The Academy Union.An institution built to train the future talents who will stand against the demons, it was less a single school and more a vast coalition of academies.Among them stood four great pillars that upheld the Union itself.The solemn academy of knights that taught the sword and other cold weapons, and the proper Techniques, Laws, and Arts that accompanied them — The Steel of Ishtal.The academy of mages who pursued the foundation of the world, controlling Magic through Law to reach the shore of divine Providence — The Magic of Eredor.The academy of summoners who ruled over nature’s five elements and the flow of its order, linking them to humankind through Spirits — The Spirit of Voltimir.The sacred academy of seekers who followed the divine light cast upon this land, walking the path of justice and love — The Heaven of Saintea.Around these four colossal academies, each with their own history and creed, gathered numerous smaller schools.This city built upon the Meteor Isles of the eastern Mir-Ellin continent — this was the Academy Union, the City of Students.And now—“……”Four students sat gathered in the conference room, beneath a heavy silence.Each of them was a leader of one of the four great academies.Whether they liked it or not, they were the ones who would be leading the Union with me from this point onward.I glanced at my watch and spoke evenly.“Then, let’s begin the meeting.”“……”Despite my declaration, the room remained wrapped in uncomfortable silence.The reason was obvious — me. Loen de Valis.Given his past as a notorious delinquent, this sort of reaction was only natural.That was a problem I’d have to resolve in time.'Haa… let’s begin, shall we.'Just as I exhaled inwardly and opened my lips to speak—A clear, rippling voice broke the still air.“My, my, Loen. What’s gotten into you today? You actually came dressed neatly. Is the sun rising from the west tomorrow?”The smiling voice came from a young woman with golden hair cascading down to her waist.'Elena Sion Celestia.'The president of Saintea and princess of the Holy Kingdom of Celestia — one who was even being considered as the next Saintess.She had been the first to speak to me.I turned my head toward the voice and looked at Elena.'…Pretty, no doubt.'Just as the game described, she possessed beauty that could be compared to that of a goddess.Graceful composure, maturity beyond her years.She was famous for her extraordinary sociability — someone who could befriend anyone, whose gentle and devoted nature earned her love and admiration from all.She had perfectly filled the void left by the previous president, the Holy Knight Leonhardt.But right now, she was also the most dangerous person for me.Elena embodied divine power itself, which made her the natural antithesis of someone like me — someone with the trait [Half-Human, Half-Demon].Elena’s calm eyes swept up and down my cleaned appearance as she asked.I replied in an equally composed voice.“With the new term beginning, I thought it was time for a change. In short — reformation. I’d say today’s meeting marks the first step.”Tap, tap-.I tapped the folder on the table lightly, as if to declare ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) my intent to correct my past behavior and turn over a new leaf.Inside the case were documents for the General Student Council — important files for the Academy Union.It was a statement of resolve: that I would perform my duties as president properly.“Ah, I see. Well, it suits you. I’ll be cheering for your… reformation project.”Elena joined her hands together in a mock prayer.I couldn’t feel much sincerity in her tone, but the fact that she wasn’t openly hostile was good enough for now.“……”Unlike Elena, who at least pretended to support me, the other three made their hostility perfectly clear.At the forefront was the president of the Spirit Academy, Voltimir — Kiriel Silvawalker.Bang-!She slammed her hands on the table and shot to her feet.“Reformation, my ass. Hey, rumors say the medic who entered your ward the other day ran out screaming. You expect anyone to believe you’ve changed?”Her tone dripped with disbelief.I honestly had no idea what she was talking about.Did Loen harass the medic or something?I couldn’t explain what I didn’t know, so I shifted the topic.With a shrug, I met her glare.“You still have that habit of judging people by gossip, I see. What are those big ears for, decoration?”“What— what did you just say?”At my comment, the tips of Kiriel’s long, pointed ears flushed bright red.I studied her reaction and recalled what I knew about her.'Kiriel Silvawalker.'Successor to the sage Agnes Whitewood, she had taken office as student council president this term.With teal hair tied in a ponytail, she was a High Elf blessed by the Water Forest — possessing exceptional affinity with spirits and mastery of spirit magic.Unfortunately, she also had a complex about her sharp, oversized ears, which were even longer than those of normal elves.Kiriel was naturally hot-tempered — and when teased about her ears, she reacted explosively.“Y-You little… want to step outside and settle this?”See? Just like that, the topic changed completely.And so, the matter of my so-called misdeeds was forgotten.“Quiet. We don’t have time for petty quarrels — there’s work to do.”I cut her off sharply and opened the briefcase on the table.Thump-.The moment the latch clicked open, the stuffed papers inside burst into the air like an explosion of petals, scattering across the round table.Sheets fluttered like falling snow.I stared blankly at the mess.'…You really overdid it, Ciel.'Whether it was out of devotion to her master or just to screw with me, I couldn’t tell.“What… the hell is this?”Kiriel froze mid-snarl, startled by the sudden chaos, and awkwardly sat back down.Sssrak-.One sheet drifted down and slid neatly in front of a girl with crimson hair.Tap-.The red-haired girl calmly closed the book she’d been reading and picked up the paper.After scanning it carefully, she spoke with a sigh that sounded half pity, half mockery.