Chapter 152: The Student Council Election (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 152: The Student Council Election (2)
It was the time of day when the purple sunset dipped below the horizon. Dusk settled over the Academy.
The summer heat had completely faded, and fallen leaves carpeted the paths.
Step, step.
I was taking a walk around the Academy grounds. Whenever I needed to clear my restless mind, I walked out of habit.
"Is it autumn already?"
With every step, crisp fallen leaves crunched beneath my feet. It was the season of high skies and plump horses. The night wind was chilly, the perfect weather to catch a cold if I wasn't careful.
I wonder how Chloe is doing.
During morning roll call today, Instructor Lee Won-bin mentioned that Chloe's return to the Academy might be delayed. It seemed her absence wasn't just due to her family's funeral.
I hope nothing's wrong.
Worrying about her in silence, I headed toward that bench. My walks always ended at that spot.
It was time to organize my thoughts. Even if it was for the Association Pass, was running in this election really the right choice?
I had already interfered in the main story several times. My initial vow upon entering the Academy—to live quietly as Background Character A—had long since been rendered meaningless. But all of those instances had been matters of direct survival.
This time, however, was different. This was a case of me actively throwing myself into the main plot.
Even if I failed to find the Monolith, my life wouldn't be in danger. It might be better to spend that time constantly reinforcing my armaments instead of searching for an artifact. Nevertheless, I prioritized acquiring the Memory Fragments.
I was certain that if I gathered them one by one, I would eventually discover the reason I was dropped into this world. Besides, I could also aim for the extra rewards.
Let's get the Monolith and sweep up the remaining five fragments in one go.
Lost in thought as I walked, the familiar bench came into view. And today, once again, someone had already claimed it. A highly unexpected person, at that.
...Yoo Se-in?
Se-in was sitting on the bench, tapping away on her phone. She was completely absorbed in a game, even wearing a headset.
Sensing my presence, Se-in rolled her eyes to look at me. Judging by her expression, she seemed to have expected me to show up.
This area was originally quite secluded, but at some point, people started showing up here frequently. First Abel, then Saki, and now Yoo Se-in. I wondered if this place had become some kind of hotspot for main characters.
"Whatcha doing? Weren't you gonna sit here? Come sit."
Seriously, can she do something about that text-speak? And she calls herself a Saintess. Every time she opens her mouth, I can practically hear the sound of her followers' numbers dropping.
Are there even any gods left in this world anyway?
Didn't Professor(?) Damian say before that there were no remaining gods? He said the God of Sword slaughtered all the other gods and eventually took his own life.
If so, what is this 'god' that Se-in serves?
As I stood there lost in thought, Se-in patted the space next to her, urging me to sit. It was a sudden encounter, but the timing was actually perfect.
I had plenty of things I wanted to ask her anyway. Our brief exchange in the hallway a few days ago had been far too short.
Since then, she had been subtly avoiding me. The reason was likely that "divine punishment" she had mentioned.
Even if I tried to force it out of her, I doubted she would give me the answers I wanted. Besides, it could lead to unnecessary misunderstandings.
These academy students were starved for gossip; if I kept seeking out Se-in, who knew what rumors would fly? Just imagining it gave me a headache.
I slowly walked over and sat down beside her. Only then did she take off her headset and lock her phone. Se-in spoke up without hesitation.
"Don't worry."
"......?"
"I'm never gonna fall for you romantically or anything. So don't worry."
At her sudden declaration, my face contorted in sheer bewilderment. In contrast, Se-in's expression grew quite serious.
"As a Saintess, I have a duty to love this entire world. Therefore, I cannot love just one specific person. That's what it means to be a Saintess."
"........"
"I'm a Saintess, after all. I can't go piling more sins onto a man who's already so full of them."
Se-in stared intently at me as she spoke. Then, with a faint smile, she swung her crossed legs back and forth.
She remained like that for a while. I let out a sigh. It seemed she was saying she couldn't love just one person because her duty as a Saintess required her to love everyone. But for her very first words to be this... I felt utterly drained. Suppressing my true thoughts, I asked her:
"I won't pry into everything, considering what you said before. But at least answer me this one thing."
Se-in silently swung her feet in a playful manner. Taking that as a yes, I spoke again.
"You don't have to answer out loud. Just nod or shake your head. I only have one question."
"……."
Only then did Se-in give a small nod. She was ready to answer.
"Yoo Se-in, I know for a fact that you're connected to the status window. That's what I'm most curious about, but you probably can't answer because of that 'divine punishment' or whatever."
Nod, nod.
"To be honest, I don't really care who you actually are or why you came to the Academy. What I want to know is this: is everything I've done so far, and everything I plan to do, intended by the system or something similar?"
"Nope."
A firm answer. Se-in shook her head.
"No one dares to interfere with you. Not even a god."
"……?"
Se-in patted the dust off her skirt, signaling that she wouldn't take any more questions. She spun around.
"Sword Demon, you're a far greater existence than you think. You've just lost your way and are wandering. Though, even if you just march straight ahead, your humanity will wither away..."
