Student Council President Election (10)
Ofilis Hall is filled with silence.
Lortel Kecheln was quietly blocking the exit to the central hallway.
Ziggs saw that… I grabbed Tanya’s shoulder as she was running out side by side.
“W-what?!”
Just like that, Ziggs pulled Tanya’s entire body and hid it behind his back.
“Ahh!”
Tanya, who had been staggering due to Ziggs’ strong grip, barely regained her body speed.
“W-why suddenly… ”
“Stay still.”
Ziggs’ intuition is almost always correct. His sixth sense, which he had honed while living in the wild, saved him from crisis situations many times.
This time, Ziggs’ sixth sense screams in anxiety.
She must have been sleeping, wearing a lace slip dress and a light fur coat. Her rich reddish-brown hair, which flows like waves, is completely let down.
“Lortel.”
Ziggs was in a position to know some of Ed’s personal relationships while he was alive.
Those who recognized Ed’s true value usually developed a special relationship with him, so even though he had only a narrow network of contacts, many of Ed’s acquaintances were scary people.
Knowing that Lortel also had a very special relationship with Ed, Ziggs adjusted his posture carefully.
Although I was holding the handle of the sword, I wanted to avoid a situation where I had to fight Lortel as much as possible.
Lortel’s magic skills and agility were enough to make even the strict Professor Glast place her name in Class A.
However, his practical sense and combat sense are not at a level that can match Ziggs. If they fight, Ziggs will probably win.
Ziggs may be inferior in a simple firefight, but in a one-on-one battle where he uses his abilities and the given environment to the limit, there are very few people who can beat Ziggs.
However, Lortel’s true fear does not come from his fighting ability.
Lortel Kecheln is someone who will inevitably lead to destruction whoever he targets. Not even her adoptive father could escape its clutches.
You should never be fooled by her pretty and noble appearance or dignified words and actions into thinking that she is a benevolent and good woman.
Although others may not know, Siggs Eiffelstein definitely knows. She is a rose with thorns. The thorns are coated with several layers of deadly poison that can instantly poison even an elephant.
If I were to choose a person who should never be an enemy at Sylvania Academy… It will fit comfortably within three fingers.
The figure who was quietly blocking the door with his head down and waiting. No matter how you look at it, it doesn’t look like a favorable situation.
─I’m sure I heard about Ed’s death.
It’s even weirder that you don’t know that Lucy is making such a fuss outside.
Therefore, Ziggs had no choice but to hide Tanya behind for now.
“You’d better evacuate quickly, Lortel.”
When Ziggs spoke like that, Lortel in the darkness raised his head thoughtfully. There is no telling what effect the news of Ed’s death might have had on her feelings or what it might have made her think of Tanya.
I have no choice but to wait quietly for Lortel’s answer.
But Lortel raised his head… He was smiling in a surprisingly elegant manner.
“Ziggs, you say that… “What were you doing here without escaping until now?”
Tidy tone as usual.
The clothes are just a little more comfortable and less formal, but Ziggs looks calm and collected as always… She felt rather uncomfortable.
Ziggs did not relax and just stared at Lortel, who continued speaking calmly.
“It’s a dangerous situation. We need to evacuate quickly. Isn’t that right, Ziggs? And you, Tanya.”
Did even Tanya sense that something was unusual?
However, it doesn’t seem hostile, so it’s hard to say anything back.
“Lortel.”
Ziggs does not loosen his grip on the sword handle.
And then he asked directly.
“Have you heard any news about Senior Ed?”
Lortel’s eyebrows furrowed and trembled.
It was a very weak reaction that would be difficult to catch with even a keen eye, but Ziggs, who was quick to notice, recognized the fluctuations in emotion.
“well. What do you think?”
“Okay, I don’t think they’ll just let me go.”
“What are you talking about, Ziggs? “I have no reason to stop you.”
Lortel, with his eyes closed and smiling, still looks relaxed. However, Tanya and Ziggs cannot think of moving even a single step.
“There’s no way I could beat you, Ziggs, in a simple one-on-one battle like this.”
It’s almost painful to recite all of Lortel Kecheln’s abilities one by one.
However, the thing that stands out above all else is the monster-like calm that maintains reason in any situation.
