Chapter 122
Vargan, who had single-handedly destroyed the monument that they were assigned to take down together.
Everyone present couldn’t believe the incredible reality that Vargan had created.
Arterion and Alicia were part of that audience too.
However, their reactions differed from those around them; Alicia was inexplicably grinning with pleasure.
Arterion calmly assessed the level of that power.
“…Have I fallen behind?”
The Golden Knight confirmed Vargan’s growth and compared it to his own.
He too had exceptional talent, a supportive environment, and had poured in relentless effort. He had moved forward boldly, using the two defeats he suffered at Vargan’s hands as a stepping stone.
During the vacation period, he felt that he had become even stronger through mentoring sessions.
…But the outcomes were different.
More specifically, he realized that right now.
Even considering that Vargan had used a relic that doubled his mana output, the sword Arterion wielded was also a top-tier relic not easily overshadowed.
Would it have been this easy to destroy the monument if he hadn’t collaborated with Alicia?
Wouldn’t he have wasted several minutes, or more, alone…?
While he walked a few steps, Vargan had raced ahead by dozens of strides, as if he wouldn’t even entertain the thought of standing on the same line, let alone being overtaken.
“……”
Arterion looked at the woman who had also shown remarkable growth beside him.
She began to soar as if wings had been added to her strength, her eyes fixed on Vargan.
She genuinely served and respected her master.
…Despite knowing that.
The Golden Knight spoke to her.
“Alicia.”
When he called her name, graceful waves flowed through her pristine white hair. He found himself gazing into her mysteriously enchanting blue eyes.
“What is it, Arterion?”
As he looked into her eyes, he found it hard to break the silence.
‘Am I hesitating…?’
He felt a slight panic at the vague emotions he himself couldn’t understand.
This wasn’t the time to hesitate.
Why couldn’t he speak naturally…?
Finally managing to open his mouth, Arterion proposed in a calm tone.
“Would you consider being part of my electoral committee?”
Currently, Arterion’s electoral committee consisted of:
Ossel Solus Lauga, Ossel Porn Fallon.
With only one spot left to fill, he pondered who to choose and somehow thought of Alicia.
Of course, he had heard that Alicia’s master, Vargan, was involved with Saint Diphelia’s electoral committee.
But there was no guarantee that she would participate, so it was definitely not out of the question.
There’s no guarantee it will happen, but there’s definitely a chance it won’t happen at all.
“I don’t intend to put you in a difficult position. If it’s impossible, just say so honestly. …I just wanted to ask once.”
“Ah….”
Alicia realized that his brilliant golden eyes were infinitely serious.
Arterion seemed to casually bring it up, but it must have taken him some time to actually say it.
Alicia had no idea what feelings he held for her.
Due to her innate tendency to be overly considerate, she found it hard to respond immediately.
This caused a slight pause.
As their clear eyes crossed and resonated with each other,
“—I’m sorry, but that doesn’t seem possible. Respected Prince.”
Vargan interjected.
Having approached unnoticed, he grabbed Alicia by both shoulders and gently pulled her toward him.
“Y-Young Master?!”
Before Alicia could fully express her surprise, Vargan continued speaking.
“What the Prince is currently doing is a clear violation of private property. No matter how much of a Prince of the Ocel Kingdom you are, how dare you attempt to take my possession without consulting me first?”
Vargan’s black eyes wore a hint of a smile, but there was also a touch of displeasure.
“Even bandits have a code of ethics that’s better than this.”
“…….”
Despite the clearly aggressive words, Arterion didn’t show even a slight tremble of his eyebrows.
Instead, he turned his gaze to Alicia, not Vargan.
Alicia, now closely pressed against Vargan, was looking up at him with a stiff neck.
Her frozen hands hung in the air, while only her trembling lips moved.
Her ears, tinged a peachy pink, seemed to blatantly reveal her emotions.
He already knew it wouldn’t be easy to bring her along. He didn’t expect Vargan to just let her go.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t anticipated all of this.
But…
The emotions Arterion was feeling now weren’t simply because bringing her along had fallen through.
It felt like something had a different form or color altogether.
What could this be?
“Prince Arterion! I, Fallon, just successfully broke the monument and returned….”
Fallon, the male student who absolutely followed Arterion, rushed in but stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the current situation.
Vargan, as if opposing the Prince.
The woman with white hair nestled in Vargan’s arms (?).
For some reason, it was hard to breathe.
Following Fallon, Lauga, who had temporarily teamed up with Vargan, also appeared.
Then,
“Alright….”
Arterion determined it was time to end the situation.
“I was rude.”
With those final words, he turned to leave.
Fallon hurriedly began to chase his rear.
Lauga, without a word, shot a displeased glance at Alicia and Vargan before walking away.
……
As Vargan and Alicia were left alone,
Alicia, with her head bowed, was barely cooling her flustered state.
The warmth from Vargan’s hand on her shoulder made it difficult for her.
Her heart was pounding, and to calm it, she needed to distance herself.
As she opened her mouth to do so,
“Y-Young Master… that’s enough… —Ah!”
She got smacked on the forehead.
Vargan, having pulled Alicia around to face him, held her gaze firmly as he asked,
“Why do you think you were hit?”
“Well, I’ll tell you. So first… Ah!”
“Again, why do you think I was hit?”
“Because I didn’t show any intention to refuse… Ah!”
“Similar but wrong. I knew you would refuse even if I didn’t come.”
“If that’s the case…”
“The problem is that it took too long. You were probably filling your head with uselessly weak thoughts again.”
Alicia, who had been hit repeatedly in the same spot, touched her forehead which was heating up even more than her crimson ears and continued to apologize.
However.
