Chapter 120
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 120
“The Noble Alliance?”
I tilted my head, feigning ignorance.
Meyer replied with a triumphant smirk.
“Hmph, you’ve never heard of it? The Noble Alliance is an organization comprised of the most historic families in the Cassandra Empire. It wields immense influence over the academy’s affairs, both large and small. I’m sure Her Highness Beatrice is well aware of it.”
I glanced at Beatrice. She responded with her usual calm, porcelain expression.
“Yes. The Noble Alliance is one of the student self-governing bodies that submits monthly agendas to the Eredor Student Council for review. This month, they sent over several proposals regarding revisions to the school regulations.”
“When was it formed?”
“I do not know the exact date, but I have heard its origins coincide with the founding of the Four Great Academies.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded slowly.
Just as Beatrice said, the Noble Alliance was a historic organization centered around the seven families who were not only founding contributors to the Cassandra Empire but also major shareholders of the Magic Tower.
They were the pillars of high society.
Of course, the “Noble Alliance” Meyer was bragging about was more of a student club—an imitation created by Union students inspired by the original organization.
…Still, I can’t just dismiss it as a simple club.
As a prestigious circle that had existed since the founding of the Four Great Academies, its influence was undeniable, especially since its members were the actual children of the real Noble Alliance.
The fact that they could exert pressure even on Beatrice’s student council said it all.
Meyer continued, “Our Noble Alliance has decided that we can no longer stand by and watch you run rampant. We have resolved to crush you completely in the upcoming competition. I have been chosen to lead the charge. That is the meaning of this challenge.”
He finished with a flourish.
I stared at his pathetic display and summarized his words bluntly.
“So, to put it simply, you and your friends are playing king of the hill, and you’ve decided to get rid of me because I’m an eyesore. Is that it?”
“King of the hill? I’m not sure what that means, but I get the gist. And my, such harsh words. It would be better to think of this as the natural consequence of your own past deeds. Have you perhaps forgotten what you did to high society back in the day?”
Of course I don’t remember. Because I didn’t do it.
I shrugged as if I’d never heard of such a thing, causing Meyer’s face to twist into a scowl.
“...How convenient. A case of amnesia that only strikes when things are disadvantageous to you. Well, fine. I suppose that shameless attitude is exactly how you’ve managed to commit so many atrocities all this time.”
He glared at me, then pulled a letter from his coat and tossed it onto the table.
“Take it. This is a petition from numerous students, compiled after an investigation into your past actions. Consider it the evidence supporting the Noble Alliance’s decision. Read it when you have the time.”
I took the letter without a word.
It was obvious the contents would be more or less the same as the letters already piled high in the Student Council office’s mailbox; there was no need to waste time checking.
However...
This stationery…
My eyes were drawn not to the text, but to the envelope itself.
I turned it over, examining it closely. It featured an embossed seal and an envelope that emitted a faint trace of mana. It wasn't the type of stationery designed to trigger a spell upon opening, but it was of exceptionally high quality.
After a careful inspection, I reached a conclusion.
This confirms it.
It was the Noble Alliance that had sent the letter to Handol at the beginning of the semester, goading him into challenging me. They were likely in contact with Jeremy, too. They would have needed his permission and cooperation to operate so freely within Ishtal.
Having finished my thoughts, I fixed my gaze on Meyer and pressed him.
“You people… were you also involved with the head of Ishtal’s disciplinary committee?”
“...!”
Meyer flinched as if I’d hit a nerve, but he quickly regained his composure.
“Our Noble Alliance interacts with various royals from other academies, not just Eredor. Jeremy is one of them. But why do you ask?”
“I’m sure you do.”
I brushed off his words and continued my train of thought.
They must have felt threatened by my appointment as Student Council President and tried to use Handol to knock me down a peg. But that plan had failed. Realizing such a crude approach wouldn't work, they had shifted strategies, opting for a direct confrontation through the competition.
“I think I understand your intentions. But doesn’t this all depend on you actually beating me?”
“Hmph, do you really think you can win? You have big dreams, I’ll give you that.”
Meyer chuckled and snapped his fingers.
Snap!
Suddenly, a section of the office wall slid away, revealing a hidden alcove and a transparent display case. Inside the case stood a massive, metallic suit of armor—a masterpiece of magitech.
It was a suit of sleek, full-plate alloy armor that gleamed under the light, its surface etched with complex magical circuits. It was a Magic Armor—a powered suit designed for a pilot.
“Whoa.”
Bell, seeing such an incredible piece of equipment for the first time, looked like her eyes were about to pop out. Even Yuliana and Beatrice seemed slightly taken aback.
Pleased by their reactions, Meyer spoke with booming confidence.
“Heh heh, as I thought, you all recognize the brilliance of this machine. This is my Elegance No. 2. It is my masterpiece, the result of countless improvements and upgrades over the winter break. It boasts speed and strength comparable to an intermediate Sword Expert and possesses magic resistance that deflects all spells of the 4th-tier or lower. Its performance surpasses even the automated golems currently used by the Union. It is not something a half-baked mage like you can handle.”
“It surpasses the automated golems?” Yuliana asked, her voice tinged with surprise. Meyer gave her a greasy smile.
