How to Survive as the Academy Student Council President

"Wh–what? How did you know?"
Bell flinched in surprise when I recognized her Blessing.
I replied casually, as if it were nothing impressive.
"I am the Student Council President, after all. Even if it’s mostly a ceremonial title, I can still access basic student records."
Her white hair like that of a rabbit, and her crimson eyes.
Bell was a descendant of the Ludwig lineage from the Kingdom of Valleta—a rare bloodline.
A clan once branded as witches and hunted to near extinction.
Although the false accusation was long since cleared and the event remains a dark stain on the Church of Lu’s history, the Ludwig family had hidden their name and scattered across the continent ever since.
Bell probably didn’t even know she was one of them, nor that her talent was an inherited trait.
Bell, a descendant of the Ludwig bloodline, possessed the trait [Extreme Flame].
The Extreme Flame trait was a hereditary ability that only a few members of the bloodline ever manifested.
It granted a powerful affinity for all fire-element spells, along with additional bonus effects, and the unique ability known as Flame Imbuement.
'Right now, Bell’s grades place her among the top ranks, earning a full scholarship despite being a commoner.'
But in the distant future, Bell would use this very trait to rise all the way to the position of Tower Master.
Continuing to let her meet with Beatrice through casual meals like today’s also served my intention of helping that future along.
After all, the Cassandra Imperial Family were the majority shareholders of the Seven Mage Towers of the Empire.
If Bell left a good impression now, her path would be smooth later.
That was why I took the risk of revealing her trait in the first place.
When I mentioned having access to student records, Beatrice narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
"Peeking into another student’s records? What a distasteful hobby. Did you happen to peek at mine as well?"
"I didn’t."
No need—I already knew everything.
"…I can’t say that sounds believable. Anyway, to exploit Miss Bell’s ability for personal gain—what exactly are you planning to make her do?"
"There is something. But it’s confidential, so I can’t share it with you. I trust you understand."
"……"
When I withheld my words, Beatrice frowned.
Apparently, denying her information offended her curiosity.
But there was no helping it.
I couldn’t just broadcast my weaknesses to anyone.
Giving Beatrice information about the Dark Magic Stones and Bell’s Blessing was already more than enough for today.
"Your meals are ready."
Just as our conversation paused, the food arrived right on cue.
"Let’s eat."
***
"This is…?"
"A bit small, but this is my lab."
After lunch.
Beatrice had left, busy with her own work, and I returned to the Student Council Office with Bell.
Inside the President’s Office was my personal research lab.
It wasn’t spacious, but few students in the Union had one at all.
Bell looked around with sparkling eyes, wandering between shelves and tables.
She touched the alchemy equipment carefully, admiring it aloud.
"Wow, it really feels like a real alchemist’s lab."
Not like one—it is one.
I was an alchemist, albeit only level 3 in basic alchemy—a fledgling.
After exploring for a while, Bell turned to me.
"But… what do you need my ability for?"
"As you probably know, I can’t use normal magic."
Every Union student knew that Loen was hopeless with magic.
Bell nodded, clearly having heard the rumors.
"I can’t even light a small flame with my own spells. Aside from alchemy, I can’t use any magic at all."
"That’s…"
"But if I use your ability, I might be able to overcome that."
"With my ability? How?"
"Your Blessing, Extreme Flame—specifically its Flame Imbuement. I’ll have you imbue your flame into a crystal sphere. I’ll then consume it and neutralize it within my body."
Right now, because of the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, the yin energy in my body was excessive, causing abnormalities in my mana circuits and Mana Heart.
If I could consume the inner core of a fire-element spirit creature—say, a Red Dragon’s Dragon Heart—it could gradually heal the condition.

But such items were not easy to come by, even for me.
They were both rare and prohibitively expensive—not something you could buy just because you had the money.
And honestly, healing it right now would be a loss; the trait’s bonus to Intelligence and Mana stats would disappear.
So instead of a spirit core, I intended to use Bell’s Extreme Flame-imbued mana orb.
By consuming an orb imbued with a powerful yang nature, I could expect a similar healing effect while keeping the Nine Yin Severed Meridians stat bonuses.
[Nine Yin Severed Meridians] and [Half-Human, Half-Demon].
If I could somehow neutralize even one of those traits, I might finally be able to cast magic.
Let’s test this method with Bell’s help.
Clack.
After explaining, I opened a drawer and took out a transparent sphere.
"Can you imbue your flame into this mana orb? I’ll compensate you properly."
"I can, but… wouldn’t there be side effects if someone just swallowed that?"
"Don’t worry. You won’t be harmed."
"No, I mean—if you get hurt or something, that’d be bad."
"I’ll be fine. If I collapse, just inform Ciel."
"Don’t joke about that!"
At Bell’s worried shout, I smiled faintly to reassure her.
"I’ve already tested it. It’s safe, so don’t worry. Besides, I’m not ingesting it right away. For now, I only need your flame. The orb will need processing and refining first. Today’s just material collection."
"I see. If that’s all, then…"
"Here, take it."
Bell accepted the orb from me and held it tightly in both hands.
After holding it for a moment, she gave a sheepish smile.
"But… how do I even do Flame Imbuement?"
