Jay Brown stepped aside and withdrew his gaze naturally.

He looked up at the screen hanging over the training field.

His name was not among the top ten rankings.

He was ranked 76th.

This ranking was not just for current students of the academy, but an overall ranking of all students who had ever attended.

76th was an excellent ranking, the highest among his peers.

Yet he still felt it was not enough.

His goal was beyond first place.

The name that had been erased yet still lingered.

— Hannah.

In fact, he had never even seen the person named Hannah.

He had only heard the name by chance, during a conversation between the headmaster and professors.

Their praise for Hannah was high, even surpassing that of Wayne Lane.

"Since the establishment of the Mecha Academy, there have been many outstanding individuals, but if we really had to choose one, it would still be Hannah," the old headmaster said with some emotion. "If it weren’t for those incidents, with her abilities, she should have been able to go even further."

Professor Lawrence also nodded, "Among the students who enrolled this year, there are several with high talents who are rebellious, but speaking of strong willfulness, Hannah truly stands out."

After all, she was the only one who dared to pin down Wayne Lane with a beginner’s mecha on the first day of enrollment.

Gifted, capable, and full of confidence.

Hannah seemed to be constantly surrounded by thorns.

Like a hedgehog, yet different from one.

Hedgehogs have moments of compliance and a soft underbelly.

But Hannah did not.

Imprinted in her bones was a spirit of defiance, as if she had long been ready to take on the whole world.

She was like bamboo in the dead of winter, enduring wind and rain without bending.

It was hard to say whether such a personality could ever be softened, enough to flower.

The old headmaster and professor were reminiscing too.

The Mecha Academy’s history was almost as long as that of the Empire’s royal lineage, so the academy wasn’t entirely under the control of the royal family.

Otherwise, the old headmaster wouldn’t have been able to preserve all the information about Hannah.

He didn’t want such an outstanding child to completely disappear from the entire star system.

The door was left ajar.

Jay Brown stood at the door, holding the paperwork he had just found in the archives.

He couldn’t stop thinking about the conversation between the old headmaster and the professor, going back and forth in his mind, leaving only the name "Hannah."

That very night, he went to the school’s archives, trying to find any information about Hannah.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t find anything after searching high and low.

Eventually, after asking several people, someone finally quietly told him that the name Hannah was taboo throughout the entire Empire.

A forbidden existence.

They said she was a criminal who had betrayed the royal family.

But Jay Brown didn’t see it that way.

If she were truly unforgivable, the venerable old headmaster would not look upon her so fondly and speak so highly of her.

So, he went to find the old headmaster. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

The old headmaster was also surprised that someone had inquired about Hannah, "Where did you hear about her?"

Jay Brown, a man of honest nature, answered every question without lying, "I overheard your conversation with Professor Lawrence at the door that day."

After speaking, he bowed deeply, sincerely apologizing, "I’m sorry for eavesdropping on your conversation."

The old headmaster smiled and waved his hand, not minding the eavesdropping, "Just from hearing a few words between Lawrence and me, you became curious about Hannah?"

Jay Brown affirmed, "I admire the strong and see them as my goal."