101 — Desperation Sometimes Brings Darkness

1

Anais yawned lazily as she headed to the office where the first-year teaching assistants handled administrative tasks.

The professor in charge of the first-year students was Professor Dixon Mikael of the Black Eagle class.

This meant she had to pass through the Black Eagle section.

She passed by everyone she encountered without any friction.

Occasionally, when she saw a familiar face, she would nod in greeting.

Ten people.

That was an incredibly easy task for her.

“Hey there, Anais.”

“…What do you want?”

A broad-shouldered man appeared in front of Anais.

What was his name again?

She couldn’t remember.

Usually, she would wonder what he wanted, or who was calling her.

But she didn’t have the luxury of entertaining such thoughts today.

To keep her sharp senses from flaring up, she avoided contact with people as much as possible.

However, being blocked so openly like this made irritation surge within her for a moment.

“Could you move aside? I’m busy.”

“I heard you and your friend aren’t on good terms lately?”

“Screw off.”

Her lips twisted in annoyance.

As she trudged away, the man sneered at her retreating figure.

No matter how you looked at her, she seemed like someone who was breaking down.

Should he push a little more? No, that wouldn’t be wise, would it?

Perhaps just planting a seed of caution would be enough.

After all, widening an already existing crack was a simple task.

“Where do you think your friend will find ten people?”

Anais didn’t even feel the need to respond, continuing to walk.

Surely the other students would have signed for her already.

Since she had managed to get signatures so easily herself, everything must have been wrapped up during the three days they had.

If they couldn’t even pass the first hurdle, then it couldn’t be helped.

She intended to discuss things again once she stood proudly as the Student Council President.

For now, she focused on the task at hand.

Anais disappeared into the assistant’s office.

“She really doesn’t seem to know much about her friend, does she?”

“Yeah, or maybe they’ve truly fallen out?”

“We’ll find out soon enough. If she really comes over to our side, the first-year students will be completely dominated by commoners, won’t they?”

Yeah, exactly.

The man nodded as his companion approached.

Was her name Kael?

Although Kael herself might not be aware, busy mingling with nobles, there were actually quite a few commoners who admired her.

Even though few dared to express it openly, suppressed by the nobles and others.

The same went for signing the petition.

Having her name stamped on it was akin to marking oneself as a target.

Things were turning out to be quite interesting.

Watching Anais’s retreating figure, they calmly turned away.

Why resort to a physical altercation when a few words could shatter relationships?

“Let’s report to Castro.”

“Yeah.”

The two scouts hurried off for their next move.

There was more to report to the leader waiting at their hideout than they had initially thought.

2

Anais handed her application form to the teaching assistant.

The form was filled with the names of nobles.

The assistant checked their signatures and added the document to a pile.

Anais bowed slightly and was about to leave when the assistant spoke, sounding genuinely curious.

“Your friend seems to be running for Student Council President too, but it looks like she’s having a tough time.”

“What?”

“I caught a glimpse of her. She was still walking around with her application form. Didn’t you know?”

“…”

Anais stared at the assistant with trembling eyes.

The assistant, noticing her expression, realized he had made a mistake.

Rumor had it they were very close—he had assumed she would know.

He had even considered asking her to help out if necessary.

But it seemed things were a bit more complicated than he had thought.

“Oh… I guess you didn’t know. She seems to have some talent. Maybe you should help her out? Then again, I guess that’s not something you say to a competitor.”

“…Yes. It’s competition, after all.”

Anais murmured blankly as she exited the assistant’s office.

The assistant watched her for a moment before turning his attention back to his work.

He had a mountain of tasks to complete.

There was no reason to get deeply involved in the affairs of students he barely knew.

“Ugh… When will I finish all this?”

Who knew what kind of glorious path awaited beyond this?

No one could tell.

What was certain was that hell would be waiting if he didn’t deal with the work right in front of him.

So the assistant continued to work diligently, just like any other day.

Click—

“Sigh—”

As the door closed, Anais let out a deep sigh, unable to hide her troubled feelings.

Kael, you idiot.

The situation painted itself clearly in her mind.

Nobles would avoid her because she was a noble, and commoners would avoid her because she was a commoner.

Who would want to back someone who wasn’t even sociable?

Kael couldn’t charm others with sweet talk.

She didn’t have financial backing, nor did she have anyone to support her from behind.

In just one month, Anais had come to understand Kael’s nature quite well.

‘That idiot.’

No doubt she had been wandering around, straightforward and honest.

She must have tried hard, but most would think Kael didn’t offer much merit.

The best mage?

That was a talent that only elevated Kael’s name, not something that could benefit others.

A pledge to support her family or a promise to take good care of others in the future, or a campaign that could influence the entire grade—Kael was still inexperienced with such political maneuvers.

“Oh… So that’s what they meant.”

