Chapter 7 : Student Council

In the remotest part of the academy grounds.

As you follow a faint, nearly indistinguishable path, you suddenly encounter a solitary stone building that seems to appear out of nowhere.

Despite being tucked away, the building boasts a sophisticated design. It’s only a single story, but its impressive height and size make it feel far more substantial.

This is where the student council operates.

There is another student council building closer to the center of the grounds, but it’s smaller and usually empty, reserved for administrative use. Instead, this secluded building is the main hub.

As I entered with Seria, a group of people seated around a large round table greeted us as if they had been waiting. Two empty seats suggested they had indeed prepared for us.

“Welcome. Seats have been saved for you, so please take one.”

A woman with black hair, seated in the center of the table as viewed from the entrance, offered us a warm smile.

It was impossible not to recognize her. In this world, most people with black hair were from the north, and there were only a few with black hair at the academy.

Alkine Devaran. A noble lady from the north and currently the academy’s student council president.

Her presence exuded a sense of overwhelming strength, unmatched by anyone else in the academy at that time.

Though Seria hesitated for a moment, I, having seen her too many times in the game, felt no particular awe and just took a seat without fuss.

As I sat, Seria quickly filled the remaining empty seat. Then, the student council president, Alkine, surveyed everyone present before speaking.

“Thank you all for gathering here. Especially Seria and Rudion—coming here couldn’t have been easy, but I appreciate that you found your way.”

Her tone didn’t quite match her age, but the dignified air she emanated made her words seem natural.

But… I knew the stiff tone was all an act.

She’s trying to emulate her father, whom she deeply respects. In reality, she has a soft, delicate personality, like her mother.

Why is it that all the top figures in this world have such stark differences between their outer appearance and inner nature?

Seria, for example, has the look of a cool, elegant beauty but harbors the spirit of a quiet, bookish girl, like a librarian with horn-rimmed glasses.

Lilith appears as a benevolent saint who would embrace all, but in truth, she’s hot-tempered and fierce.

And Alkine, though she radiates the majesty of a ruler, has a hidden hobby of collecting cute stuffed animals by her bedside…

Whoever designed these characters must have been a true eccentric.

“Rudion found the way well. It looked like you all were waiting, so fortunately, we weren’t late.”

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you’d find it, so I was about to send the vice president out… but it seems you know the academy’s layout quite well?”

Of course, I knew it inside out, having memorized the entire layout of the game.

Although finding this hidden student council building so easily might seem suspicious.

“Well, there’s a path, so it wasn’t impossible to find.”

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to dwell on it.

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

With that, Alkine began explaining the nature of their work.

It wasn’t overly complicated, and the gist was this:

Currently, there are a few places in Lubetia where rifts appear, and surprisingly, one of them is on the academy grounds.

Normally such places are under the strict supervision and control of the state, but the academy’s rift is managed by the student council.

Those were the two main points.

Lastly, she emphasized the crucial role the student council played, noting that only those with exceptional talent could enter this realm, and that being summoned here was something to be proud of.

Delivering her speech in a near-monologue, Alkine asked the vice president next to her for a glass of water, perhaps feeling parched.

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

Wow, so this is what it means to be a vice president. The speed with which he moved was almost on par with my dash-cancel in the game.

In any case, Alkine’s message was clear.

Seria and I had been called here because they deemed us talented enough to join the student council.

“I’ll be blunt. I want both of you to join the student council.”

As expected, the first thing she said after downing the glass of water the vice president brought was this.

But she hesitated, as if something was holding her back, and carefully continued.

“To be honest, this year… no, Seria, I had only planned to recruit you for the student council. Though you may have areas that need growth, your potential is nearly guaranteed. But…”

Her gaze shifted to me. Her eyes gleamed with a look of desire, making me feel a bit uneasy, knowing her possessive nature.

“I didn’t expect to be so shocked after watching your entrance exam. That’s why I pushed for an additional recruitment, but…”

She trailed off with a small sigh and looked at me again. No matter how much she signals, nothing’s going to come from me, President.