Se-in's voice trailed off. Then, without even turning back, she continued.
"So don't doubt what you want to do. Hesitation is for the weak; the strong show it through action."
Having said her piece, Se-in walked away. I watched her retreating figure for a moment before standing up myself.
* * *
After parting ways with Kang Geomma, Se-in walked aimlessly through the night. She replayed their brief encounter in her mind.
"That's as much as I can tell him... cough!"
At that moment, Se-in felt a sharp, squeezing pain in her heart, as if it were a wet rag being wrung out. She covered her mouth and coughed.
A series of wet, heavy coughs echoed in the quiet night. Blood pooled in the palm of the hand covering her mouth.
Looking at her hand, Se-in let out a hollow, incredulous laugh.
"Ha, all that just for telling him that?"
Se-in glared up at the night sky. The sorrowfully twinkling stars stared back at her like cold eyes.
"……."
"……."
After a brief staring contest, Se-in pressed a hand to her forehead and clicked her tongue.
"Sigh. I get that you guys hate him, but taking it out on me just for giving him a little advice? No wonder you got wiped out by a single guy with that kind of petty attitude."
"……."
"Whatever, forget it, you cheapskates. You call yourselves gods? Your hearts are narrower than a mouse hole, and you've got less courage than a newborn baby! You rain down divine punishment at the slightest thing—at this rate, I'm gonna need a blood transfusion!"
After venting her frustration at the sky, Se-in wiped the blood away with a handkerchief. Then, as if nothing had happened, she calmly resumed walking. Her slender frame trembled slightly in the chilly autumn wind.
* * *
Recently, a certain rumor had been circulating among the cadets, regardless of their year.
"Hey, did you hear? A first-year cadet is running in the student council election. And not just one, but two of them."
"What? No way. Isn't that completely unprecedented? I mean, sure, this year's first-years are amazing, but the student council election is a different story. The Joaquin Academy election isn't some popularity contest."
"Right. No matter how strong they are, it's a position where you ultimately have to prove your capabilities in all areas."
"...Rumor has it that this election won't just be a simple vote."
"What?!"
"Shh! I had a hard time digging up this info, but apparently, they're holding a contest beforehand instead of just voting. It makes sense—with the two first-years, there are seven candidates in total. That's too many, so they're weeding them out first."
"So what's the contest about?"
"Well, I don't know that much. But given our academy's focus on practical combat, maybe they'll make them fight each other?"
"Come on~ It's a contest to determine the student council candidates, would they really just make them brawl? I don't know for sure, but it'll probably be something elegant and noble, fitting for Joaquin Academy!"
* * *
As I was staring blankly out the classroom window, a text message suddenly arrived.
* * *
[Sender] Joaquin Academy Administration Office
[Web Message]
[Notice] Announcement regarding the contest prior to the student council election.
All cadets registered as candidates for student council president are requested to gather in the Medium Conference Room on the 3rd floor of the Main Building before the start of the 4th period today.
* * *
As I stared intently at my phone, Ryozo spoke up.
"What's with that look? Did you get a spam text? If so, just tell me. I can trace the number and crash their entire system..."
I silently showed her the message. Ryozo quietly scanned the text, then shifted her gaze back to me.
"It's starting already."
"Yeah. There are still over two weeks left until election day, but it looks like they're holding the contest early."
"Don't feel too pressured. The intention behind this contest is obvious anyway."
A couple of days ago, there had been a notification that a contest would be held exclusively for the candidates. Ryozo had speculated that this was likely the Association's idea.
Since two first-years had suddenly been added as candidates, there was no way the upperclassmen would look upon it kindly.
They needed to appease the second and third-years before the actual election. The most effective way to do that was to establish a clear distinction between the first-years and the upperclassmen.
Thus, Ryozo's hypothesis was that the contest was a compromise proposed by the Association, which was hosting the election.
Either way, it just means more annoying work for me.
When the time came, I headed straight to the Medium Conference Room. Upon arriving on the third floor of the Main Building, Supervisor Ha, who had been waiting, greeted me.
"H-Hello. I will guide you to the Medium Conference Room."
Supervisor Ha avoided my gaze, shifting her eyes away just like before. I followed behind her as she led the way to the room.
Creak.
As the door opened, the people who had arrived before me came into view. Instantly, cold, heavy glares locked onto me in unison.
"……."
Those people were all my competitors. They seemed to be trying to suppress their presence, but they couldn't hide the hostility flashing in their eyes.
After scanning the room, I sat down in an empty chair.
Right then, I felt an incredibly faint energy from behind my head. This familiar yet ominous sensation... was magic power.
I snapped my head around. I scrutinized the faces of those who had been glaring at me just moments ago, one by one.
A lanky guy with his brow deeply furrowed in discontent, a woman giving me a sideways glance with narrow eyes, and a sickly-looking person staring blankly at the ceiling with hollow eyes.
Looking at the three of them, my hand instinctively reached down toward my pocket.
"To think they were still in the Academy."