Chapter 115

Kylie continued to let out hollow laughs in bewilderment.

Was he being honest, or was he just overly self-conscious?

Ah, maybe both?

What was certain was that it was a reason for approaching her that she had never heard before.

As the next head of the Penrose family, she had experienced countless political approaches.

Seniors and juniors, friends, fellow players, and so on.

Those who approached her through various routes all ended up showing the same side of themselves in the end.

The side that tried to get in line with the Penrose family to get even a crumb that falls.

But what about this junior in front of her now?

He was actually saying, ‘I approached you to see if you were interested in me.’

Kylie raised the corners of her lips and looked at Eddie.

There was no lie in his expression.

Well, there was no reason to lie with such arrogant words anyway.

Kylie chuckled some more and cleared her throat.

She had been sufficiently bewildered and had laughed enough; it was now time to set the record straight.

“You seem to have misunderstood something. The reason I showed favor to the commoner children was just because of Joy.”

“…Joy?”

“Yes. I recognized her outstanding athletic skills from the way she’s been acting. Besides, her mana is excellent, and when I asked my friend on the student council, she even had a disposition that matched the spirit of sportsmanship.”

“……”

“There was no reason for me not to pay attention. Don’t you think?”

Eddie’s mouth opened slightly.

So that’s what it was.

Seeing his dazed expression, Kylie continued.

“She was a talent I coveted as a player for Plameus. And while I was thinking that, I saw her in trouble with her friends.”

“…So that’s what it was.”

Eddie’s voice, stating his realization, became smaller than before.

Kylie thought that change was due to the embarrassment of realizing his over-self-consciousness.

But that wasn’t it.

Of course, Eddie was a little embarrassed right now.

He thought he had been looking at the situation too politically.

Dealing with Kirhausen had made him overly sensitive.

But the reason Eddie’s voice grew softer and his expression clouded was not due to embarrassment, but to relief.

Just now, while explaining the reason for her favor, Kylie had even shown a slight hint of displeasure towards him.

Besides, that confident gaze that felt no need for lies.

It was just like the young Dowager Empress he had seen in his past life.

‘Yes. If what she says is true, it even explains Kylie’s indifferent attitude so far.’

She had no particular interest in him from the beginning.

The interest she had in Joy was because she saw her as a ‘promising player,’ so it was natural for it to wane once she joined the team and became a player.

Kirhausen, or whatever, had nothing to do with the affairs of the magical world in the first place.

Realizing that, Eddie felt relieved once again.

If Kylie had no particular interest in him, it would actually make things easier going forward.

Without having to think about it complexly, he could just show the cards he had prepared.

After organizing his thoughts, Eddie looked at Kylie again.

In Kylie’s eyes, there was interest along with a subtle hint of displeasure.

So Eddie spoke quickly to resolve her displeasure.

“Then, now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, would it be alright for an arrogant junior to make a proposal to you, senior?”

“I thought you were going to apologize, but even this deviates from my expectations. Does that mean it’s a better proposal than an apology?”

“Yes. Definitely.”

At his confident answer, Kylie let out a small laugh.

“Alright. Go ahead and try. That great proposal of yours.”

“Please lend the power of Penrose to reveal Kirhausen’s corruption. If you do, I will create an opportunity for you to keep the Dallie family in check.”

“…!”

The smile instantly vanished from Kylie’s lips.

The wrinkles on her brow smoothed out, and her pupils dilated.

That was the weight of the words Eddie had just spoken.

Kylie stared at Eddie silently for a moment.

Then she spoke in a low, deep voice.

“Tell me in detail.”

In a voice no less heavy than Kylie’s, Eddie explained the card he had revealed.

That Kirhausen’s conspiracy, which violates the order of the magical world, was taking place in Tuksen.

That the Imperial Guard was protecting Tuksen, and to politically tie them down, the power of Penrose was needed.

And that he himself, while the Guard was unable to move, would investigate Tuksen with Penrose’s investigation team and reveal Kirhausen’s conspiracy to the world-

After listening, a smile spread on Kylie’s lips again.

She thought she knew why this proposal was an ‘opportunity to keep the Dallie family in check.’

“You know, don’t you? That the person in charge of Tuksen’s security is from the Dallie family.”

At Kylie’s words, Eddie wore the same smile as hers.

Then he continued Kylie’s words.

“A member of the Dallie family and a sixth cousin of Her Majesty the Empress.”

“That’s right.”

Kylie chuckled and nodded.

Intrigued by Eddie’s unusual level of information, Kylie’s eyes shone sharply as she looked at him.

‘Kaladein’ was a dispatched unit of the Imperial Guard that protected dangerous areas throughout the empire.

The unit protecting Tuksen was also a part of that.

Their mission was very important.

It was to protect the citizens of the empire from dangerous areas by imperial decree.

But about two years ago.

A new southern commander of Kaladein was appointed.

Externally, it was a legitimate promotion in recognition of his past merits and efforts, but in reality, it was an appointment made under pressure from the Empress.

But only the ministers of the imperial court knew this fact.

Even she herself, as the next head of the Penrose family, had only heard about it through her family.

But Eddie, a commoner child, knew all this information.

Moreover, he had accurately grasped the power dynamics within the imperial court, devised a plan, and was now making a proposal.

‘It’s impossible for him to do this alone. He already has a powerful figure cooperating with him.’