"……"
You’re asking me that?
"I—I’ve never done it before. Sorry."
Bell scratched her head, apologetic.
I barely held back a sigh and calmed her down.
"There’s no need to apologize. Just… close your eyes for now."
"Okay."
She closed her eyes, gripping the orb tightly.
Flame Imbuement was an inherited bloodline ability—it wasn’t something that could be taught.
How could anyone else teach what only one’s blood could awaken?
'Guess I’ll just have to trust her talent.'
Drawing on the lore and the in-game descriptions I remembered, I guided her toward manifestation.
"Visualize it. The flame in your hands. Feel as if all things in the world converge into the orb you’re holding."
Extreme Flame wasn’t ordinary fire magic—it was on another level entirely.
While normal fire magic rearranged ambient mana into fire through a mage’s skill, the Ludwig clan’s Extreme Flame made the very being itself embody fire.
It was more destructive and potent than any regular spell; the target burned until nothing but ashes remained.
A specialized flame, but a perfect superior counterpart to all other fire magic.
"The fire gathered in your hands will never fade or weaken. Ignite it."
"……"
Bell said nothing, eyes closed, gathering mana.
Whoooosh—
After a moment, the still air of the lab began to stir.
Her hair swayed gently in the mana current, and the papers piled on one side fluttered about.
With that mana reaction, the orb in her hands began to glow red.
Fwoosh—
Flames whirled within it, filling the orb’s interior.
I watched the crimson sphere burning in her hands and shrugged.
'So much for ‘never tried it before.’'
If she succeeded this easily from a few vague directions, then either she lied or—
'She’s just that talented.'
The heat from Bell’s flame-imbued orb filled the lab.
I turned on the ventilator to release the growing warmth.
By sealing this Extreme Flame inside a high-grade mana orb, it could theoretically be stored almost permanently, since the fire wouldn’t die out until its target disappeared.
Of course, I’d have to replenish it as much as it neutralized my yin energy.
"Ugh…"
Bell groaned softly as she continued pouring mana into the orb.
Worried she might collapse, I stopped her at a reasonable point.
"That’s enough for today. It’s just a sample collection anyway."
"Oh, okay?"
"Yeah. You can stop channeling and just hold onto the orb."
Bell was fine, but if I picked that up barehanded, I’d probably get a nasty burn.
I put on protective gloves and took the orb from her.
[Flame Orb – Bell Ludwig]
Type: Consumable Item
Rarity: Rare
A mana orb infused with Bell Ludwig’s Extreme Flame. Though her talent is not yet fully awakened, the flame’s quality suggests immense potential.
'Just from infusing mana, it’s already a Rare item.'
Quite a satisfying result.
"Good."
I carefully stored the Flame Orb in the sample cabinet and removed my gloves.
Once I gathered the remaining materials, I’d work on refining it for ingestion.
"Thanks for cooperating. Do you ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) want anything in return?"
"Eh, no need. You already treated me to lunch."
"All right. But if you ever need something later, don’t hesitate to ask. For now, take this."
I handed Bell a thick bundle of Union meal tickets.
About a hundred of them—usable in most restaurants across the Union, except for the luxury ones we went to today.
Even though Bell had a full scholarship, she still had to cover her own food expenses.
The quarterly meal tickets she received probably weren’t enough.
For a heavy eater like her, this was the perfect gift.
"I-I can’t take this…"
She said that, but I could already see the drool forming at the corner of her mouth.
"Go on, take it. Consider it my token of sincerity. I’d lose face if you refused."
When I insisted again, Bell gratefully accepted the tickets.
"If you say so. Thanks—I’ll use them well!"
Swish—
She swiftly tucked them away. Straightforward as always.
"That’s all I needed. Want to look around a bit more before you go?"
"Uh, maybe I will…"
Just then—
Knock, knock.
"Excuse me."
With a polite knock, Ciel entered.
"W-who’s that?"
Bell flinched again at the new arrival. I reassured her and introduced them.
"My secretary. Ciel Yuraphia. This is Bell."
"Nice to meet you, Miss Bell."
"Ah… y-yes, Miss Ciel."
"Please, no need for formality. You’re Lord Loen’s friend, after all."
"F-friend?"
"Yes. Lord Loen rarely invites anyone into the Student Council Office, you know."
"…Didn’t I have three visitors just yesterday?"
"That was official business, wasn’t it?"
Fair point.
"So, what brings you here?"
"I’ve obtained the Chairman’s approval."
Ciel confidently unfolded a document in front of me.
Rustle—
A permit authorizing the expansion and reconstruction of the Izelin Academy building—and allowing the use of the surrounding land for multiple purposes.
At the bottom of the page was the unmistakable seal of Chairman Hengarde.
Well… technically, I didn’t need his approval.
Most academy heads handled their construction projects without even notifying him.
Still, it was better to keep things amicable.
Procedures existed for a reason, and people had feelings.
Treating the Chairman like a figurehead and bypassing him completely might bruise his pride.
"What was his reaction?"
"He smiled in satisfaction and approved it immediately."
If he gave his consent within a day, he must’ve wanted this too.
I should at least give the old man his dignity.
"Good. Then let’s head to Izelin."