Chapter 467
The next day, at dawn.
Simon rubbed his sleepy eyes as he made his way to the assembly point at the harbor after stopping by the bookstore and the necromancer shop to buy supplies, spending the night at a nearby inn.
The sky was a deep navy, faintly lit by the first light of day. The early-morning air was chilly, so he lightly draped his robe over his shoulders as he walked.
In the distance, at the harbor, the attendants were making the final preparations for departure.
And in the alleys near the harbor, boys and girls were out enjoying the sea breeze.
Though there was still time before the assembly, it seemed they had come early, perhaps unable to sleep.
‘I can completely understand that feeling.’
As Simon passed by, a male student suddenly spoke up.
“Hey, isn’t it too early for assembly?”
The boy probably assumed he was a freshman. Simon smiled in response.
“Thanks for telling me, but I’m a staff member, so it’s fine.”
“Staff member?”
The freshman looked at Simon’s face and snorted.
“What kind of arrogance is that? Stop spouting nonsense and come here so we can chat. Where are you from—”
But Simon had already continued walking toward the harbor. The freshman shouted in surprise, “Hey!”
“Good morning, sir.”
As Simon entered the harbor, all the attendants bowed in unison to greet him.
Even more, a man in an elegant Keyzen suit ran up and shook Simon’s hand. Simon shook hands with him, then turned around.
The freshman stood there with a stunned expression.
“See you later.”
Simon disappeared after saying just that. The freshman’s face drained of color.
‘…He really was a senior! Looks like my school life is already off to a rough start.’
“Student Council President, have you already become friends with the new students?”
A Keyzen staff member asked playfully. Simon laughed awkwardly and replied.
“I’d like to, but it’s not that easy. How are the departure preparations?”
“Everything is going smoothly. The Underworld Whale also left on time. In an hour, we’ll check the students’ enrollment certificates and board them onto the ship.”
Clack!
Simon took the documents from the staff member. It was the list of students who would be traveling on the Underworld Whale today.
The capacity was 300.
Their names were all listed.
Simon spotted Heidi’s name, whom he had met at the bookstore yesterday, and smiled.
“Do you know anyone on the list?”
The staff member asked, seeing Simon’s reaction.
“Yes. Ah! But this is just a side note.”
“Please, go ahead, President.”
Simon scratched the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed.
“Do I really look that much like a freshman?”
The staff member paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“Ha! Honestly, even if the Student Council President was among the freshmen, it’d be hard to recognize you!”
‘Hmm.’
Simon glanced at his reflection in the window of the ship docked at the harbor.
A freshman who casually assumes he’s the same age. A freshman who wouldn’t even believe him if he openly said he’s a second-year.
As the Student Council President, he should have some presence, some weight, but his face definitely lacked that imposing feeling.
After marking off the checkboxes on the document, Simon went aboard to inspect the situation himself.
He gave instructions to fix a few minor issues, then stepped outside as the sky gradually brightened and the assembly time arrived.
A female attendant, now wearing the Keyzen uniform, stepped forward holding the list. She raised a speaking crystal to her mouth.
“We will now begin the boarding procedure! New students, please have your letters and enrollment certificates from Keyzen ready and line up in order!”
The freshmen who had been wandering around immediately flocked together, eager to follow instructions.
Excitement and anticipation shone on each of their faces.
Even just standing in line, their smiles revealed their bubbling joy.
‘Welcome, everyone.’
Simon took off his robe and put on the Keyzen uniform, wearing the Student Council armband, and observed from a short distance.
“So, what should I do now?”
He asked a nearby staff member.
“President, you can just stand here and watch with me.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t that the role of a person in charge? Ha!”
Simon stared at the staff member, who shrugged.
“If an emergency or urgent situation occurs, you’ll protect the students and us. Other than that, you just oversee the students. That’s the role of a guide.”
In other words, he had nothing to do.
“Rickman McNeil. Verified.”
“Dundley Shamilan. Verified.”
The attendants lined up the freshmen, and a central attendant in uniform checked each enrollment certificate with a quill.
Those who passed were guided to the ship and sat from the back seats forward.
Watching the freshmen’s curious glances made Simon smile warmly. They were just a year younger, yet they all seemed so adorable.
“100 students boarded!”
Already a third of the process was complete. Since there had been no incidents or issues, Simon waited calmly.
“President!”
An attendant who had been on the ship ran out, out of breath.
