Volume 7 Chapter 21 Interlude - Looks More Enjoyable When Seen From The Outside
Two days after the student council election announcement, it was midweek. This day is seen as the halfway point before the election on the following Monday. People have always thought this day is very important in student council elections.
It's a time to keep the energy going from the first half into the second half of the election.
It's also a chance for those behind to catch up in the second half.
Anyway, this day has always been important to guess how the rest of the election will go.
Because of this, both Dario and Edgar gathered their supporters and held meetings in different parts of the school.
These meetings were in classrooms set up like party rooms. Supporters met to talk and strengthen their bonds. It was also a way to show everyone they were calm and confident. But among Dario and Edgar's close supporters, each group was busy planning for the second half of the election in their own party areas.
By chance, both groups were talking about the same thing: 'What to do with Julius.'
Both sides were thinking about Julius because they wanted to make their groups stronger.
Dario's supporters were mostly high-ranking nobles who wanted important positions in the autonomous region, and lower nobles who hoped to benefit from them.
On the other hand, Edgar's supporters were mostly fallen nobles. These were people who lost their noble status during the Imperial occupation or had no chance to rise in the current situation, like Edgar himself.
Dario had many more supporters, but they couldn't relax because Julius, the 'former prince of the Empire,' was there.
Julius said he gave up his right to the throne, but being a former prince still meant a lot. Especially now that the country was an autonomous region, it meant even more.
The autonomous region was now run mainly by Dario's family, the Marquis Weissman, and the former royal family, Duke Rothheim. But there was no guarantee this would stay the same in the future.
Deep down, Dario wanted Julius as an ally—like having a connection to the old empire. But he couldn't show this openly. This was still an autonomous region, and he had to keep his pride.
So, Dario's leaders made a plan to get Julius to come closer but not join any group.
Even the former prince of the empire was kept quiet. It's important to remember this is still an autonomous region, and the leader is now called a supreme leader, not a king. By doing this, they wanted to make the lower-ranking nobles, who were most of the academy and their supporters, feel better.
If they followed Dario, they would stay part of the important group.
Edgar's group also wanted Julius to stay out of the election.
Edgar's group was smaller than Dario's, but they saw that Dario's supporters weren't very loyal. For example, Arthur chose to support Edgar instead of Dario.
Dario's group was weak and could fall apart easily.
That might be true, but Edgar's group also had strong bonds only with a few leaders. The people supporting them from below were only there because they thought, "It's better than Dario."
Edgar also wanted to keep Julius out of the election. By showing their supporters they were against the empire, they wanted to make their own weak group stronger and shake Dario's shaky support.
With all this in mind, both groups were having parties in empty classrooms after school. Students who finished classes or club activities could join.
The parties were open to everyone to get more supporters and show they were calm. But even though they looked fancy, the parties were messy because spies from both sides were sneaking in to get information.
Of course, the spies were lower-ranking nobles whose faces weren't well-known.
New students with close ties to the top families of both groups, but whose connections weren't known, were chosen as spies. But even they weren't foolish.
This was, in a way, expected.
Since they were new students and the parties were nearby, when they met in the hallway, both quickly realized what the other was doing.
A quiet boy with green curly hair and a serious girl with long brown hair tied in a bun.
When they made eye contact, they were both cautious for a moment, but then they sighed and smiled sadly. It was a smile that said, "What are we even doing?"
Still, the two went to their separate parties. After a while, they both left the parties at almost the same time.
As they passed each other in the hallway, looking disappointed, it seemed neither had gotten any information.
No surprise. A new lower noble couldn't possibly get information about secret meetings happening in a corner of the party. That's why both sides kept sending new spies.
And so, the two passed each other again, but the boy suddenly spoke.
"It's hard to go back, so can we kill a little time?"
The boy pointed to the floor below where the party was.
"...I see."
The girl nodded and said if possible, she preferred outside. Outside, there was a shaded bench, and it didn't look like they were escaping the party.
So, the two quietly left and sat on a bench overlooking the playground. In the setting sun, students from sports clubs were cleaning up.
"Gael Ernest."
"Elcia Laurent."
When they shook hands and introduced themselves, they both sighed about their situation.
Gael's family is the Viscount Ernest family, who worked as royal treasury aides. This job meant managing the royal family's private money, not the country's.
When the kingdom became an autonomous region and the royal family was gone, the Viscount Ernest family had no more work. Gael's father was trying to find a way up, but since he was closely tied to the royal family, he wasn't considered.
"We only had a professional relationship. If it had the royal name, it's an instant out."
Elcia also smiled sadly, like Gael.
Elcia's family is the Baron Laurent family, who worked as clerks in the legal affairs bureau. After the Count Row family lost their Justice Minister role in Chris's incident, the new Justice Minister made the Baron Laurent family clerks.
But the Count Row family, restored by the Marquis Weissman family, caused the downfall of the Justice Minister. Now, the Baron Laurent family's status is also in danger.
"I thought if I could help Count Row's son, it might make things easier for my father..."
Both are acting as spies because of their fathers' jobs and bosses, but they are naturally honest and straightforward.
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