Chapter 55 – Stormy Election for Student President (4)

— “Unity! Unity! Unity! Unity!”

— “Cast your red vote for Comrade Adela, candidate number two!”

— “Burn the chairman’s statue at the front gate! All knowledge is useless!”

— “Unity! Unity! Unity! Unity!”

Well, this feels utterly screwed.

Students wearing red bands were shouting bizarre revolutionary slogans near the convenience store. Banners hung all over the academy, and the placards they held bore Adela’s face printed larger than life.

I had only given Adela a small piece of advice, drawing from my Earth memories, feeling guilty for turning down her invitation for a date. But somehow, things had spiraled completely out of control.

How did these noble kids end up calling for a revolution? I couldn’t fathom what kind of thought process led to this outcome.

Perhaps Adela’s oratory skills were far more extraordinary than I had imagined.

“Ahhh!!! Louis!!”

The headmaster came running into the store with her hair on fire. Behind her, Adela’s followers—her campaign team—were charging with scythes and hammers.

“Down with the filthy upper class!”

“Awaken, shopkeeper!!”

“Redistribute the capitalist’s land!!”

A terrifying mob was trying to break into the store. Fortunately, Liv’s barrier, set up precisely for this kind of situation, shone brightly. They ran in circles outside the convenience store like fools.

“Where is it!!”

“Is it over there?”

A few skilled magicians saw through the barrier and approached, but they were frightened away by the two guard dogs growling as if ready to tear them apart.

Originally part of Goliath’s arsenal, this defense mechanism boasted exceptional physical resistance and was packed with deadly spells of rank 4 and below.

Black smoke billowed across the academy grounds. The world had plunged into chaos since Adela declared her candidacy for student council president.

“L-Louis! The sword we bought last time! Where is it!?”

“You told me not to buy it, so I didn’t.”

“Swing anything! At this rate, my Farencia Academy will… boohoo!”

They say there’s a triangle in the human heart—a triangle of conscience that pricks with its sharp point.

Even someone like me, whose sense of guilt had been thoroughly worn down, couldn’t help but feel a small pang of conscience at how things had turned out.

Lehel, with an expression as if a gate to hell had opened on her first day of tenure, gazed at her crumbling academy.

“It’s all over now…”

“What’s the security team doing?”

“They’re leading the charge to tear down the academy.”

“Why on earth?”

“I mixed sand into their pay after they lost all their money gambling last time…”

Maybe it would be better to hand her over to the protesters. No wonder Rochear’s soldiers took over without a fight.

As the smell of burnt dried squid wafted through the air, I extinguished the fire on the headmaster’s hair. At least she was the only one who remembered the rule and evacuated to the convenience store. Commendable.

“What do we do!? How do we fix this!?”

“What can we do? If you don’t like it, you need to win the election. What’s the princess doing?”

“I don’t know!”

Naturally, resentment towards the incompetent leader began to surface. Wasn’t it Erzebert’s fault for failing to stop Adela from expanding her influence to this extent in the first place?

Despite being royalty, she couldn’t stop a single girl from rampaging through the academy, even without support from the Rochear family.

I, too, had assumed Erzebert would be in the lead, but I was greatly disappointed by her lack of influence.

“Are they going to set up a guillotine or something?”

“No, not that far… hmm. Wait a moment.”

Lehel closed one eye as if checking something, then collapsed to the ground.

“Eek! The front gate! There’s a…!”

Looks like they’re coming.

“Save me, Louis!!”

“Didn’t you say something about reincarnation?”

“If my head gets cut off, would I still be human? That’d make me a monster!”

What an interesting observation. By that logic, I was still human.

Anyway, it seemed Lehel wasn’t truly immortal. What a waste of the title “Reincarnation Duke.”

Surely, she hasn’t been caught already…

Actually, Erzebert seemed to be in more danger than Lehel. She was the primary obstacle to Adela’s victory and had a neck perfectly suited for the guillotine, being royalty.

The problem was I had no idea where she was or what she was doing, since we hadn’t had much contact…

“Phi—!”

“Huh?”

At that moment, I heard a familiar bird’s cry outside the window. Looking up, I saw a brilliantly colored bird flying towards me, dodging spears and arrows.

“Phi—! Phi—!”

It was desperately trying to signal its owner’s location.

“Stay here and guard the place. I’ll be back soon.”

“W-What? Take me with you!”

“Ah, just stay put.”

I pried Lehel’s hands off my pants and stepped outside. Then, I began chasing after the brilliantly colored bird flying towards its owner.

***

How did it come to this? That was the only thought in Erzebert’s mind.

At first, she was confident she would win. No matter what methods Adela used, there seemed to be no way she could threaten her position.

However, surprisingly many students at the academy were fond of Adela Silvesta, and she was already a celebrity in a different sense compared to Erzebert, a princess.

After the opinion poll ended, the situation deteriorated even further.

Erzebert participated in a long interview with a broadcasting club student she was familiar with and made an appearance in the school newspaper.

The local Farencia newspapers and the national papers of Pennheim were flooded with letters supporting her candidacy.

It was an excellent strategy to recover the ground lost in the earlier opinion poll. However, even that was shattered by a single blow from Adela.

[Shock! The Personal Life of a Presidential Candidate Exposed: Implications of a Deep Relationship with the Store Owner?]

