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Chapter 71: Lucas, You're Screwed...

The murmuring of the kids echoed around.

It was no wonder—an utterly unfamiliar group was walking together.

Martial Arts Department's top student, the Third Princess, Iris Hysirion.

Magic Department's top student, daughter of the Blue Tower Lord, Sharin Sazaris.

Martial Arts Department's second-ranked student, daughter of the Imperial Knight Commander, Hania Rapidedia.

A rising star in the Martial Arts Department, Isabel Luna.

And then there’s me, the lightning bastard.

“……”

Is this even okay?

Poke—

At that moment, Hania, walking beside me, jabbed my side with her elbow.

Was she asking me to jab her back?

“Don’t even think about raising a finger.”

Quick-witted as always.

Hania let out a quiet sigh and whispered to me,

“What happened with Isabel? Weren’t you two on bad terms?”

She was right—Isabel and I did not get along.

To be precise, we didn’t get along.

But for some reason, Isabel’s behavior had changed.

When our eyes met, she smiled brightly at me.

That smile—she only showed it to people she was close to.

“Aren’t you two a little too close?”

Suddenly, Isabel threw out a question.

Her eyes were undoubtedly smiling.

“…To play the role of a couple, we need to be at least this close.”

“That’s true.”

Isabel seemed to accept it rather easily.

But even as she did, her gaze didn’t leave me.

Hania shot me a sharp look.

It was clear: Do something about Isabel, and quickly.

My expression grew complicated.

I knew Isabel was overlapping me with the late Lucas.

I also understood that it made her uneasy.

‘Could it be…?’

Ever since hearing the news that Hania and I were dating, her anxiety had increased.

Was this her way of making sure such situations didn’t arise again?

‘This… this can only be described as a love-hate relationship.’

I never imagined something like this would happen because of a temporary contract relationship with Hania.

“Haaaah, see you next time.”

Sharin, the only one uninterested in this situation because she had been dozing off, left the group.

Silence lingered between the rest of us.

Iris was in a sour mood after receiving orders from the Duke of Robliage yesterday.

Hania, aware of Iris’s state, deliberately kept her silence.

Isabel, meanwhile, kept stealing glances at me without saying a word.

It was an indescribable scene.

And so, in that silence, we all arrived at the academy.

“Ah, Lightning pota—”

As I opened the door first, Seron raised her hand enthusiastically, about to greet me.

It seemed she was excited to talk about something that happened at her family estate.

But then, seeing the three people walking in behind me, she slowly lowered her hand.

With a dazed expression, she stared at me.

“Lightning Sweet Potato has turned into Harem Sweet Potato…”

I had no idea just how far Seron’s nickname for me would evolve.

Isabel, from that point on, no longer followed me closely.

She simply went to her usual seat, as if coincidentally arriving with us.

Iris, still in a foul mood, sat down without a word.

“Hannon.”

Hania tugged at my sleeve.

“Please stay near Iris today.”

The residual warmth of fire magic still lingered on my body.

If I stayed near Iris, it might soothe her mood slightly.

“Alright.”

In that peculiar atmosphere, we all took our seats.

Seron, noticing the odd tension in the Martial Arts Department, didn’t come to sit next to me.

That girl had an impeccable instinct for self-preservation.

＊＊＊

And so, in that strange mood, the first day at the Martial Arts Academy ended without incident.

“I have some business with Lady Iris, so today’s performance ends here.”

The act of pretending to be Hania’s boyfriend was over for the day.

Iris was going to be busy planning her takeover of the student council.

She’d need to devise a strategy for how to achieve it.

‘If this follows the original scenario, she’d find and support the boycott group from behind.’

But there was a problem.

‘The boycott group is likely not properly organized at this point.’

While Nikita’s incident caused ripples, the aftermath differed from the original timeline.

The faction of the First Prince immediately held the faction of the Third Princess accountable for Nia’s assassination attempt.

This intensified the rivalry between the two factions, which even affected Zerion Academy.

As a result, public opinion blaming the student council never fully formed.

‘I don’t even know how large the boycott group is at this point.’

There was even a chance Iris might not choose to support them this time.

So, I needed to verify the status of the boycott group as soon as possible.

‘I know where they gather.’

An abandoned building, no longer in use.

On the third floor, in the old chemistry lab, the boycott group held their regular meetings.

‘Today is one of their regular meeting days.’

On Monday, once a week.

Entering the abandoned building, I activated a magic inscription.

My appearance blended into the surroundings, rendering me invisible.

Silently, I crept up the stairs.

As I reached the third-floor chemistry lab, faint voices of conversation reached my ears.

‘How many of them are there?’

Previously, the boycott group had about thirty members.

They’d need at least that many to stage an armed takeover of the student council room.

Anything less would make their plans unfeasible.

‘There might be fewer this time.’

With that thought in mind, I peered through the window.

The moment I saw the scene inside, I froze.

“Oh.”

I was so startled that a sound almost escaped my lips.

Luckily, the two people inside didn’t hear me.

That’s right—two people.

There were only two of them in the room.

‘Wait a second.’

