A month passed by...

“What is this?”

I threw the paper onto the desk of the Student council president.

On it was the list of the nominees to enter the council.

The young woman with dark purple hair glanced at the paper once before continuing with her work. She’s the current student council president, Victoria.

“That’s the nominee list. Is something the matter?”

“I can see what it is. I want to know why my name is on the list.”

In fact, it’s at the very top of the list. Even the most prestigious noble children lay underneath my name.

She tilted her head.

“Do you not know how this works? Students vote who they would want in the student council. You’ll be a third year in a few months. That’s the year we pick our council members from. We still need a vice president since Lord Ryan is currently missing.”

Huh? He’s missing?

“And then there’s the fact that we don’t have enough members. There are only three other members aside from me. I’ll be finishing my duties as president in two years so there’s that as well...”

I thought presidents only get selected in their final years but I guess that’s different in this world’s academies.

If an incompetent person is selected as president then a test is held to determine if that person is suitable for such a position as student council president of an entire school. Victoria won overwhelmingly against the former president even if she was a year younger.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard but my core was–“

“Yes. I know that there was some trouble during Princess Charlotte’s first campaign. I had someone from my house join her ranks. She is the one most likely to take my place so I spared no expense to make sure this news spreads fast. This will hinder the one that ordered the hit on her in the future. His Majesty will also not idly sit by and watch his daughter be killed. The good thing is that they’ll hesitate to order another strike on her highness.”

‘She really thought ahead...’

“Losing your mana core doesn’t mean your grades worsen. We aren’t like those brutes from the Student Disciplinary Committee who take people for their strength alone.”

She got up from her seat and took something out from the cupboard.

It was a stack of documents.

“These are all your test papers ever since coming to this academy.”

“Huh? Why does a student have this?”

She smiled.

“I have my methods.”

“...”

I stayed silent and looked at all my test papers.

“It’s weird how every single one of your results end in the tenths. And it’s even more weird that your grades are always second in your year.”

She sat on the desk and crossed her exquisite legs wrapped in tights. I swore I saw a garter belt. Her sweet fragrance entered my nose.

Fuck. I’m all pent up.

I felt guilty after going to a brothel so I held myself back. I made a friend in the academy so I couldn’t refuse him. I was scared he’ll think I’m lame after refusing.

Is Lady Victoria intently sitting like this? My seat is a few centimetres away from her desk. Her legs are right in my licking range.

She crossed her legs again as she looked at one of my first year papers.

“80 out of 160. That’s considerably low if we were to rank the top students throughout the years. In your case, it’s different. You are able to correctly answer whichever question was given on the paper. You intentionally left the others blanked out.”

I cursed at myself inwardly. This is why I hate smart people. It’s like I’m naked in front of them.

“Some say it’s a coincidence that someone with your brains always scores lower. But there’s a possibility it’s just that you do it intentionally. That’s what I think. Are you doing it to stay away from the eyes of the elitists and the other nobles?”

I lowered my head and nodded.

Victoria sighed.

“As expected. It’s always them. It’s because of them that our most brilliant commoners enrolled into the academy leave before completing their studies. They either get a job at a noble’s house or they go missing. Even if we share the same statuses of noble children, I honestly hate them. This is why I always intervene in matters related to cases such as yours.”

She took the papers again and put it back into the cupboard. She sat back in her chair again.

“Are you here to reject the position of vice president?”

“...”

I averted my gaze. Now that I’m an ordinary student with no power of my own, I’m vulnerable to people like them. Erica and Damian said they’ll protect me inside the academy but I’m not sure if they’re able to do that outside as well.

Something may even happen to me if I try and go home to our village. Edna is still recovering from her injuries and mana loss so I can’t rely on her for the time being.

“Well?”

Victoria tapped her finger on the desk.

She looked like a loan shark cornering a poor man with heavy debt. Is this my only way out? Either I continue my path as a student and become an official for the Mage Tower or I leave the academy.

I looked into Victoria’s eyes and took a deep breath.

“If I win, then please look after me.”

She smiled brightly.

“Excellent.”

*

“Ah, you’re back.”

When I exited the Student Council building, I saw Erica sitting on a desk underneath a tree, reading a book.

Her pigtails are no more. Her hair was let loose on her shoulders. And who wouldn’t notice her body maturing already?

Her boobs seem even bigger than a few months ago. Has she been changing her diet?

“Sorry for taking so long. I had to sign a few things.”

“It’s okay. Anyway, you wanted to see me?”

I sent a letter to her after she finished her exam. I was expecting to wait at least a week since the examinees had to rest but I didn’t expect her to reply so quickly.

I sat on the bench with her. Lunch break is still ongoing at the moment.

