Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Mage Family

Chapter 117

Lillian, sitting in the student council executive seat, watched Eddie intently.

Her eyes were already shining with interest.

‘This must be the moment Kylie wanted me to watch and report back on.’

Watching Eddie about to speak out against the anti-nature faction, Lillian smiled faintly.

Whatever she was about to see seemed like it would be interesting.

Eddie opened his mouth towards the professor who had asked the question, Nick Swandraw.

“The reason for choosing Boromia as the location for the executives’ retreat is exactly as the president announced.”

At Eddie’s words, Alexein flinched and rolled his eyes.

But if he showed his fluster here, it would be like revealing that he had passed off the task of writing the opinion paper to Eddie.

So Alexein tried hard to manage his expression.

In the meantime, Eddie continued to speak.

“As you all know, there was a large-scale protest centered around the beastmen in Boromia. As a result of that protest, the beastmen were recognized as an official mana user class.”

The proactiveness of openly mentioning the protest to an anti-nature figure.

The expressions of the anti-nature faction, including Nick, noticeably hardened at that proactiveness.

But Eddie didn't stop.

“Thanks to that, Boromia has become a place that symbolizes a ‘just and peaceful struggle.’ That is also why it is perceived without prejudice by the public, despite being a city of beastmen.”

At the statement that was so strictly based on facts, Nick couldn't offer any particular rebuttal and just grunted.

But his wrinkled hands were clenched tightly.

Eddie took his eyes off Nick and scanned the other anti-nature faction members.

They all had expressions similar to Nick's.

They were displeased, but the basis for their rebuttal was ultimately just a prejudice-ridden argument, so they couldn't easily open their mouths.

‘In the end, they know they are doing something shameful.’

Eddie forcefully suppressed the corners of his lips that were about to form a sneer.

In his past life and this one, the anti-nature faction members were truly disgusting to see.

‘If you’re going to be prejudiced, at least have some conviction. Don’t you know it’s a shameful thing in the end?’

Eddie clicked his tongue inwardly and opened his mouth to conclude his statement.

Then, a voice with more force than before echoed through the room.

“Of course, to those who advocated for the forceful suppression of the protest at the time, Boromia will still be ‘a land of people no different from beasts.’”

“……!”

“But shouldn't our General Student Council go down a path opposite to such an irrational ideology?”

A thin vein popped on Nick’s forehead.

It was the same for the other anti-nature faction members whose faces had turned red and blue.

The students from anti-nature families were already glaring at Eddie as if they were going to eat him alive.

But Eddie paid no mind and finished his statement.

“This is the reason why our first-year presidential board proposes Boromia as the location for the executives’ retreat.”

Eddie finished his statement and sat down.

Then, the first gaze to pierce the side of his head was Alexein’s.

Eddie felt the gaze and turned his head to look at Alexein.

With a face that barely concealed his fluster, Alexein was saying this.

‘Why did you have to emphasize that it was the opinion of the first-year presidential board again, making people misunderstand!’

Although he read the message in Alexein’s gaze, Eddie instead gave Alexein a light nod.

As if to say, ‘I have conveyed our thoughts well.’

At Eddie’s nod, Alexein realized he had been used.

Now, others would think that he too had the same opinion as Eddie about Boromia.

But it was too late to deny it.

Since it was written in the first-year presidential board's opinion paper in the first place, formally, he had also agreed to the Boromia proposal.

Therefore, belatedly denying that it was not his opinion was even more impossible.

‘I can't show such a pathetic side at a General Student Council meeting.’

In the end, Alexein decided to stay quiet.

It was unpleasant to be used by Eddie, but there was nothing he could do now.

And above all, he wasn't so concerned about the anti-nature faction to the point of correcting his stance on Boromia.

Dickens had never cared about the anti-nature faction’s opinion anyway.

It might be different if he were dealing with those who were getting out of line, but to be hell-bent on trampling on complete strangers was, frankly, pathetic.

Were they stupid enough to pour so much effort for so long on those who weren't even fun to trample on? He wondered.

As Alexein remained silent, Nick and the other anti-nature faction members eventually gave up on rebutting.

Anyway, they were at a disadvantage no matter what they said about the Boromia protest.

And from Alexein’s reaction, it seemed he also agreed with Eddie’s opinion, so they didn't dare to argue further.

As silence continued, Dalton read the mood and proceeded with the meeting.

“Then we will proceed with a show of hands for the opinion of the first-year presidential board on the final agenda item.”

As Dalton spoke, the vice president took over.

“Those who are in favor of making Boromia a candidate for the General Student Council Executives’ Retreat location, please raise your hand.”

As the vice president finished speaking, a female student was the first to raise her hand.

It was Lillian.

She was looking at Eddie with eyes filled with interest, curiosity, and a little bit of goodwill.

Following Lillian, Joy raised her hand.

And then, quite a few students raised their hands to express their approval.

The expressions of the anti-nature students hardened even more.

But a moment later, their expressions were soon tinged with surprise.

Because Dalton had raised his hand.

Dalton, who had not raised his hand in any show of hands throughout the meeting.

But he expressed his approval for the opinion of Eddie, who had become the main enemy of his family, Kirhausen.

