Chapter 108

Under the student council president election (9)

The sun rises.

Is it dawn after a long night? The light was so dazzling that Lucy felt as if she had fainted for a moment.

“Thank you for your hard work Miss Lucy.”

30 days from the start of probation. After a long ordeal we finally reached the morning of escape.

Belle Maia stopped by Lucy’s room as soon as she got to work and handed the key to the room she had been managing back into Lucy’s hand.

And the door that had been closed for nearly a month finally swung open. The sunlight coming through the crack in the door was so special that I couldn’t describe it in words.

“The probation order has ended and you can now come and go in and out of the dormitory freely according to your schedule. However you must adhere to the academic internal regulations.”

at las... !!”

I went on a rampage due to a momentary emotion and ended up living in hell for almost a month. How much he regretted being locked in the corner of his room staring blankly at the ceiling.

I was getting sick of Belle Maia’s insight into the essence of what kind of punishment Lucy suffered the most.

Lucy herself is not aware of how much of an impact that one incident had on the structure of the subsequent student council president election. However no matter what you will be able to realize that the atmosphere of the bachelor’s degree has changed a lot after just one month.

More than 10 days have passed since each candidate declared their candidacy for student council president and the election campaign which has caused a lot of controversy for a while is now coming to an end.

The voting day is approaching and the structure has become fixed to some extent so it is difficult for further election campaigns to have much meaning.

“The smell of flowers... ”

Of course to Lucy who came out to the rose garden put on her hat and looked up at the sky... Such current information is not important at all.

I stretch with a gurgling sound savoring the breeze outside for the first time in a long time.

Now that it’s been a while since she’s been outside Lucy wants to wander around all kinds of places... Still the place to go first was decided.

*

“Ed Rosstaylor second year student at the Ministry of Magic.”

Will he get caught up in a death incident or come back alive? As he was a key figure at the center of all kinds of incidents and accidents he was investigated to the point of exhaustion.

If I were to add up the number of surveys I received while the student president election was taking place within the university it would easily be in the double digits.

I went to give testimony not only to the investigation department and inspection department within the academic department but also to the faculty and also to the official investigation led by the three deans and was busy pouring out all kinds of testimonies and writing documents.

Just when you think the investigation is really over another explanation arises and then you go on another investigation tour from the beginning and repeat the process until you get really sick of it.

I entered the Trix building with Dean McDowell who assured me that the entire investigation had been completed and that this was the last time I would ask for cooperation.

How on earth can we be sure that this investigation will be the last? I know how things will work out again.

With that in mind I followed Dean McDowell and soon realized something. This conversation is truly the last.

As expected the place that Chief Dean McDowell guided us to was the largest room in the upper part of the Trix Building. It was the principal’s office.

“Sit somewhere comfortable.”

Sitting inside was the school’s highest official Principal Obel Forcius who had the authority to end all of these cases.

Guardian Obel.

Short-cut hair and clean bronzed skin. Although he is close to his 60th birthday he looks quite young. In fact because he was younger than senior professors he was recognized for his skills rather than his years.

As I sat down on the reception sofa Principal Obel swung his magic. Then the tea set moved randomly and a cup of fragrant tea landed on the conference table.

Obel has a policy of minimizing secretarial staff as much as possible. He was the one who personally did the work of serving tea.

“I have read all the survey materials. You must have really had a hard time. I would like to apologize for the immaturity of security management at the academic level in having to deal with such an uproar. “I’m sorry for causing you harm.”

Obel sat in the principal’s chair and took the first step in acknowledging my hard work and my inexperience as a student.

In fact it’s like a greeting meant to appease the other person’s feelings even a little. Still there was no need to think too harshly since they were providing minimal consideration.

no. The other party has prepared in a meticulous and planned manner... “I think it would have been difficult to prevent it through measures at the security management level.”

“I appreciate you saying that but... “What is the reality?”

Obel had a pile of documents on his desk that he had researched and reported from various academic facilities.

I am aware of all the testimony I gave.

In fact the reality is that it is difficult for someone who has risen to the top of the bureaucratic pyramid to understand all the details.

However Obel is the poisonous species among poisonous species who reads all the reporting documents without leaving a single word out.

