The crowd clapped as Adam ended his speech. Some hesitantly, unsure what to make of his words, while others clapped mechanically, as if actors following their cue. Still others clapped enthusiastically, honestly moved by his words, whether they detected the hidden depths behind them. 

The professors acted much the same from where they sat, except the Headmaster (although this was practically a given). He was theatrically dabbing his eyes while clapping loudly in between. This was partly for fun, but in all honesty, he enjoyed Adam's speech. It wasn't quite what he was expecting, but at the same time, it was very much 'Adam' - well, that was how he felt at least. Now it was time for his part . . . 

As Adam stepped down, Render stepped up, and as there paths crossed, he placed a hand on his shoulder to tell him 'Job well done', and continued on. Render went beside the Master of Ceremonies just as he began his introduction of the Headmaster.

"Thank you for your speech, Sir Adam," went the MC,. "Now, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the current and most esteemed Headmaster of our academy. A man who has been with us for many years and hopefully for many years to come, Aledine's Headmaster Render Wiser."

Render smiled and stepped on the podium. "Thank you for the long-winded introduction, Hestral, but I think I can introduce myself just fine," he said lightheartedly. "Now, where to begin . . . ? I'd like to begin by saying that while I wish to genuinely get to know all of you, I'm afraid that won't happen. Not withstanding the fact that talking to you one-by-one and asking you personal questions would make me look more senile than I already am - or as much as the staff suspects I am anyway, oh don't give me that look Licca, I know you were the one who anonymously gave me a memory restoration recipe for my birthday - anyway, talking with you students like that would take up your time.

"Time much better used learning. Discovering. Exploring. Whatever else may end in your life, the gaining of new knowledge will never end. If it does, you might as well consider your life at it's end, because such a stale and boring life where nothing ever changes and nothing is ever new, well, there's no point to it. As students here, I want you to dig up the curiosity you had as a child - the curiosity that caused you to eat things you really shouldn't or touch things that really shouldn't be touched! But temper it with the the wisdom of age! Do not learn things just for the simple sake of profit, but for knowledge itself. No information is useless, and everything has a purpose. Learn for the sake of learning and don't be burdened by the future. For me, that was the key to success."

Render paused for a bit, to let his message sink in and to rest his voice. He had the students attention, and hopefully his words would mean something to them - whether now or later didn't matter.

"I sincerely hope that you enjoy your time here. Not just as a student, but as a person. There is more to discover here than just maps and spells. Academic curiosity and discipline is fine and all, but we want to give birth to active, responsible and amazing human beings, not produce machines! Find a way to make your days here worth it. Who knows? Among the many discoveries you find here, you might even discover something as important as your other half!" he said with a chuckle, and also with much embarrassment on the part of a few coupled students (and some teachers) to whom they knew he was referencing. "Remember this; here at Aledine, we believe in 'Live and Learn' - the learning part, you can leave to us professor and a few musty old books, but the living? Well . . . I say that's all up to you."

Render bowed and the audience clapped. From there on, the ceremony proceeded as usual, and was soon over . . .