Chapter 92
“I’ll have to refuse.”
“Why? I’ll spoil you a lot, you know.”
Elena’s eyes curved softly.
The sight was incredibly seductive and enchanting.
Even Lil, who was also a girl, blushed at the scene.
“I’m expensive, you know.”
Elena looked a little dazed.
Lil’s eyes widened.
“Pfft.”
A deflated sound escaped from Elena.
“Hahahahahahaha!”
Elena grabbed her stomach and burst out laughing.
As Elena laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes, Lil backed away with an expression that said, ‘This senior really is strange!’
“What an interesting kid.”
“Looks like everyone’s here.”
Fifth-year representative Rhys entered the tent.
“Senior Rhys! It’s an honor!”
Lil stood straight with sparkling eyes in front of Rhys.
“How have you been?”
“Of course! Your heroic feats—I listen to them every day!”
“Lil, could you treat me with at least half as much respect as you give senior Rhys?”
“It’s been a while, Elena. How was your mission?”
“It was boring.”
Elena replied with a bored face.
Rhys, as if he expected that, walked over to Harc, who was snoring on the floor.
“Hey, Harc. How long are you going to sleep?”
“Huh?”
Harc, who had been sprawled out asleep, took off his eye patch and drowsily opened one eye.
The small-framed fourth-year representative was a stunningly handsome boy.
“Yawn. When did you get here, senpai?”
“Just now.”
Harc yawned and got up.
“Senior Harc, hello!”
“Huh? What was your name again?”
“Lil.”
“Oh, right. First-year representative!”
“No, I’m the second-year representative now.”
“Is that so?”
Either because he had just woken up or just didn’t care about others, Harc rubbed his eyes with a vacant expression.
“Alright then.”
But as soon as he woke up, his expression changed.
“Let’s have a match, senior.”
With a combative grin, Harc smacked his fist into his palm. Rhys let out a small laugh.
“I’ll face you later.”
“I want to fight now.”
“Picking a fight the moment you wake up—how savage. As expected.”
“Heh! Better than being like you, Elena Zeron, dragging a bunch of shady riffraff into your group.”
“Ahhhh! S-Seniors! If you fight here, we’re all dead! The professors will kill us!”
Lil panicked as Elena and Harc glared at each other, oozing killing intent.
Both were powerful candidates for next student council president, and their relationship was terrible.
Honestly, they were opposites in every way.
Rhys looked at Leo and asked,
“So, what do you think of the year representatives?”
“They get along really well.”
“…”
Lil stared at Leo with her mouth open.
‘As expected, Leo really isn’t a normal person!’
Rhys also looked at Leo, a bit dumbfounded.
“Both of you, that’s enough. Aren’t you embarrassed to act like this in front of your juniors?”
At Rhys’s mediation, Elena and Harc backed off.
“So you’re Leo Plov? I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Harc Riguard.”
“I’m Leo Plov.”
Harc, who’d been wild in front of Elena, now wore a gentle expression with Leo.
“Year representatives, you’re all here, right? If so, change into your ceremonial uniforms.”
An assistant who entered the tent said this and left.
“Ceremonial uniforms?”
“You didn’t know?”
As Leo looked puzzled, Lil tilted her head.
“At any school event where the whole student body gathers, year representatives always wear ceremonial uniforms.”
Lil picked up a neatly folded uniform from the corner of the tent and handed it to Leo.
“We’re year representatives. We can’t look the same as regular students.”
Harc also pulled out his uniform, clearly used to this.
The tent had two rooms that looked like changing rooms.
Leo, Rhys, and Harc entered the right-side changing room.
The student representative uniform was much more formal than the regular ceremonial dress of Lumene students.
After changing clothes and stepping outside, they heard a commotion from the girls’ changing room.
“S-Senior! Where are you touching!”
“This is punishment for calling me dangerous in front of a first-year!”
“B-But it’s true… Ugh! Please don’t touch me!”
“We don’t have time! Hurry and get ready!”
Harc shouted.
A moment later, Lil came out, face bright red, with Elena following behind with a mischievous grin.
“Ahem!”
Lil cleared her throat and came to fix Leo’s uniform.
As Lil fussed over Leo like an older sister, Elena chuckled.
“So kind. Taking good care of your junior?”
“I promised myself last year that when a new year representative joined, I’d look after them. When I was a first-year, the senior rep only played pranks on me.”
“Oh dear. Who would do such a thing?”
Elena shook her head, hand on her cheek.
“Yes! You look dignified now, Leo. Just like a year representative should!”
Lil smiled in satisfaction and nodded.
When the five of them exited the tent, a magnificent scene awaited.
Students in ceremonial uniforms were lined up.
Starting with the fifth-years, whose numbers were few, the students were lined up by department: fourth, third, second, and first-year.
At the very front of each year stood the top student holding the department flag.
If the top student was also the year representative, the second-ranking student stood there.
As Leo wondered if he should join the first-years, Lil spoke.
“Leo, year representatives go here.”
Lil pointed to a small podium below the main stage.
The very front among all the students.
It was a spot for the five students who truly represented Lumene Academy.
The year representatives stood in order.
All the students’ gazes were fixed on their backs.
Some looked on with admiration, others with rivalry.
A mix of emotions could be felt from their stares.
‘So that’s it. Everyone wants the position of year representative.’
Standing here, it was clear.
Among all the geniuses of Lumene, only the most special could stand here.
