Chapter 53 – Stormy Election for Student President (2)

“Phi—.”

“I’m not particularly upset, Phi,” Erzebert replied, masking her discomfort. The source of her frustration was Adela’s sudden announcement to run for student council president.

Naturally, she felt a bit betrayed. After all, Erzebert had been quite generous to Adela thus far.

She had helped her secure the job she coveted at the convenience store, found her a decent marriage prospect—even if that didn’t pan out—and just days ago, had tutored her to prevent her expulsion from the academy.

And now, Adela had declared her candidacy for the student council presidency right in front of her, positioning herself as a competitor. Erzebert sipped her tea, a bitter taste lingering in her mouth.

“Phi—.”

“I know. It won’t really change anything anyway.”

In truth, Erzebert wasn’t particularly concerned about Adela running for student council president or participating in some worm racing competition sponsored by the chairman. She was already the overwhelming favorite to win this election.

Although the student council presidency was a position acquired through the unfamiliar process of voting, somewhat at odds with the kingdom’s traditional governance, it was effectively a power struggle between noble families.

This was precisely why Erzebert was confident of her victory. As a royal candidate, all the nobles allied with the royal family would publicly support her.

Naturally, the lower-ranking nobles who associated with these families or shared the same clubs would also be influenced, significantly swaying the election results.

In contrast, Adela was no different from any other noble who applied just to gain some recognition at the academy.

She had no substantial backing and was far from the well-connected network Erzebert had built from day one of enrollment.

“The outcome is obvious. Oh, come to think of it, today’s the first opinion poll announcement, isn’t it? Phi, go and fetch the results.”

“Phi—.”

“Stop dawdling and hurry up! You’ve gotten so lazy! Go on, quickly!”

The survey—or rather, a popularity contest of sorts.

Most of the students at the academy, especially the freshmen, were unfamiliar with the concept of voting. Therefore, before the actual election, a preliminary poll, which was more of a popularity vote, was conducted.

All students could vote for their favorite candidate by placing their names on a public board displaying photos and names of the candidates. Today was the day the results of that survey were to be announced.

After dispatching Phi to retrieve the results, Erzebert sat alone in an empty lecture room, nervously tapping her foot. It was natural to be anxious. If she lost, what would she do at the academy from now on? This was an election where failure was not an option.

It’s fine. There won’t be any surprises, she reassured herself.

Trying to maintain her composure, she anxiously waited ten minutes that felt like an hour. Phi soon returned with the preliminary poll results.

But then—

“What?”

[1st Place: Adela Silvesta – 45.52%]
[2nd Place: Erzebert Brunhard – 37.24%]
[3rd Place: Melburne Borte – 14.25%]

…

Thud.

The paper slipped from her hands and fell to the floor. A barely audible murmur escaped her lips.

“How…?”

***

“Well, damn… The world must be ending.”

The preliminary poll results made my head throb.

Who says the end of the world is far off? A world where Adela sits at the pinnacle of all the students at the academy—that’s truly the end times.

Is this the world I risked my life to save? A deep sense of disillusionment hit me hard.

There was even a picture in the morning paper, probably taken by someone else, showing Erzebert standing in a daze, staring dumbfoundedly at the same chart I was looking at.

The headline, “Shocking! Princess Defeated: A Northern Rebellion?” was quite striking.

Well, I might have been more than surprised, maybe even dumbfounded, but in her shoes, she must be utterly shocked.

To lose to someone like Adela… Even I, who don’t particularly like the princess, felt a twinge of sympathy.

“Why did the results turn out like this? Hmm…”

From my limited perspective, there must be a reason why Adela garnered so many votes.

Of course, she carried the label of being a member of the Rochear Count family from the start.

At the beginning of the term, she made sure to make her rounds through nearly all the clubs at the academy, making her presence known.

Even if that impression was negative, there wasn’t a single student at Farencia Academy who didn’t know who Adela Silvesta was.

Every student was given the same single vote.

Adela’s approach, whether intentional or not, ended up being starkly different from Erzebert’s, who mainly focused on building rapport with higher-ranked nobles.

And the final blow must have been her time working at the café.

Adela drew so many visitors during her time there that I had to close the café during her absence.

She was outwardly well-mannered, and her hospitality was excellent, making students see her as the true “Flower of the North Sea.” One student, blinded by this image, even invited her to a ball.

Ultimately, the image of the naive second daughter of Rochear was completely shattered, and her evaluation by the students skyrocketed.

She’s like an invasive species wreaking havoc on the ecosystem.

The impact of Adela finally stepping out of the store into the world was like that of the native snakehead fish overturning the rivers in America. Did she plan all this?

The unexpected result sent the academy into a frenzy about Adela.

“Ah, Mr. Louis~!”

While I was in Farencia City buying some iron scraps to feed the Iron Dogs, I happened to bump into the girl who had become the center of all the gossip.

Adela was her usual self. She beamed at me brightly, her sloppy mannerisms unchanged.

The only difference was the crowd of people surrounding her. Several magic cameras, which served the same purpose as cameras in this world, were capturing Adela from all angles. It was like she was an idol or something.

Smash!

“Aah!”

I stomped on one of the mages’ cameras that was slyly trying to slide under her skirt, shattering it to pieces. Then I wrapped my arm around Adela’s shoulder and pulled her close to ask:

“What’s going on here?”

“I’m running for student council president!”

“Is that why you haven’t been coming to the store?”

