After the girl Alicia had systematically dismantled finally left, the silence in the Student Council Room was broken by Mariana, who had been quiet until then.
"I wonder who 'that person' is? And why did she leave without telling us? It would have been much simpler if she’d just brought this 'person' with her from the very beginning."
She had a point. If they had just brought their backer along, a single session of verbal sparring would have settled it. Nobles really were a tiresome breed.
"They do this on purpose—coming back again and again until their opponent is exhausted," Alicia explained.
"There are also those who send gifts unasked, insist they're tokens of goodwill, and then start making demands as if you owe them something," Edward added, nodding sagely as if recalling a bitter memory.
"Well, we’ll find out who it is soon enough. It might be better to strike first once we do."
"And do you know who it is?" I asked.
I had a vague idea myself, but I wanted to see if Edward was actually as informed as he claimed.
"It is almost certainly Belda von Slash, Castor’s former fiancée."
Edward shifted his Mask, intentionally baring a single eye as he directed a piercing gaze toward me. Was he trying to look cool? Whatever serious atmosphere he was trying to build evaporated instantly when Mariana, standing right beside him, let out a gagging noise, clutched her mouth, and bolted for the Council Room's private restroom.
"She’s a third-year and the Student Council’s Treasurer," Edward continued, ignoring the sound of the door slamming. "The only reason a girl from a House of the Count can act so boldly is because she has Belda’s backing."
"A third-year Treasurer," Alicia mused. "That puts her in charge of the entire budget."
"She might try to tamper with the first-year funds, but no matter what she attempts, the skill of the Empress should be more than enough to handle it."
"Is that so? Well then, I'll be counting on you to keep up the good work, Shadow," Alicia said.
"Understood!"
Edward dropped to one knee. Alicia didn't even bother to comment on the theatrics anymore. It wasn't that she had gotten used to it, exactly; she had simply decided that caring was a waste of energy.
"Alicia, what is this 'Shadow' business?" Mariana asked, looking haggard as she emerged from the restroom.
"Who knows?" Alicia replied with a shrug.
"Allow me to explain!" Edward declared, proudly fluttering his cape. "I am The Mask—the one who gathers information from the gloom! The documents I presented earlier were those I have been scouring the shadows for since this morning!"
He was adding new lore. Recently, I’d found myself thinking this idiot’s roleplay was actually a little bit cool. Titles and nicknames are things you only truly feel once they've been forced upon you. You don't name yourself; a name is something people call you when you leave a lasting impression, and eventually, it sticks. "Monkey of the Abandoned Land" and other such slurs were exactly like that.
Well, I suppose this was a decent enough way to spice up a boring school life.
"By day, the Watchdog shall keep watch over the Academy from the rooftops; by night, I shall take charge of intelligence. Even in my current state, I am still in a position where many whispers reach my ears."
Edward hadn't been stripped of his Right of Succession. While his rank was currently lower than a newborn's, he was still in a position where he could potentially climb back to the top if the winds shifted. To my surprise, the idiot actually seemed to be enjoying the situation.
Those who treated Edward with respect were either people who realized his drop in rank was merely a performance for the public, or fools who saw nothing but his royal title. Those who looked down on him or treated him poorly were essentially enemies who had already aligned themselves with other candidates.
Personally, I suspected that despite his antics, the guy was incredibly shrewd. He was a bald moron, sure, but could a mere moron fend off a hundred soldier ants while weaving incantations into his swordsmanship? Courage like that is proportional to the strength of one's spirit—it’s forged through genuine hardship or blood-soaked effort. Weak men run from their problems more often than they face them.
"Just make sure you attend your classes," Alicia interjected. "As long as you handle your daily school life properly, you can spend your free time however you like."
"As you command, Highest in the Right of Succession. Leave everything to this Masked Shadow. I shall surely uncover the corruption of House Slash."
"I don't necessarily think they're being corrupt, but..."
"Now then, as the hour approaches when the world is enveloped in darkness—I, the shade, shall melt into the world's gloom."
No one could keep up with his energy anymore. By the way, even though it was after school, it was still September; the sun was still high in the sky. Furthermore, the white uniform Edward wore was a special edition for the Capture Target Characters. Combined with his smooth, hairless head, he was actually quite radiant.
"One more thing, Watchdog."
He stopped and looked at me.
"W-What is it?"
"The Familiars of Darkness step through fresh blood, creeping closer by the moment. Be sure to protect the Empress to the end."
Good grief, what was he even saying? I had to think of a response. Assuming "Familiars of Darkness" meant the mages from the Dark Section, and "stepping through blood" meant they were plotting against the Council... Ugh, this was such a chore.
"I'll bite and kill... every last one of them."
I figured that sounded enough like a Watchdog. Edward let out a small smirk and finally swept out of the room.
"Fresh blood for those who oppose us..."
He left only those parting words behind. The room fell into a heavy, awkward silence, broken only by the ringing of the evening bell.
"Ragna, you..." Alicia started.
"Ragna-san..." Mariana added.
Their gazes were pinned on me.
"I know. I get it. Please, don't say another word."
God, what was that? This is mortifying! It was painful—pure, unadulterated cringe. I felt like I was going to die. I wanted the world to end right then and there.
"Well, I suppose you enjoy that sort of thing, Ragna, so I won't stop you," Alicia said, her voice teasing.
"Wait, what?"
"I mean, he did suddenly ask for a collar the other day, didn't he?" Mariana added. "I take my glasses off to Alicia’s bottomless tolerance for accepting such... unique tastes. Since I’m not wearing a hat, the glasses will have to do."
I was a fool for thinking for even a second that any of this was cool!