Even in imminent situations like Tarkan destroying the student center or Glast’s magic tower rising over the academic building, she never panicked or lost her senses.
It is a monster of reason that acts like a machine, finding the best move. Even in this situation where even Lucy, who always seemed grumpy, is swept up in anger, she grits her teeth and maintains her cool rationality.
However, reason and rationality do not always work together as one body.
She lived the life of a merchant, converting and weighing everything in the world into money, but there were times when even she deviated from the rational scale. This is when Ed is involved.
Lortel does not stop Ziggs. The reason is that Ziggs has higher combat ability than Lortel.
If so, I have no choice but to turn it around and ask.
“It’s not me…” “What would you have done if Tanya was alone?”
Although it looks calm and organized, there is no guarantee that it will be that way on the inside as well. That girl never honestly reveals her true feelings.
Therefore, no matter how messed up the inside is, you can never figure it out just by looking at the outside.
However, there are times when the part is revealed implicitly.
“He must have been torn to death.”
A shiver ran down Tanya’s back.
The expression is still calm and organized. The tone of voice also does not change at all. However, a sharp threat as if cutting through flesh hangs in the air.
“You’re lucky, Tanya. “I should thank Ziggs for accompanying me.”
Tanya’s expression is clearly visible in Lortel’s motionless amber eyes.
The reason why Lortel was sitting guarding this hallway was probably…
“That is a hasty action, Lortel.”
“That’s right, Ziggs. “It looks like you are taking Tanya’s side.”
Ziggs couldn’t say anything either.
Apparently, all circumstantial evidence points to Tanya as the culprit in Ed’s assassination.
The actions of Tanya, who had consistently revealed her malicious intent toward Ed. And the vassals of the Ross Taylor family who appear to have carried out the assassination. This overlaps with the fact that they were direct vassals who followed Tanya’s orders. Most vassals rarely take actions on their own without orders from their masters.
Ziggs’ actions of deciding to believe in Tanya’s innocence… It is strictly the realm of emotion rather than reason. It’s just a guess based on experience that Ed Rothtaylor doesn’t want Tanya to meet a terrible end.
This is why Lortel, who always aims to act rationally, is a terrible match for the somewhat emotional Ziggs.
“So, rather than killing him directly, he would have tortured him first. “If he somehow confesses, it’s another story.”
Ziggs swallowed dry saliva as he looked at Lortel smiling. That woman is definitely not in a normal state. Although she seems infinitely calm, she is clearly twisted somewhere.
“It looks like it’s been a while since you had your nails done, Tanya. “That’s a good thing.”
Tanya trembled, hiding her hands behind her back. Lortel’s words, which he uttered implicitly, had a horrifying meaning.
First of all, at least the fingernails wouldn’t have been fine… It made her heart tremble several times.
“Oh, no… I am… ! no… !!”
“Leave it, Tanya. “This is not someone you can persuade with emotional arguments alone.”
Ziggs calmly interrupted Tanya who was about to say something. Lortel’s expression doesn’t change at all.
However, he only quietly allowed them to pass.
“Please pass by.”
Lortel never fights a battle he can’t win. He is a man who only fights to win.
This is the dignity of someone who has survived since he was young in the harsh winds of business.
This is not the battlefield of Lortel Kecheln. Rather than shedding blood by exchanging sword strikes and magic, he is someone who works secretly in the darkness beneath the water and takes the battlefield itself into his hands.
If you turn it into an enemy, something terrible will inevitably happen.
Turning Ed into an enemy means, of course, that woman also becomes an enemy. Tanya wasn’t unaware of that fact, but when it became a reality, fear welled up throughout her body again.
Ziggs glared at Lortel in a wary manner.
She really didn’t move a thing. Is she really unwilling to stop? Or is even this just a postponement and a plan?
There is no distinction.
If the enemy simply has strong combat capabilities, you can choose to find a way to overcome them, find another way to compromise, or fight and win with grit.
However, someone like Lortel, who is infinitely cunning, makes it impossible to be sure that no matter what he does, it is the right decision. It feels like I’m wandering through a smoke screen, so it’s even more of a headache.
As the unanswerable standoff continues.
