could it be that his good daughter was already too advanced for the young dragon category and wasn’t considered a child anymore?
Surely enough, the teacher lowered her gaze and looked toward the front row, closest to the podium.
“Noia, it’s you!”
Noia’s previously dim eyes lit back up. “Then, where’s my essay now?”
Before the teacher could answer, the classroom door suddenly swung open.
“Here’s Noia K. Melkway’s essay!”
An old dragon with white hair held up two pages of essay paper, breathing heavily as if he’d just sprinted here. Perhaps only a model family student’s essay could get him so worked up.
Leon looked at the vice principal and couldn’t help but think:
The executioner may be late, but they will never miss the show!
He even had the tools for social embarrassment in hand!
