Chapter 11

After opening my eyes, I found myself staring at a familiar ceiling.

The smell of disinfectant tickled my nose.

This was the medical room in Jerion Academy.

‘Did Poara bring me here?’

I must have collapsed after seeing Steel disappear, and I guess someone found me and carried me in.

I certainly had to pay for that.

I should thank them next time.

I tried to sit up immediately.

At that moment, a slight pain coursed through my body.

After all, I had used a high healing potion.

The wounds had been healed somehow, but my body still remembered the pain.

Besides, healing potions come with a cost.

They forcibly enhance the remaining healing power in the body.

So, as a result, an intense sense of fatigue filled me from head to toe.

‘But at least I achieved something.’

I had acquired steel skin.

With that, I could somehow manage in the mock battle.

Creak-

At that moment, the door to the medical room opened.

Thinking it might be the nurse, I peeked my head out.

To my surprise, there was an unexpected figure.

“Nikita-senpai?”

“Oh? Junior, you’re awake.”

She was holding a sandwich in her arms for some reason.

As my gaze shifted to the sandwich, Nikita offered a brief smile.

“I’ve been busy, you see. Dinner isn’t ready yet. I was thinking we could eat together once you woke up.”

So she was paying me back for treating her to lunch earlier.

It was quite human of her to dislike being in debt.

I chuckled lightly.

“So after lunch, it’s sandwiches again?”

“Um, unlike during the day, it’s a tuna and chicken sandwich this time.”

“Thank you for that.”

I can’t resist chicken.

Nikita moved to my side, pulling out a chair to sit down.

She unwrapped the chicken sandwich and handed it to me.

…Tchensanga?

“Thanks a lot.”

“Thank you goes to me. I’m genuinely grateful for what you did in the Spirit Great Forest. And you scared me quite a bit.”

She must have been freaked out seeing the person she asked for help get carried in unconscious.

Considering I came off so nonchalant, it was a reasonable reaction.

I felt a bit guilty.

If I had messed up, it would have put Nikita in a difficult position since she had asked me for help.

“Mystery.”

The moment that word escaped Nikita’s lips, my body flinched.

So she figured it out, huh.

“If I had known about such a thing, I wouldn’t have sent you, junior.”

Mystery can sometimes be beneficial, but they are mostly dangerous.

Besides, the Spirit Sovereign is a higher entity than Mystery.

I thought there was no way Mystery would have any chance to come in.

The absence of the Spirit Sovereign is a story that the Spirits wouldn’t even share with the Spirit Mages.

As a result, even the associate professor of Spirit Studies had no idea that the forest had turned to steel due to the mystery until now.

‘Of course, they would have figured it out eventually, but it wouldn’t have taken long.’

If the mystery had been acknowledged, I wouldn’t have to step in.

“By any chance, rumors…”

“They haven’t spread. The incident has been attributed to Poara, not you.”

Thank goodness.

I wasn’t ready to surface yet.

I needed to be revealed during this mock battle.

‘I have to keep my opponent off guard.’

The students I would be facing had been training at Magung for half a year.

In comparison, I was just a weak Bickamon stepping into the second act.

To increase my odds even slightly, I needed to actively capitalize on the advantages I had.

A transfer student who suddenly entered the second year.

Hanon’s distinctive small build.

And the provocative remarks I had uttered the moment I transferred.

Whoever my opponent would be would probably view me as a cocky brat.

Thus, I wanted to hide my full strength as much as possible until the mock battle.

Then I suddenly glanced back at Nikita.

She was staring at me with wide-eyed interest, her gaze piercing through me.

…Got me.

“Sorry, junior. The Student Council hasn’t made any announcement about this incident yet. The students don’t even know if the matter has been resolved.”

How cunning of Nikita.

I was completely fooled.

The fact that I fainted and woke up with my head spinning was my downfall.

With my recent reaction, Nikita had figured out I wanted something.

Now I was worried about how she would interpret it.

“Junior, I believe everyone has their own reasons and goals.”

Nikita continued as she unwrapped the tuna sandwich.

“So if you desire it, just like I said, let’s keep it as Poara having resolved the issue. You helped only indirectly.”

“…Thank you.”

I replied with a tinge of embarrassment.

To lighten the mood, I raised the chicken sandwich.

As I took a bite, I felt my hands shake.

It was a sign that my body hadn’t fully recovered yet.

As a result, some of the sandwich ingredients spilled onto the blanket.

Nikita picked them up gently with her hands and then smiled sweetly at me.

“I’d appreciate it if you could at least give me a hint next time. It’s not like I’ll outright oppose you.”

Is that really Tchensanga?

“If anything, if you announced that you resolved the mystery, the rumors would probably get buried rather than spread.”

“Huh?”

Did something happen?

I didn’t know of any significant events going on at this time.

If it were connected to politics, that would be a mess.

“Poara has made a contract with a new Spirit Sovereign in the Spirit Great Forest.”

“……What?”

What the hell kind of nonsense is this?

“Of course, it’s a provisional contract. Just borrowing strength, but thanks to that, the academy is in chaos.”

I felt my mind going blank.

Poara had made a contract with the Spirit Sovereign?

This was a story I had never heard before in the political realm.

‘Originally, Lucas had been blessed by the Spirit Sovereign as a gesture of gratitude.’

But even Lucas, the protagonist, hit a ceiling with higher Spirits as a Spirit Mage.

