Chapter 779
Such a situation escalating to this degree, was something Simon had not expected.
On the first day, after meeting with a Keyzen headquarters staff member and hearing the explanation, he gathered the student council members and discussed it. Perhaps because they had anticipated it, their reactions were calm and composed.
—Rather, this is good. My written exam scores had dropped a bit because of student council work, so I’ll take this chance to focus and study.
Maelyn said.
—I was also so busy with student council duties that I barely attended my club! I’m going to focus on it more!
Kamibarez clapped her hands.
—So they release us like this? Then I’m bringing back all the projects that were withdrawn for official duties!
Dick chimed in as well.
They laughed together, talking about what they would do with their newfound free time. After all, it was only a one-semester break, and since Simon would be Student Council President again in the third year, they felt at ease.
The members decided to hold group study sessions three times a week, all gathering to study together.
—What matters is all four of us meeting, not necessarily in the student council room, right?
—I agree!
Thus, they found a pretext to gather again, and nothing was really a problem. Yet it was the other students, not Simon’s group, who were in an uproar.
With Simon having been the Student Council President and highly respected, the anger grew even stronger when students only heard that he had been expelled without hearing the full circumstances.
Sluuurp—
Drinking her strawberry shake through a straw while listening to Simon, Loraine let out a small sigh.
“Sorry, I couldn’t stop it for you.”
“No, no.”
Simon waved his hand dismissively.
Even if she was the daughter of the Keyzen Chancellor, Loraine was still a student, and she couldn’t have influenced the faculty council meetings.
“I actually think this turned out for the better.”
Simon looked down at his leg. He could walk and live normally, but the injury wasn’t fully healed.
He still felt intermittent throbbing, and running brought pain.
If he had accepted Ballack’s challenge in this state, defeat would have been inevitable. Even in perfect condition, victory couldn’t be guaranteed.
“It’s better to be the challenger than the challenged. And also…”
According to the seniors, the second semester of the second year was the golden age for Keyzen students.
Although there were individual differences, generally the second year, second semester was when students learned the most and grew the strongest. Students who grew stronger in this period usually maintained high rankings until graduation.
On the other hand, students who failed to grow strong enough in the second semester were often overtaken by lower-ranked juniors climbing up from below.
Simon also planned to fully dedicate himself to this second semester, now that he was stepping down from the student council.
His immediate tasks were resistance systems in Toxicology, and Bone Dragon creation. Securing those two came first.
“Bone Dragon, huh. That’s so like you.”
Hearing the story, Loraine closed her eyes.
“As far as I know, not even third-years are handling Bone Dragons. It won’t be easy. Will you be alright?”
Simon nodded.
“It won’t be easy, but I’ll manage. It’s a promise I made with Lady Neftis, who gifted me the Bone Dragon materials. And after making Dragonian, I’ve gained confidence in dragon magic.”
Loraine’s eyes curved with a smile.
“Yeah, if it’s you, you’ll pull it off.”
Feeling oddly embarrassed, Simon scratched his cheek and changed the subject.
“How about you these days, Loraine?”
“Me? Well, you know.”
She put her hand on the choker necklace around her neck.
To make the overwhelmingly gifted Loraine focus on classes like ordinary students, Neftis had devised a measure—this necklace sealed her supernatural powers.
At the same time, her authority was restricted during the semester, preventing her from influencing campus matters.
“During vacation I can take this off. I could fight enemies freely with my powers, and I also made appearances at Keyzen headquarters.”
“You must’ve been busy.”
“Yeah. But,”
She let go of the necklace and held her cup again.
“I think I finally understand why my mom told me to live school life with my powers sealed.”
Loraine was a natural-born powerhouse. She only needed to infuse her summons with supernatural power, send them out, and the battle was already over.
What need was there to create stronger summons? Why fuss over details?
She couldn’t find a reason or ambition to grow stronger, and thus stagnated for a long time.
But at school, with her powers sealed, she had to push herself to keep up in classes. Running around like everyone else, she found her shortcomings in real combat even when using powers, and improved her efficiency and speed.
She had become stronger than before. In the end, she gained more with her powers sealed than when using them.
“That’s great!”
Simon was sincerely happy, as though it were his own achievement.
The two shared many similarities and common points. Neither was especially talkative, but once the words started flowing, they shared everything pent-up inside. Their conversation never stopped.
From a corner of the cafe, some students whispered as they watched them talk.
“Hey, aren’t those Simon and Loraine?”
“It really is.”
“…Looks like he’s already preparing to fight Ballack. Is he trying to pull in Loraine too?”
Because the student council controversy was so intense, everything tended to get linked back to it.
Eventually, feeling the stares were too much, Simon and Loraine stood up to find a quieter place.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Keyzen campus, an unusual incident was unfolding.
“Please reinstate Senior Simon Follentia as Student Council President!”
“Explain this unfair treatment!”
The student council controversy had sparked a wildfire, first-years had begun protesting with picket signs.
They held placards and raised their voices near the student council hall and the faculty conference rooms.
For first-years, normally busy just trying to survive, to care this much about school affairs and raise their voices was rare. Even the professors were flustered by this unexpectedly strong backlash.
