Chapter 100
Chapter 100
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: Chancellor's Judgment
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The chancellor's office at Delaiten, said to have been created by the magic progenitor Emita Page, was a place where light poured in through eight arched windows.
During the day, it had felt grand and uplifting under the radiant sunlight, but coming here in the evening like this, under the bombardment of moonlight, it carried an eerie chill.
No, it wasn't the moonlight.
It was probably because of Chancellor Madelia Page, who now sat in that chair, glaring at us sharply.
"You must already know full well why you're here right now, don't you?"
The third-year trio, who always carried themselves with haughty arrogance no matter where they were, could only shrink feebly before Madelia Page.
"......"
Why had Rain and the other three been dragged here to the chancellor's office—still in their sweat-soaked gym uniforms?
To explain that, we had to go back thirty minutes.
* * *
The instant the whistle blew and their hearts had beaten about three times, cheers strong enough to collapse the gymnasium erupted inside.
"Whoa, insane!!!"
"Is this for real? The invincible Griffinballers lost?"
"To a team that's only been together for ten days?"
Rain and Weiber, panting and silently staring at each other, had Logan come running up, throwing his arms around their shoulders and bursting into laughter.
[Whoa lol we beat them lololol]
"That was seriously fun★"
Beside him, Nora and Kaden exchanged smiles.
'As expected, laughter never stops around that guy......'
Lillian, glancing enviously at the scene from afar, looked up at the gymnasium ceiling, dreaming of a distant future.
'Could I ever become someone like that at school or my academy someday?'
A smile crept onto Valensidis's lips as well, as he clapped along with the other spectators.
'A normal noble would have brushed off that hand as rude just now, but......'
Treating everyone like friends regardless of status—that attitude was genuine......
'That guy's really done it.'
Christa, who had watched the whole situation from start to finish with a hollow laugh, realized her fist had clenched without her noticing. She was convinced.
Yeah, that's right.
I hadn't come here to cheer for the Griffinballers—I'd come to cheer for that guy......
"See? I told you Rain would win!"
Kasena shouted excitedly at Doran, but......
Huh?
Doran was gone. He'd appeared without a sound and vanished without a trace.
"No way......"
"Impossible......"
Unlike the Griffinballer players expressing their shock by clutching their foreheads on the bench or muttering blankly, Elin Ludwig had no idea how to express her current feelings.
'In the end, that pathetic kid's gone and caused a huge mess......'
The Griffinballers, boasting a long history, were disbanded in my generation...... But why did she feel more proud than resentful?
- Hey, did you hear? Professor Elin's six-year-old nephew is a total disaster.
- Nah, no way.
- It's true. They call him the "Genius (Heavenly Disaster)" young master! He can't even use magic.
That same kid had taken top honors twice in first-year exams and now beaten the second- and third-years at magic volleyball?
'I'm such a failure as a coach......'
Just as she wiped away the tears welling in her eyes with a hollow smile, it happened.
"Who gave you permission to pull off this ridiculous nonsense?"
The cold, ruthless voice froze the still-boiling gymnasium air.
An overwhelming wave of mana, enough to make their bodies tremble, swept through, silencing the clamor in an instant.
Only two people at the school could emit such terrifying mana that made their hair stand on end.
Everyone forgot to even breathe as they watched the heroic woman enter, her pale purple hair fluttering majestically.
"Ch-Chancellor......?!"
Ayburn, the professor serving as head referee, barely managed to speak, but Madelia Page's eyes gleamed coldly.
"Tell me. As a professor, why didn't you think to stop this absurdity and instead took on the role of head referee?"
"Y-Yes? Th-That is......"
"Elin Ludwig, you're in the same boat. You two have no grounds to complain even if I suspend you on the spot. We'll talk in my office later."
Kasena stepped forward urgently on her crutches, as if wanting to explain, but.
"M-Mom! It's like this!"
Madelia raised a hand, lightly dismissing her daughter's plea.
"I already know the situation. No need to explain."
She pointed sequentially at Rain, Maya, Yors, and Rowinbelt.
"You four, the ringleaders—follow me. Right now."
* * *
"You three exploited the club regulations meant for self-policing to ruin this season's festival. Isn't that right?"