“I had only sought approval for Seria, so mentioning you, Rudion, stirred quite a bit of opposition. So… um…”

Alkine, seeming uncharacteristically hesitant, glanced at me, her confidence wavering, and then, with difficulty, continued.

“I know it’s a lot to ask, but… would you be able to show us your skills, even just briefly?”

It was indeed a tall request.

Summoning a new student who hadn’t even formally entered and asking them to prove their skills just because some people doubted them.

Then again, she was someone who would watch the practical exam from start to finish, motivated solely by her passion for scouting new talent.

It made sense that she’d go this far to recruit me.

Well, it could certainly be a bit annoying for some people, but personally, I didn’t mind.

If anything, I felt somewhat pleased that they seemed to need me so much.

Pretending to ponder, I casually glanced around at the student council members seated at the table.

If anyone would raise objections about the president recruiting me, it would probably be them.

Kain, Golid, and Grain. Among the nine members of the student council, these three tended to oppose adding more members.

Of course, I knew the reason. It’s a bit complicated to explain, but it mainly stems from Grain.

Knowing their stance, I didn’t hold any grudges against their objections. They weren’t seriously considering kicking anyone out anyway.

Still, it was a bit bothersome that something simple became unnecessarily complicated.

To make matters worse, they bore an uncanny resemblance to a certain trio from that “young detective” anime—the slim guy, the bulky guy, and the tiny girl. It made them even harder to look at without irritation.

Maybe that’s why I felt an urge to throw a jab at them.

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

“Senior Kain, Senior Golid, and Senior Grain. I could spar briefly with these two—oh, except for Grain, since she’s in the scouting division. How about the other two?”

I said this with a knowing tone, glancing around to see everyone’s astonished reactions.

Especially the three I had named, who seemed quite startled, momentarily freezing in place.

But the most surprised was Alkine.

“Did I… mention who opposed?”

“No, President! Saying it like that practically confirms we were against it!”

“Grain. You’re a senior; don’t embarrass yourself in front of a junior. Sit quietly.”

“…Fine. But honestly, there’s no need for Kain and Golid to step in. I’ll take him on myself.”

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

“Are you sure? I thought maybe Kain or Golid could…”

“No need. Even though I’m specialized in scouting, you don’t think I’d lose to a freshman—a new recruit, no less—do you?”

Alkine momentarily lost her words. Logically, Grain was right, but she couldn’t quite be certain.

But she couldn’t avoid answering, as that would hurt Grain’s pride, so she gave a noncommittal reply.

“Well, that… wouldn’t make much sense, indeed.”

“Exactly. Let me handle him. I need to teach this cocky freshman a lesson.”

“Alright, but… please be gentle and don’t hurt each other.”

I wasn’t sure if she directed that to Grain or me.

She did seem to look at me at the end, but it didn’t matter. I had no intention of hurting her, and she likewise couldn’t lay a finger on me. Alkine’s concern, regardless of who it was for, was genuinely unnecessary.

“There’s an open space behind the building where we warm up. Let’s go there,” Alkine directed us to a spacious area. Seria and the rest of the student council members followed in a line behind us.

Once there, Grain and I took our positions a reasonable distance apart, facing each other.

Grain’s gaze was sharp, filled with hostility. Clearly, my earlier taunt didn’t sit well with her.

“Since this is just a light sparring match, we’ll proceed without weapons, and it’ll be hand-to-hand. Just a simple test of skill, so keep it civil.”

Alkine’s voice signaled the start of the duel.

I took my stance, not intending to go easy.

Grain, on the other hand, didn’t seem to underestimate me, taking on a serious posture.

Seria and Alkine, who had both witnessed my practical exam.

Kain and Golid, who opposed my recruitment along with Grain.

The rest of the student council members.

All three groups watched with different expressions in their eyes…

“Let’s begin,” Alkine declared, marking the start of the duel.