Chapter 733: General Representative of the Second and First Years of Royal

Among all the things Ezra had realized about the events leading up to Election Day, there was one particular detail that stood out.

First, the Third Party wasn’t someone who was after him simply because he was close to Vera or any of the Flowers.

The plan the person had made was meant to affect both Willow and Vera.

That alone was a big sign that it wasn’t about him being close to either of them.

Although, he did know there were people willing to make their loved ones suffer just to get what they wanted.

That fact wasn’t impossible.

The issue was the other purpose behind the plan.

The Third Party wanted to create a narrative that would make people instinctively wary of Ezra’s reputation.

That way, if another situation involving a massacre or a threat to the Kingdom ever occurred, the memory of the previous incident would serve as a reference.

People would already have a reason to turn against him.

They wouldn’t need to understand the circumstances or wait for an explanation.

The old accusation would be enough to make them question him, and perhaps even hate him before knowing what had happened.

The plan had also spread into the campaigns.

It had made Felix consider using his own scheme to damage the reputations of Prince Charles Aethelmont, Willow Derlis and, most importantly, Vera Ashenlocke.

Of course...

All those plans had fallen apart after Ezra’s speech.

Although...

Whether it had completely cancelled out the Third Party’s main plan concerning him was another matter Ezra kept in mind.

He couldn’t be certain that everything had ended simply because the students’ attitudes had changed.

The speech had dealt with the immediate situation, but the narrative the Third Party wanted to create was a different matter.

It was something that could remain in people’s minds long after the election had ended.

Ezra wasn’t going to assume that one successful speech had settled everything.

"Ahhh..."

Cyrus stretched both arms above his head, letting out a satisfied breath before dropping them to his sides.

"This whole election is finally done for me."

He said lazily.

The tension surrounding the campaigns had lasted for days.

Even students who weren’t directly involved had been caught up in the arguments, speeches and constant discussions.

Now that the voting was over for them, Cyrus seemed more than happy to leave the whole matter behind.

"Master, who did you vote for?"

Lucy asked curiously.

"I voted for Willow."

Ezra replied plainly.

"Master."

Lucy placed her right hand over her mouth, looking shocked.

"What if Lady Vera finds out?"

She asked.

"Yeah, Ezra. What if your Lady finds out?"

Cyrus winked at Ezra teasingly.

He seemed to find the question amusing, especially considering how close Ezra was to Vera. Lucy’s reaction had only made it more interesting for him.

"She already knows."

Ezra replied straightforwardly.

There was no reason to hide something Vera already knew.

He had made his choice, and it wasn’t as though she would be surprised by it.

Although, the possibility of her looking for his trouble because of it was high.

Not that Ezra cared.

"Well, I voted for Vera, if you all must know."

Cyrus said calmly.

"I also voted for Vera."

Diane said lightly.

She was now resting her head on Hermione’s shoulder.

Hermione looked down at her Lady.

"My Lady, you were supposed to vote for Lady Willow."

She said, not even sounding surprised.

"Ehnn... why, though?"

Diane asked.

"Lady Vera told you to vote for Lady Willow since she’s more interested in the position than her."

Hermione replied helplessly.

"Oh..."

Diane responded with a sense of simple realization.

She didn’t seem particularly troubled by the correction.

Her light-blue eyes remained half-lidded as she continued resting against Hermione, apparently satisfied with the choice she had made.

"At least, the people you said support me would still vote for Willow."

She said plainly.

"Ahh..."

Hermione sighed lightly.

There wasn’t much else she could say.

Her Lady had already voted, and trying to make her reconsider it now would be pointless.

Lucy looked between them, still seeming a little surprised by the different choices.

Ezra, on the other hand, didn’t appear concerned.

Everyone had made their own decision.

There was no need for him to question theirs.

"Lucy, I’m going to the workshop."

Ezra said plainly.

"Okay, Master. I will come pick you up at the normal time."

Lucy replied with a simple smile.

"I’m also going to the workshop, too. Can’t continue to hold off on my work anymore."

Cyrus said calmly.

He walked closer to Ezra, making it clear that he intended to accompany him.

"Alright then. Let me go drop you two."

Lucy said calmly.

She lowered her head to greet Diane goodbye and waved at Hermione before leaving with the two boys.

The three of them made their way away from the assembly ground.

The election had occupied much of the students’ attention, but Ezra had other things to finish.

He had already spent enough time dealing with the situation surrounding the candidates.

Now that his part was over, he could return to his work.

Like that...

Ezra went to the workshop to complete Lucy’s dual Katanas.

Meanwhile, Cyrus began working on the automated toy steam vehicle he had planned to create.

The two boys settled into their respective work in different private workshops.

Ezra had already made considerable progress on Lucy’s weapons.

Most of the work had been completed before this point, so he only needed to finish the remaining parts and make sure everything was properly assembled.

He worked without wasting time.

The Katanas weren’t being made for his own use.

Their design had to suit Lucy, not his personal taste.

