Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Collaborative Training
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"How are the training preparations?"
Empress Marie Mellies, the headmaster of Venderford, spoke as she looked down at the school grounds.
The man standing behind her replied.
"The mages from the Blue Tower are bringing the training material now. Heh heh! You will soon be able to witness its magnificence."
The man with the unpleasant smile was Vice Headmaster Hol Shivas.
When he twisted his already harsh features into a grin, a chilling aura seemed to emanate from him.
Headmaster Mellies stared blankly at the training grounds and tipped her chin.
"There's an interesting one. What do you think of him, Vice Headmaster?"
"Are you referring to Ray Carter?"
"So you know him well."
"He is a peculiar one, indeed. He's growing explosively due to his late-blooming talent, but..."
"But?"
"It's difficult to discern what kind of person he is."
At Vice Headmaster Shivas's answer, she turned her head, her expression impassive.
The warm air instantly turned cold.
Not that it literally happened, but the atmosphere shifted due to her presence.
It was the dignity befitting the empress of a great empire.
"What do you mean?"
"I've observed his usual behavior and background, but I can't see through to his true intentions."
"Oh? To hear such words from the Emperor's Sawtooth Sword, who is famous for his judgment of character, is quite surprising. Is he that unique?"
"Yes."
"Then perhaps we'll get a glimpse of his true nature this time."
"Indeed. One's true colors always show when faced with adversity."
Marie Mellies and Hol Shivas looked at each other and shared a dry smile.
* * *
Meanwhile, I was lying in a grassy field near the training grounds.
The sun was blazing, but my surroundings were perfectly comfortable.
I'd set up a large tent and even brought a hammock.
On a small table to the side, there was a fruit drink filled with ice.
I looked for all the world like I was on vacation.
"Hey, what in the world are you doing? Aren't you going to train?"
Suddenly, someone stepped into the shade of my tent and called out to me.
Ah, a man interrupting my precious rest.
He deserves divine punishment.
I scowled and lifted my wide-brimmed hat to see Frixon's worried face.
"Oh, it's you. What do you want?"
"Aren't you going to join the training? Everyone's in a frenzy to form teams."
"Isn't our team already set?"
"The team size doubled! How does the president know less than a mere PR manager?"
"Oh... so you know you're a mere underling. I thought you didn't."
"Agh! Get up now, you damn president!"
Frixon violently shook my precious hammock.
*Thud! Snap!*
In the end, I fell to the ground.
I'd let my guard down and missed the timing, banging my knee—a secret I'd keep to myself.
*'Ugh! That hurts!'*
As I got up, pretending to have landed gracefully, I saw Mac approaching the tent.
"Hey, Mr. President."
"What?"
"Seriously, why did you put this thing up?"
Mac Ties was holding the banner I had hung above the tent.
The large cloth had 'Female Students Welcome' crudely written on it.
"Why did you take it down? Put it back up right now."
"Do you really think girls will come because of this? If anything, they'll find it awkward and turn away."
"Nope."
"Stop being so stubborn."
"Why don't you look behind you before you say that?"
When I gestured confidently with my chin, Mac's face soured as if he'd bitten into a bug.
To his surprise, Adel Richter and Sophia Pennant were standing at the entrance to the tent.
"I was right, so go hang that back up."
"..."
Leaving the dumbfounded Mac Ties behind, I guided the lovely young ladies to their seats.
"Heh heh! This way, please."
Who cares if my face isn't perfect?
A man is defined by his abilities, you fool.
I flashed a victorious smile at Mac and Frixon and served drinks to Adel and Sophia.
Then I sat across from them at the small table and started a conversation.
"Lady Adel is part of the student council. This is cheating... no, an abuse of the president's power."
"But I came of my own free will, didn't I?"
"Urgh."
Mac tried to argue, but he succumbed to Frixon's brutal honesty.
The two trudged out of the tent to hang the banner back up.
Meanwhile, I continued my conversation with the two female students.
"...Let's end the small talk here. I'm actually here today as the authorized representative of Team 2."
"Authorized representative?"
I was momentarily flustered by Adel's unexpected remark.
The conversation suddenly took this turn?
This is quite a disappointment.
"Team 2, you say..."
"His Highness Ellington's team. I heard you haven't registered for a training team yet."
"That's true, but."
"The training requires ten people. How about merging with us?"
Pretending to be deep in thought, I admired Adel's dazzling beauty.
*'Is it because her clothes are lighter? She looks even more refreshingly beautiful.'*
When she tilted her head, I put on a serious expression and turned my gaze to Sophia.
Oh! This one is still as outstanding as ever.
Adel immediately began to extol the virtues of Team 2.
"As you can see, our team has a rare mage. We also achieved considerable results during the Physics Faction subjugation mission."
"Since you need to gather five more people anyway, wouldn't it be better to join a strong team?"
Finally, Sophia, who had been silent, also voiced her opinion.
It was a fairly reasonable proposal.
But by that logic, it would make more sense to join forces with Frantz's side.
