After the announcement was posted and spread by word of mouth, it caused a huge uproar at Zeris Academy. Professors and staff were forced to disperse the crowding students. It turned out the declaration wasn't posted in just one place, but in various corners of the Academy. Some students began speculating who was bold enough to make the announcement, but so far there had been no follow-up action from the faculty and professors.
The main student council building.
After the first class ended, Frederick called all members of the student council and the disciplinary committee to an emergency meeting, approved by the Vice Principal. At first, the discussion and handling of the provocative declaration proceeded calmly as usual, but somehow along the way it completely turned into a heated debate. The debate involved members from both the student council and the disciplinary committee.
"What more proof do you want!? It's clear that the announcement threatens the nobles! And who is currently at odds with them, huh!? The commoner students!" retorted a Student Council member who was a noble. Another committee member protested, "Stop with your accusations! If you think the commoners did it, remember that you nobles also turn on each other whenever someone questions your dignity or status!"
"Please also keep in mind that the nobles have been getting increasingly violent and oppressive toward other students—especially the commoners!" said a committee member. "We receive reports every day of violence and bullying committed by them!"
Frederick lost control of the meeting, now he rubbed his temple in frustration as he watched the Student Council and committee members—who were supposed to be working together to find a solution—instead bickering with each other. Seeing that nothing could be salvaged, he radiated his thick Mana across the room, and the bickering students instantly froze and fell silent. He smiled and began to address the situation.
"You're all acting like little kids. Please stop it, okay?" Some students visibly swallowed hard, feeling Frederick's heavy pressure, then he gradually lowered it until it vanished completely. "Regardless, this isn't the time to be accusing one another." Frederick folded his hands calmly. "To be honest, I'm quite disappointed in all of you." He turned toward the chairman of the disciplinary committee, who was looking down in shame. He was a commoner, yet his position had made him lose sight of himself, getting so caught up in the heated debate earlier.
"How can we save our face if the Student Council and the Disciplinary Committee—who are supposed to be the Academy's defenders and enforcers of the rules—are instead busy arguing with each other?" He shook his head in disgust. "I think you're all incapable of rational thinking. Let's conclude today's emergency meeting, and I'll let you know when the next one is. Dismissed."
Hearing this, the Student Council and Disciplinary Committee members resigned themselves to the situation and, one by one, left the room. Frederick watched them all head toward the exit and called out to two of them before they reached the door. "Alex and Silvia, you two stay here." Silvia and Alex tilted their heads in confusion upon hearing their names called out of the blue, but ultimately they obeyed. Once only the three of them remained, Frederick spoke.
"You must be wondering why I'm letting you stay," the second prince asked with a smile. Alex just stared at him and nodded, while Silvia politely commented, "Indeed, Your Highness. Did we make a mistake?" Frederick chuckled at that, waving his hand. "No, no. I just want to ask for your help."
Alex asked, "What kind of help, Your Highness?" Frederick didn't answer that question but brought up something else. "Wait. They haven't arrived yet. Ah, here they are." The front door swung wide open and several students walked in. Alex and Silvia were surprised to see that it was Cornelius, Dianne… Leon and his friends. The aloof boy waved lazily at the three people in front of him. "Heyaaa~ Your Highness, Alex, Silvia~ I came here at your request~" Dianne nudged him with her elbow, "Watch your manners, dimwit! We're in front of Your Highness, you know!"
"A-a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness!" Leon greeted Frederick loudly and stiffly, bowing deeply. The rest of his friends did the same, except for Cecilia, who calmly greeted him.
"Everyone is here, then." Frederick slowly looked at the students standing before him. "First of all, I'd like to thank you all for coming on such short notice." He adopted a serious expression, "As all of you can see, long before that provocative announcement was made public, relations between noble and commoner students had already soured. I even went so far as to call it 'a civil war at Zeris Academy.'"
