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Chapter 71: Lucas, You're Screwed...
The murmuring of the kids echoed around.
It was no wonder—an utterly unfamiliar group was walking together.
Martial Arts Departnt's top student, the Third Princess, Iris Hysirion.
Magic Departnt's top student, daughter of the Blue Tower Lord, Sharin Sazaris.
Martial Arts Departnt's second-ranked student, daughter of the Imperial Knight Commander, Hania Rapidedia.
A rising star in the Martial Arts Departnt, Isabel Luna.
And then there’s , the lightning bastard.
“……”
Is this even okay?
Poke—
At that mont, Hania, walking beside , jabbed my side with her elbow.
Was she asking to jab her back?
“Don’t even think about raising a finger.”
Quick-witted as always.
Hania let out a quiet sigh and whispered to ,
“What happened with Isabel? Weren’t you two on bad terms?”
She was right—Isabel and I did not get along.
To be precise, we didn’t get along.
But for so reason, Isabel’s behavior had changed.
When our eyes t, she smiled brightly at .
That smile—she only showed it to people she was close to.
“Aren’t you two a little too close?”
Suddenly, Isabel threw out a question.
Her eyes were undoubtedly smiling.
“…To play the role of a couple, we need to be at least this close.”
“That’s true.”
Isabel seed to accept it rather easily.
But even as she did, her gaze didn’t leave .
Hania shot a sharp look.
It was clear: Do sothing about Isabel, and quickly.
My expression grew complicated.
I knew Isabel was overlapping with the late Lucas.
I also understood that it made her uneasy.
‘Could it be…?’
Ever since hearing the news that Hania and I were dating, her anxiety had increased.
Was this her way of making sure such situations didn’t arise again?
‘This… this can only be described as a love-hate relationship.’
I never imagined sothing like this would happen because of a temporary contract relationship with Hania.
“Haaaah, see you next ti.”
Sharin, the only one uninterested in this situation because she had been dozing off, left the group.
Silence lingered between the rest of us.
Iris was in a sour mood after receiving orders from the Duke of Robliage yesterday.
Hania, aware of Iris’s state, deliberately kept her silence.
Isabel, anwhile, kept stealing glances at without saying a word.
It was an indescribable scene.
And so, in that silence, we all arrived at the academy.
“Ah, Lightning pota—”
As I opened the door first, Seron raised her hand enthusiastically, about to greet .
It seed she was excited to talk about sothing that happened at her family estate.
But then, seeing the three people walking in behind , she slowly lowered her hand.
With a dazed expression, she stared at .
“Lightning Sweet Potato has turned into Harem Sweet Potato…”
I had no idea just how far Seron’s nickna for would evolve.
Isabel, from that point on, no longer followed closely.
She simply went to her usual seat, as if coincidentally arriving with us.
Iris, still in a foul mood, sat down without a word.
“Hannon.”
Hania tugged at my sleeve.
“Please stay near Iris today.”
The residual warmth of fire magic still lingered on my body.
If I stayed near Iris, it might soothe her mood slightly.
“Alright.”
In that peculiar atmosphere, we all took our seats.
Seron, noticing the odd tension in the Martial Arts Departnt, didn’t co to sit next to .
That girl had an impeccable instinct for self-preservation.
＊＊＊
And so, in that strange mood, the first day at the Martial Arts Academy ended without incident.
“I have so business with Lady Iris, so today’s performance ends here.”
The act of pretending to be Hania’s boyfriend was over for the day.
Iris was going to be busy planning her takeover of the student council.
She’d need to devise a strategy for how to achieve it.
‘If this follows the original scenario, she’d find and support the boycott group from behind.’
But there was a problem.
‘The boycott group is likely not properly organized at this point.’
While Nikita’s incident caused ripples, the aftermath differed from the original tiline.
The faction of the First Prince imdiately held the faction of the Third Princess accountable for Nia’s assassination attempt.
This intensified the rivalry between the two factions, which even affected Zerion Academy.
As a result, public opinion blaming the student council never fully ford.
‘I don’t even know how large the boycott group is at this point.’
There was even a chance Iris might not choose to support them this ti.
So, I needed to verify the status of the boycott group as soon as possible.
‘I know where they gather.’
An abandoned building, no longer in use.
On the third floor, in the old chemistry lab, the boycott group held their regular etings.
‘Today is one of their regular eting days.’
On Monday, once a week.
Entering the abandoned building, I activated a magic inscription.
My appearance blended into the surroundings, rendering invisible.
Silently, I crept up the stairs.
As I reached the third-floor chemistry lab, faint voices of conversation reached my ears.
‘How many of them are there?’
Previously, the boycott group had about thirty mbers.
They’d need at least that many to stage an ard takeover of the student council room.
Anything less would make their plans unfeasible.
‘There might be fewer this ti.’
With that thought in mind, I peered through the window.
The mont I saw the scene inside, I froze.
“Oh.”
I was so startled that a sound almost escaped my lips.
Luckily, the two people inside didn’t hear .
That’s right—two people.
There were only two of them in the room.
‘Wait a second.’
