Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Mage Family

Chapter 52

The candidates’ speeches began at last.

But the students’ expressions were utterly lackluster.

In the subdued atmosphere, the only sounds were the candidates reading their speeches and the rustling of handouts being flipped.

The handouts distributed beforehand listed the candidates’ pledges.

Most of the pledges were formulaic, offering nothing new.

This was hardly surprising, as these candidates had intended to withdraw anyway.

But the gloom on the first-years’ faces wasn’t solely due to the tedious speeches.

“Sigh… Who do I even vote for…?”

During a pause to applaud a candidate who had finished speaking, one student muttered their true feelings.

Though it was a whisper, everyone around heard it clearly.

And they all quietly agreed with the sentiment.

This atmosphere naturally reached the candidates seated in the front row.

Joy clapped her hands, glanced back subtly, and murmured to herself.

“What’s your deal… Eddie Summerson?”

A sidelong glance confirmed Eddie’s face was utterly serene.

It was hard to believe he had been at the center of such a major conflict just moments ago.

‘This unbelievably dreary atmosphere… He created it, didn’t he…?’

After the conflict between Marcel and Alexein had settled, sighs, both big and small, continued to ripple through the students.

No one was unaware that this election was a power struggle between two families.

But seeing the disappointing behavior of both families firsthand planted a single thought in the students’ minds.

‘Do we really have to vote for one of them despite all this?’

A sense of skepticism.

‘For a moment, the upper-class kids won’t want to side with either of them… That’s what he said, wasn’t it?’

It was exactly the situation Eddie had predicted.

Joy felt a slight chill run through her.

A monster who toyed with the emotions of dozens of upper-class students like rolling dice on a board.

The fact that such a person had orchestrated this situation for her sake was a bit terrifying.

‘But… I can’t deny it’s thrilling.’

She still didn’t fully trust Eddie Summerson as a person.

But for the student council president election, she began to feel that following Eddie’s plan might not be a bad idea.

‘He’s definitely someone who keeps his word. I should do my best as promised.’

As Joy steeled her resolve, the candidate who had just finished speaking stepped down from the stage.

“Next, we will hear from candidate number 8, Alexein Dickens.”

***

Both Alexein and Marcel’s speeches were flawless.

Eloquent sentences, dazzling pledges, and confident demeanors underpinned everything.

Within the framework crafted by their families’ policy advisors, both candidates performed admirably.

“…I will lead the entire grade with responsibility until the very end. Thank you.”

As Marcel’s speech concluded, applause erupted.

It was as loud as the applause for Alexein, who had spoken just before him.

But once the applause died down, the atmosphere sank even further than before.

The reason was the very perfection of the two candidates’ speeches.

Everyone couldn’t help but recall the fiasco that had unfolded before the speeches.

‘After all that fuss, it’s really no different from my grandfather’s speech.’

‘So the great Kirhausen family hired an imperial policy advisor to craft their pledges? Honestly.’

‘Well, one way or another, there’s no real alternative to these two, so… no choice, I guess…’

As the students’悩 deepened, the next candidate took the stage.

It was Eddie.

The students immediately began to murmur.

The deputy headmaster’s keen gaze on Eddie amplified the buzz.

“….”

Standing at the podium, Eddie silently looked out at the students.

Sensing something odd in his silence, the students gradually quieted down.

Waiting until all attention was on him, Eddie finally acted.

Flip.

First, he turned over his prepared speech, showing only the blank side.

As if he had no need for scripted words.

Then, staring directly at the students, he spoke.

“As a candidate for grade president, I can promise one thing: I will never disappoint those who believe in me. Thank you.”

With that three-sentence speech, Eddie stepped down from the stage without hesitation.

Step, step, step.

Ignoring the countless eyes fixed on him, he returned to his seat with confident strides.

The students, shocked by his boldness, began to murmur again.

The students weren’t the only ones taken aback.

Carla, who was supposed to call the next candidate, and her assistants all stared at Eddie in a daze.

“What…? That’s it?”

“Isn’t this guy crazy? He went through all that trouble to find Lord Eustaf’s speech, and now this?”

“It can’t be an order from his master. This makes Alexein and Marcel look like complete fools.”

The murmurs grew louder.

Eddie’s impromptu speech completely shifted the stagnant atmosphere in Rosetta Hall.

“That guy even skipped his pledges in the speech.”

“The pledges… I think he left them out on purpose. Look at this.”

“What’s this? These are his pledges? Pfft, hahaha!”

The students who saw Eddie’s pledges in the handout burst into disbelieving laughter.

[I will not forget my duty as a mage.]

[I will promote unity across the entire grade.]

[I will promote the growth of the entire grade.]

The pledges were as short and bold as his three-sentence speech.

“…Pfft.”

Unable to hold back, Joy let out a small laugh.

‘This guy’s really something.’

Despite all these absurd actions, a sidelong glance confirmed Eddie’s expression remained as calm as ever.

