Chapter 602: The Race for the Council

Rindo was not the kind of person who took on important responsibilities just to gain fame or improve his social position.

He genuinely had the ability to manage things.

Even in dangerous situations, he usually kept his calm and tried to make decisions that did not only benefit one person or a specific group.

Of course, this did not mean he was perfect, sometimes he became too strict and expected others to act with the same level of discipline as him.

But these qualities would probably be useful for someone who wanted to join the Federation’s structure.

Lian gave a faint smile.

Could it be that he planned to become the leader of the Federation one day?

For a moment, the thought seemed amusing, but when he thought about it more carefully, he realized that it was not entirely impossible.

Rindo was young, talented, and had good management skills, and more importantly, unlike many influential people, the respect he showed others was not determined only by their family names or social positions.

Actually, it might not be a bad thing, having a friend at the head of the Federation could be very valuable in the future.

Of course, the distance between joining the Federation and becoming its leader would probably be very long.

But Lian himself had achieved things in a short period that had once seemed difficult even to imagine.

So who could speak with certainty about Rindo’s future?

"What’s so funny?"

Rindo’s voice pulled Lian out of his thoughts.

He smiled.

"No. I was just thinking that maybe one day, I’ll have to make an appointment with a few ministers just to see you."

He looked at him for a few seconds, then replied in the same calm tone.

"If that day comes, I hope you’ll at least let me know before you come."

"So I can’t count on our friendship?"

"I’ll probably make an exception for you."

"What an honor."

This time, the corner of Rindo’s mouth also rose slightly, but he soon returned to his usual expression.

Lian pointed at the files about transferring responsibilities.

"So, what about the next Student Council President?"

"We haven’t made a final decision yet, do you still not want the position?"

"No."

His answer came so quickly that the Student Council President remained silent for a moment.

"You don’t even need to think about it more?"

"I’ve already thought about it, and my answer is still the same."

Lian shrugged.

Rindo let out a short sigh.

"I thought you might have changed your mind after everything that happened recently."

"Why would I change my mind? I already have enough work to do, if I had to make decisions about student conflicts and problems with training schedules every day, I’d probably have no time left to train."

"Being the Student Council President isn’t just about dealing with student conflicts."

Rindo replied.

"I know, that’s why I’m even more certain that I don’t want it."

The young Vorhelm nodded.

Rindo looked at him for a few seconds, then shook his head.

"Then we’ll probably move forward with Seraphina."

"Are you leaving Cassian out?"

"Not necessarily, it depends on the situation."

He paused for a moment and looked at one of the files before answering.

"The situation?"

"Choosing a successor isn’t only about management skills, whoever becomes the Student Council President must also be able to gain the students’ support."

Rindo placed his fingers on the desk.

"Seraphina has good abilities, and Cassian can still be a suitable candidate, but the main issue is how the election goes."

"You mean Roderick?"

Lian tilted his head slightly, this was a topic they had discussed before, and the result had always been the same.

Roderick was a very strong candidate, the strongest candidate for Student Council President.

He nodded.

"No matter how much Roderick’s reputation was damaged after the final exam, he’s still the most popular student in the academy."

Lian thought about this for a moment, the situation was not particularly strange.

Roderick held an important position among the students and had built a wide network of connections and supporters.

Losing an exam, even if it had dealt a heavy blow to his pride, could not erase all his social influence.

Rindo continued.

"Many people still consider him the best choice for leadership, even if he doesn’t run in the election himself, supporting another candidate can change the result."

Then he looked at Lian.

"Of course, you’ve also become a bigger taboo among the students."

"A taboo?"

The young Vorhelm raised an eyebrow.

The Student Council President studied him for a few seconds.

"Roderick is popular, he has supporters, and at the same time, everyone fears him, but things are different when it comes to you."

"Some people admire you, some are afraid of you, and the rest, well, both."

"After Verendal, you’re no longer just a talented student, your name has been mentioned alongside two Celestials. On top of that, you’ve also received one of the Pendragons’ most important legacies."

"So I’m an unpopular taboo?"

Lian gave a faint smile.

"No."

Rindo answered without hesitation.

"You’ve become someone many people would prefer to be on good terms with, but they don’t know how to approach you, there’s an important difference between admiration, fear, and popularity."

Lian thought about this for a few moments.

"Roderick can enter a group, and many people will willingly gather around him, but when you enter the same group, people might not even dare to speak to you comfortably."

"Wow, I didn’t think I’d become this scary."

"Maybe you don’t see yourself that way, but your reputation is different, you also need to consider that Roderick ruled by isolating and suppressing people, yet the students fear you more, because they don’t know how they should act around you."

