It's a new arc!

Serendia Academy was named after one of the spirit kings, Serendine, Goddess of Light, in the hope to gain her blessing. And the motif of the school emblem was the tin staff and lily crown that Goddess of Light holds in her hands.

Originally, neither royalty nor nobility was used to attending school, but as time went by, several educational institutions had been established for the children of noble families began to increase. And this Serendia Academy was one of them.

At present, there were several schools, boarding houses, and girls' academies for the children of the wealthy and big shots, but among them, Serendia Academy was one of the most prestigious, with a history of being the first royal school in the Ridill Kingdom.

The three most prestigious schools in the Ridill Kingdom were the [Serendia Academy], which was attended by members of the royal family, [Minerva], which was an institution for the training of magicians, and the [House of Parliament], which was affiliated with the temple.

Of these schools, [House of Parliament] was the one with the greatest legal expertise. [Minerva] was the best in the field of magic and spells. And {Serendia Academy] was the most outstanding in the field of liberal arts.

They have top-notch instructors, an overwhelming collection of books, and facilities and equipment suitable for the children of noble families.

Despite the high enrollment fees and donations regulations, those who graduate from Serendia Academy often have an advantage when working for the royal court later on. For the noble families, the title of "Serendia Academy graduate" was a kind of status.

Especially those with experience in the student council of Serendia Academy, it goes without saying that they are highly regarded by those around them.

Not to mention, now that the second prince, Felix Ark Ridill, was the current student council president. So, being a member of this group meant could be said to be a candidate for the second prince's future entourage.

Currently, in the student council room where all the student council members gather, a student was being interrogated.

Standing in the middle of the room was Aaron O'Brien, the son of Count Stiyl, the treasurer of the student council.

And now, he was surrounded by the student council members, all of whom stared at him coldly, as if they were looking at a sinner.

In the tense atmosphere student council room, the only person who has a smile on his face was a young man sitting at the student council president's desk with his cheekbones in his hand—the student council president and the second prince of the Ridill Kingdom, Felix Ark Ridill.

"Now then."

At Felix's words, Aaron's shoulders jerked as if he had been whipped.

To Aaron, Felix smiles like a benevolent saint.

"The results of the audit showed signs of falsification in the books. There had been a mismatch in the budget. And that wasn't just once or twice… Am I right?"

His voice was gentle and calm, yet there was a coldness in it that sent shivers down the spine of the listener.

When Aaron interjected, "That's…," Felix put his hand over his mouth and chuckled.

"Oh, so you don't remember how many times you've spent it? From what I can tell, that's thirty-eight times."

Only the voice that said "thirty-eight" was low and heavy.

Aaron's complexion was no longer pale, but ashen.

But Felix, with a kind smile on his face, blocked Aaron's escape route and confronted him with the severity of his crime.

"The only reason you could become a member of the student council was because of my grandfather, Duke Crockford's recommendation."

All members of the student council were appointed by the student council president.

Therefore, there were a number of people who were willing to pay money to gain favor with Felix——or more specifically, with his grandfather, Duke Crockford, who was behind it. And among them, the one who spent the most money was Aaron's father, Count Stiyl.

That's why Duke Crockford has ordered his grandson, Felix, to select Aaron as a member of the student council.

As long as Aaron continued to work as treasurer, the future of both of him and Count Stiyl's family would be secure.

However, Count Stiyl's family was in trouble because they had spent too much on Duke Crockford. As a result, Aaron's allowance was reduced, and when he was in the need of money to play, he spent the student council's budget.

Once that truth was discovered, Aaron's expulsion from school was unavoidable.

Felix's eyes narrowed and leaned his head coyly. His soft blond hair swayed slightly.

"The best punishment that I could give you was an expulsion. But… if my grandfather heard of this, I'm sure he will give up on Count Stiyl."

Anyone who attends this school would know it.

Behind the second prince was the most powerful aristocrat in the country, the Duke of Crockford.

And that Duke Crockford was a ruthless person.

"I heard your father was in need of Duke Crockford's trust in order to get a loan. What a pity. After this, Count Stiyl sure would not be able to get a loan from anywhere, and it would even cause the House of Stiyl to decline."

Aaron's face broke out in a sweat.

As Aaron shuddered, Felix finished him off with a saintly smile.

"Now do you understand? Because of your stupidity, the House of Stiyl is doomed to fall."

Aaron's eyes widened to their limit, and he bared his teeth and made a strange noise. Then he screamed in a voice that sounded like he was going to vomit blood.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up! You are not even a royal family… you [Duke's dog]!"

Aaron jumped onto his desk and tried to grab onto Felix.

However, a platinum blond young man, one of his aides, who was standing by the wall, quickly seized him.

And then, he chanted a quick incantation, causing Aaron's legs to be covered with a block of ice. Now he could no longer move a single step in his place.