A small photograph tucked in the corner of the newspaper, but its impact was enormous.

For some reason, the graduating seniors—third-year students who had never shown any interest in the student council elections—declared their unwavering support for Adela Silvesta.

Their fanatical backing, as if they were under threat of death, caused Adela’s support rate to skyrocket within the school.

Moreover, William, the eldest son of the Earl of Clove and the most respected among the third years, even published an op-ed in the newspaper.

[When I first met her, the elegance of her demeanor and the warmth in her words instantly revealed that her reputation as the ‘Flower of the North Sea’ was no exaggeration.]

[Despite my rather rude invitation made in a moment of infatuation, she graciously agreed to meet again without showing any signs of displeasure. I hope infinite blessings will follow the Lady of Rochear.]

Thus, a fierce rivalry formed between the Royalist faction, centered around the great nobles who supported Erzebert, and the Northern faction—now renamed the Revolutionary faction—supporting Adela.

Erzebert, who had been completely overwhelmed in the first speech, was now sitting at the empty student council room’s desk, letting out a deep sigh. She might never sit here again.

“If… if I don’t get elected…”

If that were to happen, she would probably become quite the laughingstock. A princess of the kingdom tripping over the threshold of joining the academy’s student council would be a clear political failure.

But now, there was only one chance left. According to the current prevailing opinion poll at the academy, Erzebert had no chance of defeating Adela.

The speech Adela had prepared, which she had initially dismissed as lacking substance, was a masterpiece that she could never hope to create herself. No renowned literary figure could craft a speech that moved people so profoundly.

I must find a way to turn this situation around…

Just as Erzebert was trying to steady her faltering resolve, a familiar voice reached her ears.

— “Is it here?”

— “Phi—.”

The person who walked in was the last one she wanted to see in this situation.

“Are you here to wallow in defeat by yourself?”

“Who said I was crying? What do you want, Louis?”

“I think it’s you who has a reason to be here, not me. Is it that hard to beat someone like Adela?”

Despite her unusually cold response, he didn’t leave, leaning casually against the doorframe, as if giving her a chance.

Only then did Erzebert realize why Louis had come.

This man… has a way to turn this situation around.

Yes. For reasons unknown, Louis was someone Adela Silvesta deeply respected and followed. He must have a way to control her.

He also knew better than anyone that it wouldn’t be good for Adela to become the student council president. That’s why he had come.

Erzebert’s mind raced. She forced away her gloomy expression, donned a cold mask, and placed Phi on her shoulder.

As a member of the royal family, there was only one option left.

Even when backed into a corner, she maintained her composure.

“If Adela is elected, there will be no peace in Farencia.”

“That might be true. But is it any different if you win, Princess?”

“If I take this position… at least the convenience store will be safe.”

By exposing her own weaknesses, she instilled trust in her opponent.

“Am I wrong?”

“Well, considering what’s happened…”

“Of course, I have no intention of keeping quiet about this in the future.”

If necessary, she would use everything at her disposal. Her golden hair that looked as if it was spun from pure gold thread, the eyes that his gaze lingered upon. She whispered sweetly, as if she would give him whatever he desired.

“What do you want in return for helping me, Louis?”

“…”

“What do you desire?”

Though trembling, Erzebert stood before him, facing him squarely.

She could feel his cold, black eyes scanning her from head to toe, making her feel inexplicably small.

“Then… how about this…”

Finally, he spoke.

“Show me some aegyo.”

“Pardon?”

***

Though I had inadvertently pushed Adela forward, I didn’t actually want to see her win.

I concluded that having Erzebert in power would be the better choice for the greater good.

Honestly, I was worried that the peace I had fought so hard to protect for humanity would be shattered. An unchecked Adela was a dangerous entity.

“W-w-what did you just say…?”

But still, nothing comes for free. If I were to help the princess, whom I had never been particularly friendly with, of course, I’d expect to take a little something for myself.

However, the result of our private deal needed to look more like a one-sided favor on my part rather than some transaction with a noble, especially royalty.

I didn’t want to be on equal terms with the princess. After all, that’s not how our relationship had been since I first slapped the king in Thessalon.

“Just act cute. Adorably.”

“C-cute…?”

“Yes. If I like it, I’ll make sure Adela gets disqualified. I promise.”

It wasn’t a title, nor money. Even Erzebert, who was willing to use her charm, seemed visibly flustered.

“H-how am I supposed to do that in front of you…!”

“If you don’t want to, then forget it. Oh, look, there’s the guillotine now.”

“W-why?! Why are you asking for something like my cuteness…?”

“Hmm… Because it might be adorable?”

Watching her, who had always been prickly since our first meeting, squirm in embarrassment gave me immense joy.

Erzebert trembled with humiliation.

— “Capture the princess!!”

— “Open the door!!!”

There wasn’t much time left to think. Finally, she seemed to have made a decision.

“Just… just this once.”

“Depends on how well you do it.”

I was quite curious to see what kind of performance she would put on. These stuffy wizards and nobles never even did talent shows during their outings. Could Erzebert actually do something cute that would satisfy me?

She placed the colorful bird she always kept on her shoulder onto the ground. Then, biting her lip and blushing, she moved close enough for me to feel her breath.

“Haa…!”

And then, clutching my collar, Erzebert, who had been standing there with her eyes tightly shut, finally blurted out the cuteness I had asked for.

“Piii——!”