After all, the only top-tier members in Team 2 were Ellington and Sophia.
I looked them over and shook my head.
"Frankly, it's not a very tempting offer. I'm sure there are stronger teams."
"That's..."
Just as Adel was about to offer a rebuttal.
"Of course, our team would be a much better fit. Isn't that why you gave a negative response?"
Hearing a male voice from somewhere, I scowled.
I'm sure I wrote 'Male Envoys' on the banner. Who the hell is this?
When I snapped my head around, Frantz was standing there with a proud smile.
He seemed to be trying his best to look natural, but I felt an immediate aversion to him.
*'Why? Because he's a guy!'*
I seethed internally but feigned indifference as I spoke.
"You must be busy. What brings you here?"
I couldn't possibly treat some guy the same way I treated Adel or Sophia.
Not even if he was an imperial prince.
"I'm here for the same reason they are."
"An alliance proposal."
"Of course. And do take into consideration that the team leader came in person. Not to mention that our skills are overwhelmingly superior."
The second prince pointed behind him with his left thumb.
There, Solberg Kaien was standing awkwardly, having paused his approach to the tent.
He seemed a bit flustered by the sudden attention.
"Hmm..."
I rested my chin on my hand and let out a low groan.
If I were to make a rational decision, there was only one answer.
*'I'm never teaming up with a bunch of guys!'*
*Swish!*
I shot up from my seat and roughly closed the tent flap.
"Negotiations are over!"
"Hey, why!"
I heard Frantz's shout from outside, but I paid it no mind and turned back around.
"Now, shall we get serious about discussing our team formation?"
Adel and Sophia wore strange expressions in the suddenly odd atmosphere.
They seemed to be debating whether they should leave immediately.
Hey, what are these two thinking?
Let's negotiate, not start a romance.
* * *
We talked for quite a while, but the merger negotiations failed.
My suggestion to exclude two of their riffraff members was not accepted.
*'I can accept Ellington, but the rest are useless. They're even worse than Frixon or Curtis.'*
In the end, I had to try merging with another team.
But no other teams really caught my eye.
The only one that was remotely useful was the team with Lotus.
In terms of combat power, they were honestly mid-tier at best, but they had a unique asset: a saint.
The body enhancement abilities of the Kraus Papal State were reputed to be better than magic.
However, they had already merged with another team.
*'Ah, whatever. I don't care. Let someone else win.'*
I'd already secured the student council president position, so there was no need to push myself to stand out anymore.
I could just stick the princes who became vice presidents together and tell them, 'Now, kill each other.' That would be the end of it.
Then I'd just pick whichever one of them showed more promise, make him the crown prince, and my mission would be complete.
All I had to do was enjoy the perks of being a student council executive and pursue a rosy school romance with the female students...
*Tap!*
"It's starting. Time to get going."
Just as my happy thoughts were running wild, someone touched my shoulder from behind.
I turned slowly and saw Kamil gesturing with his head.
He was telling me to stop daydreaming and focus on what was in front of me.
*'Ah, right, the training material was being brought in.'*
Since this was a cooperative training exercise that was hard to come by, the students' faces were filled with anticipation.
With significant rewards, including bonus points, on the line, their competitive spirits were soaring.
I walked toward the school entrance, receiving the full attention of the students.
The training material for this exercise was to be transported by the mages of the Blue Tower.
As the student council president of Venderford, I had to show the courtesy of welcoming them.
*'I hate doing useless things like this, but it's an order from the headmaster, so I can't get out of it.'*
As I grumbled internally and headed for the main gate, a heavy rumbling sound began to echo from outside.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble!*
Soon, an iron carriage pulled by a massive golem strode onto the school grounds.
Mages in blue robes flew around it as if standing guard.
*Whoosh. Thud!*
One of the mages, a man in his fifties, landed lightly on the ground.
"Are you the student council president of Venderford?"
"Thank you for coming all this way. I am Ray Carter."
"Thank you for your concern. Please call me Anselm. Now, where should we put this?"
"Please move it over there."
I pointed to the arena that had been set up right next to the training grounds.
Unlike the one from the student council president selection, this one was dug deep into the ground and equipped with safety measures.
Anselm's eyes widened, apparently surprised by its massive scale.
*'This school's on another level, right?'*
Feeling an inexplicable sense of pride, I gestured for them to hurry up and move it.
At the Blue Tower mage's command, the golem pulled the iron carriage forward.
Soon, the caged training material was positioned in the center of the semi-underground arena.
Anselm released his mana to open the cage from a distance as he continued his explanation.
"The training material can be controlled with binding magic, so you don't have to worry about it being completely annihilated."
"I see."
"Oh, and..."
*Clank!*
As he spoke, the cage opened completely, and something dark shot out from inside.
"Kieeeeeeee!"
*Kuuuuuuuh!*
The moment it appeared, the creature let out a roar and unleashed a tremendous wave of energy.
After a moment of silence filled the arena, Anselm continued.
"It's much stronger than you think."