How to Survive as the Academy Student Council President

Hoo. Hoo.
Sweat pouring down like rain.
Having crossed the finish line, I lay on the drill field and drew ragged breaths.
In this Death Rally my ranking was forty-ninth out of about a hundred.
It is barely passing, but I finally cleared the midpoint ranking.
It was the result of steady physical training up to now.
Of course, it helped that I was dripping with stamina, endurance, and strength-boosting artifacts, but considering my stats are halved by the Gu-eum Jeolmaek, it evens out.
I now clearly have physical abilities above an ordinary person.
Not the sort of thing to boast about in a lineage full of superhumans like Mirrelin, but still.
As I lay there panting for a moment, I felt sharp eyes on me.
Sensing the look, I glanced toward Freya, but she was talking with other female students while holding a water bottle.
Not Freya, then.
After a little while of lying there, Gaurel — who’d been my teammate in the recent practical exam — came over to me.
“Hey, faster than I thought, huh?”
He handed me a water bottle and a towel.
Gaurel really wasn’t at the level where he should be taking a basic swordsmanship class. He’d chosen it just to pad his credits, more or less.
Until the last class we’d only been face acquaintances, but since we’d been on the same team in the practical exam we’d grown a little closer.
“Thanks.”
I accepted his kindness, gulped down the water, and wiped the sweat from my face with the towel.
“By the way, that fat guy’s still the same.”
Gaurel lifted his gaze to look at Garfield, who was still wandering sluggishly around the drill field.
Garfield taking one step forward like he was almost dead.
I’d heard he’d lost some weight compared to before, but he still looked like he was struggling.
Because of the nature of the Death Rally, the person who crosses the finish line last has to circle the drill field the most.
He was on his ninth lap now.
I watched Garfield from a distance and said, “Still, isn’t he better than last time?”
“Is he?”
He probably won’t collapse and be carried off on a stretcher like last class, so I could say he’d improved a bit.
The important thing is that even if it’s only a little, he’s better than yesterday.
A few minutes later.
Garfield, having finally reached the finish line, shuffled over to the shade like a zombie and flopped onto the ground.
“Hahk, hahk……”
“Good job.”
While I offered him encouragement, Professor Zimmer narrowed his eyes down at the half-dead Garfield.
He folded the pocket watch he was holding and, sounding incredulous, opened his mouth.
“Twenty-five minutes, seventeen seconds. This basic swordsmanship class is supposed to aim at physical conditioning rather than swordsmanship training, but this is a bit extreme. What on earth was Professor Verdandi thinking to include something like this in the curriculum?”
At Zimmer’s words, I felt Freya flinch.
But Zimmer ignored that and continued as he looked at Garfield.
“You there.”
“Y—yes.”
Even in a state where he seemed about to lose his breath, Garfield sprang to his feet.
“I expected as much, but this lecture looks like it will be too hard for you. Withdraw from the course.”
“!”
At the word withdraw, Garfield snapped back to attention and shouted in a strong voice.
“N—no! I can do it!”
“You can say that, but the gap between you and the person before you is three minutes. At that rate you cannot keep up with the course. If you do not withdraw, I will expel you by my authority.”
“!”
“Don’t take it so badly. It’s for both our sakes. You won’t have to strain yourself anymore, and I can proceed with the class without worrying about a dropout. It’s fortunate this is the start of the term. There will be no penalty to your grades.”
Scratch-scratch-.
Zimmer roughly scribbled something on a form and then handed it abruptly to Garfield.
“Take this to the administration office. They’ll handle it neatly.”

“……”
When Garfield stood there in a daze, Zimmer waved his arm as if annoyed.
“You’ll lose an arm that way.”
In the end Garfield, looking gloomy, slowly walked over and took the paper.
“This—”
Freya was about to say something to Zimmer about this sequence of events, but her attendants hastily stopped her.
Union policy grants students the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) maximum degree of autonomy, but lectures and grades are beyond dispute.
No matter that Freya was the president of Ishtal.
If she caused trouble over this, inspectors dispatched from various kingdoms and houses would come tearing through the academy.
And Zimmer Dmitry clearly had that level of influence.
Even though he didn’t get along with his brother, the knight order commander, he was clearly connected to the power line within the Knight Kingdom.
That was why he could act so imperiously now.
Moreover, Freya’s standing was shaky because of the Verdandi matter.
They should not make a fuss over a trivial excuse like this.
Besides, with the sports festival — a major event — right around the corner, friction with the faculty would be harmful to the festival as well.
I, too, couldn’t intervene in this situation.
I had to get A grades or higher in every class I’d registered for to keep my position as General Student Council President.
There was no reason to antagonize a professor and introduce instability.
And I wasn’t close enough with Garfield to risk that much for him.
“Withdraw, then. If you want to take Ishtal classes, you’d do better with theory-oriented ones. Weaponry or history classes are open to you.”
Zimmer made a final, unhelpful piece of advice and nodded out toward the field.
It was a signal to go.
“……”
Garfield trudged out of the drill field holding the paper he’d been given.
