Reborn as the Head of the Stolen Mage Family

Chapter 62

The 1st-year representative body that had shaken up the academy.

One of its members' uninhibited actions once again shook up the academy.

It was like throwing another piece of food to the mouths that loved gossip.

"Did you hear? A grade announcement bulletin board was installed in the 1st-year lounge yesterday. And the one who installed it was that 1st-year vice president……."

"The 1st-year vice president who was said to be Kirhausen's tail? No, not the president, but the vice president pushed for such a thing alone? And the president is… Alexein Dickens?"

"Moreover, that bulletin board and suggestion box were installed in half a day because the vice dean actively pushed for it. That 1st-year vice president had a private meeting with the vice dean alone."

"Haha… my… this is really……."

The mouths that loved gossip were not limited to the students.

Three professors were strolling through the school grounds, chatting.

The topic of conversation was, of course, the recent 1st-year representative election and its impact.

The unusual situation within the 1st year was the biggest concern for the young professors as well.

The greedy senior professors were monopolizing information about the 1st year.

The only young professor, Fred Arno, was the dean's favorite student, so it was hard to get close to him.

So they couldn't help but be all ears for every floating word, every heard rumor.

"This has become quite ambiguous. I don't know whether to say Kirhausen won or Dickens won in this 1st-year election."

"Dickens definitely didn't win. If Kirhausen hadn't withdrawn, he wouldn't have even become the vice president."

"But why did the next head of the Kirhausen family do that? Withdrawing after receiving 43 votes alone. Besides, because the family's tail became the vice president, the name Eddie Summerson is now more talked about than Marcel Kirhausen."

"Ahem… you don't know what you're talking about, professor."

The professor walking on the right of the three lowered his voice and spoke.

His expression was triumphant, as if he had discovered a great truth.

"No matter how many overwhelming votes he received, it's ultimately the 'grade' representative position. And if he becomes the representative, he'll be under Dalton Kirhausen in the student council. How could the current head of the family stand to see that?"

"Aha… now that you mention it, that's right. Then what about the tail who didn't withdraw? Did Kirhausen order him to do so to put pressure on Alexein Dickens?"

"Rather than that… aren't they thinking of properly raising an ambitious tail?"

This time, the professor walking on the left analyzed the situation.

He had a neutral and calm demeanor, but behind it, ambition for power and a sense of awareness could be seen.

"That Kirhausen's tail, I hear his skills already surpass those of most adult mages."

"Oh."

"If he's that skilled, even if he's an orphan, it's much more profitable to raise him well and use him as a loyal worker for the family than to use him like a tool and throw him away."

"Ah……."

"Anyway, because of this election, only the senior professors who are close to the two families have been made to look foolish. Especially the professors who bet on the Dickens side and moved have become worse than Professor Showman in one fell swoop… heok……!"

The young professors who were chattering away gasped in surprise.

It was because they ran into Brenda and Powell, who was standing next to her, as soon as they turned the corner.

"Pro… Professor Showman……."

"Ah… hello."

"Hello, professor……."

The mouths that had been eagerly discussing were blinking, not knowing what to do.

Powell passed the three professors without a word, and Brenda followed him, shaking her head.

‘How can they be so loose-lipped in the academy, where there are eyes and ears everywhere?’

.

.

.

Powell and Brenda spent the rest of their lunch break strolling through the school grounds.

"Sigh……."

A small sigh finally escaped from Brenda.

Then Powell stopped walking and looked back at her.

Brenda said, as if complaining.

"It feels like the academy is becoming more of a social gathering after-party than an educational institution."

"Don't mind it. Words that come from a light mouth have a light weight."

Powell said, as if it was no big deal, and popped a caramel into his mouth.

He gave one to Brenda as well and then started walking again.

The two of them brought up a different topic than gossip.

"You're going as the supervising professor for this 1st-year field trip too?"

"Yes. At least two 1st-year professors have to go… and as you know, besides Professor Arno, they're all senior professors."

"...And since they don't want to see a picture of me and Fred together, they put pressure on you to go as a substitute."

"That's right."

"Hmm……."

Powell's dissatisfied grumble. The wrinkles on his forehead deepened even more.

Then, as if he had decided something, he opened his mouth in a solemn tone.

"I think I need to bring up this absurdity with the dean again."

"Professor, you'll only worsen your relationship with the other senior professors."

"Those who don't fulfill their duties should be criticized accordingly. It's not like those old geezers came down to teach 1st-year classes without knowing there was a field trip."

Old geezers.

Brenda smiled a little at Powell's honest expression, which she hadn't heard in a long time.

He only used this kind of vocabulary from his youth in front of Brenda.

Brenda smiled comfortably for a moment and then brought up another topic.

"Ah, speaking of which, that student named Joy Lixiodor who consulted with you, professor. I heard she became a student council apprentice member as soon as she withdrew from the election."

"Yes. When she came for an interview, she seemed to be at a loss, but somehow she found the best path for herself."

"...It seems that student is aiming for the student council president position."

"She's an ambitious child, so it's not a surprising goal."

The two of them accurately pinpointed Joy's new goal.

Brenda, thinking of Eddie, threw a question just in case.