“Uh-huh. You see, sir…”

Adela leaned in close, touching her finger to the corner of her mouth with a troubled expression.

“I can’t find the store.”

“What?”

“Even though it’s the same path I used to take every day, for some reason, when I try to go there, I find myself just wandering around.”

Hmm, I see. So, in this wide-open academy, where signposts are everywhere, you got lost.

A mage who can’t find a store she frequented daily during the exam period, and now wants to be the student council president in this world.

“Yep, the end times are here,” I muttered.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Have you eaten yet?”

It was nearly dinner time. Since Liv was looking after the store, I thought about grabbing a quick meal before heading back.

I offered, expecting Adela to respond enthusiastically, but she reacted even more strongly than I anticipated.

“A date!?” she exclaimed, eyes sparkling.

“No,” I said firmly.

I stopped Adela, who had grabbed my hand and was about to drag me off again, just after I had returned from outside.

“Let’s just eat at the academy restaurant. Got it?”

“But…”

“You’re busy, right? I also need to get back to the store soon.”

“Alright…” she conceded, visibly deflated.

She seemed a bit disappointed, but she followed me obediently. To avoid the group of followers trailing behind her, we had no choice but to enter a more expensive restaurant.

***

To ensure the comfort of the nobility, various amenities were available on the expansive academy grounds.

Aside from the relatively humble bakery-style store and the slightly better quality student cafeteria, the Bayou Pavilion offered a more upscale fine dining experience.

Given the already high cost of living in Farencia, plus the academy’s premium, a meal could cost around 10 gold per person, with the corkage fee being half that amount—a staggering price equivalent to two weeks of a commoner’s salary.

This amount didn’t bother Adela in the slightest.

In fact, she was more than willing to pay double for dinner with Louis. She intended to cover his share too, knowing that he wasn’t wealthy and wouldn’t want to spend so much money on a meal.

However, her plans faced an unexpected hurdle.

“I’m sorry, miss. Your companion can’t be seated,” the waiter at the entrance stated firmly.

“Why not?” Adela asked, surprised.

“He’s not a student at the academy.”

While it was true that non-students were sometimes allowed to join noble students for meals, Les Amis restaurant refused Louis because he didn’t look like a noble and wasn’t dressed appropriately for fine dining.

His outfit, which was more suited for a commoner on the street—a stained t-shirt, shorts, worn-out slippers, and a basket clattering with scrap iron—was far from acceptable.

Louis scratched his head, looking a bit awkward.

“Well, I guess we can’t today. Sorry, but maybe next time. I’ll—”

“No way!!” Adela protested vehemently.

What should I do? Adela thought frantically. Mr. Louis is about to leave.

Should she suggest going to another restaurant? But most places within the academy would probably react the same way.

As Adela hesitated, unsure of what to do, a voice she hadn’t heard before came from behind her.

“What’s going on, shopkeeper? Were you here to dine?”

“Baroness?” Louis called out, recognizing the woman.

The waiter, standing at the entrance, quickly bowed deeply.

“Welcome, Baroness Ruhillen!”

“Hmm? Thank you. I didn’t make a reservation, but are there any seats available?”

“Of course! I’ll escort you to a quiet table by the window!”

Naturally following the waiter, Darling turned her head to ask Louis:

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“Oh, they said I can’t come in because of how I look. I was just about to leave.”

“Hmm… I see. Excuse me, you there. It wouldn’t be a problem if this man comes in, right?”

“Certainly not! Please come in!”

“Adela? Let’s go in. It’s all sorted,” Louis said, gesturing for her to follow.

Adela stared in a daze at Darling, who had effortlessly cleared the way for them. Her flaming orange hair and piercing crimson eyes reminded her of an orange sapphire.

Meeting the eyes of the mysterious woman momentarily made Adela feel small.

— Shopkeeper, I didn’t expect you to be interested in the election.

— Huh? What do you mean by that?

— Did you decide to line up by joining the candidate here for a meal? You declined my invitation before without hesitation.

— I was just trying to grab dinner, nothing more. Speaking of which, why didn’t you run for president, Baroness?

— If I were to use a fishing analogy, the student council presidency is just a small fry. Hmm… Could we talk over here for a moment?

The two seemed quite familiar, casually engaging in conversation. Suddenly, a familiar sense of exclusion crept over Adela.

“Adela? I’m just going to chat with Baroness Ruhillen for a bit,” Louis said apologetically.

“What about dinner…?” Adela asked, her voice small.

“I’ll be back soon. If the food arrives before I return, go ahead and start eating.”

“Okay…” she replied, trying to hide her disappointment.

Louis walked away, leaving Adela sitting alone at the large table covered with a white tablecloth.

Since returning from the North Sea, Adela had been carrying a subtle sense of unease in her heart.

She liked and even adored Louis, but a thought nagged at her—what if he didn’t feel the same?

He never stopped anyone from coming or leaving. Whenever she approached him daily with flirtatious antics, he would smile and tolerate it, but when she couldn’t find the store, he merely greeted her nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened.

So, maybe Louis didn’t love her. Perhaps he had only hugged her once, caught up in the moment.

Had he ever said he loved her? Even when clutching her pillow, gasping for breath, it was always she who yearned for love.

Oh.

Adela realized why this sad dissonance made her heart ache so much.

Unrequited love. She now sat alone before a cold table, the weight of her feelings pressing down on her.