The Student Council's Temporary Scribe
Stress makes a person vulnerable. The scribe, Nivolans Panima, had become incredibly vulnerable.
“No matter what. You have to bring her, no matter what.”
Nivolans had practically gone mad from the stress of his excessive workload and crushing responsibilities. Looking at him, I felt a faint pang of guilt. I was partly responsible for things turning out this way.
Though it was unavoidable due to the flow of the scenario.
I did feel a bit sorry that the entire workload had been dumped on Nivolans. The real problem was that the extreme stress had transformed him into a man of unstoppable, reckless momentum—once he made up his mind, he would stop at nothing to see it through.
In Iris's case, when I slipped a word to Hania, her approval came almost instantly.
“Yes, she says she will do it right away.”
Iris intended to become the president anyway. There was absolutely no reason for her to refuse. The problem was the candidate for vice president that Nivolans had insisted on: Sharin Sazaris.
“Too much wooork.”
True to form, Sharin began to sulk the moment she heard my proposal. She had already devoured three pastries. Hearing those words slip from a mouth that had polished off all that bread before I could even speak made me want to pinch her lips together.
“You ate the bread.”
“But Hanon gave it to me because he likes me.”
“Sharin, you seem to be misunderstanding something. I don't feel even a single shred of romantic affection for you.”
Sharin narrowed her eyes. We were sitting directly across from each other. Before I knew it, she had slipped off her shoes, raised her foot, and rested it on my thigh. Where did her socks go, and why was she barefoot? As she raised her leg, the hem of her skirt naturally rode up. It was a gesture that would inevitably draw any man's gaze.
“Reeeally?”
Sharin wore a lazy smile. Her eyes, curved like a fox's, were full of mischief. This sly little fox. Her toes began to poke and prod at my inner thigh. Staring blankly at her foot, I reached down and firmly pinched her big toe.
“Yeeek!”
Sharin shrieked and quickly pulled her foot back.
“What are you doing? That's smelly.”
“...I don't smell.”
In truth, Sharin didn't smell like anything at all.
“Bring it back here then. Let me check.”
“Are you a pervert, Hanon?”
“Look who's talking, the one who shoved her foot onto someone else's thigh.”
I had no idea where she learned to behave like this. Come to think of it, Sharin was often seen reading novels with blank covers. Was she reading erotica or something?
And here she looks like someone who has absolutely zero interest in the world.
Then again, you can never truly know what someone is thinking. Perhaps Sharin harbored some dark, devious thoughts of her own. The mere thought made me shudder slightly.
“...You're not, like, after my body or anything, are you?”
“...What on earth are you imagining?”
Even Sharin couldn't let that slide, her eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. I decided to stop teasing her.
“You're sulking because of what happened last time, aren't you?”
“...”
Sharin turned her head away without a word. I had known her for quite some time now. By nature, Sharin was incredibly fickle. When playing the game, it had been hard to grasp her true character. But after observing her with my own eyes and spending time with her, I had slowly learned to read her mind.
Sharin was currently throwing a tantrum. The reason was that I had staged the boycott incident without telling her anything. Honestly, I didn't quite understand why that made her so upset. If I had to guess, she was probably sulking because Isabel knew about it while she was left in the dark.
“This matter wasn't really that big of a deal.”
“Hmph. Jerion Academy was turned completely upside down, you know?”
As she said, Jerion Academy had indeed been thrown into chaos. But this was merely a stepping stone for what was to come. Compared to the major incidents that would unfold in the near future, this was child's play.
“Still, it wasn't something that required your strength. Sharin, when I ask for your help, it will be during a real emergency.”
I had received help from Sharin time and time again. Every single time, she had proven to be the ultimate lifeline, operating with maximum efficiency. There would undoubtedly come a day when I would need to rely on her power again. I wanted to save her strength for that day.
“That's why I didn't bother telling you.”
I reached into my bag and peeled a tangerine I had brought along. When I offered the peeled fruit to Sharin, she simply opened her mouth. It was an obvious demand to be fed. I briefly considered stuffing the whole thing in at once, but decided against it. I separated a segment and popped it into her mouth, and her small lips began to chew.
After chewing on the segment I gave her for a while, Sharin stuck out her tongue.
“Sour.”
“Tangerines are supposed to be sour.”
Even so, her pout had softened slightly. Sharin knew very well that I was speaking from the heart. She stared at me intently before taking the remaining tangerine segments from my hand and eating them one by one. Watching her, I casually brought up the main topic.
“So, about the temporary vice president position...”
“That's a separate maaatter.”
“Come on, just do it for me.”
If I couldn't bring Sharin, Nivolans would literally cry from stress. I had a duty to protect the scribe. More than anything, I also believed Sharin was the most suitable candidate for temporary vice president at the upcoming World Academy Conference. Her reputation was almost as renowned as Iris's. Above all, the fact that they were the top second-year martial arts student and the top second-year magic engineering student was the most impressive point to present.
Sharin finished chewing her tangerine and glanced back at me.
