Chapter 33
Chapter 33
Translator: Penny
Chapter 33: This Isn't a Gun, It's a Cane [2]
Episode 33: This Isn't a Gun, It's a Staff (Part 2)
"You're really saying that in this situation~?"
Whooooooosh...!!
"Gwaaaaaaaaahhhhh...!"
Eve's fingers were forcefully pinching and pulling my cheek.
Baek Sia was right in front of me, but her dignity as Student Council President had completely vanished. What a mess...
So, save me, Baek Sia...!
You want to try this on a person, don't you?
You want to prove your creation works against a strong opponent.
You want to fight—your instincts are screaming for it!
As I gazed at Baek Sia with desperate pleading in my eyes, she, having disassembled her armor, took my hand and said, "You should rest today."
Ah.
"Miss Sia, excellent choice."
"Thank you. Even I wouldn't be so underhanded as to fight the Chairman when she's completely drained of Mana... Besides, she does look terribly exhausted."
"No, Mana replenishes with Potions..."
Glug... Glug... Glug...
I can't even speak.
"Now, how many of those Mana Potions has our Student Council President been chugging down?"
"...Seven of the highest grade?"
As soon as the answer left his lips, Eve's grip tightened with terrifying force.
"You knew that drinking too many Mana Potions would drastically reduce your naturally regenerating Mana?! We explicitly covered that in our first-year classes—how could you forget?!"
"Ugh...!"
Eve dragged me by the cheek all the way back to the dormitory.
Please, someone save me...!
Flailing desperately with my entire body, I stared at Baek Sia with eyes pleading for mercy...
"Ah, Chairwoman, take this—it's the leftover Mithril from the reforging."
"Oh, leftover Mithril? Thanks~"
Baek Sia had already handed the Mithril to Eve and was heading back to the dormitory.
After all I've done for her!
I activated the Forge for her, and even though the Mithril technically belongs to the school... I compressed and reforged it for her! In total, I've provided over 40 billion won worth of free labor, and she just throws me aside like this?
After that, Eve forcibly summoned me to my room.
"If you need anything, just tell Ayul in the next room."
"...The ropes are uncomfortable."
Bound head to toe, I was confined to my room until I recreated the earring.
"Sorry, but I need you to make those earrings before I can feel at ease letting you go out. Besides, you haven't been getting enough sleep lately, have you? You really should aim for at least eight hours a night, no matter what."
"........Do those earrings have biometric sensors or something?"
"That's a secret~"
And just like that, I had to spend my golden weekend cooped up in bed.
"Miss Se-a, this hair... whose is it? It's not Miss Ayul's, and it's not the Chairwoman's color either."
"First, could you please put that grotesque sword away before we talk?"
As if being confined weren't enough, I was now being grilled by Lee Seo-yun, who had barged into my room demanding to know the origins of some mysterious strand of hair.
It was a weekend during which I learned that Lee Seo-yun wasn't blind, that her narrow eyes opened wide when she truly unleashed her power, and that her irises were yellow.
In the Student Council Office, a Cadet, startled by the sudden disappearance of my usual earrings, inquired about their whereabouts.
"Chairman, you're not wearing the earrings you wore during the sparring match today?"
"Ah, they broke during the sparring match, so I had them sent for repair."
As I said this, I fidgeted with my neck, feeling oddly constricted. The sensation of something band-like pressing against my skin and the slight constriction around my throat were deeply unpleasant.
Great. Now I have to wear this choker until my earrings are fixed.
It's just a simple band, thankfully, so I can hide it under my uniform. But if it had a bell, it would be no different from a dog collar. Worse still, the bell jingles with every step, making it utterly unbearable.
"......Phew."
Thanks to this, I was stuck wearing a black turtleneck that reached all the way up to my neck under my school uniform, making me feel quite stifled.
"Oh, right! I just remembered the time..."
A Student Council Member, as if suddenly remembering something important, hurried out. In that instant, I tugged at my turtleneck, letting a cool breeze rush inside.
"Sigh... If it weren't for Ventilation Magic, this shirt would have been soaked through by now..."
It's supposed to be delivered today. How much longer do I have to endure this?
Murmuring
The hallway's noisy.
Did someone just get confessed to?
Screech
"I've uploaded the Student Council President Election announcement and application forms to the central screen!"
"Hey, I saw the candidate list in the announcement. You're really not running?"
Ah, so there was a reason.
Kang A-yul entered the Student Council Office, reeking of spicy pork stir-fry as if she'd just finished lunch with Student Council Member 1, who had been putting up posters earlier.
Thump!
After tossing her bag into the locker, Kang A-yul sprawled across the Student Council sofa.
"How many candidates do you think will run this year?" she asked the Student Council Member, nonchalantly munching on snacks as if crumbs didn't matter at all.
