HTACS 30

Chapter 30

As the black mana scattered and rose into the sky, I could clearly hear it.

It coalesced into one, delivered a single phrase, and then flew away.

‘…Thank you, President.’

“Even now, they still call me President. …No, to them, I am the last president, I suppose.”

Immediately after, *thump*—Zolf collapsed onto the spot.

Judging by the twitching, it didn’t seem like he had found peace.

Weakling.

I thought that—but soon after, my own legs gave out and I sat down on the spot.

【Congratulations on your graduation.】

I had no mana left to activate that final phrase.

Instead, it took from somewhere else—probably stamina. This wasn’t a function in the original—I don’t know how or why it worked.

Anyway, as I lay down on the spot, an urgent voice came from afar.

“Wolfram-nim! Are you alright!”

“I’m fine. Tend to the injured.”

“Y-yes!”

I waved Nephti away, and she quickly turned to check on Eve and Kelterus.

I lay there, lost in thought.

Even if it was only the prologue of 1-1, the story had twisted so much it went beyond what I could handle.

Kelterus had become a bratty Coolpiss, Eve had been sent flying with one hit, and Wolfram had intervened. No matter how much of a veteran I am, who could have predicted it would unfold like this?

But I stopped it.

Just as Kelterus had resolved the grudges of the expelled students in the original, I too was able to resolve them.

“Maybe luck played a part too.”

Whether it was because my words—spoken with sincerity as the former student council president—resonated in his heart, or because Zolf’s favor toward me helped, or because the Imperial Bloodline skill is just that strong.

Anyway. Anyway.

“I won. I survived.”

That’s all that matters.

By not giving up on thinking and doing everything I could, Wolfram von Lohengrin survived once again.

“Ha, this is really impossible.”

I need to collect the clear reward item, but I don’t have the stamina. I’ll lie here a bit longer and then head to the reward room. For now, let me catch my breath.

There’s plenty of time. Act 1 is over.

“What is the meaning of this situation!”

“…Huh?”

I thought that—but it seems it’s not over yet.

“Zolf was here! And Student Wolfram too? Just what is this situation…!”

“Professor Lantica Grace…”

“Ahem. This is quite a mess. Did Zolf cause this? First, let’s return to the lab and hear the full story.”

“…Huh?”

“Student Wolfram, come to the lab as well. I need to hear things calmly and properly—so prepare yourself immediately.”

No, wait.

Wasn’t it all over?

Now, all of a sudden? The professor’s making a move? Does that even make sense? No, no, this is really not okay. Hey. Hey. Wait. Stop. Don’t come near me!

Just as the professor’s demonic hand was reaching for me—

A voice wrapped in light came from behind her.

“No. We’ll conduct the questioning first.”

“…What?”

“Eve.”

While absorbing Professor Lantica’s enraged question—her scheme thwarted—Eve continued without hesitation.

“The new semester has barely begun, and an incident of this scale has occurred in the first-year common dormitory. I believe this is a matter for me—who holds full authority from the Imperial family—to resolve, not the professor.”

“…H-hmph. But the one lying there is my student.”

“It’s difficult to hand him over. To avoid confusion in questioning and investigation, we will conduct the primary investigation.”

“Hmph, but I have my reputation as a professor to uphold. …I’ll give up on Wolfram, but I must take Zolf.”

“I will formally submit this matter to the Imperial court. When His Majesty gives his approval, we can discuss it then.”

“…Hmph. Fine. I’ll withdraw for now. I’ll see you at the graduate school building later.”

Saying that, Professor Lantica clicked her tongue and withdrew.

Wow. Eve’s going hard.

No matter how much Eve von Lohengrin is the student council president with absolute power, her opponent is still a professor who has made a name for herself in the Empire. This power struggle must be quite taxing on Eve too… Why is she suddenly going this far?

What could she possibly gain from investigating me and Zolf…

Surely not—to get rid of me entirely? To tie me up and throw me into the sea off Zephrin?

While I was trembling in fear, the Light Executioner—Eve—approached me.

No.

Please. Spare me.

“Wolfram… How’s your body, um… A-are you… alright?”

“?”

What did she just say?

—

When Eve von Lohengrin came to, the situation was almost resolved.

After steadying her spinning head and barely regaining consciousness, the first thing Eve did was a “self-check”—who she was, how old she was, where she was born, what she was studying. After confirming no confusion in her memories, she moved on to “interpreting” the current situation and why she had lost consciousness.

Eve, being an excessively capable mage, soon deduced why she had fainted and why she was here.

*CRAAAASH!!*

A sound of something collapsing from inside—startled, Eve hurried her steps toward the hall.

*Stumble.*

“Ugh…!”

But a sound mind and a sound body are separate matters—her legs staggered heavily. Still, she couldn’t stop.

Ironically, after being hit by that thing, she understood what it was.

That was resentment. Colorless mana that had been nothing gained direction through strong emotion. And that strong emotion was the sorrow of expelled freshmen who wanted to graduate.

On top of that, the graduate student’s own desire to graduate had compounded, causing it to rampage.

So this was something the student council president had to handle.

“It’s okay. I can do it.”

She didn’t know how she’d managed to get out here safely after losing consciousness, but her limbs were trembling.

She had nearly died. For the first time in her life, she’d been knocked unconscious. If even a single small rock had fallen on her head, she would have died.

“Still… I have to go.”

It’s okay. She took a deep breath.

Her mana, no matter how she calculated it, was around 17—the limit of ordinary humans. If she struck with her full-powered Light Spear, she could end it in one blow. Although she’d lost consciousness to an unexpected ambush, she was ready to counterattack.

There was one thing bothering her.

The figure of a man she had seen before losing consciousness.

That frail-bodied person next to her on the family register.

