Student Council President Election (12)
Tap the chess piece shaped like a horse’s head with the tip of your index finger. It was a chess piece symbolizing a knight.
If you press the end of the head of the chess piece, which stands like a sawtooth, and then push it with force, it will tilt slightly diagonally.
The finger that had been tilting the chess piece from the line where it looked like it would fall but would not fall, soon ended up rolling on the chessboard floor with a crackling sound when it was pushed to the line where the balance of power was lost.
And so the knight died. It was a throwaway tree for exchanging goods.
Princess Fenia, who was sitting alone by the window and moving the chess pieces around, sighed softly.
She tied up her flowing platinum-blond hair, loosened it again, and sighed again.
She felt depressed.
The news that was just delivered by the guard captain, Claire. It was the news of Ed Rosstaylor’s death.
Although the exact full story is not yet fully understood, the bachelor’s initial investigation indicates that he appears to have been assassinated by the forces of the Ross-Taylor family.
“How did it happen…” If things turned out like this… ”
With Ed Ross Taylor… Would it be most appropriate to say that it was a love-hate relationship? That wasn’t an accurate expression either.
In fact, it may be more accurate to say that Princess Fenia owes a debt of gratitude to Ed Rosstaylor.
After hearing about his death, I couldn’t help but look back on my encounters with him.
It didn’t start out that well from the start, and it feels like the time of trouble between us was much longer.
If you were to raise Ed Rosstaylor from the dead and ask him what he thought of Princess Fenia, he would recall that she was a horribly incompatible person.
To that extent, there was a high possibility that Princess Fenia was a thorn in Ed Rosstaylor’s eyes.
However, Princess Fenia is the supreme third princess of the Cloel Imperial Family.
If you want to compare the difference in status with Ed Ross Taylor, who was excommunicated and became a commoner, the metaphor of heaven and earth is not enough.
It is strange that Princess Fenia falls into grief at the news of Ed Rosstaylor’s death. How can you be so depressed about how special your relationship was?
Still, for Princess Fenia, who lived with constant suspicion about the Rosstaylor family… Ed’s presence, running out of that fence, was meaningful enough. At least she wasn’t a person who deserved to die in vain like this.
So, let’s try to somehow unravel this twisted relationship… I tried to find time to have a proper conversation with him by canceling most of my schedules that had been pushed back and processing the ones that weren’t canceled ahead of time.
The schedule was already approaching the next day, but the Rosstaylor family did not wait for Princess Fenia.
-Puzzle.
Suddenly, there was a sound of teeth grinding.
Princess Fenia was once again surprised to learn that those words came from her own mouth.
The image of myself doing nothing, just sitting quietly at the table by the window and fiddling with the chessboard… It’s like a defeated Taoist dog.
What does it mean to be called the Princess of Charity and to be loved by the people?
Whenever Princess Fenia did something as a monarch, nothing ever went completely as she wanted.
The reason she was able to receive the public’s love was only because she did not step forward and wield power. Didn’t the two older sisters who were actively seeking the throne tenaciously push for what they thought was right, even if it sometimes went against the will of the public?
Basically, most political decisions are double-edged swords. If you gain something, you often have to lose something else.
In the process, there will be countless instances where someone has to be sacrificed.
The image of Ed Rothtaylor rises above the knight rolling around on the chessboard.
Ed Rothtaylor, whose first evaluation was a complete failure, showed his true worth as time went by… If he had survived, he might have become someone who could accomplish anything without relying on his family’s prestige.
However, it is more likely that this death will be infinitely meaningless.
Princess Fenia had a chance.
There were numerous possibilities in which I could have taken a little more time to listen to his opinions, resolved my emotional turmoil, and put aside my pride to continue my relationship with him on a deeper level.
A busy schedule, poor self-esteem, and low confidence due to repeated failures… This is to prevent them from doing so.
I realized that fact too late and took care of all the backlogged work to make a schedule to meet him… The blade of her miserable fate was a little faster than her.
That is a huge, inexcusable failure. Princess Fenia herself can never be free from that guilt.
“… ”
When I turn my head and look at the desk… It is full of various materials that I collected in hopes of becoming the student council president.
Students of Sylvania Academy gathered from various countries. Fenia wanted to become a representative among them and wield academic power.
It is a very weak power compared to the power of the Cloel Imperial Family, but at least within Sylvania, it will enable it to exert its own independent power.
Rather than simply being the third princess relying on the protection of the imperial family, she will be able to exercise her own independent status as the student council president of Sylvania Academy. Rather than having the imperial family as her background, she stands on her own.
