Chapter 696
Aizel’s story continued, he kept letting out deep sighs as he spoke.
“Before I entered Keyzen, I attended a noble school, and there, I was bullied.”
Aizel had a small build, a timid personality, and was so shy that the thought of looking someone in the eye while speaking was unthinkable.
He was the perfect toy for delinquent students to mess with.
At the beginning of the semester, Aizel managed to get by, but when the delinquents started bullying him, no one stayed by his side.
His friends feared that if they hung around with an outcast like Aizel, they too would be targeted, so naturally they joined the group that mocked and laughed at him.
As time passed, a hierarchy formed within the school, and soon there wasn’t even a trace of guilt among the students who ignored him.
“……and then, according to my family’s wishes, I opened my Core and became a necromancer.”
Simon, listening with his heart aching, clapped his hands together.
“Then things must have turned around for you!”
“……Not at all.”
What good was opening a Core? No matter how minor, if black magic was used against a person, it meant immediate expulsion. The opposing family would surely cause an uproar, and his entry into Keyzen could have been put at serious risk.
The children weren’t even afraid of him.
—So, you can do fun tricks now, huh? Aizel.
—At the end of the day, you’re still just Aizel.
The bullying only grew worse.
“That’s when I realized.”
Aizel clenched his fist tightly.
“That the root of every problem was the way people perceived me.”
So, Aizel made a resolution.
In the next school, he would never be looked down upon again.
Before Keyzen’s inauguration, he bought a crisp suit, changed his hairstyle, hid wooden blocks in his shoes to increase his height, and wore glasses that made him look like an elite.
-From now on, I am an elite.
He repeated it over and over, like brainwashing himself. He even tried to change his tone and manner of speaking.
And then he entered Keyzen.
“People’s reactions really changed!”
Aizel’s eyes gleamed with joy as he said it.
“No one ignores me or looks down on me anymore, no one hits me, in fact, maybe because of my special admission status, people come up to me first, they invite me to eat together, some even smile kindly at me!”
His eyes sparkled with life.
“That feeling of gratitude, can you understand it?”
“Of course I can.”
“Ahaha.”
Aizel leaned his head back against the sofa, closing his eyes for a moment.
But then his voice turned colder.
“The problem was what came after.”
Aizel became absorbed in the ‘new self’ he had created, and that image only grew stronger.
—Aizel, he’s handsome, but isn’t he a bit short?
He replaced the wooden blocks in his shoes with taller ones.
—Sometimes your speech slips, like a Carlos accent.
He practiced every day in front of the mirror, reshaping his tone completely.
There could be no weakness. If he was looked down on even a little, he would fall straight back into the abyss of his old school days.
Aizel buried himself in maintaining his image. He made even things beyond his ability look possible.
On top of that, his black magic skills had always been good, so in Keyzen’s meritocracy, Aizel quickly became a star.
Not only close friends, but also girls, seniors, teaching assistants, professors, even Neftis the chancellor herself came to see him. The press ran endless articles praising him, and in his homeland, he received the King’s Award as Carlos’ greatest necromancer prospect.
Aizel eventually realized that something was wrong, but by then, things had already spiraled out of control.
‘So that’s how he got swallowed by his own concept.’
Simon gave a vague smile as he said,
“But, no matter how much of a concept it is, it’s not like someone’s personality suddenly becomes outgoing, or that they suddenly start speaking better, right?”
At that question, Aizel scratched his head with a click of his tongue.
“Do you remember that student who talked to you earlier? The Spiritology department rep.”
“Ah, you mean Senior Sota Psyche? Ranked sixth overall……”
“Yeah, he was the problem.”
He let out a long sigh and continued.
“From our first year, he was in the same class as me, and he clung to me, trying to use my image and authority for himself. If I stayed silent, he would rant about how my silence meant the meaning of negation, or the silence of ice, or that Aizel was angry, and so on.”
“……Ah.”
Because such a grand and magnificent image of him had been built up on campus, even when Aizel made mistakes, the people around him twisted things to fit their expectations.
To them, Aizel was an endlessly perfect existence.
“I’ve never felt comfortable, even in my own room or dorm. Setting up soundproofing magic circles everywhere I go, that’s the bare minimum.”
Aizel curled his legs up against his chest and sipped his drink noisily through a straw.
