Chapter 432
Simon couldn’t help but be stunned by Phantasus’s shocking words.
“You will be the next Student Council President of Keyzen!”
Student Council President of Keyzen?
Me?
I’m not even in the third year, I’ve only just become a second-year!
“W-wait a moment!”
Simon hurriedly held out his palm. The suspicion that there had been some mistake grew stronger in his mind.
“It’s just a bit sudden… The first time I met you back at Pentamonium, I clearly remember….”
“I remember too!”
Phantasus suddenly cut in. His bold, sharply defined face leaned in close.
“At that time, I asked if you had any intention of becoming the next president, and you said it was difficult to answer yet, so you held back your reply.”
“That’s right! But why all of a sudden….”
“The situation has changed a little.”
Phantasus pointed downward with his fingertip.
“Why don’t you sit and listen first, hmm!”
“…Understood.”
Simon calmed himself down and sat, focusing on Phantasus’ explanation.
Normally, the student council president of Keyzen was a third-year. There was no strict rule that the president must be the strongest in Keyzen, but that was the common perception.
And the next president had almost been decided already. The school, the Keyzen headquarters, and even the third-years themselves were all supporting one man as the successor.
“Third-year top student, Aizel Bringer.”
Phantasus folded his arms.
“He was top student all throughout the second year, and now, as a third-year, he’s without doubt the strongest in Keyzen, hmm!”
Simon tilted his head slightly after hearing this.
“Then isn’t it natural that he should be the one to become president?”
“Hahaha! I told you the situation has changed!”
Aizel was currently carrying out an important mission, traveling back and forth between the Holy Federation and the Neutral Zone.
But according to Phantasus, things had gotten… no, seriously tangled up, and at the earliest, he wouldn’t be able to return until the middle or latter half of the semester.
“What kind of mission could it be….”
“Surveillance and assassination.”
Simon’s expression stiffened at the reply.
“Forgive me, I can’t tell you more as it’s classified, hmm!”
“Oh, of course. I understand.”
Phantasus smacked his lips.
“It wasn’t a mission that even needed to be taken on, yet Aizel, perhaps conscious of me, insisted on undertaking the very same mission I had done in the past! Hmm. He must have wanted to overcome in one stroke the situation where he could only ever be compared to me.”
Click.
At that moment, Anna came in with a tray of sugar-preserved fruits for dessert.
“Now, serious talk is fine, but have some of this while you continue.”
Phantasus’ eyes gleamed.
“How kind you are! Thank you, Madam!”
Chomp! Crunch!
Phantasus grabbed the food with both hands and devoured it wildly without even using utensils.
He had apparently become an adventurer after graduation, and it seemed he hadn’t often eaten his fill.
“You’re not having any?”
“I’m fine.”
The conversation resumed.
“And so, with Aizel’s delayed return, Keyzen has no choice but to appoint a new student council president! We can’t leave such an important post empty during the busiest time of the semester, hmm!”
“That makes sense.”
“But I had already conveyed my will clearly to Lady Neftis and the school!”
Snap!
Phantasus’ thick finger pointed straight at Simon’s forehead.
“My chosen successor is Simon Follentia! If not Simon Follentia, then the only other acceptable option is Aizel among the third-years!”
“W-what?”
“And now, with Aizel’s return delayed and an interim president required!”
Phantasus’ eyes burned like fire.
“I will not appoint any other third-year to the presidency!!”
Simon was flustered.
“But surely there are plenty of third-years more remarkable than me, even if it’s not Aizel?”
“Nonsense! They’re all pathetic!”
Bang!
Phantasus slammed his fist on the table, and the candied fruits flew into the air before landing back in the dish.
“They’re my junior for two years, you know full well! Their abilities are without doubt, of course. But they are far too calculating! Strong against the weak and weak against the strong! Living lives others expect of them, with no lives of their own! And above all, as human, they lack dreams and vision!”
He growled with a beastlike fury.
“Even if I, Phantasus, must die and be buried in dirt, I will never recommend such men to the presidency!”
Simon scratched his temple.
“But I also….”
“You are different!”
Phantasus extended both his palms toward Simon.
“BMAT, the promotion exams, when all of you first-years were at your busiest, you willingly took part in the Pentamonium Academic Conference!”
“Yes, but that was…”
Both of them spoke at once.
“To earn money—”
“To earn money, of course!”
Bwahahaha!
Phantasus laughed heartily, slapping his knees.
“What a crazy junior you are! And after that, the reports I received of your actions were one surprise after another! At the conference you wrote an excellent thesis, but you didn’t even submit it for your Summonology evaluation! If you had, you would have received full marks for certain! Instead, you deliberately sold the thesis and used the money to create a Lich, which you then presented for the exam!”
Phantasus leaned his head forward.
“And why did you go so far?”
Simon blushed awkwardly and answered.
“B-because it was something I really wanted to do.”
Tears of emotion welled up in Phantasus’ eyes.
“Perfect!!!”
A massive shout resounded across the towering Leshill mountains.
Meanwhile, Richard was covering Anna’s ears from behind.
“This is why I like you! Meeting you in person only makes my conviction stronger! You’re the only one fit to be president!”
Simon was at a loss, unable to understand why Phantasus rated him so highly.
“But back then, people around me said it was strange.”
“Don’t mind such voices! Hmm!”
Phantasus pounded his chest.
“And what happened as a result of making that Lich? You defeated even Shatel, the half-giant who was considered a level above you, and you even stopped the Blood Heaven Cult! All thanks to what others sneered at as unnecessary!”
…Looking at the results, it did sound quite convincing.
Simon forced down the feeling of being swept away and regained his composure.