That was the first point that Princess Fenia looked at.
“I am… He is someone who should not be in power… ”
By lowering her head for a moment and muttering softly, Princess Fenia covered her lifeless eyes.
– smart.
At that time, a knock was heard from the door.
After permission to enter, the door slowly opens with a squeak, and his escort, Claire, appears.
Next to him… There was Tanya Rosstaylor, panting, wearing a robe completely covered in rain and mud.
*
The location was the central entrance of the Ofilis Building.
The rain has almost stopped and you can see the stars through the clouds. The situation has been resolved to some extent.
The people who had been frozen like statues by Lucy’s time prison magic were left alone for now. This is because people who knew whether Ed was alive or not needed time to discuss their stories.
Ofilis Hall, where evacuation had already been completed, was filled with silence. There might be some students left, but there were no students immediately visible.
Even the junior maids who were evacuating the students seemed to have left their seats.
It happened in an instant. Even though they had little time to react, they were clearly elite personnel. Even though the leadership was completely attacked, they quickly divided the areas they were responsible for and evacuated all the students in just 15 minutes. There was a high possibility that he would have moved towards the teaching building and reported the situation there.
“okay… We’re all here… ”
Ofilis Hall, located on the outskirts of the living building, is not as close to the teaching building as you might think.
If we had just received reports of an incident at Ofilis Hall, it would have taken 10 minutes no matter how quickly we rushed in to get here.
Since I didn’t have much time, I tried to convey the main points quickly… The condition of the gathered people was not normal.
First of all, Clevius has lost his mind. He and Elvira struggled to support him and leaned against a pillar.
After that, Elvira sat down next to Clevius, holding her knees, and just looked at the group. You were exhausted, and you probably had a lot of questions about how the situation came to be like this.
Besides that, Ziggs… In a corner of the central entrance, he was bowing his head and apologizing to Yenika. Yenika was red all the way to the top of her head and her cheeks were puffing out, and we could guess that he had said something rude to Yenika, which was uncharacteristic of Ziggs.
And speaking of Lortel… In the opposite corner, he was holding his face with both palms.
It seemed like the heat was rising this way.
“What are you doing, Lortel?”
“… ”
Lortel pulled the coat over his shoulders, adjusted his clothes, and smiled when he looked at Ed’s face.
“As expected, you’re safe, Senior Ed.”
“okay. “I’m sorry for worrying you for no reason.”
“no. I’m not worried. If you think about it slowly and with common sense, you can see that Senior Ed is not someone who would die that easily. “When I think about it, among the magic engineering supplies you gave me, there was something like the Delheim Hourglass, which is definitely helpful for saving lives.”
Lortel grinned and added.
“It is important for a merchant to always maintain composure and reason. Although it is shocking news, you should not lose your mind or feel shaken before confirming the facts. Right, Ziggs?”
“… ”
Ziggs, who was sweating profusely next to Yenika, clenched his chin in thought for a moment.
“Right, Ziggs?”
“… Uh, hmm… ”
“Right, Ziggs?”
“ah… yes… Lortel had no emotional agitation… .”
Did he feel some unspoken pressure? Ziggs said this while wiping his face.
“but… Clearly, looking at the circumstantial evidence, it was true that Tanya was very suspicious. So, I just put some pressure on Tanya and tried to get her to turn herself in if that was true. In the process, there were a few threats, but no physical harm was done.”
“okay… That’s right… ”
Ziggs was looking at Lortel with fearful eyes, constantly twitching his chin as if something was holding him back.
“indeed… Is this a merchant’s way of dealing with life? I really can’t decide which one it is… ”
As if wondering what Ziggs’ reaction was, Lortel smiled and spoke calmly.
“Do you think I thought senior Ed would die just because of something like this? Worry about oil and resin. but… ”
Lortel stood up, strode over, raised his tiptoes, and pulled down the collar around Ed’s neck. Then she sticks her head out to check Ed’s face up close.
“Because rational judgment doesn’t always work out the way you think.”
He just lowered his head and smiled.
“Seeing how relieved I felt when we actually met each other face to face… Actually, I guess I was a little worried.”
A feeling as if old worries were being pushed down through my chest. Lortel was clearly heaving a sigh of relief.
“Looking like this, it seems like you were right to worry me, Senior Ed. “Just as nothing is free in this world, it would be right for you to pay for my worries.”
“what?”
After saying that, it was the moment Lortel was about to be hugged.
The moment the tiptoe went down and her face was pressed against Ed’s chest, there was a girl who squeezed in between them.
