Chapter 16
Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Strange Friend
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Yoram's power structure was simple and clear.
The highest authority: the Dean.
Beneath him, the professors wielding immense influence.
And then.
"The Student Council."
Even within it, the undisputed strongest among the students.
The Student Council President.
Cornelia von Delbar.
"In truth, isn't Cornelia higher than even the professors?"
In the empire where Yoram was located.
Professors were mostly from the empire.
And the Delbar Ducal House, held tremendous power in that very empire.
Yet there was one noble who openly denied that authority.
"...Expelled?"
One of Grace's lackeys nearby grabbed her arm.
"G-Grace... calm down for now..."
But before the words could finish, Grace slapped the arm away.
"Do you know what I went through to get into Yoram?!"
How much effort she had put in, how desperately she had wanted this position.
And now, the fact that she was losing it all seemed utterly unbelievable.
"All that! Because of that worthless piece of trash! Me, expelled? Make some sense!"
But.
"I'm not interested in hearing it."
A single firm declaration.
I watched the scene and barely held back a laugh.
'I almost laughed there.'
Our president handled the shutdown better than expected.
One word, and she shattered Grace's entire sob story.
No matter how long she tried to drag it out, no matter how dramatically she recited it.
She cut it off without mercy.
And as Cornelia took a step forward...
- Thud!
"Ugh...!!"
She was crushed by the pressure of gravity, Grace's body slammed toward the floor.
"And... what doesn't make sense?"
The floor cracked, unable to withstand the gravity, and the pressure bore down on Grace's body relentlessly, making it hard even to breathe.
"You assaulting students?"
- Whoosh.
Cornelia pulled photos from her pocket and tossed them one by one.
"Threatening and extorting students?"
- Whoosh.
"Ughhh...!"
And... the final one.
- Whoosh.
"Or perhaps... the Est Count family manufacturing and distributing drugs?"
"W-What...?"
Grace's pupils trembled.
Rage, shock, astonishment—all emotions mixed together.
"H-How did you..."
"You don't need to know that, Young Master Grace."
A cold smile bloomed on Cornelia's lips.
She looked down at her opponent without pity or sympathy.
"Oh, tomorrow you won't even be called 'Young Master' anymore will you?"
The merciless words crushed even Grace's last shred of pride.
"Take her away."
"Yes, ma'am!!"
At her command, the Student Council members sprang into action.
They surrounded Grace in an instant—one clamped her mouth shut, another restrained her arms, and a third grabbed her legs.
A perfect trinity.
"Let go! Do you know who I am? How dare you...!!"
Grace's resistance was futile.
A Student Council member had firmly sealed her mouth.
And amid it all, I thought.
'I need to be careful from now on.'
Our president...
She was far more terrifying than I realized.
"..."
Zap—
Right on cue, Cornelia's gaze turned toward me.
For some reason, cold sweat trickled down my spine.
'...What is it.'
Why was she staring so silently?
"Now, now~ Sorry for the commotion~ Everyone, finish your meals~"
Violet had snuck up and suddenly grabbed me.
I flinched involuntarily.
"Come on, little bro. Shall we head out~?"
"..."
I immediately shot a desperate, pleading looks at my best friends.
But.
*Slurp.*
Serros didn't even glance my way, he just kept shoveling food silently.
"Haa..."
Our empire's proud crown prince, Rufus, sighed and looked away.
'...Hold on.'
Save me.
I pleaded with my eyes, but no one came to my rescue.
"Alright then."
Violet kept her smile and gripped my arm tighter.
"Shall we head back to the Student Council room~?"
And so, I was dragged once more into the demons' lair—the Student Council room.
***
Contrary to my fears, nothing bad happened.
"Wow... little bro, how do you even move like that?"
Violet just spun around me, pouring out exclamations that weren't quite admiration.
"You twisted your mana into threads, right? No, but is that even possible?"
Honestly, it was getting a bit overwhelming.
She kept spinning, and I was starting to feel dizzy.
"But..."
Violet stopped and stared straight at me.
"I heard you have no mana...?"
At that...
"...Mana."
"Mana...?"
"It's mana."
Violet's expression shifted from admiration to shock.
"Little bro... are you an elf by any chance?"
[No, I'm not.]
"...Then what are you?"
"Then what am I," she says.
How was I supposed to answer that?
[I'm human.]
"Hmm... so you're human, at least."
"At least"?
Why did she keep adding weird qualifiers?
And... our president looked extremely displeased.
"It's all ruined because of you."
...What now?
"I could've handled them all at once, but because of you, I could only deal with one!"
What was she talking about?
...That idiot?
"Yeah, yeah. Let me translate."
Violet popped in from the side.
"She could've taken out that Grace whatever and her whole gang in one go, but she only managed one because she had to protect you."
Oh...
She protected me...?
*Sparkle sparkle.*
I looked at Cornelia with eyes brimming with emotion.
Then...
"Ugh... get lost!"
[Yes.]
She backpedaled immediately.
[(T_T)]
I scribbled furiously on the whiteboard to express my sorrow.
Sob.
To think she wouldn't understand my feelings like this.
As I was doodling on the whiteboard again.
"You..."
Cornelia spoke up once more.
[?]
"Why don't you talk?"
"Oh! I've been wondering that too! You didn't talk when we first met! Not in the cafeteria! Not even now!"
Seems like there were a lot of misunderstandings about me.
[I can't.]
Cornelia narrowed her eyes.
"You did it fine last time."
...Ah.
She must mean during the class placement exam.
She remembered when I had no choice but to speak.
[It hurts when I talk.]