“Then Lortel… ”
– Clink! Quagang! Kang!
“Ah, uh… ! oh!”
[Be careful! You’re not hurt?! ]
“Uh, yeah… ! I wasn’t hurt, but… What do I do with the window… OMG… Everything is broken… This is a very high-end product, I don’t have much money to ask… What do we do… Ugh… Eek… ”
[ In a situation like this, would you go to the culprit for each broken window and demand compensation? ]
There was a girl who slipped in by breaking a window on one side of the hallway. The sound of rain falling outside the window begins to echo directly inside the hallway.
Her braided light pink hair was completely soaked in the rain. The same goes for clothes. The pure white blouse and navy blue skirt were completely stuck to the rain and clung to her body.
He wringed out one side of his wet skirt and shook his head like a puppy, then looked at Tanya and got angry.
“Ah, I found it! Tanya!”
After shouting like that, the atmosphere of the hallway finally caught her eyes.
“… ”
Tanya is shaking, and Ziggs is sweating and putting his hand on his sword. And Lortel was glaring at them calmly with cold eyes.
“Uh.. um… Maybe I didn’t understand the atmosphere… ?”
Yenika whined and stopped wringing out the water from her collar.
Afterwards, Merylda, who was sticking her head out through the window, sighed.
[No, rather, it seems like it came at the perfect time. ]
*
– Shoot!
In addition to my extreme physical condition, my vision is blurred due to the pouring rain.
The blood sword technique, which was running rampant as if it was going to consume the entire body, must have already noticed that the body’s condition has reached its limit… All her magical power was gone.
Although he raised all his strength as a swordsman and risked his life to attack, Clevious only had the advantage over Lucy for a hundredth of a second.
Even so, it was the result of Lucy’s carelessness rather than Clevius’s actions. Ironically, it was a gap created because the gap was overwhelming.
If Lucy had focused entirely on fighting Clevius from the beginning, the game would have been over in just a few seconds, let alone having a situational advantage.
Considering that Lucy was fighting by controlling her strength to avoid causing casualties, and that she was even maintaining the time prisons spread out across the garden and the magic sphere that filled the sky… Indeed, Clevius did not even reach his feet.
It was a miserable and sad event, but it was not unexpected.
Lost again. I was already sick and tired of losing.
“Ugh, big… Ugh… ”
Even if you push yourself off the floor to try to get up, your body loses strength before you can even stand up halfway. When I just raised my head and looked up, I saw a man wearing a robe looking down at Clevius.
As soon as he entered the rose garden, he first checked the surroundings. It seemed as if he would be in trouble if someone around him was watching.
Unfortunately, not many people were able to see him in the rose garden where most of the students took refuge.
Of course, the students and maids trapped in the time prison are meaningless, and at best they are Clevius or Elvira lying on his back.
Because of the pouring rain, the water fog was so thick that it was not easy to see the person’s face even if they were there.
The mid-level water spirit ‘Lioness Lacia’ who was blocking Lucy disappeared in an instant. It was a manifestation that seemed unstable at first glance. It looks like he was summoned after barely reaching his limit.
As a result, the only people left were Lucy, Elvira, Clevius, and the man wearing the robe.
When I looked up closely, I was finally able to identify that face.
The boy with aristocratic features and short blond hair was a familiar face.
“What.. ”
Clevius let out a laugh, barely able to support his upper body with his trembling arms.
“You were alive. “You son of a bitch.”
“… ”
“Uh, gasp… ”
Clevius, who had shed some blood, gritted his teeth and looked up at Ed.
“Really.. dog.. X8… If I knew it would be like this… I… Ugh.. Ugh… ”
“You were holding on. “Clevius.”
“okay… why… Do you choose… ??”
The boy, with his head down in a drizzle of rain, was finally letting out all the resentment and resentment that had been building up in him.
“Are you saying… ! X arm… !!”
No one said anything. Clevious’s anger is nothing but entitlement. Still, Ed stood still and listened.
However, there was some kind of surprise in Ed’s gaze.
Clevious lasted nearly 10 minutes against ‘Lazy Lucy’.
How many people in this academy can do that right now? Even Ed, who was fully aware of Clevius’ overall combat abilities, could not bear to think that this was possible.
