A Gift for the Saintess
“As expected, there’s not a single guy you can trust.” I shook my head. Grand Duke Philip had spoken to me with what looked like genuine sincerity, yet I couldn’t shake the sense of dissonance. I tended to trust my instincts, and a third-awakener’s intuition was usually reliable. “I never thought someone could lie so convincingly with that kind of expression. He’s a master politician if nothing else.”
Teaming up with someone like that…? “Ninety-nine percent chance I’d get discarded the moment I’m no longer useful.” It wasn’t certain, but the premonition was strong. “A young imugi was hiding here all along.”
Anyway, I headed out of the gymnasium, deep in thought. The candidates were all too formidable; there was no easy choice. “The prince and I still aren’t on good terms. An alliance is impossible.”
Excluding the hero, the elf princess, and the archmage, four candidates remained. I had already ruled out an alliance with the grand duke, and the prince was equally out of the question. That left… “The hot-tempered delinquent and the dim-witted dwarf?”
I stopped walking. The sudden realization hit me like a brick. “Even if I wanted to form an alliance, there’s no one left to ally with.” It was a serious problem. The situation was worse than I’d thought.
Just then, the grand duke, who had been following behind, spoke up. “Why did you stop?”
“No reason. Just thinking for a moment.”
I gave a vague reply and started walking again. A sigh escaped me at the bleak outlook. “So in the end, the hero becomes the class representative?”
I couldn’t stomach that. It wasn’t about losing the top spot; it would deal a serious blow to my mental state. Still, there was one last resort. “Do I have no choice but to reveal that fact?”
Creak. I sighed and opened the door. Bright sunlight tickled my face, and I frowned. Even the sun seemed determined to make things difficult today.
That was when the noise started. The prince, Pierre, and Dubalton had gathered a crowd and were shouting at the top of their lungs. Campaigning had already begun. I stared at the scene outside with my mouth hanging open—not because the election activities had started so quickly, but because of how they were doing it.
“Vote for me as class representative! Royal blood flows in my veins!”
“You all know I’ve been recognized as a genius since forever, right? I’ll hit my third awakening soon, so you have to pick me!”
“Hahaha! I’m the representative of the dwarves! If you’re a dwarf, vote for me!”
Their election methods were absurd. Anyone who had lived in Korea knew how politicians behaved during election season—they became the most obsequious people alive. These three were the complete opposite. I had never seen politicians—or whatever they were—act so brazenly. They weren’t just confident; they were outright threatening the voters.
“If you don’t vote for me, His Majesty will be furious!”
“Pick me before I tell my father!”
“Haha! If you’re a dwarf, you must vote for me! Otherwise, my iron fists won’t stay still!”
I understood why they could behave this way. “Right. This isn’t a democratic society. It’s a rigid class-based one.” Maybe they were just unusually eccentric, but most people here had never experienced an election before. They didn’t even have class president elections. “They’ve never done anything like this…”
Suddenly, the sunlight felt warm on my skin. I could see a path forward. “If I play this right… it might actually work.”
***
I quickly formulated a plan. Bowing my head like a modern politician wouldn’t work here. “They’d just get confused.” Unfamiliar behavior only invited resistance. Election posters, campaign songs, morning greetings on the way to school—none of that would help in this world. “I don’t have the time, and I don’t need to do it anyway.”
In a society centered around nobles, such actions might even be seen as vulgar. Besides, we weren’t electing a representative for the entire academy. I only needed to target the ninety-two students outside the eight candidates. More precisely, I could ignore the seven prince supporters and ten noble faction members—they would vote for their respective leaders no matter what. That left seventy-five potential voters.
When the number of voters was this small, there was a time-honored method that worked wonders. “Bribery is the best approach in times like these.”
I didn’t mean anything grand. Even small bribes could have a significant effect. That was why corruption persisted even in the modern world. Of course, it was illegal there. Here, there was no election law. Handing out bribes was perfectly feasible. “The only problem is… it has to be done in secret.”
If I got caught, the other candidates might copy the tactic. A pure money battle would end in my defeat. So I decided to approach students naturally and distribute the bribes.
“I found this on the way here. Want it?”
“Huh?! Magic Paper! And it’s for the Study Gallery?! I-I love it!”
The student’s face lit up at my “gift.” I still had plenty of Magic Paper—specifically, Study Gallery paper. I had made extra on purpose. Magic Paper made an excellent election bribe because it held real value without feeling burdensome. Anyone could “find” some if they went out early in the morning, so it didn’t carry the same weight as more obvious gifts. “Of course, Study Gallery paper is quite rare, but still.”
During every break, I approached students and handed out the paper. I didn’t just give them the paper, though.
“You know we’re voting for the class representative next week, right?”
“Ah, so this is…?”
“Yeah. I’d appreciate it if you could keep me in mind.”
“S-sure.”
I never forgot to add a warm smile. The Mercenary King carried a rough image, so I had to force myself to smile if I wanted to soften it. Not everything went smoothly, though. After about two days, someone started copying my method—Grand Duke Philip. He was also targeting individual students, and he was just as discreet about it. He had probably heard about my activities from the noble faction students. Unlike me, he handed out actual money and valuables. Typical of a wealthy grand duke. Fortunately, quite a few students refused his gifts. “Openly giving money feels different.” It would feel too much like accepting a bribe, and it would wound a noble’s pride. That worked in my favor. Still, many students accepted, so I couldn’t relax. “That petty bastard… copying me like that…”
This only confirmed it. I could never ally with the grand duke. He was the kind of man who hid a hundred venomous snakes in his heart.
Four days into the campaign, I had already given bribes to most of the students. Thankfully, no one had refused mine. It was an encouraging sign. Only one student remained—the saintess, sitting in the front row and studying diligently. “I should give her one too.” She had voting rights, and if I persuaded her well, she was likely to vote for me. Her vote would be especially valuable. “If she supports me, that’s one less vote for the hero and one more for me.”
She was an extremely important voter. I planned to form alliances with other students later, but for now, gathering as many votes as possible was crucial.
“Then let’s take a short break.”
Break time had arrived. Many students were heading outside for fresh air or burying their heads in the community boards. The hero, who had been sitting next to the saintess, stood up as well, apparently heading to the restroom. He walked out of the classroom with confident strides. “Acting like nothing’s wrong, as usual…”
His outward appearance was just a facade. He was still being heavily criticized on the community boards. His mental state probably wasn’t normal either. This was my chance. No one was near the saintess, and the hero had left. I slowly approached her with a sheet of Magic Paper in hand.
“Hmm…? Jace?”
She recognized me immediately. It had been a while since we’d spoken alone. I held out the Magic Paper.
“Th-this is…?”
“Just a gift. I found it on the way here…”
I had used the same line with everyone, including her. But her reaction was different.
“J-Jace’s gift…!”
Her face flushed bright red in an instant. She looked completely flustered. She had clearly misunderstood something. “Wait…! Could this be…?”
I had only been conducting normal election campaigning. Apparently, the saintess had interpreted it differently. “Ah, right. That line sounds exactly like something a guy would say while hitting on a girl.” I quickly corrected myself. I had said something I shouldn’t have to the saintess.
“I mean, it’s true that I found it on the way, but… it’s also meant as a request to vote for me in the election…”
“Of course. I’ll definitely vote for you, Jace!”
“Thank you.”
I felt relieved at her words. It was good that she understood… or so I thought.
“But I think I’ll have to reject your feelings.”
“What?”
“Sob, I’ve devoted myself to the church. I can’t engage in things like romance…”
The saintess looked deeply sorrowful, like the heroine of a tragic romance. I, on the other hand, was simply dumbfounded.