Ch.77. Student Council

In the most remote part of the academy grounds.

Following a faint path that makes you wonder if it’s even a proper trail, you suddenly encounter a stone building that rises unexpectedly before you.

Despite its secluded location, the sophisticated building was only one story tall, yet it possessed such height and scale that it didn’t feel like a single-floor structure at all.

This building was the Student Council Hall where the student council conducted its activities.

There was another one closer to the center of the campus, but that building was smaller and mainly used for administrative purposes, so it was usually empty. This remote location was considered the main hall.

As I entered the building with Celia, we were greeted by people sitting around a large circular table, as if they had been waiting for us.

Judging by the two empty seats, it seemed they had indeed been expecting us.

“Welcome. We’ve kept seats open for you, please sit down.”

A black-haired woman sitting at the center of the table smiled warmly as she invited us in.

It was impossible not to recognize her. In this world, most people with black hair were from the northern regions, and those with black hair at the academy could be counted on one hand.

Alkine Debaran. A duke’s daughter from the north. And currently, the student council president of the academy.

There was something overwhelming about her gaze—she was likely the most powerful person at the academy at present.

This caused Celia to hesitate momentarily, but perhaps because I’d seen her so many times in the game, I felt no particular excitement and simply slipped into one of the empty seats.

Seeing me sit down, Celia hurriedly took the remaining seat, and the student council president… Alkine, looked around at everyone before speaking.

“Thank you all for gathering here. Especially Celia and Ludion, you must have had trouble finding your way here with such a sudden summons, but you managed to arrive well.”

Her manner of speaking didn’t match her age, but the subtle aura of authority she exuded made her formal speech seem natural.

However… I knew that her stiff way of talking was entirely an act.

She was trying to emulate her respected father, but in reality, her inner nature was delicate and sensitive like her mother.

…Why do all the strongest characters in this world have such different outer and inner personalities?

Celia, who appears to be a cold and haughty beauty but has the soul of a bespectacled bookworm inside.

Lilith, who looks like a benevolent saint who would embrace everyone, but actually has a fierce and fiery temperament.

And Alkine, who radiates the dignity of a monarch but collects cute stuffed animals by her bedside as a hobby…

Whoever designed these character settings was definitely a pervert, in my opinion.

“Ludion was good at finding his way. Everyone seemed to be waiting, so I’m glad we weren’t late.”

“I was actually about to send the vice president to fetch you, thinking you wouldn’t be able to find this place… You seem surprisingly familiar with the academy’s geography?”

That was only natural. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I had memorized every location that appeared in the game.

Still, finding the supposedly hidden Student Council Hall right away might seem a bit suspicious. She might find it odd.

“Well, it’s not like there’s no path at all, so it wasn’t impossible to find.”

Fortunately, she didn’t seem to mind much.

“Well then… let’s get straight to the point without wasting time.”

With those words, Alkine began explaining what they did.

The content wasn’t particularly difficult, and to summarize it briefly:

There are several places in Rubetia where Rifts occur, and surprisingly, one of them is located on academy grounds.

While such places are typically monitored and managed thoroughly at the national level, the academy’s Rift is handled by the student council.

These two points were the core of her explanation.

Finally, she emphasized how important a role the student council played and praised us, saying that only the most talented individuals could set foot in this domain, so we should be proud of being summoned here.

After delivering all that information like a speech, Alkine seemed to be a bit thirsty and requested a glass of water from the vice president standing beside her.

“Yes, President! I’ll bring it right away!”

Wow, that’s definitely the vice president. How is her normal running speed similar to my Dash Cancel speed?

Anyway, Alkine’s explanation pointed to one thing.

She wanted to recruit Celia and me into the student council because we were overflowing with talent.

“Let me be direct. I want both of you to join the student council.”

Sure enough, after downing the water the vice president brought her, that was the first thing she said.

But something seemed to be bothering her, and after hesitating a bit, she carefully continued.

“To be honest, this year I was planning to recruit only one person from Rubetia… no, I mean Celia. Just you. While you still have many immature aspects like other freshmen, your potential is as good as guaranteed. But…”

Alkine’s gaze turned toward me. The corners of her eyes curved slightly, and her expression became like someone looking at something very desirable.

Knowing her possessive nature, it gave me slight chills.

“I never imagined I would feel such shock watching the entrance exam. That’s why I decided to make an unprecedented additional recruitment. But… hmm.”