I'm going to have to clean all this up later.
"I'm not sure, but since the Chairman isn't running, I imagine more cadets who are weak in Psychokinesis will try their luck."
As if to prove his point, over forty applications had already flooded his inbox within ten minutes of the application form being released.
"Haa... It's piling up like crazy already. I should change the minimum eligibility requirement to within the top 100 ranks..."
Kang A-yul sighed as he watched the support emails flood in.
Well, I'm free from work now anyway.
Just two more weeks. If he could just endure until the Student Council President Election concludes, he'd finally be done with this tedious Student Council President duties.
Now I can comfortably support the Protagonist from behind the scenes.
His heart pounded with anticipation as he planned to slip various Hidden Pieces and special skills into the Protagonist's hands.
"I can help you summarize the participation list."
"Great. We've got about 78 applications so far. I'll take the odd-numbered ones, and you handle the even-numbered ones."
They began reviewing the applications flooding the mailbox one by one.
All the main characters must have signed up.
Seong Arin, as Student Council President, was using her authority—which allowed students to substitute a good Midterm Evaluation score for class attendance—to get some extra sleep.
Baek Sia impulsively signed up after being provoked by a classmate's taunts and sneers. Yu Eun-ha signed up to defeat Yun Se-a.
Ecclesia and Hanae Sakura joined to showcase their value to officials visiting the Academy.
Kang A-yul, true to the original plot, aimed to usurp the Student Council President position from Yun Se-a.
As for the Protagonist—the Player—he simply wanted to fight someone strong.
Yu Eun-ha might not even participate this time.
In the original storyline, Yu Eun-ha's goal, ever since becoming Yun Seong-ho's adopted daughter, had been to defeat Yun Se-a, who had always glared at her with resentment, and prove her own worth.
But I had never tormented Yu Eun-ha. Thanks to that, she had enrolled in the Academy normally and joined the Protagonist's group.
If she does participate... it would probably be by accepting the Protagonist's proposal and feigning defeat...
Well, this Student Council President Election... you might as well say the winner has already been decided.
Application Form
Name: Kang A-yul
Grade: 2
Class Rank: 2
Last Year's Student Council President Election Final Rank: 2
Weapon of Choice: Sword
"Miss Ayul, did you submit your application even while you were organizing the others?"
"....Well, if not now, when else would I apply?"
After adding Kang A-yul's application to the list, I moved on to the next one and saw another familiar name.
Application Form
Name: Lee Seo-yun
Grade: 2
Class Rank: 10 (Provisional)
Last Year's Student Council President Election Final Rank: Did not participate due to transfer
Weapon of Choice: Sword
So many variables...
The emergence of another promising candidate with skills comparable to Kang A-yul could inject fresh momentum into this year's Student Council President Election.
Will the finals be a four-way showdown between Kang A-yul, Lee Seo-yun, the Protagonist, and Baek Sia?
Seong Arin hasn't experienced "the incident" yet, so she's probably still at the level of a first-year with exceptionally strong mana. Baek Sia's armor is undoubtedly stronger than it was during the Student Council President Election due to my early intervention, but I doubt whether her armor-enhanced attacks will be effective against Kang A-yul or Lee Seo-yun.
Even with all the armor's upgrades... Ah, wait a minute.
The additional parts I saw back then... they were definitely designed to handle artillery, offense, and defense—all of it.
In truth, Baek Sia's combat prowess had become so formidable that she could effortlessly defeat the Protagonist, even without relying on skills.
This is troublesome. If the Student Council President is among the Main Characters, they won't be able to accompany the Protagonist.
Such a scenario must be avoided at all costs.
Becoming Student Council President means shouldering heavy responsibilities and endless administrative tasks. If that happens, I, who need to spoon-feed Hidden Pieces to the Protagonist, might find myself in the unfortunate position of being unable to deliver them, even if I wanted to.
After all, most of the Hidden Pieces I give are located within the Gates.
The most straightforward ending... would be if Kang A-yul or Lee Seo-yun became Student Council President.
If that's the case... the biggest variables in this Student Council President Election will undoubtedly be Baek Sia and the protagonist, Seo Jian.
Originally, Baek Sia's primary goal was to prove her existence to her classmates... Should I also consider the possibility that she might secure their votes and then withdraw?
As a last resort...
"Haa..."
Student Council President Election Application Form
Name: Yun Se-a
Grade: 2
Class Rank: 1
Final Result in Last Year's Student Council President Election: 1st Place
Weapon of Choice: Staff
I'll have to take matters into my own hands.
If I just eliminate the obvious contenders—Seo Jian, Baek Sia, and the other first-year main characters—and then withdraw due to "health issues," wouldn't that be enough?