Seeing the strangely docile third-year senior, Simon smiled softly.
“What impressed me most about you, Senior Aizel, was that the former Student Council President, Senior Phantasus, was such an overwhelming presence.”
“Yeah, he was legendary.”
“So of course, you would always be compared to the former president, but instead of avoiding it, you charged forward, declaring you’d take on the long-term mission that Senior Phantasus had attempted a year ago……”
Hearing this, Aizel leapt to his feet.
“No!”
“Huh?”
“I never wanted to do that!”
In truth, it had gone like this.
A few months before the academic year began, during the academic schedule meeting.
—What is the meaning of this!
Once again, the instigator was none other than Sota Psyche.
—Why are all the schedules that the former Student Council President completed being removed? Are you ignoring Aizel?
The staff member looked flustered, laughing awkwardly.
—Come on, was Phantasus really that special? Chancellor Neftis only inserted those tasks because of him personally, this year we’re going back to the regular schedules like the year before, is that really such a big problem?
At the time, Aizel was nodding inwardly.
Thank you, staff member.
—Our Aizel is in no way inferior to Senior Phantasus!
Please shut up, Sota.
Just stay quiet.
—Enough, Sota.
One of their female classmates grabbed his arm to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen.
—Let me go! Who are you people to judge Aizel as you please? Were you half as talented as Aizel when you were students here? Huh? Tell me!
Now, in front of fellow third-years, Keyzen staff, professors, even elders, Sota was kicking up a storm.
—Since the topic’s come up.
An elderly professor raised some documents and said,
—Aizel refused all of the three Necromancer School visits and the Kartin Dungeon mission.
Murmurs rippled through the crowd.
—Of course he refused! I would have been furious too!
But Sota did not back down.
—The very first mission! Senior Phantasus was given an SS-rank mission before he even became Student Council President, but Aizel hasn’t been assigned anything like that!
—What?
—Aizel! You said it yourself, didn’t you! That you were sick of being constantly compared to Senior Phantasus!
Aizel froze inside.
That was just something he had said offhand at a drinking party.
They had been flattering him again, so he’d just gone along with it.
Now, Aizel gripped the edge of his glasses with trembling hands, flustered.
And then—
—Affirmation! Gripping the edge of the glasses means affirmation!
—Aizel agreed!
The crowd buzzed.
Once again, that image began to take shape.
—Is it true, Aizel?
The professor looked doubtful as he asked. Aizel glanced around. Countless eyes, filled with expectation, were piercing into him.
—If you truly think so, then we will put the long-term mission that Phantasus once carried out at the forefront, future schedules will be decided after seeing the results, what do you say?
—…….
Once again, Aizel is about to stir something up.
As expected of Aizel.
The man of miracles.
The hope of Class 328.
Countless expectations swirled around him.
At the same time, there were many dissenting voices.
—Hey, even if it’s Aizel, that’s a bit much.
—There’s no need to overdo it.
Simon, who had been listening to the story, could no longer hold himself back and asked.
“So, what did you say?”
“……”
After hesitating for a moment, Aizel pressed his forehead as if showing off.
“It is a simple matter for me.”
‘This is your fault!’
When Simon gave him that kind of look, Aizel flailed his hands with a flushed face.
“I couldn’t help it! I really couldn’t! At that time, rumors about my past at the noble school were spreading, some were doubting my identity! Back then, even a single slip-up, even the slightest crack in my image would have been the end!”
“……”
Simon sighed inwardly.
For Aizel, the events of his past must have been the worst trauma of his life, to maintain who he is now, he would even jump into a blazing fire.
“……Still, you really did accomplish that notoriously difficult long-term mission.”
“Yeah, I did, but I was so busy during the mission that I didn’t know what was happening at the school, and then, when I heard the news, my vision went black.”
The real reason Aizel took on the long-term mission wasn’t only to maintain the image of ‘Aizel as others saw him’, it was actually because he absolutely did not want to take on the student council presidency.
He had no confidence in bearing such a responsibility, and the thought of making speeches or reading declarations in front of large crowds was horrifying. Up until then, he had always found excuses to avoid them, but as Student Council President, there would be no more excuses.
So, he thought while he was away, the vice president, Ballack, or another third-year would take the position.
But in reality, Ballack muttered, ‘Aizel will return’, and never touched Simon’s position, and the other third-years only watched Ballack’s attitude.
