At Princess Rie's quarters, Locke stood before her meekly.

"So, why did you do that?"

Rie glared at Locke, and the atmosphere was tense.

"I apologize."

"Did I tell you to pick a fight with Rudy Astria or to keep an eye on him? With such baseless rumors? Do you plan to make enemies of both Rudy Astria and me?"

"…I apologize."

"Wind Cutter."

As Rie chanted the spell, a lock of Locke's hair was cut off.

A wound appeared on his forehead, and blood trickled down.

"I really dislike it when my plans go awry."

Locke looked at his hair that had fallen to the floor.

"Next time, it'll be your arm. Then, it'll be your territory, and after that, it'll be your neck."

Rie irritably brushed her hair aside.

"Be careful not to cause any harm to the upcoming alliance."

"I understand."

Rie smiled at the bowing Locke.

"Great~ If you do that, everything will be fine. Do your best, okay?"

Locke left Rie's room.

He had been too foolish.

He should have been more cautious and deliberate in his actions.

He should have realized that this place was not his territory, but Liberion Academy.

The day he hurled insults at Rudy Astria, Baron William's son went to the student council and confessed.

Upon hearing the news, his head went blank.

Rudy Astria.

That person was an 'evil character' in his mind.

Someone who looked down on those beneath him, acting arrogant without knowing their own limits.

He was convinced that Rudy Astria was such a person.

However, he wasn't.

Yes, he had been too foolish.

He was clumsy when it came to using his head.

Even with great strength, it held no meaning.

He felt it was both his own and his family's limitation.

The family guarding the cold northern region was a family with strong power in such a harsh environment.

Locke's family, the Lucarion family, was one of them.

While they possessed great strength, they were not particularly gifted intellectually.

They excelled in battle strategy but were ignorant in other areas, such as politics.

In a peaceful era,

those with power felt limited.

No matter how skilled in combat, if there was no battle, their abilities were useless.

The Empire's center attracted those skilled in magic and politics.

And they found themselves pushed to the periphery.

Physically and politically on the outskirts, they began to feel threatened.

Thus, Locke made a resolution when he arrived at the academy.

To learn politics.

To get close to the best political minds and learn from them.

And to expand his connections.

So, the person Locke approached was the First Princess, Rie.

A potential future empress.

There was no reason not to get close to her.

"Rudy Astria..."

Until Princess Rie mentioned it, Locke knew nothing.

Rudy Astria seemed like nothing more than a wayward second son.

As someone living in the north, he knew that Rudy Astria was famous.

However, both Princess Rie and Astina Persia paid attention to Rudy Astria.

Ordinary people pointed fingers at him, but the academy's top students sought to get closer to him.

Upon hearing the news that Baron William's offspring had surrendered, he realized the truth.

He was foolish, not seeing the reality.

Now he could understand.

Rudy Astria was not just a wayward young man.

Those with foresight had already noticed.

Locke casually wiped the blood flowing from his forehead with his sleeve.

Having seen numerous situations in the north, such a wound was nothing to him.

The fact he had made a mistake was more painful than the wound itself.

"I need to study more."

The red-haired guy confessed as I had instructed him to.

He admitted his guilt without mentioning Garwel.

I deliberately told him to not bring up Garwel since there was no benefit to provoking him already.

When the incident properly explodes during the midterm event

, we can uproot the entire thing.

There was no need to touch upon it just yet.

When I told the red-haired guy not to mention Garwel, he repeatedly bowed his head in gratitude.

It was a little awkward since I did it for my own benefit, but he seemed so grateful.

A few days later.

"Shall we have a listen then?"

As soon as the class ended, Astina approached me.

She took me to an empty classroom.

She sat on a chair, crossed her legs, and spoke to me.

"What are you talking about?"

"Everything from your actions at home to your fight with Baron William's son."

She seemed to know it all.

"Shall we listen slowly?"

Did she mean the rumors of my idiocy at home?

I could understand the stories about home, but how did she know about the fight with the red-haired guy?

I was sure I used a silent spell, and no one was around.

"How did you know about the fight with the son of Baron William?"

However, Astina deflected my question with a question.

"Which parts of the stories spreading from your family are true?"

As I didn't answer and calmly stood there, Astina smiled.

Then she opened her mouth.

