episode_0036

“This school is strange.”

This sentence lingered in Irene’s mind after the disciplinary committee meeting ended.

“Why would this prestigious school, where my father and mother graduated…”

The expectations she had for this elite academy before admission shattered immediately after she enrolled.

“How could there be an intermediate-level demon beast within the school?”

It was an impossible situation, but no one questioned it. Everyone remained silent. The scenes she encountered over the next two weeks were beyond imagination.

“Why such unreasonable things…!”

Lost in thought, Irene walked down the corridor and encountered a familiar figure. It was a handsome young man in a long coat and an ornate school uniform.

“Greetings, Irene. Where are you going so quickly?”

She immediately turned to leave. However, an unpleasant voice stopped her.

“Ugh…”

No, more precisely, an intangible force blocked her. The moment she tried to move her foot, an invisible pressure, as if swept by a strong wind, held her captive. It was only after she forcefully circulated a considerable amount of magic through her body that she could move.

“It seems you’re displeased with my address. Do I have to call you the freshman class representative for you to respond?”

“…Student Council President.”

Irene turned her head, not bothering to hide her displeasure. The gray-haired male student accepted it nonchalantly.

“Did I do something wrong? Anyway, it’s good we met. I actually had something to talk about.”

“…”

“Is this about the entrance ceremony? Don’t take it too hard, junior-nim. I told you last time, didn’t I? I’m just an ordinary student.”

Kroshel chuckled.

She bit her lip.

From the disaster of that day’s entrance ceremony, Irene had never been able to forget the words Kroshel whispered in her ear.

“I’ll contact my clan and formally protest to the board of directors…!”

“…I heard the Spear Wielder of Magic is quite ill. Will that be alright?”

The moment she heard those words, she gasped. She felt as though she had been stripped naked in the middle of the street.

‘How could he possibly know that…’

The fact that her father was terminally ill was a top-secret matter known only to a few members of the Helios Clan, where her father was the head. It was not something an ordinary student would know.

Since that day, she had been plagued by anxiety.

When she later had occasion to meet the Student Council President again, she plucked up the courage to confront him. Kroshel replied with a light laugh.

“You’ve been holding onto that all this time? Haha… I simply heard it from the higher-ups on the board. Don’t worry! What could I possibly do with that information? Of course, I did hear a few other things about you and your clan…”

Irene could read another meaning in his words.

It was a warning from the school’s board of directors: if she crossed the line by involving her father’s clan in school matters, they wouldn’t stand idly by.

In the end, she had no choice but to act alone.

“…Why did you call me?”

“Nothing special, just that I heard the freshman representative has been diligently acting as a lawyer for her classmates lately. The disciplinary committee had just ended, and I was about to head back when I happened to meet you here.”

Was he mocking her? Irene couldn’t fathom the Student Council President’s intentions at all.

“Isn’t that obvious? The school isn’t doing its job! Do you know what’s been happening until now?”

“What’s been happening? I’m curious to hear.”

Annoyed by the Student Council President’s feigned ignorance, Irene explained indignantly.

She took a step closer.

“For two weeks, I investigated my fellow students. There were 217 cases of extortion, 148 cases of assault, and 54 cases of sexual harassment and molestation, regardless of gender. This is only what I heard directly from the victims, so the actual numbers would be much higher if you include those who remained silent.”

“Hmm, I see.”

“Do you think this is normal? This isn’t a school, it’s a den of criminals! What happened to the prestigious Polaris I heard about?”

Kroshel, who had been silently accepting Irene’s anger, casually tossed out a remark.

“Ah, so that’s why you’ve been helping the students alone, making anonymous reports to the media, parents, civic groups, and even the Inspector General’s office. The board members had quite a headache dealing with it. I even got called in and chewed out a bit myself.”

Irene’s face turned pale. Kroshel smirked.

He took a step forward.

“How could you possibly…”

“You seem very surprised. It looks like you were expecting the school to suddenly be turned upside down, for search and seizures to happen, and for something to be on the evening news as the top story.”

He smiled like an adult indulging a child’s tantrum.

“This isn’t some morning drama; that’s not going to happen. Awakener academies are guaranteed a certain degree of impunity in their operations. Don’t worry about the students who participated in the reports. The board understands the students’ grievances, so nothing serious will happen.”

Overwhelmed, she took a step back. Kroshel looked down at her. Irene, who was glaring at Kroshel as if disgusted, opened her mouth.

“Why are you doing this? Why is the Student Council instigating this kind of atmosphere in the school?”

“Instigating? That’s the wrong word. Let’s call it freedom.”

“Huh?”