"Combined with that announcement, things went south pretty quickly, and here we are." Cornelius crossed his arms. "Well… things are really pretty bad right now… I think this is the first time in the Academy's history that an imminent clash involving a large number of students is about to happen." Frederick nodded grimly. "That's why I need your help. You're all well-known for your reputations—whether it's combat power or social influence."
Frederick smiled. "But first, let me ask you something. Cornelius, Dianne, Alex, and Silvia… do you hate commoners?" His direct question caught the four of them off guard. They looked at each other, and each replied. "Me? Ehh~ no, I guess? So far, they've been pretty chill as long as you don't bother them~" Cornelius replied casually. "No, Your Highness. They are our future subjects and partners," Dianne answered firmly. "No, Your Highness. We're all here as students, not to impose our status," Alex replied matter-of-factly. "Not at all, Your Highness. I'm happy to get to know them," Silvia answered briefly.
"I see. What about the rest of you? Leon, Ellen, Anna, Cecilia, Chelsey? I know Ellen, Chelsey, and Cecilia hold distinctive positions that differ slightly from those of typical nobles, but you often spend time with Leon and Anna, who are commoners. Do you hate nobles?"
Frederick's question, which shifted to Leon and his friends, took them by surprise. They glanced at Cornelius and his group, then looked back at Frederick. "My friends and I have had some unpleasant experiences with the nobles…" Leon paused, then continued, "…but that doesn't mean I completely loathe them, Your Highness. Some of them are kind-hearted." Anna nervously replied, "Sa-same as he said, Your Highness." Ellen flicked her bangs, "I agree with Leon, Your Highness." Chelsey scratched her head bashfully, "Hate or like? Hmmm, I guess I quite like them, nyaa~" Cecilia clasped her hands, "Everyone is equal in the eyes of the Goddess, Your Highness."
Frederick seemed satisfied with each of their answers. "It appears I didn't choose you wrongly." His statement left everyone there confused, and he continued. "I'll get to the point. I want you to find the culprit behind this incident." His request drew gasps from everyone present, and Alex asked in confusion, "Why us, Your Highness?"
Frederick explained, his fist clenched. "I realize that the goal of the perpetrators behind this incident is to divide the Academy. Even if the professors or staff intervened, they would be overwhelmed by the ratio of students, which far outnumbers the professors and the others. I tried to calm the situation, but it was too late, and now the Academy is on the brink of a 'civil war.'"
He paused, then continued, "The perpetrators' success isn't limited to the students—even the professors are starting to be influenced by this division. My sources say some professors are beginning to show favoritism toward certain students… and the student council and disciplinary committee can't be relied on either, as you saw during the meeting just now." Alex and Silvia nodded, understanding what Frederick meant.
"I'd also like to get directly involved, but my hands are already full with other matters." Cornelius smirked, "Is it about the throne, Your Highness?" Everyone was taken aback by his boldness in asking that, but Frederick ignored him and kept going. "That's where you all come in. I've been observing you, and none of you harbor deep-seated grudges against either the nobles or the commoners. In fact, if you're the ones carrying out this task, at the very least it won't arouse the main perpetrators' suspicion as much as it would if I were to do it."
Leon and his friends were still processing Frederick's request. Cornelius and his group were also thinking it over, but the answer was already evident on their faces regarding this request. "Of course, you will certainly receive a fitting reward. I swear by my name, Frederick Nomus Aldeno, the Second Heir of the Aldeno Empire." They were all surprised that Frederick was willing to go so far as to swear by the imperial family's name—which was no small matter.
Cornelius, Alex, Dianne, and Silvia looked at one another and then nodded firmly. "We agree to help you, Your Highness." Frederick smiled contentedly upon hearing that. "You have my utmost gratitude." On the other side, Leon and his friends discussed the matter in hushed tones and finally gave their answer. "We also want to help, Your Highness!" Leon exclaimed enthusiastically. "I don't want my friends to get hurt, and I want this Academy to go back to the way it was!" Frederick nodded, impressed by Leon's straightforward answer. "Once again, you have my deepest gratitude."