“I’ll just get to the point. I told you in the letter that lost my mana core... so I was wondering if you can help me fix it. You know, with your divine power...”

I felt shameful while asking her that.

In response to my request, her face looked troubled.

“I’m sorry but I can’t help...”

“Ah...”

What was I expecting anyway...

“I-It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s just that my power cannot restore things that aren’t alive. I could perhaps restore organs and flesh but that’s the extent of my power.”

She held my hand.

“I’m sorry... I’ll keep looking for anything in the Magic Tower that might help.”

“Thanks, Erica.”

◇◇◇

I feel a little bit better now after speaking with Erica. She told me that the exam wasn’t as hard for her as it was for others.

She even scored full marks. How difficult would an exam be that made the professors give students two weeks in order to finish it?

During those two weeks, she managed to answer all the questions. Even the chairman couldn’t achieve that back when she started as an apprentice mage at the Magic Tower. I think she scored 4600 out of 5000.

That itself is impressive for a graduate mage. But Erica scored the full 5000. Sponsorships arrived for her the very next day when she exited her room to check her mailbox.

She told me that there were quite a lot of noble houses that tried reach out to her. The elitists are keeping an eye on her. She said that dangerous people have been stalking her and one even jumped her when she was alone. By the way, she crippled the poor guy. He lost both his legs and was thrown into a dungeon the next day for attempting to kill a student from the academy.

The boy was said to be a slave of someone. Before investigators could decipher the seal and the magic power used to make it, it disappeared the next day.

These nobles really piss me off.

‘I’m more worried about them than of Erica.’

She’s strong enough to look after herself.

While I was walking around the academy, I saw multiple missing posters on the buildings and poles.

It had Ryan’s name on it. What the hell happened to him? To be honest, I’m glad he’s missing. I’d have had my ass handed to me if we fought now.

There isn’t really a need to fight anymore since Charlotte relieved me of my position.

But I still want to kick that fucker’s ass. The pain of the punch he gave me was still fresh in my mind.

My next destination was the library. We have practical classes now which I’m going to be useless for anyway. Observing others fight would be boring.

The library had lots of students busy studying for the upcoming exams.

There was an old woman with white hair behind the desk when I came up to her.

“How may I help you, young man?”

“Ah, hello. I’m looking for any books about mana cores. History books can be included.”

She told me to wait one moment before going to the back of her office.

The library looked as large as the palace form inside. How do people reach the books in the 100 meter tall bookracks?

‘Maybe flight magic?’

Then what about normal people?

I continued thinking about trivial things until the old woman came back.

Thud

“...”

She brought at least ten books with a cart.

The number isn’t the problem. The sheer number of pages of each book, is.

‘What the heck...’

I counted at least ten thousand pages in one of the books. H-How much information about mana cores are there??

“It’s rare seeing young people interested in books. I’ve read mostly all the books here so this might help you with your...” She looked at me up and down. “Problem...”

She waved me goodbye after she gave me the cart.

“Okay! Now where should I begin?”

I looked at all the dates the books were written.

HE230

I groaned.

I have a lot of research to do.

_Mana cores. Where did they come from?_

—Ever since humanity existed, we have been born with the ability to cast magic. Before the Great Sage’s birth, no one knew what magic actually was. Some call it manipulation of nature after hearing how she saved her neighbour’s house from burning down using water magic. It was the first ever spell recorded in history called [Hydro]. She told scholars at the opening of Graponia academy that she never casted magic before that time.

She could always remember sensing mana in the atmosphere ever since birth. This was after she discovered she had a strange orb within her body. It was but by natural instinct that she could control it.

Many people over the continent also discovered mana cores within their bodies. Unlike the Sage, who was born with whitish mana, others started with black unrefined mana. The colour of the mana influences the core which is why there are phases for a mage.

The Great Sage was the first 9th class mage after they, the heroes defeated Rodion. Her mana was a mix of black and white which made her ascend to a new class that has never been created before.

She, along with the other three heroes were the ones that created the Dragon Order which is today called the White Order. They only consist of 8th class mages or master swordsmen.

There can be two leaders since there are only nine seats. There is a sub leader along with a leader. If the leader is absent then that means the sub leader must take the position to lead their comrades.

-

So if you’re a head mage then you’re classified as an 8th class mage. How big is the gap from 8th to 9th? If even the current Head Mage can’t cast god rank magic then that means the gap must be considerably large.

My master had the nerve to say I could become the next Head Mage in the future.

Even the king said so. That’s too much pressure on someone like me who can’t even stand in front of people and talk.

There were multiple volumes of [Understanding the Mana Core]. I took a few home which the librarian was nice enough to lend me.

I still didn’t find anything useful.

But... It’s still too early to give up.