“No way. There’s no way he’d be here…”

But since he was a man who appeared and disappeared like a ghost, there was no guarantee he wasn’t.

“If that’s the case… No. That idiot…!”

Eve knew Wolfram’s stats. Stamina 2, Mana 3.

There was no way he could withstand that mass of obsession with mana 17.

With her unsteady legs, Eve made her way toward the hall by any means necessary.

And there, she saw it.

“【I shall bestow this upon you】”

Though she’d never once acknowledged it in her life—

the majesty she had no choice but to acknowledge—

displayed by the former student council president who had once stood at the pinnacle of a hundred thousand Zephrin.

“Take it, Zolf. You’ve worked hard enough.”

There he was—with a mere 2 stamina, 3 mana—having a conversation with someone several times his equal.

A figure that transcended the wall that could never be crossed by numbers alone—with the magnitude of being human.

Eve gritted her teeth.

Because she felt as if she were being shown, before her very eyes, what path she should walk as the student council president of a hundred thousand Zephrin.

“【Congratulations on your graduation. You’ve worked hard.】”

“What is this. Now of all times.”

Why had he never shown such a side during his term?

“Why are you doing this now. It’s all too late.”

—

Eve approached me step by step, stared intently at my face, let out a deep sigh, and snapped her fingers. Ah, I’m going to die now. It was a short life.

“Nepterian. By student council order: calm the first-years so they don’t panic and keep them from leaving their rooms.”

“I obey.”

With that, Nephti shot up to the second floor. No, don’t go. Protect me.

“Wolfram.”

“What.”

“First, let’s fix up your body. 【Light Spear: Rapid Healing】”

With those words, the spear of light quietly approached me, began to spin in circles, and soon I felt my stamina rapidly recovering.

It seems she doesn’t plan to kill me here after all.

“…Thanks.”

“An Imperial lying around like that looks bad to others.”

“I’m just an ordinary student now. Since I’m not the president, I’m not even an Imperial in Zephrin.”

As I stood up and dusted myself off, Eve’s expression looked oddly dark. What’s wrong?

“Anyway, this is quite a mess. The Student Council’s repair budget is going to take a hit.”

“Indeed.”

The series of chaos Zolf had caused had completely destroyed the first-year common dormitory hall. The first-years on the upper floors would probably be too startled to sleep tonight too.

Still, the lockdown order is impressive—despite this situation, the only one who came out was that brat Kelterus. Or maybe they’ve been imprinted not to defy the Imperial family?

“Wolfram.”

“What.”

“I have a rough idea, but can you explain?”

“…Hmm. That’s not difficult.”

I explained to Eve why this had happened.

The graduate student’s current situation. The professor’s orders. Zolf’s escape.

“I see.”

“He’ll be expelled, right?”

I glanced at Zolf.

It’s unfortunate, but causing this much trouble means someone has to take responsibility. And regardless of his circumstances, Zolf is the perpetrator caught in the act.

But the answer that came back was unexpected.

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“Hmm. He caused this much damage, though?”

“Because it wasn’t caused by the graduate student alone. It was created by the resentment that had piled up in Zephrin over time. It may be difficult to place full blame solely on him. I’m thinking of pursuing that angle.”

“Why?”

“If graduate students keep leaving the Magic Department like this, the Empire might grow weaker, don’t you think? I don’t even want to imagine graduate students with mana over 20 becoming a professor’s private army.”

“All loyalty must be directed toward the Empire—that’s the principle.”

Eve nodded.

“Politics is ultimately about justification, backing, offering interests, and forming sides. We hold the justification of ‘is it really okay to keep persecuting graduate students?’—with the backing of the Imperial family behind us, and we push a few research projects toward conscientious professors who side with the Imperial family, getting them to take sides.”

Scary. Eve is scary—truly.

“And I’ll also propose legislation through the Chancellor’s office.”

“What kind of legislation?”

“One that legally defines graduate students as human?”

At Eve’s words, I found myself nodding. That should exist.

“Thoughtful.”

“Hmph.”

But in the original, she hadn’t grown this much this quickly—what happened?

While I was lost in thought, Eve muttered something.

“Brother…”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. I said it was unlike you to step forward like that.”

“Ha. I think I did something unfitting too.”

“…Did you regain your ambition for power? Is this part of your effort to be reinstated as student council president?”

I didn’t answer. It wasn’t worth answering.

What kind of Aila-like nonsense is she spouting?

But however Eve interpreted that silence—she let out a deep sigh and spoke quietly.

“For now, why not come back to the Student Council and do some odd jobs? Maybe an opportunity will arise?”

“Absolutely not. Why would I go there? Roll on your own.”

“EEEEK!!”

With that, Eve turned away in a huge huff.

What.

Why is she angry?

—

After that, Eve huffed and puffed with rage, and after calming down, she hoisted Zolf onto her back, glanced once at Kelterus in the distance, and disappeared. Hang in there, Kelterus.

Anyway, in this hall now empty of vengeful spirits, Zolf, professors, Nephti, and Eve—I headed toward the clear room.

And there, sitting *plop* was a single item.

“…Where did this drop from?”

I tilted my head, but since the item that appeared was exactly what I had expected, I decided not to worry about it.

“The order’s a bit backward—but I finally got it.”

I grinned as I read the system message that appeared before my eyes.

**【Gloves of Order】** acquired.

**【Experience Gain】** increased by 10%.

Set effect with **【Gloves of Balance】** activated.

Gain minor resistance to **【All Status Effects】**.

Randomly acquire one of the **【8T】** skills!

The Act 1 completion item—the beginner set effect from the Gloves of Order.

“Though it took a toll on my body.”

The reward was oh so sweet.

Ah, sweet.