“I understand why you think so highly of me, President, but I believe it’s time to also consider more realistic problems.”
Phantasus calmed down and folded his arms.
“Yes! Realistic problems! Exactly. You will indeed face strong opposition and resistance from the third-years!”
“Yes, that’s what worries me most.”
Hehehe.
Phantasus suddenly let out a laugh.
“Of course! I’ve solved that issue as well!”
“What?”
“Did you think I came here recklessly, without any preparation at all? Hmm!”
Phantasus revealed that he had already negotiated with Aizel, who was on his current mission, and with the other third-years.
“First!”
One of his heavy fingers shot upward.
“During Aizel’s absence, Simon Follentia will take on the role of student council president!”
That much was obvious.
“Second! The third-years will respect the authority of the interim president, and the president will not meddle excessively in the affairs of the third-years!”
That was quite a clever agreement.
After all, Simon was only a second-year, and since the third-years were often out on external missions, there wouldn’t be many opportunities for the council to interfere with them anyway. In effect, this clause prevented interference from the third-years.
“Third! When Aizel returns, if Simon has successfully maintained the presidency, and if Simon wishes to continue holding the position! Then the two of them will settle it through a duel evaluation, and the victor will become the student council president!”
Simon was taken aback.
He had thought Phantasus was the straightforward warrior type, but was he really this shrewd?
It was a remarkably intelligent proposal.
To the third-years, the top-ranked “Aizel” was an absolute figure.
So Phantasus had planted the idea that “the presidency rightfully belongs to Aizel”. The third-years would hesitate to break an agreement made between Phantasus and Aizel, and Simon would gain much more freedom in the meantime.
Then the last finger stretched out.
“Fourth!”
“There’s still more?!”
“If, according to the third condition, Aizel does take over the presidency from Simon!”
The corners of Phantasus’ lips curled upward.
“Then Aizel must, without exception, recommend Simon Follentia as the next president!”
Even if Simon couldn’t hold onto the presidency as a second-year, this treaty guaranteed him the position once he became a third-year.
“Senior Aizel really accepted such terms?”
“Exactly! I got his approval through correspondence during his mission, hmm!”
Simon couldn’t help but be astonished.
To think that such behind-the-scenes negotiations had progressed so far without his knowing.
“Of course, since your life is your own, the decision is still yours to make!”
Phantasus spread his arms wide.
“But think carefully! As you know, the student council president of Keyzen is not a seat just anyone can occupy! Beyond power, command, or status, this is an experience you can only have here at Keyzen! Not just as a necromancer, but as a human being, this will be a great asset and nourishment for you. I, Phantasus, guarantee it!”
“……”
As Simon was closing his eyes and agonizing over it,
“It seems the discussion is reaching its conclusion, so perhaps I should step in now.”
It was Richard, who had remained silent until this moment.
“Of course, Father!”
Phantasus took a step back, and Richard sat down.
“Phantasus Hugh Ikel. For someone of your stature to press so insistently, it’s no wonder my young son might be tempted.”
“No, Sir! I’m only doing this purely for your son—”
“That’s not for you to decide.”
Richard easily brushed Phantasus aside, crossed his legs with a dignified air, and sat.
It was the very pose that made noblewomen’s hearts flutter.
“Simon, I am against it.”
Simon was startled.
He had thought Richard would be ecstatic, perhaps even lose his mind with joy if his son became the student council president of Keyzen, but unexpectedly, he opposed it.
“To be precise, I’m against you becoming president in the second year. The second-year curriculum is nothing like the first year. It takes time to adapt to academic life. And more than anything, the second year is when you learn the most out of the three at Keyzen. At a time when you must devote yourself fully to study, to also bear responsibility for student council affairs? It’s premature.”
Richard laced his fingers together and continued.
“You can be president in the third year, Simon. The third year comes with many missions and dispatches. In that case, the student council presidency actually carries merit, as it allows one to manage such obligations.”
Phantasus suddenly leapt up.
“Sir! You misunderstand! There’s one point I must insist on explaining…!”
“You.”
Richard’s voice cut cold.
“Why did you choose my son as your successor?”
Phantasus pounded his chest with his fists.
“Because I, Phantasus, recognized him as a true man with all my heart!”
“I see. You recognized Simon. Yet as you try to take my son away.”
His eyes gleamed.
“Why did you not think to gain the recognition of his parents, Anna and myself?”
“!!!”
Phantasus’s mouth fell open.
‘What kind of nonsense is this, Father?!’
Simon’s mouth also dropped open, though for a completely different reason.
“Indeed!”
Phantasus wore the look of a man struck squarely in the head by a hammer. Tears of respect and awe welled in his eyes.
Thud!
He dropped to one knee.
“I, Phantasus Hugh Ikel! Beg forgiveness for my insolence! Blinded by desire, I nearly disrupted the proper order!”
Richard, with a haughty smile, recrossed his legs.
“It’s good you realize it even now.”
‘What on earth was going on here?’
Simon glanced at Anna, but she only shook her head with an expression that said, Your father’s at it again.
“Though I spoke as I did earlier, there were parts of your argument that I did find persuasive.”
At Richard’s words, Phantasus snapped his head up.
“You mean…!”
“But only on one condition. If my son is to undertake the burdensome presidency as a second-year, then there must be merit for him.”
“You are absolutely right! And the condition is…?”
“Teach my son the ‘Sleep’ curse.”
Phantasus tilted his head.
“The Sleep curse is taught in the second-year curriculum.”
“Not that garbage.”
Richard’s true colors flashed in his eyes.
“Your original one! That is what you must teach him!”
Even when simply being offered the presidency was more than enough, Richard still insisted on squeezing out something extra.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters