Editor : Amethyst00



The next morning.

Returning to Lumene, Leo passed through the school gates and headed straight for the second-year classroom.

Normally, students who stayed out overnight without permission would face disciplinary action.

But members of the student council were exempt from that rule.

Since the council managed the entire academy, they could be called away to Lumeria City at a moment’s notice.

‘Being student council president really has its perks. Though Celia and Chloe are definitely going to nag me about it.’

Smirking to himself at the thought of the two straight-laced honor students, Leo recalled his schedule.

“First class today is Combat Theory, right?”

As he approached the lecture hall, noise could already be heard before the door even opened.

Clack—!

The moment Leo stepped inside, the buzzing voices came to an abrupt halt.

Blinking in confusion, he looked around at the students.

“Leo!”

Tade and the rest of his first-year homeroom friends rushed over.

“What’s going on?”

“Hey, is it true you stayed out overnight with Elena yesterday?!”

“Yeah.”

“Gasp! Wait, are you two dating?!”

“What happened? Come on, you gotta tell us!”

“There were rumors about you two being close for a while. Are they true?”

Leo let out a dry chuckle at their barrage of questions.

“What happened? We just had dinner and stayed the night, that’s it.

“S-Stayed the night?!”

“Where? Where did you stay?!”

“You can tell us, right?”

The boys swallowed hard, holding their breath, eyes sparkling with desperate curiosity.

Just as Leo let out another chuckle at their intensity—

“Class rep. Just be honest. How far did things go with Elena?”

“Ugh!”

“W-When did you get here?!”

“And how can you just ask that straight-up?!”

The boys jumped at the sudden voice. They turned to see Eliana standing there, eyes narrowed in amusement.

“You guys are unbelievable.”

“Hey, I don’t want to be called that by you!” Tade protested.

Eliana gave him a disappointed look.

“Do you seriously think the other students don’t notice the pervy looks you’re all giving while whispering in a corner?”

The boys flinched awkwardly.

“So if you’re that curious, just ask directly!” Classic Eliana—when in doubt, charge head-on.

“So? How far did you get?”

“Of course I’m curious. Other people’s love lives are the most fun thing in the world to hear about.”Her eyes sparkled.

“So? Are you two really a thing?”

“And if we are?”

“Hmm. That’d be a little disappointing, but I get it. You’re pretty cool, class rep. Girls are bound to fall for you.”

Eliana nodded to herself in approval.

Leo chuckled at her words.

“I was just invited by the Zeron family.”

“Aha!" Eliana gave a satisfied nod.

The other students also deflated in disappointment.

“All that wild speculation for nothing.”

“Who started those dumb rumors anyway?!”

As the fuss died down, Leo made his way over to where Carl was seated.

Chloe, sitting beside Carl with a magic textbook open, spoke first. “Next time, try not to act in ways that could be misunderstood, Leo.”

“Oh? Misunderstood how?” Carl grinned slyly.

“Chloe, did you actually think Leo spent a steamy night with Elena? Wow, someone’s got an active imagination—”

Craaaaack—!

“Joking! It was a joke! I swear!”

A deadly chill swept from Chloe’s hand, the surrounding temperature plummeting as thin frost coated nearby desks.

Face bright red with flustered fury, Chloe stormed off as Carl collapsed over his desk, groaning.

“Uugh— I nearly died just now.”

“That’s what you get for teasing her.”

“But it’s fun. Whew.”

He straightened up and turned to Leo.

“I picked out candidates for the student council members, just like you asked.”

“Already? That was fast.”

“Hmph. You know I’m good at this sort of thing.”

Carl puffed out his chest proudly and pulled a small notebook from his jacket.

“For the administrative committee, I picked these three.”

He flipped it open to show: Chloe, Abad, and Duran.

“Abad and Duran are heirs to noble families, so they’ll handle operations with precision. And Chloe already proved herself back in first year when she was class rep.”