“Anyone would think we gave orders. Those are rules the students made themselves. The first principle of this school is: ‘Students of Polaris can act according to their own will and choice.’ If you have an unpleasant incident with someone, resolve it yourselves directly. Why should competent and diligent people clean up after other idiots? If you want something, you should strive to obtain it yourself. Look at the case of Lucian, who was investigated by the Disciplinary Committee last time. He’s already adapted well. That’s the correct attitude.”

Kroshel briefly pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen. He turned the screen to show Irene.

“Congratulations. Just now, the Disciplinary Committee reported 10 incidents. All of them involved first-year students attacking and subduing upperclassmen. They are truly brave individuals.”

Irene now looked at Kroshel with an expression of bewildered disbelief, as if he were insane.

“You call this freedom? This is…”

“What’s the problem? Our Student Council merely respects the freedom of individual students. You say the oppression by upperclassmen is bad? You dislike those so-called management committees? Then resolve it yourselves directly. You’ve seen well enough that the Disciplinary Committee and the Disciplinary Council don’t take sides, so you should know.”

Irene wanted to refute his words, but to some extent, it was true.

The Disciplinary Committee subdued anyone who committed violence on campus, regardless of whether they were upperclassmen or underclassmen, and the Disciplinary Council, though its procedures might have been messy, reached reasonable conclusions from a neutral perspective.

Kroshel tilted his head slightly, meeting her gaze directly.

“When dealing with issues between Awakened, private resolution is faster than legal resolution. Irene, you should know that better than anyone. The Spear Wielder of Magic hasn’t only stained his spear blade with the blood of demon beasts.”

Sparks flew from Irene’s emerald eyes.

“Who are you to casually discuss my father?”

“Well, I don’t go around flaunting other people’s status and reputation as if they were my own, like some people do.”

Immense pressure surged around Irene. It was only then that she could feel the massive flow of magic emanating from the Student Council President.

Kroshel quietly growled.

“I told you, private resolution is faster. If you’re thinking about it, draw your weapon. The outcome is your responsibility.”

“Ugh…!”

Irene gritted her teeth and glared at him. As she concentrated, a yellow flash burst, releasing the telekinetic force that held her. Again, telekinetic force held her.

The two maintained their standoff, but suddenly the surroundings became quiet. It was because the Student Council President released his power first.

Kroshel looked around.

“I got a bit excited and acted roughly. I apologize. And…”

“…It’s not proper to eavesdrop on other people’s conversations, junior-nim.” He extended a hand and wielded telekinesis, dragging a sofa aside. Behind it, Violet, who had been lying flat on the floor, appeared.

“Hyaah!”

“Violet Ruzilin? Why are you there?”

***

“What are you, a cockroach? How pathetic…”

“Ehehe…”

I was offended by the unexpected insult. A cockroach, to a beautiful girl like me…

“No! How did you know?”

“Anyone would notice if someone was rustling around like that. But, have we met somewhere before?”

“I don’t know.”

This was the first time I’d seen him since the entrance ceremony, in the past two weeks. The Student Council President closed his eyes for a moment, muttering, then suddenly opened them as if something came to mind.

“Ah, I remember now. Violet Ruzilin. Correct?” Surprisingly, he knew my name!

“Hyaah! How did you guess? We just met.”

“Well, I’ve memorized the entire student roster.”

“What?! Student Council President. You…” The Student Council President seemed to be showing off. Irene questioned him, surprised.

“Point out anything that’s wrong, then. Violet Dunhind Ruzilin, from the Eastern District, possesses a unique ability, her ability involves one main body manipulating multiple clones. Admitted through a special admission process for the 25th academic year.”

“Wow, you know a lot.” Surprisingly, he knew everything from my name to the minor details.

“And I know more than that.” He scanned me with a sharp gaze, as if peering into my insides. Goosebumps broke out all over my body.

Did he somehow realize I was from the Raphlaxia Research Institute?

He bent his head and whispered something in my ear.

“Your mother is Eva Liston, working as a local doctor. No father listed. You were adopted. Your maternal grandparents’ names are…”

It was shocking. He was rattling off personal information about me that I didn’t even know! That I have a mother, grandmother, and grandfather. How truly surprising.

“What are you talking about, again…”

“That means I know the students well. You understand what I’m saying, right?” The Student Council President’s lips curled into a smile, but his eyes didn’t. Sensing danger, the Violet Network quickly computed a solution.

Okay. I get it! He’s telling me not to carelessly blab about the conversation I overheard today.

But what’s the Student Council President talking about to himself? I don’t have a mom or a dad. I’m an orphan.

*Mom? I had a mom? Who is Eva Liston?*

*I know! The researcher whose head I smashed with a hammer was named Eva. That ponytail!*

Ah, now I remember what I looked at before submitting the admission documents. The family relations section back then had that ponytail hag registered as my mother. Even though I personally killed her. Anyway, it’s a relief. Everything he was saying was just reciting the fake identity that the bald research director created for me. It seems he and those “board of directors” guys don’t know anything beyond that. Thanks, Baldy!

