NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 80
The Founding Festival Chaos
Amidst the excitement of the Founding Festival, the student council members, each exhibiting exhausted faces, were taking a much-needed break.
“Hah, finally, we can rest a bit.”
“Right? This time, it felt like everything was overlapping, and I thought I would die.”
The student council members expressed their suffering over the hectic schedule.
The Nikita Incident and the absence of the vice president.
Preparations for the Founding Festival.
Plus, there was an international academy exhibition coming up right after.
The student council was truly overwhelmed by a wave of tasks crashing down upon them.
Perhaps that’s why, despite rumors of unsettling movements among the students, the council could hardly stir into action.
They were simply too busy, and anyway, they thought no big trouble could arise from mere students.
“What about the president?”
“He’s visiting the student council room.”
“Is he just going there to sleep again?”
“Surely not.”
The student council members didn’t seem to have much trust in their president.
Even during normal times, more people tended to consult the vice president, Nikita, rather than the president, Silvester.
For that reason, President Silvester found himself in an untrustworthy position.
“He worked hard today too, you know.”
“That’s true.”
While often called the incompetent president, Silvester had been working diligently since Nikita’s disappearance.
So, it was a time when the student council members didn’t want to blame him too harshly.
“Guys, check this out!”
Suddenly, a student burst into the classroom where the council members were resting.
Just as they were puzzled by the arrival of another member, they stood up when they saw the words on the paper he was holding.
[ The current student council is corrupt. ]
The list of wrongdoings and actions committed by the council.
Is the current student council really righteous?
Below were numerous entries detailing the corruption committed by previous student councils before Nikita’s time.
The student council had coexisted with Jerion Academy throughout its history.
Given the length of the period, there were those who had engaged in unscrupulous conduct within the council itself.
During Nikita’s tenure as vice president, such incidents had disappeared, leaving the current council unscathed.
But the current students might not think so.
Above all, the implicated individuals included not only graduates but also current professors, associate professors, and teaching assistants.
Wherever there are people, those who cause problems are always present.
Though the council may be oblivious, there are many kids who harbor resentment against professors and associate professors.
Once even a single name tied to such individuals appeared on the list, the students’ anger would undoubtedly spread to the student council as well.
“This is insane! This is a provocation! We’ve never done anything like this!”
“…This isn’t about our time. This is aimed at the student council as well as the root of Jerion Academy’s corruption.”
A perceptive member of the student council caught on to the true intention behind the paper.
“Moreover, this information is something only someone deeply familiar with the student council or the academy would know.”
The quick-thinking member swallowed hard.
“It just so happens it exploded during our time. Someone’s intent on uprooting the corruption within the student council and Jerion Academy itself.”
At that moment, everyone felt a looming sense of a massive shift.
A shift far too huge for them to tackle as mere students.
“W-what should we do?”
“What do you mean… this is…”
“First, we need to recover that paper! If we leave it as-is, we don’t know what kind of trouble we’ll find ourselves in!”
“But if we do that, won’t it look like we’re admitting guilt?”
The student council members began to murmur.
Originally, someone was supposed to be here to direct the response, but no capable individual was present.
Hence, the student council’s confusion only increased.
BOOM!
At that moment, something echoed in their ears.
An explosion sounded from afar.
The sudden blast froze the student council members in place.
“WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING HERE?!”
As the door burst open, a boy with black hair stormed in.
It was Hanon Irey.
“The student council room has been seized by the ones boycotting the council!”
Upon hearing his shout, the student council members’ eyes widened in shock.
While they might overlook various things, they couldn’t let the student council room be taken over.
“Everyone, follow me! First, we reclaim the student council room!”
“These bastards really think they can do whatever they want!”
“The student council is a joke! Just like that!”
The student council members all began to rush out in unison.
Hanon let out a sigh after they dashed out.
He adjusted his wig, feeling it was a bit cumbersome.
“I helped, but I didn’t think it would escalate to this level.”
Hanon Irey.
His true identity was Hania Repidia dressed as Hanon.
After orchestrating the boycott, she had been supporting Hanon and the members, sharing information.
Initially, Hania intended to lead the boycott herself.
But after seeing Hanon manage the group, she decided to step back.
It was better to let Hanon handle it.
‘Seriously, I can’t figure out what kind of person she is.’
Hanon had a deeper understanding of Jerion Academy than the information Hania had gathered.
Initially, Hania planned to uncover the corruption in line with Iris’s intentions.
But with Hanon’s involvement, it seemed the corruption and the filthy secrets within Jerion Academy would be uprooted.
Hanon had even suggested finding new roots to take the place of the ones that were uprooted.
This was to be done in cooperation with the 3rd Princess Faction.
The 3rd Princess Faction was ecstatic, saying they could plant their members into Jerion Academy.
So much so that Iris received praise from the Duke of Robliju.
Iris showered Hania with compliments.
And she expressed gratitude for all the trouble she went through for her sake.
Being on the receiving end of her gratitude was incredibly delightful.
But this operation wasn’t conducted by her; it was Hanon who orchestrated it.
The gratitude was misplaced.
‘…If only I hadn’t specifically asked her not to let it slip.’
Hania had made one promise with Hanon about this operation.
That was to keep the fact that she helped a secret from Iris.
Maybe that’s why, even with the praise from Iris, she felt a strange unease.
