Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Mage Family

Chapter 53

“I’m withdrawing from the presidency.”

Marcel’s bombshell announcement, following the shocking election results, sent ripples through the room.

Not only the students but even the first-year professors observing the vote began to murmur in astonishment.

The reactions were largely the same.

“What did Marcel just say? Withdraw?”

“Is he sick or something? Why’s he doing this?”

Is he crazy?

Why would he act like this after winning the presidency with an overwhelming vote count?

Carla, sharing their sentiments, waved her hand and said, “Quiet, please. Withdrawing right after being elected… Is there a particular reason?”

To Carla’s question, Marcel delivered a prepared response without hesitation.

“My imprudent behavior before the speeches caused concern for the entire grade. Thus, I’ve judged myself still far from ready to take on the significant role of grade president.”

“…I see. Understood. In that case, the president will be Joy Lixiodor, and the vice president will be Alexein Dickens.”

The students’ murmurs grew louder, reaching a noisy level.

Those who had been watching Alexein now began exchanging cautious glances with each other.

A commoner president and a high-ranking noble vice president.

This unprecedented leadership duo was created by the students’ votes, even before Marcel’s withdrawal.

‘How did a commoner girl Alexein tormented get more votes than him…?’

This question filled the students’ minds.

But no one dared voice it aloud.

Because everyone knew the reason.

“Hah… Haha… This is interesting, isn’t it…?”

Chuckle chuckle.

Alexein’s laughter cut through the students’ murmurs.

His eyes glinted fiercely as he laughed like a man unhinged.

Then, he slowly turned his head to glare at Marcel.

But Marcel didn’t even spare him a glance.

His withdrawal wasn’t aimed at Alexein.

It was aimed at someone who would gain undue attention because of his withdrawal.

‘With this, I part ways with a lackey who, in his haste for advancement, disobeyed the family’s orders. Sorry, Eddie. I didn’t want to go this far, but I keep losing my composure around you, and it makes me uneasy.’

Bidding farewell in his mind, Marcel glanced sideways at Eddie.

But Eddie’s gaze wasn’t directed at the front or at Marcel.

It was somewhere entirely unexpected.

At the end of his gaze, Joy was exchanging looks with Eddie.

And the next moment.

“Deputy Headmaster, I’m withdrawing as well.”

Raising her hand abruptly, Joy turned Rosetta Hall upside down once again.

***

Five nights before the election, at the Academy’s Ninth Mana Training Ground.

“I’ll hear out this strategy of yours before deciding.”

After those words, Eddie calmly explained the ‘strategy’ Joy would follow.

Joy, unable to stay calm, asked in bewilderment.

“Let’s say Marcel withdraws to get rid of you. Why do I have to withdraw?”

Eddie insisted that if she won, whether alongside or surpassing Marcel’s vote count, she must withdraw.

No matter how she thought about it, Joy couldn’t understand why that was the best choice for her.

Wasn’t winning and then working hard the best path?

“Your ultimate goal at the academy is to become the student council president, right?”

“Correct.”

“Marcel’s goal is probably the same. That’s likely why he doesn’t place much importance on the first-year presidency. But your reasons are different.”

“What do you mean?”

“Unlike Marcel, who could aim for the student council presidency anytime without issue, you’ll face backlash if you aim too high.”

“…Because I’m a commoner.”

“Right. So you need to start building your name within the academy, little by little.”

“Then shouldn’t I join the grade presidency even more? What better way to make my name known…!”

“I just said ‘little by little.’”

“….”

“Got it now?”

Joy, who had been about to retort in frustration, soon understood what Eddie meant.

Gaining enough votes to join the presidency meant earning a degree of recognition within the grade.

Moreover, overcoming the penalty of being a commoner made those votes even more significant.

The key was to stop there.

“Honestly, even if you get a lot of votes in this election, most will be due to incidental gains.”

“I know. People don’t like the leading candidates, so their votes will come to me.”

