Chapter 2667 – 2667. God’S Atlantis

The Hana Association was formed.

Rowoon, the student council president and head of the Hana Association, addressed the students gathered outside.

“The Hana Association has been formed to respond to the admission of commoners. Future activities will be decided through meetings. For now, you are all dismissed and should return to your dormitories.”

“We trust you, President!”

“There’s nothing we can’t do if we stick together.”

“Commoner admissions are absolutely unacceptable! The Imperial Academy belongs to the nobles! It has always been that way, and it always should be!”

The assembled students dispersed. Rowoon looked at the members of the Hana Association.

“Let’s continue with our next steps. Shouldn’t we first express our opinions to the academy?”

Everyone nodded at Rowoon’s words.

Then, a student named Jin Corona stepped forward.

“President, it’s not something to take lightly. The academy might only verbally reject commoner admissions and still accept them next year. Moreover, you’ll be graduating next year. What will happen to the rest of us if the academy changes its mind after you graduate? We need a firm guarantee that commoner admissions will be prohibited.”

“That’s a valid point. We should aim to have it stated in writing. That will require a plan. Let’s continue the meeting. It’s almost dinner time… I know a good sandwich shop, so we can eat while we continue the meeting. I’ll pay.”

“Thank you, President!”

Not all nobles were wealthy. Even if their families were rich, it was their parents’ money, not theirs. If they had a lot of money, they wouldn’t have enrolled in the Imperial Academy; they would have hired private tutors.

Besides, maintaining their dignity cost a fortune. If someone offered free food? The noble children were naturally delighted.

The Hana Association began planning while eating ham sandwiches at the sandwich shop.

Rowoon, as the student council president, wanted the situation to escalate. That way, his reputation could spread throughout the empire.

‘If we’re going to do this, we need to do it properly. There’s nothing to fear. All the academy students support me.’

The meeting started, but it didn’t progress well. They were still students with no social experience. Most of them were attending a meeting for the first time.

Rowoon felt a sense of satisfaction as he led the meeting as president. He was doing something. Everyone was listening to him. He was their leader. The sweet taste of power pleased him.

Whenever the meeting stalled, Jin Corona would step in to guide the direction of the discussion.

“If the academy refuses, we must protest. We need to strongly express our opinions.”

“A protest. That’s unfamiliar. Will it be effective?”

“Of course, it will be effective. Some students are already preparing for a protest.”

“…They’re already preparing for a protest without us telling them to?”

“That’s the atmosphere. Doesn’t that mean the students are taking this very seriously? As student representatives, we just need to direct the protest.”

“I see. I’ve heard of protests before. Wasn’t there a place called the Kingdom of Entertainment? I heard there were several protests there. We can refer to that. Any good ideas?”

Representatives from the Knight Department, Magic Department, and Administration Department spoke with shining eyes.

“A class boycott! If all the students refuse to attend classes, the academy will take the matter more seriously!”

A student from the Knight Department said. A class boycott. It sounded good, but in reality, they just didn’t want to attend classes. Exams were coming up, and they weren’t well-prepared. They thought that if everyone boycotted classes, they could skip the exams.

“We must also control the research labs. That way, the professors will listen to us, right?”

A student from the Magic Department said. They wanted to get out of the research labs and take a break. Even if they weren’t affiliated with a lab, they wanted to mess with the professors they didn’t like.

“First, we need to occupy the main building and find any corruption. If we can find corruption… the academy will have no choice but to accept our demands.”

A student from the Administration Department said. They wanted to gain recognition for uncovering administrative corruption. They were confident in their abilities.

The students ate ham sandwiches and shared their opinions.

“Should we gather students in front of the main building for the protest?”

“Hold a rally in this weather? It’s freezing, even if it’s not snowing. What if the students catch a cold?”

“We are nobles. We must protest in an elegant way. Ah, how about protesting by placing our academy uniform jackets? Our uniforms are the symbol that represents us.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

“There will be uncooperative students. What will we do with them? Student unity is crucial for this matter.”

“Our Knight Department will handle it. If we talk to them nicely, they’ll understand and cooperate, won’t they?”

As the meeting progressed, it became more lively. The students laughed heartily. The sandwich shop owner pretended not to hear and continued selling sandwiches.

“But how about avoiding tomorrow? Isn’t there a bureaucrat briefing tomorrow?”

It was a day when current bureaucrats came to promote their jobs and families.

“That’s why we should do it tomorrow. Won’t our cause be known to the outside world because of them? Above all, they are also nobles. Won’t they cooperate with us?”

“I suppose so.”

The outcome of the meeting was already decided.

They firmly believed that their plan would succeed. They were representing thousands of students, so they didn’t think for a moment that they would fail.

Jin Corona had been silent and inconspicuous since halfway through the meeting. No one there paid attention to Jin Corona. It was as if he wasn’t even there.

• • •

Elena and I deliberately interfered with the Imperial Academy. Of course, we did it little by little, without getting caught.

Elena had illusion magic, and I had the unique trait of Deception.

