Chapter 88: Interim Secretary of the Student Council

Stress makes people vulnerable.
Nivolans Panima, the secretary, had become exceptionally vulnerable.

“It’s a must. Bring them no matter what.”

Overwhelmed by excessive work and pressure, Nivolans was losing it due to stress.
I looked at him and felt a faint sense of guilt.
This situation was partly my fault.
‘It was inevitable according to the flow of the scenario, but still…’

I did feel a little sorry that all the work had piled up on Nivolans.
The problem was that, due to excessive stress, he had become someone who would push through and execute any decision he made, no matter what.

In Iris’s case, I quietly relayed the matter to Hania, and the approval came instantly.
“Yes, she says she’ll do it right away.”
Iris was planning to become the president anyway.
There was no reason for her to oppose it in the first place.

The issue was the vice-president candidate Nivolans had mentioned.
Sharin Sazaris.

“So annoyinggg.”

Sure enough, Sharin pouted after hearing my proposal.
She had already devoured three pieces of bread.
Even before I could speak, she made that comment with her mouth still busy, making me want to tug at her lips.

“You ate the bread, didn’t you?”
“That’s because Hanon gave it to me out of affection.”
“Sharin, I think you misunderstand. I don’t feel even the slightest romantic emotion for you.”

Sharin squinted her eyes at me.
We were sitting face to face.
At some point, she had taken off her shoes and lifted her foot onto my thigh.
Where were her socks? And why was she barefoot?

Her skirt had ridden up as she raised her foot.
It was a gesture bound to naturally catch the attention of any man.

“Realllly?”
Sharin gave a languid smile.
Her fox-like eyes were filled with teasing.

This little devil.

Her foot nudged the inside of my thigh.
Staring blankly, I raised my hand and pressed her big toe firmly.

“Kyaaah!”

Sharin shrieked and pulled her foot back.

“What are you doing, making everything smell bad?”
“…I don’t smell.”

In truth, Sharin didn’t have any particular odor.

“Bring it back. I’ll check for you.”
“Hanon, are you a pervert?”
“Who’s the one sticking their foot on someone else’s thigh?”

Where does she even learn behavior like this?
Now that I think about it, Sharin often reads novels without covers. Could they be some kind of erotic novels?
‘For someone who seems completely disinterested in the world…’

Well, you never know what’s inside someone’s mind.
Even in Sharin’s heart, there might be some dark secrets.

Thinking that, I shuddered slightly.

“…You’re not, like, planning to target my body or something, right?”
“…What are you even imagininggg?”

This time, even Sharin couldn’t let it slide. Her eyebrows shot up in frustration.

I decided to end the joke here.

“You’re still upset about the last time, aren’t you?”

“……”
Sharin turned her head away without saying a word.

I’ve known Sharin for quite some time now.
Her natural personality is fickle.
When I used to play the game, I couldn’t fully grasp her character.
But spending time with her in person, I’ve gradually been able to read her thoughts.

Right now, Sharin is sulking.
The reason? It’s because I orchestrated the boycott incident without telling her anything.
Honestly, I didn’t understand why she was upset about that.
If I had to guess, it’s probably because Isabel knew about it while she was left in the dark.

“This wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Hmph, Zeryon Academy got turned upside down, though.”

As she said, Zeryon Academy was indeed turned on its head.
But this was just a stepping stone for what’s to come.
Compared to the major incidents looming ahead, this was an easy matter.

“Besides, it wasn’t something I needed your help for. Sharin, when I ask for your help, it’ll only be during truly urgent times.”

I’ve relied on Sharin’s help many times before.
Each time, she demonstrated extraordinary efficiency, like a lifeline in critical moments.
I’m sure there’ll be a time in the future when I’ll need her strength again.
That’s why I wanted to save her for those moments.

“That’s why I didn’t bother telling you this time.”

I peeled a tangerine I had brought along and handed a piece to Sharin.
She opened her mouth expectantly, clearly hinting that she wanted me to feed her.
I almost stuffed the whole thing in her mouth out of spite but decided against it.
Instead, I peeled a segment and placed it in her mouth.

Sharin chewed with her small lips pursed, then stuck out her tongue.
“Sour.”
“Tangerines are supposed to be sour.”

Her sulky expression softened a little.
She knew I genuinely meant what I said.

After staring at me for a moment, she took the remaining tangerine pieces from my hand and started eating them one by one.

While watching her, I casually brought up the topic.
“So, about the interim vice-president role…”
“That’s a separate matterrr.”
“Come on, just say yes.”

If I couldn’t bring Sharin along, Nivolans would break down from stress.
I had a duty to protect my secretary.

More importantly, I thought Sharin was the perfect fit for the temporary vice-president role at this World Academy Conference.
Her name carried as much weight as Iris’s.
And more than that, she was the top student in both second-year combat studies and second-year magical studies.

Sharin finished chewing her tangerine, then glanced at me sideways.
“Fiiine.”

