Simon safely returned to Kizen via the teleportation magic circle.
After saying his goodbyes to Hongfeng, Byulya, the student council members, and the rest of the group, he rode his golem board to the Summoning dormitory.
"There we go."
The dormitory, intertwined with massive trees, now felt as welcoming as home. Simon opened the door and walked in with a relaxed, leisurely stride.
’It’s completely empty.’
Perhaps because it was still early, the dormitory lobby was quiet. The occasional passing dorm staff greeted him, and Simon returned their greetings as he walked up the stairs.
The door clicked open, and a short boy sitting on the bed stood up with wide eyes.
"Oh, Simon!"
"Toto! You’re back already."
His roommate and fellow Group 10 member in the Summoning department, Toto Amori. It seemed he had also just arrived, as his bags were still unpacked.
"You haven’t changed a bit, Simon! Have a good vacation?"
"Yeah! Same as always."
The two chatted about this and that while unpacking their things together.
Toto had apparently spent his vacation working part-time in Langerstine. Securing funds was essential just to keep up with the second-semester classes of their second year. After all, Summoning was a notoriously expensive field of study.
"Actually, Eshe recommended a few good part-time jobs I could do in Langerstine."
"Really?"
"Ah, well, Eshe is just really knowledgeable when it comes to part-time jobs and work!"
Toto suddenly shifted his legs awkwardly, his tone defensive. Simon smiled.
"Then you two must have run into each other a lot while working."
"S-Sometimes! Just occasionally! We worked different shifts!"
Sweating profusely, Toto quickly changed the subject.
"How did you spend your vacation, Simon?"
"Well, I followed my father and helped out with the territory’s affairs, and then I went to the plains..."
A sudden, heavy thumping at the window interrupted him.
Just as Simon was about to launch into the epic tale of his adventure on the plains, the sudden noise startled Toto, who let out a yelp and jumped to his feet.
Turning his head, Simon saw Dick clinging to the outside of the Summoning dormitory window. He pressed his face flat against the glass, looking ridiculous, before huffing a breath to fog up the pane and writing a message with his finger.
’Emergency.’
Simon had barely returned to school, yet Dick had already sniffed out some new information. Simon opened the window, and Dick slipped right inside.
"Oh! Toto, it’s been a while!"
Dick waved at Toto, who had been in the same Class A during their first year. Toto awkwardly returned the greeting.
"What’s going on, Dick?"
"Well, it’s about the student council."
Sensing the mood, Toto quickly stood up.
"T-That sounds important. Should I give you guys some space?"
"No, it’s fine," Dick said, waving him off.
Dick recounted what he had seen to Simon and Toto.
He hadn’t returned to his dorm, heading straight for the student council building instead. He had been curious about the faculty meeting’s final decision regarding the second-semester student council and went to check for himself.
And there, Dick had spotted servants entering the student council room and moving belongings out.
"They were clearing out documents and rearranging the furniture. That definitely means..."
Truthfully, it was something Simon had been expecting.
With a calm expression, looking completely unsurprised, Simon grabbed his coat.
"I’ll go check it out."
Leaving the room, Simon quickly descended the stairs and stepped out of the dormitory.
However, he didn’t have to go far.
"Oh."
Four adult men dressed in neat suits were waiting in front of the dormitory doors.
"We’re from Kizen Headquarters," one of them said, taking off his sunglasses to look at Simon. "You must be Simon, correct? Could we have a moment to speak?"
Simon was escorted into a dazzlingly luxurious room.
’I didn’t know the school had a place like this.’
Simon lightly glanced around. Across from him, a headquarters staff member set down his briefcase and took a seat.
A servant brought out coffee for the two of them.
"I hope you had a good vacation. Have you heard the news by any chance?"
"Not yet."
"I see."
The staff member offered Simon the coffee before lifting his own teacup.
Simon didn’t decline. After a brief tea time, the staff member adjusted his tie and spoke first.
"First of all... I regret having to tell you this."
"The student council president for the second semester—"
Simon set down his teacup.
"It seems Balak will be taking the position."
Simon remained silent.
The staff member silently pulled some documents from his bag and spread them out on the table.
"I will explain everything step by step. The school currently considers the position of student council president to be vacant."