Back then, Class 1—Celia and Duran’s class—was infamous for being the most difficult to manage.

Not only were Celia and Duran constantly at each other’s throats, but they both had strong pride and an intense desire to lead.

Even now, in the second year of Knight Department, there were still distinct factions: those who followed Celia, and those who sided with Duran.

Of course, it wasn’t an open rivalry, but the tension remained.

‘Chen Xia’s been doing a good job keeping things smooth between them.’

Despite all that, Chloe flawlessly managed the class. She had the respect of both Celia, her best friend, and Duran—a rare feat.

“And for the disciplinary committee: Celia, Chelsea, and Walden.”

Celia was, without a doubt, the most well-behaved student in the second year.

“And Chelsea’s got a sixth sense for sniffing out trouble. She's born for the job.” Carl snickered playfully.

“As for Walden—he’s always been aloof and solitary, yeah, but as a student, he’s flawless. Not once has he ever been reprimanded by any professor.”

Just like Carl said, if you excluded his lack of socializing, Walden was every bit Celia’s equal in terms of school conduct.

Several other names were on the list as well.

Given the vast administrative demands of Lumene, a few more would be added in the days ahead.

“All these people are interested in joining the council?” Leo asked curiously.

Carl nodded.

“Yeah. I casually brought it up, and they all showed interest. Well… except the top-ranked students. Some of them feel like they don’t need to be involved, or don’t want to work under you.”

Carl grinned slyly. “But if you ask, I’m sure they’ll say yes.”

“Oh yeah? Then could you gather them after classes today?”

Carl flashed a thumbs-up. “No problem! I’ll tell them to meet at Abundance’s Afternoon.”

It was one of the most popular restaurants in Lumene.

“Abundance’s Afternoon? That won’t be cheap.”

“Well, it is the unofficial founding meeting for our new student council. Gotta do it in style!”

“You have a point.”

“Which reminds me, Leo—” As Carl spoke in a sly tone, Leo smirked and pulled a black card from his coat.

“Oho! The student council president’s card, capable of hiring even a full magical mercenary battalion!”

Carl took the card with reverence.

“Leave it to me. I’ll hand out invitations during lunch. Actually, I already have them ready.”

bl

That evening.

When Leo arrived at Abundance’s Afternoon, the restaurant’s manager bowed deeply.

“Welcome, Lord Leo. We’ve been expecting you. Please, this way to the annex.”

The manager led him to a private building Carl had reserved.

As Leo entered, Carl—already waiting—raised a brow at the two people following behind Leo: Chen Xia and Eiran.

“Xia, sure. But… why’s she here?”

“Am I not allowed to come?”

Eiran’s ears drooped sadly, and Carl quickly waved his hands.

“No, no! I didn’t mean it like that. Since you’re here, might as well enjoy yourself!”

“Okay!” Beaming, Eiran took a seat next to Chen Xia.

Leo sat down, and before long, the students Carl had invited began arriving one by one.

“Carl, you ordered this too?”

“No, I didn’t.”

“You have to! This is the best thing on the menu!”

Eliana pointed at the menu with conviction.

Carl blinked.

“Wow, you actually came?”

“I came because Leo Plov said he had something to say. That’s all.”

Duran answered coldly, narrowing his eyes as Celia stared at him skeptically.

“Lord Walden, could you please pass me that?”

“……”

Without a word, Walden handed over the dish Eiran pointed to.

The dinner progressed in a relaxed, lively atmosphere.

Seeing the right moment, Carl cleared his throat loudly.

“Ahem. Now then, I’d like to explain why we all—”

Bang—!

The door slammed open, and Eliza stormed in, face dark with annoyance.

“Eliza?” Carl looked stunned.

Eliza walked straight up to Leo and crossed her arms.

“Leo Plov. Why wasn’t I invited?”

“Huh? Wait, you weren’t invited?" Eliana blinked, tilting her head.

