SWNOVELXO Chapter 88
Stress makes people vulnerable.
Secretary, Nivolans Panima was incredibly vulnerable.
“It’s non-negotiable! You have to bring him!”
Nivolans, driven to madness by the excessive workload and pressure.
I looked at him and felt a faint sense of guilt.
I had some responsibility for how things turned out.
‘It was unavoidable due to the flow of the scenario.’
Still, I felt a bit sorry that all the work was piled on Nivolans.
The problem was that due to the overwhelming stress, he had become a man driven to see things through once he made a decision.
In Iris’s case, a quick word to Hania resulted in immediate approval.
“Yes, she’s ready to go right away.”
Iris intended to be president anyway.
There was no reason for her to oppose it.
The issue was the vice president candidate mentioned by Nivolans.
Sharine Sazarith.
“Ugh, what a hassle.”
Just as expected, Sharine pouted at my suggestion.
She had already devoured three pieces of bread.
Before I could say anything, she spat it out with that mouth of hers, making me want to pinch her cheek.
“You ate the bread.”
“That’s because Hanon gave it to me because he likes me.”
“Sharine, I think you might be misunderstanding something. I’m not feeling any romantic feelings for you.”
Sharine half-opened her eyes.
She and I were sitting across from each other.
At some point, she had taken off her shoes and lifted her feet onto my thigh.
Where did her socks go, and why is she barefoot?
Her skirt rose along with her legs.
Naturally, as a guy, I couldn’t help but look.
“Really?”
Sharine had a lazy smile on her face.
Her fox-like eyes were full of mischief.
This mischievous girl.
Her foot poked my inner thigh with a playful jab.
I stared at it and raised my hand to pinch her big toe hard.
“Ow!”
Sharine screamed and withdrew her foot.
“What are you doing, you smelly weirdo?”
“…I don’t smell.”
In fact, Sharine didn’t smell bad at all.
“Bring it back. I’ll check.”
“Is Hanon a pervert?”
“Who are you calling a pervert when you’re the one sticking your foot on someone else’s thigh?”
I have no idea where she learned to act like this.
Now that I think about it, Sharine often reads novels without covers. I wonder if she’s reading some erotic novels or something.
‘She looks like someone who couldn’t care less about the world.’
Well, you can never know what’s hidden within someone’s heart.
Sharine could be harboring dark thoughts too.
Thinking that made me shiver a bit.
“…You aren’t targeting my body or anything, are you?”
“…What are you imagining?”
Even Sharine seemed to raise her brows at that notion.
I decided to end the playful banter here.
“You’re sulking because of last time, aren’t you?”
“…”
Sharine said nothing and turned away.
I had known Sharine for quite some time.
Her natural personality is quite capricious.
It was hard to get a read on her when she was a character in the game.
But having spent time together, I could read her heart a bit now.
Sharine was currently in a sulk.
The reason was that I had pulled a boycott on her without telling her anything.
Honestly, I didn’t understand why she was sulking about that.
It was likely because Isabel knew while she didn’t.
“This wasn’t such a big deal.”
“Huh? Jerion Academy is in chaos, you know?”
As she said, Jerion Academy was indeed upside down.
But this was merely a stepping stone for the future.
Compared to the major incidents that are coming up, it was an easy task.
“Even so, it wasn’t to the extent that I needed your help. Sharine, when I ask for your help or something, it’s really serious.”
I had relied on Sharine numerous times.
Every time, she had shown the utmost efficiency as a rescue vessel.
Surely, a day would come when I would need her help again.
I wanted to save her for that day.
“So, I had no need to tell you.”
I peeled an orange I had brought.
When I handed the peeled orange to Sharine, she opened her mouth.
It was clearly a hint that she wanted to be fed, so I almost stuffed it all in at once.
After giving her one piece and watching her chew her small lips, she eventually stuck out her tongue.
“Yuck.”
“Oranges are usually sour.”
Still, her expression looked a bit less pouty now.
She knew I had said it sincerely.
After staring at me for a while, she took the remaining orange from my hand and started to eat one by one.
Seeing that, I casually asked.
“So, about the temporary vice president.”
“That’s a separate issue.”
“Come on, just do it.”
If I can’t bring Sharine, Nivolans will cry from stress.
I had a responsibility to uphold the secretary’s role.
Above all, I felt that Sharine was indeed suitable for the temporary vice president position at the upcoming World Academy Conference.
Sharine’s name was as well-known as Iris’s.
Most importantly, she was the top student in the martial arts department and the top student in the magic arts department of the second year.
Sharine finished her orange and soon glanced back at me.
“Alright, then.”