Although he has an excellent temperament as a manager he is the kind of person you would not want to be as a subordinate. Most people who left their mark on history were like this.

“The reason I was able to survive despite being stabbed by a dagger with an extremely poisonous mark and falling off a cliff... Did I mention that it was thanks to the ‘Delheim Hourglass’? I won’t ask you how you got your hands on such high-quality magical engineering supplies. “It’s not something an average student would carry around though.”

“I have no intention of hiding it. “I made it myself.”

“The manufacturing technology itself is simpler than other magical engineering supplies but the materials would never have been easily obtained. “The time spent on the production itself must have been unusual.”

“I asked someone I know personally to save me. “It took almost the entire winter vacation to produce it.”

When he said that Principal Obel narrowed his eyes and did not ask any more questions.

If Obel was as perceptive as he was he would have easily noticed that there was some kind of contact with Elte Company when talking about material procurement. They must have had enough information about my personal life.

I don’t want to get involved with the Elte Company for no reason and I implicitly know that Lortel will only lose strength if he gets involved more than necessary.

“After that I was drifting in a cave under a cliff... Found and rescued by Yenica Failover. “The very first thing Tanya Ross Taylor did was run up to the podium where she was speaking and defend her.”

Yes that’s right.

“I’ll tell you straight. “It felt very contrived.”

Obel put down all the documents and sat down on the back of the chair.

“It seems as if he was hiding quietly until things calmed down. “Is my prediction correct?”

“What can I say to that? If that’s the principal’s opinion I have no choice but to say no.”

“The reason I bothered to call you out for something that could have been handled in writing was with the intention of putting an end to these superficial battles of opinion.”

Since I have continued to make consistent statements even if you read such a pile of documents the contents will all be similar.

I was stabbed by Kadec and Nox and fell down a cliff barely surviving and drifting away. That was all the facts I told you.

“I don’t know how internal strife occurs in a noble family like Rosstaylor. In the process terrible things like someone getting stabbed to death or disappearing will often happen. It’s truly unfortunate but since I have no way of knowing the situation I can’t do anything about it. So I don’t have the intention to delve deeply into the situation.”

Obel spoke quietly with his arms on the armrests.

“The problem however is that in this case it occurred within the university. “I am the person who manages this academy so I need to accurately judge the minimum facts and report them to the imperial family.”

“That is a reasonable statement.”

“Just looking at your actions and inferring... It seems like you just wanted to remain a ‘dead’ person to the outside world... Well at best the rumor will spread from Aken Island to distant lands in just a few months.”

He is a person who survived as principal for more than a day or two. Usually anyone who has held a position like this for decades has a few snakes growing inside of him.

If you don’t have that level of tact and insight you won’t survive.

“From my point of view it would be right to announce to the whole world that you are alive. “The basic details of your death have already been reported to the imperial family but there is a need to correct all such details and report again.”

“That is also true. “No matter how much Sylvania is a mecca for academics it would be proper for a subject to strictly adhere to their reporting obligations to the imperial family.”

“I’m talking about something more realistic than that. This is a story about avoiding responsibility. “It’s a somewhat explicit story but I won’t bother retelling it.”

If a report were to be reported to the imperial family the news would quickly be delivered to Crepin who was sitting in an important position in the imperial family. From my point of view this is not a very good thing.

“Kadek and Nox who are accused of assassinating you have escaped from Aken Island. It definitely smells like some hidden force is involved but I don’t think there’s any need to investigate. The problem is that we as academics must take responsibility for that.”

“... ”

“Although he was excommunicated a once noble man was assassinated within the academy as a show of pride his younger brother was pointed out as the culprit and the perpetrators escaped with the help of some kind of force. If you don’t at least announce the fact that you are actually alive it would be difficult for the academic department to take any responsibility. So it is natural to want to make it clear that there were no casualties.”

In the end once you reach a high position you can’t help but react sensitively to issues related to responsibility.

Even Obel who is said to have risen to the rank of archmage cannot deny the fact that he is ultimately a part of the bureaucratic society.

If a corrective report is made to the imperial family at the academic level the news will reach Crepin at a much different pace than if the news were spread through simple rumors.

