Chapter 152 – Student Council Election (2)

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Translated by Jinmu

Read only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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It was the hour when the purple sunset fell beyond the horizon. Dusk settled over the academy.

The summer heat had completely faded, and fallen left spread a carpet over the road.

Step, step.

I was taking a walk around the academy grounds. Whenever I needed to settle a restless mind, I walked out of habit.

“Is it autumn already.”

Every step I took crushed well-ripened fallen left. The season when the sky grew high and horses grew fat. The night wind was chilly enough that it was the perfect weather to catch a cold if you were careless.

‘I wonder if Chloe is doing well.’

During today’s homeroom period, Instructor Lee Won-bin said Chloe’s return to the academy might be delayed somewhat. It did not seem to be only a matter of her family’s funeral arrangements.

‘I hope nothing happened.’

Worrying about her inwardly, I headed for that bench. The end of my walk always arrived at that place.

This was a time when I needed to sort out my thoughts. Even if it was for the Association pass, was running in this election really the right choice?

I had already involved myself in the main story several times. To the point that the resolve I had around the time of admission, to live as Background Character A, had become meaningless. But all of that had been directly tied to survival.

This time, on the other hand, was a little different in nature. This time, I was the one stepping into the main story of my own accord.

Even if I failed to find the Monolith, my life would not be in danger. It might have been better to spend the time I would use searching for the artifact on steadily strengthening my armament instead. Even so, I had prioritized obtaining the fragments of memory.

If I gathered them one by one, then at the end of it I would probably learn why I had fallen into this world. That was because I had that conviction. The additional reward looked worth aiming for too.

‘Let’s get the Monolith and gather the remaining five in one sweep.’

As I walked, sunk in thought, the bench I always sat on came into view. And today as well, someone had already taken the seat first. A very unexpected person.

‘…Yu Sein?’

There was Sein, sitting on the bench and tapping at her phone. She even had a headset on and was absorbed in a game.

Maybe because she sensed my presence, Sein turned only her eyes and looked at me. Judging by her expression, she seemed to have expected me to come.

This area was originally a place where people rarely came. At some point, though, sightings of people had become frequent.

First Abel, then Saki, and now even Yu Sein. It was enough to make me think this place had become a hotspot for major characters.

“What, weren’t you trying to sit here? Come sit down.”

Could nothing be done about that clipped way of talking? And she called herself a saintess. Every time she spat out a sentence, I could practically hear the number of believers dropping.

‘Was there even still a god left in this world to begin with?’

Hadn’t Professor Damian(?) said before that there were no remaining gods anymore? Supposedly the Sword God had slaughtered every last god, and in the end had taken his own life.

‘Then what exactly is this god that Sein serves?’

As I stood there, lost in thought, Sein impatiently tapped the seat beside her. It was a sudden meeting, but the timing was good.

I had already wanted to ask Sein quite a few things. The other day in the corridor, all we had done was exchange a few passing words.

After that, Sein had subtly seemed to avoid me. The reason was probably that so-called divine punishment.

Even if I forced the issue and asked Sein, it did not seem likely I would get the answer I wanted. And there was also the chance of causing pointless misunderstandings.

Young people hungry for gossip were everywhere, so if I kept seeking Sein out one after another? Just imagining it made more lines appear on my forehead.

I slowly approached and sat down beside Sein. Only then did she take off her headset and put away her phone. Sein spoke first without hesitation.

“Don’t worry.”

“…?”

“There’s absolutely no way I’d ever become romantically interested in you. That’s what I mean, so don’t worry.”

At Sein’s sudden words, bewilderment spread across my face.

In contrast, Sein’s expression became rather serious.

“A saintess has the duty to love this entire world. That means she is a being who cannot love only one specific person. That is what a saintess is.”

“……”

“I’m a saintess in name, after all. I can’t dump even more sin onto a sinful man.”

As Sein said that, she stared right at me. Then she gave a faint smile and swung her crossed feet.

Sein stayed like that for quite a while. I let out a sigh.

So because she was a saintess and had to love everyone, she could not love just one person. That seemed to be what she meant.

For that to be her opening line… It somehow made all the tension drain out of me. I forced myself to hide what I was feeling and asked her.

You already said what you said before, so I wouldn’t ask a bunch of things. Just answer this one thing for me.

Sein kept swinging her feet playfully without saying anything. I took it as agreement and opened my mouth again.

You don’t have to answer out loud. Just nod or shake your head. There’s only one thing I want to ask.

……

Only then did Sein give a small nod. The answer came down.

Yu Sein, I know you definitely had some connection to the status window. That’s what I’m most curious about when it came to you, but because of that divine punishment thing, you couldn’t answer me.

Nod nod.

To be honest, I’m not very interested in what your identity is, or why you came to the academy. There’s only one thing I want to know. All the things I’ve done so far, and all the things I’m about to do, were they all intended by the system or something like it?

“No.”

It was a firm answer. Sein shook her head.

“No one can dare interfere with you. Even if that someone were a god.”

“…?”

Sein brushed off her backside with a few pats. It meant she would not be taking any more questions. She spun around.

“Sword Demon, you’re a far more extraordinary being than you think. You’re just still wandering because you haven’t found your path yet. Even if all you do is keep going straight, your humanity is going to dry up away…”

Sein let the end of her words trail off. Then, without even turning her head, she continued speaking.