Even as he was expelled from the lecture, he didn’t give me or Freya any pleading look or glance for help.
I didn’t know whether that was because he didn’t want to burden us, or for some other reason.
I watched his retreating back and let out a small sigh.
‘I’ll have to buy him a meal later.’
I should treat him to a meal to cheer him up.
And.
‘I have to replace that professor.’
I rose and quietly glared at Zimmer as he stood up.
I didn’t have the power to openly oppose him here and now.
But I knew a way to get him removed from the basic swordsmanship post.
When the time came, Garfield could attend the class again.
Zimmer opened his mouth as he stood.
“Since this has happened, I have an announcement for you.”
He glanced at the papers he held, then tore them up and scattered them into the air.
Flap-.
“From this moment, I abolish Professor Verdandi’s curriculum. I will not allow this Ishtal practical lecture to be filled with riff-raff coming in to listen.”
The students’ eyes widened at that, but Zimmer continued.
“Therefore I will redecide the grading distribution for this lecture. One person will receive an A, ten people will receive a B. The rest will receive C or below.”
“!”
To the aghast students Zimmer spoke in a cold voice.
“Simple physical conditioning? Or just to get an easy credit? I will not stand for that. All training must be treated as if it were real combat. And in real combat there is only one victor.”
At that, a student raised his hand to object.
“Professor! One A grade? Isn’t Freya in this class?”
“So what? You either get a better score than Freya, or you plead for her leniency.”
“……”
Murmurs rose among the students.
Zimmer glanced around at them briefly, then left the platform.
“The atmosphere is too unsettled. I cannot proceed with the lecture under these conditions. Today’s class ends here. If you want, practice on your own and then leave.”
Clomp-.
With that he stepped down from the stage and disappeared somewhere.
I clicked my tongue watching his receding back.
“Tsk.”
That gave me one more reason to push him out.
If I couldn’t remove him, holding onto the General Student Council presidency would become a distant prospect.
***
“This… this is too harsh……”
Inside a café located within Ishtal territory.
Garfield, with a sullen face, speared a fork into a cake and forced it into his mouth.
Munch-.
He swallowed the cake without chewing much; he seemed the type to relieve stress by eating.
I tried to comfort him.
“For now, eat as much as you want and relax. Order whatever you like. Today I’ll pay.”
“……Thank you.”
“Will you buy mine too?”
Gaurel, sitting beside Garfield, asked casually.
I didn’t know why he’d followed us to the café, but since we had a connection I decided to at least buy him something to eat.
Gaurel shoveled a few canapés into his mouth at once, chewed loudly, and then spoke.
“But honestly, that professor’s point isn’t entirely wrong. His tone’s rude, but Garfield, it is true you’re struggling to keep up with the class. And it isn’t good for just anyone to come to Ishtal and leech off grades.”
“That—that’s sophistry. Every student of the Union has the right to attend any lecture without discrimination!”
“Do you really believe that pretty phrasing? It’s all about grabbing students’ tuition. Still, I’m pissed he adjusted the grade distribution. One A? Isn’t that bullshit?”
“Hm.”
His language was rough, but I agreed.
One A grade only is an outrageous penalty.
We’ll need to revise the related regulations.
I propped my chin on the table and asked Garfield.
“Garfield, if I helped you, would you be willing to continue taking the basic swordsmanship class?”
“You’ll help me? Is there a way?”
“Whether there is depends on how we go about it. But first I need to ask something.”
I fixed my gaze on Garfield.
“Garfield, why did you sign up for this basic swordsmanship class? Is it simply for physical conditioning?”
Garfield clenched his fist quietly and began to speak.
“……Not exactly. Physical conditioning is one of the goals, but my original purpose is to change myself.”
“To change yourself?”
“Yes. I don’t plan to compete directly with my brothers, but as a member of the Moti family I must prove my ability to inherit the family trade. As a first step I chose Ishtal’s swordsmanship class. As Professor Verdandi said, stamina is essential to achieve anything.”
“I see.”
Garfield hung his head low and told me.
“But that’s my private matter. If Lord Loen would trouble himself, you needn’t help. I’m grateful for the thought alone.”
Click-.
I set down my teacup and shook my head.
“No, it’s not trouble. There is definitely a way to get that professor removed.”
***
After parting with Garfield, I headed to Eredor territory.
With the lecture cancelled unexpectedly I had extra time, so I planned to take care of something I’d wanted to do for a while.
The Zimmer matter wouldn’t be resolved immediately, and to strike him effectively I needed time to gather solid information.
Of course I know information that could be his weakness, but gathering proof is another matter.
For now I’d contacted Gretel from the underworld to ask Alfredo to collect that information.
Until a reply came back there wasn’t much to do, so I could postpone it as secondary.
It only had to be resolved before the sports festival.
I walked from central Eredor out toward the outskirts until I stood before a shabby building.
A nameplate hung at the entrance of the warehouse-like building.
[Alchemy Club — Alchemist]
I knew it was the club that had some sort of bad blood with Loen.
I tapped my chest to make sure the envelope in my bosom was still there, then knocked on the door.
Knock-knock-.