This is because Crepin also serves as Prime Minister of the imperial family and is Emperor Cloel’s closest associate. Most of the news that enters the imperial family also reaches his ears.

“That’s why I called you to ask you one last question.”

Obel’s speaking style may seem roundabout but when you look at the reality it is straightforward.

Let’s put it all aside and then talk about it one last time.

If you summarize what he said it’s such a hot way of speaking that you wonder if it’s really okay to do this.

I will report your survival to the imperial family. In this way the degree of responsibility on the part of the academics will be reduced even a little.

But looking at the survey data it seems like you want to be recognized as a ‘dead person’ for a while even if it’s just for a few months.

Still it is very difficult for academics. So I would like to report it. What do you think?

They called me to read all my intentions understand my position and finally ask for my opinion.

Since he figured out all of this solely by reading the reports in the documents he has a deeper perspective on the situation than other academic staff.

Why did you go all the way to the academy to stir up internal strife within your family and cause such unnecessary harm? There is no such grumbling either. In the first place there are many variables involved in running an academic institution and we deeply understand that fact.

“If your goal is to let this matter pass as quietly as possible it might be better to postpone reporting on my survival.”

yes. Princess Fenia... “He said it looked as if Brother Ed was deliberately trying to get out of the family.”

“... ”

“At first I wondered what that meant but now I find it persuasive. because... “I feel like Brother Ed has finally found himself in The Bachelor of Sylvania.”

I scanned my chin as I sat on the bench. What Tanya was saying was not something to be ignored.

“So I wanted to ask just in case. Could it be... the reason why your brother tried to get out of the family somehow...? Is it related to the ‘drawer’...? ?”

“... a drawer... ?”

always... That drawer in my brother’s room that I couldn’t go near and never open. At some point you even locked it with a key. Even now when I go to the Ross Taylor mansion it will still be there... ”

From here on it is completely uncharted territory.

In the character Ed Rosstaylor is merely a passing villain who is eliminated in the first chapter.

In any case that past history was not discussed in depth and it was not something I considered very important.

So there wasn’t much I could say.

“Well... I do not remember.

It was just like that.

Tanya looked at me for a moment and then exhaled softly. The feeling of becoming calmer is like having grown even more in that short period of time.

“Wouldn’t it be better to think about what to do in the future rather than talking about such a gloomy past? Tanya you are now the student council president... “The only thing left to do is to see the light of day.”

well. When I think realistically about taking office I feel like there are a lot more things that need to be done right now... ”

Anyway Tanya survived.

He sat down as student council president not in the name of enhancing Ross Taylor’s prestige but entirely for his own sake. There is no guarantee that the road ahead will be smooth. Still I can at least give you some support.

“But brother this question... It seemed a bit mischievous and it didn’t seem very nice so I tried to endure it... “I still can’t stand it but can I ask you something?”

What?

I... The reason why you went to such lengths to take my side when I declared my candidacy is... ”

Tanya’s cheeks were red and she was briefly avoiding eye contact as if she was embarrassed to ask such a question out of her own mouth. It’s a scary question.

“If you really had to hide... There must have been no reason for you to go that far. It’s like... I feel like somehow I couldn’t tolerate the injustice I was experiencing... That feeling... “You heard it..?”

“It felt like that and it was like that when I was sleeping.”

Tanya shuddered her shoulders. It’s an overreaction.

“It’s family.”

“... ”

“Then I have to take your side.”

At those words Tanya closed her eyes... Soon she just smiled.

“They say that the person who stands by your side during the biggest crisis is a relationship that will last a lifetime. This is a phrase I saw in a book I read while studying social circles... “It wasn’t a very good book but I remembered that phrase.”

“... ”

“Well I’m the student council president now. Since I will be in charge of a lot of public work it may not be a very good attitude... Still I might be a little biased right? “Because I am also human.”

Tanya grinned stood up from the bench and turned around to talk.

“Tell me when there is a crisis. “I will help you in any way I can.”

Her wide smile is far from that of an elegant villainess... It was only then that I burst out laughing.

“It’s nice to be a family.”

“... “Since when has it been there?”