As she hinted, I perked up my eyes.
It was an invitation to say anything.
“I’ll do that for you, but Hanon has to take me on a date.”
What the heck.
I looked at Sharine in disbelief for a moment.
“…Sharine, were you really targeting my body?”
“Yep, you fit perfectly as a test subject.”
Oh man, this is crazy.
I had completely forgotten that she might think that way.
Sharine had a satisfied expression, like she had just hit the jackpot.
“The magic seal of the great dragon.”
And I suddenly realized why she had said that.
“That’s for a date, huh?”
The remnants of the great dragon engraved on my body were still unresolved.
Sharine saying it was a date meant she would accompany me to resolve that.
“Isn’t that more for you than me?”
“I’m just being generous here.”
Sharine sat up straight, puffing out her chest.
I couldn’t help but glance at her growing upper body but quickly averted my eyes.
“And it’s a field I want to research as well.”
For a sorceress like Sharine, the remnants of the great dragon were quite intriguing.
Moreover, since it required a magic seal, it seemed even more interesting to her.
“I’m grateful, though.”
In any case, it was a welcome offer for me.
If I could resolve the great dragon’s remnants, I would do anything.
‘Well, then, we’re ready for the temporary vice president.’
Now, all that was left was to head to the World Academy Conference hall.
＊＊＊
Six academies built atop the Magung.
These academies were constructed by the five kingdoms, including the Empire, to block the Magung.
The World Academy Conference is a place for student councils from each academy to build camaraderie in advance.
Of course, while they call it camaraderie, it’s essentially a miniature version of global politics.
Those representing the academies are all prominent figures from their nations.
Sylvester didn’t become president just because he was appointed as Duke Drapen without any skills.
Such is the World Academy Conference.
I found myself heading to the place where the six academies’ representatives would gather.
However, I wasn’t exactly a key figure.
Just a supportive role found in every student council.
As a temporary secretary, I was going along.
‘How on earth did I become a temporary secretary?’
Maybe because I had diligently tended to the student council’s duties.
For some reason, Nivolans had marked me as the next secretary.
Unlike the positions of president and vice president, the secretary’s role is usually passed down within the student council.
Nivolans intended to pass the secretarial role to me.
When it came to abilities as a secretary, there were far more capable individuals than me.
And this was understandable because students from the literature department were the most prevalent in the student council.
They were the ones buried under papers every day.
Even though I lived in modern society and worked hard on student council tasks.
I certainly couldn’t keep up with them.
Thus, the position of secretary had primarily been handed down through literature department students for generations.
But Nivolans told me,
“Hanon, do you think there’s anyone among the second-year students who could assist Iris as a secretary?”
Faced with Nivolans’s serious question, I couldn’t bring myself to speak.
The 3rd Princess, Iris Haishirion.
She was a perfect princess, possessing both martial and magical talents.
No one could stand their ground in front of her, regardless of who they brought from the Empire.
To serve as a secretary beside such a princess requires considerable courage.
However, the student council had suffered greatly due to the consecutive absences of the president and vice president.
Most of the second-year literature students who normally participated in the student council were completely demotivated.
Having been thoroughly shaken down by the inspector, it was only natural for their mental state as students to plummet.
Could those people serve as secretaries alongside Iris?
Nivolans shook his head.
At the very least, the child who became secretary would be living with stress-induced gastroenteritis and hair loss.
“But you should be fine.”
I have courage.
More accurately, the courage has been growing since joining the Flame Butterfly faction.
Losing love has likely played a significant role in eroding the part of myself that cared.
But still, it proved incredibly useful now.
Furthermore, I maintain a connection with Iris.
Although I may lack in secretarial abilities.
The chances of me feeling stressed out and running away were negligible because of this.
“Hanon, it’s only you.”
Nivolans earnestly requested me.
To assist the two of them properly at the conference hall.
That’s how I had no choice but to head to the conference hall as a temporary secretary.
And what was I doing now?
Clatter, clatter—
The sounds of the carriage echoed.
My task was simple.
I was merely Iris’s cherished doll.
Yeah, the main reason I came here wasn’t to be a secretary, but rather to be her beloved doll.
I had to maintain my balance so Iris, who was holding me close, wouldn’t fall asleep.
By this point, it was probably something I’d grown accustomed to.
The problem was, there was a woman before me, gazing at me intently.
“……”
Her scarlet eyes were fixed on me.
I had a fleeting feeling that there was a hint of a smile.
On her lap, the one I resented the most, Sharine, was sleeping soundly.
The identity of the one glaring at me was none other than.
Isabel Luna.
Somehow, she too had ended up going to the conference hall with us.