That meant he had to consider what would be appropriate for her rather than simply following what he would have preferred in a weapon.

Once the final work was done, Ezra examined the pair.

He checked their construction and tested their performance, paying attention to whether they would be suitable for Lucy to handle.

There was no point in handing over a weapon without making sure it could serve its purpose.

He continued with the tests, making the necessary adjustments to the finished creation.

It didn’t take him too much time.

Before an hour had passed, the work was complete.

The moment Ezra finished the Katanas, he began considering what he could work on next.

Now that Lucy’s weapons were done, he could return to the progress he had made with his Alchemy Systems.

He brought his attention to the work he had previously set aside.

There were still things he needed to test, particularly the progress of his Alchemy Systems and the design of the automated program he intended to integrate into the Drones he was planning to make.

The automated system was an important part of the project.

The Drones would need to perform their intended functions without requiring him to control every movement manually.

He still had work to do before reaching that point.

For now, he focused on testing what he had already developed while continuing with the design of the program.

In another workshop nearby...Cyrus was occupied with his own creation.

The automated toy steam vehicle was something he had been planning for a while.

He had already considered the idea of making a miniature vehicle that could perform actions through a controller, allowing it to function like an actual vehicle on a smaller scale.

Now, he was finally putting that idea into practice.

Both boys continued working.

Both workshops remained occupied with the quiet sounds of their activities, while the hours passed without either of them paying much attention to the time.

By then, the election had finally wrapped up.

Like Ezra had already expected...

The First-Year General Representative position ended up going to Willow Derlis, who received the most votes.

Even though Vera had publicly declared her support for Willow, she still finished second in the voting rankings.

For the First-Years, this wasn’t much of a surprise.

At least, not to those who had already sensed the shift during the campaign period.

Vera’s support, along with her public declaration that she would vote for Willow, had played a major part in securing Willow’s position.

Many students might not even have noticed how much influence that decision had carried.

But those who understood the situation knew.

They knew because of what had happened when Prince Tristin and the others tried to use the history of the Derlis family’s sins to attack Willow.

The attempt had made their actions appear desperate.

It was exactly how those students had come to view it.

But that was mainly because Vera had publicly given her support to Willow.

Her declaration had changed the way many students looked at the situation.

Instead of seeing Willow as someone who could be easily pressured through her family’s history, they had a clear indication of whom Vera herself intended to support.

And that mattered.

The Lady of Ash wasn’t someone whose decisions could simply be ignored by her followers.

Her support carried weight, especially among the students who trusted her judgement.

Now...

The true question was...

What if Vera had never done that?

It was a question that couldn’t be answered easily.

No one could truly know why Vera had decided not to pursue the position more seriously.

Whether it was because she didn’t care about winning or because she had some other reason, only she could know for certain.

The students could speculate, but there was no clear answer for them to hold on to.

The only thing many could at least understand was this:

If there was anyone the Lady of Ash wanted to support in the election, then it would actually be Lady Willow Derlis.

And that was exactly what had happened.

As for the Second-Year General Representative...

The winner was quite shocking, especially to the First-Years, who hadn’t followed much of what had happened during their seniors’ campaign wars.

Most of them only knew the names of the strongest contenders.

Clive Morgan.

Princess Victoria Aethelmont.

Cassian Evermont.

Preston Sailor.

And Louis Evergrey.

Those were the names that had stood out during the campaign.

However, within the period leading up to Election Day, a major turn had occurred.

Princess Victoria Aethelmont had managed to gain the loyalty of the Royal Crest Faction members, the Ivory Circle and the Grand Crucible Faction members.

With the support of those three groups, she should have been the solid winner.

Her position had become difficult for the other candidates to challenge.

Except...

Louis Evergrey had made an agreement with Drax Drakes, the head of the Iron Vanguard, as well as Clive Morgan, the faction’s vice head.

Through that agreement, the Second-Year members of the Iron Vanguard, along with the members of the Crowned Order, had aligned themselves with Louis’s bid for the position.

It was a considerable amount of support.

Still, even that level of backing wasn’t enough to help Louis win.

Not at first.

Until the incident that occurred during the First-Years’ own campaign wars.

The support behind the Princess had reduced noticeably.

With members of the Royal Crest Faction dividing their votes between the candidates, the Princess lost a portion of the backing she had gathered.

The Royal Blue Faction members also became part of the shift, with some of their votes going towards Louis.

The change in support had been enough to alter the outcome of the Second-Year election.

The results shocked many students from all the year groups.

For the First-Years, the result was especially unexpected.

They hadn’t followed the details of their seniors’ campaign arrangements closely, and the names involved in the Second-Year election hadn’t been their main concern.

But to one student...

It was a realization of connections.

The events that had seemed separate were beginning to make sense.

The campaign agreements.

The sudden changes in support.

The incident within the First-Years’ election.

And the way the results had shifted afterwards.

To him...

The dots were finally aligned.

Ezra had finally realized who the Third Party was.