Professor’s Meeting.
Formally, a higher decision-making body exists, but in reality, it was the place where various matters concerning the Academy and Sky Island were decided.
Usually, professors would sit around a large table and engage in debates, but something felt different this time.
The most noticeable difference was the soldiers lined up against the walls. Fully armed and standing idle, yet the professors were sweating profusely.
Why weren’t the professors conducting the meeting as usual and instead looking around with panic-stricken faces?
Surely it couldn’t be because of the soldiers.
These soldiers were there because Lord Craft had crossed his arms and pondered.
“The professor’s meeting is a very risky time when important figures are in one place, and the guard is insufficient! What if a terrorist attack occurs? That would be disastrous!”
It was a result of consideration given so that the professors could be protected during the meeting.
With the assassination plot against the Duke’s daughter and indiscriminate terrorist plans discovered, professors couldn’t be safe, so they all thanked Lord Craft for his benevolence.
Of course, there were some professors who were ungrateful.
They pointed fingers at exemplary Professor Horace with fierce expressions—too scared to insult Lord Craft, who was acting innocently even in this situation—and even called for a nonexistent security detail, but those ingrates were dragged out by the soldiers and weren’t present here.
The professors here had no complaints about the soldiers guarding their meeting. Although they were intensely curious about what had happened to the professors who had been dragged away, that was just a fleeting thought. They were smart enough to understand without being told.
Thus, the reason the professors were sweating bullets was due to another cause. The most rational reason likely stemmed from the student sitting in the most honored seat.
Having a student participate in a meeting composed solely of professors meant that, finally, the students were in charge of the school. Order was being restored, and the academy was back on track. It was an unusual situation, so the professors couldn’t help but feel nervous.
Only exemplary professors, who cared about the students more than anyone else and had nothing to hide, like Professor Horace, could escape this tension.
Professor Horace, sitting at the right hand of Lord Craft, wore a broad smile. He was almost uncontrollably grinning.
Was the situation where the student became the owner of the school really that pleasing? The professors here would have to emulate that exemplary attitude moving forward.
However, surprisingly, there still existed an entity in this room that insulted even Professor Horace.
‘As expected, this guy is the mastermind. I knew it from our first meeting when he got caught smuggling. Young Craft, he needs to be expelled immediately. Just look at him sitting proudly at your right hand after causing all this trouble. What a wicked fellow.’
Fortunately, no one heard the demon’s wicked whispers.
Not even Pastel, who was completely high on power dopamine.
Doo doo doo doo~.
Full of dopamine, Pastel led the meeting with a cheerful smile.
“What do you think about the professor’s meeting retracting its previous stance and closely maintaining cooperation with the Knight Order to thwart the assassination plan against Elshire Bellamont and ensure student safety? We could assign the Knight Order to protect Bellamont and increase the academy’s guard troops.”
It was a powerful expression of opinions representing the student council. When put to a vote, it passed unanimously.
The professors worked harder for the students than ever before. It had nothing to do with the fully armed soldiers, though.
#
Pastel felt good all day. She wriggled her body and rubbed her droopy lips.
Hehe.
Is a successful coup that exhilarating?
With the help and cooperation of Professor Horace, she brought the authority of the professor’s meeting to the student council. This included the budget approval rights and the authority to manage the guard troops.
A natural process!
Because the school’s owner is the student!
However, even though this was done for such noble reasons, every time she grabbed authority, her mind sparkled and her heart felt buoyant.
So thrilling.
“Uheeeng.”
She wriggled vigorously.
The demon, who was combing her messy pink hair, looked down with a sour expression.
‘Don’t get carried away. If you become addicted to power, your greed will only grow until it becomes unbearable. Whether you abandon or hold onto your desires, it won’t end well.’
Pastel usually intended to respond sweetly, but something popped into her head, and she looked up at the demon in formal attire.
“Oiying.”
‘What’s wrong?’
It felt so good to kneel the professor’s meeting down to the student council this way.
How good would it feel to kneel the Demon Lord down, who was above Pastel?
The girl’s heart raced.
With a trembling voice, she spoke up.
“Uh, Demon Lord.”
‘Speak.’
She gulped.
“Can I ask a rude favor?”
The demon was taken aback. Twirling the comb in its hand, it combed Pastel’s hair. The pink locks flowed down long as they were tidied.
‘If you know it’s rude, then don’t say it.’
A firm voice.
“I can’t do that!”
Pastel staggered.
‘What do you mean you can’t? If you think it’s rude, then asking for it is a rude favor.’
The demon rubbed its chin.
‘Hmph. Judging from your troublemaking head, you think it’s rude, huh? It must be a rude request indeed. Don’t even mention it.’
The more it said no, the more Pastel felt like insisting, and she just shouted.
“Demon Lord!”