She let out a small sigh and looked at me again. Madam President, giving me those looks won’t get you anything.

“I had only discussed and gained everyone’s approval for Celia in advance, so when I suddenly said I wanted to recruit you too, Ludion, there was quite some resistance. So… um…”

Having said that much, Alkine, in a manner inconsistent with her previous demeanor, looked at me nervously and trailed off before continuing with difficulty.

“I know it’s an unreasonable request, but… could you perhaps demonstrate your abilities, even briefly?”

It really was an unreasonable request.

Not only had she summoned a new student (well, soon-to-be student) all the way here, but she was also asking me to prove myself because some people didn’t believe in my abilities.

Well, she was the type of person who would watch practical exams from beginning to end with the sole intention of discovering new talent.

She probably wanted to recruit me badly enough to make such an unreasonable request.

But well… while some people might find this offensive, I didn’t particularly mind.

Rather, it felt good that she needed me so badly.

So, pretending to consider it, I glanced around at the student council members seated at the table.

If there were people who would object to the president’s recruitment… it would be those guys.

Cain, Golid, and Grain. Among the nine current student council members, these three were the ones who tended to oppose any increase in membership.

Of course, I knew the reason. It’s a bit complicated to explain… but Grain was the main cause.

Understanding their position, I didn’t feel particularly resentful about their opposition. After all, they weren’t really trying to kick me out.

It was just annoying that something that could have been settled at once had become unnecessarily complicated.

Moreover, they resembled a trio from “that anime with the shrunken detective who took medicine”—a thin man, a large man, and a tiny woman—which somehow made them even more annoying to look at.

Maybe that’s why I wanted to provoke them openly.

Of course, if I did that, everyone here would wonder how I knew about it… but a real man doesn’t worry about such things.

“Senior Cain, Senior Golid, Senior Grain. These three… oh, Senior Grain is in the exploration field, so excluding her, would it be alright if I had a simple match with the other two?”

After saying this as if I knew everything, I glanced around and saw that everyone was surprised.

Especially the three I had directly mentioned—they seemed caught off guard and froze for a moment.

And among them all, the most surprised person was Alkine.

“Did I… tell you who objected?”

“No, President! Saying it like that makes it sound like we were the ones who objected!”

“Grain. Don’t show an unseemly side to your junior as a senior, and stay quiet.”

“But… fine. However, I don’t think Cain and Golid need to step up. I’ll do it.”

Alkine was a bit taken aback by Grain’s sudden declaration.

“Will that be alright? Still, maybe Cain or Golid should…”

“No. I’m enough. Even though I specialize in exploration, do you think I’d lose to a freshman… especially one who hasn’t even enrolled yet?”

Alkine was momentarily speechless at Grain’s assertion. It was certainly logical from a common-sense perspective, but she couldn’t give a definitive answer.

However, if she avoided answering here, it would clearly leave a major scratch on Grain’s pride, so she had no choice but to give an ambiguous response that was neither affirmative nor negative.

“Well… logically speaking, that would be impossible.”

“That’s why I’ll do it. I need to teach that arrogant kid a lesson.”

“Alright. Um… so… be gentle and don’t get hurt.”

Was that directed at Grain, or was it meant for me?

I think her gaze landed on me at the end… but it didn’t matter either way. I had no means to hurt her anyway.

Similarly, she wouldn’t be able to lay a finger on me, so Alkine’s concern, regardless of who it was directed at, truly didn’t matter.

“There’s an open space behind the building that we use for warming up, so let’s go there.”

Following Alkine’s guidance, we moved to a fairly spacious clearing. Celia and all the student council members followed in a line behind us.

Grain and I moved toward the center of the plateau, keeping an appropriate distance from each other, and faced one another.

Grain’s eyes, full of hostility, pierced into me. Perhaps because I had openly taunted her, she seemed to dislike me.

“Now, since this isn’t a serious duel, we’ll proceed without weapons, using just bare hands. This is simply a match to gauge abilities, so keep it within bounds.”

Alkine’s voice announced that the match would soon begin.

I had no intention of taking it easy, so I assumed a serious stance.

Grain, too, seemed not to completely underestimate me and took a clear dueling posture.

Celia and Alkine, who had directly witnessed my practical exam.

The two people who, along with Grain, had opposed my recruitment.

And the rest of the student council members.

As these three groups watched with different gazes…

“Then, let’s begin.”

With Alkine’s declaration, the match commenced.