Chapter 107: Student Council!
Morning light poured through the villa’s tall glass panes, golden rays dancing across the marble floor.
The city of Pantheon was already awake, its distant bustle muted by the villa’s elevation, but Albedo barely noticed. He was seated at his desk, sleeves rolled up, pen moving across a leather-bound notebook.
He had been there the entire night, deciding to pull an all-nighter to work on controlling the Source Code, and now he was writing down meticulous notes detailing various plans and revelations.
Each line he wrote was dense with meaning, thoughts so sharp they could cut:
Ruins of Astaris – Northern Wastes. Pre-Imperial. Half-buried glyph-archives. William was supposed to gain Celestial Frost inheritance there. Must secure first.
Silent Catacombs – Beneath Duskmarsh. A Ruin swarming with Necromancers. Suitable for Gwen? Or one of the Assassins?
Echoterra Rift – A dimensional fracture sealed by lost glyphs and wards.
He tapped the pen against the paper, frowning as he read through it. These were the only 3 Ancient Lost Civilizations he remembered from when he read the Novel.
There certainly were more, probably over half a dozen more at least. However, in the Novel, the ruins were just a little more than footnotes or flavor text more specifically. While they were added, they were pretty useless.
Majority the time, Lucian would hear rumors, nod, and then get sidetracked by another duel, another tournament, another Abyssal crisis or a flood of other things that were far more important than excavating random ruins.
The author had never cared for archaeology
But Albedo wasn’t bound by the narrative’s lazy hand. These weren’t distractions to him but instead valuable opportunities, vaults of forgotten spells and artifacts waiting for someone with the right tools to crack them open.
And now he had those tools, his lips curled in a thin smile as the various assassins flashed through his mind.
’I can’t chase every ruin myself. Not yet. But I can send them,’
He thought as he closed the notebook with a decisive snap. Once they clear the ruin and bring him the various treasures they collected, he’d be able to decipher them.
Time. That was the resource he needed most. There was legitimately an endless amount of things he could be doing to get stronger, and all he needed was the time to make it happen.
He rose, adjusting his uniform. Crisp, dark fabric hugged his frame, polished buttons catching the morning glow. His reflection in the mirror was calm, almost disarmingly ordinary. Only the faint glimmer of violet in his irises betrayed the monstrous knowledge now coiled within him.
He quickly took a SkyRail and arrived at the Academy, hearing the first bell that told students to get ready for their classes.
Every step he took, every student he passed, was overlaid with faint impressions of script at the edges of his sight. If he focused, he could peel back their mana signatures like unraveling threads. He could see the inefficiencies in their spellcasting before they even cast.
It was intoxicating, and dangerous. He eventually blinked, dimming the glow in his eyes. He couldn’t afford to stand out too much.
He walked through the hallways and eventually arrived at his homeroom, which was already abuzz with quiet chatter when he stepped through the doors.
Most of the students hushed immediately upon seeing who was already standing at the front of the room, but Albedo’s attention wasn’t on any of them.
He could see Professor Kayle and Headmistress Raphaeline standing at the front of the classroom, but more importantly, four figures were standing behind them, each wearing immaculate uniforms adorned with silver embroidery that marked them as parts of the Student Council.
Albedo’s blue eyes flickered once in appraisal before he went and took his seat. As he was doing that, he felt several gazes brush against him from those 4 Upperclassmen. They were curious, and some were even measuring his strength.
Once he sat down, Raphaeline quickly spoke, "Since the Exchange Program with the Demon Academy is approaching, it is time for you to be properly introduced to the members of the Zephyr Academy Student Council who will be accompanying all of you and are charged with representing and safeguarding the Academy’s honor,"
Her crimson gaze swept across the room, daring anyone to fidget beneath her watch. No one did.
She gestured slightly, and the first student, the one who drew by far the most attention, gracefully stepped forward.
"This is Orphelia Moonquiver, Student Council President."
The young woman inclined her head gracefully. Her hair was a pale silver-blonde, eyes a calm sky blue that shimmered faintly with mana.
Her uniform was pristine, a subtle crest stitched into her shoulder, the emblem of House Moonquiver, the Grand Duchy that commanded both political and magical weight as a direct connection to the Ruling Family.
"I look forward to working alongside you," Orphelia said, her tone elegant, refined, but not cold.
Albedo immediately remembered her role in the novel, Miranda’s elder cousin. A minor character in the original narrative, who was more obsessed with Magical Studies and only played a part as curious observer to Lucian and his party, mostly because she felt they could help her studies at times.
Next stepped forward a girl with short dark hair, her eyes sharp, her stance disciplined like a blade held always at ready.
"Athena Dashan. Vice President," Raphaeline introduced, "A commoner, and a prodigy."
Athena bowed her head briefly, her voice carrying crisp confidence, "Titles mean little to me. Effort and ability are what matter. I will ensure this delegation is the strongest it can be."
A ripple went through the classroom, mixed whispers, admiration tinged with surprise. Albedo could sense her mana faintly, a disciplined reservoir with no excess wasted. She reminded him of a honed knife: precise, efficient, and deadly in the right hands.