The boycott group always had at least thirty to thirty-five members.

The exact number fluctuated slightly depending on the branching events in the scenario.

I thought the number might be slightly lower this time, given the series of incidents that had occurred.

But no matter how low, two was far too few.

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"We will overthrow the student council that disregards students' rights and justly assert our rights as students!"

A third-year male student stood on a desk in the chemistry lab.

Rojamin, the central figure of the boycott, passionately delivered a speech.

Sitting before him was a second-year girl, Aerin, who clapped her palms together timidly in cheer.

Her eyes sparkled as they gazed at Rojamin.

It was easy to guess why she had joined the boycott.

‘Two.’

For a moment, my mind went blank.

Could we even launch a boycott against the student council with just two people?

The answer was obviously no.

‘What should I do?’

The flow of the scenario always veers in unpredictable directions.

Even now, I was barely holding the framework of the scenario together.

So many events had already changed significantly.

With Lucas absent,

it was inevitable for the scenario to deviate.

Still, at least the key events that defined each act needed to occur for the scenario to progress smoothly.

The student council boycott was the opening scenario of Act 4, Chapter 1.

This event was supposed to serve as a stepping stone for Iris to take control of the student council in Act 4,

shaking up the entire Zerion Academy with the backing of Duke Robliage.

Moreover, this boycott would expose numerous corrupt practices,

making it a pivotal event that would shake Zerion Academy to its core.

‘The boycott weakens the student council’s authority, allowing Iris, now commanding the next batch of students, to take charge.’

During this process, the Third Princess’s reputation among the students rises even higher.

The corruption purge leads to the dismissal of certain professors, and those newly appointed under Duke Robliage further strengthen the student council’s power.

As a result, the student council achieves the greatest authority in Zerion Academy's history.

‘This boycott was supposed to be the solid foundation for the early stages of the scenario.’

Yet here I was, with no one to carry it out.

A sudden headache struck me.

At this rate, Iris wouldn't even glance at it.

After a long period of contemplation, I finally lifted my head.

‘This time, the boycott scenario…’

I will lead it.

I tapped the bandage on my palm.

In that instant, my appearance began to change from Hannon to someone else.

My height grew noticeably taller,

my hair turned white, and my face transformed into that of a princely, handsome figure.

Vikamon Niflheim.

A third-rate villain chased all the way to the academy in Act 1.

He wasn’t supposed to be here, but he was the only character who came to mind that could be useful for the boycott.

Once I made my decision, I didn’t hesitate.

Creak–

“Whoa?!”

As I opened the door without hesitation, Rojamin fell off the desk.

“Who are you?!”

Hearing Rojamin’s shout, I gave him a faint smile.

“You. You were saying something interesting.”

“H-huh? Vikamon?”

Rojamin recognized me.

Of course, Vikamon was famous, whether for better or worse.

His appearance alone was striking,

not to mention his notorious reputation of being expelled from both his noble family and the academy.

Every third-year student remembered Vikamon.

“You were expelled.”

“I was. But after hearing that Nikita had died, I snuck back to uncover the truth.”

A chilling aura filled my gaze.

Noticing it, Rojamin and Aerin instinctively held their breath.

They must have sensed the deep anger emanating from me.

In truth, my anger was directed at having only two participants for the boycott.

But if it served a purpose, it didn’t matter.

“And Nikita really is dead.”

It was well-known among the third-years that Vikamon liked Nikita.

Rojamin looked at me with pity.

In his eyes, I must have seemed like a bereaved avenger.

“I cannot forgive the student council where Nikita served. Had they cared for her, they could have stopped Nikita’s downfall before it was too late. But they turned a blind eye.”

I turned to Rojamin.

“Rojamin, you’re planning to boycott the student council, aren’t you? I’ll help. I’ll make sure they feel the weight of Nikita’s absence.”

It was a convincing enough motivation to join the boycott.

“I understand your feelings well!”

An unexpected reaction came next.

Aerin jumped up, clasping my hand with tearful determination.

“To lose someone you love and seek revenge... I felt it deeply. Let’s avenge her together!”

Aerin shouted, moved by my words.

It seemed she, caught up in her feelings, had instinctively empathized with me.

But it wasn’t a bad situation for me.

I turned my gaze to Rojamin.

Rojamin looked at me and gave a sharp grin.

“Alright, Vikamon. I didn’t think much of you before, but if you’re someone who can stand up against injustice, I’ll gladly work with you.”

Rojamin extended his hand to me.

Aerin placed her hand over his.

Both wore determined expressions.

...But for some reason, I felt even more uneasy.

Still, I couldn’t back out now.

I placed my hand over theirs.

“We will stop the student council and make them face their wrongdoing!”

“Yeah! Down with the student council!”

When Rojamin shouted loudly, Aerin echoed him enthusiastically.

I chimed in moderately.

Thus, the three members of the student council boycott were formed.

Only twenty-seven more to go until we reach thirty.

Let’s work hard to recruit them.

I made up my mind firmly.

Creak–

“...Down with the student council?”

Until Isabel Luna walked into the chemistry lab.

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