Yet, Poara, who was but a side character, made a contract with the Spirit Sovereign?

That was hard to believe.

‘…No, when I think about it, Poara had a higher spirit affinity than the other Spirit Mages.’

In contrast, Lucas only had a bit of spirit affinity.

He wasn’t on the level of being showered with love from the Spirits.

‘Could it be that when we went to deal with the Steel Empress, she brought a companion with high spirit affinity, which enabled her to make a contract with the Spirit Sovereign?’

I couldn’t know for sure.

The Steel Empress was ultimately Lucas’s empowerment event.

It would always be Lucas who entered the Spirit Great Forest, drawn by the sound of a sorrowful voice.

‘However, if Poara has made a contract with the Spirit Sovereign…’

The Spirits didn’t show their faces when I was defeating the Steel Empress.

They must have all been over there with Poara.

It made sense that the academy was in uproar.

The problem was this would have a considerable influence on politics.

Given that Poara was a contractor for the Spirit Sovereign, her influence would undoubtedly rise significantly in the future.

‘If by any chance, Poara boycotted the Student Council now…’

I couldn’t begin to imagine how many students would rise up against it.

‘Could they really handle that?’

I never thought that taking Poara would lead to such a huge mess.

I suddenly felt a chronic headache coming on with stress-induced gastritis.

‘This is my responsibility.’

I had no choice but to manage it somehow.

“……I heard that Poara is aiming for the Student Council.”

“Yeah, that’s right. Poara’s brother was once the Student Council President of Jerion Academy.”

Nikita smiled a bit regretfully.

“Since her brother was such an accomplished person, she must be striving to follow in his footsteps.”

I never knew Poara had such background.

“Of course, now she’s become a proud younger sister, so it won’t be a problem.”

Now that she was a contractor for the Spirit Sovereign.

There shouldn’t be any issues.

The real problem is that I have to lead the politics.

“…Do you think Poara will continue to pursue the Student Council?”

Given my serious expression, Nikita tilted her head.

“That seems to be unchanged.”

I made up my mind.

I needed to somehow draw Poara into the Student Council.

She was a contractor for the Spirit Sovereign, after all.

It would be better to manage her from the side.

That way, I could minimize unforeseen variables.

“Thank you for letting me know.”

I finished the sandwich I had been munching on.

I had gained steel skin, and now there was the variable of being a contractor for the Spirit Sovereign.

“By the way, junior, I came to talk about something more important than all this.”

Nikita cleared her throat.

She straightened her back and sat up.

Nikita seemed to have grown a bit taller.

I guess she was trying to appear dignified, but given her appearance, it only came off as cute.

“Are you perhaps going to confess?”

“Unfortunately, junior, I’ve never felt romantic feelings for anyone.”

“I respect and admire you, Nikita-senpai.”

“Your admiration and love seem a bit excessive.”

Is this 1 confession 1 chance?

“And I’m sorry, but for you, my ideal type is a tall person.”

This was the first I was hearing of that.

Well, technically, in Hanon’s form, I was just slightly taller than Nikita.

It was all just a joke to lighten the mood, so I straightened my posture as well.

“Anyway, the Student Council, as well as Spirit Studies, is very grateful for what you did.

Even if you don’t want to reveal that you were the one who solved the situation, at least I know.”

Nikita said that and looked at me.

Then she smiled warmly.

“You worked hard. I want to express my gratitude.”

“I’ve received your thanks.”

“And regarding your desire to join the Student Council, after careful consideration, we’ve reached a conclusion today.”

Nikita handed me a badge.

It was an emblem that proved I was part of the Student Council.

“With the power of the Vice President, I’m officially recognizing Hanon Irey as a member of the Student Council.”

I couldn’t believe I was accepted right away because of this incident.

Surprised, I received the Student Council badge from her.

The badge depicting both a sword and a book was very much representative of Jerion Academy’s Student Council.

It clearly meant that members had to embody both martial and scholarly prowess.

Steel skin and now a member of the Student Council as well.

The Spirit Great Forest event had truly showered me with rewards.

I gripped the badge tightly.

For some reason, it felt like my first achievement gained through my own efforts in this game world.

“I’ll do my best from now on.”

“Hoho, I’m looking forward to it. There’s a lot of work in the Student Council now that such a great talent has joined.”

“Please don’t let it affect my studies.”

“Members of the Student Council get bonus points, so you won’t have to worry too much about that.”

That was actually one of my main reasons for wanting to join the Student Council.

Thanks to the bonus points, even if I couldn’t manage my studies a bit, I wouldn’t have to worry about failing.

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Having finished her sandwich, Nikita stood up.

I bid farewell as she departed and busied myself with tidying up the bed.

My body was recovering, and the sun was setting.

It was about time I thought about heading back to the dorm.

Creak-

At that moment, the door to the infirmary opened.

Thinking Nikita-senpai might have left something behind, I turned my head only to find someone even more surprising than her.

“…Hello.”

With long black hair cascading like silk and a sculpted face.

Her complexion was unusually pale, and her ruby-like red eyes seemed to glow.

Her appearance resembled that of an elegant noble lady.

The world referred to her as the ultimate villainess.

The one who devoured the prince and princess and managed to climb her way up to the second spot in the imperial succession.

3rd Princess Iris Haishirion.

She had appeared in the infirmary.