Chapter 73

“I managed to get a heroine to clear the scenario.”

But I was still faced with another problem.

That is, I’m still short on members for the student council boycott.

Honestly, I have no idea where to find them.

‘For now…’

I gathered the existing boycott members in my mind.

I informed Rozamin about them.

These were already dissatisfied with the student council and the academy.

If they feel moved, they might listen to Rozamin.

Among them, I planned to persuade the major forces.

‘They’ll do it as Bickamon, not Hanon.’

The one I meet this time is much better received as Hanon.

Click—

As I opened the familiar door, an unfamiliar scene greeted me.

Books stuck here and there and scattered papers.

And a boy sitting in the chair where someone else usually worked, along with several figures.

This is the student council.

The vice president Nikita was absent from the student council.

“Oh, Hanon, you’re here?”

The man moving a feather pen with a headache looked up and showed signs of delight.

A handsome man with light blond hair and a smiling face.

He looks boisterous enough, and his name is…

Silvester Drapen.

He is the student council president of Jerion Academy.

Moreover, he is also the youngest son of the Duke of Drapen, one of the four dukes of the empire.

This is also why the Duke of Robliju is keen on making the student council fall.

‘The Duke of Drapen is part of the 1st Prince Faction.’

If the student council falls, all the blame will be on the president, Silvester.

Taking Silvester down would help Iris regain the authority of the student council, aiding her in politics as well.

My gaze fell back on Silvester.

Silvester’s nickname.

It’s the incompetent layabout.

Born into Drapen, he has nothing to inherit from the duke’s house.

Not that he’s particularly talented either.

But thanks to the Drapen backing and his decent appearance, he rose to the presidency.

‘There also weren’t any suitable talents among the 3rd years.’

So he had been passing off various tasks to the vice president, Nikita.

However, Nikita was absent due to this incident.

As a result, he faced a flood of work every day.

It’s okay during the semester, but especially at the start of the semester, there is a lot for the student council to do.

Yet Nikita managed to juggle this work along with her training.

It was a flashback to how capable Nikita is.

“You must be working hard.”

The student council had become relatively less frequented since Nikita’s departure, but I still attended regularly.

To spark this boycott, I needed continual information on the current student council.

And today, I had a reason for visiting the student council.

“Poara.”

“Ah, yes, senior!”

Poara, who was diligently transporting last year’s materials, responded quickly at my call.

Contractor of the Spirit Sovereign.

Main figure in the student council boycott for Act 4.

Poara Silin.

I helped Poara not spill the materials and smiled warmly.

“Let’s have a quick chat later.”

Do you want to join our student council boycott?

＊＊＊

After finishing the student council work, I left school with Poara.

“Yes, that’s right. That happened last time.”

Poara communicated with spirits invisible to my eyes.

It was a sight I had seen many times, yet it never ceased to amaze me.

It’s like watching someone converse with a ghost.

“Oh, I’m sorry, senior. The spirits are quite chatty today.”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to worry.”

They were spirits that always supported Poara.

One must remember to take care of them.

As I bantered, Poara smiled over her glasses.

Initially, Poara often showed an uneasy demeanor.

But after a semester passed, it seemed she was adapting well to the academy.

There was an aura of someone who had come under the Spirit Sovereign’s contract.

‘I too have awakened the fire’s flame.’

Unfortunately, the spirits still didn’t show themselves before me.

Bickamon’s spirit affinity was nearly hopeless.

“So, what was it that you called me for?”

Fortunately, Poara brought up the main topic first.

“Poara, do you remember what we talked about last time?”

“If it’s about what we discussed before…”

“It’s about the favor I asked you.”

Poara blinked.

Then she clenched her fists and nodded her head.

“Yes, of course! Thanks to you, I was able to contract with the Spirit Sovereign! Just say the word!”

What a reliable junior.

I smiled warmly.

“Poara, there’s a group forming to reject the student council.”

“A boycott?”

“Do you remember the incident with Nikita recently?”

Poara’s face immediately darkened.