Kylie’s eyes shone even more sharply.

She couldn’t deny that Eddie’s proposal was attractive.

If the conspiracy in Tuksen was true, it was an opportunity to bring down the prestige of not only the Empress who had appointed an incompetent commander but the entire Dallie family.

But there were also some sticking points.

Two of them, in fact.

Kylie stared at Eddie for a moment, lost in thought.

Then, as if she had made a decision, she spoke in a firm voice.

“Your proposal is certainly attractive. I’ll admit that. But for the Penrose family to accept that proposal, there are two things you need to prove.”

“Please tell me what they are.”

“First, whether Kirhausen’s conspiracy, which you claim, is true. Second, whether this proposal is not a trap by the Dallie family to lure in the Penrose family.”

“I see. Those two things.”

Eddie nodded slowly.

It was a reasonable demand.

No, for the next head of the Penrose family, it was a rather obvious demand.

Eddie was lost in thought for a moment.

How could he provide the second proof that Kylie demanded?

He already had a method in mind for the first proof, so that wasn’t a problem.

So the problem was the second one.

How could he prove his innocence, that he wasn't instigated by the Dallie family?

Just as Eddie was quickly racking his brain.

The postscript he had read in Leodimir’s letter flashed through his mind.

It was a reminder not to forget the General Student Council meeting in a week.

Since he had read that six days ago, the General Student Council meeting was tomorrow.

Eddie smiled triumphantly and spoke to Kylie in a voice filled with confidence.

“First, you can find out about Kirhausen’s conspiracy by sending the family’s mages to investigate the basement of the Valcon Ruins.”

“The basement of the Valcon Ruins?”

“Yes. But there are mana detection devices in the basement, so you’ll need to send mages who are skilled in mana perception hindrance spells.”

“Hmm…”

“And going down to the basement directly carries a high risk of being discovered. I recommend using the ‘Terra-scrutor’ spell from the surface.”

“…It seems you’ve already been there. Was the recent field trip accident also caused by that?”

“Yes and no. Things that were beyond my intentions also played a part in the accident becoming so large.”

“Hahaha… you’re a really dangerous guy.”

“Anyway, you can confirm the first one that way. And as for the second one…”

Kylie’s gaze changed as she looked at Eddie.

It was a silent pressure that it had to be a proper proof.

But Eddie was confident.

“I just need to prove that I’m not entangled in any relationship of interest with the Dallie family, right?”

“That’s right.”

“In that case, I will prove it at the General Student Council meeting tomorrow.”

“The General Student Council meeting?”

“Yes.”

Eddie’s eyes shone with a golden light for a moment.

Kylie, seeing those eyes, met his gaze with interest.

And a moment later, Kylie let out a small laugh and nodded.

“Alright. I’ll be watching.”

* * *

The next day.

After the last class ended, the students left the classroom.

They scattered to their respective destinations, either returning to the dormitories or going to club activities.

But the grade-level executives gathered in groups of twos and threes and headed to one place.

Today was the day of the General Student Council meeting.

Joy, as an apprentice member, headed to the General Student Council room as soon as classes ended to prepare for the meeting.

And Eddie and Alexein remained in the classroom and began their discussion.

It was to consolidate their opinions and write the grade-level presidents’ opinion paper.

They should have done it much earlier, but things like Alexein’s laziness and Eddie’s joining Plameus had overlapped, so they were only now getting to it.

“Then, for the next agenda item, ‘Volunteer Activities Substitutable for Academic Credits,’ what should we do?”

“Yawn… what do you think.”

Alexein rolled his eyes as if he were annoyed and once again passed the task of presenting an opinion to Eddie.

They had already written down their opinions on the main agenda items.

All that was left were minor agenda items that wouldn’t be treated as very important in the meeting anyway.

Therefore, Alexein participated in the discussion by simply nodding vaguely at whatever Eddie said.

He was too lazy to use his head any further, and Eddie’s opinions were quite good, so he felt this was enough.

In the end, only Eddie’s opinions were reflected in the last four of the ten agenda items.

Eddie handed him the opinion paper to read one last time, but Alexein was too lazy even for that.

At that sight, Eddie briefly thought of Eustaf and swallowed a sigh, but he soon shook off his frustration and stood up.

“Then let’s go now. There are only 20 minutes left until the meeting starts.”

“I’ll go first. You will follow behind me.”

“Of course.”

“The same goes for the meeting room. Don’t get ahead of yourself and speak up before I present my opinion first.”

“Of course. You are the president, young master.”

At Eddie’s seemingly unimpressed reaction, Alexein’s eyes briefly turned fierce.

But since it wasn’t the first or second time Eddie had been insolent to him, he was now too lazy to get angry every time.

Besides, even if he didn’t do anything here, everyone would soon be glaring at Eddie.

Most of the executives of the General Student Council who would gather in the meeting room were the children of conservative upper-class families.

‘And the sharpest gaze among them will be that of the student council president.’

The corners of Alexein’s mouth twitched strangely.

Just imagining the uncomfortable atmosphere between Eddie and Dalton was already exciting.

“Let’s go.”

He said in a voice tinged with laughter and left the classroom first.

Eddie glanced at the opinion paper one more time and then followed Alexein.

‘I hope Kylie likes the opinion that the first-year president will present.’

He thought, preemptively thanking Alexein who would be used in his plan.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.