NOVEL NEXT Chapter 71
The whispers of the children reverberate through the air.
It’s no wonder, given that a combination they had never seen before was making its way forward.
Martial Arts Top Student, 3rd Princess Iris Haishirion.
Magic Arts Top Student, Daughter of Blue Magic Tower Lord Sharine Sazarith.
Martial Arts Deputy, Daughter of the Imperial Knight Commander Hania Repidia.
And rising star in Martial Arts, Isabel Luna.
And then there’s me, the Lightning brat.
“……”
Is this really okay?
Chirp—
At that moment, Hania nudged my side with her elbow.
Is she asking me to poke her too?
“Don’t raise your finger.”
Quick-witted, aren’t you?
Hania let out a quiet sigh and whispered to me.
“What happened with Isabel? Weren’t you two on bad terms?”
Just as Hania said, my relationship with Isabel was definitely not good.
To be precise, it wasn’t good before.
But something must have changed with Isabel.
When our eyes met, she flashed a bright smile that she usually reserved for her close friends.
“Are you two getting a bit too close?”
In that moment, Isabel suddenly asked.
Her eyes were clearly smiling.
“……To act like lovers, we need at least this level of closeness.”
“That’s true.”
Isabel understood more easily than I expected.
Yet, she didn’t take her eyes off me.
Hania glared at me.
It was as if she was signaling me to figure things out with Isabel.
My expression grew complicated.
I knew Isabel was seeing Lucas, who was dead, overlapping my image with his.
That’s why I also understood her unease.
‘What if?’
After hearing the news that Hania and I were dating, her anxiety seemed to have intensified.
Was she trying to keep things in check to prevent it from happening again?
‘This can only be described as a love-hate situation.’
I never imagined that becoming Hania’s temporary “contract boyfriend” would lead to this chaos.
“Hahh, see you next time.”
Sharine, who was the only one completely uninterested in our situation, walked away.
Before long, silence engulfed us.
Iris, having received an order from the Duke of Robliju yesterday, was in a foul mood.
Thinking of such an Iris, Hania intentionally remained quiet.
Isabel kept glancing my way without saying a word.
It was an indescribable scene.
And so, we all arrived at the Academy in silence.
“Ah, Lightning…!”
As I was the first to open the door, Seron raised his hand enthusiastically to greet me.
It seemed he wanted to share something that happened back home.
However, upon seeing the three people entering behind me, Seron slowly lowered his hand.
Then, he looked at me with a blank expression.
“The Lightning sweet potato has become a harem sweet potato……”
How far could Seron’s sweet potato evolve?
I couldn’t even begin to guess.
Isabel didn’t follow me in.
She simply returned to her original spot as if she had coincidentally come along.
Iris, in a bad mood, sat down without engaging in conversation.
“Hanon.”
Hania tugged at my clothes.
“Please stay by Lady Iris’s side today.”
The warmth of fire still lingered on my body.
Staying close to Iris might ease her discomfort a little.
“I will.”
In this strange atmosphere, we sat down like that.
Today, Seron didn’t come over to my side.
He must have sensed the peculiar aura flowing within the Martial Arts department.
He was quite adept at looking after himself.
＊＊＊
And thus, the first day of the Martial Arts Academy came to a safe end amid this strange atmosphere.
“I have business with Lady Iris, so let’s end today’s dating act here.”
The romantic charade with Hania had come to a close.
Iris would need to busy herself with plans to seize the student council going forward.
She must be formulating plans on how to take control of the student council promptly.
‘According to the original scenario, she would find the boycotting group and support them from the shadows.’
But there was a problem.
‘The boycotting group likely hasn’t formed a proper faction yet.’
Although Nikita’s incident had caused a stir.
Unlike the previous scenario, the 1st Prince faction immediately held the 3rd Princess faction responsible for Nia’s assassination.
As a result of the confrontation between the two factions.
This had also impacted the Jerion Academy.
Public opinion had not properly formed to blame the student council for Nikita’s incident.
‘Right now, I have no idea how strong the boycotting faction is.’
Perhaps this time, Iris might opt not to choose the boycotting faction.
Thus, I needed to ascertain the boycotting faction’s status as soon as possible.
‘I know the location where boycotting members gather.’
An abandoned building that was once used but is now defunct.
The boycotting group meets regularly in the chemistry lab on the 3rd floor of that building.
‘Today is the day of their regular meeting.’
Entering the abandoned building, which was once a meeting place, I activated the Magic Seal.
At that moment, my appearance began to blend in with the surroundings, making me invisible.
I quietly ascended the stairs, muffling my footsteps.
And as I reached the chemistry lab on the 3rd floor, murmurs of conversation could be heard.
‘How many are there?’
The previous boycotting group had around thirty members.
At least that number needed to be gathered to successfully seize the student council room.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t even be able to make a move.
‘Could it be fewer this time?’
I thought that as I peeked through the window and then froze.
“Uh.”
In an instant, my expression became dazed enough that I could have spoken out loud.
Fortunately, the two inside didn’t seem to hear me.
Okay, just two people inside.
‘Wait a moment.’
The boycotting members always numbered between thirty and as many as thirty-five.
