Chapter 71: Lucas, You’re Screwed…

The students’ whispers echoed around.

It was understandable, given the unusual group walking together.

The top student in martial arts, the 3rd princess Iris Hyserion.

The top student in magic studies, the daughter of the Blue Tower Master, Sharin Sazaris.

The second top student in martial arts, the daughter of the Empire’s Chief Knight Commander, Hania Rapidia.

Isabel Luna, who recently gained popularity in martial arts.

And then, there’s me, the lightning punk.

“……”

Is this okay?

Poke-

At that moment, Hania, who was beside me, jabbed my side with her elbow.

Was she asking me to jab her back?

“Don’t raise your finger.”

She was quick to catch on.

Hania sighed quietly and whispered to me.

“What happened with Isabel? Weren’t you two on bad terms?”

As Hania said, Isabel and I were on very bad terms.

To be precise, we were.

But for some reason, Isabel smiled brightly when our eyes met.

It was a smile she only showed to people she was close to.

“Aren’t you two too close?”

Isabel suddenly asked.

Her eyes were definitely smiling.

“…If we’re going to pretend to be a couple, we need to be at least this close.”

“That’s true.”

Isabel understood more easily than I expected.

But even so, she didn’t take her eyes off me.

Hania glared at me, signaling me to do something about Isabel quickly.

My face grew complicated.

I knew Isabel was seeing the dead Lucas in me.

I also knew that made her anxious.

‘Maybe.’

After hearing the news that Hania and I were dating, her anxiety increased.

Was she trying to prevent such things from happening again in the future?

‘This can only be described as a love-hate relationship.’

I never expected such things to happen just because I became Hania’s temporary contract lover.

“See you next time.”

Sharin, who was the only one uninterested in this situation, left.

Silence fell among us.

Iris was in a bad mood after receiving orders from the Duke of Robliaju yesterday.

Hania maintained her silence, thinking of Iris.

Isabel kept glancing at me without saying a word.

It was an indescribable scene.

We arrived at the academy in silence.

“Ah, lightning punk…”

Seron, who was the first to open the door, raised her hand to greet me.

She seemed excited to talk about what happened at her home.

But seeing the three people following me, she slowly lowered her hand and stared at me blankly.

“The lightning sweet potato has turned into a harem sweet potato…”

I couldn’t guess how far Seron’s sweet potato would evolve.

Isabel didn’t follow me from here.

Just by chance, we ended up coming together and sat in our usual seats.

Iris, being in a bad mood, also sat down without a word.

“Hanon.”

Hania tugged at my collar.

“Please stay by Iris’s side today.”

The warmth of the flame’s heat still lingered on my body.

If I stayed by Iris’s side, it might ease her mood a bit.

“Alright.”

In that strange atmosphere, we took our seats.

Seron didn’t come to sit next to me today.

She had noticed the peculiar tension in the martial arts academy.

She was exceptionally good at looking out for herself.

* * *

In that strange atmosphere, the first day at the martial arts academy ended without incident.

“I have business with Lady Iris, so today’s act ends here.”

Today’s act of pretending to be Hania’s lover was over.

Iris would be busy moving to take over the student council.

She would need to plan how to take control of the student council immediately.

‘According to the original scenario, she would find the boycott group and support them from behind.’

But there was a problem with this.

‘The boycott group is likely not properly formed yet.’

Although Nikita’s incident caused a stir, unlike the previous scenario, the first prince’s faction immediately blamed the third princess’s faction for Nia’s assassination.

As a result of this confrontation, the internal dynamics of Zeryon Academy were also affected.

The public opinion that should have blamed the student council for Nikita’s incident did not form properly.

‘I don’t even know the current strength of the boycott group.’

There was a possibility that Iris might not choose the boycott group this time.

Therefore, I needed to confirm the strength of the boycott group as soon as possible.

‘I know where the boycott group gathers.’

In an old, unused building.

The boycott group held regular meetings in the chemistry lab on the third floor of that building.

‘Today is the day of their regular meeting.’

Once a week, on Mondays.

I entered the abandoned building where they gathered and activated a magic seal.

My appearance blended with the surroundings, making me invisible.

I quietly climbed the stairs, silencing my footsteps.

When I reached the third-floor chemistry lab, I could hear their murmured conversations.

‘How many are there?’

There were originally thirty boycott students.

At least that many were needed to take over the student council room by force.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t even be possible to attempt it.

‘Maybe there are fewer this time.’

With that thought, I peeked through the window and froze.

“Oh.”

I was so stunned that I almost made a sound.

Fortunately, the two people inside didn’t hear me.

Yes, two people.

There were only two people inside.

‘Wait a minute.’

