“This school is strange.”
That was the thought that lingered in Irene’s mind after the disciplinary committee meeting ended.
“A school with such prestige, the one my father and mother graduated from… why is it…”
The expectations she had held before enrolling in this renowned academy were shattered immediately after her admission.
“How could there be mid-level demonic beasts on school grounds?”
It was something that should’ve been impossible. Yet, no one questioned it.
Everyone remained silent.
What she encountered over the next two weeks defied her imagination.
“How can such irrational things happen…!”
It was a polished young man wearing a long coat and a fancy school uniform.
“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Irene. Where might you be headed in such a hurry?”
She immediately turned away, intending to leave. But an unwelcome voice caught her in her tracks.
“Ugh…”
No, to be precise, an intangible force blocked her path.
The moment she tried to take a step, an invisible pressure, like a strong gust of wind, held her in place.
It was only after she circulated a significant amount of magic roughly through her body that she managed to move again.
“Are you displeased with how I address you? Should I call you First-Year Representative instead for you to respond?”
“…Student Council President.”
Irene turned her head, her face openly displaying displeasure.
The gray-haired male student didn’t seem to take it seriously.
“Have I done something wrong? In any case, it’s good to see you. I happened to have something to discuss with you.”
“…”
“Is this about what happened at the entrance ceremony? Don’t let it bother you too much, junior. I told you before, didn’t I? I’m just an ordinary student.”
Crosell grinned as he spoke lightly.
Irene bit her lip.
She couldn’t forget the words Crosell had whispered in her ear during the catastrophe at the entrance ceremony.
“I’ll contact our clan and file a formal complaint with the board…!”
“The Spearman of the Demon Slayers is said to be in poor health. Are you sure that’s wise?”
The moment she heard those words, it felt like the breath was knocked out of her.
It was as if she’d been stripped bare in the middle of a public street.
“How on earth does he know that…”
The fact that her father had a terminal illness was an extremely confidential matter known only to a select few in Helios Clan, where her father was the leader.
It wasn’t something an ordinary student could know.
Ever since that day, she had been plagued with anxiety.
Later, when she had the chance to meet the student council president again, she mustered the courage to confront him.
Crosell had simply laughed and responded nonchalantly.
“Have you really been holding on to that until now? Haha… I just heard it from some of the higher-ups on the board. Don’t worry! What could I possibly do with that information? Of course, I’ve also heard a few other things about you and your clan…”
From those words, Irene could discern another meaning.
It was a warning from the school board that if she involved her father’s clan to cross a certain line in addressing the school’s problems, they wouldn’t stand idly by.
In the end, she had no choice but to act on her own.
“…What’s the reason you called me here?”
“I’ve been hearing lately that the First-Year Representative has been diligently acting as a lawyer for her classmates. I happened to be heading back after the disciplinary committee meeting and ran into you here.”
Was he mocking her?
Irene couldn’t quite grasp the student council president’s intentions.
“Isn’t it obvious? The school isn’t doing its job properly! Do you even know what’s been happening so far?”
“And what has been happening? I’d like to hear it.”
Annoyed by the president’s feigned ignorance, Irene explained in an accusatory tone.
She took a step closer to him.
“I’ve conducted an investigation among the students over the past two weeks. There have been 217 cases of extortion, 148 cases of assault, and even 54 cases of sexual harassment and assault regardless of gender. And that’s only from the victims I personally spoke to. If you include those who stayed silent, the real numbers are probably even higher.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Do you think this is normal? This isn’t a school, it’s a den of criminals! Where’s the prestigious Polaris Academy I was told about?”
Crosell listened quietly to Irene’s outburst, then casually threw out a comment.
“Ah, so that’s why you’ve been anonymously reporting to the media, parents, civic groups, and even the Inspectorate. The board had a hard time dealing with all that. I even got called in and scolded for it.”
Irene’s face turned pale. Crosell grinned.
He took a step closer to her.
“How do you even know about that…”
“You seem quite surprised. Were you expecting the school to be thrown into chaos, for search warrants to be executed, and for the evening news to feature it as the top story?”
He smiled like an adult humoring a child’s tantrum.
“This isn’t some morning drama. That’s not how things work. Academies for Awakened individuals are granted a certain level of immunity.
As for the students who joined in on the whistleblowing, don’t worry.
The board understands the students’ frustrations, so nothing serious will happen to them.”
Overwhelmed, Irene stepped back.
Crosell looked down at her.
Irene, who seemed daunted, glared at Crosell before opening her mouth.
“Why are you doing this? Why does the student council encourage this kind of atmosphere in the school?”
“Encourage? That’s a poor choice of words. Let’s call it freedom instead.”
“What?”
“People might think we issued orders. This is simply a set of rules the students themselves created.
The first principle of this school is this: ‘Polaris students act according to their own will and choices.’
