Bring Him Down (5)
Not long ago, the student council had unanimously drafted a motion of no confidence and nominated a new figure to replace the old. The Magic Tower personnel embedded throughout Sigmund’s various facilities had also approved the motion with suspicious smoothness, without so much as a murmur of dissent. Yet that alone was not enough to pass the impeachment. One final buffer remained: the faculty senate.
Anyone with half a brain could have predicted that the chairman would cling to his seat, especially after the student council had the gall to nominate such an outrageous successor. But against all expectations, the faculty did the unthinkable.
The motion of no confidence against Chairman Montgomery Sipheragat has passed. Out of 98 total faculty members, 96 were present and 82 voted in favor. With a majority approving the motion, the chairman’s authority is hereby terminated effective immediately.
No one inside Sigmund—save for a handful—had seen it coming. Not even Montgomery himself.
While the vote was underway, the man had been leisurely enjoying the sauna. When he returned, a red-haired brute was waiting for him.
“Hey, Montgomery.”
“…Who the hell are you? You dare speak to me so casually?”
“Of course I know who you are. You’re that idiot former chairman, right? Don’t tell me you haven’t heard—the faculty just voted you out.”
“W-what did you say?!”
“Get over here, you bastard.”
The red-haired giant, who had accumulated more than a few grudges against the man, proceeded to give Montgomery a thorough and terrifying beating.
“N-no! This can’t be happening…! You treacherous faculty bastards—!”
“Stop struggling. It’ll only hurt more…”
“—W-wait, my good man. If what you say is true, then I’m now just an ordinary citizen, am I not? Surely you haven’t forgotten what the school regulations say about civilians assaulting outsiders?”
“Pfft—.”
“Is something funny…?”
“You really don’t recognize my face, do you?”
At those words, the chairman slowly looked up at the low-voiced woman who had spoken. But the incompetent chairman who had never shown the slightest interest in anyone’s face had no way of knowing who she was.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not a student here.”
“Ugh—?!”
“On the other hand, I have more than enough reasons to hate you. And this isn’t even just about me. Our respected senior asked me to come here and give you a proper taste of pain… so I’ll make sure you forget what it feels like to be beaten.”
“Aaaargh—!!”
The next day, Montgomery was found at the edge of a ditch outside Sigmund’s main gate. Every bone in his body had been broken. He couldn’t walk, let alone do anything on his own.
Such a catastrophic outcome should have drawn sympathy, yet no one came to his side. The inauguration ceremony for the newly appointed chairman was underway, and everyone was far too busy to spare a thought for the fallen man.
Montgomery had never been anything more than a vulgar merchant who knew nothing of combat and survived only by leeching off power and greasing the right palms. The fact that he had somehow ridden a favorable current into a position far beyond his station only made his downfall swift and effortless.
The faculty could be bought with money. The students had no desire to see the face of the man who had ruined their school life. No one would miss him.
And the proof came quickly. Not long after his removal, Montgomery’s name vanished from every record inside and outside Sigmund. Like the countless truths he had tried to bury rising up as vengeful spirits, he suffered a fate worse than death: total erasure from history.
In any case, given the circumstances, the new chairman, Nonedon, had this to say:
‘An inauguration ceremony? There’s no need to go that far. I’ll just start my term quietly. No need for us to make a big fuss. The situation is bad enough as it is.’
He had intended to simply fill the vacancy Montgomery left behind, but his new secretary—whom Cryan had recommended from one of the sponsored orphanages—insisted otherwise.
“No, Your Excellency Nonedon. You are now the control tower of Sigmund. You must at least show your face to everyone inside and outside the academy!”
“…Is that so?”
“Given your background, there may be professors who are displeased. Wouldn’t it be better to hold at least a simple inauguration to demonstrate your resolve?”
“I see. Then let’s do that.”
After dismissing Montgomery’s former sycophantic secretary and appointing the orphanage girl in her place, Nonedon listened to her advice and held the ceremony. It was so modest that it bordered on hasty—no guests of honor, no fanfare. Quiet and swift.
The inauguration was held in the central auditorium of Sigmund Academy’s main building. Although the school closure order was still in effect, the announcement of both the new chairman’s inauguration and other important matters meant everyone had to attend without exception.
