Student Council President Election (8)
The student council president election is the event that receives the most attention from students among the events at the beginning of the semester.
In particular, it was the time when Veros, the former student council president who served two consecutive terms, graduated. Although Veros spent his term relatively moderately and quietly, he was a good student council president who managed to coordinate opinions between academic staff and students well and completed his term without any major incidents.
What is the position of student council president at Sylvania Academy?
It is a position in which one can exert practical influence on Sylvania’s operating policy, mobilize various student resources, including seniors from each department, if desired, and wield authority almost equivalent to that of a principal in times of emergency.
Also, its symbolism is by no means light. First of all, students who have experience serving as student council president in Sylvania are often selected as management personnel in various magic towers and important imperial positions in various cities even after graduation based on that experience alone.
In the case of someone with a good pedigree, it can be an opportunity to enter the political world centered around the imperial capital, so it is a position that every student with high aspirations dreams of at least once.
The open space from the front of the Ovel Hall to the entrance of the student square was already filled with numerous students. The crowd was so large that the university had to deploy separate security guards.
The podium set up on the first floor of the Obel Hall was not small in size, but it was unclear whether the voices would reach the crowd at the back. Of course, we will use loudspeaker magic, but it is not perfect.
“That is all.”
– Waaaaa!
There were a total of four candidates for student council president. Among them, the two people who received the most attention were Lortel and Tanya.
The successor to the Ross Taylor family who ran for office with the support of Princess Fenia, and the acting head of the Elte Chamber of Commerce, which effectively controls the economic sphere of the bachelor’s residence.
The confrontation between the two was watched with interest by both students and academic staff, but it is only now that the results have been seen to some extent.
– Lortel, the next student council president!
– If you have leadership at the top at this age… you will definitely do well as student president!
– There is no one more qualified to be the student council president than Lortel Kecheln…!
– You can feel the sincerity in the pledges…! In the first place, why would a person representing Elte Company want to become student council president? It must be because it has a clear meaning!
– Worth believing and pushing…! The next student council president is Lortel!
As Lortel took his final bow and came down from the podium, thunderous cheers came out. Lortel, who showed off her presence by waving her arms on her way down the podium, finished her turn well by adjusting the look of her fancy dress with lots of lace.
Lortel has no intention of becoming student council president.
The only people who know that fact are at best a few employees of Elte Trading Company.
However, looking at Lortel leaving with a smile amidst the cheers of the public… it wouldn’t be surprising at all if he were to be elected as student council president.
There is no way that Lortel, who has lived his entire life as a merchant, would really give up his work at Elte Chamber of Commerce and focus on being the student council president, but looking at Lortel now, it looks like he is putting his all into becoming the student council president.
Even the public response has been overwhelming.
As the person in power at Elte Chamber of Commerce, he has proven his abilities over a long period of time, and the selection of pledges that seem to know the public’s tastes seems to be scratching an itch.
In addition, public opinion among senior officials is quite good as various political funds have been appropriately distributed through academic staff.
‘The higher your prestige, the more attention you attract when you fall.’
Lortel continued to wave his arms and smile with his eyes.
As brilliant as his deeds were, Lortel also had many enemies. When you work with the public, you can’t always leave your allies alone.
In particular, if it is a group that may be holding a grudge against Lortel… it would be the various business partners who had no choice but to nod to the various demands pushed by Elte Trading Company.
The most recent example worth mentioning is the fact that almost no food ingredients were supplied to Laplace Bakery. The problem was a shameful owner who tried to receive supplies first by placing excessive orders. It wasn’t a very pleasant experience.
To sum up… Elte Trading Company, due to its position of being responsible for the commercial district of Seongdong-dong, used various public justifications to treat its business partners in Seongdong-dong with tyranny that was almost equivalent to abuse of power.
Usually, the cause was justifiable, but from the perspective of the victim, that doesn’t really matter.
Everyone probably harbored a grudge against Lortel, but they couldn’t express much dissatisfaction with Lortel’s ever-increasing power.
Lortel is a person who takes advantage of even such spite.
‘All the data must have been circulated by now.’
Lortel came down from the podium and removed the ornaments that decorated his body one by one. A blue rose-shaped hairpin, earrings with dark red beads, and frilly lace. Every time I got rid of those pretentious things one by one, I felt like I was finally returning to being a merchant.
In front of the podium, Secretary Rienna and her stooge Dune were waiting in a polite manner. They were employees of Elte Trading Company.
Lortel roughly placed the jewelry he had taken off in their hands and entered the first floor of the Obel Hall with his hair down.
“What about Kadec and Nox?”
“We escaped as planned.”
“Okay. What about the data leaked to our business partners?”