Simon had become the acting second-year student council president in place of Aizel, who was on a long-term dispatch. Then Aizel returned, and the previous president, Phantastus, set a condition: the two would decide who got the presidency through a duel.
In response, the Grerium family, commissioned by Phantastus, directly intervened and declared an ’Honorable Duel’. In an ’Honorable Duel’, there is no distinction between champion and challenger. Both individuals step down to the status of regular students and duel under fair conditions; the winner becomes the student council president.
However, Balak had interrupted, rendering the duel itself invalid, and according to school regulations, Kizen’s student council presidency was currently vacant. The decision-making power returned to the faculty, and that was where the conflict began.
The issue itself was simple.
Who should be appointed as the student council president?
"Since Aizel has left, the proper procedure is to recognize the existing acting president as the official student council. It makes no sense to suddenly promote Balak out of nowhere."
This was the argument of the second-year professors.
"The presidency itself is vacant. Who held the seat during the first semester is irrelevant. What matters is who in this school is most suited for the position!"
This was the argument of the third-year professors.
It was a debate where neither side could yield. The second-year faculty had more fame and prestige, but the third-year professors, whose immediate careers and livelihoods were on the line, were desperate.
"This is Kizen! Kizen, the epitome of meritocracy! The strongest and most outstanding student must rise to the top; there is no reason a second-year should keep the position just because he did some student council work for a little while!"
"No matter how important skill is, character and personality are the basics of being human. Placing a student who clearly committed a wrongdoing and is under disciplinary action into the presidency is an act of spitting on the school’s honor."
"That’s why he was sent on a disciplinary mission!"
In truth, from the third-year professors’ perspective, sending Balak on a disciplinary mission was both a gamble and a last stand.
The disciplinary mission was a Holy Federation-related task typically performed by active-duty Crow-ranks, making combat with Priests unavoidable.
It was evaluated to be at or above the difficulty of the long-term mission that had taken even Aizel over four months. If Balak failed to complete this mission during the vacation, the student council presidency would go to Simon without any room for debate.
But during Balak’s disciplinary mission, a massive incident occurred.
"Balak defeated an Arc Paladin?"
Hearing the staff member’s explanation, Simon’s jaw dropped.
"Yes. During the engagement, Balak killed eleven Federation warriors and even defeated the Arc Paladin commanding them."
This was a truly monumental achievement.
The news immediately spread throughout Roc Island, completely overturning the school’s public opinion regarding Balak, whose character had previously been called into question.
"Balak has already surpassed Aizel! He should be compared to Phantastus, who is considered the best in history!"
"Does it make sense to keep a second-year in the presidency when we have a genius among geniuses who took down an Arc Paladin at the age of nineteen?"
Ultimately, Kizen’s foundation was strict meritocracy. Public opinion began to lean toward Balak, and even the Council of Elders, who had been indifferent to the issue, exerted their influence on the faculty meeting, expressing their desire for Balak. And above all else...
"It seems the VVIP has made a decision."
At the staff member’s words, Simon fell deep into thought.
He couldn’t be entirely certain who that title referred to, but...
’If it’s Nephthys...’
If she, someone unswayed by power or public opinion, had come to such a conclusion, he felt there was undoubtedly a reason for it. Strangely, Simon felt his mind become a little more at ease.
"In the end, it appears Balak will take the student council presidency for the second semester. However—"
The staff member emphasized his words and interlaced his fingers.
"The faculty meeting concluded that sufficient compensation must be provided to you, Simon, as the former president."
Amidst the turning tide of public opinion, it seemed the second-year faculty had managed to extract as much as they possibly could.
"Compensation...?"
"First, while it is difficult for you to maintain the presidency right now, we plan to confirm you, Simon Polentia, as the student council president for Kizen’s 331st class next year."
It meant they were guaranteeing him the presidency for at least next year.
The staff member stated that this matter had been concluded at the faculty meeting and that an agreement had already been reached with Balak.
"And second."
This was highly likely to be the main point.
Simon also sharpened his focus.
"Setting everything else aside, Balak ultimately claimed the presidency because he was evaluated to be more skilled than you."
"Right."
"But if you do not agree with that evaluation, and—"
His eyes flashed.
"If you can prove that you are superior to Balak, the story would change."
’What does that mean?’