“Of course, Lady Yuliana. The previous model, the No. 1, fell short, but the performance of this No. 2 easily eclipses an automated golem. There will likely be a major shake-up in the competition rankings. Perhaps I could even take on that Freya without much difficulty.”
Meyer then turned to me, his eyes gleaming with malice.
“What I mean is, there is not a single chance in a million that I will lose to you. And even if I do, that won’t be the end of it. I am merely the vanguard. My friends will continue to issue challenges until you are broken.”
“I haven’t exactly confirmed that I’ll accept your challenge.”
“Well, if you choose to hide, we can always take other measures.”
“For example?”
Meyer listed the methods, folding his fingers one by one.
“We could apply the physical pressure we’ve been holding back until now. Or we could launch a media campaign to push for another student-wide vote. We could pressure the board of directors or cut off your funding. We could even have an imperial inspector dispatched to tear the Student Council apart. The methods are endless.”
Meyer grinned.
“...”
Among the methods he mentioned, a few would be genuinely tricky to handle.
Physical pressure was a simple matter to solve by keeping Ciel with me. But a war of public opinion was a different story; I was at a severe disadvantage there.
The trick I used at the beginning… the 60-day grace period guaranteeing the Student Council’s activities is almost over.
For now, public opinion wasn't too bad thanks to the territory war and the sports festival, but if they decided to go all out with slander and agitation, public sentiment could turn against me in an instant. If the tide shifted toward a general vote to impeach the Student Council President, it would be difficult for even me to stop it.
The other options were just as troublesome. The old man would probably handle the board of directors, but the dispatch of an imperial inspector was a problem even he would find difficult to counter.
If they started digging into the source of my funds, my dealings with the criminal underworld could be exposed. And it would be a massive headache if they started poking around about the Dark Mana Stone I fed to Kavelthar.
“You’ve really made up your minds.”
“You should have behaved yourself from the start.”
Meyer shot me a greasy wink and a triumphant smile.
I ignored his disgusting gaze and stood up from my seat.
Thud.
I walked over to the desk where Meyer was sitting.
“Wh-what is it?”
Meyer flinched slightly as I approached, but he tried his best to maintain his bravado.
I looked down at him in silence before pointing to the Elegance No. 2 in the display case.
“Getting jumpy? Mind if I take a closer look at that thing?”
“Yes, well, be my guest. It’s not like staring at it will give you any bright ideas.”
As soon as Meyer gave his permission, I walked over to the display case and examined the Magic Armor up close.
It had a helmet with a red plume, a sturdy breastplate, spiky pauldrons, and vambraces and faulds to protect the limbs. The alloy armor, with its beautiful curves, looked impenetrable from any angle. Though it was several times thicker than normal armor, it likely posed no hindrance to movement.
I paid close attention to the magic circles engraved on the armor’s surface.
It’s enchanted with weight reduction magic.
In addition to weight reduction, it had resistances to cold and heat, projectile defense magic, and even an anti-magic coating to deflect spells. It was engraved with every useful combat spell imaginable.
But that would make it a monster that literally devoured mana.
I asked with a puzzled expression, “What’s its power source? If its output is greater than an automated golem’s, the cores currently in use shouldn’t be able to handle it.”
“That was an easy fix. If the output is insufficient, you just use more cores, don’t you? I increased the output by inserting a core into every single joint. Haha!”
…So they just threw money at the problem.
A single core for an automated golem cost at least a billion cels.
“I’ve also finished the fine-tuning of the mana for each core, so it can perform any delicate task without issue. At the same time, it can destroy an enemy in a single blow with twice the output of an automated golem. Executing fine-tuning and overload operations simultaneously is an incredibly difficult task, but for a genius like me, it’s only natural…”
Meyer continued his excited explanation, but I let his words go in one ear and out the other, my eyes fixed on the armor.
This machine was undoubtedly a superb weapon of war. If handled well, it had the potential to rank within the top 10 in the competition.
But.
As I thought, he’s no match for me.
Looking at this armor only solidified my confidence in victory.
*
The next morning.
Trilling—!
An alarm echoed through the laboratory.
I pressed the timer to turn it off, then looked at the bubbling blue liquid in the cauldron. It was the base for a potion, created by boiling the mixed ingredients at a constant temperature for 48 hours to completely dissolve them. This amount should be enough to make over 50 potions.
Drip—.
The viscosity is just right.
I scooped up some of the bluish base with a ladle to check its consistency. The color and viscosity were exactly as described in the manual.
I had not only been precise with measurements and adhered strictly to the timing, but I had also perfectly controlled the temperature, humidity, and mana concentration of the room. It was only natural that the result was this perfect.
Having finished preparing the base, I laid out the various pieces of lab equipment I had procured from the criminal underworld.
The most important among them was the distillation tower for fractional distillation. It was an apparatus needed to separate the components from the base as they distilled according to their relative volatility. Each component extracted through distillation would then be reprocessed and used to create various potions.
I had no idea why I had to go through such a complicated process, but for now, I would just do as the book instructed.
“Hoo.”
Letting out a long sigh, I steeled myself and began the Alchemy in earnest.