「Deception (欺瞞)
 You can manipulate information, including the status window.
 You gain a bonus when deceiving others.
 You can transform into other creatures.
 Type: Unique Trait
 Rank: SSS」

It was a unique trait with a whopping SSS rank. Even if there were skills or traits that could see through Deception, they would have to be at least SS rank.

‘SS rank is definitely not common. Even among the professors, there probably aren’t any with SS rank skills or traits.’

Most of them probably didn’t even have S rank skills. At best, they would be around A rank.

Elena spread rumors among the students. The source of the rumors was unknown, but all the students became aware of them within a day. She also used illusion magic to create a bit of anxiety. The students immediately began to unite.

‘Even though we instigated it, I didn’t expect such a strong reaction.’

It also meant that the academy students had an enormous sense of elitism.

I infiltrated the Hana Association under the identity of Jin Corona.

「Deception manipulates some information.」
「Deception suppresses your presence.」
「Deception deceives the target.」
「Deception induces the target’s emotions.」

It was the first time I had used Deception like this, and it was very effective. It was as if it was a trait made for this kind of thing.

‘It can’t do as much as Elena’s illusion magic… but Deception is better for stealth.’

Even if I were to undergo a professional examination later, they would never know that they had been deceived by Deception. That was the scary thing about Deception. They were deceived without knowing it, and they would never know it in the future.

I subtly guided the Hana Association’s meeting with Deception. At some point, a violent protest was confirmed. I didn’t even have to voice my opinion; they started planning the protest on their own. I predicted the outcome of the meeting and left halfway through.

‘I need to find the most pissed-off, crazy students and approach them. And then sell them spray paint.’

The Imperial Academy students didn’t know much about spray paint. Spray paint wasn’t distributed in the empire.

‘Spray paint is common in District 6,700, the Kingdom of Entertainment. I can pretend to be a merchant from District 6,700 and sell spray paint at a low price.’

They would definitely buy the spray paint when they saw it.

‘Spray painting is fun. How can they resist decorating the academy with spray paint?’

They didn’t know how toxic oil-based spray paint was. Even if they did, they wouldn’t care. They weren’t the ones who had to clean it up.

I diligently moved around and sold spray paint to the students at a low price.

‘I shouldn’t forget to sponsor them as an anonymous graduate. The sponsorship money will boost the students’ morale. Will the tax collectors move if I sponsor too much?’

Actually, I didn’t care whether they moved or not. I wasn’t the one who was responsible.

I sold spray paint and met Elena at night. Elena smiled bitterly.

“What’s wrong? Did things not go well?”

“No. It went well. Too well, which feels strange. The nobles, who are supposed to lead the empire, accepted the rumors without even checking their validity. I didn’t even do anything mentally.”

“That just shows how enormous the students’ sense of elitism is. The empire is a country for nobles, after all.”

“If the intelligence of those nobles is subpar… no, it’s actually a good thing for me. After all, the lower nobles are no different from commoners.”

Elena’s smile was cold.

• • •

The next day, the students of the Imperial Academy gathered at the school gates in the morning. At the forefront was student council president Rowoon. Behind him, a large number of masked students appeared. Some of them were carrying large flags.

(We will perish rather than open up.)
(Oppose commoner admissions!)
(The Imperial Academy is for nobles!)
(Protect the traditions of the Imperial Academy!)

The guards, made up of retired knights, swallowed nervously at the unusual atmosphere. If they were outsiders, they would have drawn their swords to stop them. However, the opponents were not outsiders but the students. It was impossible to point their swords at the people they were supposed to protect.

The head guard spoke to student council president Rowoon to understand the situation.

“What is going on all of a sudden?”

“It’s none of your concern. We have demands for the academy. We’re going to meet with the president. This is an internal matter of the school. You just need to do your job.”

“……”

The head guard stepped back with a troubled expression. As a guard, he had no justification to stop the students.

The students confidently stormed into the academy’s main building. However, the president, vice president, dean of academic affairs, and other important figures were not there. The only people left were staff members without any authority.

“We’ve come to meet with the president. Where is he?”

“The president has been summoned by Duke Valdert due to the bureaucrat briefing! Please, students, calm down! The president will be here in the afternoon!”

“Ha, then you can do it instead. Our demand is simple. Reject commoner admissions. Guarantee it on behalf of the academy.”

“M-Me? I don’t have the authority to do that…! And commoner admissions… as far as I know, it’s not even something that has been discussed at the academy! There seems to be a misunderstanding, so let’s talk calmly…”

“You’re not listening. There’s no choice. We’ll occupy the main building until the president arrives. All staff members, please leave.”

“Y-Yes?”

As the staff members panicked and didn’t know what to do, the students shouted in unison.

“The Imperial Academy must withdraw commoner admissions!!”

“Withdraw it!!!”

The students’ occupation of the academy began. Hundreds of students who participated in the protest scattered.

Tssssssss!

The academy was decorated with various colors on the floors, walls, and ceilings.

Clang, clang, clang!

One student banged the head of the statue of the founder of the Imperial Academy, the great mage Hallen, with a bat.

Clang, clang!