When Simon looked at the staff member with eyes full of questions, the man handed over a single document.
"The school has decided to grant you the ’Right to Challenge’."
’The Right to Challenge?’
Simon’s eyes quickly scanned the contents.
"If you are confident in defeating Balak, you can pull him down and reclaim the student council presidency as early as today. Balak is absolutely obligated to accept your challenge. If he refuses, the presidency will pass to you."
’So this was it.’
Ultimately, what mattered was skill, and if he was dissatisfied with the evaluation, it meant he should seize it with his own power.
"Do I set the date?"
"Yes."
The authority to challenge Balak whenever he wanted. Simon subtly lowered his gaze to his leg.
His right leg was still throbbing. Injured as he was now, fighting Balak would yield an obvious result. He needed a little more time.
’With these conditions, it’s not bad.’
If he had maintained the student council presidency, he would have constantly worried and fretted over when Balak might challenge him.
Stepping down from the heavy responsibility to become the challenger actually put his mind at ease. It also made it easier to prepare for the challenge step by step.
First, fully recover from his injury; take Byulya’s classes to raise his resistance magic to a high level; and finally, complete the Bone Dragon.
If he could finish all those preparations and defeat Balak, it would also mean that he had seized the student council presidency with his own hands, rather than simply inheriting it from Phantastus.
’There’s no reason I can’t do it.’
He truly felt there was nothing stopping him. Seeing the change in Simon’s eyes, the staff member nodded and stood up from his seat.
"Because Balak caused such a massive stir during his mission, things had to be handled this way to save face for the third-year faculty. I apologize for the inconvenience of having you prove your skills once again."
"It’s fine."
Simon also stood up with a soft smile.
"You said he took down an Arc Paladin, of all people, right? Even if I were on the faculty, I likely would have made the same decision."
"Thank you for saying so."
The two lightly shook hands.
The staff member adjusted his suit jacket.
"Personally, I’d like to root for you, Simon, rather than the highly controversial Balak. Whenever you wish to use your ’Right to Challenge’, please inform any Kizen staff member."
The next morning, the opening ceremony.
Kizen was flipped upside down. The students, who should have been sharing stories about their vacations after just returning to school, were all buzzing about a single topic.
"I heard Simon stepped down and the third-year, Balak, became the student council president."
"From now on, it’s Balak’s era!"
They had returned to school only to find that the student council president had abruptly changed. All the students were gossiping about the issue.
"Feels like a bad tooth got pulled out, right? It should have been like this from the start."
"Now the third-years can finally save some face."
The third-years generally reacted as if it were the natural course of events and felt a sense of vindication, but...
The first- and second-years did not feel the same way.
"This is ridiculous."
"I can’t believe it."
The joint opening ceremony was held with the entire student body gathered for the first time in a while.
The atmosphere, which should have been harmonious, was extremely hostile.
"Why are those bastards glaring at us?"
As the sky-high third-years wearing gold badges walked by, the first-years—who should have been bowing at the waist to greet them—were whispering with eyes full of hostility.
"Hey, let’s just go. We’ll only cause trouble if we mess with the first-years for no reason."
"Tsk. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
The third-years grumbled as they entered the grand auditorium.
The moment they stepped inside, an explosive wave of hostile murmurs erupted from all directions.
The adults had crunched the numbers and made a calculated choice. They appointed Balak to the presidency, evaluating his abilities and track record as superior to Simon’s.
Of course, the choice itself might have been a rational decision for the organization.
"Why Senior Simon Polentia? He didn’t even do anything wrong!"
"This is unfair!"
But it was a judgment completely disconnected from the students’ perception.
Among the first-years, Simon was a hero and one of their most respected upperclassmen. For Simon to suddenly be forced to step down so Balak could seize the presidency... even if they tried to look at it favorably, it was simply impossible.
The mood among the second-years was no different.
"The third-years seriously have an inferiority complex this time around. Swallowing up the presidency like this."
"It’s not like I put Simon Polentia on a pedestal or anything... but wrong is wrong."
There were many among the second-years who hadn’t even exchanged a single word with Simon, but still, a classmate was a classmate.
Upon hearing the news that Simon had been stripped of the presidency, a collective rage began to boil within them.
And this anger would end up erupting during the joint opening ceremony shortly after.

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