Chapter 119
Ocel Julio Clemens.
She’s the epitome of a leader.
Specialized in standing before the people, commanding and leading everyone, her prowess shines more brilliantly with each passing day.
It was she who approached me first.
This isn’t something to simply brush aside; it carries enough weight.
“I promise, if you join my electoral committee, I won’t let you down.”
Each candidate gets assigned three electoral committee members.
With Clemens in the mix, people would naturally line up to join her.
Seeing her personally come over to scout me made me feel once again that my efforts until now weren’t in vain.
Her reasons for wanting me boil down to two main points.
First, my reputation gained from Dortmund.
Second, the fact that I’m the heir of the Schugenhartz Family.
No matter how much the Academia promotes freedom and equality, the reality is that backgrounds and classes don’t disappear; groups inevitably form.
These groups, made up of like-minded individuals, usually move fluidly but take shape particularly during election season.
The Academia is divided into four mostly based on background.
Troa Empire.
Ocel Kingdom.
Darek Union.
And other smaller countries.
Although the interim processes differ, since it ultimately comes down to a vote, reading the room and capturing their votes is crucial.
Within the Academia, she can secure the votes of the so-called stars of Ocel Kingdom quite stably.
What she needs now is a way to gather votes from the remaining groups, using me as bait to reel in votes from Troa Empire.
While there was likely an interest in my strength, it’s not her top priority since she could substitute that with her own power.
Noticing my wheels turning, Clemens waved her outstretched hand slightly and put on an awkward expression on purpose.
“My hand feels embarrassing. I’d like you to grab it now.”
“……”
Having always been the one to push proposals or contracts, it’s a strange feeling to be in the opposite position.
If I were to take her hand here, I’d easily gain Clemens as my reinforcement.
It’s tempting. For someone like me who values talent, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Everyone around us is also waiting for my answer. It seems most believe I will take it.
I understand. Indeed, I feel the same way.
Simply being able to use Clemens as a reinforcement is already a tremendous opportunity, and considering her personality, she would surely treat me with more than enough special consideration.
It’s clear I’ll have to explain.
…Hmm.
But, if we proceed like that…
“What a shame… Yes, it’s really quite unfortunate.”
It will deviate significantly from the plot I had envisioned.
I exaggeratedly sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, scrunching my face as if I’d just sipped some bitter coffee.
At that, Clemens quietly lowered her hand.
The confident and bright power in her voice seemed to cool down and settle.
“What do you mean by a shame?”
“I genuinely appreciate your proposal… However, I cannot be part of your electoral college.”
“Cannot be part of my electoral college…”
Clemens pondered those words quietly.
“So, there’s a reason.”
Her red eyes glinted sharply.
I nodded, affirming her words.
She already had a pretty good idea—no, a very high probability—of what my next line would be.
But then again, what of it?
My resolve was firm and unwavering.
“What can I do? I’m already part of another electoral college. Betraying that trust would be something no honorable Academia student could do. I must soothe my regret and walk my own path.”
I wore a sly smile as I looked at Clemens.
She easily grasped my intention.
“…Is that so.”
Clemens, crossing her arms, let out a small sigh.
“That’s truly unfortunate.”
She erased the coldness from her expression, replaced instead with a deep smile.
Her face didn’t quite match the sentiment of ‘unfortunate.’
Though things didn’t flow as desired, perhaps she viewed it as an amusing situation.
Accepting my declaration of war with somewhat gleeful eyes.
“By the way, I want to ask whose electoral college it is.”
Clemens, even knowing that this situation was one I orchestrated using her, didn’t step back.
She didn’t seem angered or flustered that I used her to draw everyone’s attention; instead, she responded calmly.
I spoke to her.
No, I addressed everyone present. This was the reason I spoke loudly.
“I’m proposing for the next Student Council President, and it’s not you…”
And, as always, the rumors would spread in an instant.
With the addition of a bit of exaggeration, that’s a given.
*
‘For some reason, everyone is whispering while looking at me…’
Diphelia was walking down the hallway.
Everywhere she went, she could feel countless eyes and whispers directed toward her.
At first, she thought it was just her imagination.
After all, as a nearly nonexistent saint and someone with a disability, a few people had cast side glances during her early days at the academy.
However, that phenomenon didn’t last long.
The Academia had many more astonishing and attention-grabbing figures.
Compared to those, Diphelia wandered through the Academia quite quietly. So, she thought the gazes directed at her stemmed from her own misunderstandings.
⎯…So, that saint over there really did that?
⎯I heard she has more ambition than one might think.
Amidst the murmuring.
When she heard her name and the title of saint, Diphelia realized that her current situation was not a mere illusion but rather a genuine phenomenon in motion.
The crowd’s gazes carried a hint of vigilance, mingled with simple curiosity.
She hadn’t done much recently…
What on earth had captured their attention and turned it into gossip like this?
Did it really draw everyone’s attention and turn into this kind of gossip?
Diphelia, who might hesitate to ask directly, was pondering whether she should just inquire about what was going on.
She paused her rolling wheelchair and glanced around.
At one end of the hallway, she noticed Erica, who seemed to know something.
Erica approached Diphelia at a rather swift pace.
As she came closer, Diphelia could tell that Erica’s expression was ambiguous.
It looked like she felt sorry, a bit angry, and utterly confused all at once.
“Diphelia. Is the rumor true?”