As a result, Simon kept the student council, and on top of that, it happened to be the Dark Emperor Festival.
If Aizel had returned then, he would have been forced to stand before tens of thousands, that was exactly what he wanted to avoid, so he dragged out time until the festival was over, and only then returned.
‘So that’s how it was.’
Simon now nodded in understanding.
Then Aizel leaned forward and asked.
“The speech at the Dark Emperor Festival, you gave it, didn’t you? How was it?”
“Ah, yes, it was fun.”
“……Fun?”
He wore a shocked expression.
“You don’t get nervous standing in front of people?”
“Of course I was nervous, but once I started talking, somehow……”
“Amazing, so there really are people who can just do that with their mindset.”
Aizel suddenly grabbed Simon’s hand.
“You really are fit to be Student Council President! I don’t know why Senior Phantasus chose an idiot like me as his successor, but I have no desire to sit in such an important position, nor do I want to stand before others, I just want to stay as quiet as possible until graduation, what about you?”
Simon also didn’t have a burning obsession with holding on to the power of the student council presidency.
But.
—Yes, I thought it was like a midsummer night’s dream.
—But we worked so hard! Cutting our study and sleep time, staying up all night preparing major events like the Dark Emperor Festival, maintaining people’s good opinion of us! And now you want to strip us of all our achievements? Just because you’re a senior? That’s unfair, isn’t it?
Recalling his members’ faces, Simon opened his mouth.
“Yes, if possible, I’d like to continue as Student Council President.”
“Good, good, our interests align then.”
Aizel smiled in satisfaction.
“But the problem is the duel, the fact remains that we have to duel for the position of president.”
“Then, will you yield to me, senior…?”
“If it were up to me, I’d like to, but more than I hate being president, I want to maintain this image of Aizel, no, I must maintain it.”
Simon nodded, that was Aizel’s absolute priority, something he could never yield.
And considering the image people had of Aizel Bringer, it was impossible for him to yield to a second-year or to forfeit.
“Perhaps if I were to win by skill……”
“Hm? Don’t say ridiculous things.”
Crack.
This time, Simon smiled with a bit of irritation.
“Even if it’s only one percent, there must be a chance.”
“Impossible.”
Aizel’s eyes narrowed as he spoke flatly.
As expected, that was not confidence.
That timid, fragile man, when it came to ‘victory’, he was certain.
Him winning was an immutable law, an area where confidence was not even needed.
“In any case, the duel will happen, we need a plan to hand over the presidency to you without damaging my image, if in the duel you perform below expectations, if you are so weak that giving you the presidency would tarnish my dignity and image—”
His expression vanished.
“Then I’ll have no choice but to put on a show, completely crushing you in front of the entire school.”
The timid strongest in Keyzen.
The little devil, Aizel Bringer.
At least when it came to skill, there was no room for doubt, Simon felt a chill run down his spine.
This man was not normal either.
“I want to find a way for everyone to be happy, but the dignity of Aizel, built over three years, being tarnished is something I’d rather die than accept, I’d sooner be expelled or hang myself.”
“……You’re very resolute.”
Aizel rose from the sofa.
“Anyway, think about it until the day of the duel after finals, how to handle it, if you come up with a good method, I’ll follow it.”
“……Understood.”
“Then.”
With a gesture from Aizel, the cardigan on the table fluttered in the wind and draped over him.
Then he hopped off the sofa in just his socks.
He stopped exactly before the shoes he had set down, the hem of his pants falling to cover his feet, Simon’s mouth opened wide in astonishment.
‘That, it was floating on the wind?’
At a flick of his fingers, the wind rose, styling his hair stiffly upwards to reveal his forehead, transforming into an elite hairstyle.
Finally, he picked up the glasses from the floor, and with that, his fragile image vanished, replaced by sharp and angular features once more.
They weren’t ordinary glasses, they seemed to be an artifact imbued with magic.
“I’ll be expecting much.”
Aizel spoke in a cold voice, as though none of what had just happened had occurred, turning his back. One hand shoved into his pocket, the other gesturing as he glanced back.
“Simon Follentia.”
Clang! Clang!
All the lounge’s windows reopened, the curtains rolled back, all the soundproofing magic circles vanished without a trace.
By the time Simon stepped outside to see him off, Aizel had already disappeared like the wind.
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