“Please wait, instructors, Sirs and Ma’ams. I believe that Chloe Atican should be given a chance. Forgive me if I am being presumptuous, but you are all hoping to solve her problem of control, right?”

He paused for their reactions but they only stared at him, waiting for his next words. Taking it as a yes, he continued on.

“Mental Magic is strongly related to the mental state of the user and based on the rumours about her, I believe that she is fragile due to parental neglect in the Atican Dynasty which causes her outbreaks. Yet, I have observed her these days and shows no real sign of that weakness… when she is with Cordelia Auster. Now that I have said all that I have wanted to say, I will leave before I outstay my welcome. Please excuse me.”

Kaine bowed and left via the teleportation circle in the back.

      Everybody knew what he was hinting at and they considered his suggestion. Meanwhile, Vincent and Shelley had seen all of the happenings in the conference room. Vincent’s face was as hard as ever but she knew that her president was compelled by Cordelia Auster like herself and the other conference participants. Seeing everyone indecisive, Vincent decided that it was his time to act. Shelley’s words before the meeting resounded in his head and even though it looked like he disregarded her advice, it was the opposite. She was one of the first people he had met and her guidance helped him to get to where he was today, so he wasn’t going to ignore her any time soon. He stood up and spoke in a clear voice.

      “Sirs and Ma’ams, me and Vice President Darkbrand can talk to Cordelia Auster about this issue. We also know that Chloe Atican’s abilities may cause trouble to the academy so it is crucial that we strike that possibility down right now. Apart from isolation or use of suppressants, I believe that if we get this examinee’s cooperation, Chloe Atican can go through Cheiss Academy without trouble.”

Noticing how some were still unconvinced, Vincent tried to persuade even further.

“I won’t lie, I pity the girl. Cheiss Academy hopes to nurture any talent, regardless of background or wealth, no? Although it is not explicit, I also believe that this extends to Chloe Atican who has had poor treatment for most of her life. This is her chance to go big and our academy is the only opportunity she can get.”

      It wasn’t unheard of to have such affinity for a type of magic that you are unable to control it, but one as sensitive as Mental Magic, which has severe backlashes if used wrong, has. If Chloe Atican could live on without any repercussions, her talent could be a great boon for not just her future but for the prestige of Cheiss Academy. That was what Vincent was trying to imply while masking it with the facade of compassion, though only he himself knew that he was feeling sorry for the girl; it was no fake front at all.

      The remaining few who were unconvinced turned sides as their heartstrings were pulled or were swayed with the prospects of Chloe’s future achievements.

“So, we are all in agreement with Student President Kairon?”

There were no objections.

“All right then, Student President Kairon. From now on, the safety of Chloe Atican is your responsibility. You will take the consequences if anything happens to her or anybody around her. Are you prepared for this?”

Damn. I thought this old man was a muscle head but he’s actually a sly fox. How could Vincent refuse this? If he does, the idea will come crashing down and his image in front of the higher-ups of Cheiss Academy will plummet.

“Of course, Department Head Conrad. Ensuring the wellbeing of my juniors and other students is my obligation as the Student President.”

"Well said.”

Conrad nodded and they changed to other topics, Lyon returning to the front stage. Vincent sighed and sat back down only to be met with Shelley’s badgering.

      “What are you doing! You should’ve told me that you were going to do that. What if you said something wrong and lost face?!”

She rambled about how he was dumb and reckless, all of which flowed from one ear to the other.

“It turned out alright though.”

“No, it didn’t! What if this girl kills somebody!? How are you going to deal with that?”

Vincent felt helpless when Shelley turned like this, a nagging mother. So he just filtered out her lecture, concentrating on the meeting all the way until the end.

❈ ❈ ❈

      “That was long.”

“It’s only long because you’re you. That meeting was beneficial for us, so stop complaining.”

Vincent was grumbling after the conference had ended which Shelley instantly pounced on, beginning to go into ‘naggy mother mode’.

“Well, we need to go back to the Student Council office and talk to the rest about those two examinees. Based on Instructor Kaine’s description, they both should be able to pass easily.”