But I doubted words alone would convince them.
So I roughly drew a picture on the whiteboard.
A normal person.
Opening their mouth to speak.
And then their body dramatically exploding—boom!
[＼（〇_ｏ）／]
My heartfelt masterpiece was complete.
"..."
"..."
But the two stared at my drawing in silence.
"I get it now... perfectly, little bro."
"...Understood."
Really?
No matter how I looked, their expressions screamed they hadn't understood a thing but were too lazy to argue.
[Really?]
Violet grinned and gave a thumbs up.
"Yeah! Perfectly! You explode if you talk, little bro!"
Oh...
She really seemed to get it perfectly.
'Do I have a talent for drawing?'
To convey such a powerful story with a quick scribble.
And as I was basking in self-praise for my artistic talent.
"...? Not the one where you get ugly if you talk?"
"..."
In that moment, Cornelia shattered my dreams of becoming an artist.
"Oh... so that's what it was, little bro?"
***
"I grabbed some random clothes for you, Saintess... I'll leave them here~?"
- Creak.
In the steam-filled bathroom, the water stopped flowing.
Her body, heated by the steam, began to cool.
"..."
Lev lifted her head.
The mirror.
In the large mirror on the bathroom wall, she stood.
Water dripped from her hair.
Her eyes were bright red.
【Why?】
The figure in the mirror spoke to her.
【Those hateful eyes of yours look a bit different today?】
Lev said nothing, just stared at the mirror.
【As if.】
The self in the mirror—something that wasn't her—smiled.
【Nothing's changed.】
"...Stop it."
【What? This conversation? Or looking at yourself?】
"..."
【You know what these eyes mean.】
Blood-red eyes.
That deep crimson had followed her since birth.
Some called them ominous, others avoided meeting her gaze.
She lived under the name of Saintess, but those eyes were never blessed.
【You're learning magic lately, huh?】
【Aaah~ I'm so jealous.】
The Lev in the mirror covered her mouth and laughed.
【When you already have me, going and borrowing some other power.】
*Giggle.*
【Isn't that too much?】
An unpleasant laugh echoed.
【After I've been inside you for so long.】
"...I don't need something like you."
For the first time, Lev responded with emotion.
Yet the Lev beyond the mirror didn't drop her smile.
【Do you really think that?】
The Lev in the mirror reached out a hand.
【Then answer me.】
The hand from beyond the glass shouldn't reach her.
【What are you afraid of, Lev?】
Yet those cold fingertips touched her skin.
【You're all I have.】
The Lev in the mirror reached out and embraced the Lev on this side.
【And I'm all you have.】
With that whisper.
Lev was alone again.
- Drip.
A single water drop trailed down her chin.
"..."
Lev raised her hand and roughly swept back her bangs.
Wet hair clung to her skin.
Through the gaps, glimpses of red eyes.
She just covered them.
So those blood-deep eyes wouldn't face the world.
- Click.
She flung the door open.
"Th-the Saintess is done...?"
Laphia, waiting outside, turned her head and instantly covered her eyes with both hands.
"Oops... you came out without clothes on."
She covered her eyes, but her gaze slipped through her fingers anyway.
"Wow..."
A voice she couldn't suppress.
Lev picked up the clothes without a word.
- Swish.
Without even checking what they were, she just grabbed something and put it on.
"...Ahem! The uniform's being cleaned by the spirits, but since it's white, it might take a bit!"
Behind Laphia, the spirits bustled about.
A water spirit carefully soaked the uniform.
A wind spirit flapped its wings to dry it.
"But it'll be done soon!"
As Laphia smiled in relief, Lev quietly nodded.
Once the uniform was mostly back to shape.
Laphia hesitantly spoke up.
"Um... Saintess."
"...?"
Lev turned to look at her, and Laphia paused before carefully asking.
"Wh-what's your relationship with the top student?"
"...Relationship?"
Lev tilted her head, not fully grasping the meaning.
"You know, in the cafeteria..."
Laphia recalled the scene unbidden.
The tray dumping over Adel's head, dirtying Lev's uniform.
Adel drawing his sword in an instant.
That was clearly more than just anger...
"Could it be... you two are like, together or something?"
Laphia had a hunch.
There was something between them.
...But Lev didn't nod—instead, she looked even more puzzled and asked back.
"...Together or something?"
"Uh...?"
Now Laphia was flustered.
"I mean... are you dating? Him?"
"...Dating?"
"Yeah. Like, boyfriend... girlfriend stuff."
"...No."
Lev said it matter-of-factly.
"...Oh?"
For some reason, Laphia let out an empty laugh.
"Then what are you?"
"...Just friends."
"Just friends...?"
"...Yeah."
Laphia couldn't quite wrap her head around it.
Could "just friends" spark that level of rage?
Could "just friends" be so resolute against an injury that seemed trivial to others?
"..."
Lev lowered her gaze for a moment.
And thought of Adel.
Adel had been strange from the start.
While everyone else treated her cautiously or overly reverently, Adel alone had no reservations from the beginning.
He met these red eyes without a care.
Just locking eyes as if he didn't matter who she was.
...She was definitely the Saintess.
A symbol of faith to some, an object of aversion to others.
But Adel looked at her not as the "Saintess," but simply as "Lev," one person.
"Just..."
Adel was weaker than her, yet said he'd protect her.
"It is a bit too much..."
In front of those restricting her learning because it didn't suit her status as Saintess, he said magic suited her well.
The one who found her no matter where she was or what situation she was in.
Not because she was the "Saintess," but because she was "Lev."
"A strange friend..."