“You took the bait. It will probably be exposed during the election period.”
A short conversation with secretaries. Lortel, who had received only the necessary reports accurately, looked toward the square again from the entrance of the Obel Hall.
A huge crowd of people were all chanting Lortel’s name, but Lortel’s expression was cold.
She already knew better. Public support is like sea water; it either surges in like a tide or washes away like an ebb tide.
The data released by Elte Chamber of Commerce to its business partners in Seongdong-dong records the embezzlement of the chamber’s funds led by Lortel. Of course, this is data created by Lortel himself.
In the first place, Lortel sees himself and the Elte Company as one body, so there is no reason to embezzle the company’s funds.
All that mattered was that he needed a scratch to pull himself down.
There is no way the business partners with a grudge against Lortel would pass up such a good opportunity. In order to tarnish Lortel, who has built up a capable and moral image… the circumstances of the embezzlement and its immorality will be revealed to the world.
As long as the reporter’s anonymity is guaranteed to some extent, there are many business partners who will attack Lortel.
For the position of student council president, which requires integrity, such an embezzlement case is truly a fatal scandal.
This will be an opportunity for Lortel, who had received widespread public support, to fall in an instant.
If so, all the spotlight is sure to fall on Tanya, another candidate who stood at the opposite end of Lortel. The contrast effect will also be most dramatic.
There is a strange catharsis in the fall of a gentleman.
The moment when a person who seemed destined to rule the world falls in vain is the moment when all the public’s attention gathers together.
If he can seize that moment and use it as an opportunity to reveal Tanya’s steadfastness… Lortel is willing to turn the public into his enemy.
Because it makes the most money.
“Agent Lortel. Are you really okay with this plan?”
Suddenly, Secretary Rienna asked Lortel. It was an off-topic question.
Lortel lived his entire life as a villain. He is not a person who hesitates to call himself a villain.
Notoriety and dishonor may follow, but to Lortel, they are no different from a part of his body.
Lortel is not the type to show off his presence by basking in the light on stage. Usually, you are standing behind the curtain.
That’s why we carefully choose who will stand on that stage.
“oh.”
There were four candidates for this student council president election. However, the two candidates ahead of Lortel had little influence and little interest, so it was of little significance.
However, the person who will stand on the podium next is someone who is receiving the attention of the public in many ways.
“You look nervous, Tanya.”
Tanya, who was to go up to the podium after Lortel, was standing in front of Lortel with her mouth shut. The hand holding the hem of her skirt was shaking.
You have to pass by Lortel like this, go up to that podium, and declare your candidacy.
In a place where the entire crowd is chanting Lortel’s name, he must persuade the public while facing suspicion with the weight of being accused of inciting murder.
That’s almost torture. It was something Tanya had to handle on her own, not anyone else.
“I…”
Lortel was a little surprised by Tanya’s next words.
“I… didn’t kill Brother Ed.”
The way he spoke while looking straight into Lortel’s eyes was quite firm.
Almost two weeks since Ed went into seclusion.
He stormed out of the royal residence, got into a fight with the academic investigators who suspected him, tried to prove his innocence, and even prepared for the student council president election.
He looks exhausted both physically and mentally. However, there was quite a bit of vitality in his strong attitude.
I can no longer see the trembling and dispirited figure that I used to look at when I saw Lortel.
It’s like standing upright on equal footing and telling only the facts as they are.
After Tanya finished her story, she passed Lortel and made her way to the podium.
*
There was an eerie silence.
The crowd of students gathered in the square was truly enormous, but not a single word was exchanged.
Compared to the sound of people chanting Lortel’s name just a moment ago… it almost makes you wonder if it’s the same scene.
If you stand right on the podium and look down, you can see the faces of the students.
Wade, a first-year senior, and Dyke, a fourth-year senior, are standing in the front row, receiving attention from students.
In addition, in the corner of the crowd, Clevius can be seen with all the bandages removed, as if his wound has healed, and Elvira’s face can be seen next to him.
At the very back, Sword Saint Tailly was looking with his arms crossed, and his companion Ayla was also looking with her head leaning on his shoulder.
In addition, the master of flying magic, Onyx, chief assistant, Anis, the alchemist of disaster, Claude, the youngest researcher in the magic tower, Josef, the reagent synthesis expert, Dorothy, the romantic bard, Adele, the master of elemental magic, Tracyana…
Sylvania makes me wonder if there is any meaning in reciting them one by one. A place full of talented people.
Standing straight in front of him, Tanya opened her mouth.
“Hello. My name is Tanya Rosstaylor and I will be running for student president.”
Even the weak minor candidates who came before Lortel gave him at least applause when he greeted them that way.