"Next, our plan. I'm not setting a deadline, but the sooner the better. If you need anything—whether it's support or equipment—you can ask me or my attendant if I'm not available. Remember, keep a low profile and don't draw unnecessary attention. Good luck to all of you." Frederick dismissed them, and Cornelius and his group, followed by Leon and his friends, exited the main student council building.
The aloof boy then asked casually, "So~ what are you guys going to do after this?" His question was directed at Leon and his friends, who were still thinking it over—but Ellen spoke up first. "I think we should first find out what our friends are saying about this conflict. They'll lower their guard and ease their tension if we're the ones asking."
"Wise decision." Silvia nodded in agreement with Ellen's suggestion. Cornelius replied in a serious tone, "We'll split up, then? In that case, we'll gather information from the nobles' side." They reached a unanimous agreement and went their separate ways. Cornelius and his group stayed put as they watched Leon and his friends leave.
"I must admit, he really does have a certain aura and charm about him~" Cornelius remarked casually. Dianne chimed in, "I'd say so. Even though he's been badly bullied over the past year, he still chose to help us." Alex nodded and replied, "Come on, everyone. We've got a job to do." They began walking toward the second-year area. On the way, Silvia asked, "Did we get any clues?"
"Nooope~" Cornelius answered casually, though his tone clearly betrayed his unease. "To be fair, our prospects aren't great. Even if we start investigating right now, I don't think it'll be enough. We lack information and, more importantly, manpower." Alex replied readily, "Can I contact some of my friends to ask for help?" Dianne then huffed, "Isn't that too risky? The noble students are in a provoked state right now. Yes, I know some of our kind remain neutral or still sympathize with the commoners, but it still feels too risky—and it's only a matter of time before one of them slips up and reveals our plan to the real perpetrators."
"First and foremost, we must look for trustworthy people." Silvia pondered deeply. Cornelius agreed with Silvia's thoughts, "That—and a miracle. My contacts outside the Academy have informed me that this conflict is escalating—even some nobles and commoners with no connection to the Academy are getting drawn into it. To put it simply, if we let this conflict escalate to the point of exploding, there's a high chance it will have far-reaching consequences that could spread throughout the entire empire."
The four of them fell silent, lost in thought at that possibility. Then Cornelius spoke up again, "Man~ if only we had connections with a high-ranking magic user, all of this would be so much easier~" Hearing that, Dianne suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened, and her friends looked on in confusion as she stood still.
"I think I know someone who can help us. But it depends on you guys and him whether he agrees or not…" Silvia blinked in confusion at her friend speaking that way. Cornelius teased her, "Really!? You should've said so earlier~ So, who is this person?" Dianne took a breath and said the person's name, causing her three friends to widen their eyes.
***
The third period was canceled because the professors had an impromptu meeting, which left Class D free from classes. Eric decided to train on his own in one of the courtyards near the library. He just did basic stamina training, such as running a few laps, doing push-ups and sit-ups, and more. He could also sense the rumors and unrest at the Academy, and he had a hunch that something big was about to happen soon.
As he took a break under a tree while sipping his drink, four people from across the field walked toward him. He was confused when he realized who they were, which soured his mood a little.
"Glad to see you, Eric~" said Cornelius, greeting him casually. "Good afternoon, Eric," Silvia greeted him calmly. "There you are. We've been looking everywhere for you," Dianne said, wiping the sweat from her forehead. Alex simply nodded at Eric, saying nothing.
"What do you brats want with me?" Eric asked, setting down his drink. Cornelius chuckled at the defensive tone in Eric's voice. "Aww~ don't be like that! We're here because we need your help. Right, Silvia?" Dianne nudged her aloof friend with her elbow. Silvia nodded in response. "We'll get to the point, then. We need your help regarding the current situation at the Academy."
"Just like she said! So, Eric?" Eric furrowed his brows at Cornelius's reply, looking at them one by one, wondering what exactly they were planning and what they wanted from him.