“……”
And there were eyes watching the protesting first-years at the frontlines, from an empty classroom.
“They’re really going at it.”
“Yeah.”
It was the second-years.
Fundamentally, the circumstances of second-years and first-years differed.
First-years mostly stayed within their own campus, thoroughly protected, and except for club activities had little chance to encounter other seniors.
Meanwhile, second-years were part of their majors, and shared dormitories with the third-years. They inevitably had to be conscious of the seniors’ gaze.
Even so, a few second-years were beginning to stir. Leading them were mostly Class A students, who had been in the same class as Simon last year.
“Our fellow got treated like that, and yet how come so few of us second-years are speaking up?”
“Guess they don’t want to get marked.”
Class A’s so-called ‘class leader’, Jaime Victoria.
The first student Simon met in Langerstine, and a Spiritology major, Cindy Vivace.
“……”
And Claudia Menzies, a Toxicology major, sitting silently in the seat of honor.
These three were the core.
Other Class A students, and even some who had never spoken a word to Simon but gathered out of camaraderie, filled the conference room.
“Are we really doing this, Claudia?”
Cindy asked.
“Even if it’s dirty and unfair, third-years are still third-years. In just half a year, it’ll be our time anyway. Wouldn’t it be better to just grumble behind their backs and let it pass?”
“……”
Claudia stood up and walked toward the window. She gazed at the first-years waving pickets.
“I don’t like it. Those first-years.”
“Hm?”
Claudia clenched her fist.
“Readability is everything in pickets! Black background with yellow letters, or white background with red letters! Eye-catching color combinations that grab people’s attention.”
“Uh, huh?”
“The outfits are also a problem. A uniformed look symbolizes unity and solidarity. It gives the impression they won’t back down easily. And instead of suddenly protesting in front of an empty student council hall or faculty conference room, they should first go to a place with heavy foot traffic to draw as much attention as possible. Only then, when professors leave or the student council enters here, will they gain leverage in both influence and movement.”
Claudia began rattling off unsolicited advice.
“Not just picketing. Going around classrooms or dorms collecting signatures is also good. It shows how many people agree with us. Just shouting like that will wear out their throats and exhaust them quickly. They’ll need amplification crystals ready and loud. Best of all, bring in reporters, and print notices in the name of the student body to send to parents. That will force the adults to act. The one thing Keyzen professors actually fear is parents. And also…”
Suddenly, it had turned into a lecture from a protest expert.
Jaime laughed and tapped her on the shoulder.
“As expected, the voice of experience is different!”
Claudia Menzies was, on the surface, just a slightly above-average student.
But.
Clack!
“Let’s go.”
She was the first in Keyzen’s 300-year history to lead a faculty appointment boycott.
The audacious first-year who had once tried to drive out Professor Belya.
Commonly called the Queen of Protests.
“Whether we can change the school or not, we have to prove we have eyes and ears too. If we stay silent here, the school will act even more selfishly.”
She tied a headband around her forehead, who knew when she had it ready.
“For Simon, let’s do what we can!”
Oooh!
The gathered comrades raised their arms in a cheer. Cindy Vivace giggled.
“Here comes the ‘real one’.”
With Claudia’s group joining, the first-years’ picket protest quickly gained momentum.
The difference between having and not having a second-year with know-how was massive.
In an instant, a temporary organization chart was drawn up, and a command system for efficiently transmitting orders took shape. The formed teams led the protests mainly in high-traffic areas.
The influence skyrocketed. Sitting in the commander’s seat, Claudia gave sharp directions suited to the situation.
“Your group covers around the fountain. If you can get signatures, collect them.”
“Yes!”
“But don’t force signatures, or crank up the volume of the amplification crystals so loud it annoys people. This is a battle of public opinion. Don’t think of it as making everyone side with us, think of it more as spreading awareness of what we stand for. Got it? After covering each spot, regroup at the student council hall by 5.”
She slammed her hand on the table.
“According to intel, that’s Ballack’s first day showing up for duty. That’s when we gather.”
The first-years nodded, faces full of respect.
“Yes, senior!”
“Move out!”
The protesters fanned across the Roke Island campus, demonstrations in full swing.
Particularly when Claudia mentioned preparing letters to send to parents, third-year professors panicked, sending henchmen to seize the letters.
But that was just bait. The letters were fakes.
And when the henchmen stormed in to confiscate or burn them, the scene was captured on a memorial crystal Claudia had prepared. She spread those images among the students, seizing the advantage in public opinion.
In the end, even the unshakable third-year faculty reached out to Claudia for dialogue, showing how far things had escalated.
And word spread to the third-years as well.
—Simon Follentia has moved!
—The hardliner who led last year’s boycott of Professor Belya’s class is the leader? How did he rope her in?
Before regular classes even began, the school was boiling.
And the story reached Ballack’s ears.
Whooo—
In the underground of Toxicology.
A man immersed in a vat of poison exhaled poisonous breath.
“Ah, that’s what’s happening.”
A student in full protective gear with a mask finished his report.
Splash!
Ballack slowly rose from the cauldron.
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