“okay… really… I was beaten like a dog… I know… I know that I’m really ugly, stupid, and a scum like a dog… I know best… X arm… !!”
Clevious clenched his teeth, his fists shaking.
“I knew it too. Even if you try, it’s a mess. I knew that even if I risked her life and started a fuss, I wouldn’t be able to reach her feet… okay… So I wanted to jump out, but my arms and feet can’t move, so what are you telling me to do… ”
The rose garden reflected in the coward’s eyes was full of idiots.
There was no way they could stop such a monster, but all they could do was idiots who rushed in and tried to do something.
Maid Jang and her successors were trapped in a time prison. The seniors in each grade tried to stop it somehow… At the end, there is the girl alchemist who always grumbles against Clevius.
These idiots are a group of idiots that Clevius had grown tired of seeing throughout his life.
Leaving them behind, he fled to a safe place and lived without challenging himself, defining it as impossible, and never raising his head.
Everyone wanted that for Clevius. He taught that it was wise, and Clevius himself thought so. He was so shy that he didn’t even know how many people he would kill while challenging the Sword Demon’s blood.
When you get used to losing, you forget the pain it causes. My self-esteem is completely worn down and I can’t even relate to my emotions. There comes a moment when you can nod your head and agree even if someone insults you by calling you a coward or a fugitive.
I’m sure it will.
“how… X arm… How long do we have to live by running away? ”
The image of a hero charging with his sword drawn against an army that was coming like a mountain. A picture of Belcus Nortondale, the founder of the Nortondale family, seen in a picture book.
Everyone was afraid of the sword demon’s curse in Clevius’ blood and gave up, but his older brother died while affirming Clevius as a member of the Nortondale family until the end.
Tarkan, a high-ranking fire spirit who was feared even by the seniors in his grade, and Ed Rosstaylor, who stood in front of him and came up with a trick until the end.
Tailly, the sword saint who never lost his will and rushed at Professor Glast among the magic towers that filled the sky.
The maids, the seniors in the grade, and even Elvira, who tried to do their duty until the end even in front of Lucy who attacked.
Those idiots are eating away at the defeatism that was rooted in the boy’s heart.
Like a light hanging in a gutter, an ugly and stained image is thrust into your face.
It makes you hold your feet on the ground and pulls out a sword that has lost its edge.
It makes you hit your head like an idiot into an ordeal that everyone defines as impossible.
“really… I am… You stupid bastard, idiot, scum… me too… know… I know… ”
I lost too much blood. It was time for her to rest.
Clevius was unable to continue speaking and fell unconscious.
Ed just stood still and listened to Clevious’s incoherent swearing until the end. She was about to speak in her quiet voice, leaving Clevius completely unconscious.
“Uh, hmm… ”
-Shoot.
Elvira, completely devastated, came between Clevius and Ed. She looked as if she had already been subdued and was having a hard time controlling her body properly, but with her arms wide open, she was blocking Clevius’s path.
Perhaps she misunderstood that Edgar was going to do something to harm Clevius, but Elvira was blocking the road, sitting awkwardly with her lips pursed and her trembling arms not lowered.
It looked dangerous, as if it would fall right off if you kicked it.
Still, with his eyes alive with will, he was trembling and somehow taking a protective stance.
“… ”
Ed, who was quietly looking down at Elvira, finally quietly opened his mouth.
“Thank you, Elvira. Clevious. “Your efforts were not in vain, they were truly worthwhile.”
Elvira’s pupils suddenly widened, as if she had never imagined such a line would come out of Ed’s mouth.
There was no particular reason to harm Edgar Clevius. Rather, Clevious’s struggles were of great help to Ed.
However, since Elvira still did not like Ed, she just became anxious for no reason.
However, contrary to Elvira’s imagination, Ed calmly tapped Elvira’s shoulder a couple of times.
At that gesture, Elvira lost all strength in her body and fell down.
“… you are… ”
“Just rest for now, I’ve confirmed that I’m alive…” “You two have a lot to tell me.”
And then, Ed quietly put down his robe hat and turned around and walked away.
It was time to take Lucy back.
*
Loneliness is a disease that leads to death.