“Weeell...”
As Sharin trailed off, my eyes lit up, signaling her to name her price.
“If I do that for you, Hanon, you have to go on a date with me.”
What in the world? I stared at Sharin with an utterly dumbfounded expression.
“...Sharin, were you really after my body after all?”
“Yep. You're the perfect experimental subject.”
Ah, damn it. I had completely forgotten she could target me in that way. Sharin let out a pleased chuckle, looking like she had just scored a major victory.
“The Ancient Dragon's Magic Engraving.”
And then I realized exactly why Sharin had made that demand.
“That's what the date is fooor.”
The Dragon's Vestige engraved on my body remained unresolved. Though she called it a date, Sharin was offering to spend time with me to help find a solution.
“Isn't that more for my benefit than yours?”
“I'm very generous, you seeee.”
Sharin straightened her back and puffed out her chest. My eyes momentarily drifted to her upper body, which had been developing quite nicely lately, but I smoothly averted my gaze.
“Besides, it's a field I've been wanting to research anyway.”
To a mage like Sharin, the Dragon's Vestige was an incredibly fascinating subject. Furthermore, the fact that it had to be resolved through Magic Engraving seemed to pique her interest even more.
“Well, I'm certainly grateful.”
In any case, it was a welcome offer for me. If there was a way to resolve the Dragon's Vestige, I had to do whatever it took.
Alright, the temporary vice president is secured.
Now, all that was left was to head to the World Academy Conference.
Six academies built atop the Demon Palace. These academies were established by the Empire and five other kingdoms to keep the Demon Palace sealed.
The World Academy Conference was a venue designed for the student councils of each academy to foster mutual friendship and engage in diplomatic dialogue.
Of course, while it was framed as a friendly gathering, it was essentially a microcosm of global politics. The representatives of each academy were, without exception, the most prominent figures of their respective nations.
There was a reason why Sylvester, despite his lack of actual competence, had become the president solely on the strength of his background as the heir of Duke Drapen.
And now, I was heading to that very World Academy Conference—the gathering place for the representatives of all six academies.
Of course, I wasn't any sort of key player. I was merely tagging along in a supporting role that every student council had: a temporary scribe.
How did I end up as a temporary scribe?
Perhaps it was because I had carried out my student council duties so diligently. For some reason, Nivolans had already earmarked me as his successor.
Unlike the president and vice president, the position of scribe was traditionally passed down directly within the student council. Nivolans fully intended to hand the mantle over to me.
If we were talking strictly about administrative capability, there were plenty of people far better suited than me. After all, the student council was heavily populated by Literature Department students—people who spent their entire lives buried under mountains of paperwork.
Even though I had lived in a modern society and worked reasonably hard on student council tasks, I couldn't possibly match their sheer efficiency. That was why the position of scribe had always been passed down through generations of Literature students.
But Nivolans had said to me:
Faced with Nivolans's dead-serious question, I couldn't bring myself to answer. The Third Princess, Iris Haishirion. She was a flawless princess who excelled in both literary and martial arts. Before her royal status and innate genius, anyone in the Empire would inevitably feel intimidated.
To faithfully perform the duties of a scribe by her side required an immense amount of courage. However, the student council had taken a massive hit due to the consecutive absences of both the president and vice president. Most of the second-year Literature students who usually worked in the student council had completely lost their nerve. Having been thoroughly interrogated and shaken down by the inspectors, it was only natural for ordinary students to be traumatized.
Could people like that really function as scribes next to Iris? Nivolans had shaken his head. At the very least, any student who took the job would surely end up living with chronic stress-induced enteritis and hair loss.
I had strong nerves. To be precise, my mental fortitude had been steadily growing stronger ever since entering the Flame Butterfly Chapter. It was likely a side effect of losing my emotions; as my capacity for self-preservation eroded, my fear went with it. Even so, this proved incredibly useful right now. Moreover, I already shared a close bond with Iris. Even if my administrative skills fell short, there was very little chance I would crack under the pressure and run away.
Nivolans had earnestly pleaded with me to support those two at the conference. And that was how I ended up traveling to the conference as a temporary scribe.
And what exactly was I doing right now?
Rattle, rattle. The sound of the carriage wheels echoed around us.
My task was simple. I was acting as Iris's security blanket. Yes, the primary reason I had been dragged along wasn't actually to serve as a scribe, but simply to act as her personal comfort doll.
Iris had her arms wrapped tightly around me, resting her chin on my head as she slept. I had to maintain my balance so she wouldn't fall over. By now, I was so used to this that I would have normally just shrugged it off. The problem, however, was the woman sitting directly across from me, staring intently at this scene.
“...”
Her amber eyes locked onto me. For a brief moment, it felt as though a faint, mocking smile played on her lips. Resting peacefully on her lap was none other than Sharin, who was currently the most annoying person in the world to me. The identity of the person staring daggers at me was...
Isabel Luna.
Somehow, she had ended up traveling to the conference with us as well.