Not as much as mine, but Poara had gotten along well with Nikita.

Nikita was someone who treated her juniors without discrimination.

So, Poara had respected Nikita a lot.

Even though quite some time has passed, Nikita’s absence still lingered.

Maybe that’s why Poara felt uneasy regarding Nikita’s situation.

“It seems they plan to use that incident as leverage for the boycott.”

“How could they be so rotten…! Nikita-san worked so hard to improve the school!

To exploit her pain like that, they’re unbelievable trash.”

I felt a strong sense of rebellion from Poara.

It was a new realization that Poara had changed a lot.

She used to take a proactive role in leading boycotts.

But now, she stood firmly on the side of the student council, filled with anger.

“So, Poara, you need to infiltrate the boycott group.”

“Huh?”

Poara asked back with a dazed expression.

Just a moment ago, she had been seething over Nikita’s issue.

She couldn’t believe that I was asking her to boycott.

So, I had to convince Poara.

“Listen carefully. If you, a member of the student council, express discontent with the council itself, how do you think the boycott group will perceive it?”

“They would probably greet me with open arms?”

“Exactly! You would be a useful spy and a justification for them. Yet on the flip side, as a member of the student council, you are…”

“Oh, you want me to be a spy!”

Poara nodded with a look of understanding.

“Correct.”

Of course, Poara would lead the boycott group under my guidance.

But as long as it was clear she was acting as a spy for the student council, she could back out at any time.

“But can I really perform the role of a spy?”

Poara wasn’t exactly a person acquainted with acting.

She was an innocent young lady.

That description fit Poara perfectly.

Asking her to act as a spy was quite the daunting task.

“What are you talking about? Poara, you can do this better than anyone else.”

“R-Really?”

“Yes! More importantly, you have spirits invisible to others. If you utilize their eyes, extracting information becomes a cinch.”

“…Will the spirits really help with that?”

They would definitely help!

Poara loved and cherished the spirits.

But spirits are entities with a clear hierarchy.

As long as Poara claims a contract with the Spirit Sovereign, they will help with almost anything unless it results in their demise.

“Trust me, believe in me. Poara, you’re the junior I trust most in the student council.”

“Ahem, cough.”

Poara cleared her throat, seemingly shy.

I didn’t really want to see a boy look bashful.

I decided to keep my compliments to a minimum.

‘I miss the days of complimenting Nikita.’

Nikita, I miss you.

I hope to hear additional news soon.

Meanwhile, Poara proudly puffed up her chest.

Confidence radiated from her eyes.

“Yes, senior, just trust me! I will fulfill the role of a spy splendidly!”

That straightforward, reliable Poara.

“I’m counting on you.”

And so, I successfully placed Poara within the boycott group.

Now, all that remains is to bring in the other key figures of the boycott.

Fortunately, I know their weaknesses to coax them into joining the boycott.

And wielding these weaknesses is none other than Bickamon.

Third-rate villain Bickamon Niflheim.

I will surely lead the boycott to success!

＊＊＊

The preparations for the boycott were steadily progressing.

Initially, the numbers were lacking, but thanks to Rozamin and Aeling being inspired by my words and working hard,

I managed to gather a decent number of boycott members.

Moreover, those I leveraged their weaknesses against participated in the boycott with tears in their eyes.

“What a despicable guy! How did you find my self-composed poem dedicated to my first love…”

“Ugh, even though I’ve always had a problem with the student council, they can’t use that as an excuse!”

“How did you find out about the time I ate clams and drew maps in a carriage?”

Victims popped up everywhere, yet the boycott members were well-represented.

Thanks to that, I thought I wouldn’t face any problems until the designated boycott date.

‘Now, all that’s left is for Iris to make contact.’

I planned to leave Iris’s contact to Rozamin whenever possible.

Of course, with the scenario precariously balancing, I intended to keep a discreet watch over that.

Just when I thought everything was going to go smoothly, though,

I encountered a completely unexpected issue.

“Good morning, another morning training, huh? You’re quite diligent.”

