Episode 123
“The Sky… Seems like it’s a favorable topic for Clemens.”
In the laboratory where all the members of Arbol Frutal gathered.
Alexeria, a fourth-year student with past experience as the student council president, was lost in thought, tapping her cheek.
Her usual playful demeanor faded, giving her a rather serious appearance.
She was mulling over information about Clemens, a strong candidate for the next student council president.
“Clemens, known as the Dragon Knight, has a strength in aerial combat. There’s no one up to at least second… no, even third-year students who can match her in the sky.”
Dragon Knight Clemens.
In truth, the creature she rides is a wyvern, but with full-body armor and a lance over 4 meters long, she soars through the sky.
She looks dignified and majestic like she’s riding a dragon.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the sky is her stage.
“Nothing has been announced yet except for the date and topic, right?”
“Yes, as always, everything will be announced three days prior.”
I answered Alexeria’s question as she showed a rare senior vibe.
Three days before the first election, all details are made public.
Until then, only the chancellor of the Academia and some staff members are privy to the information; even normal professors won’t have a clue.
In other words, aside from me and Liam, who have read ahead, none of the candidates know anything.
I had considered the possibility of a topic change, but it seems there won’t be major shifts in the internal schedule, much like in the Class Battle.
Alexeria fell silent and swallowed hard.
From the looks of it, she wants to give advice but seems to be hesitating.
… Well, I can’t say I blame her.
As she mentioned, Clemens is particularly threatening in aerial combat.
The first election is a sort of filter to weed out the weaker candidates, but their performance during that time will affect the final election.
In fact, in the original story, Clemens’ team took first place in the first election and continued to soar from there.
As Alexeria continued her pondering, she cracked an awkward smile and spoke up.
“… It won’t be easy from the start.”
Ultimately, Clemens is elected as the student council president.
With overwhelming support, she surpasses another strong third-year, Rezek, and the original protagonist, Arterion.
In other words, in this student council election, I have to overturn the existing plot and change the predetermined history.
But.
“It’s alright. I expected such obstacles and moved accordingly.”
I brushed off her concerns lightly as I spoke.
He lightly brushed it off and said.
Honestly, I didn’t think it was an easy path to promote Diphelia as the Student Council President in the first place, so what was the point of bringing it up now?
Whether my indifferent response had an effect or not, Alexeria’s tone returned to normal.
“Yeah, with Bar and the Saint, you’ll do great. I’m cheering for Bar!”
That damn nickname ‘Bar.’
Clemens never called anyone by their real names, so it’s not mentioned in the original work why others call him that.
…Anyway, enough about the election.
“I know everyone is aware of the results of the promotion ceremony, but I’ll say it one last time.”
I wiped my interest in Alexeria away and looked at everyone.
In front of me was the newly formed group ‘Root.’
Members of the Arbol Frutal executives were seated.
After the second promotion ceremony, which was quickly held at the start of the second semester.
If we look at just the members of Root, it’s an addition to the existing ones, but there’s clearly a change.
“Francesca and Bantlo, who were members of the existing branch, have been promoted to Root.”
To be honest, if we look solely at skills, it would be natural for all four existing members to move to Root.
Emily, who only slightly exceeds the average, and Frieda, who is lacking for an executive position, are in the Root group.
But since the fourth years are graduating, they often can’t participate in the Research Society’s schedule.
I need them at my disposal or to lead the activities of the Research Society, and this way, things would clearly not operate properly.
So, like the fourth-year Alexeria, the fourth-year Bracchium decided to stay in the branch to help others grow.
Thus, Root now has 7 members.
“There was a reason for the significant change in the group this time.”
As I turned my gaze not forward but around, I could confirm that a greater number of eyes were concentrated on me than before.
These are the ones who survived after much scrutiny.
“An additional 6 newcomers have joined, bringing the total number of our Research Society members to 38.”
…One of them is Finn, who has temporarily left for training, so to be precise, there are currently 37 members present here.
The composition of the group has changed as follows due to new arrivals and the promotion ceremony.
Root 5 members -> 7 members.
Branch 4 members -> 5 members.
Stem 16 members -> 19 members.
Twig 6 members -> 6 members.
On the surface, it seems there hasn’t been a major change.
But looking at the internal information.
This time, there is 1 person in the branch, 2 in the stem, and 3 in the twig.
Due to the second promotion ceremony.
3 people moved from twig to stem, 2 from stem to branch, and 2 from branch to root, so you could say there was a significant shift.
“I’ll say this in advance, but I will not tolerate any bullying just because you joined the Research Society first. Arbol Frutal is absolutely merit-based. If you want to look down on others, then show it by working hard and climbing the ranks.”
I don’t even expect them to blend in naturally.
I’m not hoping for absolutely no petty fights within the group either.
Instead, what I want to encourage is the desire for improvement by seeing everyone here as competitors.
I hope everyone can stay true to their basic desire to show off by belittling others.
However, if that desire manifests as blocking others instead of improving oneself, then it goes against my purpose, and I will immediately intervene.
To prevent this, I appointed leaders in each group.
“Francesca and Bantlo will be in charge of the branch members. Also, Frieda, who had no responsibilities until now, will start managing the twig members along with Emily from now on.”
Skah and Bantlo take on the responsibility of the major personnel. Additionally, Frieda, who had no responsibilities until now, will also manage the members of the branch alongside Emily from now on.
