Became a Dark Merchant in the Academy - Chapter 230



229 – Student Council President Election_33

“Just because you’re half-crippled doesn’t mean you’ve directly made someone a cripple. It was indirect. The common people call it… um. bullying, ostracizing… no, it would be more accurate to call it ostracism. I was the leader of the bullies when I was in high school. I don’t remember why, but I think it was probably to kill time.”

Cell phones flashed and the commotion in the auditorium grew louder.

“You know, students. Classes are boring, but why does time pass so slowly? And why is there so much to do? I was the same. So, stress was building up little by little. One day, as those days continued…”

Regardless, Lee Won-jun didn’t care and continued talking calmly as if he was talking about someone else’s business.

The summary of the contents was as follows.

He led the bullying to relieve boredom, and the victim, unable to overcome the bullying, made an extreme choice.

When it seemed like the incident was going to get worse, he used his family’s power to cover it up.

‘It’s boring.’

I know that this is an outrageous thing to say to the victims and those related to them.

It wasn’t interesting at all.

Of course, now that the gate has been destroyed, there has been a major shakeup of villains and things have quieted down.

Before that happened, it was a world where people were directly or indirectly harmed by villains or went missing at the gate, and it was on the news once a day.

I felt like the intensity of the incident was weak.

That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a problem.

I don’t know about other villain academies, but here at Laplace Academy, we train those who protect justice.

The cadets gathered here were, first and foremost, hero trainees.

“… is something I have done in the past. So, let me ask you. Am I someone who deserves the support and votes of the students in this student council president election?”

After finishing confessing his past sins, Lee Won-jun looked at the cadets and raised his voice.

“This is ridiculous.”

“What’s there to brag about?”

“Come down!!”

The reaction was cold.

It was because his eyes and voice were filled with confidence, even if there was a hint of reflection.

The cadets booed and demanded that Lee Won-jun withdraw from the candidacy.

“Judging by the reaction, I don’t think so. There was a lot of support before this fact became known.”

Lee Won-jun turned his head.

The gaze was directed to Park Yul-cheon, who was standing in front of the candidate waiting area next to the podium.

“….”

Park Yul-cheon smiled coldly.

At first glance, he looked relaxed, but judging by the slight trembling of his lips, his true feelings seemed to be the complete opposite.

Because everything Lee Won-jun confessed was about things Park Yul-cheon had done in the past.

‘Is the blade a little sharp?’

In this speech, Lee Won-jun was planning to talk about resigning as a candidate and unifying with me.

Then, logically speaking, I would not allow something to ruin my approval rating, right?

Of course, since this is a place where native speakers speak, there is no guarantee that there will be no decline.

It wasn’t a bad idea to give up the flesh and take the bones.

“Then, in fact, this story is not my story.”

At Park Yul-cheon’s reaction, Lee Won-jun raised one corner of his mouth, laughed, then turned his head back to look at the cadets.

“Get down… what?”

“…?”

-Tiring!

The cell phone rang.

First of all, one thing.

And two more.

Soon enough, the auditorium was full.

The cadets took out their cell phones and looked for the cause of the alarm in an unknown situation.

I also opened my phone and looked for the cause.

And here are some documents and photos you can see.

“”…””

The auditorium suddenly became quiet.

“Can I ask you to support me again?”

In the meantime, Lee Won-jun’s words echoed.

**

After that, Lee Won-jun continued to speak.

By chance, the victim came to me and I found out about this incident.

Park Yul-cheon found out about this and came to try to persuade and threaten him.

Although I was troubled by that, I was encouraged by what I said yesterday and stood up for the cadets’ right to know and justice.

However, what I was worried about was that as a hero trainee and as an academy cadet, I felt that I was lacking, so I decided to withdraw my candidacy and support myself.

“thank you.”

Lee Won-jun nodded and moved to the candidate waiting area.

Then, unlike before, Lee Won-jun muttered something to Park Yul-cheon, who was waiting at the entrance.

Then, a teeth-grinding sound was heard from Park Yul-cheon and his voice grew louder.

“you!!”

“Yeah, you shouldn’t be short on words.”

“Yeah, that’s how it’s going to turn out, right? Let’s try…”

“Would you like to try it?”

It seemed like the two of them would fight here if they weren’t careful.

“Calm down.”

“You shouldn’t fight here.”

The event staff intervened and broke up their argument.

‘It’s not fun.’

If they had fought even once, Park Yul-cheon’s approval rating would have fallen even further.

It was such a pity.

“Park Yul-cheon said that?”

“No, think about it. If something like that had happened, would it have been possible for you to enter Laplace Academy? They’d look through everything from your student records to your reputation.”

“But, the Park Yul-cheon family is like that…”

“If that’s the case, then what about the other children from wealthy families…”

‘That’s not bad, by the way.’