The boycott group always had at least thirty to thirty-five mbers.
The exact number fluctuated slightly depending on the branching events in the scenario.
I thought the number might be slightly lower this ti, given the series of incidents that had occurred.
But no matter how low, two was far too few.
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"We will overthrow the student council that disregards students' rights and justly assert our rights as students!"
A third-year male student stood on a desk in the chemistry lab.
Rojamin, the central figure of the boycott, passionately delivered a speech.
Sitting before him was a second-year girl, Aerin, who clapped her palms together timidly in cheer.
Her eyes sparkled as they gazed at Rojamin.
It was easy to guess why she had joined the boycott.
‘Two.’
For a mont, my mind went blank.
Could we even launch a boycott against the student council with just two people?
The answer was obviously no.
‘What should I do?’
The flow of the scenario always veers in unpredictable directions.
Even now, I was barely holding the frawork of the scenario together.
So many events had already changed significantly.
With Lucas absent,
it was inevitable for the scenario to deviate.
Still, at least the key events that defined each act needed to occur for the scenario to progress smoothly.
The student council boycott was the opening scenario of Act 4, Chapter 1.
This event was supposed to serve as a stepping stone for Iris to take control of the student council in Act 4,
shaking up the entire Zerion Academy with the backing of Duke Robliage.
Moreover, this boycott would expose nurous corrupt practices,
making it a pivotal event that would shake Zerion Academy to its core.
‘The boycott weakens the student council’s authority, allowing Iris, now commanding the next batch of students, to take charge.’
During this process, the Third Princess’s reputation among the students rises even higher.
The corruption purge leads to the dismissal of certain professors, and those newly appointed under Duke Robliage further strengthen the student council’s power.
As a result, the student council achieves the greatest authority in Zerion Academy's history.
‘This boycott was supposed to be the solid foundation for the early stages of the scenario.’
Yet here I was, with no one to carry it out.
A sudden headache struck .
At this rate, Iris wouldn't even glance at it.
After a long period of contemplation, I finally lifted my head.
‘This ti, the boycott scenario…’
I will lead it.
I tapped the bandage on my palm.
In that instant, my appearance began to change from Hannon to soone else.
My height grew noticeably taller,
my hair turned white, and my face transford into that of a princely, handso figure.
Vikamon Niflheim.
A third-rate villain chased all the way to the academy in Act 1.
He wasn’t supposed to be here, but he was the only character who ca to mind that could be useful for the boycott.
Once I made my decision, I didn’t hesitate.
Creak–
“Whoa?!”
As I opened the door without hesitation, Rojamin fell off the desk.
“Who are you?!”
Hearing Rojamin’s shout, I gave him a faint smile.
“You. You were saying sothing interesting.”
“H-huh? Vikamon?”
Rojamin recognized .
Of course, Vikamon was famous, whether for better or worse.
His appearance alone was striking,
not to ntion his notorious reputation of being expelled from both his noble family and the academy.
Every third-year student rembered Vikamon.
“You were expelled.”
“I was. But after hearing that Nikita had died, I snuck back to uncover the truth.”
A chilling aura filled my gaze.
Noticing it, Rojamin and Aerin instinctively held their breath.
They must have sensed the deep anger emanating from .
In truth, my anger was directed at having only two participants for the boycott.
But if it served a purpose, it didn’t matter.
“And Nikita really is dead.”
It was well-known among the third-years that Vikamon liked Nikita.
Rojamin looked at with pity.
In his eyes, I must have seed like a bereaved avenger.
“I cannot forgive the student council where Nikita served. Had they cared for her, they could have stopped Nikita’s downfall before it was too late. But they turned a blind eye.”
I turned to Rojamin.
“Rojamin, you’re planning to boycott the student council, aren’t you? I’ll help. I’ll make sure they feel the weight of Nikita’s absence.”
It was a convincing enough motivation to join the boycott.
“I understand your feelings well!”
An unexpected reaction ca next.
Aerin jumped up, clasping my hand with tearful determination.
“To lose soone you love and seek revenge... I felt it deeply. Let’s avenge her together!”
Aerin shouted, moved by my words.
It seed she, caught up in her feelings, had instinctively empathized with .
But it wasn’t a bad situation for .
I turned my gaze to Rojamin.
Rojamin looked at and gave a sharp grin.
“Alright, Vikamon. I didn’t think much of you before, but if you’re soone who can stand up against injustice, I’ll gladly work with you.”
Rojamin extended his hand to .
Aerin placed her hand over his.
Both wore determined expressions.
...But for so reason, I felt even more uneasy.
Still, I couldn’t back out now.
I placed my hand over theirs.
“We will stop the student council and make them face their wrongdoing!”
“Yeah! Down with the student council!”
When Rojamin shouted loudly, Aerin echoed him enthusiastically.
I chid in moderately.
Thus, the three mbers of the student council boycott were ford.
Only twenty-seven more to go until we reach thirty.
Let’s work hard to recruit them.
I made up my mind firmly.
Creak–
“...Down with the student council?”
Until Isabel Luna walked into the chemistry lab.
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