Madelia eyed them one by one, as if daring them to defend themselves, but none could meet her gaze.
"Chancellor, I was only trying to uphold the dignity of the nobles."
When Maya Snark offered a feeble protest, Madelia let out a cold scoff.
"The dignity of nobles? You should be ashamed. How dare you utter such words?"
"......?"
"You should have used the humiliation of failing to claim the top spot against a nobody as lifelong motivation to push forward. Instead, you couldn't accept the results and orchestrated this farce?"
Maya finally fell silent and averted her eyes.
Madelia's gaze now fixed on Rain.
Compared to how she'd looked at the other three, her expression was far softer, but her voice remained just as icy.
"And Rain Ludwig—what gave you the right to escalate things this far?"
"Yes?"
"There were other ways. Above all, you can't just quit the student council on a whim. It requires the chancellor's approval."
Is that so? But what? No one said it was impossible, and everything had gone smoothly......
With a sigh, Madelia placed a metal object on the desk with a clack.
It was a badge symbolizing student council membership: an exquisitely gold-embossed three-headed dragon Asura on a silver plate.
"In short, you never actually quit the student council."
"......?"
"Therefore, under the rule that 'student council members cannot interfere in club disputes during the festival period,' your formation of a team and challenge for disbandment against the Griffinballers is invalid."
It might seem like denying Rain's achievements outright, but in truth, this was the best resolution Madelia could offer him.
Rain was a noble. Heir to the powerful Ludwig family, no less.
If such a person not only quit the student council but teamed up with disciples from the Eight Great Academies to disband the Griffinballers?
'The Griffinballers are a royal club with insane alumni solidarity even after graduation...... The backlash against Rain would be immense.'
That could prove fatal for Rain, whose support base ultimately lay among the nobility.
It would even shake the solid foundation Skalji and Kevn had built for the Ludwig family.
Hoping this clever boy, whom she'd earmarked as a son-in-law prospect, would grasp her intent......
"Of course, that doesn't make what these three did vanish. I'll hold them accountable with a five-month suspension."
The three nobles' eyes trembled in fear.
Five months......?
That was the highest level of punishment given to cadets at Delaiten. Five months meant losing an entire semester—equivalent to being held back a year.
"Ch-Chancellor?!"
"We were wrong. Truly wrong!"
For heirs of the Ten Great Families, being held back at Delaiten would be an indelible stain, utterly destroying their positions as successors.
They pleaded desperately for mercy, but Madelia shook her head firmly.
"It's already decided. We need to set a precedent for this sort of thing to prevent future issues."
But in a truly absurd turn, the one who stepped in to defend the three was none other than Rain Ludwig.
"I appreciate it, but if you make that call, Chancellor, it voids the meaning of my ten days playing magic volleyball."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I never intended to punish those three or disband the Griffinballers to begin with."
Madelia tilted her head in bewilderment at the unexpected response, but the third-year trio stared at Rain in even greater shock.
What did he just say......?
Then why go as far as quitting the student council to challenge them to a disbandment match? Rain grinned and gave the answer.
"I just wanted to show the true meaning of magic and its possibilities."
"The true meaning...... of magic?"
"The real...... meaning?"
"And its...... possibilities?"
"You saw my team, right? There's no high or low in magic. No noble or lowly. Those guys know magic just as well as you do."
That's what magic is.
It doesn't matter who you were originally. Orphan, commoner, merchant, noble—none of it matters.
If you have the will to learn, it lets you become who you want. That's the meaning of magic that Lin had seen and learned.
"So from now on, don't look down on others just because you're nobles who happen to be a bit better at magic right now. What's a mage? Isn't it all about skill? Compete on magic prowess, not status. If you start nitpicking birth, you'll never become archmages."
The three exchanged dazed glances, unsure why this strange resonance echoed in their chests.
It was odd.
In any normal situation, they'd bristle at some younger kid from a powerful family lecturing them......
"Anyway, promise."
Rain chuckled and extended his hand.
This is......?
Unable to grasp the meaning of the gesture, Maya looked up, and Rain took her hand, shaking it.
"Promise?"
"......You won't get mad?"