So don’t doubt the things you want to do. Worry is the weak one’s share, and the strong prove themselves through action.

After finishing her words, Sein walked away just like that. I watched her back for a moment, then I too rose to my feet.

* * *

After parting with Kang Geom-ma, Sein wandered the night road aimlessly. She chewed over the meeting from a moment ago.

“What I can tell you is, this much… khk!”

At that moment, Sein felt a pain like her heart was being wrung tight like a dishrag. Covering her mouth, she coughed.

The thick sound of coughing echoed one after another. Blood welled up on the palm she had pressed over her mouth.

Looking at her own hand, Sein let out a laugh as if it were absurd.

“Ha, you’re doing this just because I told him that much?”

Sein glared up at the night sky. The sorrowfully twinkling stars looked back at her like a gaze.

“……”

“……”

A brief staring contest. Sein clicked her tongue as she pressed a hand to her forehead.

“Good grief, no matter how much you lot hate him, you’re taking it out on me just because I gave him a little advice? That’s how narrow-minded you are, and you still got annihilated by one person.”

“……”

“Fine, fine, you petty little bastards. You call yourselves gods, but your hearts are narrower than a mouse hole, and you’ve got more fear than newborn babies. Are you really gods? The way you keep dropping divine punishment at every little thing, I’m at the point where I might need a transfusion now!”

After snapping irritably at the sky, Sein soon wiped the blood away with a handkerchief. Then, as if nothing had happened, she calmly resumed walking.

In the chilly autumn wind, her slender body trembled faintly.

* * *

Recently, regardless of year, a certain rumor had been circulating among the cadets.

“Hey, did you hear? Apparently even first-year cadets are running in this student council election. Two of them, at that.”

“No way. That’s crazy. Isn’t that unprecedented? I mean, no matter how impressive this year’s first-years are, the student council election is a different matter. Hoakin Academy’s election isn’t some popularity contest.”

“Exactly. No matter how strong someone is, in the end it’s a position where you have to prove your competence in all sorts of areas.”

“…According to the rumor, this student council election isn’t going to be decided by voting alone.”

“What!?”

“Shh! It took me effort to hear this, but apparently it isn’t just voting. They say there’s going to be a competition first. Well, if you include the two first-years, that makes seven people in total, right? Then that’s too many, so they’re going to cut the number down once first.”

“So what’s the competition going to be?”

How should I know? I don’t know that much. Well, considering the academy culture values actual combat, maybe they’re going to make them beat on each other or something?

Come on. No matter what, it’s a competition to decide the election candidates. Do you really think they’d just make them brawl? Even if I don’t know for sure, I’m sure it’ll be some dignified, aristocratic method befitting our Hoakin Academy!

* * *

I was blankly staring out the window in the classroom when a text message suddenly arrived.

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(Sender) Hoakin Academy Administrative Office

[Web message]

(Notice) Announcement regarding the competition before the student council election.

All cadets registered as student council president candidates were requested to gather in the small conference room on the third floor of the main building before the start of fourth period today.

== ==

As I stared at the phone, Ryozo spoke to me.

“Why do you look like that? Did you get a spam message or something? If it’s something like that, just tell me. I’ll trace the number and make every single one of them stop working…”

Without a word, I showed him the contents of the message. Ryozo quietly scanned the text, then looked back at me.

“So it’s starting already.”

Looked like it. There’s still more than two weeks left until the election date, but I guess they’re holding the competition pretty early.

“Don’t feel too pressured. It’s obvious enough what the intention behind this competition is.”

The other day, there had been a notice that a competition would be held for the candidates. Regarding that, Ryozo had guessed it was probably the Association’s opinion.

With two first-years suddenly added as candidates, there was no way the upperclassmen in the higher years would view it favorably.

Before the election got underway in earnest, they would have to calm the dissatisfaction of the second- and third-years. And the most effective way to do that would be to put a distinction between the first-years and the second- and third-years.

So the competition was the Association’s own compromise proposal for the election they were hosting. That was Ryozo’s hypothesis.

‘Whatever the case, it’s just another bothersome thing added to my plate.’

Once the time came, I headed straight to the conference room. When I arrived on the third floor of the main building, Assistant Manager Ha, who had been waiting, greeted me.

“Ah, ah, hello. I’ll guide you to the conference room.”

Just like before, Assistant Manager Ha kept subtly avoiding my gaze. Following behind her as she took the lead, I soon reached the conference room.

Creak.

When the door opened, the people who had arrived first came into view at a glance. At the same time, their coldly sunken eyes all turned toward me at once.

“……”

Those people were all my competition. They seemed to have gathered themselves as best they could, but apparently they could not hide the hostility flickering in their eyes.

After glancing around once, I sat down in an empty chair.

Right then, I felt an extremely faint presence from the back of my head. Familiar, yet ominous… it was mana.

I abruptly turned my head. I swept my gaze over each of the people who had been glaring at me just before.

A beanpole narrowing his brow in displeasure, a woman side-eyeing me with flatfish eyes, and a patient with sunken eyes staring only at the ceiling.

Looking at the three of them, my hand dropped toward my pocket on its own.

“To think you’d still be at the academy.”