“Since when you said something embarrassing about Tanya.”

There will still be a lot of things to urgently deal with related to the election. In the meantime Tanya must have taken the time to visit and left in a hurry.

And only after Tanya was completely out of sight did the girl sitting on the opposite bench stand up and come over.

On the other side of the bench where I was sitting the girl with her butt resting on the backrest was smiling like a fox... He is the acting chairman of Elte Trading Company and a candidate for the fallen student council president.

As I covered my face and sighed Lortel laughed happily.

“Well I should only talk about good things. “It is said that it is skillful to cover up the parts that do not need to be revealed.”

What I helped Tanya... That’s right it’s because Tanya went through so much hardship compared to the fateful ordeal she had to go through.

In other words it is because of sympathy and also because he is the only person in this wide world who can be called blood related.

Family love is not something that blooms so easily but when it comes to the fact that she is the only blood sister in the world it becomes difficult to let her go.

The sense of homogeneity that comes from having similar blond hair or similar eye color and a shared family background is surprisingly powerful.

However human behavior is not always driven by emotion.

I spoke to Tanya as if I was defending her just because she was family but... If she doesn’t take into account her ‘use value’... It must be a lie.

Tanya is a girl who has lived her whole life admiring the glory of Ross Taylor. Crepin also knows this well.

He is truly an insider with deep roots in the Ross-Taylor family and if he can be included his value is indescribable.

Student council president and insider of the Ross Taylor family. He even has a direct line of communication leading to the family so he has direct influence in obscuring internal information within the family or carrying out smokescreen operations.

The benefits you will gain if you have a special relationship are... It may seem overly calculating but you can’t help but calculate it.

Relationships between people are not always purely based on one emotion... It is a difficulty in human relationships.

However it is better to only know the bright parts if possible.

About the dark part only those who know about it need to know. for example... A girl who has lived in such a precarious situation ever since she was young.

In the end the only person who could share that part was Lortel at best.

“These days my notoriety is high within the academy. “Miss Tanya also doesn’t seem to like me very much so I guess I’ll have to leave it to senior Ed for the time being.”

“You seem to have a bad habit of trying to control and sway everyone around you Lortel.”

“Oh it’s just an occupational disease. And when I’m swayed I’m swayed too right?”

“... “The rumors I’ve been hearing these days are ridiculous. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Rumors don’t make money so what can I do?”

With a grin Lortel quietly leaned against the back of the bench and looked at the sky.

“Well because I have the constitution of a villain. “All I have to do is not turn my senior into an enemy.”

The grinning smile was the same as what I always saw. Anyway it is not easy.

*

Thus the bachelor’s degree enters a new phase.

Student body president Tanya Rosstaylor sits on the throne of the student council.

Princess Fenia who does not hold the position of president looks up at the sky from the royal residence. No one can now know what direction her actions will take in the future.

How the conflict between the imperial forces and the Rosstaylor family will unfold also depends on Heaven’s will and how the remaining third act scenario will unfold... It is time to watch.

“It’s been a while since I came... “It’s really special.”

My cabin and camp still looked the same after all this time.

I really missed this camp which now feels like home.

First of all it seems necessary to clean up the inside of the cabin and tidy up the campfire site to normalize the camp.

Prior to that... I wanted to get some rest.

– Squeak

As you enter the dusty interior of the cabin the familiar smell of grass sits heavily on your chest.

Let’s get some rest first. With that thought in mind she threw her coat on the wooden desk and lifted the blanket.

“Kuuuu... . Phew... .”

“... ”

But there are passengers.

Lucy who was fast asleep and wheezing was occupying my bed.

He hugged the pillow I was sleeping on as if it were some kind of treasure and fell into a deep sleep as if the world was good. It’s like returning to your hometown after decades.

When I saw that I soon burst out laughing.

I roughly threw the blanket back and laid down on the wooden chair lying diagonally.

I took out a book on elemental science from the desk opened it put it on my face and fell asleep like that.

For a while the only sound that filled the cabin was Lucy and I.

Finally we returned to camp. For now I decided to get drunk on that feeling.

It was three days later that news of Tanya’s election as student council president came.