Chapter CXLI - Mastermind (part 2)

A week has passed since the attack, and nothing else happened ever since.

Today is the day when the third years finally put off their mantle and gave it to the juniors. I'm talking, of course, about the student council.

The previous student council president, Quill, gave me an armband saying 'student council president' to me at the ceremony in the morning. Doing this marks the end of their reign, and the beginning of mine.

Even though I was already the student council president long before they even retired, this still needs to be done for formal reasons.

But now, things are going to be different. Without the third year, I will be more free with my things, and I also get to choose freely who gets to be my slaves--EKHEM!!-- I mean friends. 

Though I couldn't choose them all because there is an application system where the students can apply for a position on the council. But, I still get to choose some.

Let's see... I can't choose the vice president, because it's chosen by the previous council members. I ended up picking Manda as my new secretary. She is soft and nice, plus she does everything I told her. The perfect candidate for a slav--I mean secretary.

I also placed Arfius as the new head of the DC committee. Doing that will definitely piss him off, but he can't reject it since it's my order. Jericho can be the vice of the DC. She is much better at handling issues than Arfius, and the two get along rather well, funny enough.

Too well, I'd say…

All right. I have my picks. Now for the recruitments... I'll just let Manda and the vice president do the decision making. I don't want to be weighed so much, plus I know none of the applicants anyway.

The next few days were filled with me basically running away from my job. I dropped everything to Manda and the poor vice president, they ended up hating me for it. In fact, everyone has been hating me for a very long time.

But what can I say... I've been doing the same when I was a vice president and after I got 'informally' promoted to president. I'm the worst student council president ever, and I am quite proud of it.

But… something finally happened.

One week after my official promotion, the headmaster called me to his office. Oh dear, am I going to get scolded?

Arriving at his office, I can tell that he is quite pressured by something. 

I realized immediately that it was not related to me being a terrible council president.

"Rize... We have a problem."

"What is it?"

"... We have a spy here at the academy."

A… spy?

"How did you know?"

"There has been... some changes in the air. I kept on feeling enmities towards me every time I took a walk in the park."

"Are you sure it wasn't some student who hated you?"

"As a headmaster in this academy, I can say that I am quite popular within the students, that none of them would go as far as killing me."

"... I guess I will have to agree to that one."

If this was a normal situation, the headmaster would have laughed. But an espionage issue is a much larger threat than an all out attack.

"There are also other proofs, but I'm not exactly sure of them."

The headmaster pushed a paper on his table. I read the content.

'DON'T SAY A THING.

THIS ROOM IS DEFINITELY BUGGED.'

"... I see. Then what should we do?"

"Well, first. We have to talk with our dear friend... Arfius."

He pushed another paper on the table.

'THEY ARE LOOKING FOR ANYONE WHO CAN BE A THREAT TO THEIR GROUP.

THAT WAS DEFINITELY YOU, BUT WE CAN TRAP THEM BY SETTING UP ARFIUS.'

Amazing… Veneo is always so quick on thinking and action…

"... I see... Damn, I never liked that guy."

"Indeed you never. But he is the strongest student in the academy. We have to trust him."

'SAY THIS ALOUD,

"HE WAS THE ONE WHO KILLED THE CREATURE." '

I was quite confused by the sudden command on his paper, but I did it anyway.

"Right, right... He did kill the monster…"

"Yeah. We might need his help to fight if there are more to come."

'THANKS.

NOW YOU CAN LEAVE.'

"Alright. I'll go talk with Arfius."

I turned around and headed to the door. But before I could leave, Veneo spoke again…

With a much rather calm tone… I can already tell what he is about to say.

"Oh, and I heard the student council is having so many problems right now."

A sweat rolled down my forehead.

"… And I heard that their president is doing an extremely good job."

I turned around and faced the headmaster with a grin.

"W-Well, you see..."

"If you don't do your job seriously, then I will have to revoke your access to the kingdom's library."

Oh shit... That was an actual threat.

"I-I will do my job correctly from now on!"

I bowed at him and left the room. The moment I left, he laughed like a maniac. I can hear it all the way from outside the door.

I mumbled to myself angrily as I made my way to the stairs.

Meanwhile, in a dark room in the academy, a person turned off the communication device. She was listening to the whole conversation between the headmaster and the council president. 

And, she has learned two things.

Someone was not doing their job as the council president correctly…

And that Arfius Polaris was their next target.