In a way, Dalton was the one who should have had more animosity towards Eddie than the anti-nature faction.

Since even Dalton approved, the other onlookers had no reason to hesitate any longer.

In the end, most of the members, except for the anti-nature faction, raised their hands.

“Then we will put Boromia on the list of candidates for the General Student Council Executives’ Retreat location. The discussion on all agenda items has ended. Is there anyone who would like to speak further?”

“……”

“Then this concludes the General Student Council meeting.”

With the closing remarks from the student council president and vice president, the General Student Council meeting ended.

The professors who had been sitting in the observer seats left the meeting room, and the students who had been sitting in their seats also stood up.

The shock from Eddie’s statement and Dalton’s vote had not yet subsided, but no one opened their mouth about it.

This was a place where official meetings were held.

Private conversations should be had outside the meeting room.

Eddie stood up from his seat with Alexein.

He exchanged a look with Joy, not caring about Alexein’s glare.

And Lillian watched that scene from a short distance away.

* * *

“I’m telling you, he really said that to Professor Swandraw!”

That evening, Lillian, who had visited Kylie’s room, recounted what she had seen and heard at the meeting in an excited voice.

She was more excited than when she was describing an opera she had enjoyed.

Kylie, unlike her usual self, listened to Lillian’s words with various emotions showing on her face.

She didn't need to hide her expression in front of a close friend, but the words she was hearing were truly surprising.

“He called the anti-nature faction an ‘irrational ideology,’ you say…”

“That’s right. You should have seen the look on Professor Swandraw’s face then.”

Lillian laughed heartily, saying it was refreshing to think about it again.

Then, the tea from the cup she was holding spilled and stained her uniform.

“Ah, darn… I need to go to the washroom.”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

While Lillian was in the washroom, Kylie was lost in thought alone.

‘I didn’t think this was what he meant by proving it at the General Student Council meeting.’

Eddie had said he would prove at the General Student Council meeting that he had no relationship of interest with the Dallie family.

And just as he said, Eddie proved his non-involvement with statements and opinion presentations that no one from the anti-nature faction would ever make.

Kylie smiled with satisfaction.

She thought he was quite something for proving it more thoroughly than she had expected.

‘He certainly keeps his word.’

If all Eddie had done to prove it was just make a statement, she would have thought it wasn’t sufficient proof.

But Eddie had even made a practical attempt to have the student council president’s official schedule be carried out in Boromia.

That couldn’t have been a move concocted with the Dallie family.

Because if Boromia really became the retreat location, the Dallie family’s face would be greatly tarnished.

‘And in fact, Boromia is now a final candidate for the retreat location.’

The Lieferden Academy’s General Student Council Executives’ Retreat was an event of great political significance.

Because the participants were the future representatives of the magical world.

There was no way the Dallie family would welcome Boromia becoming a candidate for such a retreat location.

Kylie slowly rolled the teacup in her hand.

With this, it was proven that Eddie’s proposal was not a trap by the Dallie family.

So now, what remained was what was in the basement of the Valcon Ruins.

Eddie had said that if they investigated there, they could confirm Kirhausen’s conspiracy.

But she couldn’t simply dispatch the family’s precious manpower to a dangerous area just by hearing those words.

So Kylie had decided to contact her family after seeing what Eddie did at the General Student Council meeting.

But Eddie had kept his word perfectly.

In addition to his innocence, he had shown an objectively refreshing move.

Now it was Kylie’s turn to move.

Kylie put down the teacup and reached for the bedside table.

There lay the letter she had written to send to her family if Eddie succeeded in his proof.

Kylie picked up the letter, glanced through the contents once, and headed to the desk.

Then she picked up the family seal that had been on one side of the desk and pressed it firmly at the end of the letter.

The die was cast.

This letter, clearly stamped with the family crest, would be sent to the main house once Lillian returned to her room.

‘It’s been a while since I sent a letter without any jokes, so grandfather will be surprised.’

Imagining her grandfather’s serious face, Kylie also wore a tense expression.

Whenever she exchanged letters with her grandfather, the head of the family, she always wrote warm greetings and pleasant jokes.

But this time, she had stamped the letter with her seal as the next head of the family at the end.

It meant that the content of the letter was by no means a joke or a prank.

Just as Kylie was getting a little serious, Lillian came out of the washroom.

She asked Kylie, who was standing in front of the desk, what was wrong.

Kylie said it was nothing, shook her head lightly, and went back to sit on the bed.

Their chat started again.

“Anyway, it was really refreshing. Professor Swandraw’s lips were trembling with anger.”

“Heh heh. You must have had a hard time holding back your laughter there.”

“Of course. To see that old man who writes research like ‘Methodology for the Extermination of Druids’ get his comeuppance like that. Haha-!”

At Lillian’s hearty laughter, Kylie also let out a small laugh.

Then, as the laughter died down, Kylie briefly shifted her gaze and looked at the sky outside the window.

The sky was turning red as the sun began to set.

Seeing the evening sky that resembled the color of Plameus, she was reminded of a new member who always came to the practice field at this time.

The very first-year rookie who had been so active against the anti-nature faction at today’s General Student Council meeting.

‘I wonder if he’s out practicing today. With Joy.’