"What are you? Rudy Astria?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

I showed no reaction and kept looking at Astina.

"The rumors are bad, but you're not really doing anything wrong."

Astina looked at me as she sat and said.

She took out some documents from the book she had been holding.

"In the family, you're a troublemaker. A second son who relies only on his talent. But looking at you in the academy, you appear to be nothing but an ordinary model student. To the point where it's hard to understand how such rumors were created."

It was a natural discrepancy since it wasn't me at home.

I had expected such a situation, but it happened faster than I thought.

"Even when Locke picks a fight, you simply try to pass by harmlessly."

She flipped through the documents in her hand one by one.

"If you cover up the name, you'd just be a kind student."

Astina looked at me and smiled faintly.

Then she put down the documents she had been holding.

"I can help you."

"Pardon?"

"I don't know why you're acting like this, but I can help you."

Astina reached out her hand to me.

"I've established my position in the academy now. There are powerful professors and children from prestigious families, but I have the power to counter them. If I take the student council president's position soon, my power will grow even stronger."

"..."

"I'll help you. Tell me your goal, and I'll help you. In return, you help me. Not as my subordinate, but as an equal partner."

Astina pushed her hand toward me as if urging me to hold it.

"Let's cooperate, Rudy Astria."

"Aren't we already cooperating as part of the student council?"

"I mean a proper alliance, not that. The student council is just temporary."

Hearing those words, I pondered for a moment.

Then, I opened my mouth.

"What do you see in me that makes you propose such a thing?"

I asked Astina.

Astina responded with a smile.

"It's just a hunch."

"Making decisions without solid evidence isn't wise."

"True for ordinary actions, but recognizing talent is different. It would be a shame to miss out on talent right in front of me."

The words he had said to Luna.

She knew everything others would never know.

She knew so much but I couldn't fathom how she found out.

"But you are strong enough without my help. If you take the student council president position, as you said, you will have even greater influence. Why make such an offer to me?"

"Hmm... That's my secret. I'll tell you if you ally with me."

I was torn.

Would joining hands with Astina be better?

Or would it be better to continue acting alone?

I weighed the two options.

Joining hands with Astina would be helpful not only within the academy but also outside.

She's a child of a prestigious family, after all.

Surviving in the academy was one problem, but so was life after graduation.

Let's skip thinking about that for now, as it's a distant concern.

However, even considering the academy alone, Astina undoubtedly had the most influence.

She was set to claim the student council president position and already held the top rank among second-year students.

Her power would definitely help me.

Just by listening to our conversation, didn't she know everything I had hidden?

There were clear advantages to joining hands with her.

The only downside of joining hands with her was dealing with unexpected developments.

While progressing the main story, I'd also have to deal with matters related to Astina.

I'd be extremely busy.

And explaining my intentions would be difficult.

No one would believe me if I said I was a person who entered the game and had to help Evan grow to prevent everyone at the academy from dying.

I struggled between the two choices.

And soon, I made a decision.

"How about a temporary alliance?"

"Temporary alliance?"

"I won't reveal everything about me. I'll only tell you what I intend to do to some extent. You can also weigh the pros and cons when helping me. If you help me, I'll provide corresponding help in return."

Hearing this, Astina smirked.

"Fine. I can accept that much."

Astina extended her hand to me, and I took it.

"Then let's hear it. Your intentions and your goals."

After a brief moment of thought, I spoke.

"I will become the academy's second seat."

"...Second seat?"

"The wall one must overcome to secure the top position in the academy. That's the role I'll play."

Of course, the person who would surpass that wall was already determined.

"Why won't you take the top seat yourself?"

"Because responsibility comes with the position."

In the main stories Evan experiences, there are events that occur because he's the top student.

Although those stories would grant him powerful weapons or abilities, the risks are too high.

Only someone with Evan's mental fortitude and skills could overcome them.

There are stories that require special magic that only Evan can use, and there are stories where he must persevere through sheer willpower.

I knew all too well how difficult those stories were.

Even knowing every story, they're still hard to overcome.

I didn't have the confidence to take on that responsibility.

"What do you know?"

At my words, Astina's face filled with curiosity.

However, I couldn't tell her everything.

There was no guarantee that the things I mentioned would happen, and other events could occur that I didn't mention.

