The appointment ceremony, where Castor had died so pathetically in a duel, had somehow become known among the students as the "Bloody Appointment Ceremony."
Following that theme, we were now being called the "Fresh Blood Student Council First-Years."
And yet, not a single drop of blood had actually been shed.
I didn't get it.
In everyone’s memories, for some reason, Castor had supposedly been decapitated in a spray of gore, his headless body twitching while he soiled himself. The only ones who had actually soiled themselves were the spectators in the gallery. Had someone gotten so embarrassed by their own reaction that they spread a rumor to overwrite the truth?
As for the Student Council, we didn't appeal for a prohibition on duels. Instead, a notice was issued: from now on, any petitions could be settled by a duel held in the presence of the Student Council.
Of course, if a petition was legitimate, it would pass without any need for a fight. The underlying message was clear: if you wanted to push through a selfish whim without any legal merit, you’d better be prepared to die for it.
"—Greetings, 'Fresh Blood Watchdog' and 'Fresh Blood Disciple.'"
After school, when Mariana and I headed to the first-year building's Student Council Room, Edward greeted us while wearing a mask.
"Please stop calling us that..." Mariana pleaded.
"But it’s so grand! For I am the 'Fresh Blood Mask'!"
Seeing Edward strike a pose and act cool, Mariana let out a long sigh. I had called him a fool and an idiot before, but now he was taking it to a professional level.
The reason for the mask was obvious: Mariana vomited every time she saw Edward’s face. Since he viewed her as his lifesaver, he wore the mask without a hint of hesitation.
I wondered if he was truly fine with this, but since he seemed to be enjoying himself, I decided to keep my mouth shut.
"The 'Fresh Blood Mask' is but my temporary form! Should I remove it, I become 'Fresh Blood Royalty'!"
"Ah, yes, yes. Very impressive, isn't it?" Mariana replied, brushing him off with total indifference.
Alicia was already there, sitting in a chair and reviewing documents while sipping coffee. I ignored Edward and sat down next to her.
"Alicia, what are you working on?"
"The Sage Festival is coming up, so I'm handling the budget allocations for each class. We have to divide the funds based on the specific events, or it’ll just be a waste."
While some idiot was playing around with masks and nicknames next to her, Alicia remained perfectly professional. As expected.
By the way, her nickname was the "Fresh Blood Empress." Apparently, she was the one who tamed the watchdog. Edward had come up with all of these. It was too much trouble to argue, so I just let him do what he wanted.
The watchdog was me, but apparently, if I removed the collar Alicia had given me, I would "job change" into a mysterious entity called "Fresh Blood Recklessness."
I had no idea what that was supposed to mean.
"Ragna, the Sage Festival includes a tournament where students compete with magic. What do you want to do? Will you enter? If you do, your victory is basically guaranteed."
"I'm not entering. I'm not interested."
There was no value in a magic tournament for students, by students. It would be much more productive to spend my time extorting food from the stalls as a "protection fee" in exchange for managing them. I could eat for free and go on a date with Alicia under the guise of patrolling the grounds. I didn't have time for games.
"Precisely, 'Empress.' The Student Division is beneath 'Recklessness,'" Edward interjected, swooping into the conversation.
"Aren't I the 'Watchdog' as long as I have the collar on? Your Highness," I corrected.
"In this room, you must call me 'Mask.' Since I know that the 'Watchdog's' true identity is 'Recklessness,' I shall call you as such. And no honorifics are necessary. In fact, according to the hierarchy of the 'Fresh Blood Student Council,' the 'Empress' who commands 'Recklessness' stands at the very top. It is I who must show respect."
"Fine, fine. I get it. No honorifics," Alicia said, not even looking up as Edward dropped to one knee.
To put it simply, he was a massive pain. That was how we treated Edward now. If anything, he was the "Bald-headed Idiot."
The idiot sat down across from Alicia.
"Now then, 'Empress'..."
"..."
"Alicia."
"What is it?"
"The Student Division is mere child's play. I, who occupy the lowest rank in this hierarchy, shall participate in that. 'Recklessness,' however, shall enter the General Division—the one where the Court Mages and knights of the Royal Capital compete."
Wait, he just decided that? Not "I’d like you to enter," but "It’s been decided"?
"Edward, could you not make decisions for me?" I asked.
"It isn't a whim. This is why I recommended you to the Student Council in the first place," Edward explained, sipping his tea elegantly. "Originally, I planned to enter the General Division myself. Even among the second and third years, I’m confident my strength is peerless. I wanted to prove my power, and my parents wanted me to learn that there’s always a higher peak to climb!"
Edward stood up, making his cape flutter. I didn't know why he was wearing a cape now, but he insisted that a mask required one.
"However! Why should I take that seat when someone stronger is available? I shall handle the Student Division. Meanwhile, 'Recklessness' shall crush those flimsy mages in the General Division and make his name echo throughout the Capital!"
"Wait just one moment," Alicia interrupted. "What exactly do you mean by 'recommended' him?"
"Indeed, I was the one! He saved my life. My honor would be forfeit if I didn't offer some form of gratitude." Edward puffed out his chest. "Unfortunately, thanks to my past selfishness, my right of succession is at the very bottom—I’d lose to an infant in terms of political weight. I can't give much of a direct reward, so instead, I’ll help change the image of House Brave's territory."
"Sigh..." Alicia leaned her head into her hand.