"Do you think her potential is as great as her ambition?"

"Hmm……."

Powell fell into thought for a moment.

Brenda stared at his back, feeling strangely anxious.

Because that child, Joy, was a talent chosen by Eddie, not someone else.

"She's a child with a clear goal and a strong will. And she has the skills and intelligence to carry it out. But the problem is that she's too trapped in her own world."

"……."

"Whether you're from the upper class or a commoner, you can't become a great person if you only see the world with a narrow perspective from within a well."

"I see."

Powell's assessment of Joy was not much different from Eddie's.

Brenda's steps slowed down as if she had a lot on her mind.

But she soon steeled herself.

‘His Lordship probably knows, but it would be best to tell him again today.’

* * *

That night.

Five Palamedes mages gathered in Corkis.

It was their second meeting, based on the information they had gathered and the changed situations.

The amount of information each of them had gathered was considerable.

And as expected, the first topic to be brought up was the identity of Sylvia, who had been revealed to be a homunculus.

"A homunculus that inherits memories… if used as a weapon, it would be an extremely powerful and dangerous existence."

"I don't know what kind of force Kirhausen has joined hands with, but it's clear that it's not just for strengthening the family's security."

Rick and Brenda were right.

A homunculus that inherits memories was a being that could become a powerful variable, too precious to be used only as an ordinary tutor.

Even Sylvia's position within Kirhausen was unusual.

If she could naturally give orders to the people of Pasquier, the family's magic tower, she must have a considerable responsibility.

However, there was something strange about this part.

"But it's somewhat strange that they would entrust a key position in their force to a homunculus and not one of their own."

"That's right. And Sylvia even has the title of Kirhausen's tutor, so she's known to the public."

"If a malfunction were to be seen by outsiders, it would be a huge problem… it could also mean that they are that confident in their creation skills."

Everyone fell into thought at Fred and Kenneth's words.

But Eddie had already come to a conclusion about this question.

"If the core members of the force are few, and they are people whose faces cannot be revealed, it's understandable."

Everyone was agitated by the new possibility Eddie suggested.

That they were a heretical force was within the realm of assumption, as had been discussed in the previous meeting.

However, for a heretical force whose lineage had been cut off, it was more fatal for their techniques to be revealed than their faces.

And yet, for them to not even be able to reveal their faces…….

"It would be a very, dangerous case."

Leodimir, who realized the weight of those words, grumbled.

The faces of the others also turned pale.

People whose faces were known.

In other words, they had to consider the possibility that the heretical sect, which they thought had been cut off… ‘was never cut off in the first place.’

Eddie, who had brought up the frightening possibility, had a calm and expressionless face.

He said in an indifferent tone.

"Of course, it's still in the realm of speculation. For now, let's only discuss what's certain."

"Yes."

"The current head of the house is a man with strong vigilance and a thorough calculation of profit and loss. No matter how much he knows how to manufacture the magic absorption elixir that his son needs, he would never have joined hands with an organization if he couldn't trust them."

"That's right. And the problem is, the materials for that magic absorption elixir are not being used only for Marcel Kirhausen."

Chareureureuk-

Leodimir, who had cleared the shadow from his expression, swung his wand.

A map unfolded along with the wand.

The huge map, large enough to cover the entire table, showed the territory of the Luxorin Empire and even the magical federation of small and medium-sized city-states across the sea.

Two points on the map were already marked with Leodimir's Nux.

"The locations where Mercury has identified the movement of the Mana Bloodstones are two places. 'Valcon Ruins' and the abandoned magic tower 'Tuksen'."

With Leodimir's swish, the Nux at the two points changed shape and transformed into the forms of each location.

"Valcon and Tuksen… they are quite unexpected places."

"Both places are quite unsuitable for such secret operations. One is a ruin frequented by tourists, and the other is……."

"A place guarded by the imperial guard, no less. But for Kirhausen to be able to carry out suspicious activities in such a place……."

"Perhaps the current imperial family is backing Kirhausen."

The room fell silent at Kenneth's remark, which followed Fred's words.

A desperate possibility that everyone had been thinking about but had not dared to mention.

The intervention of the imperial family.

In addition to the external force whose identity had not yet been identified, the current imperial family was also in league with Kirhausen?

If so, the current information war was essentially meaningless.

Even if they gathered evidence and revealed Kirhausen's crimes, it meant that the imperial family, which would judge the crime, was also in on it.

Eddie hoped that it wasn't the case, if only for his old ties with the Bernhard imperial family.

However, hope didn't put food on the table, and confirmation and preparation for anything were essential.

"Whatever it is, we must reinforce our strength. Our current strength will be insufficient to prepare for any case."

"Yes, while you are investigating the two locations, master, I will move the Mercury on the imperial side to find out for sure."

"Hmm. For now, we should go to Valcon Ruins first, which is relatively easier to access among the two specified locations."

"Yes, I have made all the necessary preparations for that."

The preparations Leodimir had made.

What those preparations were was already written in the document delivered to the professors in the dean's office a few hours ago.

[We inform you that, as recommended by Dean Devens, the location for this year's 1st-year field trip has been decided as 'Valcon Ruins'.]