It is truly rare to see Lortel genuinely surprised. She always maintains her composure, so most of it is just her face pretending to be surprised.
However, this time it was real. She was clearly embarrassed, if only for a moment.
Lucy, who quickly pushed Lortel away, put her arms forward and took a defensive stance.
With a face full of dissatisfaction, ‘Don’t come any closer!’ It looks like he’s shouting… Lortel was dumbfounded for a moment.
What kind of person is Lucy Mayril? Wasn’t he the kind of person who always looked half-asleep and yawned no matter what others did?
Seeing that girl desperately trying to block Ed’s approach, Lortel felt the anxiety that had been sleeping in a corner of his heart awaken.
The way he flaps his arms and puffs out his cheeks… Anyone can see that she is a girl who is so jealous that she doesn’t know what to do and her body explodes first.
Lucy is glaring at Lortel as if she’s going to eat him… When her buttocks, which had been pulled back in a defensive posture, suddenly touched Ed’s body, she was startled and quickly pulled her body away, as if a thrilling electricity had suddenly passed through her entire body.
Wasn’t she the girl who clung to Ed whenever she got the chance, chewing beef jerky, or even fell asleep on Ed’s stomach once in a while when she was bored? The sight of her taking a step back, with her cheeks blushing just from this level of skinship, seems unnatural to anyone.
“… ”
That scene gave the same feeling not only to Lortel, but also to Yenica, who was receiving repeated apologies from Ziggs.
The reason why Lucy Mayril was able to avoid receiving any special rituals from Yenika and Lortel was because she was always aloof from Sepha… It’s like someone living on a higher level somehow… . This is because there was such a strange, fresh-like atmosphere flowing through it.
Although he wields overwhelming magical power and receives everyone’s awe, he does not feel any pride or motivation… It really feels like a background character rather than a person.
Could it be possible for a girl like this to give affection to someone, harbor feelings for someone, or show interest in someone? Because that didn’t seem very realistic, whether it was Yenika or Lortel, they had no choice but to lose some of their consciousness of Lucy in her subconscious.
Lortel, who had a habit of always keeping even the smallest possibility in mind and dealing with it, was conscious of the possibility itself… I had no idea it would suddenly become reality like this.
“roo… Lucy… You… ”
The moment Yenica was about to say something, Edgar placed his hand and chin on Lucy’s head.
And then, as if nothing happened, I pulled Lucy to my side, put my hand on her shoulder, and gently pressed her down.
It was something that could no longer be called skinship for Ed.
In fact, Ed is already in a close relationship with Lucy, so he doesn’t think of it as special skinship just because he pulled her by the shoulder and pressed it to his side.
I’ve gotten used to Lucy, who always flirts with me and clings to me.
However, for Lucy today, it was a disaster-like surprise attack.
Sadly, Lucy has just passed a turning point in her entire perception of Ed Ross-Taylor.
My awareness of Ed has been completely rebuilt, and I can no longer help but think about my position as a man and a woman.
However, that is strictly Lucy’s situation.
It is quite natural for Ed to treat Lucy as usual, casually.
“—!”
Without being able to say anything, Lucy’s face was filled with heat as if it were going to burst, with her mouth tightly closed.
Now that I think about it, it’s ridiculous. Even when she was busy doing all sorts of things and living in a difficult situation, the girl who stayed still with a bored expression on her face was now conscious of her every movement. Who in the world would not burst into laughter?
However, as positions and perceptions change, reactions are bound to change. That’s what humans are like.
“Why are you like this, Lucy? Lortel is saying this out of concern of his own, so there is no need to be too suspicious. My emotions have just subsided, so I understand that the edge is still there, but… ”
So, Ed doesn’t care about Lucy’s feelings and is just paying attention to Lucy’s actions to be wary of Lortel…
Lucy couldn’t even hear those words. All he did was put on his big witch hat and hold his heart again.
– Tuuk.
It was Yenika who pulled Lucy away from Ed.
“You’re too close… !”
In fact, this reaction was also absurd.
Jenica visits Ed’s camp whenever she can, and has seen Lucy and Ed sitting by the fire several times.
Nevertheless, Yenika did not feel any sense of crisis due to Lucy’s always indifferent attitude… The Lucy Mayril of today is strange to anyone.
That’s why my intuition as a girl moved my body.
Lucy fell out of Yenica’s arms… Only then did I come to my senses.
Then, he made a sharp sound and escaped from Yenika’s arms to confront her head on. Lortel’s gaze, who was looking at it, also turned cold.
“… ”
For a moment, silence spreads between the central entrance where Jenica, Lortel, and Lucy are standing.
“This… !”
