Finally, after a seemingly endless wait, it was Team 32's turn.
The few remaining people in the large waiting room, now five in total, followed the coordinator's instructions to the preparation room. There, they drew balls to determine their position for or against the topic, and then received a sheet describing the debate topic.
Tilia, who had pulled out a blue ball representing the affirmative side of the question, felt a shiver run through her body as soon as she saw the topic.
This was the very topic that Ilex Davenport had marked for her the day before the semester started. This was a topic they spent a lot of time discussing at the beginning of their group study sessions.
Although she was speaking from an opposition perspective back then, it gave her a clear understanding of the counter-arguments she would face now, which was an advantage rather than a hindrance.
"Calm down, Tilia."
Taking the preparation sheet, Tilia clutched the pen tightly, trying to calm her trembling hand. But the next moment, as if receiving divine inspiration, she quickly began to jot down her notes.
Her handwriting became a little uneven as her hand struggled to keep up with her thoughts, but it didn't matter. The evaluation criteria were based on the soundness of her arguments and the logical structure of her presentation, rather than on the neatness of her handwriting.
The preparation time flew by in the blink of an eye. Shaking her hand, which ached from squeezing the handle too tightly, Tilia walked over to the rest of the affirmative party members, who also pulled out a blue ball.
Among those who discussed their plans and exchanged opinions, Cecilia Clayton was not visible. Feeling a surge of determination, Tilia heatedly explained her reasoning to her teammates, who quickly copied her logic.
- Team 32, please proceed to debate room 2.
After a brief discussion among the team, the real debate began. The student who drew the black ball and was designated as the moderator took his seat and explained the topic.
Meanwhile, Tilia silently watched Cecilia sitting with the opposition. Cecilia, unable to hide her hostility over their previous meeting at the lake, glared at her. Feeling a surge of confidence, Tilia gave her a cheerful smile, causing Cecilia's face to contort even more.
When the opposition began their opening speech, it was almost identical to the arguments that Tilia had presented in her training sessions long ago. Explanations of the social context of the topic, definitions of key concepts, and presentation of key issues were presented as if cast from the same mold.
Apparently they were well prepared. Tilia listened calmly to her opponent's opening before slowly rising from her seat. The tedious preparatory work was completed. Now it's time for the real game.
When they were rehearsing a debate on this topic, Tilia took an opposing position against Ilex Davenport. Remembering how he had completely torn to pieces her carefully prepared arguments, this phase of questions seemed easy to her. As before, a single question that revealed a flaw in their logic instantly destroyed the opposition's arguments.
As expected, the opposition became confused, unable to properly answer the questions raised. When Tilia questioned the reliability of their evidence, the holes in their argument became even larger. Cecilia's face became increasingly tense.
- Despite the evidence presented, does the supporting party truly believe that this decree is an effective law?
When it was the opposition's turn, Cecilia's tone became more aggressive as the debate approached its final stages.
- Answer me. You?
- This is a situational model that has already shown a certain degree of success.
Tilia calmly responded to Cecilia's unsuccessful attempt to pressure her with a straight face.
- Just answer the question!
Unlike Tilia, Cecilia was gradually losing her composure, just as Tilia had predicted. After all, the debate assessment criteria for the second exam included more than just analytical and argumentative skills. The attitude they showed towards their opponents was equally critical.
- So, the affirmative side...
But in her focus on winning, Cecilia lost sight of something important.
This debate was not real. It was just a show for observers.
Here it was not only the result of victory or defeat that mattered. Equally important was how they looked in the eyes of the judges, who sat and watched with tired faces.
- However, during the previous dispute, the affirmative party did not indicate this fact. Is this correct?
Cecilia's objection, although somewhat reasonable, was overly emotional. Her voice, imbued with a strong desire to win, was unpleasantly high, and her gaze was warlike, as if starting a battle.
Even the moderators, who had been silently observing the score sheets until now, could hardly fail to notice her destructive behavior when she even tried to contradict them.
- Ha, so that's what you want to say!
When Cecilia finally screamed in despair, the silence was broken by the sharp scraping of pen on paper.
The sound was so loud in the quiet room that Cecilia's expression wavered for a moment. That was the end of it.
- The time for cross-examination of the opposition has expired. The representative of the affirmative party can begin his interrogation.
The turn moved to the affirmative side.
Tilia calmly rose from her seat and began her line of questioning with short, direct questions. Unlike Cecilia, who did not hide her aggressive attitude, Tilia maintained a facade of respect for her opponent, while trying to show minimal politeness.
***
"Made".
As she walked down the stairs of the building where the exam was being held, Tilia struggled to suppress the rumble rising in her chest.
Outside, darkness had already enveloped the area, leaving everything pitch black. But all Tilia could see was the bright moon, shining as if it illuminated the whole world.
"Made. I passed."
As she looked up at the hopeful full moon, a strong feeling of success rose in her chest.
The debate ended with a convincing victory for the affirmative side. All three evaluators were clearly inclined to support the "yes" team even before the debate ended.
While it was not unusual for candidates on the losing side to also pass, it was obvious to anyone watching the debate that Cecelia Clayton would not be among them.
Unable to contain her joy, Tilia found herself humming softly as she descended to the ground. As she fiddled with the frayed strap of her bag, she realized that much of her happiness was tied to Cecilia's likely failure.
Although she found her irritating and annoying, she did not consider herself capable of rejoicing in the misfortune of others.
Remembering the wide smile she had given Cecilia's rumpled face after the debate, Tilia made a slightly strange expression.
Am I really such an evil person?
While she was asking herself questions, a group of exhausted graduates trudged past her. It looks like they, like her, drew numbers towards the end of the line.
Looking at their dejected backs, she remembered Judy.
Just as Tilia drew the same number as Cecilia, Judy and Alex Davenport also drew the same numbers.
The moment Judy learned that she would have to debate against Ilex, her face became so pale that even Tilia, who was just watching her, became worried. She ended up massaging Judy's hands until it was time for the debate.
"I wonder if Judy did well..."
Worried about her friend, Tilia approached the entrance to the main building.
If Judy had failed, she most likely would not have returned to the dorm, but instead wandered around the cold campus.
If that were the case, she couldn't have gone far. After all, Judy's number was at the bottom of the list too.
"Before I head back to the dorm, I'm going to look around a little."
Having made her decision, Tilia headed towards the back gate, another exit from the building where the exam was being held.
She wasn't worried about Ilex Davenport, who was debating with Judy. If he fails the second exam, it will undoubtedly be by his own choice.
After four years at the academy and six months spent together in classes and lessons in the Ontario language, Tilia knew him well.
This man was a genius who could easily achieve anything he wanted. If Ilex decided to take the exam, failure wouldn't even be an option.
But strangely enough, it no longer irritated her as before.
“It’s not his fault that he was born a genius, is it?”
While his behavior could be unbearable, he also had a way of quietly helping others.
Feeling a strange tickling in her legs, Tilia kicked a pebble lying on the path along the way.