"I never was to begin with. Thanks to you guys, I learned how fun magic volleyball is, so we're even—good experience all around."
As Rain giggled and gave a thumbs-up, Rowinbelt let out a stunned laugh.
Is this the true grace of a noble?
How could he tell us—the ones who'd rebelled against him—to keep doing magic? If I'd been in his shoes......
Overwhelmed, her eyes grew hot for no reason.
'He set this whole thing up to teach those three what a mage's true mindset should be......'
Madelia Page, arms crossed as she observed the exchange, broke into a soft smile. No one noticed, thanks to the backlight.
"I understand your intent, Rain Ludwig. But without some exemplary punishment, others will keep taking school rules lightly."
"......?"
"So I'll give you three a one-month confinement to quarters. Stay quiet during the festival period."
Relief bloomed on Rowinbelt and Yors's faces, and being kids at heart, they bowed repeatedly, voices choking.
"Thank you, thank you!"
Even the stoic Maya bowed to Rain, showing just how generous this mercy was.
"We won't forget what you've done for us this time."
Why make such a fuss?
There'd been no reason to get mad in the first place. In this era, three hundred years later, most mages were just cute juniors in Lin's eyes.
After the three left, Madelia handed Rain the student council badge, speaking in a voice tinged with regret.
"You really should become our family's son-in-law. I don't think I can settle for anyone else now."
This pattern again?
Rain had grown immune. As Brim had taught him before leaving, he let out a forced laugh and changed the subject.
"Hahaha......"
"Seeing the power of the Black Sheep Lin, hasn't it changed your mind a bit? You should show that power to your kids too—not hog it all for yourself."
"Um...... can I go now?"
He couldn't leave just yet.
Kasena Page burst into the office right after the three departed, as if waiting.
"Mom, you gave those bad guys what they deserved, right?! And Rain didn't do anything wrong!"
"I know. Don't worry. I was strict earlier because there were eyes watching."
"Rain totally crushed them today! Every time he just powed the ball, their faces were priceless!"
"Hm, that's why I was strongly recommending he become my son-in-law again."
"Wh-what?! Rain's only sixteen! His status is way below mine! I'd be the one losing out!"
"That's true, but the Ludwig family holds no shame anywhere. He's more than sufficient as son-in-law material."
"R-Really?! No, that's not it! Anyway, no!"
Seizing the moment as the Page mother and daughter bickered noisily, he slipped out of the office. Unexpectedly, someone waited outside.
Christa Warden.
Hand on her chest, taking deep breaths, she locked eyes with Rain before she was ready, her own eyes flickering wildly.
"What? You got business with the chancellor too?"
"N-No? Nothing like that."
"Then what are you doing here?"
Christa started to say something, then spotted the student council badge in Rain's hand and exhaled in relief.
"Seeing that...... it all worked out, huh."
"It just kinda happened that way."
Just as the conversation seemed to end, Christa—face flushed, stammering unusually and darting her eyes everywhere—spoke up.
"Th-that time...... I mean, at the executive committee meeting! I, uh, I to you...... that is......"
She desperately wanted to convey her apology clearly, but with no tolerance for such situations, her whole body burned like fire.
"Oh, that time?"
But Rain suddenly chuckled, ending her agony.
"Don't sweat it. I didn't really mind anyway."
"Wh-what, why, how......?!"
"No need to explain every little thing. Anyway, now that it's sorted, let's push through student council duties together starting tomorrow."
As Rain waved and walked away, Christa's hand—which had wandered aimlessly in front of her face during her rambling apology—dropped to her chest.
He brushed it off just like that......?
And soon, with the worries that had clouded her face for the past ten days completely lifted, a serene smile formed, and her hand clenched into a firm fist.
"Yeah......!"
She hurried to his side, matching his pace, and started picking fights she hadn't been able to for the past ten days.
"What was with that serve earlier? If it'd been me, I'd have aimed even more perfectly for the net!"
"Big talk."
"And that receive was totally exposed! That one earlier—it got in the spiker's way, right?"
Walking side by side down the moonlit corridor, the girl's face brimmed with a smile that hadn't graced it even once in those ten days, as she relentlessly teased him without pause.