Ziggs, who was watching them with his arms crossed, swallowed dry saliva. It’s much more interesting than the gladiatorial fights we all went to see once when we lived in the Islan mansion.
It’s not even a seat far away, it’s right in front of you. The moment Ziggs made a whooshing sound and was about to sit down properly in the audience…
“Over there~”
Elvira, who had been sitting quietly next to the stunned Clevius, broke the silence.
“we… Don’t you think you don’t have much time… ?”
“… ”
Yes. In fact, the party did not have time to waste like this.
Briefly inform us of the reason why the fact cannot be made public even though Ed is alive.
He also apologized to Clevious and Elvira,
I also have to go find Tanya, who ran away.
Ed had to keep his mouth shut in case he testified to the bachelor’s side about how the situation came to be like this, and when all of that was over, Ed had to leave this place immediately.
Ziggs hit his knee in disappointment. Still, Elvira was right.
“is it so. First of all, I think it is right to proceed quickly with the story. “Seniors.”
*
“Uh, breath!”
When Clevius opened his eyes, the place was near the main gate of Ophilis Hall.
I wonder if the aftereffects of being beaten to death by Lucy remain… His body was creaking.
“W-what… ! What happened… ”
The wounds on the body had been reduced to some extent, and the bleeding had stopped. Rather than using medicine or emergency medical supplies, it is a treatment that directly utilizes magical power.
When he barely raised his upper body and looked around, he was surprised to notice that Elvira was sitting quietly right behind him.
“W-what… !”
When I scratched my shoulder, a few strands of Elvira’s long, curly orange hair came out.
Looking at the situation, it seems that he had been lying with the back of his head in Elvira’s lap for quite some time.
“Why are you making such a fuss, stupid Clevius?”
“… What, what, what happened? me… Are you dead? ? Well, I guess there’s nothing to say even if he died stupidly after digging that hard… !”
“Stop being noisy and sit nearby. “I’ve heard everything, so I’ll tell you.”
The rain had completely stopped. As if it had never rained so much, a large, round moon occupied the sky on a moonlit night.
After the dark clouds pass, all kinds of stars are like salt in the open sky. Basking in that light, Clevius and Elvira quietly looked up at the sky from under the tree in the garden.
“The academic staff will arrive now. Then you can testify that you stopped Lucy.”
“what? I? “How did I stop that monster?”
“Stop bickering, ugh. Everyone agreed to do that. I’ll explain the reason later… ”
Elvira grabbed Clevious by his hair. Clevius was dragged by Elvira’s hand, making a groaning sound, and buried his head in her lap again.
“… “Just get some rest.”
“No, what is this… ! Ah-oh… !”
As if the situation wasn’t very comfortable, Clevius tried to raise his injured body with a groan… Elvira pressed the bridge of her nose.
It was surprising that Lucy bowed her head politely for destroying all of the magical engineering supplies and beating up Clevius. It was Lucy who gave first aid to Clevious’ body.
In addition, it was a compensation and confidential payment, and even though it was difficult right now because there was not enough cash, I also received a pledge from Elte Company that they would make sure to take care of it later. It was surprising that Lortel would even provide such a guarantee, so Elvira was quite surprised.
The personal situation of Ed Rosstaylor, who was pursued by his family… It wasn’t something I couldn’t understand.
I wanted to explain the circumstances in detail… Elvira thought that the first thing to do was to put Clevius down.
Clevius, who had twisted his body back and forth a few times at first, eventually relaxed, no longer able to resist Elvira’s touch that was pressing his body.
So I stay still for a while… Clevius pressed his eyes with his hands.
“Again… Even if I say this, it will only make me think that this is the beginning… ”
I lie down on Elvira’s lap and look up at the now refreshing sky. Clevious said this with gritted teeth.
“Life is… . You really look like a dog… ”
Clevius already knew it well enough from experience.
If you complain like this in front of Elvira, you will be told to stop whining and be scolded like always.
However, Elvira just smiled and looked up at the night sky together.
Likewise, Elvira’s life was not that easy.
As a nuisance to the Anniston family who only received interference from her older sisters, as a loser at the Alchemy Society, and as the head of Sylvania’s pension department.
I was thinking of explaining in detail the hardships of life, but I thought that would be a very tacky thing to do.
The girl just speaks quietly.
“You’re right, Clevious.”
The two just looked up at the starry sky for a while until the academic staff arrived.
Before I knew it, the dark clouds that had been hanging were gone. The open sky filled my field of vision.
Although the vast sea of stars was quite far away, its dazzling light was clearly visible to my eyes.