If there’s a conflict, resolve it directly.
Why should competent and diligent people clean up after others?
If you want something, you have to earn it yourself.
Take Lucian, who was recently investigated by the Disciplinary Committee, for example.
He’s already adapting well.
That’s the right attitude.”
Crosell briefly pulled out his phone and glanced at the screen before showing it to Irene.
“Congratulations. I just received a report from the disciplinary department. Ten cases have been filed. All involve first-years attacking and subduing their upperclassmen. Brave individuals, aren’t they?”
Irene looked at Crosell with a dumbfounded expression, as if staring at a madman.
“You call this freedom? This is…”
“What’s the problem? We, the student council, are merely respecting the freedom of individual students. Don’t like the oppression of those seniors? Hate the administration? Then solve it yourself. You’ve already seen how neither the Disciplinary Department nor the committee sides with anyone.”
Irene wanted to refute his words, but there was some truth to them.
The disciplinary department subdued anyone, regardless of rank, who engaged in violence on campus, and while the committee’s procedures were a mess, their decisions were at least neutral.
Crosell slightly lowered his head to meet her gaze directly.
“When it comes to dealing with conflicts among Awakened, private solutions are often faster than legal ones. You, of all people, should know this better. The Spearman’s lance didn’t just pierce demonic beasts.”
Irene’s emerald-green eyes burned with fury.
“And who do you think you are to talk about my father like that?”
“Unlike certain people, I don’t parade around with someone else’s status and fame as if it were my own.”
A massive pressure descended around Irene.
Only then did she sense the overwhelming flow of magical power surrounding the student council president.
Crosell growled softly.
“I told you, private solutions are faster. If you’re thinking of something, draw your weapon. The outcome will be on you.”
“Ugh…!”
Irene gritted her teeth and glared at him.
As she concentrated, a yellow flash erupted, breaking the telekinetic hold on her.
But the telekinetic force grabbed her again.
The two remained in a standoff until the tension was broken.
Crosell was the first to withdraw his power, scanning the surroundings.
“I might’ve gotten a bit too heated. I apologize. And…”
“…Eavesdropping on someone else’s conversation isn’t very polite, junior.”
He extended his hand, wielding telekinetic force to drag a nearby sofa aside.
Behind it, Violet was lying flat on the floor.
“Eek!”
“Violet Rugilinn? What are you doing there?”
“You… are you some kind of cockroach? How pathetic…”
“Hehehe…”
The unexpected insult stung my pride.
How could he call someone as adorable as me a cockroach…
“Wait! How did you notice me?”
“Anyone would notice someone rustling around like that nearby.
By the way, haven’t we met before?”
“I don’t think so.”
It was the first time I had seen him since the entrance ceremony two weeks ago.
The student council president closed his eyes briefly, muttered something, then opened them as if he’d remembered something.
“Ah, now I remember. You’re Violet Rugilinn, aren’t you?”
To my surprise, he knew my name!
“What?! How did you know? We’re meeting for the first time!”
“Well, I’ve memorized the entire student roster.”
“What? Student council president, you…”
It seemed like he was bragging out of nowhere.
Irene looked at him, surprised, and questioned him.
“Try pointing out if there’s anything I got wrong. Violet Dunhind Rugilinn, from the Eastern District, possesses a unique ability. The ability is to control multiple clones of her original body. She was admitted through the special recruitment process in the 25th academic year.”
“Wow, you know quite a lot.”
Surprisingly, this guy knew everything about me, down to the tiniest details.
“And I know even more beyond that.”
He scrutinized me with sharp eyes that seemed to dig into my innermost thoughts.
A chill ran down my spine.
Did he perhaps figure out that I was from the Laplaxia Laboratory?
He lowered his head and whispered something into my ear.
“Your mother is Eva Liston, working as a local doctor. No father. You were adopted. As for your maternal grandparents, their names are…”
Shocking. He recited personal information about me that I didn’t even know! I have a mother, grandmother, and grandfather? This was truly surprising.
“You… what kind of nonsense are you…”
“All I’m saying is, I know my students well. Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”
The student council president’s lips curved into a smile, but his eyes didn’t.
Sensing a wave of danger, the Violet Network quickly calculated and provided a solution.
Alright. I get it!
He’s warning me not to carelessly spread around the things I overheard today.
But seriously, what’s this student council president going on about? I don’t have a mom or dad. I’m an orphan.
-Mom? I had a mom? Who’s Eva Liston?-
-Oh, I get it! Eva must be the name of the researcher whose skull I smashed with a hammer. The one with the ponytail!-
Ah, now I remember the admissions documents I reviewed before submission.
In the family section of those papers, the ponytailed woman was listed as my mother.
Though I had personally killed her.
Anyway, it was a relief.
Everything that guy spouted was just fake information crafted by the Bald Research Director.