“Anyway, the conversation ends here. If you have any complaints, resolve them yourselves. The Student Council is busy.”

Kroshel, who had been leaving us, turned back as if something had just occurred to him.

“It’s something that will be announced tomorrow, but I’ll tell you now. The repairs to the dueling grounds, which took place during the summer vacation, just finished yesterday. The dueling grounds will open this Wednesday, so resolve any minor conflicts there.”

“Duels? What is that…”

“Junior-nim. It seems you still don’t understand. If there’s something you want, seize it yourself. If you dislike abusive behavior, you could even make that a condition. The outcome of a duel is absolute.”

Hearing the Student Council President speak, a question arose in my mind.

“Excuse me, Student Council President?”

“Yes? Ruzilin.”

“If what you say is true, can someone get the Student Council President position through a duel?”

Irene’s bewildered green eyes lit up. The Student Council President, who had been staring blankly after hearing my words, then smiled broadly and clapped a few times.

“Violet seems to grasp things faster than that freshman representative.”

Wow. Was it true? I could challenge him to a duel and take the Student Council President position?

“If you want it, you could, couldn’t you? If you can.”

“Ugh?” My entire body was suddenly seized by an invisible force, as if being squeezed from all directions. I couldn’t move.

The aftermath of the force wasn’t just on me; nearby ornaments and furniture began to tremble. An immense pressure was felt!

“Are you crazy? Stop!” Irene screamed and moved towards the Student Council President, but I looked at Irene and shook my head. I’m okay. Really.

A pressure comparable to the water pressure at the bottom of the sea pressed down on me, but for now, I was standing upright.

[The pain felt by the individual is dispersed across multiple clones, resulting in a 5% reduction.]

“That’s nothing? What was that?”

“…You’re enduring this.” The Student Council President tilted his head. A moment later, the surrounding vibrations stopped. Only then could I move my body properly.

The Student Council President left. As he departed, he spoke a few words.

“…In my five years here, I’ve seen quite a few juniors like you. There were countless cases where they turned the situation around. However, most of the time, things returned to how they were. Why? It’s simple. They themselves revived it.”

“Lastly, if I may add one piece of advice, don’t expect too much from people. I wish you the best.” The Student Council President’s coat fluttered as he vanished down the corridor.

“Eh, that was nothing…Ugh!”

“Hey, are you okay?” I tried to walk forward, but suddenly stumbled and involuntarily knelt. I thought I was fine due to the pain distribution, but the impact of the pressure itself must have been detrimental to my body.

*That’s incredible pressure… What kind of guy is he? He’s pouring out magic like it’s water.*

*It’s not just bluster when he says to try and take his spot if I want it.*

A direct comparison to a game might be excessive, but his level seems to be on par with an average boss monster. What kind of student is that strong?

*Suspicious. I’ll need to investigate that guy.*

*It’s not just the Student Council President. That guy keeps mentioning the board of directors.*

Anyway, something I need to seriously dig into has come up. Most of it was fake information, but since that guy rattled off my personal details, shouldn’t I also learn about him and the board of directors behind him for it to be fair?

Irene helped me up.

“Violet Ruzilin, are you okay?”

“I’m okay. But could you just call me Violet instead of my full name?”

“If that’s what you prefer, I will.”

Once I regained my composure, Irene carefully asked.

“How much of our conversation… did you hear earlier?”

“From when you were talking about aiding and abetting, or freedom?”

That’s a lie. Actually, I heard it from the previous conversation about the reports.

So while I was playing around, Irene was doing things like this. Truly the demeanor of a hero’s child, an heir to a clan.

Come to think of it, Irene might know something.

“Would you like me to help?” She brightened for a moment but immediately shook her head.

“Violet, I appreciate the thought. But this school is strange. It feels like there’s something big behind it. Even at the entrance ceremony… No, never mind. Anyway, I’m okay.”

“Then, what if I report something I happened to see? Would that be alright?” She thought seriously for a moment, then eventually nodded in affirmation to my question.

“Just tell me what you happened to see. You don’t have to do anything more!”

“Got it!”

Another lie.

I’m going to investigate it myself. Personally, I can’t suppress this curiosity.

I want to know what connection there is between the unexpected expansion of the school’s scale I learned about during my last search and the ghoul hordes roaming the school ruins that will be featured in the main story five years from now.

*Irene isn’t wrong. What the Student Council President said sounds strange.*

*Ugh! If things get messed up, I can just commit suicide!*

It doesn’t matter if it’s ruined. I’m not even trying to get a diploma, so if things get messy, I can just run away!

As of today, another task has come up.