Since he had truly acted on his own, she could only despair. For the record, Castor hadn't been kicked out just because Edward recommended me. His grades had simply been terrible. It just so happened that I occupied the slot opened by his failure, which made things messy, but it was too late to change that now.
"For now, stop deciding things on your own. As for the General Division, I’m refusing. Students from other countries will be visiting, so our duty as the Student Council is to patrol and ensure there are no incidents."
"Ehh... but I want to show everyone the power of our 'Recklessness'..."
"This 'Fresh Blood Student Council' of yours has a hierarchy, doesn't it?" Alicia asked.
"Indeed! I, the 'Mask,' claim the bottom rank, while my unmasked self sits at the top!"
"Then follow the orders of your 'Empress.'"
"As you command..."
The second she invoked the hierarchy, Edward became perfectly submissive. He was incredibly annoying, but if he would listen as long as we humored his roleplay, I suppose that made him easy to manage.
"Now then, take this list and issue an immediate dissolution order to every gathering on it. This will be your first job as the 'Mask.'"
"Understood! Let’s see... a staggering amount of money is being allocated for daily tea parties. This far exceeds a student's reasonable budget. Honestly, such private indulgences should come from one's own pocket... I shall crush them in the name of Fresh Blood!"
With a flourish of his cape, Edward marched out of the room.
"Alicia, what are these tea parties?" I asked.
"Just noble social gatherings. You see them after school, groups of students chatting and drinking tea? That's them."
"Whoa, that’s amazing. And the Academy actually pays for that?" Mariana asked, wide-eyed.
If I weren't a noble, I'd probably be shocked too. Building connections while a student is vital in noble society, so the concept wasn't inherently bad. The issue was the math. By Headmaster Volsea’s decree, the school provided funds for tea and snacks so even General Class students could host gatherings, but the allocation for the Special Class was nearly a hundred times higher.
"Maintaining face is important, and I don't care if they want to be lavish, but the General Class is suffering because of it. That isn't right."
It was as Edward said—if they wanted to be fancy, they should use their own money instead of being stingy with public funds. In the game, the capture targets gave the Heroine gifts, but they certainly weren't using the school's budget. The Heroine was the type to refuse expensive things anyway. The current Mariana was also quite frugal, so she was mostly staying true to her character.
"Whoa... why did it end up like this?" Mariana wondered.
"That's just the nature of power," Alicia replied. "No matter how much the Headmaster tries to maintain equality, it's meaningless if teachers can be pressured into fudging the numbers. Ragna, look at this."
She handed me a sheet of paper. It listed the suppliers for the tea and sweets.
"Every single one of them is a trading company under the influence of House Ignite or House Pentagram. This is public money, but they’re siphoning it so blatantly it’s almost impressive."
"Wow." It was a textbook slush fund.
"I wonder if the report about the Ignite son going abroad was because they realized before summer that Castor wouldn't make the Student Council. They knew they couldn't hide the trail anymore. Well, it doesn't matter now. Neither of them is here to answer for it."
Alicia took a sip of her coffee, ending the topic. It was highly likely Castor had wagered his life in that duel specifically to cover up this corruption. Solving these financial crimes was the core of the Castor Route, but since the world had diverged so much from the game, there was no way to be sure. The truth died with him.
"Alicia, if the tea party quality suddenly drops, won't the other nobles revolt? Is this okay?"
"That’s why we have that masked idiot. I don't know what kind of game he’s playing, but if he listens to us, he's a powerful weapon. He might not be the Crown Prince anymore, but he still has enough weight to handle the fools who were just sucking up the sweet nectar."
"Whoa... you've thought that far ahead? You're amazing, Alicia!" Mariana chirped.
"Of course she is! Alicia is currently ranked number one in House Brave for paperwork speed! Well, second only to Sebas," I added.
"There is no hierarchy in House Brave," Alicia corrected. "Whoever is capable simply does the work."
"That's true." You understand us well, Alicia.
"Besides, if they resist no matter what, I'll just kill them. Problem solved."
"My job is to make sure it never comes to that... honestly," Alicia sighed. "Anyway, Ragna, back to the tournament. What are you going to do about the General Division?"
"I thought you said I wasn't entering?"
"I refused because I didn't want Edward making the choice for you. But if you actually want to enter, I won't stop you."
"Hmm. Am I even allowed to?"
"I’m not sure."
I didn't recall any of my late brothers ever entering such a tournament. In fact, was the Brave family even permitted to participate? Edward had been talking a big game, but I doubted the high-ranking officials of the kingdom would ever officially sanction my entry.
"Let’s just ignore the bald idiot’s rambling." He could enter and get thrashed himself. He was decent, but he wasn't winning against mages who could use chantless casting.
"Alicia, what will happen to the leftover money?" Mariana asked.
"It'll be distributed equally... but Mariana, don't even think about using it to stock the Academy with coffee. Just drink what we bring from home."
"Aww... but I want to chug some during my breaks..."
"No. You'd stand out too much. Stop it."
I thought she could just bring a thermos of iced coffee, but the smell would give her away instantly.
"But but but! Coffee is perfect for focusing on studies! A cup in the morning, a cup at lunch, and a sweet milk coffee when you're tired at night!"
"If you want results, it'd be better to mandate that all students run a lap around the campus after school," I suggested. "If we tire them out until they can't think, the Headmaster would be thrilled to have an entire academy of soldiers."
"Both of you, stop it," Alicia snapped. "That's practically an abuse of power."