It is a curse that comes equally to everyone and eats away at their hearts little by little.
That is why people rely on each other to survive.
Even for a girl who lives looking down on everything in the world with a sad face, that mortal disease is bound to come without exception.
However, the girl could not understand the fear of loneliness… Because she had her Glokt in her childhood.
The presence of the old man who strokes my hair with his wrinkled hands and always sits next to me as if he were not there… He was protecting the girl from the fear of loneliness.
However, it is very difficult to realize this on one’s own.
Therefore, it may be natural to realize and suffer the pain of loss only after losing it.
– Shoot!
When Lucy saw the boy wearing the robe hat, her body almost lost strength in an instant.
I tried to close my eyes to see if I was hallucinating, but the boy’s appearance was still the same.
There was no dramatic reaction. She is not the kind of girl who would run screaming and be hugged.
“I am sorry. Lucy. You didn’t tell me in advance. “For some reason, I needed to die.”
However, it wasn’t until the low voice that I thought I couldn’t hear came into my ears that the sense of reality dawned on me.
“But, because I was in an urgent situation where my life was at risk, I couldn’t do anything in advance. So there was no time to share the news.”
Ed trudged through the rain to Lucy, who was standing there blankly. And only after reaching her side, did she clearly convey it to Lucy, who had a puzzled expression on her face.
“I am alive. Now, like this.”
Lucy looked up at Ed blankly.
Ed Ross-Taylor was right about the sturdy body, the flowing blonde hair, and even the faint, rain-soaked scent of grass coming from the body.
The facial expression is as expected. However, anyone could tell that what was flowing down around the corners of the eyes was not rainwater.
Suddenly, he started sniffling, then jumped up and looked at Ed’s chest. Then she buried her face in Ed’s wet collar and rubbed it.
“I thought you were dead.”
That wet feeling was in a tone that was difficult to hear for Lucy’s voice.
In the calm pouring rain, Ed slowly wrapped his arms around Lucy’s shoulders.
Looking up at the raining sky, I pressed Lucy’s slowly sobbing body tightly for a long time.
Spring rain is falling.
Spring reveals a new appearance after the rain passes, sweeping over the flower petals piled up on the roadside or the scent of flowers left in flower beds.
The same goes for the torrent of emotions.
Once you calmly let go and regain your senses, a new phase often comes to a relationship that had been stably established.
It starts with a small sense of discomfort.
Lucy cried in Ed’s arms, and only after pouring out her emotions for a long time… He succeeds in capturing the weak emotions hidden in that solitude.
It was Lucy who was looking at Ed’s face with a glock… No matter how much I think about it, I feel like there is a fundamental difference between the feelings I have toward Ed and the feelings I have toward Glokt.
The emotions felt in Glokt’s wrinkly hand as he stroked Lucy’s head while sitting by a warm fire, and in Ed’s hand pressing tightly on Lucy, who was so overcome with emotion that she was shedding tears. Similar yet strangely different.
The rain slowly stops, and the moonlight begins to seep through the clouds.
Lucy, who was rubbing her eyes in Ed’s arms, suddenly takes a deep breath.
I was wondering what the difference was… Eventually, the correct answer becomes concrete.
Once you become aware of it, it is not a task to realize the identity of that emotion.
-Whisk!
-sudden!
Suddenly, Ed was startled and regained his balance.
Lucy, who had been crying profusely in Ed’s arms, suddenly held back her tears, pushed Ed’s chest away, and raised her head.
And then… I quietly look up at Ed’s face with eyes of disbelief. It wasn’t just Ed who was surprised, but Lucy as well.
Although the corners of his eyes were still moist, the feeling of embarrassment was clearly evident.
Like a stray cat that has met an unexpected natural enemy… Lucy’s face, which had been shaking endlessly, heated up.
“Lucy?”
Ed just called Lucy’s name normally, but it felt like a fire was burning in Lucy’s chest.
Lucy tried to answer, but her voice trembled and no words came out, so she just took a step back.
Even the high-ranking magicians of the Bachelor cannot help but tremble in front of her… Lucy is like a mountain.
Lucy looked at Ed with a trembling face, as if she was facing an unknown being. That face was filled with only embarrassment.