Cyril Ashley, the platinum blonde young man who had restrained Aaron with ice spell——the vice president of the student council, glared at Aaron, distorting his neat face into anger.

"You dare! You dare to utter such insolent against His Highness?! You're deserved to die! I'll turn you into an ice statue right here and smash you out the window!"

"Vice President Ashley, getting rid of him is not your job."

When Felix stopped him in a calm voice, Cyril turned to Felix and bowed deeply.

"I deeply apologize for overstepping my bounds."

"I know you were just worried about my safety. I am very grateful for your effort in keeping me safe."

Hearing Felix said that in a smile, Cyril was overjoyed and his eyes welled up.

When he wasn't talking, Vice President Cyril Ashley was a beautiful young man who was known as the "Ice Prince," but he tended to get overly passionate when Felix was involved.

Not to mention, now Aaron had betrayed the student council and tried to attack Felix with verbal abuse. Even executing him a hundred times would not be enough, the look on his face was telling that.

Felix calmly soothed Cyril and then turned his attention to Aaron, whose legs were iced over.

"You will be placed under house arrest in the dormitory until you are officially notified of your expulsion. I hope you can fully appreciate your own stupidity in allowing yourself to be outdone by this [Duke's dog]."

＊ ＊ ＊

After the son of Count Stiyl, Aaron O'Brien left the room flanked by guards, Felix let out a sigh and picked up the documents he had left spread out on his desk.

"Now, that should wrap this up… is what I'd like to say, but we'll have to find a replacement treasurer for him soon."

"If that's the case, I, Cyril Ashley, will take the responsibility of compiling a list of people I can trust to never betray His Highness!"

The faithful Cyril had the attitude that he would start making the list at any moment.

However, Felix said "It's not necessary," and dismissed it with a soft smile.

"Someone who would never betray me? There is no such person in this world. People always have the possibility of betrayal when circumstances change."

Felix looked at Cyril, who was trying to tell him that he would never betray him, and said,

"It also applies to me, you know."

A different kind of tense atmosphere took over the room after the kind when Aaron was being punished.

The one who controls the atmosphere in this room will always be the one who sits in the chair of the student body president. So,

"Speaking of which."

Felix smiled jokingly and instantly changed the atmosphere of the place.

He then lifted the document in his hand for everyone to see.

"We need to elect new members to the board, but we also need to prepare for the welcome party for the new students. Besides, I heard we have two new students transferring into the second year class this year."

Two names are listed in the transfer student section.

Glenn Dudley.

Monica Norton.

"This Glenn Dudley, I heard he's a pupil of that Seven Sages… Louis Miller of the [Barrier Magician]."

These words sent the student council officers into a frenzy.

The first person to speak up was the vice president, Cyril.

"Speaking of Louis Miller, isn't he famous for being a member of the First Prince faction? Could it be that disciple Glenn Dudley is an assassin he sent to kill His Highness?!"

"I've heard some rumors about him…"

Following Cyril was Bridget, the student council secretary, who was the only female student in the room.

With her bright golden ringlet hair and impeccable good looks, she was an intimidatingly powerful beauty. A beautiful woman with a powerful presence that intimidates those who see her, she covered her mouth with a fan and closed her thick, amber eyes.

"I heard that Louis Miller's disciples were the troublemakers who destroyed the Minerva school building."

"How could our school accept such a person!"

When Cyril ranted in a hysterical voice, the other secretary, Elliot Howard, who had been silent until now, raised one hand and spoke up.

"That's because this is an academy for study. Everybody can get in as long as they pay properly and pass the exam."

At Elliot's carefree remark, Cyril clumsily scratched his hair which made his good looks ruined.

"The school should've selected their students carefully, including their families and factions! We must firmly protest this against the school principal!"

"I think that would be overkill. I mean, it's not like anything's happened yet."

"But if something happens to His Highness, it will be too late!"

Cyril snapped at Elliot's words, but Elliot didn't seem particularly upset and said, "Don't be so uptight." Elliot's this kind of attitude must have been unpleasant to Cyril.

Sensing that Cyril was about to start yelling, the last student council member, a small and plain boy named Neil, looked at Felix worriedly.

"Um… What should we do, President?"

Felix looked at Cyril, Elliot, Neil, and Bridget in turn, observing the slight changes in their expressions.

Then, with a gentle smile, without revealing that he had been secretly observing them, he said.

"Elliott is right. Everybody has the same right to learn. And… I trust you'll be able to protect me, right, Cyril Ashley?"

When Felix called his name, Cyril expressed his delight with his whole body and put his hand on his chest.

"Yes, I will protect Your Highness even at the cost of my life!"

"Thank you. That's reassuring."

With that, Felix smiled at Cyril and proceeded with the next item on the agenda.

Thus, the student council members focused only on Louis Miller's pupils, and none of them paid any attention to the girl, Monica Norton, before moving on to the next topic.

It was just as Louis Miller had planned.