Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Mage Family

Chapter 49

Meanwhile.

Scratch-scratch-

In Eddie and Marcel’s room, only the sound of a pen on paper echoed.

Eddie was alone, writing his speech.

“Done.”

The speech, finished in 30 minutes, was a single page.

The content, already in his mind, took little time to transcribe.

“All set.”

A faint smile curved Eddie’s lips as he read it.

The speech evoked nostalgia from his school days.

“Eustaf was damn good at writing.”

It was the speech Eustaf von Dickens used against him in the student council election.

Eddie remembered every word perfectly.

Not just because it was excellent, but because it had reversed his lead in one go.

‘That one speech made him student council president.’

It was a bitter but undeniable defeat.

Eustaf’s promises were stellar, and he fulfilled them all as president.

“I’m sorry it’s being reused like this, Eustaf.”

Muttering, Eddie folded the speech and tucked it into his notebook.

He glanced at Marcel’s empty seat.

Marcel had finished his speech and was engrossed in something else.

Rubbing his stiff neck, Eddie stepped onto the balcony, sensing a distant mana reaction.

‘Still at it.’

It was Marcel’s mana.

Since dinner, he’d been training at the Mana Training Grounds.

But that wouldn’t uncover the reason for his sudden skill drop.

After Fred’s class, Eddie had normalized his control over Marcel’s mana.

Even now, as Marcel trained, Eddie subtly boosted his magic’s power.

‘Must be confusing. His mana was weak before the Wall but feels fine now.’

To make them think there was an issue with the Well and Deer connection, merely weakening mana wasn’t enough.

They’d just assume Eddie’s mana supply was faulty and replace him.

The key was instability, not just weakness.

‘If the mana supply fluctuates, they’ll check and reinforce the connection.’

With the election events, they’d also probe Eddie’s mind.

Nothing was more dangerous than an attendant tied to family secrets having other thoughts.

No variables would prevent a reunion with Sylvia yet.

“Hoo…”

Despite the smooth progress, Eddie’s sigh deepened as he gazed at the night sky.

“How are we so alike, even after death?”

It was baffling.

Tonight, the face of his lifelong rival from school felt unusually vivid.

***

Four days until the election.

Candidates began withdrawing.

Of the 47, 12 withdrew supporting Alexein.

Before the election even started, Alexein gained 12 advance votes.

[Notice: 12 candidates have withdrawn in support of Candidate No. 8, Alexein Dickens.]

After the vice-dean’s announcement, the classroom buzzed.

“Congrats in advance, Alexein.”

“More votes will come tomorrow. Should we start buttering up the future president?”

Alexein smiled leisurely at his group’s congratulations, as if he’d already won.

But the corners of his mouth trembled slightly.

He was a bit anxious.

‘The nine around me, Hendricks, and two wanting to join.’

The 12 withdrawals were expected.

He realized later that the initial flood of supporters included fakes.

‘The rest are still watching, huh.’

He’d expected Marcel to gain advance votes too.

But after Marcel’s poor showing at the Wall, students were still whispering about it.

A pathetic performance and inferiority to his attendant—enough to deter votes.

So Alexein was confident.

The advance votes would flock to him.

But annoyingly, his prediction was only half-right.

The votes didn’t go to Marcel but didn’t come to him either.

The remaining candidates hesitated despite Marcel’s blunder.

‘Kirhausen is still Kirhausen, I guess.’

Alexein smirked with a scoff.

But for now, Marcel was just ‘the master outdone by his attendant.’

It’d be hard for him to turn the tables.

“By the way, Alexein, ready for your speech? It’s tomorrow.”

“Of course. I prepared before enrolling. I’ve memorized it.”

“Figures. Everyone serious is ready by now.”

“Yeah. The quitters will probably drop out by tomorrow too.”

Alexein’s sharp remark made the classroom flinch.

The remaining candidates pretended not to hear.

Eddie looked at the childish behavior with disdain.

But Alexein didn’t stop, throwing a jab toward Marcel and Eddie.

“Ah, I can’t wait for another practical class.”

“For the Wall of Ether?”

“Yeah. Who knows what spectacle we’ll see. So excited.”

Pressure on the fence-sitters.

And digging at his rival’s weakness.

Childish but effective.

The giggles made Marcel grip his pen tighter.

Eddie fingered the speech tucked in his notebook.

***

That afternoon.

The Wall of Ether appeared in Fred’s class again.

Students launched mana with slightly more familiarity.

Fred observed closely, giving tailored feedback.

And as Alexein said, another spectacle unfolded.

First, Marcel again produced only average traces.

Second, Joy, facing the Wall for the first time, showed incredible power in her first launch.

Flash-!

Sssss-

White lightning-like traces spread densely across the Wall after absorbing Joy’s mana.

Not as strong as Eddie’s but remarkable.

It proved Joy far surpassed her peers.

“Flawless launching. Excellent power.”

“Thank you, Professor.”

“Next.”

As Joy walked back, commoner students quietly conveyed joy with their eyes.

Their restraint wasn’t from being disheartened.

They remembered Joy’s request from last night.

“For the future, we should limit our interactions. It’s part of my election strategy.”

No one felt hurt.

Instead, hopeful they could overcome persecution, they silently supported her.

Then:

“…!”

A powerful aura swept through the classroom.

The highlight of every Wall class.

Eddie’s launch.

Sssss-

The Wall, instantly filled with white traces, made some students laugh in disbelief.

No matter how many times they saw it, the power was unreal.

“…”

Joy briefly met Eddie’s eyes as he walked back.

Having experienced his mana before, she knew this was a fraction of his ability.

***

That night, Eddie left the dormitory with his pass around his neck.

Heading to the upper-year dormitory, he held a notebook.

‘Around this time, they come back from playing.’

He was waiting for Alexein.

With his pass, Alexein roamed the campus late with his group.

After, he’d return via the upper-year dormitory shortcut.

But tonight, he’d be alone.

His group had withdrawn, returning their passes.

The ‘task’ ahead required Alexein to be alone.

‘Here he comes.’

Alexein, fresh from his escapades, entered the upper-year dormitory.

Eddie acted.

He emerged from under the stairs, deliberately making noise.

Tap-tap-tap-

“What… what the…!”

“Gasp…!”

Alexein jumped at Eddie’s sudden appearance.

Eddie feigned shock, hesitating.

Alexein, narrowing his eyes, interrogated him.

“What are you? Why are you here this late?”

“Uh… well…”

“What business does an attendant have in the upper-year dormitory…?”

Muttering, Alexein’s face hardened as if realizing something.

Eddie tried to slip past, head bowed.

Flutter-

A paper slipped from Eddie’s notebook, falling near Alexein.

Eddie’s face paled.

Alexein, noting his expression, snatched it up.

“Hey… that’s…!”

Ignoring Eddie’s panic, Alexein read the paper.

His face turned to stone.

“…What are you?”

“…”

“Why do you have this speech?”

“I… I…”

“Answer properly!”

Alexein grabbed Eddie’s collar.

The paper held Eustaf von Dickens’s student council election speech.

A trump card that beat Kirhausen, known to Alexein, who used much of it in his own speech.

So why was it in the hands of a Kirhausen attendant?

‘Could it be…’

Realizing they were in the upper-year dormitory, Alexein pieced it together.

Only a student council officer could access the council archives.

His eyes gleamed as he glared at Eddie.

“You… you’re coming from meeting Dalton Kirhausen, aren’t you?”

Eddie’s eyes trembled.

Fear of being caught?

No, it was intense elation.

‘It worked.’

Looking at the big fish that took the bait, Eddie paled his face.