The third council member stepped forward with practiced swagger, as though he were about to mount a stage. Lukas Arden, son of Marquis Arden. His blond hair was meticulously combed, his uniform pressed to perfection.
"Secretary, Lukas Arden," he announced himself smoothly before Raphaeline could. He flashed a smile at Orphelia as though that alone would win her favor. Her face remained unreadable.
Albedo’s memory stirred at that name.
Lukas had been a thorn in Lucian’s side in the original story. A small-time villain, a puffed-up noble supremacist similar to Professor Skye who believed commoners beneath his notice.
Worse, he’d carried an infatuation for Orphelia, one that had ended poorly when she ignored him for Lucian’s camp, seeing Lucian as far more interesting to her research than him.
For a moment, Lukas’s gaze swept the classroom, and lingered on Albedo. Something sharp flashed across his eyes. A challenge, maybe. Or simple arrogance, Albedo couldn’t tell which one, but he already knew this exchange would have a big enemy in his way.
The last to step forward was Persephone VoidHeart.
She moved like a whisper, her long raven hair spilling around her shoulders like midnight water. Her pitch black eyes were distant, not cruel but detached, as though she were half here and half elsewhere.
She gave no bow, only the barest tilt of her head when Raphaeline said, "General Affairs Officer, Persephone VoidHeart. Daughter of Marquis VoidHeart."
The name alone caused another stir among the students. The VoidHeart family was steeped in old arcane traditions, their bloodline whispers of void and entropy.
The VoidHeart Family dabbled in Dark Magic, Necromancy and Ancient Research as their, but their pinnacle was Void/Spacial Magic, which they excelled at far beyond anyone else, making them terrifying opponents.
There were 2 Types of Magical Opponents feared across all of society, Mages with powers who could influence the Mind & The Spirit, and Spacial Mages for their immense flexibility and destructive power.
Persephone was said to be a prodigy who mastered both Mind & Spacial Magic, making her the current reigning strongest student throughout the entire academy from a pure 1v1 combat standpoint.
However, not much was actually known about her from the Novel. She was an enigmatic presence who Graduated soon and then mostly disappeared, only reappearing in certain battlefields or excursions.
She was the one who made him the most curious, as Albedo had a plan to eventually master Spacial Magic, and her mystery made her the most intriguing.
Raphaeline’s gaze swept across the room again as Albedo was thinking all of this, "These four will represent Zephyr in the Exchange. Treat their words as mine."
Professor Kayle’s voice followed, firm yet warmer than the Headmistress’s, "You may have opportunities to work alongside them in the coming weeks on various missions and classes. Consider it both training and evaluation in preparation for the exchange. I implore you all to take up missions as soon as possible,"
The introductions wrapped and the Student Council returned to their poised positions behind Raphaeline and Kayle, and for a moment the room was completely still.
Raphaeline’s crimson eyes swept the classroom one last time, her wings folding slightly behind her as though even their shadows demanded discipline. "That will be all for this morning’s announcements."
The silence lingered before she added, softer yet more dangerous, "Do not embarrass Zephyr."
She dismissed the class with a flick of her hand, a gesture so slight yet final that the room broke into motion instantly, disappearing in a gush of brilliant light.
Students pushed back their chairs, whispered eagerly to each other, casting nervous or excited glances at the Council members.
Albedo stood up and looked back at Elara, "Mission Hall?" she asked, tilting her head slightly, her auburn hair brushing her cheek.
"Yes." Albedo adjusted his collar.
The two of them quickly headed off to the Mission Hall which was, as always, alive with activity when they arrived.
Albedo’s eyes roved across the listings of various Missions, searching for value, when a ripple of intent pressed against him.
He turned, and there they were.
Persephone VoidHeart stood as though she’d been waiting all along, her black eyes fathomless, a stillness about her that bent the space around her presence.
Beside her, Morgana lingered in softer shadow, hands folded neatly at her waist, her obsidian gaze flicking once toward Albedo before resting comfortably on Elara.
For a heartbeat, the four of them simply regarded one another.
Then Morgana stepped forward, her voice carrying the quiet timbre of someone who spoke only when it mattered, "Albedo. Elara. Join us."
Elara blinked, caught off guard. "You mean...for a mission?"
"Yes." Morgana’s gaze softened faintly, almost conspiratorial. "Persephone and I have decided to team for this round of assignments. But...we’d prefer not to make it just the two of us."
She paused, lips curving ever so slightly before adding, "Besides...Persephone and I are childhood friends. We work well together."
Albedo’s blue eyes flickered, considering. Childhood friends? That detail had never been in the original novel and it made him all the more curious about those two.
He said nothing yet, only met Persephone’s unblinking void-black gaze with one of his own, violet light ghosting faintly at the edges of his irises.
Elara shifted beside him, her hand brushing his sleeve. "Albedo?" she whispered, uncertain.
"Alright," he said at last. "Let’s hear what mission you had in mind."