"What a hassle."

The corner of Lian’s mouth rose slightly.

"That’s why defeating Roderick in the election won’t be easy."

Rindo became more serious this time.

After a short pause, he continued.

"Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have a problem with Roderick becoming the next Student Council President, but I don’t want him to create the same lord-and-servant system inside the academy again."

Lian’s smile slowly disappeared, he knew very well what Rindo was talking about.

For a long time, Roderick had used his position and influence to create a system where some students received special privileges because they were close to him, while others had to follow their wishes to avoid trouble.

Rindo did not agree with such a system, and his opposition was not only related to his personal disagreement with Roderick.

"The Student Council isn’t supposed to be a noble’s court, whoever becomes its president should work for the benefit of the students, not make the students work for his benefit."

Lian nodded.

"So that’s why you prefer Seraphina."

"That’s one of the reasons, but it’s still too early to make a final decision, even so, I think she’s the only person who can compete with Roderick in popularity, if you support her too, her victory might even become certain."

"Of course I’ll support her, although it seems you have no intention of giving yourself a break, even in your final days here."

Lian gave a small smile.

Rindo replied.

"As long as I have responsibilities, I see no reason to leave my work unfinished."

Whatever the case, the decisions had more or less been made, Seraphina would become the next Student Council President, at least they had to make sure of that.

Unfortunately, the Student Council President had considerable power over the students in the Ruined Realm, most students depended on the academy for resources, teams, and the chance to form groups.

Not everyone was like Lian or his friends, geniuses who could make progress however they wanted, the others needed support, and the academy was the one that supported them, at least until they joined a guild.

And the Student Council President had enough power to influence this system and its structure.

During the nine months they had been away, Roderick had taken advantage of the Student Council President’s absence and built a powerful network that could influence this very system of academy support for students.

Rindo could not allow that man to become the Student Council President and bring back his system.

They talked a little longer, the young Vorhelm asked about their other friends, and it turned out that all of them were in the Ruined Realm.

Everyone wanted to increase their levels as quickly as possible so they could catch up with others their age and even surpass them.

Selina and Liana were still together, making progress as a group and exploring new areas around Base #3.

Cassian, Ethan, and Marcus had also become much closer after the events in the Special Area and had practically formed a group, according to the latest news about them, they had managed to find a dungeon.

Their group had even managed to enter the top five in the group hunting rankings, one of the five rankings at Base #3.

As for Seraphina, even Rindo had no exact information about her, except that she was safe, but it was unclear where she was or where she had gone.

This made Lian frown slightly, he hoped that the girl had not gotten herself into trouble, but hearing that the information center at Base #3 had recorded her status as alive and safe stopped him from worrying too much about it.

The girl had a dual class and carried the legacy of a destroyed civilization, it was unlikely that she would die so easily.

Rindo himself had also spent most of the past two months with Cassian, Ethan, and Marcus, and during that time, they had managed to find and explore an ancient ruin that belonged to a destroyed empire.

It was only a few days ago that he had been forced to leave those three because of the expedition to the Land of First Dawn.

In short, everyone had been busy with their own lives during this time.

A while later, Lian left the council office, and on his way back to his residence, he looked at the quiet academy grounds once more.

Everything seemed peaceful.

But his conversation with Rindo had reminded him that even in the absence of most students, internal rivalries were still going on.

The Student Council succession, Roderick’s influence, and the change in his own position among the students, none of these things were his current priority, however.

He would be sent to the Land of First Dawn in a few days, and before that, he had more important things to do.

He went straight to his dormitory.

"I’m finally back."

He let out a quiet breath.

He decided to check his equipment supplies before doing anything else.

His World-Devourer Bastion armor was still with him. Its structure had gradually recovered after the heavy battles of the past,

The treasures were also still in their places, but when he reached the section containing his potions, his eyebrows drew together slightly.

Only a small number of his best healing potions remained, and his supply of mana recovery potions was no longer in very good shape either.

The antidotes and emergency medical supplies had also been used during his previous missions.

At the moment, he might not need healing potions as much as he had in the past.

The Indestructible Body had greatly increased his resistance and natural recovery ability.

On the other hand, he now had access to many defensive structures and abilities that he had never even imagined before.

But that did not mean he was completely immune to harm, the Indestructible Body was still only twenty percent complete.

And Lian knew better than anyone that some enemies could inflict dangerous injuries without being affected by his body’s normal defenses.

Besides, he no longer only had himself to think about, One, Two, and Three,

the Special Colony Members who might need healing resources in future battles.

Especially Three, who had still not recovered from a large part of the injuries it had suffered in their recent battle.