It was a stark contrast to Alexein’s glare and Marcel’s evident confusion.

The next candidate took the stage, but the attention remained on Eddie.

Most called him a “madman” and shook their heads, but some let out quiet chuckles.

After all, Eddie’s short, bold move had made the two heirs of prominent families look foolish.

It showed that their fuss over Lord Eustaf’s speech was meaningless.

For students fed up with the speech drama, it was understandably satisfying.

Meanwhile, Marcel struggled to keep his gaze from drifting toward Eddie.

The other candidates’ speeches barely registered in his ears.

His face kept flushing, making it hard to even lift his head.

Then, his eyes fell on Eddie’s pledges in the handout.

“….”

Short, bold pledges, in contrast to his own lengthy ones.

They were obvious, almost abstract statements.

Yet, for some reason, they struck him more powerfully than any other pledge.

Marcel bit his lip quietly, lost in thought.

This was supposed to be a trap he’d set.

But somehow, it felt like he was the one caught in it.

An unsettling premonition gnawed at him, but Marcel quickly steeled himself.

‘No, pull yourself together. No matter the outcome, if I see this election through, that guy will fall out of Father’s favor.’

The plan wouldn’t change.

This discomfort, this unease—

If he endured just a little longer, it would be over.

He wouldn’t have to deal with Eddie anymore.

With that resolve, Marcel lifted his head and looked at the stage.

“Finally, we will hear from candidate number 47, Joy Lixiodor, before proceeding to the vote.”

With the deputy headmaster’s call, Joy stepped onto the stage.

“Phew…!”

Visibly nervous, Joy took a deep breath to steady herself before looking at the students.

Then she raised her head.

“…!”

The expressions facing her weren’t hostile but rather filled with curiosity.

‘Wow… This is kind of… surprising.’

Even with Eddie setting the stage and shifting the atmosphere, this was unexpected.

She had thought they’d still look at her with pity or arrogance.

But their gazes now seemed…

‘Like they’re expecting something from me.’

Gaining confidence, Joy squared her shoulders and met the students’ eyes.

As her gaze landed, Eddie gave a slight nod.

***

“Who’re you voting for?”

“Dunno… They’ll probably take both president and vice president anyway. Feels like my vote doesn’t even matter.”

“Yeah, true. And whoever wins, they’ll just fight over it, and we’ll be stuck in the middle, tiptoeing around… Ugh, I’m so done.”

“Hey, why don’t we just vote for someone else? Like that red-haired commoner, for example.”

“…Are you serious?”

“Nah, just thinking out loud.”

On election day, the first-years gathered again in Rosetta Hall to vote, exchanging opinions busily.

The atmosphere was slightly different from three days ago.

There was a subtle air of caution, as students gauged each other’s intentions.

They were checking if they were the only ones thinking this way before casting their votes.

The final candidates were four:

Number 8: Alexein Dickens

Number 10: Marcel Kirhausen

Number 23: Eddie Summerson

Number 47: Joy Lixiodor

Two of the candidates had secured a whopping 43 advance votes.

It was the highest number of advance votes in any grade president election in history.

It seemed almost certain that the presidency was already decided.

The fingers of the remaining fifty or so students holding their ballots began to itch.

“Let’s begin counting the votes.”

As voting concluded, Carla waved her wand.

Dozens of ballots from the box floated into the air, sorted by candidate, and landed before the assistants.

The assistants confirmed the final vote counts and handed the results to Carla.

Standing at the podium, Carla cleared her throat.

With Marcel and Alexein already holding 23 and 21 advance votes respectively, all eyes were on whose name would be called first.

“The student elected as the first-year grade president, with a total of 43 votes, is Marcel Kirhausen.”

An unsurprising result.

The vote count was lower than expected, but the fact of his victory remained unchanged.

Marcel, now president, stared straight ahead calmly.

Alexein’s expression, meanwhile, soured completely.

‘After all that chaos… just vice president?’

The thought of being outdone by Kirhausen again made Alexein clench his fists.

He had boldly promised his already-angry father that he’d make up for his disciplinary issue by winning the presidency.

What excuse could he offer now?

But the humiliation was only beginning.

Carla continued announcing the remaining results.

“Following Marcel Kirhausen, the student elected as grade vice president, with a total of 24 votes, is Joy Lixiodor.”

“…!”

“Candidate Alexein Dickens received a total of 23 votes, and candidate Eddie Summerson received a total of 10 votes. Congratulations to the elected students.”

The heir of House Dickens didn’t even make vice president.

A stunned silence fell over the hall.

Despite the deputy headmaster’s congratulations, no one dared to clap immediately.

Everyone was gaping, watching Alexein’s reaction.

But the shocks didn’t end there.

“Deputy Headmaster.”

Marcel raised his hand, breaking the silence, and looked at Carla.

Without hesitation, he spoke.

“I’m withdrawing from the presidency.”