When she tried to speak, she felt slightly embarrassed and shut her eyes tightly.
“Please just kneel once!”
A silence fell.
Pastel slowly opened her eyes to gauge the atmosphere. The demon was looking down at her with disbelief.
Whoa.
It felt like she was a child being disobedient to her guardian.
“Uh, or maybe I could just use honorifics…?”
Pastel lost her momentum but then suddenly had a bright idea.
“Ah! After all, you are a Marquis! Your Excellency, the Marquis! Isn’t it only natural to use honorifics for Your Excellency?!”
Right, right!
“How could I drop honorifics with Your Excellency, the Marquis? Morality and honor! Courtesy and decorum! Please show the proper example as a guardian! If you act like this, what will I learn from you?”
Yes, yes!
Pastel was completely on board with her own argument, waving her arms joyfully.
The demon took a step back, crossing its arms, looking on with a very bewildered expression from its red eyes.
‘What do you think I’m going to reply?’
Pastel paused. She squinted her eyes and worried seriously.
Then, with a cheerful face, she carefully voiced her desire.
“Your Excellency, the Marquis, I understand.”
Wow wow.
Just imagining it felt thrillingly sinful.
The demon shook its head and looked down at her, slightly raising its chin.
‘Young Craft, that’s an unreasonable demand.’
Ugh.
Pastel staggered slightly, then pouted.
“You’re only walking around in a servant’s status anyway! It’s not hard; just use honorifics!”
She clung to the demon’s arm, shaking it.
“Honorifics! Honorifics! Show a good example!”
The demon poked Pastel’s head with the comb.
Aah.
‘Lower your voice. If you’re too loud, your neatly combed hair will get messy, so stay still. You can sit here.’
The demon dusted off a big wooden box with its hand, laid a handkerchief on top, and said,
‘Sit.’
The coup failed…
Pastel, deflated, sat on the clean handkerchief. The demon re-styled her hair again.
Swinging her legs, she looked around. The docks were bustling with sailors and mercenaries.
Internal measures were complete to prevent assassination and terror at the academy. Perhaps because it was led by Professor Carlo, even the sluggish sewer blockades were mostly completed by filling in some entrances and placing soldiers at others.
With the tournament event only two days away, she was inspecting the airship docking station to ensure everyone’s safety.
In the distance, Leonard was walking with soldiers. He had informed Max, his subordinate, and given him some authority to command.
Regardless, if Leonard’s subordinates or friends found a suspicious person, they would mobilize soldiers for an ambush process. They had been successful in capturing a few demon tribes lingering near the academy, disguised as mercenaries.
“Are you just lazing around while delegating to others again?”
Leonard chided.
Pastel, seated on the box, swung her legs.
“I’m not fooling around, I’m managing!”
Oh yeah.
“What a brazen kid.”
Leonard glanced at the demon and reported.
“We’ve discovered an airship made up entirely of demon mercenaries. They say it came from the Demon Realm, and they haven’t done anything and just stayed docked.”
“Heh.”
Pastel stopped swinging her legs.
“And then?”
“When we checked what they were doing, the mercenary captain was a Semi-Knight. If Elshire Bellamont is a Semi-Knight, then they should be capable enough to assassinate him, right?”
“And then?”
Leonard raised an eyebrow, continuing smoothly.
“Hey, what’s with that attitude? Am I your subordinate? Huh?”
Oiying.
Pastel’s eyes went wide.
She rolled her eyes as if contemplating then cheerfully replied.
“Yup!”
Her fresh voice echoed.
“What, what?”
Leonard’s jaw dropped in shock.
“Huh?”
Taken aback by the unexpected response, Pastel started to ponder again.
Ponder, ponder.
Four bears.
Uwiing.
Aren’t you my subordinate?
This is public work, and I’m a super ultra power broker here.
Feeling all the arrogance!
Yet, even with the surge of arrogance, she felt no catharsis from wielding the coup power here unlike with the Demon Lord.
Why was that?
As she thought back…
After all, he’s weaker than me.
Disappointment.
Simaang.
After thinking thoroughly, Pastel broke into a bright smile.
“Weaker than me, Leonard! You don’t need to be a subordinate! We’re friends!”
Oh yeah, congratulations.
“Weaker than me?!”
Leonard scowled, distressed.
“Hey! What kind of reasoning leads to such a statement? Your changing expression was already suspicious!”
Oiying.
I’m just stating facts.
Pastel rolled her eyes, got off the wooden box, and cheerfully raised her arms.
“I’ve spotted an evil villain!”
She suddenly dashed off.
“Let’s go go~!”
The soldiers trailed behind.
“Hey! Hey! Aren’t you gonna stop?! You shameless kid…!”
Though she heard the shout, it didn’t quite hit her.
Is it because he’s weaker than me?
Yup.
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