Chapter 89

The student council meeting ended, and the members, including League, began to leave.

At the end of the meeting, League proposed, "I would like to ask Sylvester to be the first president of the Student Council," which was accepted.

Many members were surprised that Sylvester from Tsuval, not Romania, the largest faction in the alliance, was chosen, but Sylvester accepted it smoothly (apparently League had already talked to him).

"Ekaterina-san"

Hikaru stopped Ekaterina as she was about to leave.

"…What is it?"

"There's something I want to talk about."

"Hmph. I'm not going to apologize for opposing your proposal. In the first place, it was unrealistic—"

"I wanted to thank you."

"—What did you say?"

"Thank you for voicing your opposition."

"……"

Ekaterina looked at Hikaru intently.

"Are you okay? Or is this some new kind of insult?"

"No, it's not. A meeting that proceeds without considering opposing views or risks is extremely dangerous. I really appreciated your opposition on that point."

"Well, I just said what was wrong was wrong."

"If someone else had expressed a negative opinion, wouldn't you have given a positive one?"

"……"

It seemed she had been caught, and she closed her mouth with a huff.

Hikaru didn't think Ekaterina was just being negative. As proof, when asked for suggestions on how to implement something, she smoothly provided methods.

She had the ability to consider and evaluate what needed to be considered, not just giving her personal opinion but thinking about the direction the meeting should take.

It made sense that her family had produced many bureaucrats for the alliance government.

"Hmm, I see. So the real threat is you, not Romania?"

"What are you talking about? League is a good guy. He's smart too."

"Ponsonia is a terrifying country. It has a 'Sword Saint,' a sensitive writer like Lavia, and a cunning man like you."

"Hey, Ekaterina."

When Lavia tried to interject,

"See you at the library, Lavia."

Ekaterina said and left.

"…What a strange friend."

"She seemed quiet when we talked at the library."

"By the way, what do you mean by 'sensitive writer'?"

"…No comment."

"Tell me. It's weird that Ekaterina knows something about Lavia that I don't."

"No comment!"

Lavia blushed and went behind the counter.

Hikaru followed with a smile, and they started washing the dishes together.

"Still… things are getting complicated, huh?"

Hikaru said, and Lavia laughed softly in response.

"Why are you laughing?"

"Because you were the one who made all the proposals. At this rate, you might even be asked to help with the joint wedding ceremony."

"Surely they'll do it themselves."

"But no one else knows about joint wedding ceremonies except you."

"…That's true."

"To be honest, I was surprised when you said you would persuade the queen. You seemed—less interested in League's activities."

"My role was only to 'persuade the queen.' I could predict that helping Queen Marqued would be necessary for the Student Council's activities. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon."

"What about helping Claude?"

Hikaru stopped wiping the cup.

"Is that—about using the Soul Board?"

"Yes."

"The Soul Board is definitely the quickest way to make Claude stronger."

"How strong can he get?"

Hikaru shrugged.

"As strong as he wants."

"…As strong as he wants?"

"I think he could become the best swordsman on the continent."

"No way."

"I'm serious."

Claude has 12 remaining points. He already has "Sword" 2, so adding 8 points would make "Sword" 10.

If he also invests in strength, he would become the strongest swordsman.

Even the commander of the Ponsonia Knights, Lawrence, only has "Great Sword" 6, so "Sword" 10 would make Claude the best on the continent.

Lavia's face turned serious as Hikaru spoke earnestly.

"That much… power?"

"It's incredible when you specialize in one skill. I'd rather not use it, though. It would be obvious that I did something."

"But then you won't get Jalarzak's vote?"

"It should be natural, just a little help… maybe hypnotize him? Anyway, we need to see Claude in action first."

For some reason, Claude's training session became a "Small Sword Lecture."

"Why are there so many people here?"

Mirei, sitting in the shade outside Lecture Hall C, looked exasperated when she saw Claude. Not only Claude, but also Luka, Sylvester, Ivan, and his friends were there.

Ekaterina was probably at the library with Lavia, and Katie was in the lab. League had apparently lost the surveillance (of the girls).

"Then, I want to see how far Claude can fight."

"Hey, Hikaru-kun, isn't this my class?"

"I'll listen later. —Claude and Ivan will do a mock battle."

"Why not you, Hikaru?"

Claude asked. There was a hidden meaning in the question: "I want to confirm if you're really that strong."

"Claude, your opponent will be a great sword user, right? So Ivan is more suitable."

"Alright, leave it to me!"

Ivan, who was called out, stood up happily.

"Go for it, Ivan!"

"Don't lose to Kirihar or anyone!"

His friends cheered him on.

"That's… true. I'll go all out against Ivan."

"Wait a minute."

Hikaru stopped Claude, who was about to take up his spear.

"You'll use a one-handed sword. You're not good with spears, right?"

"…How do you know?"

"We don't have time. We should focus on your strengths. We can't afford to be picky."

"……"

Claude hesitated. When Ivan explained, it made sense.

"Hikaru, a one-handed sword can't compete with a great sword."

"What do you mean?"

"A one-handed sword is just a 'downgraded great sword.' It's slower and less powerful."

"Say that after you hit me once."

"That's because Hikaru is abnormal!"

Ivan shouted, and the crowd agreed, "That's right, Hikaru is abnormal!"

Hikaru ignored them and turned back to Claude.

"Then, it's even better to use a one-handed sword."

"Why are you so confident? The sword I learned is, as Ivan said, a downsized great sword. It's mainly for self-defense and has many ceremonial aspects."

"Your opponent will think the same. That's where the opportunity lies."

"Opportunity…?"

"There's no quick way to become strong in a short time. But you can win a one-on-one battle by studying your opponent well."

"…I see. Maybe you're right. Alright, I'll use a one-handed sword."

"Thank you."

"And—Hikaru."

When Hikaru asked, "What is it?"

"Can you stop using formal language with me? I'm learning from you here."

"But…"

"At least let's be on equal footing."

"……"

Hikaru thought for a moment and then said,

"Alright. Fine. But I'll be tough, okay?"

"Sure. That's what I want."

Claude said enthusiastically, but when Hikaru smiled, Ivan and the others shouted, "Eek!" and "The devil is smiling!"

Hikaru saw through Ekaterina's true intentions: she wasn't just opposing for the sake of opposing, but considering the risks.

Ekaterina, being honest, was taken aback when she was seen through.

From here, the "persuasion game" with the various countries begins.