Anais suddenly recalled the conversation she overheard from the Black Eagle students before entering the assistant’s office.

Whoever sent them, she had thought they were fools.

The academy was a political arena.

Was there really such a thing as secrecy in politics?

Hah.

So they resorted to such tricks.

Maybe it was because she was tired and on edge, but Anais’s thoughts began to drift into darker territory.

She felt indignant.

It was disgusting.

‘I’ll crush them no matter what.’

Even if their relationship was a bit strained right now, Kael was still precious to her.

She couldn’t let these scheming people trample on her friend’s heart as they pleased.

Would things go their way?

You underestimate the influence of the Flois family, don’t you?

“I won’t let this slide.”

Initially, she had planned to return to the dormitory quickly and get some rest.

But her peers just wouldn’t leave her alone.

Anais shuffled along like a zombie, her eyes gleaming like a predator hunting for prey.

3

“Sorry, maybe you should ask someone else?”

“…Yeah.”

“We don’t really want to refuse, but… you get it, right?”

Kael silently nodded her head.

The look of pity in their eyes made Kael’s heart feel even heavier.

Three days had passed.

Now, only two days remained.

The students who had already applied were focusing on studying, wondering what strategies to devise and what kind of questions would appear on the exam.

But Kael still hadn’t managed to get ten signatures for her candidacy.

She had diligently roamed from Class A to Class F, but most students had turned her down.

‘Nothing is easy.’

She let out a soft sigh.

Walking out of the classroom, she felt isolated.

Rumors about her had already spread widely.

Not only in the Serpent Class but also in the Eagle and Deer Classes, she had been rejected.

Some even expressed it bluntly:

“I heard you fell out of favor with the nobles recently? Word’s gotten around. What do you think would happen to me if I signed for you? Sorry.”

There were those who openly stated her current situation.

Kael finally realized the reality of her position.

She had no power, no influence, no backing—hardly anyone was willing to support such a person.

Six.

That was the number of signatures she had managed to gather over three days.

Emerson, Melanie, Pearson.

And three other noble students who encouraged her.

‘If things continue like this, I’ll only end up showing Anais a pathetic side of myself.’

She had something she wanted to ask Anais directly.

To do so, she needed to stand on equal footing with her—but reality was far too harsh, and nothing was going her way.

Feelings of self-doubt washed over her.

Wasn’t there some way to break through this desperate situation?

Could Manus, Nia, or Alano help?

Or maybe her noble friends…

‘No. I decided to do this on my own. I can’t crumble here.’

Kael steadied her emotions and started walking again.

As she pondered where to go next, people approached her.

The black eagle embroidered on their cloaks caught her eye.

They approached her with smiles.

The Black Eagle class didn’t leave a good impression on her, yet they were approaching her so warmly.

She instinctively felt a sense of rejection.

“Hey there! You’re quite famous these days. Having a tough time?”

“We’re here to help.”

They came over, smiling sweetly.

Kael didn’t recognize these students.

“Help me?”

“Yeah. You’re a commoner, right? So are we. Let’s stick together.”

“It’s no secret the nobles are trying to push you out.”

“I’m fine on my own.”

Kael declined once.

She remembered the first day she transferred here, how some had tried to drag her away.

Unlike the nobles who approached her naturally and amicably, these students had scolded her, insisting that commoners should stick together.

“Anais? She’s already used her family’s influence to submit her application. You’re competing against her, right?”

“…Yes, but I don’t need your help.”

“Haha, why be like that among fellow commoners? Think about how the nobles treated you these past three days. Are you really going to go around begging them for support?”

“…”

Kael recalled the words thrown at her over the last three days.

Indeed, they hadn’t been pleasant.

She had faced scorn, ridicule, and contempt for the past three days.

Her expression naturally hardened.

The students from the Black Eagle class exchanged looks and nodded.

Just a little more, and she’d come over.

‘You’re no different, are you?’

No matter how talented she was, she couldn’t escape her commoner status.

She would continue her academy life under the constant scrutiny of the nobles.

“Rather than being ignored by them, why not join us?”

“Right. We’ll back you up. How long will you let the nobles run things at the academy?”

They were driven by a grand dream.

Someday, they would overthrow the nobles and let the commoners hold power.

Gradually, they aimed to increase the influence of commoners.

If they could take control at the academy, they could start expanding their influence beyond its walls.

To move forward with the perception that commoners could also possess talent and become powerful.

That was the objective of Leveli-Malito.

“Oh my, what a joke.”

“Hey, commoners, get lost.”

“Huh? Who the hell are you?!”

A group appeared from the opposite direction.

They exuded nobility at a glance.

They were the pillars that upheld the eight kingdoms and the single empire—those who bore the name of noble families.

They approached, with Kael caught in the middle.

Kael stood between them, unable to move.

‘Why now, of all times…’

Her mind was becoming increasingly tangled.

–TL Notes–
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