As I mention each name while making eye contact, they confirm their acknowledgment by responding.
Up until now, due to a lack of qualified personnel, I’ve been checking on the major members myself, but that will no longer be the case.
Instead of Francesca, it seems Bantlo will be the one keeping records, with two fourth-year students helping the remaining members.
After completing the rough recheck, I withdrew my gaze.
Finally, I said, “If you have any further questions, relay them through the newly assigned group leaders. They will respond in due time.”
““Understood!””
The answers rang out simultaneously.
In a way, it resembled a military scene.
But then again, it is just a research society… or is it? No, it’s not just a research society; it’s a gathering of the crème de la crème from the Academia.
I glanced once more at these precious sprouts of the future and closed the report.
“With this, I conclude today’s announcement from the Research Society. Disperse according to your groups and begin training.”
*
After the announcement, Vargan immediately stood up.
Though today’s scheduled activities of the Research Society were over, a packed agenda still loomed ahead.
To proceed with everything, one must hurry along.
Just as he was making his way to the entrance of the Research Society,
there was one person who stood up from their seat, the only exception being Vargan,
and in a rough voice that scratched the throat, shouted, “I have something to ask!”
A man with a short haircut and a long scar beneath his eye.
Vargan, who had been rushing forward, halted for a moment and looked at him. Perhaps due to the tension, silence enveloped the surroundings.
“I told you to ask your questions to each group’s leaders,” Vargan replied, his voice low, carrying an icy chill. His expression blatantly showed annoyance.
A few who knew Vargan’s personality started to get nervous.
With anxious eyes, they glanced at the man who stopped Vargan, pleading silently for him to either apologize or play it off as a mistake.
But the man with the long scar beneath his eye boldly countered, “Why are you dodging around when you’re right here?”
Everyone froze.
The room was filled with a shocked silence, and some gasped in surprise.
Vargan narrowed his eyes as he regarded him.
His displeasure seemed evident, but it also felt like he was trying to ascertain just who this man was.
Vargan opened his mouth and called out the man’s name.
“Kaiman… you’re the only one who succeeded in the promotion during the first promotion ceremony.”
Undeterred in front of Vargan, Kaiman spoke boldly, even rudely.
A first-year from the Troa Empire’s commoners, Kaiman relished overpowering nearby thugs.
Had Vargan not altered the storyline, Kaiman would have dropped out of the Academia to become a hunter battling monsters.
Kaiman, more accustomed to knocking opponents out in the field than sitting elegantly reading and researching, strode confidently forward.
He approached Vargan and looked up at him.
There was a noticeable height difference, but Kaiman’s fierce gaze held its ground.
Observing this, Vargan extended a hand in one direction.
He reaches out his hand.
“Alright, Alicia. Stay still and don’t interfere.”
“…Yes, understood, Young Master.”
Alicia, who had been gathering mana at the grip of her greatsword, relaxed her strength.
However, the gaze she shot was as sharp as a bird of prey, showing no sign of letting her guard down.
Kaiman scoffed at Alicia’s intent to kill, turned back to Vargan, and continued his unfinished sentence.
“I know well that you are a remarkable person. The reason I am in this Research Society is all because of you.”
“…So, what do you want to ask?”
“You’re a very impatient person. I got that. The reason I called you here suddenly is…”
He thumped his chest with his fist and said.
“I have no idea why I couldn’t rise to the position of ‘Master’ at this promotion ceremony.”
Kaiman belongs to the current group called Strain.
During the last promotion ceremony, he was the only one who could advance, but this time he couldn’t.
Vargan gave Kaiman a once-over from head to toe and responded in an unwavering tone.
“It’s because you haven’t reached the level of Master.”
That was such a painfully obvious statement, implying he was being held back by something so trivial.
“No way! Look with your eyes wide open! I’m not any worse than those guys over there!”
“…….”
Vargan closed his mouth, feeling no need to respond further, his gaze telling Kaiman everything.
Still, Kaiman didn’t stop.
“If you do a re-evaluation, you’ll see! You can consider it a performance before everyone here, just give me a proper look again!”
“…Re-evaluation.”
“Don’t think it’s a waste of time; I’ll show you exactly what I’m capable of. I’m different from those clueless fools over there.”
With Kaiman’s sudden proposal, Vargan pretended to think for a moment.
Then something crossed his mind.
He soon raised an eyebrow and said with a grin.
“Are you really okay with that? You might get severely embarrassed.”
“Don’t worry about me, just do the re-evaluation. Any method is fine.”
At his confident reply, Vargan scanned the surrounding mana and assessed the time.
…He seems a bit late for a later appointment, but it should be fine.
If he quickly wraps this up, he shouldn’t be too late.
However, if he accepts Kaiman’s proposal, other members might also ask for a re-evaluation.
‘Still, conversely, it’s not like I can’t use this.’
“Alright, I understand. I’ll specially do the re-evaluation.”
“Oh, you truly understand me! Thank you.”
“However, the method of evaluation might be a bit different.”
“What of it? I can handle that. So, what should I do?”
Vargan repeated the exact phrase he had heard from someone he could call his master.
The difference was that while his master said it to help him in training, Vargan said:
“If you can manage to inflict even a slightest wound on me, I will promote you with my authority.”
This statement was strictly for ‘education’ purposes.
This applied not just to Kaiman but to all members of the Research Society.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to clarify what a ‘re-evaluation’ truly means.