When I heard that, I finally began to feel the weight of how much I had changed this world’s history.
‘This development wasn’t in the original story at all. The very fact that Nonedon became chairman…’
Everything related to his appointment was a butterfly effect caused by my own actions. I had worked hard to bring Nonedon back to his senses, calculating that nothing stranger would happen after that. Yet here we were.
“Let’s go, Yohan. Time to enjoy our success.”
“Yes, my lady.”
The walk to the auditorium felt both fascinating and strangely frightening. The fear came from the snippets of conversation I overheard from students heading the same way.
“Hey, did you hear? They say the new chairman used to be a thug from the slums…”
“No way! I only heard he was once the captain of the guard.”
“That’s true too, but… ugh, I don’t know anymore. Why would the student council pick someone like him?”
“…Well, they must have had their reasons. I don’t really get it, though.”
Listening to them made me wonder if what I had done was truly right. If the inauguration went poorly, would the voices cursing Nonedon end up sounding like they were cursing me?
“Yohan, focus.”
“…Ah. I’m sorry, my lady.”
“He’s Cryan’s uncle. I’m sure it will be fine.”
Thankfully, my sharp-eyed lady caught my hesitation and offered encouragement. I pushed my doubts aside and continued toward the auditorium.
But those worries turned out to be completely unfounded.
The moment we opened the doors and stepped inside—
“Whoa…?”
“What happened to the auditorium, my lady? It looks completely different…?!”
“Different? I’d say it looks magnificent.”
The auditorium had been transformed. It was as if someone had taken all of Nonedon’s refined taste and plastered it across every surface. I had no idea when they had managed to decorate it like this. The once dreary gray interior of the main building was now unrecognizable.
Elegant decorative crafts hung from the ceiling. A massive white-and-red crest symbolizing Sigmund covered the front wall. A golden altar radiated refined brilliance, and a deep red carpet stretched across the floor. The place was so lavishly adorned that it was hard to believe it belonged to a man who had just crawled out of a coffin.
The moment I saw it, I knew.
‘Ah, Nonedon. He’s making a proper show of force right from the start.’
With this level of presentation, the lack of outside guests hardly mattered. For a chairman who had to spend lavishly, the most important thing was to declare this is the kind of man I am.
The students and professors who arrived after us reacted much the same way we had. As we lined up like we had during the entrance ceremony not long ago, a heavy sound echoed.
BOOM—
The wall behind the podium opened, and a man appeared.
He was slightly shorter than me due to his age, yet his naturally imposing physique could not be hidden. A massive, muscular man with red hair swept back stylishly. It was Nonedon.
“Holy shit…”
Just by walking forward, he radiated overwhelming pressure. The word dominance was practically branded into everyone’s minds.
“……….”
The moment Nonedon entered, he said nothing. He simply stood on the podium and slowly scanned the room. No one had told them to, yet every person present stiffened under the weight of his presence. The professors wore expressions that suggested they were already regretting letting Babalk intimidate them into this.
But Nonedon met their gazes head-on. Without even clearing his throat, he spoke.
“Thank you all for gathering here. Students. And professors. I am Nonedon Naigerse, the 28th Chairman of Sigmund.”
I wondered what he would say next. Would he declare that he was taking over the academy? But the words that left his mouth were shockingly simple.
“There is only one thing I believe I must say. Everyone, trust me. Keep trusting me. If you do, I will repay that trust with perfect results.”
There was no prepared speech, no flowery rhetoric. It was the complete opposite of the long-winded address everyone had expected—an excellent shock tactic.
“Also, regarding the academy. It appears the situation is stabilizing, so immediately after taking office I ordered a comprehensive review of all facilities. The results show no major issues, so we will resume normal operations within a week. Please do not worry. That is all.”
Silence.
No one was quite sure when to start clapping. But as if that truly was the end, Nonedon bowed his head.
Clap, clap, clap, clap…!
Only then did the auditorium erupt in applause, as though a seal had been broken.
“He knows exactly how to imprint himself on people.”
“He didn’t become the boss of some underground organization for nothing, my lady.”
“People who have held power are all like that…”
It was only natural that the imperial family—who had been completely unaware and thus caught completely off guard—would once again be thrown into chaos by this development.