The Extra Saved the Terminally Ill Princess and Ran Away - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Student Council (3)

***

"Alright! Now, about the first-year student council party composition…"

Irene stood up abruptly, pushing her chair back, and looked back and forth between Ian and me, a faint smile playing on her lips.

Finally, her gaze settled on me.

"First, raise your hand if you think you can beat that monster one-on-one. Excluding Ian Cedric, since he tied with him."

"…."

"…."

Silence filled the room.

Three pairs of eyes focused on me.

The first, of course, was Irene's, a sidelong glance filled with a mixture of disapproval and curiosity. She seemed to question why someone with my skills hadn't pursued a more knightly style.

But since I had proven my strength, she couldn't outright criticize me.

The second was Lili's.

Unlike the wary look she had given me in Section B-04, this was more scrutinizing.

What was it? Had I done something wrong?

But I didn't have time to dwell on it.

The third gaze was the most puzzling.

'Selina?'

Selina, the main heroine of Academy Demon Hunter Chronicles, originally destined to be the top scorer of the Magic Department.

Now relegated to second place by Lili, she was looking at me with an unreadable expression.

As if she wanted to say, 'No way a first-year like me could defeat that monster.'

Having never experienced such a feat herself, despite achieving it in the original story, she seemed to find it hard to believe.

But her expression quickly vanished as Irene clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention.

Irene stepped forward, between Ian and me.

"Now, you two take turns choosing your party members. Make sure the teams are balanced. And remember, each party has four members."

This was different from the original story, but,

It was a favorable outcome for me. It meant I could create my ideal party.

But our protagonist didn't seem to think so.

"So, the remaining members will form a party on their own? Won't there be a power imbalance?"

This overly considerate idiot was worried about the remaining members being weaker if we cherry-picked the strongest ones.

While his concern was valid,

He had failed to consider one crucial factor.

Sometimes, facts could be incredibly offensive.

The people gathered here were the top two scorers of their respective departments.

Suggesting that the remaining members might be too weak to form a viable party, their reactions were predictable.

"Just pick your damn members already. Do you think the student council only handles combat missions?"

Lili, who had been silently observing from the corner, glared at Ian, her arms crossed.

As someone with Imperial upbringing, she must have found Ian's simplistic, warrior-minded thinking irritating.

"…Heh."

I couldn't help but chuckle. I hadn't expected Lili to be so blunt.

Irene gave Lili and me a strange look, then shrugged, addressing Ian.

"Well, the top scorer of the Magic Department has a point. Some of us handle combat missions, while others handle clerical work, accounting, and other tasks."

"Ah… I didn't know that. I apologize for my hasty judgment."

Ian closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly. Irene patted his shoulder, a gentle smile on her face.

"It's alright. Every year, there's always someone who makes the same mistake. Two years ago, it was me."

"Senior…"

Ian looked at Irene with gratitude, as if he had already formed a bond with her.

I sighed, exasperated by his naivete.

"Huh."

What a drama queen.

And it seemed I wasn't the only one who thought so. A faint, almost inaudible, female voice whispered,

"…Why?"

The voice was so soft, I couldn't even tell who it was.

I looked around, but no one reacted, so I dismissed it.

***

"Ian, we're the ones choosing the members, right?"

"Right?"

"Then exclude these three names from your choices."

"Okay, but… have you already decided on your members?"

"Yeah."

We huddled together in a corner of the room, whispering.

I couldn't risk openly admitting that I had already chosen my members. It would only raise Lili's suspicions.

Our little strategy session ended as Ian approached Selina.

"Um… would you like to be in my party?"

And her predictable response…

'Me? Are you sure…?'

"Me? Are you sure…?"

Good. Since I hadn't interfered with their relationship yet, the details of their interactions remained unchanged.

It was my turn to choose.

My first choice was obvious.

But considering her current personality, there was a high chance she would refuse. I mentally prepared my excuses and took a step forward.

"Your… Imperial Highness. Would you honor me by joining my party?"

She looked me up and down, then sighed and nodded.

"Fine. I don't have any particular reason to refuse."

Her easy acceptance surprised me.

All my prepared excuses were now useless.

But it didn't feel like her affection for me had increased. If it had, there would have been a hint of warmth in her eyes.

Her gaze was still cold, yet she agreed without hesitation.

I pushed the thought aside as Ian chose the elf, the top scorer of the Archery Department.

I had no choice but to move on.

To Grace, who had already agreed to be my partner.

"Grace."

She smiled faintly and nodded.

Ian, needing a healer, chose the second-place student of the Divine Arts Department.

My gaze fell on the girl huddled in a corner, on the opposite side of the room from Lili.

As I walked towards her, the other student council members watched with anticipation.

Having heard about my feat, they hoped to join my party, expecting great achievements during their tenure.

But as I passed them by, one by one, their expressions shifted from hopeful anticipation,

To confusion,

To shock.

"Anna Freesia, Alchemy Department. Right?"

"Y-Yes…? Me? Yes… but…?"

"Join my party."

"Huh?"

"Join my party."

A knight (assassin), a mage, and a healer.

The logical next choice would have been someone from the Hand-to-Hand Combat or Spear Arts Department, to protect the healer.

Or perhaps an archer, for reconnaissance and support.

But I chose Anna, an alchemist, whose contributions to combat were indirect, at best.

'It's an unbalanced team, but, it's the best choice for me.'

Anna stared at me, her lips trembling, unable to voice the question in her mind.

Why?

"You don't want to?"

She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes.

Partly from shame at her inability to speak.

Partly from resentment at being dragged into combat missions.

"No…"

And with that,

My party was complete. A walking potion, and a walking doping station.

***

After Ian and I had chosen our party members, the remaining students formed their own groups.

Everyone was in a four-person party.

Except for the five members assigned to administrative duties.

Irene pulled out a stack of documents from her desk drawer.

"Now that the parties are formed, let's assign the missions. You have ten days. You can start whenever you want, and you don't have to attend classes during the mission period."

There was another reason I had pulled Grace into my party, instead of letting her join Ian's, like in the original story.

I had a theory that Lili and I were thrust into the main storyline because we had replaced the protagonist and the main heroine.

There was plenty of evidence.

First, the similarities between Lili and the main heroine.

Both were colorless magic users, and both were, albeit secondary, heroines.

So, with Selina absent, Lili was the perfect substitute. And I, as the top scorer of the Knight Department, was the perfect substitute for Ian.

Which meant there was a high chance we would be pulled into the main storyline again, unless we relinquished our top scorer positions. That's why I needed Grace.

Because she played a crucial role in the upcoming student council mission, the main storyline event.

In fact, this scenario was practically impossible to complete without her.

Because the main storyline event was…

"Berry's party, you're assigned to the Triang Village heresy investigation."

…a mission that was ridiculously easy with someone who could discern truth from lies.

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