My eyes lit up as she began to speak.
It was her cue for me to listen closely.

“In exchange for doing that, Hanon has to go on a date with me.”

What the…
I stared at her, dumbfounded.

“…Sharin, so you really were after my body?”
“Yup, it’s perfect as an experimental subject.”

What the hell.
I completely forgot she might be targeting me that way.

Sharin flashed a triumphant grin, satisfied that she had landed a blow.
“The elder dragon’s magical engraving.”

And then, it clicked.
I realized why she had said that.

“It’s a date for that, you know.”

The remnants of the elder dragon engraved on my body remained unresolved.
Though Sharin called it a date, what she really meant was that she would help me deal with it.

“Isn’t that more for me than for you?”
“I’m very generous, you see.”

Sharin straightened her back and puffed out her chest.
Her figure had been developing noticeably lately, and my eyes inadvertently flicked to her chest before I quickly looked away.

“Besides, it’s a field I want to study.”

For a mage like Sharin, the remnants of an elder dragon were an extremely intriguing subject.
And the fact that they required magical engraving only seemed to increase her interest.

“Well, I appreciate it either way.”

For me, it was a grateful turn of events.
I had to do whatever it took to resolve the issue of the elder dragon’s remnants.

‘With that, the interim vice-president is settled.’

Now all that remained was to head to the World Academy Conference.

* * *

The six academies built atop the Demonic Palace.
These academies were established by the empire and the five kingdoms to keep the Demonic Palace in check.

The World Academy Conference serves as a gathering where the student councils from each academy strengthen their camaraderie in advance.
It’s held in a meeting hall, ostensibly for dialogue, but in reality, it’s practically a microcosm of the world’s political landscape.

The representatives of each academy are all prominent figures in their respective nations.
Sylvester, for example, became the president not because of any special ability but purely because of his background as the Duke of Drapen.

And now, I was heading to that very World Academy Conference, where the representatives of the six academies would gather.
Of course, I wasn’t a key figure.
I was just playing the auxiliary role that every student council has.
As an interim secretary, I was accompanying the group.

‘How did I end up as the interim secretary?’

Perhaps it was because I had been diligently handling the student council’s tasks all this time.
For some reason, Nivolans had already pegged me as the next secretary.

Unlike the president and vice-president, the position of secretary is often handed down within the student council.
Nivolans intended to pass the position on to me.

There were others far more capable than I when it came to the role of secretary.
After all, the majority of the student council members were literature students.
They were people who practically lived buried in paper every day.

Even though I had lived in the modern world and worked hard at student council tasks, I couldn’t keep up with them.
Traditionally, the position of secretary had always been passed down to literature students.

But Nivolans told me.
「Hanon, do you think there’s anyone among the current second-years who could support Lady Iris as secretary?」

Faced with his serious question, I couldn’t bring myself to answer.

The Third Princess, Iris Hyserion.
She was a flawless princess, excelling in both academics and martial arts.
Her royal status and innate genius were overwhelming.

In front of her, even the most competent individuals in the empire would inevitably feel intimidated.
To serve faithfully as her secretary required exceptional courage.

However, the student council had suffered significant blows due to the successive absences of the vice-president and president.
Most of the second-year literature students who were active in the student council had lost their confidence.
After being thoroughly scrutinized by the inspector, it was only natural for students to falter.

Could any of them work as secretary by Iris’s side?
Nivolans shook his head.

At this rate, whoever became the secretary would undoubtedly end up with stress-induced gastritis and hair loss.

「But you’d be fine, wouldn’t you?」

I am courageous.
To be precise, my courage has grown steadily since joining the Blazing Butterfly arc.
Perhaps losing love has eroded my sense of self-preservation to some degree.
But for now, this has proven to be quite useful.

What’s more, I have a good rapport with Iris.
Though my abilities as a secretary may fall short, I am less likely to crack under the stress and run away because of it.

「Hanon, you’re the only one.」
Nivolans earnestly pleaded with me.
He asked me to support those two well during the upcoming conference.

And so, I had no choice but to attend the conference as an interim secretary.

And what am I doing now?

Clatter, clatter—
The sound of the carriage wheels echoed.

My task was simple:
I was Iris’s comfort object.

Yes, the main reason I was here wasn’t to serve as a secretary but to act as her emotional support.

Iris was hugging me tightly, resting her chin on the top of my head as she slept.
I had to keep my body balanced to prevent her from falling over.
By now, I was so accustomed to this that it didn’t faze me anymore.

The problem was the woman sitting in front of me, quietly watching this scene unfold.

“……”

Her crimson eyes stared directly at me.
For a moment, I thought I caught a hint of amusement in her gaze.

On her lap, sleeping peacefully, was none other than Sharin, currently the most irritating person in the world.

The one glaring at me was none other than Isabel Luna.

Somehow, she had also ended up traveling with us to the conference.