The cadets’ reactions were mixed, though.

That was enough.

Since it means that it is shaking, the reversal that is shaking is also more likely to be accepted.

“Is this your doing too?”

It was while I was watching the students like that.

A voice struck my ear.

I turned my head towards where the sound came from and saw a familiar face.

It was Tachibana Rie.

“What are you talking about?”

“Take a step…”

She let out a small ‘ha’ as if she was relieved.

That was not a blade I made.

If you’re going to confess, I hope you’ve already confirmed who the subject is.

“therefore…”

“Just wait and see. Things won’t go according to plan for you and that kid.”

But Tachibana didn’t seem to have any intention of listening to my story, just said what he wanted to say and went up to the stage.

It was just absurd.

And it was ambiguous.

‘That kid…’

If you’re going to talk, say it properly. How am I supposed to know if you call it that?

I am not a one-eyed Maitreya.

There was no way to know about something that wasn’t said.

“Hello, esteemed cadets. My name is Rie Tachibana. Today, I would like to share with you, cadets, one promise and one conversation. It is about safety and suspicion. Our Laplace Academy is a prestigious academy with a history spanning 100 years. Our graduates are active in various fields, and are renowned in the world of hero industry. However, perhaps because of this, I have mistaken the most important and easiest part. That is…”

But it was difficult to go back and ask what this meant.

Isn’t it impossible to stop a speech that has already started?

“And about the suspicions. There are those who make empty claims. There are those who deceive the cadets with false information. The suspicions raised are not all true, and the similar promises are simply…”

By the way, the speech was going smoothly, but then the direction changed 180 degrees.

‘After the exposure comes the defense.’

Seeing that the first speaker, Park Yul-cheon, started with a speech and ended with a speech, it was confusing whether this was a speech session or not.

Of course, a speech in its dictionary sense is to state one’s opinions or claims in front of many people and to persuade the audience.

You are not wrong in expressing your opinions and claims.

It’s understandable that clearing up suspicions is more important to her than keeping important promises.

But there is a set framework, so I wonder if it would be a bit strange to do something like that in a public setting.

‘A bit old-fashioned.’

There’s nothing more unhealthy than self-deprecation, so it might be better to think of it as advice.

“Just as the morning follows the night, the truth will surely come out no matter how much the lies try to deceive. Thank you.”

And as time passed, the third speech ended.

-!!

A thunderous applause.

Tachibana Rie nodded once and then turned to the waiting area.

“Try struggling. It won’t last long anyway.”

Could it be because I confirmed that the cadets’ reactions were not bad?

When she returned, her expression was a bit more relaxed than before.

I see that there are subtle nuances in what is being said there.

It also seemed like something was being prepared.

“Are you cheering me on?”

“under.”

“Isn’t it?”

“…I’ll watch to see how far that leeway goes.”

I took it with a smiling face, and she frowned slightly as she headed inside the waiting area.

The next speaker was me.

It was earlier than scheduled.

Woo Sang-cheol and B, who were supposed to give speeches before Lee Won-jun, withdrew from the race.

I had no choice but to change the order because Yukina, the number before me, had gone somewhere and wasn’t showing up.

‘also…’

If you show that kind of appearance, you can’t help but be suspicious.

First, I had to do what I had to do.

On the right podium.

The cadets’ faces with various expressions were visible.

Denial, anger, doubt, wonder, anticipation, hope.

There were countless other subtle emotions as well.

It felt like he was getting more attention because his turn to speak happened to be after Tachibana.

But I wasn’t nervous or anything.

There was something I had prepared for this.

I set up the mic appropriately.

Then he looked around, swallowed, and opened his mouth.

“I have a dream.”

Said.

**

“Senior, really, really, really well! That was a great speech.”

As I was walking to the candidates’ waiting area after finishing my speech, Yukina ran up to me.

“I’m glad I ran early in the morning and tried to get the front row seat.”

I wondered where it had disappeared to.

From noble mtl dot com

I never thought there would be such a reason.

Of course, it could have been said to deceive me.

‘Now that I think about it, I think there was a person with pink hair in the front row.’

The humans in this world all had colorful hair because of mana, so it was ambiguous.

“Really? Isn’t it a little lacking?”

“No, it was really good. I was especially impressed by the way Mr. King’s speech was used appropriately. The meeting between the great speech of the century and a senior is truly fate…”

“…”

I stood still and looked at Yukina who was chattering.

The reason was nothing special.

Because one of the things Yukina said really got on my nerves.

That would be the case, because 100 years ago this world…

“you…”

“Oh, I made a mistake.”

mistake?

But contrary to what he said, it didn’t seem like he had made any mistakes at all.

“Yes, senior. I am the culprit.”

Instead, he laughed softly as if joking.