But the crowd was completely silent. Still, there were a couple of applause sounds here and there for a while, but since most of the crowd didn’t even applaud or even move… what little applause there was suddenly stopped.
Suddenly, Tanya lifted her head and looked ahead, then took a deep breath.
Each of the heavy gazes seems to be suffocating one’s breath. Although she is not being directly booed due to the prestige of the Ross Taylor family, hundreds and thousands of cold eyes seem to be asking Tanya.
What kind of presidential election is a murderer running for? Did you covet the power of the student council that much?
Depending on one’s personality, it would not be surprising if that horrifying sight remained a lifelong trauma.
“Huh…”
Tanya’s breath stopped for a moment, but she somehow didn’t show it.
Tanya continued speaking with a spirit as strong as a rock.
“The reason I… stand on this podium is—”
Tanya continues like that for a while.
However, even after 5 or 10 minutes, the public remains completely silent.
This is the exact opposite of the previous attitude of applauding whenever the flow of the speech was interrupted or a primary conclusion was reached.
I’m somehow continuing the conversation, but Tanya feels that enough is enough. This silence now is an unspoken pressure sent to Tanya.
Do it in moderation and go down. No one supports you. Even though he is a candidate supported by Princess Fenia and a descendant of a noble duke, I don’t think he is a candidate for the position of student council president.
Tanya gritted her teeth and continued speaking, but in the end, the public did not respond.
I forced myself to hold back tears. If you show signs of shaking here, it’s really the end of everything.
You can stand upright in front of this only if you put an iron plate on your face until the end and act as if nothing happened.
Tanya continued to talk about various specific plans, including practical restoration of various student facilities, practical improvements to the academic financial structure, expansion of the scholarship system, and improvement of student treatment… but no one listened.
Just like that, the speech time came to an end.
“So… until now…”
– Murderer!
What kind of courageous person is this? No, it would be more accurate to say that he lacked courage.
Hidden among the crowd, leaning into anonymity, a voice shouts at Tanya.
That cry… like a drop of poison in food, was weak but had a definite effect.
A pressure that felt like she was being strangled stopped Tanya from breathing. Still, Tanya miraculously succeeded in shaking her head.
But the next words don’t come out. My legs are shaking and I want to sit down right now.
– Please explain the charge of inciting murder!
– There are rumors that it is related to internal strife within the Ross Taylor family. Are you also denying this?
– If you look at the information in the student newsletter… it seems like…
– Is running for the student president election the right thing to do in this situation…?
– I don’t know…! But even if it were me, if I had entered Sylvania with a Ross Taylor business card, I would have wanted to try for the student council president position…!
– That’s right. Once you get elected, it’s a big deal…!
– No matter what, you haven’t said a word about the charge of inciting murder…?
Soon, the muttering noise began to get louder little by little.
Some people are whispering and others are talking quietly… Tanya’s eyes widen when she hears some of them.
At this point Tanya started to feel nauseous. I could no longer stand upright, so I held on to the podium tightly to support my staggering body.
Actually, it was a reckless thing to do.
It is foolish to stand on the podium in this situation. Still, I didn’t want to run away anymore.
Tanya Rosstaylor entered Sylvania with great vigor, and all she did was startle, get swayed, and run away. I had lived my whole life with my head down and only looking for opportunities, but when the opportunity came, it was so pitiful to see myself shaking.
“Then… thank you for listening to my story so far…”
Tanya managed to say a concluding comment and caught her mind in a world that seemed to be spinning. I didn’t want to look ugly, at least not on this podium.
Even though I could finish everything and go back to my room, clutching my pillow and squeezing out tears, I had to remain a strong person in front of this crowd.
– Kwadangtang!
But do things in the world always turn out the way I want them to?
In the end, he was unable to overcome the mental pressure and collapsed on the floor without being able to get off the podium.
It looked as if he had tripped over a stone and fell… Weak laughter flowed through the crowd.
-Hook!
-Kkkkkk!
-Oh, don’t laugh…! It’s funny to me too…!
Leaving the noisy crowd behind, Tanya cupped her face. At least there shouldn’t have been any tears.
Still, the grief ate away at my heart little by little. Should I say that we have reached our limit now?
It was about time that I thought I had done enough.
─The turning point in life, as always, came suddenly and without warning, like a ray of wind.
– Paaaaaaaa!
The wind blew. It was not the calm wind of late spring, but a huge gale.
– Bwaaaaah!
-What… suddenly…!
The banners near the podium fluttered in the swirling wind, and the students all held each other’s bodies.
Some students fell occasionally, and others managed to secure their view by holding back their flowing hair.
When the wind that had been blowing for a long time died down, the gathered crowd all held their breath. Even the safety personnel who were supposed to control the situation held their tongues.
