At Ikerite Academy, a Gothic Revival building standing at the edge of the School of Magic Engineering was one of the campus's prominent landmarks—
The Old Liberal Arts Building of the School of Magic Engineering.
Adorned with classical reliefs across its historic red-brick exterior, this structure had once served as a workshop where magic artificers gave free rein to their imaginations. Decades ago, it was renovated into a public building that provided technical services from the School of Magic Engineering to students of other departments.
Shortly after enrolling, Lanqi had visited once to pick up his student wristband, though he hadn't ventured to the upper floors back then.
The first floor housed the Public Magic Engineering Technical Service Center.
The second floor belonged to the New Magic Engineering Technology Creative Workshop, headed by Professor Borao, the research leader of the School of Magic Engineering.
And the third floor housed the Student Management Committee.
The wind was quite boisterous today.
After their only morning class concluded, Lanqi and Hyperion followed the campus paths straight to the Old Liberal Arts Building and climbed the stairs to the third floor.
Stepping out from the stairwell, a spacious, brightly lit corridor stretched before them.
Delicate little chandeliers hung from the ceiling, casting soft light throughout the hall. Gilded patterns traced the reddish-brown wood-carved walls, giving Lanqi and Hyperion an impression of solemnity and profound quiet.
They walked along the plush carpet that extended all the way to the far end of the corridor, where the doors to the student council room stood. Glancing sideways, a row of massive windows offered a scenic view of the campus: lush green lawns, rows of towering trees, and scattered students walking to and fro.
At last, the two arrived before the deep-red double doors at the deepest end.
"Ready, Hyperion?"
"Mm."
With Hyperion's nod, Lanqi tapped lightly on the door twice.
"Come in."
Soon, a gentle, steady, and poised male voice came from within.
Lanqi pushed open the heavy mahogany door. The scent of coffee mingled with candles drifted toward them as a spacious hall spanning over a hundred square meters unfolded before their eyes—and inside were only three people.
Directly opposite the entrance, seated behind an office desk, was a handsome young man sitting ramrod straight. His eyes shone like scattered stars, and an air of scholarly erudition emanated from him.
The dark wood desk before him was smooth as a mirror. Behind him, by a huge half-open window, deep-red curtains shimmered like stage drapes in the sunlight.
Standing beside the long desk was a gentle-looking woman, who turned toward Lanqi and Hyperion with mild curiosity. She held a stack of documents in her arms, seemingly preparing to take them to the tall row of bookshelves lining the right wall of the room.
The left side of the room appeared to be a lounge area, furnished with a tea table flanked by luxurious leather sofas matching the color of the desks and chairs.
On one of the exceedingly comfortable-looking sofas sat a young man with ash-gray hair, wearing a small pair of sunglasses.
"May I ask if the two of you have run into any trouble at school?"
The student council president seated at the main desk looked toward the visitors with a friendly, confident smile.
He seemed to recognize Lanqi and Hyperion, who had sparked quite a bit of talk across campus since enrolling.
Yet the president didn't treat them like unusual figures, simply inquiring as he would with anyone else.
"Hello. We'd like to ask if the student council is still recruiting?"
Lanqi felt thoroughly comfortable with the president's attitude.
Not only did he harbor no malice toward Hyperion, but the look he gave Lanqi was calm and unruffled, devoid of the novelty or wariness typical of other students.
Just as Vivian had said, the president was a man of genuine discernment.
The president nodded, understanding their purpose. He rose from his seat and gestured for them to join him in the lounge area to talk in detail.
Soon, the president took a seat next to the ash-gray-haired young man, while Lanqi and Hyperion sat on the opposite sofa.
After putting away the documents in her hands, the woman by the bookshelf approached with a tray and porcelain cups, pouring coffee for everyone.
"I am Monaster, president of the Student Team Management Committee, and this is Vice President Asna," Monaster said, thanking the woman who poured the coffee before introducing themselves to Lanqi and Hyperion.
"And this is Frey, a freshman from the School of Knights who just joined the student council."
He gestured with an open hand toward the ash-gray-haired young man on the sofa.
Lanqi and Hyperion exchanged a glance. Both of them had a vague impression of this fellow named Frey.
The second round of the entrance exam had been a joint test for the School of Knights and the School of Sages, with the two only splitting up in the third round.
And this oddball from the School of Knights had cleared the second round even faster than Lanqi.
While Lanqi had used the law to arrest the wicked couple, Frey had chosen to take out a mortgage loan and brute-force his way through the freezing blizzard on pure physical resilience alone.
Originally, Lanqi and Hyperion had wondered which team had recruited Frey; they hadn't expected him to have joined the student council.
"To be frank, the Student Management Committee is currently facing a severe manpower shortage," President Monaster said, taking a gentle sip of his coffee with a trace of fatigue before setting the porcelain cup down, resting his hands, and looking at the two with a smile. "With the previous batch of student council members graduating, Frey is the only newcomer who joined, recommended by the dean of the School of Knights. I had thought that many matters this semester would require Vice President Asna and me to handle in person after sorting out our administrative handovers with the academy, so I never expected the two of you to arrive at just the right time."
It seemed that their mere presence and expressed interest in joining had already lifted a considerable amount of pressure from his shoulders.
Lanqi nodded. The president clearly seemed willing to accept them.
"I've already heard about your capabilities. If you don't mind the potential hard work and troublesome duties of the student council, I would be delighted to invite Lanqi Wilfort and Hyperion Aransal to join us."
"..."
A moment of silence fell.
A breeze drifted through the window, stirring the curtains and bringing in fresh outdoor air. It brushed across the desk, swept past the sofa, and rustled the pages of books, drawing a faint flutter of paper in the quiet room.
Both President Monaster and Vice President Asna were warm and welcoming. While it was impossible to tell what Frey was thinking, the way he looked at them was no different from how he looked at ordinary people.
Lanqi and Hyperion exchanged one last look, then nodded.
"I would be very glad to join the student council."
"Me too."
"Then welcome to the student council, both of you. Leave the registration paperwork with the academy to me as president. By the way, we also have a second-year secretary from the School of Alchemy, but she's usually busy with the campus newspaper and only comes by occasionally. You'll meet her in due time."
The two nodded solemnly.
Judging by the president's grave expression, however, it seemed he already had a troublesome task he wanted to ask of them.
"As it happens, the student council has an urgent assignment right now. I wasn't entirely comfortable letting Frey go alone, and I planned to accompany him once I cleared the backlog of work on my desk. But if the three of you collaborate, I can handle my regular duties with peace of mind."
Chapter 95