Taking credit was not Hania’s style.
“Hania.”
At that moment, Hania heard a voice calling her.
As she was about to turn her head instinctively, she froze.
Her appearance was Hanon now, not Hania.
But that voice had clearly called for her.
In the quiet hallway.
There was no one else there besides her.
Following the voice that called her, Hania shifted her gaze.
There stood a girl with honey-blonde hair.
Her crimson eyes sparkled as she smiled.
But for some reason, that smile felt unnerving.
“Hanon, where did that person go?”
Isabel Luna.
At her question, Hania instinctively felt a chill run down her spine.
Was Isabel always like this?
Isabel used to remind her of a big golden puppy when she followed Hanon around, brimming with innocence.
But the Isabel now bore no such emotions.
There was an overwhelming pressure so palpable it made even Hania shiver.
“…I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m right here.”
Hania tried to play it cool for now.
However, she didn’t think Isabel would buy it.
True to her suspicions, Isabel exhibited no reaction.
“Oh, it’s fine. I think I have a rough idea of where she might be.”
Hania quietly swallowed hard.
Isabel turned her back on Hania without another word.
As Hania watched her retreating figure, Isabel seemed to recall something and opened her mouth.
“Oh, by the way, Hania, when that person tries to act casual, their eyebrows raise just a little more.”
Hania flinched at the comment.
Isabel grinned, unfazed.
“That much should be remembered, right? After all, you’re playing the role of that person’s girlfriend. You ought to do it properly, don’t you think?”
With that, Isabel turned and left.
Hania stood there, dumbfounded, brushing the sweat-drenched hair off her forehead.
Though she usually managed her swearing just fine, at this moment…
“…Hanon, I think you’re screwed.”
Nothing else came to mind.
Biting her lip tightly, she turned and began to run.
“What a handful of a person, seriously.”
* * *
In the main building’s hallway, empty due to the Founding Festival and professors being absent, a ruckus erupted.
The chaos stemmed from the boycott group occupying the student council room.
As the student council members returned to the main building, they clashed with the occupiers.
In the meantime, the boycott members began digging up the evidence of corruption left in the professors’ offices as well.
“…What’s the reason behind all this?”
At that moment, a voice reached my ears.
I was currently in the student council room.
And at that moment, I was in the disguise of Bickamon.
To be safe, I had wrapped an extra layer of the shroud around my true form, Bickamon.
So I was Bickamon wrapped in the shroud, in a sense.
Thanks to that, the lightning scars remaining on my body were concealed.
Seated on the floor beside me was the student council president, Silvester Drapen, tied up.
If you asked why I was doing this, it was to move the scenario forward.
But explaining that would be pointless.
“It’s simply correcting what’s wrong.”
The Jerion Academy student council fundamentally had a flawed structure.
But that wasn’t all.
Given its long establishment, Jerion Academy had, unbeknownst to many, grown weeds of corruption.
It’s a sad story, but stagnant water eventually becomes murky.
‘Initially, it was an academy founded by the sage Jerion to nurture heroes.’
But as time passed, Jerion Academy faced numerous internal issues.
The corruption related to the student council was merely the surface of Jerion Academy’s underlying problems.
And this interconnectedness triggered a multitude of issues.
‘The Evil Zone is quite fitting for this situation.’
Hearing my unemotional response, Silvester let out a hollow laugh.
“Bickamon.”
Silvester remembered me.
“Your actions won’t rectify anything. In the end, you’re just repeating the same mistakes.”
He was correct.
Even if I replaced the corrupt professors.
The newcomers wouldn’t necessarily be clean.
But I can be certain.
The loyalists of the Duke of Robliju, who would now take on roles as professors or associate professors at the academy.
For the time being, they would focus on operating Jerion Academy properly.
The 3rd Princess Faction had to demonstrate that they could operate the academy better than the 1st Prince Faction.
So they couldn’t afford to make things any less clean for the time being.
‘What happens later remains uncertain.’
With this event, I grabbed the opportunity to root out the Evil Zone more thoroughly.
This was a story that posed no disadvantage to me.
“Silvester, don’t talk nonsense.”
At that moment, Silvester’s words were interrupted by the boycott leader, Rozamin.
He glared at Silvester with eyes burning with anger.
“Everything you’ve said is merely an excuse. Don’t belittle those who want to strive for change even if they haven’t done anything.”
I was quite surprised.
Initially, Rozamin displayed a somewhat dimwitted side.
But he had grown earnest about the boycott and matured.
Rozamin genuinely wanted to change Jerion Academy through this boycott.
Moreover, he sought to correct what was wrong.
‘Is this what growth looks like for a person?’
Rozamin, once the villain of Act 4, revealed a previously unseen side now turned real.
“…That’s true.”
Surprisingly, Silvester easily acknowledged Rozamin’s words.
“However, sometimes it’s better for the incompetent to stay silent.”
He smirked as he said that.
BOOM!
At that moment, another explosion boomed from the main building.
Unlike the previous explosion, this one was on a larger scale.
Upon hearing it, Silvester raised his head with a displeased expression.
“Shouldn’t they just have targeted the student council if they were going to touch something?”
Silvester predicted who would move next due to this incident.
“Any professor involved in this corruption wouldn’t just sit idly by.”
A member of the faculty who had been corrupt within Jerion Academy was now on the move.