“You’re saying sorry with your mouth, yet your face shows no sign of it. Have you really gone mad now?”
“No! That’s not it… Huh? Am I making that face right now… Ah!”
“Yes, you are making that face.”
Ignoring her painful forehead, Alicia hurriedly checked her smile. Realizing that the corners were subtly raised, the heat that was just barely cooling flared up again.
“What on earth are you…”
Vargan clicked his tongue as he watched her.
For a while, Alicia couldn’t lower her temperature, which had risen above normal.
*
After the joint class with Class 2 concluded.
As Vargan changed clothes in the changing room and emerged into the hallway, Naias greeted him.
“Why are you wandering outside instead of being in the sword?”
“I wanted to go back with the Young Master!”
The spirit joyfully chimed, just like a child.
As Vargan quietly investigated the information reflected in Naias’s eyes.
“What’s on your mind?”
“I wanted to ask you something! …Ah! Seriously, how long are we gonna do this? Where’s my privacy?”
Unable to lie when asked for precise information due to their contract, Naias complained about the unfairness of the contract.
Vargan was baffled.
“Checking the contents before signing is essential.”
He had even kindly explained it beforehand, and now she was acting like this because she was weary of it.
As Vargan began to walk down the hallway, Naias followed him with quick steps.
She tilted her head and spoke up.
“Young Master, you’re pretty smart for a human. You’re quick to grasp the situation and understand people’s psychology well.”
“That praise you’re trying to lay on me isn’t the ‘thing you wanted to ask’ from before… Hurry up and get to the point.”
“Tch. Why do you have to respond like that when I compliment you? No wonder you don’t have friends.”
“…….”
If she teased him one more time, he would give her a proper dose of pain before forcibly putting her in the sword.
Naias barely maintained her boundary.
“I really have a curious question. But if I say it, I feel like you won’t like it. Is that okay?”
“Just ask. If you drag it out even a second longer…”
The spirit, resembling a child, spun her finger around her temple while asking. Her words were laced with pure inquiry.
“Why do you pretend not to know when you know everything?”
Thud—.
Vargan stopped walking and looked at Naias.
“…Your sentence is unclear. What exactly am I pretending not to know?”
“See? You’re pretending not to know again.”
Naias had a specific person in mind.
A person blooming softly like a white flower soaked in moonlight.
A woman who followed and trusted Vargan immensely.
“Hmm….”
Then, with a genuinely puzzled look, she scanned Vargan.
“If you enjoy making women restless and cry, I’d understand that. But, that’s not the case, is it?”
Even Naias, who always observed every situation from the sword, realized this. It was strange for him to not notice since she was a human woman who was extremely obvious about it.
Even Ash couldn’t miss it. She’s the type of human girl who stands out to the point where it’s strange if someone doesn’t notice her.
But, Bargran, who was right in front of her, not knowing was hard to comprehend, considering he mastered reading expressions and behavioral principles.
“No matter how I think about it, you’re just pretending not to know. You didn’t like that sort of stuff because it’s frustrating, right?”
For a moment, Bargran’s gaze, which had been focused on Naias, shifted back out to the long hallway.
He let out a breath that sounded almost like a snort and stepped forward again.
“It really was an insignificant question.”
“Even if you say that, it can’t be helped. I was really curious. So? Won’t you give me an answer?”
“The feelings behind what you’re imagining are nothing but an illusion.”
“Oh, Young Master. Are we really doing this? I have eyes too, you know! Better eyes than anyone else here!”
Naias pouted, tugging on Bargran’s collar, shaking it, making it hard for him to walk.
Exasperated, Bargran roughly swatted her hand away and replied.
“I act based on profit and loss.”
“Huh?”
Seeing Naias perk up her ears in confusion, Bargran added an explanation.
His monotone voice slipped out.
“If I were truly pretending not to know, it would mean there’s no benefit in me doing so.”
“…….”
“I hope that answers your question.”
The steady sound of Bargran’s footsteps echoed through the hallway.
Just listening to it, one could sense the nobility and grace, a polished walk that must have taken considerable effort to achieve its outwardly flashy sound.
Left behind, Naias stared blankly at the distance where Bargran was fading away.
“Honestly, you’re less human than even a spirit like me… Well, that’s part of our Young Master’s charm!”
She shouted to catch up with him.
*
A few days later.
In a place where soft sunlight streamed through the window.
The Student Council Room, which could be called the heart of the Academia.
“I’ll check the voting list for additional candidates put forward by the Student Council. First, Arterion.”
All the Student Council members were seated around the long table that stretched out from Rheincarven’s center.
He read from the list submitted by Arterion.
“First-year Ocell Solus Lauga, first-year Ocell Forne Fallon, second-year Rombain. Are these three confirmed?”
“Confirmed.”
Once Arterion had finished confirming, Rheincarven picked up another sheet of paper. A familiar name jumped out at him.
“First-year Schugenharz Troa Bargran, first-year Portlet Troa Erica. First-year Alicia. Are these three, Diphelia, your confirmed candidates?”
“Yes, confirmed.”
Saint Diphelia nodded firmly with resolve. Erica silently kept her place next to her.
Once the final confirmations of the additional candidates were over, Rheincarven brought up the most crucial agenda for the meeting.
It was a kind of competition overseen by the Student Council.
All students would be able to watch and assess the candidates.
“The date and theme for the next Student Council President election’s first round has been decided.”
At his announcement, the candidates perked up in attention.
Only four candidates were present in the Student Council.
Each had different destinations and tracks, but they all awaited his next words with bated breath.
“The date is two Fridays from now. The theme is…”
Once again, they steeled themselves.
“Sky (天).”
Air Battle.
That was the event for this first round of elections.