“Exactly. So what’s important is that by voluntarily withdrawing, you can win over those votes that would otherwise be lost.”

“Because Alexein will be hunting down the upper-class kids who voted for me?”

“Right. Even if it’s incidental, this is a chance to gain more favor with those who chose you over the upper class.”

“So to go further, I need to hold back for now…”

After a moment of contemplation, Joy nodded in agreement with Eddie’s words.

It was true that leaving a nearly finished meal felt disappointing.

But as Eddie said, if she became grade president, it would only escalate her conflict with Alexein.

That would inevitably sour the entire grade’s atmosphere.

“Then people might say, ‘This is all because a commoner became president…’”

Muttering and lowering her head, Joy’s expression turned bitter. Eddie gave a small chuckle seeing her dejected look.

She still had a long way to go if she was just going to sulk.

“I’m not telling you to just back down, so don’t worry.”

“What? There’s more?”

“Becoming grade president is too much for your first step in expanding your influence. But the student council is just right.”

“…!”

Joy’s eyes widened in surprise.

The student council.

She hadn’t even considered it, so focused on the presidency.

With excellent grades and a good interview, even a first-year could join as a probationary member.

And with Eddie’s strategy, Joy would likely secure a significant number of votes, surpassing the upper class.

With her stellar grades, there was no reason for the interviewers not to choose her.

‘The student council is seen as a worker’s role, so the top elites don’t often aim for it. That’s my opportunity.’

A path for a commoner like Joy to become a student leader without antagonizing the upper class.

Eddie’s strategy was truly the ‘best’ option.

“After the election, go straight to Professor Showman and submit your application for the student council probationary member position. The interview is up to you, so do well.”

“Got it…”

Accepting the carrot Eddie offered, Joy looked at him intently.

At this point, she was both impressed and curious.

“You…”

“What?”

“What’s your deal? Since when have you been planning all this in your head?”

“For a long time.”

“No, we’re barely 14 years old. What do you mean ‘a long time’…?”

“You don’t need to know that yet.”

“Then answer this. That goal you mentioned before. You’re staying at the academy for that, right? Not to graduate like me.”

“….”

Did I give away too much at the start?

Seeing Joy piece together the truth on her own, Eddie seriously wondered if he’d been too talkative.

But it was something he’d have to share eventually.

Acknowledging Joy’s deduction, Eddie said, “You’re right. Staying here is just part of my plan. It’s the best place to build strength and gather information.”

“What exactly is that plan, and how are you going to achieve it… You don’t trust me enough to tell me, do you?”

“That goes both ways. For now, trusting what we show each other is enough.”

His words weren’t meant to belittle Joy.

Though he didn’t know her plans in detail, he believed they were grand and meaningful.

So for now, it was important to respect each other and not pry too deeply.

“Once this plan succeeds, we can have a deeper conversation.”

“Alright. I’ll follow your plan for this election. I’m already looking forward to hearing your story afterward.”

Joy responded to Eddie’s enigmatic demeanor with a mage’s curiosity and inquisitiveness.

***

Carla’s sharp gaze glinted through the wrinkles around her eyes.

Joy, the second to announce her withdrawal, and the bewildered students.

Even Marcel and Alexein seemed greatly shocked, indicating this wasn’t prearranged.

‘Then could it be…?’

Carla’s gaze naturally turned to Eddie.

But it didn’t make sense for Joy to withdraw for Eddie’s sake.

They didn’t have the power to guarantee anything to each other.

Just as Carla was about to ask for the reason, Joy spoke first.

“I feel my abilities are still lacking to take on the role of grade ‘president,’ so I intend to serve my peers in another way.”

“I see. Understood.”

Carla nodded with a subtle smile, as if she’d glimpsed Joy’s intentions but chose not to show it.

Turning to Eddie and Alexein, she said, “Then, the president will be Alexein Dickens, and the vice president will be Eddie Summerson. Do both of you accept your elections?”

“….”

“Yes.”