“Huh? Erica, what do you mean?”
In a situation where she had no idea what rumor was circulating, there was no way to judge whether it was true or not.
In fact, she was also desperate to know the answer.
Erica observed Diphelia’s reaction and, having made her judgment, sighed deeply.
She chewed on her words as if talking to herself.
“Just as I thought… You weren’t the one leading the situation. …That means the culprit is that guy.”
“Erica. Please tell me. What on earth happened?”
Erica raised her head to face Diphelia.
The emotional colors she displayed seemed to tilt more toward regret.
Erica began to speak about the rumors.
“Diphelia. It’s spread around the Academia that you declared war on Senior Clemens.”
“What?! I declared war on Senior Clemens?!”
It was a far more absurd statement than she expected.
She had suspected it might be related to her, but she hadn’t imagined it would be that provocative.
Erica nodded and continued.
“Yeah… It seems one of your campaign team declared your intentions in front of everyone regarding Senior Clemens, who’s the next candidate for Student Council President…”
“Wait a minute. Campaign team? I never said I’d participate in this election…! Who on earth spoke such nonsense?!”
“……”
“Erica? Don’t tell me…”
Diphelia’s expression gradually turned to one of shock.
The more she heard about the rumor, the worse the situation seemed to spiral.
If it was related to ‘him’, it definitely wouldn’t just end as a simple rumor.
She desperately hoped at least that much wasn’t true and waited for Erica to spill the beans.
“The one who volunteered as your campaign team and blew this all out of proportion… I’m sorry, Diphelia.”
Diphelia wished she wouldn’t apologize.
Moreover, in the words that followed.
“It’s Schugenharz….”
She wanted desperately for that name not to come up.
However, it seemed the great Yggdrasil had refused to pardon the sin of doubting the Church’s faith.
Her mouth dropped open as a sound escaped.
“…What?!”
*
After all afternoon classes ended.
I was in the laboratory with Emily and Alicia, who were executives of Arbol Frutal and heads of each group.
I was going through the submitted documents that outlined each individual’s growth by group, asking questions as I examined them.
“Nothing special so far.”
“Aren’t they all growing quickly? Even the members I’ve documented are impressive.”
“That doesn’t mean it’s special, Emily.”
Everyone was developing smoothly, as expected.
There were a few who seemed a bit quicker or slower than others, but they didn’t deviate much from the standard.
Since only those with talent or potential were handpicked, it was naturally the expected result.
It was an obvious outcome, given the careful selection.
⎯Palak.
As I turned the page, the growth rate of one man caught my eye.
“Keyman… He was the only member who had a change in the group during the promotion ceremony in the first semester.”
Before I could finish my sentence, Alicia added more information about him.
“Yes, that’s right. He is the one who moved from ‘branch’ to ‘vine’ after the promotion ceremony and achieved remarkable accomplishments during Summer Vacation.”
I don’t know the details, but he particularly disregarded Finn.
A man full of fighting spirit, craving strength.
“I’ll have to keep an eye on that one.”
He has a history of overpowering all the local thugs as a commoner from the Troa Empire.
He doesn’t seem like a bad candidate for training as a fighting dog.
“If you wish, Young Master, I can arrange a meeting for you as early as tomorrow.”
“Hmmm. For now, let’s watch a little longer.”
There are many matters to resolve first.
Even if he shows some decent growth, he’s not quite cut out for my interests yet.
⎯Palak.
The following individuals were all fairly average as well.
If they continue to progress at this rate, they might become a decent force in a few years.
As I concluded my report, Emily licked her lips and asked,
“Um… about Liam.”
“Persistent, aren’t you? I’ve already told you multiple times that he won’t be joining the Research Society. Are you not satisfied with just being a group member?”
“Oh, I know. I know well. And I think it’s my selfishness too. But…”
“If it’s a mental issue, I thought it was mostly resolved. There’s no need to play the guardian role even in the Research Society.”
“……”
Emily, like a red horse, was at a loss for words and fell silent. She gets especially emotional whenever Liam comes up.
Seeing that, I sighed.
Then I explained it specifically for her, who seemed not to understand my intentions. Given the current story progression, I thought it was alright to share.
“Liam needs to grow by himself.”
He, who relied solely on status and levels, is just now starting to walk on his own.
He needs to be left alone to walk without anyone holding his hand.
“Emily. I can guess the thoughts and emotions you’re harboring, but that is also a form of distrust.”
“Well… I can’t say that’s not true. …Maybe it is.”
“If you truly care for your childhood friend, just leave him be. …Well, a little flirting here and there is fine, as long as you don’t cross the line.”
“It’s funny that you’re in a position to grant permission or not. I’ll try to hold back.”
Was she no longer planning to hide her feelings for Liam, or was it just due to her submerged emotions? Emily accepted it willingly.
“Got it.”
I got up from my seat.
That was enough for today’s Research Society activities.
The remaining time would be dedicated to training alone, and then later at night with Francesca…
⎯Drrr!
The lab door opened nervously.
Two women appeared.
The one who opened the door was of small stature with impressive black hair.
The woman behind her stood out with the wheelchair she was in and the small familiar perched on her shoulder.
The black-haired woman said,
“You need to explain what’s going on. Schugenharz!”
Erica, who seemed to keep her distance for a while, suddenly came closer.
I was bringing along the next Student Council President.