-What is that…!
– Ugh… Ugh…!!
– Shouldn’t you run away too…?
A wolf the size of a house… bigger than the large podium, stood tall in front of the Obel Hall.
It appeared suddenly, as if it had leapt through space, but it was merely a being manifested through Yenika’s sensitivity.
– Aww!
The howl of the wolf echoed all the way to the student plaza. On its back was a boy wearing a robe, along with the familiar face Yenica Palover.
– That thing…!
– High-ranking Wind Spirit! It’s a high-ranking wind spirit…!!
– I once saw an apparition during a placement test…!
Some students recognized the wolf.
They were freshmen who had witnessed the image summoned by Ed at the top of Mt. I brought it up in the first place because I wanted people to recognize it.
The fact that he appeared with this wind spirit is the most direct evidence that this boy’s identity is not being impersonated or played by someone. This is because there are not many people within this academy who can handle high-ranking wind spirits.
Tanya also saw the spirit manifest. This is the appearance of the spirit that my brother Ed Rothtaylor dealt with at the Altar of Replacement.
A boy wearing a robe steps up to the podium. When Tanya sat down and looked up, she could clearly see the blond boy’s face hidden under the robe hat.
Tanya tried to say something, but no voice came out. Even if I try to get the words out somehow, all words are blocked in my chest, perhaps because of the overwhelming emotions.
“Ah… Ugh…”
The sudden and unrealistic sight made me wonder if I was hallucinating, but…
“You’ve gone through so much trouble because of me, Tanya. I’m really… sorry.”
When that calm voice flowed into my ears, I became convinced.
“There are a lot of things that need to be explained, but… let’s resolve the situation first.”
Ed knelt down on one knee and gently patted Tanya’s back as she sat down.
Wasn’t he a man who lived his whole life in hatred? At some point, he was a man who only tarnished Ross Taylor’s name and was seen as someone who must be punished.
When I saw that face again and felt a hand patting my back, tears started to well up.
Ed stood up and put down his robe hat. When that face was revealed to the world… the gathered crowd all made noises of surprise.
– That… That person…
– It’s Ed Rosstaylor…! I’m sure… that’s right…
– I also took an elemental science class with him, so I know… It’s really… Ed Ross Taylor, who was mentioned in the newsletter as dead…!
– Impersonating…? Isn’t this an impersonation…?!
– you idiot…! Look at that high-ranking spirit…! How common are people who can handle something like that?!
Standing in front of the confused crowd, Ed straightened the podium.
Ed clears his throat a few times, and silence returns in an instant. Everyone listens to what he says, and the atmosphere in the audience becomes overwhelming in an instant.
What is the first line you will say?
First of all, should I explain why I am alive? However, it cannot be simply explained or explained. That’s something to do slowly.
In the first place, this is the place to declare candidacy for the student council president election. So, is it right to tell a story that fits the situation now?
More than anything, what needs to be resolved right now is the shattered public sentiment toward Tanya.
The only person who can do it most directly and reliably is Ed Rothtaylor himself.
“Hello, this is Ed Rosstaylor.”
His influence may be minimal when looking at the student body as a whole, but it extends far beyond the top leaders of each department. And recruiting the top students of each department is the key to this student council president election battle.
“I wasn’t murdered by Tanya Rosstaylor, and I support Tanya more than anyone else to begin with.”
Lucy Mayril, the second-year senior, and Jenica Palover, the third-year senior, will completely follow his opinion if he persuades them.
In addition, Clevius, the second-year head of the Combat Department, secretly recognizes him, and Ziggs, the deputy head of the Ministry of Magic, as well as Elvira, the head of the Pension Department, also acknowledge his abilities.
Josephna Wade, the head of the 1st year Magic Department… I’ve already heard of his skills, so I don’t know how much Ed Rothtaylor’s support means… It would only hurt my mouth to explain it further.
Princess Fenia’s support alone is enough to solidify her position as a candidate. If you add his support here… the weight is completely lifted.
However, for Tanya, before the political gains and losses…
“As a family member, I will always support Tanya so that her wishes can be conveyed well.”
When I see Ed’s back, sitting down on the podium and wiping his face over and over again… I just feel out of breath.
What is blooming is the memory of climbing the duchy’s garden together long ago.
Is it because I can see the back of Tanya, who was out of breath from exhaustion on the uphill climb, holding her arm again?
Although we are already living in a time that is far removed from the distant past… the memories of that time have constantly been whispering to Tanya. If you have had a hard time, there will definitely come a time when you will be rewarded.
The night is so long that the morning is so bright. The time will surely come when the darkness of my life will come to an end.
Tanya whispered that to herself every night.