“You’ve prepared quite diligently for once, Loen. Of course, this must all be Ciel’s work. Poor thing — to think she has to work under someone like you.”The girl’s red eyes flicked up, sharp as blades.“But before that, Kiriel’s question isn’t mere gossip. The matter concerning you directly affects the Student Council — and by extension, the future of the Union.”“……”Fiery red-gold hair, hawk-like eyes.The president of the Magic Academy, Eredor — Beatrice le Cassandra.A fifth-tier mage and a strong candidate for the next Archmage.She was also the First Princess of the Cassandra Empire, the continent’s mightiest magocratic nation that ruled the Seven Towers.Her red eyes narrowed further as she continued.“Then let’s start with the fundamental issue. How did someone like you even become Student Council President? It’s something that must be addressed before we proceed. If anyone has objections to discussing it, raise your hand now.”Swish-.I raised my hand.Beatrice’s voice chilled.“Not you.”“……”I silently lowered my hand again.No one else moved.Even Elena only smiled faintly, watching me as if this were all a pleasant bit of entertainment.Seeing that everyone was waiting, I answered calmly.“How I became president? Simple. I ran for the position. No one else did. I was elected by default. Need I say more?”“I recall you didn’t even meet the qualifications to run.”Her tone was razor-sharp, but I didn’t flinch.“For some reason, the eligibility requirements were relaxed this year. I met all conditions.”“What, did you bribe the board or something?” Kiriel snapped.I only shrugged.'Beats me, lady.'Bribes? Lobbying? How would I know?I was talking on instinct here — the truth was, even I didn’t know how Loen had ended up as president.In the game, information about him was scarce, and by this point in the timeline, he’d already been dead for months.I’d only been in this world for a few hours — nowhere near enough time to investigate.The only reason I could speak so smoothly without cracking under pressure was thanks to two traits: [Thick-Skinned] and [Sophist].The ability to spout nonsense confidently without trembling, and the shameless composure to back it up.In any situation, being able to keep talking was a fine talent indeed.Kiriel, however, took my calmness as an admission of guilt.Her temper flared again.“Those damned higher-ups! Sure, they say this place is run by students, but this is too much! You can’t just buy every position with money!”Bang-!As she slammed the table again, Elena’s gentle voice flowed in to cool her down.“Fufu. Don’t be too upset. It’s not as though the board’s incompetence is new. And if you think about it, their uselessness lets us run this academy as we please, doesn’t it?”“Well… that’s true, I guess.”As Elena said, the board members — the chairman, headmasters, and so on — were little more than figureheads.They handled basic administrative work, but all significant decisions were made by the Student Council.Drafting and amending the Academy Charter (beyond the Ten Principles), managing budgets, hiring and firing staff — all of it.Each of the four presidents thus wielded immense authority.Calling them the pillars of the Academy was no exaggeration.And the General Student Council President — me — was supposed to be their leader, holding the greatest power of all.However—'…That’s not quite the truth, is it.'In reality, the position wasn’t nearly as glorious as it sounded.Beatrice sighed softly before speaking again.“Haa. It’s unpleasant, but there’s nothing to be done. We can’t remove you immediately. Still, since Loen holds no real authority, we’ll simply ignore you for now.”“Yeah. The president’s just a stamp-signing puppet anyway. Fine by me. Just make sure you’re packed and gone by next term — we’ll kick you out through a student vote.”Kiriel’s glare burned with open hostility.I met it calmly, thinking to myself.'No real authority. Just a puppet… huh.'Annoying, but true.The General Student Council President’s position was purely ceremonial now — an empty title.And the reason boiled down to one thing.'Money. It’s always money.'Originally, donations from nations and noble houses were collected through the Board and distributed equally via the Student Council, to uphold the Union’s founding principle — equal education for all.But then came the Rebellion of Chegevill.That day changed everything.After that chaos, both the Board and the Student Council were practically dissolved, replaced with powerless figureheads.Funding began to go directly to individual academies instead.Sponsors invested in schools that suited their interests, nurturing whichever faction benefitted them most.The Academy had become less a place of learning and more a proxy battleground for kingdoms and noble houses.Smaller academies withered; the four great ones — Ishtal, Eredor, Voltimir, and Saintea — swelled in power.Thus, the current hierarchy was born, and the president’s authority was rendered meaningless.But that didn’t mean I had to remain a puppet.'Not a chance.'My eyes gleamed faintly as I brushed my fingers over one of the papers on the table.Fwap-.I’d cleared Mir-Ellin Saga too many times to count.If there was a problem, I already knew the solution — or at least the first step.After sorting through my thoughts, I spoke again.“It seems we’ve settled the matter regarding me. Let’s move on to the first agenda. It concerns the operation of the General Student Council.”“Sure~”“Hmph. Do as you like.”“Let’s hear it.”Elena, Kiriel, and Beatrice responded in turn.Having gained their attention, I turned toward the girl who had stayed silent all this time — eyes closed, meditating quietly at the edge of the table.Snow-white hair and skin pale as porcelain — she radiated an air of tranquil strength.She was the president of the knightly academy, Ishtal. The one closest to being the current generation’s Hero.“Freya.”At the sound of her name, the girl slowly opened her eyes and met my gaze.I looked her straight in the eye and spoke clearly.“I appoint you as Vice President of the General Student Council.”

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