Eddie, who went from losing to vice president, answered first.

He looked at Carla calmly, showing neither joy at his election nor satisfaction that things went according to plan.

In contrast, Alexein, now president, said, “Hah…”

He trembled, clenching his fists to bear the overwhelming humiliation.

Then, forcing the words through his throat, he said, “…Yes.”

“Congratulations to both candidates. After brief acceptance speeches from the presidency, we will present the appointment letters.”

Clap clap… Clap clap clap… Clap clap clap clap clap.

The applause, starting from the first-year faculty, echoed through Rosetta Hall.

The students, still reeling from the shock, clapped cautiously as the presidency headed to the stage.

The hall was engulfed in shock at the unforeseen outcome.

On March 30, Bernhard Calendar Year 153, a presidency that would go down in history, in a certain sense, was born at Lieferden Academy.

***

The results of the first-year grade president election turned the academy upside down.

A Dickens who became president almost by default, and a Kirhausen vice president who wasn’t even a family member but a lackey.

It was an event so absurd it would be recorded as one of the most bizarre in the history of the two families’ countless clashes.

And in this absurd event, two commoners’ names stood out prominently.

Eddie Summerson.

And Joy Lixiodor.

Not just any commoner, but a lackey who went beyond a cheerleader’s role to actually get elected—an academy first.

Moreover, through that lackey, the existence of an unpublished manuscript by former Headmaster Galliard was revealed.

These two groundbreaking elements in a single event were enough to make Eddie a celebrity at the academy.

Joy received just as much attention.

Her humble withdrawal before becoming the first commoner grade president, followed by her choice to join the student council, earned her high praise.

Her sharp demeanor during the election speech shone through in her student council interview as well.

In the end, Joy became a probationary student council member, as Eddie had advised.

‘In the end, every candidate except Alexein got what they wanted.’

Marcel sat at his desk, lost in thought.

Before him lay an envelope stamped with the Kirhausen family seal.

The news of the presidency election reached the family, and a letter arrived four days later.

The sender wasn’t his father but the butler, Ronan.

[Master requests that you come to Shainborough with your assistant on the upcoming holiday.]

It was the expected content.

But the fact that it took four days and was a brief letter penned by the butler, not his father’s handwriting…

“Does this mean Father is very angry…?”

Marcel gripped the edge of the letter tightly, tense.

But he soon steeled himself and nodded.

He had prepared for this.

Marcel had anticipated that some of his father’s anger might turn toward him for this affair.

Though he had a valid reason, withdrawing after receiving 43 votes was somewhat irresponsible.

Moreover, the unexpected withdrawal of that commoner girl had handed the presidency to Alexein.

This election must have seriously upset his father.

But he had no regrets.

This was the end for Eddie.

That was enough.

Most of Father Furas' anger would likely be directed at Eddie for abandoning his duty as a lackey.

The excuse ‘I had no choice because of the young master’s orders’ wouldn’t work this time.

Marcel quickly shook off his unease and regained his cold resolve.

‘I’ll probably get scolded too. But to get rid of a guy Father favors, I need to be prepared…’

Letting out a small sigh, Marcel conjured Nux at his fingertips.

Unlike the clear golden light of before, the edges were slightly blurred, an unstable form of Nux.

It reflected his increasingly unstable mana, a trend that had worsened since the election began.

It peaked when he ordered Eddie not to withdraw.

This reinforced Marcel’s conviction in his suspicions.

The decline in his mana was due to nervous strain and the resulting fatigue, caused by Eddie.

Marcel acknowledged Eddie’s immense usefulness.

But a reckless lackey who used the family’s orders as a shield to act freely wasn’t needed.

‘With the presidency election added to it, he’ll surely be kicked out. And once Eddie’s gone, I’ll tell Father I don’t need an assistant.’

With that resolve, Marcel grabbed his wand and left the room.

The thought of soon having the dorm room to himself felt a bit strange.

But he ignored those feelings and headed to the mana training ground.