I Became a Veteran Heroine in a Harem Story

“Don’t be so stiff. If you’re not confident in yourselves, this will be meaningless.”

Before we departed, I urged my peers one thing. I couldn’t help it because I could see how nervous they were.

In reality, I would be doing most of the talking, but we needed to go there as one unit. It would only make us look weak to others if I was the only one showing confidence.

“We’re not going there to commit a crime, but to exercise our rights with dignity. If you can’t do it, then act like you can. If you can’t even do that, there won’t be much you can do going forward.”

“…!”

Some people flinched, particularly stung by my words. Fortunately, they at least managed to maintain an appearance of composure.

‘This is just a stopgap measure. The first step seems pretty important here.’

However, I knew this was built on a shaky foundation. No matter how much they pretended to be calm, it was clear they would waver immediately given the opportunity.

To prevent this, we needed genuine bonds and trust. And the only way to properly build those was not with sweet talk or empty promises, but by proving my words through reality.

“Don’t avoid eye contact. Don’t lower your heads. If you’re truly confident, don’t hide it, show it.”

Taking the lead, I guided them toward the Student Council building. Naturally, people’s gazes were directed at us regardless of their year or position.

I emphasized to my peers not to be intimidated by those gazes.

‘This armband has its advantages.’

Thanks to wearing the armband, we could skip minor salutes without issue. Because of this, I ignored the second and third-year students who were looking at us without even giving them a glance, and we entered the Student Council building where they were already waiting for us.

By that point, it wasn’t us who were being intimidated by the atmosphere, but them. They avoided our gaze and slightly moved out of our way.

“Greetings to the Vice President and the existing Student Council members.”

“…It’s been a while.”

I met Raines, whom I hadn’t seen since the last duel, in the conference hall we entered to greet them. As the third-year Year Representative, he immediately smiled and pretended to know me when he saw me.

Of course, I could easily perceive that his smile was a forced, fake one.

‘I didn’t think he was the type to understand his position so well. Is he not just a third-rate villain?’

But that wasn’t all. I also noticed the subtle wariness in his eyes. The ultimate emotion that wariness was desperately trying to hide was fear.

The fact that Raines felt fear toward me meant he must have realized something from the duel that day.

I became slightly interested in this show of better discernment than I had expected.

“Let’s skip the formal greetings. Let’s just try to work well together from now on. For our Academy and our great Kingdom.”

“Then, I’d like to present a suggestion right now.”

The person who spoke with a forced smile next to Raines was Franz Dreseman, the Vice President. Though he was supposedly acting as a figurehead while Raines was the real power, I unfortunately went straight to the point despite their hopes for no trouble.

“I was planning to give a grand welcome to the new Student Council members today. But this is too shocking to do so. What on earth are you saying?”

“Since the moment we enrolled, inappropriate irregularities have continued. We can handle issues among our peers, but for incidents that cross year boundaries, we need your cooperation.”

It was unprecedented for a first-year Year Council that knew nothing to take the initiative and make suggestions to the Student Council from the start, especially to do so from their very first meeting, and for the content of that suggestion to be about restricting the seniors’ behavior.

But what could they say? Should we shut up and follow them because that’s how it’s always been? Unfortunately, I didn’t desire such petty constraints and control.

“W-w-wait a minute. Am I understanding this correctly…”

“This is quite a bold proposal. Of course, I do think we should discipline those who get too cocky just because they’re a year ahead. But what you claim are irregularities are a kind of courtesy that has been voluntarily created by the seniors’ seniors?”

“If it were genuine courtesy arising from juniors sincerely caring for their seniors, there would be no problem. The issue is the atmosphere and culture that forces it. Since private punishments and verbal abuse follow those who don’t comply, this is also a violation of regulations.”

Franz, who was stammering, was naturally interrupted by Raines. He tried to wrap up the irregularities with plausible words, but from my perspective, they were just excuses and pretexts.

I looked at him directly and said everything I wanted to say. His eyes twitched for a moment.

No matter how you look at it, he was still a greenhorn. He was wearing a mask trying to be careful, but perhaps due to his lack of experience, that mask crumbled as easily as if it was made of styrofoam.

It was surprisingly fun to break it.

“Yes… certainly a good opinion. However, for an opinion to be accepted, various procedures are necessary.”

Raines, who had lost his words for a moment, opened his mouth again. Seeing how he glossed over the previous topic, it seems he also knew he had nothing to say.

“I’m not sure if this is really necessary. If it was truly an unfair practice, there should have been similar mentions in past Student Council meeting records, but there are none. Of course, there were incidents, but they seem to be more about individual issues than cultural problems.”

He began to probe us by subtly blurring the point.

“No, this is absolutely necessary.”

And before I could speak, it was none other than Deina who opened her mouth first. I glanced at Deina as Raines flinched, seemingly surprised.

‘She’ll do well, won’t she?’

I didn’t stop her. It was because I believed in one of the talents that she, a princess, possessed.

‘This is for everyone. Not just for the Year Representative’s personal benefit.’

Deina, who had taken control of the scene with her clear voice, logically developed the thoughts she had organized.

She even showed pre-researched materials to demonstrate how burdened freshmen were by various irregularities, how much those practices that supposedly emerged for courtesy had been corrupted, and so on.

She was a member of the royal family who had inherited the royal bloodline. Moreover, she was one of the legitimate descendants with a faint possibility of becoming an heir.

Her ability to handle people and understand the importance of public sentiment was not inferior to her older brother Raines.

And all of this was not instructed by Kiina but was her own thinking and judgment.

Even if she disliked Kiina as a person, she was someone who was willing to work for what she believed was right as a member of the Year Council doing the same job, if the Year Representative’s assertion seemed correct.

“You…”

Raines was at a loss for words at the sight of his sister, different from his memory.

He couldn’t believe that his little sister, who had always been intimidated and crushed in his presence since childhood, was now looking at him directly and continuing to speak without interruption.

‘I’ll have to fix her manners again soon. This is all because of that woman. Adenberg!’

Misunderstanding Deina’s dignified and mature mindset for the greater good, Raines glared at Kiina.

He misunderstood that his sister, who had been under his feet, dared to raise her head so proudly because of Kiina, who was standing like a mountain with her hands behind her back.

“To officially put this on the agenda, majority consent is needed. But, well, although I haven’t asked all the officials yet, it seems difficult to get much agreement.”

“Considering the future of the Academy and its upcoming operations, I believe this is absolutely necessary. If possible, I would like to formally raise this agenda and pass it through a conditional duel.”

“Kuk, do you think everything can be resolved through duels!?”

Finally, with only safety in numbers left as a weapon, Raines provoked using his authority that held a tight grip on the second and third years.

Kiina naturally bringing up a duel after hearing those words was as good as a predetermined sequence.

‘Damn it, this is a trap!’

But the moment things turned out this way, Raines was at a disadvantage.

It was possible to refuse the duel, but if even rumors of that spread, it would be a huge blemish on the authority he had built up and enjoyed until now.

The third-year Year Council had to be the strongest group in the Academy. The official and unofficial benefits they had enjoyed because of that were enormous.

“Dueling is one of the most excellent means encouraged in this Academy that trains Magic Knights. Moreover, it’s not just any duel, but a conditional duel. If our proud seniors don’t accept this, others will be very disappointed.”

Deina, who saw through this, delivered a fatal blow to Raines with a faint smile.

The speechless Student Council was caught in a deadly dilemma: either face the historic humiliation of being accused of refusing a duel with freshmen out of fear, or somehow accept the duel.