Reborn as an Extra

Chapter 481: The Graduation Ceremony. Part-4.

Raji’s bow and apology were not recorded in the broadcast, as she did them before letting the reporters officially start the broadcast.

It’s not that she did this to hide this apology from the public; it’s just that as the current main pillar of support for the entire nation, Raji can’t bow or apologize to anyone in any circumstance, as that will make her image weak.

Politics and geopolitics are things that most people don’t like, but they are absolutely necessary for a nation.

Apologizing to Rio and acknowledging the mistake of the awakener’s association was a brilliant political move.

Not only did Raji manage to talk to Rio about this matter and succeed in erasing any possible hesitation in him against the association, but she also managed to ask him to work for it.

Raji could not have bowed her head to Rio if he was at a lower rank or at a higher rank than now.

Being at rank S while also having the potential to reach rank SS is the perfect moment and opportunity for Raji to put her words in front of Rio.

If Rio was an SS-ranker, she could not have bowed to him; if he was weaker than rank S, she could not have apologized either, but reaching rank S was the perfect point.

Rio also understood this matter; that’s why he didn’t create any big demands for the compensation and made the best out of the situation.

He himself knew that there was no such thing as a talent miscalculation, and he only made up the matter, so he didn’t press the situation too much and accepted the workload placed on him.

This will not only help him polish his skills, but it will also give him more opportunities to become stronger.

It was a win-win situation for both Raji and Rio.

This matter seemed simple, but it involved the politics and geopolitics of the entire nation.

After the small exchange was done, Raji invited Lia and the others on the stage as she and Rio both got up from their seats.

The cameras focused on Raji as she started speaking.

"Children of Astra, I, Raji Croft, the active head of the empire’s awakener association, wish you all a good morning."

"Today, I am here to announce the beginning of a new era to the entire nation."

"Yes, you heard me right. The entire nation and even the world knows that our strongest people are in peril right now..."

"Ashtel Rex and Jin Walt are both injured, while Neo Aldif has gone missing. In fact, foreign SS-rankers even claim that they saw Neo Aldif together with the mastermind of the ’Chronos Incident’..."

"This has brought a great amount of distrust and caution towards our nation..."

"Our nation, our citizens, are all living in fear and panic."

"But can we keep living like that? Can a nation filled with fear and depression ever hope to prosper? Can a nation with no hope keep its roots stable?"

Silence appeared in the entire party hall as everyone’s eyes were focused on Raji’s determined look as she gave a speech in a serious and powerful tone.

"The answer is No! A nation can not keep moving forward if it has no hope for the future!"

Raji clenched her fist and spoke with determination.

"But all has not been lost! Hear me! Children of Astra! Do not falter! We are the descendants of those who brought the entire demon race to the brink of extinction!"

"Take pride in your existence! We are the same humans who saved countless beings in the thousand-year war!"

"When one generation is gone! The next one will surely rise to support the future!"

Raji clenched her teeth and spoke with pride reflecting on her face.

"So, what if Ashtel Rex was injured!? We will never falter! We have hope and a new generation to support us!"

"If one Ashtel is not present, we will have more in the future!!"

Raji showed her unwavering resolve and spirit to the world through her speech; the camera pointed to Rio and the others as her speech came to an end.

Her speech not only bound Rio and the others with the hope of the nation, but it also gave them fame, honor, and glory.

Thwarting Alverto’s plan was a big achievement, which deserved a big reward; this increase in fame and popularity is just a small part of that award.

After today, Rio and the others will officially be considered the ’Second Golden Generation’ of the human empire.

Since the time of King Allen Von Reinhart, no one had received this title, as there was no such group worthy enough to have this title.

But Rio and the others have proved themselves by helping in averting a world-level catastrophe, so it won’t be wrong to consider them heroes.

Raji and the others don’t know what Alverto’s actual plan was, but just the basic effects of his plan caused hundreds of thousands of casualties and an immense amount of pain to the world.

If he had succeeded, things would have definitely been worse than now, and everyone knows this; that’s why Rio and others’ achievements are something no one can ignore.

"Today, these young heroes will graduate from the academy and will become new pillars of support for the nation, replacing the gap left behind by the older generation!"

Raji stated her words loudly, and an old general wearing a military uniform brought a decorated medal tray forward.

He was a well-known S-ranker and a very powerful military tactician, but today, he was serving as Raji’s subordinate with a solemn look on his face.

Raji nodded her head at him and took a bright golden medal from the medal tray.

The medal had a design that depicted a sword shining with a dark golden aura.

It was a representation of King Allen’s golden sword and signified that the bearer of the medal is a person who is qualified enough to be considered a ’Sword’ of the nation.

This is a medal that is given to all those who graduate from the Great Freya Academy with the highest scores.

Raji put that medal on Rio, Link, Lia, and Riya’s clothes around the chest part one by one with her own hands.

"From this day forward, you four are officially a pillar of the nation; you will be ’protectors’ and ’guardians’ of this nation’s people! I hereby announce that all four of you have successfully graduated!"

Raji gave a rare gentle smile to the four of them to show her heartfelt appreciation.

Then, without wasting time, Raji picked the other medal from the medal tray.

It was a medal made from adamantium and mithril and looked even more luxurious than the previous.

This medal had a design that depicted a woman holding a chalice in one hand and a flower in the other hand.

It was a representation of Astra, the greatest healer of all time.

This medal signified that the bearer of this medal has achieved great merits and has helped in saving the nation or a massive number of people.

Rio and the others helped in saving millions of lives by stopping Alverto’s plans; thus, this medal is to award them for their bravery and their efforts to save so many people.

*Clap* *Clap*

The moment Raji placed those medals on the four of them, all S-rankers, everyone else present in the hall started clapping to congratulate the four of them.

Barely anyone in the history of the nation has ever received this medal, and today, four people received it all at once, which is indeed a shocking scene.

"Aside from these four, those who have sacrificed their lives will also not be neglected..."

As Raji said those words, the photo of Riko was brought forward by the old general.

"Riko Embeth died in action, but we will record her name in history books and she will always be remembered as someone who has also received these honours..."

There was no one who could receive the medals on behalf of Riko, as she had no relatives, so Raji could only do this much for her.

As for Liam, he was missing, so she had to hold back on his matter, as she can’t make assumptions just yet.

"Today, not only do we have these fine talents joining our nation’s forces, but a newly ascended S-ranker has also joined us!"

Raji took a dark black badge from the medal tray and placed it on Rio’s chest, and this award was only for him alone.

"I, Raji Croft, the Active Head of the Awakener’s Association of the empire, hereby declare that Rio Flash will be granted the status of a ’Lieutenant General’ in the military of the nation!"

A ’Lieutenant General’ is the rank given to S-rankers who have just ascended and haven’t joined the military officially.

With this badge, Rio can command the military to some extent, can get a lot of benefits, and can use the badge to prove his status as someone with great power.

This badge will allow Rio to take missions, go on international operations, do work in any district, and command the police or any other force stationed in the area with ease.

This is basically a special privilege given to him.

Not all S-rankers get this privilege, as they have to achieve merits to get this privilege, but Rio has already achieved great things, so he received it easily.

This same badge was once given to Kevin Flash, which allowed him to work for the government and the nation.

Rio has achieved it too. Now, he can officially start his career as an S-rank awakener from this day.