It seemed like neither he nor this so-called Board of Directors knew anything beyond that.
Thank you, Baldy!
“Anyway, this concludes our conversation. If you have complaints, deal with them yourself. The student council is busy.”
As he was leaving us behind, Crosell suddenly turned back, as if something had just come to mind.
“Though this will be officially announced tomorrow, let me tell you in advance. The repair work on the dueling arena, conducted during summer break, was completed yesterday. Starting this Wednesday, the arena will reopen. Resolve any petty conflicts there.”
“A duel? What do you mean by that…”
“Junior, you still don’t get it, do you? If there’s something you want, you have to seize it yourself. If you don’t like harassment, you can make that a condition as well. The outcome of a duel is absolute.”
Hearing what the student council president said, a question arose in my mind.
“Hey, student council president?”
“What is it, Miss Rugilinn?”
“If that’s how it works, could you, by any chance, obtain the student council president’s position through a duel?”
Irene’s green eyes lit up with intrigue, her confusion momentarily forgotten.
The student council president, upon hearing my words, looked blank for a moment before breaking into a sly smile and clapping a few times.
“Miss Violet seems to understand things quicker than that first-year representative over there.”
Wow. It was real? You could challenge the student council president and take their position through a duel?
“If you want, yes, that’s possible. If you can.”
“Eek?”
Suddenly, an invisible force wrapped around me, as if squeezing me from all sides.
My body refused to move.
The effects of the force weren’t limited to me; even the nearby decorations and furniture began trembling.
The pressure was immense!
“Are you crazy? Stop it!”
Irene screamed as she rushed toward the student council president, but I looked at her and shook my head.
I’m fine. Really.
The pressure was like being deep underwater, but I was still standing, relatively okay.
[The pain felt by the individual is distributed and reduced according to the number of clones – Reduction Rate: 5%]
“It’s not that big of a deal? What is this?”
“…You’re enduring it.”
The student council president tilted his head.
A moment later, the trembling around us subsided.
Finally, I could move my body again.
The student council president departed but left a few words as he went.
“…Over the past five years, I’ve seen plenty of juniors like you. Many of them managed to turn the tables. But most of the time, everything reverted to the way it was. Do you know why? It’s simple. They brought it upon themselves.”
“And one last piece of advice—don’t place too much hope in people. Best of luck.”
The student council president’s coat fluttered as he disappeared down the hallway.
“Hey, it wasn’t a big deal… Eek!”
“Are you okay?”
As I tried to walk forward, I suddenly staggered and collapsed to my knees.
I thought I was fine because of the pain distribution, but the sheer pressure itself had clearly taken a toll on my body.
-The pressure was insane… Who the hell is that guy? He’s throwing around mana like it’s water.-
-It wasn’t just bluster when he said to try and take his position if you wanted.-
It might be unfair to compare it directly to a game, but that guy’s level seemed on par with some kind of boss monster.
What kind of student is that strong?
-Something’s off. I need to investigate him.-
-And it’s not just him. He kept mentioning the Board of Directors.-
There’s something I need to dig into.
Even if most of what he said about me was fake, the fact that he rattled off my personal information meant I needed to know more about him and the Board of Directors backing him.
It’s only fair, isn’t it?
Irene helped me up.
“Violet Rugilinn, are you okay?”
“I’m fine. But can you just call me Violet instead of saying my full name?”
“If that’s what you prefer, I will.”
Once I had steadied myself, Irene cautiously asked.
“How much of that conversation… did you hear?”
“From the part about abetment and liberty?”
That was a lie.
I had actually overheard everything since the earlier mention of reports.
While I’d been messing around, Irene had been dealing with something serious.
She really was the hero’s child and the heir to a clan.
Come to think of it, Irene might know something.
“Should I help you?”
For a brief moment, she looked hopeful, but she quickly shook her head.
“Violet, I appreciate the thought. But this school is strange. It feels like there’s something big lurking behind it all. Even at the entrance ceremony… no, never mind. I’ll be fine.”
“Then how about I just report something if I happen to see it? Would that be okay?”
She hesitated, a serious expression on her face, before finally nodding in agreement.
“Just let me know if you see something by chance. Nothing more, okay?”
“Got it!”
Another lie.
I was definitely going to investigate this myself.
I couldn’t ignore this kind of curiosity.
Between the unexpected expansion of the school I’d stumbled upon during a previous search and the pack of ghouls wandering the school ruins in the main storyline five years from now, I wanted to find out if there was any connection.
-Irene’s not wrong. Listening to the student council president, something definitely feels off.-
-But hey! If it all goes sideways, I’ll just kill myself and call it a day!-
It doesn’t matter if things fall apart. It’s not like I’m here to graduate or anything. If things get too messy, I’ll just run away!
Looks like I’ve got something new to do starting today.