I only knew the predetermined stories, not the ability to read the future.

"I don't know for sure."

"Then what are you basing this on?"

"Just a hunch."

As I said that, Astina's serious expression relaxed, and she spoke.

"You tell me not to rely on my instincts, yet you do trust in yours. Isn't that contradictory?"

"We can't rely entirely on intuition. But there is some evidence behind my words."

"What's the evidence?"

"That's a secret."

With that, Astina casually organized the documents she was holding and stood up.

"So, your goal is to become the second-seat, right?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"I'm curious who could beat you with all that effort."

I asked Astina a question in response to her words.

"Now, it's your turn, Senior Astina. Why do you need me?"

At my question, Astina raised the corner of her mouth.

"I will beat my brother, Varian Persia."

I had never heard the name Varian Persia before.

But I could understand the meaning behind her words.

"Are you trying to take the position of family successor?"

Astina didn't answer my question and just smiled.

It was a more complicated issue than I thought.

"Is it possible?"

"I am more thoroughly prepared than you think. I must succeed since I'm betting my life on it."

"What if I betray you?"

"I would blame myself for misjudging you and die, I suppose."

Although her words were harsh, she said them playfully.

Her words were convincing.

I understood she wanted to take over the family, but I wondered if I really needed to be involved.

I was just a discarded child from a duke's family, unable to rely on the power of my family.

Astina would know that too.

So what she needed was not the power of the Astria family, but the power of the top student, Rudy Astria.

In that case, she probably wouldn't ask me to do anything too burdensome.

After we finished talking, Astina walked towards the door.

"Are you leaving?"

"Yeah, the election is soon. I'm busy, so I have to go."

Astina waved her hand to me and opened the door.

"See you next time, partner."

***

And so, the election day arrived.

As expected, Astina secured a comfortable victory.

"How did I end up in this position?"

Astina leaned back in her chair, now seated at the student council president's desk.

"Wasn't this the anticipated result?"

A woman sipping tea in front of her replied.

It was Princess Rie.

"Even so, it feels great."

Astina smiled at Rie.

"Now that I'm the student council president, it's time to start working on our families."

Astina handed some documents to the princess.

"I've gathered this much information, and I've already begun laying the groundwork."

Rie skimmed through the documents and grinned.

"Sounds good~ I'll start working on the central region as well."

"Since I've fulfilled my promise to become the student council president, sign the contract."

Rie accepted the contract Astina handed her.

It stated the following:

1. Rie Von Ristonia will assist Astina Persia in inheriting the title of viscount.

2. Upon successfully inheriting the title, Astina Persia will help Rie Von Ristonia become the Empress.

... and so on.

Several clauses were written, and both of them signed the contract.

"I never thought we'd be in the same boat, given our opposing situations. I thought you'd dislike me."

"Opposing situations make it easier for us to understand each other, right?"

It was a collaboration between someone trying to steal power from her superior and someone trying to prevent losing their power.

Astina wanted to surpass her brother and become the family's heir, while Rie strived to prevent her sister from taking her power.

Despite their contrasting situations, they understood and acknowledged each other.

"Then I'm counting on you~."

Rie put down her teacup and rose from her seat.

"Ah."

As she was about to open the door, Rie glanced back.

"By the way, did the information about Rudy Astria help?"

"It did help. I'm grateful for that."

Rie smiled.

"I was a little interested in him as well, so it was a nice gesture~. So, what happened?"

"Don't you know?"

"Hey~ I can't always listen to everything~."

Rie spoke playfully.

"We've agreed to cooperate, and I've learned his intentions to some extent. He's not an enemy."

"Oh~ really? If our president says so~."

Astina didn't particularly like Rie's playful tone.

However, it was appropriate for their cooperative relationship, so she didn't feel too bothered.

"Well, I'll be going now. Astina-senior?"

"Alright."

Rie opened the door and left.

"Sigh…"

Astina let out a sigh and loosened her scarf a little.

"But now it's time for midterms…"

She had neglected her studies while preparing for the election.

Even if she had secured the student council president position, it would be useless if she lost her top rank.

Astina took out her book and opened it.

"I won't be getting much sleep for a while."

Though she said this, Astina wore a smile.

***

2/4 for the week!

Enjoy the chappy!