“Sorry, but one student is causing a bit of a commotion…!”
Finally, some action.
Simon strode onto the ship. A blonde girl in a bright dress was shouting at the attendants.
“Why are you making me sit in this filthy seat? This is an insult to my family!”
Though small in stature, her voice was piercing. Two attendants stood flustered before her.
“It’s inappropriate to cause a disturbance here.”
“Inappropriate? You begged me to come to Keyzen, and now you insult me? Do you think the Postard family is a joke? Bring me the person in charge immediately!”
Simon sighed and approached her.
The attendants’ expressions brightened when they saw Simon. The girl, still shouting, looked him in the eye boldly.
“Hmph! Are you the person in charge?”
“Yes. If you have a complaint, speak to me.”
“Look here! Look!”
She pointed with her finger. On the seat, there was a barely noticeable small stain and some cotton poking out.
“See this? For the lady of the Postard family to be seated here! This is a serious insult to my family!”
The attendant broke into a sweat, nervously glancing at Simon instead of her.
“Here’s Simon Follentia, the Keyzen Student Council President.”
Her eyelids twitched once at that, but retreating wasn’t in her nature.
“A student council president, so what? The family comes first anyway, doesn’t it? Follentia? Never heard of it! How dare—”
“Apologize.”
The gathering students parted to the sides. A girl approaching, not in her usual extravagant dress but in simple civilian clothes, her wavy hair flowing freely—Princess Molly—was coming toward them.
“P-Princess Molly…!”
The protesting freshman’s eyes nearly popped out.
“This is going too far, even for disgracing the Dresden Kingdom.”
Molly’s voice was icily cold, something Simon had never heard before.
“P-Princess! I—”
“Shut your mouth.”
The bold freshman’s face turned extremely pale, her hands trembling as if with palsy.
“I will never forgive rudeness toward my senior, the Student Council President.”
Molly said this, then turned her body to face Simon directly.
And then…
“As a member of the Dresden Kingdom’s royal family, I apologize on behalf of my people for their rudeness to you, Senior.”
She bowed deeply at the waist, a highly formal gesture. Murmurs of astonishment rippled everywhere.
‘Whoa…’
Normally, Simon would have panicked and protested, but now, he was here as the Keyzen Student Council President, not Simon Follentia personally.
Refusing the apology would be impolite, but he also had to assert his position.
Simon straightened his head confidently and replied,
“I accept your apology.”
“Ah…”
The freshman looked between the two of them in shock. Then Molly’s sharp voice cut through.
“You should also apologize to your senior.”
Among the students of Dresden, it was Molly—who held the highest rank—who bowed her head, yet there was no way she could have dared to act like a duchess. That would have been nothing short of an insult to royalty.
Eventually, the freshman, her face burning red with humiliation and tears welling in her eyes, bowed her head to Simon.
Her neck was stiff, barely moving, but she adjusted her posture with a creak.
“I-I-I apologize, Student Council President.”
She had to bow even lower than Molly had to show proper respect, her head almost touching the floor.
“I’ll let it slide this time, for the princess’ dignity.”
Simon said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder with a smile.
“But there won’t be a second time.”
The freshman hiccupped, her face paling.
Simon and Molly stepped briefly out to the ship’s railing, away from the students’ watchful eyes.
“I’m really sorry, senior.”
Molly said, bowing her head.
“You should have disciplined them myself, but I got in the way…”
“Oh, no, Princess! I’m truly grateful for your help.”
Once they were in private, Simon returned to her usual self.
“It would have been stranger if you hadn’t intervened, Princess. Thanks to you, it was resolved smoothly.”
“I appreciate you saying that.”
Molly replied.
The awkward tension quickly melted away. The two chatted about various things.
“I was so surprised to hear the news! Becoming Student Council President in your second year…!”
“That brings its share of headaches, too. Haha.”
Simon scratched the side of his head awkwardly. Molly, watching him quietly, spoke up.
“Senior.”
“Yes, Princess?”
She looked down at her toes, blushing, then mustered the courage to continue.
“Actually, this time I also…”
At that moment, a voice called from a second-floor window: “Student Council President!” Simon looked up to see a servant waving.
“A fight broke out among the freshmen! Please come quickly…!”
“Yes, yes! I’m coming!”
Simon ran off, glancing back at Molly.
“Sorry, Princess! Looks like there’s been a little accident.”