The number of boycott members usually ranged from thirty to thirty-five.

The number varied slightly with each event branch.

Given the series of incidents, I thought there might be fewer people, but two was far too few.

“We will overthrow the student council that ignores students’ rights and rightfully assert our rights!”

A third-year male student, Rozamin, shouted a speech from atop a chemistry lab desk.

In front of him, a second-year girl, Ailing, clapped her hands timidly and cheered.

Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Rozamin, making it clear why she joined the boycott.

‘Two.’

I was momentarily at a loss.

Could we really stage a boycott against the student council with just two people?

The answer was obviously NO.

‘What should I do?’

The flow of the scenario is always unpredictable.

Even now, I’m barely keeping the framework of the scenario intact.

Many events have changed significantly.

With Lucas’s absence, the scenario was bound to change.

However, at least one major event must occur for the scenario to progress smoothly.

The student council boycott is the opening scenario of Act 4, Scene 1.

This event is the foundation for Iris to take control of the student council in Act 4 and shake the entire Zeryon Academy with the backing of the Duke of Robliaju.

Moreover, this boycott reveals various corruptions, causing a significant upheaval at Zeryon Academy.

‘The boycott will bring down the student council’s authority, and Iris, who will take control next year, will lead the student council.’

In this process, the third princess’s name will be highly regarded among the students.

Due to the corruption, professors will be dismissed, and new professors brought in by the Duke of Robliaju will support the rise of the student council’s authority.

Consequently, the student council will gain the strongest authority in Zeryon Academy’s history.

‘This boycott event is crucial for the early part of the scenario.’

But there were no members to initiate the boycott.

I felt a sudden headache.

With such a small scale, Iris wouldn’t even consider it.

After much contemplation, I finally raised my head.

‘This time, I’ll lead the boycott scenario.’

I tapped the Veil Bandages.

At that moment, my appearance began to change from Hanon to someone else.

My height increased, my hair turned white, and my face became that of a handsome nobleman.

Vikarmern Niflheim.

A third-rate villain who was expelled from the academy in Act 1.

He wasn’t supposed to be here, but he was the only suitable person I could think of to cooperate with the boycott.

Once decided, there was no hesitation.

Creak-

“Whoa?!”

As I opened the door without hesitation, Rozamin, who was giving a speech, fell off the desk.

“Wh-who are you?!”

Hearing Rozamin’s cry, I smiled.

“You were telling an interesting story.”

“Oh, oh? Vi-Vikarmern?”

Rozamin recognized me.

Well, Vikarmern was famous whether he liked it or not.

His face was too noticeable.

Plus, he was notorious for being expelled from both his family and the academy.

All the third-year students remembered Vikarmern.

“You must have been expelled.”

“I was. But when I heard Nikita had died, I snuck in to find out the truth.”

A chill began to emanate from my gaze.

Rozamin and Ailing instinctively swallowed.

They sensed the intense anger radiating from me.

In truth, my anger was directed at the fact that there were only two boycott members, but it didn’t matter as long as it was useful.

“And Nikita really is dead.”

Everyone in the third year knew that Vikarmern liked Nikita.

Rozamin looked at me with pity.

To him, I must have seemed like a vengeful person who had lost a loved one.

“I cannot forgive the student council where Nikita stayed. If they had cared, they could have stopped Nikita, who showed signs of going berserk. But they did nothing.”

I turned to Rozamin.

“Rozamin, you plan to boycott the student council. I’ll help you with that. We’ll make sure they feel Nikita’s absence.”

It was a sufficient motive to join the boycott group.

“I understand your feelings well!”

An unexpected reaction came.

Ailing, who had rushed out, grabbed my hand with a tearful face.

“I can feel your desire for revenge after losing someone you loved. Let’s definitely get revenge together!”

Ailing was moved by my story and shouted.

It seemed she had unconsciously empathized, being in love herself.

But it wasn’t a bad situation for me either.

My gaze met Rozamin’s.

He looked at me and smiled.

“Alright, Vikarmern. I didn’t think much of you before, but if you’re willing to stand up against injustice, I’ll gladly join you.”

Rozamin extended his hand to me.

Ailing placed her hand on top of his.

Both had faces full of determination.

……Why did I feel even more uneasy?

But I couldn’t back out now.

I placed my hand on top of theirs.

“We will definitely stop the student council and make them realize their mistakes!”

“Yeah! Down with the student council!”

Rozamin shouted loudly, and Ailing followed suit.

I responded appropriately.

Thus, the three members of the student council boycott were formed.

Twenty-seven more to go to reach thirty.

Let’s gather them diligently.

I was determined.

Creak-

“…Down with the student council?”

Isabel Luna.

Until she appeared at the chemistry lab door.