It was truly the place closest to becoming a future hero.
Those aiming for the top would do anything to stand here.
Conversely, those here had to protect their spot from challengers.
‘This is interesting.’
Leo curled his lips into a smile.
Lil, who was nervous, stuck out her tongue as she looked at Leo.
‘Even now, I get nervous standing here. But he’s smiling like the stares of the entire school mean nothing. He’s just on another level.’
Meanwhile, Elena’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Leo.
At that moment, Principal Kalian appeared on the stage.
Rhys spoke up.
“Everyone… attention!”
Chuk-!
All of the Lumene students stood at attention in perfect unison.
“Salute the principal!”
Thud-!
All the students sharply struck their left chest with their right fist.
It was a salute offered to a great hero.
When Kalian raised his hand, everyone returned to their original posture.
“My students. Did you rest well over the weekend? Another sunny day! May this week be a productive one for all of you!”
Principal Kalian’s speech began.
“So, a hero is…”
As his boring, meaningless lecture went on, the students looked perplexed.
It was the first school-wide assembly since the entrance ceremony.
For such an important event, to just give a boring speech—students and professors alike couldn’t hide their confusion.
“Yaaawn. Calling the whole school together in the morning is just too much.”
Elena yawned and covered her mouth.
Several professors glared at her, but the girl known as the queen of the school didn’t flinch.
Instead, she petulantly pointed to her side.
“Snore—”
Nod, nod—
There was Harc, dozing off, his head bobbing.
Professors grabbed the backs of their necks at the sight.
‘These kids, seriously!’
‘And you call yourselves year representatives!’
‘Set an example as year representatives, you delinquents!’
Even with the year representatives slacking right in front of him, Kalian continued his dull speech.
“Elena Zeron, Harc Riguard. Come to the staff room after the event.”
A chilling voice, amplified by magic, rang out and froze the hall.
Elena and Harc both stiffened at attention.
The voice belonged to none other than Professor Harrid, who had taken the mic from the event host.
Kalian smiled brightly at the sight.
“Oh! Professor Harrid, the students always listen to you best—”
“Principal, please get to the point.”
“I will, I will.”
Harrid was one of the two professors whom Principal Kalian feared most at Lumene.
“Ahem. Then let’s get to the main point.”
“Why did you start with such a long, boring speech?”
When the event host, who’d gotten the mic back, asked in confusion, Harrid answered flatly.
“The main point is too short, so it would’ve been awkward to only say that.”
Harrid knew the principal better than anyone.
“Of course, this main point isn’t light at all.”
Harrid looked seriously at the principal.
“From today, Lumene Academy will cut off all communication with the outside until the first-year [Department Competition] is over.”
“…?”
For a moment, everyone looked like they didn’t understand.
“All professors who commute from Lumeria City will stay at the academy. All students are forbidden from leaving or staying out. From today, merchants are barred from entering Lumene, so restaurants, shops, and cafes will all be closed.”
Students and even professors looked startled.
“Naturally, magical communication is banned. No letters or packages will be sent or received.”
The professors quickly regained composure.
But the uproar among students did not die down.
A lockdown! It was truly unprecedented.
As all the students buzzed with confusion, Leo narrowed his eyes at the principal.
‘He means to catch the traitor.’
* * *
After the assembly, the students, still in panic, headed to the cafeteria.
“This can’t be! We can’t even go to the shop for a whole month!”
The girls were especially panicked.
With shops, cafes, and restaurants closed, they wouldn’t be able to buy snacks.
“Tch! If I’d known, I would’ve stocked up and made a killing! Wait, I need to talk to the baking club—!”
At Carr’s words, Chelsea’s eyes lit up.
“Let’s go, Carr! Hurry!”
“Alright! Baking club, here we come! Leo, let’s go!”
“I have to change out of my uniform first. Go ahead.”
“Got it!”
Carr and Chelsea dashed off, skipping breakfast.
Snacks were a serious matter for students.
Laughing at their antics, Leo headed to the tent to change clothes.
There, Lil was sitting on the floor.
“That was terrible.”
“Must’ve been rough.”
“Yeah. Senior Rhys left early because of student council work, so there was no one to stop them.”
It seemed Elena and Harc had another bout.
“If Professor Harrid hadn’t shown up, they really would have fought.”
“I had something to say to senior Elena, but I’ll have to find her later.”
“Leo, are you planning to go see senior Elena?”
“Yeah.”
Lil stood up and sighed.
“I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why not?”
“Like I said before, she’s a bit dangerous.”
“But I need to ask her something.”
Lil sighed.
“If you really need to meet her, I won’t stop you… but it won’t be easy.”
“Can’t I just go to the third-year building?”
“No. Senior Elena almost never goes to class.”
Leo made a puzzled face at Lil’s words.
“She’s a genius.”
Even without attending class, she was still the year representative.
“She spends almost all day at her mansion and only comes back to the dorm at night.”
“Her mansion?”
“Yeah. Senior Elena uses the Zeron family’s private estate as her club building.”
“That’s on another level.”
“She’s the Zeron heir. Anyway, if you want to see her, you’ll have to go there first, but she rarely meets people.”
“I’ll give it a try. Thanks for telling me.”
Leo smiled.
“If you do go, be careful, Leo.”
“…?”
As Leo looked puzzled, Lil clicked her tongue.
“The queen’s followers are fiercely jealous, you know.”