      Cheiss Academy was mainly separated into five parts, each one characterised by their Spire. You had the Spires of Magecraft, Weaponship, Craftsmanship, Liberal Arts and Magitech, with the Magitech and Craftsmanship Spires closely intertwined. They represented the five main departments of Cheiss Academy, each one with numerous subjects and divisions to them. For example, the Weaponship Spire had the Paladin or Martial Arts Divisions, each with their own Head Instructor. 

      Then you had the Central Spire. It was easily the largest structure of Cheiss Academy and was structured more like a magnificent castle with a steadfast tower reaching for the skies. Many important Divisions were there, like the Administrative Division which was mostly made up of teachers, but also official student groups such as the Student Council or Disciplinary Committee. It was also where the conference was held, so Vincent and Shelley were in the lift, going down dozens of levels to reach their own floor since the Student Council had an entire storey to themselves.

      “We’ve come back.”

Bursting through the door with no prior notice, Vincent waltzed into his presidential chair with Shelley following soon after and he lounged freely, placing his legs on the desk and knocking over a pile of paper in the process. 

“Bastard! I just reorganised your desk for you!”

He dodged a flying bottle that was about to hit smack bang on his forehead, a cold sweat rolling down his neck.

“Hey, hey, calm down yeah? I’ll pick it up by myself okay?”

Technically, it was easy to do what he said using magic, which is what Vincent did. Casting a small wind spell, he collected up all of the papers using precise control and they all fell into a perfectly aligned stack… though it was no longer organised into its previous categories. As a result, another bottle came flying at Vincent’s head which landed this time, seeing how he was busy with the spell.

      “Itai!”

He rubbed his forehead with a wronged expression.

“What was that for? I put them back.”

The person in question, Yue, otherwise known as the Student Council Publicity Officer, wanted to tear her hair out but just sat down.

“President, you messed up the order of the papers…”

A slovenly voice called out from the corner of the room. Everyone turned to face the origin, which was a 3rd Year student called Escargan, who was lying all over the couch while shuffling his own papers. Yawning, he exposed the golden aiguillette on his collar, similar to the ones on everybody else’s uniforms. While they had one, Vincent had two strands running along his upper chest to his left shoulder, signifying his position as the president.

“Sorry, sorry. I’ll pay for your lunch tomorrow, how about that?”

He raised his arms in surrender, trying to placate the fuming Yue.

“Hmph. Fine. I’ll just do it anyway.”

Her head was turned away while she haughtily brushed her short, brown hair away but Shelley could see the girl’s cheeks reddening. Good grief…

      “How was the meeting?”

Escargan, for once, was the one to initiate conversation as he simultaneously wrote, not looking up. As the Treasurer, he had to stay on top of his work constantly. He didn’t say it explicitly but he was curious about the conference; it was something that only presidents and vice presidents could attend only once after all. Shelley decided to speak up for Vincent since he would just gloss over the details.

“It was rather intense.”

It was only intense to her and Vincent due to the difference in power between them and the staff. At some points where they argued, the two found it hard to breathe.

“Oh yeah, we found some interesting examinees this year.”

Vincent grinned as he recounted the situation surrounding Chloe and Cordelia, adding theatrics about his ‘heart-wrenching’ speech to convince the conference members. 

      “Eh? Why do we need to take care of that girl, President? And why do you need to talk to that other girl too?”

Yue complained as she sorted out the papers that Vincent had just messed up, putting more effort into her movements, causing them to crease and crinkle. 

“Yeah, President. We’re already swamped with work, we don’t need to babysit that Recommended Student. Just let her leave, or something…”

Escargan also objected but for entirely different reasons than Yue. Already mentally exhausted, Shelley buried her face in her hands as she tried to cajole the both of them. Ahh, why did I accept this position again…

❈ ❈ ❈

vaexis

My bad, I didn't post yesterday because I hit a writer's block. I don't wanna update early without being several parts ahead since I can plan and edit my chapters accordingly, so my apologies.

      Have a nice day.