“Was Eliza… being excluded?”

At her thoughtless comment, Eliza’s eyes flashed coldly.

Without a sound, Chen Xia approached Eliana from behind and snapped her neck.

—Figuratively, of course.

“Please continue, Miss Eliza,” Chen Xia said sweetly, dragging the limp Eliana away.

Leo gave an awkward smile as Eliza stared him down.

“Carl was the one who sent the invitations.”

Eliza turned her glare on Carl.

“Well, you’ve never shown the slightest interest in the student council!”

Carl scratched his cheek sheepishly.

“I figured you’d refuse anyway…”

“You still should have invited me! What if I had changed my mind!”

“You probably just didn’t seem helpful enough to bother inviting.” Duran smirked, tossing oil on the fire.

Eliza’s gaze turned icy—far colder than when Eliana spoke.

“Duran.”

“What?”

“Shall I snap your neck too?” Chen Xia asked with a sunny smile.

Duran clicked his tongue and turned away, silenced.

The other students silently applauded Chen Xia’s effortless takedown.

“So?” she asked with a smile. “Are you interested in student council work, Miss Eliza?”

Eliza scoffed.

“I could do it better than anyone here.”

“I quite agree. Then you’re joining?”

“Obviously.”

“Waaah~! Eliza’s joining the council! That’s amazing! Please sign here.”

Chen Xia cheerfully handed over a membership form.

Eliza began signing—then paused. “Wait. Am I being scamm—”

“Welcome to the student council, Miss Eliza.”

Before Eliza could finish, Chen Xia snatched the form and returned to her seat.

Eliza stood frozen, mouth agape.

“Well, Eliza kind of stumbled her way in…”

“Then let me stumble back out! Cancel it!” Eliza shouted, flustered.

Leo looked to Chen Xia, who responded firmly.

“No can do. You're in. Please return to your seat.”

Defeated, Eliza slumped into her chair, covering her face.

Watching her, Leo spoke. “The student council will be busier than ever. That’s why I need everyone’s help.”

“I’ll do my best!” Eiran declared, clenching her fists. “I may not be much, but I’ll help you with everything I have, Leo!”

Her enthusiasm radiated confidence, ears flapping.

The others, however, exchanged silent glances.

‘You do realize this is Lumene’s student council, right?’

‘You're a transfer student. Please get a grip.’

Just then—

“Eiran.”

“Yes, Xia?”

“You’re a student of Seiren.”

“Ah…”

Eiran lowered her head. Even her ears drooped in sorrow.

“Still, we’ll need everyone’s strength.”

At Leo’s words, Abad responded. “Well, if you’re asking this seriously, I can’t exactly say no. You in, Duran?”

“Hmph.” Duran scoffed, but didn’t object.

And so, every invited student declared their intention to join the student council.

Seeing that, Carl grinned. “See? Told you it’d work out.”

“Yeah.” Leo chuckled and turned to him. “Carl, I’ll be counting on you too.”

“For what?”

“To join the council, obviously.”

“……”

Carl’s face froze.

“Me?”

“Yup.”

“In the council?”

“Exactly.”

“……”

“And I’m making you acting president when I’m away.”

“WHY?! Why would you give me such a monstrous position?!” Carl clutched his head and screamed.

Leo shrugged.

“I was going to give you something else, but seeing how you handled everything today, I figured you’re more than capable.”

“Gaaaah!!”

Carl let out a pained wail.

From the side, Chelsea quietly asked Abad, “Brother, doesn’t acting president usually not have much to do?”

“Maybe if someone else were president. But this is Leo. And Elena’s the vice president.”

Which meant Carl, as acting president, would become Elena’s personal assistant.

A terrifying thought.

“If anything, he got cursed for being too competent. I mean, he didn’t even suspect he might get roped in himself.”

Chelsea clicked her tongue.

“He’s being crushed under a disaster he summoned on his own.”