“Hohoho, oh, it’s nothing. Go take care of it, senior!”
Molly waved at Simon’s retreating figure. She glared briefly at the second floor before letting out a resigned laugh and returning to her spot.
Dick had once said this:
—In Keyzen, second-years usually suffer. The third-years pressure them from above, and the clueless first-years cause trouble from below.
Simon finally understood his words today.
“Hey! That’s mine!”
“Don’t do that!”
“You not letting go?”
‘What a mess.’
Simon chuckled inwardly. He now had a small understanding of how the seniors had looked at them.
In the short time on the ship, seeing what kinds of fights could erupt, the freshmen first seemed like cute, chirping chicks—but now they appeared as mischievous little devils capable of causing trouble at any moment.
‘Same situation as last year, but it looks different depending on your perspective. Interesting.’
Simon shook off the memory and returned to reality.
“That brat hit me first!”
“No, that bastard insulted our hometown first!”
The sons of neighboring lords from the Kingdom of Carlos were fighting. Simon grabbed both of them and separated them.
‘Our year must have been the same back in first year.’
Even students in Class A, spoiled from noble life, had to learn the hard way when they treated assistants like servants.
It couldn’t be helped. In Keyzen, it would just take time for the “noble drama” to fade.
Swish! Swish!
The two struggling “chicks”, restrained by Simon, still tried to fight, huffing indignantly.
“Enough.”
At Simon’s cold voice, the two boys froze.
One was already bleeding from the nose, the other’s cheeks were flushed red.
“Keep fighting, idiots!”
“Fighting is more fun, dammit!”
“Hahaha!”
Some students from high-ranking families were giggling and egging the fight on.
Simon glared toward the seats.
“Everyone, shut up.”
The room instantly went quiet.
Simon turned to a servant.
“Switch the student in the worst seat on the first floor with this one.”
“Yes, Student Council President!”
“Bring the medicine and potions and treat them immediately.”
“Yes!”
The freshmen still hadn’t fully shed their carefully maintained noble airs. In the school, even commoners had to bow to seniors or assistants—but they didn’t know the rules, or if they did, they didn’t accept them.
Simon had now discovered a new way to control them, even if just briefly.
Earlier, seeing Molly escort a duchess’ daughter into the school gave him a hint.
“Carlos Kingdom.”
Simon said.
The freshmen blinked, unsure what he meant. A male servant frowned.
“Students from the Kingdom of Carlos. Answer me.”
“Yes!”
Only then did the Carlos freshmen respond loudly.
Simon continued,
“Among you, who thinks your father holds the highest rank in Karlos? Stand up.”
One black-haired boy, as if it were obvious, rose. Simon gestured, and he ran swiftly over.
Simon put his arm around his shoulders, turned him around, and spoke quietly.
“Your name?”
“Burna Felton!”
The Felton family was a well-known ducal house. Good.
“Good.”
Simon patted his shoulder. The boy’s eyes sparkled with awe.
“A high-ranking family should display the dignity that comes with it, right?”
“Yes! Absolutely.”
“If those who fought earlier try to start trouble again, you stop them.”
Simon extended his hand with a gentle smile.
“I’m counting on you. Understand?”
The word “counting on you” echoed like magic.
The boy was filled with pride.
“I’ll handle it, Student Council President! If those bastards fight again, I’ll…!”
“But that doesn’t mean you should bully or threaten your friends. You’ll be summoned to the council if you mess up.”
“Understood!”
Feeling trusted by the Student Council President, the freshman returned with confident steps.
Though they hadn’t heard the conversation, the other students cast envious glances at him.
‘Okay, that should do it.’
It was exhausting, but Simon now had a better sense of how to manage the freshmen at the start of the term.
While resting for a moment, a servant quietly brought him a glass of cool juice.
“Ah, thank you.”
Already thirsty, Simon gulped it down. The servant gave a thumbs-up.
“You did amazing. I’d believe you were Student Council President last year too.”
Simon laughed out loud.
“I’m only in my second year.”
“I know.”
But the break didn’t last long. While chatting with the servant, Simon looked toward the window.
The dock area. Something seemed to have gone wrong during the verification of enrollment documents.
‘Another annual occurrence.’
Simon smiled wryly.
Since he had rested yesterday, he’d have to work today.
‘Shall I go?’
Rising to his feet, the surrounding freshmen quickly made way.
Superb.
When are we getting more free chapters?
Thanks for the new chapters