The number fluctuated slightly depending on the event branching.
I thought that there might be fewer this time given the recent series of incidents.
But still, two was far too few.
“We will overthrow the student council, which disregards students’ rights, and justly claim students’ rights!”
A third-year male student, who was the central figure of the boycott, Rosen, stood atop a chemistry lab desk, delivering a passionate speech.
In front of him sat a second-year girl, Aeling, timidly clapping her hands in encouragement.
Aeling looked at Rosen with sparkling eyes.
I could roughly guess why she had joined the boycott.
‘Two.’
My mind went blank for a moment.
Could just two people really bring about a boycott against the student council?
The answer was clearly NO.
‘What should I do?’
The flow of the scenario always takes unpredictable turns.
Even now, I was barely keeping the scenario’s framework intact.
Many things had changed with incidents occurring.
With Lucas’s spot empty.
It was inevitable that the scenario would shift.
However, at the very least, one incident representing a chapter must occur so that the scenario runs smoothly.
The student council boycott incident serves as the first catalyst for Chapter 4.
With this incident, Iris would seize control of the student council in Chapter 4.
Leveraging the Duke of Robliju as her backing, she would shake the Jerion Academy as a whole.
Moreover, through this boycott incident, various corruptions would be revealed.
This incident would shake Jerion Academy more than expected.
‘Bringing the student council down through a boycott and instead having Iris, who has seized control in the next year, lead it.’
In the process, the name of the 3rd Princess would be esteemed even more among the students.
Because of the corruptions, professors would get fired, and newly appointed professors brought in by the Duke of Robliju would support the student council’s rising power.
As a result, the student council would gain the strongest authority in the history of Jerion Academy.
‘This student council boycott, which should soundly anchor the early scenario.’
Yet, there were no people to instigate the boycott.
A sudden headache struck.
Under these circumstances, Iris would definitely not even glance at this situation.
After some deep consideration, I eventually lifted my head.
‘This time, I’ll lead the boycott scenario.’
I tapped on the curtain of the veil.
At that moment, my appearance began to transform from Hanon into another persona.
I grew taller than before.
Before I knew it, my hair color shifted to white, and my face morphed into that of a dashing young nobleman.
Bickamon Niflheim.
A third-rate villain expelled from the academy in Act 1.
Though I shouldn’t belong here by rights.
But when it came to people who could assist with the boycott, Bickamon was the only one who came to mind.
Once I made a decision, I moved forward without hesitation.
Creak—
“Uwaah?!”
As I swung the door wide open, Rosen, who was giving his speech, toppled over the desk.
“W-who’s there!”
Upon hearing Rosen’s shout, I flashed a smile.
“You sure are telling a fun story.”
“U-uh? B-Bickamon?”
Rosen recognized me.
Well, whether you like it or not, Bickamon was famous.
I stood out enough just by my face.
Plus, I had built a notorious reputation for being expelled from both my family and the academy.
All the third-year students remembered Bickamon.
“You should have been expelled.”
“I was, but upon hearing that Nikita died, I sneaked back in to confirm the truth.”
A chill began to radiate from my gaze.
Seeing this, both Rosen and Aeling instinctively held their breaths.
They had sensed the deep anger emanating from me.
In truth, my anger was directed towards the mere two boycotting members.
But if it could be useful, it didn’t matter to me.
“And Nikita truly has died.”
The fact that Bickamon had feelings for Nikita was something that all the third-year students knew.
Rosen looked at me with sorrow in his eyes.
In his eyes, I must have appeared as a vengeful hero who had lost their beloved.
“I cannot forgive the student council that Nikita would have spent her time with.”
“If they had cared for her, they could have prevented a rampage that Nikita would have shown signs of. But they let it happen.”
I glanced back at Rosen.
“Rosen, you intend to boycott the student council. I’ll help you with that. I’ll make sure they feel Nikita’s absence for real.”
It was sufficient motivation to join the boycotting group.
“I understand your feelings well!”
At that moment, an unexpected reaction came forth.
Aeling rushed forward, grabbing my hand, her face a mess of emotions.
“I can feel it! The desire to take revenge after losing someone you love. Let’s definitely take our revenge together!”
Aeling exclaimed, her words filled with passion.
It seemed she had unconsciously empathized with my tale of love.
However, this wasn’t a bad situation for me either.
My gaze found its way to Rosen.
At that, he smiled brightly at me.
“Fine. Bickamon. I didn’t think highly of you before, but if you’re the kind of person willing to stand against injustice, then I’ll gladly fight alongside you.”
Rosen extended his hand toward me.
Aeling laid her hand over his.
Both wore determined expressions.
……Yet, why did it feel so uncomfortably ominous?
But I couldn’t pull back now.
I placed my hand atop theirs.
“We will undoubtedly stop the student council and make them realize their wrongs!”
“Woah! Down with the student council!”
As Rosen shouted loudly, Aeling echoed his sentiments.
I responded suitably as well.
Thus, the trio of student council boycotting members was formed.
We were now twenty-seven short of thirty members.
Let’s gather enthusiastically.
I made a resolute vow.
Creak—
“……Down with the student council?”
Isabel Luna.
She appeared just as she opened the door to the chemistry lab.