It was my daily morning training with Aisha.

Recently, a new figure had joined this training.

A girl with honey blonde hair, wearing shorts and a light jacket, clung to me.

Isabel Luna.

She was there.

“……”

Aisha quietly glanced my way.

It was clear she was questioning how this happened.

I had no idea.

Isabel had declared her intention to stop me during that day’s conversation.

I naturally interpreted that as a statement to prevent the boycott incident,

But apparently, there was more to it for Isabel.

‘Could it be she intends to fundamentally change me.’

Isabel stood next to me with a bright face.

Her smile contained a desire to transform my anger through positive energy.

A sudden headache throbbed.

Such a cheerful main heroine.

Well, that was also one reason I had liked Isabel.

After killing Nikita with my own hands.

Lucas would suffer a large emotional scar.

This wound continued to fester and ultimately brought Lucas to his knees.

By the end of Act 4, Isabel supported and encouraged Lucas.

And in the end, as Lucas rose once more, Isabel came to cherish him.

That scene was something I thoroughly enjoyed during the Fire Butterfly arc.

Seeing Isabel, my childhood friend, awaken as the main heroine was a scene anyone playing the protagonist would love.

‘Hmm?’

Lost in those thoughts, I suddenly halted.

Right now, in this world, there is no Lucas.

Instead, I had taken on part of Lucas’s role to advance the scenario.

In that situation.

I appeared to Isabel as someone enraged and wounded by Nikita’s death.

This was an occurrence where circumstances fortuitously combined, yet

It could only appear as such in Isabel’s eyes.

This meant if the scenario continued as is,

I would inevitably follow a path similar to Lucas.

Isabel would fall for me.

‘No, it’s not quite the same.’

Lucas was Isabel’s childhood friend.

But I am Isabel’s rival.

While I might feel a sense of satisfaction watching my desires fade,

She would not reciprocate.

‘That’s something I won’t worry about too much.’

The problem is that having replaced Lucas’s role,

It seems that Isabel intends to stick around me for quite some time.

“……Aisha, let’s train.”

Nevertheless, it couldn’t be helped.

Just because Isabel had joined doesn’t mean we could skip training.

Aisha nodded her head.

We proceeded with our usual training routine.

Isabel kept up well during the training.

She was also a top-tier talent in 2nd-year martial arts.

Of course, she could keep up with most training.

However, the issue was that our training was not just your average training.

“Gah, ugh, are you guys serious? I can’t believe you go this far?”

Isabel gasped, seeing the dozens of kilograms of iron bags strapped to her back and arms.

Aisha and I exchanged looks with each other.

And then smiles broke across our faces.

“And you call that whining?”

“Looks like you’re not as strong, Isabel-senpai?”

Aisha and I truly hit it off.

A vein quietly bulged on Isabel’s forehead.

As a martial arts member, she had her pride.

She was agitated.

“Not strong, you say?”

Isabel gripped those iron bags tightly and got back up.

“I’ve never heard anything like that in my life!”

That’s the way to go.

“Aisha, let’s continue.”

“Yes, senpai.”

We resumed our morning training.

Isabel hung on desperately but eventually collapsed halfway through.

Since we had intentionally made it hard to tease her,

We decided to cut the training there.

“Ugh, ugh.”

Isabel trembled, her legs quaking as she prepared to return to the dormitory.

Watching her, I stepped up beside her.

This caused Isabel to jump slightly.

“You, you don’t have to help!”

“No, I don’t intend to.”

What an odd response, and I passed her by.

Since the boys’ dorm was somewhat farther from the girls’ dorm, I was simply going ahead.

If I wanted to wash up and not be late, I had to move fast.

Isabel stared at me from behind with a blank expression.

Then she made a face as if recalling our situation.

“Senpai, I will help you.”

“Ugh, thanks…”

Then Isabel quietly accepted Aisha’s assistance.

“You don’t smell bad at all.”

Aisha quietly remarked, and Isabel just nodded, her face turning beet red.