[V4C13] Thus the Representative Was Decided
Translated by Jodas 4: Flying Through the SkyThe only sound echoing through the silent classroom was the beautiful song of a Harpy disguised as a human.
The song was in an ancient language, yet accompanied with a strange and enthralling resonance that shook the heart of any who heard it… However, it was dreadfully out of place in what was supposed to be a conference to determine who would be their representative.
Regardless of the concerns of the humans around her, Tia joyfully kept singing.
Yet someone had to rain on her parade. That someone was a serious, glasses-wearing girl: Ella Frank.
“Um, Tia…”
“Piyo? What’s up?”
Tia tilted her head from side to side as Ella spoke to her with a serious expression.
“Let’s keep the songs to ourselves for now, okay?”
“I’m not allowed to sing?”
“You’re not.”
Oh, so it’s not allowed. Tia moped, but she closed her mouth regardless.
Depending on who tried to tell her something like that, she would usually bristle at the idea and keep asking ‘Why? Why can’t I?’ but with Ella, she didn’t really feel motivated to fight back.
Probably because if made her feel bad when Ella, who was always so kind and diligent, looked troubled like that.
Tia’s song had silenced Sevil, Julius, and Roswitha who had been clashing with each other to campaign for themselves, and Ella had silenced Tia’s song.
As the classroom fell into complete silence, Ella continued to speak.
“… Everyone, while I’m sure you all have your own opinions, we should try to make a decision on who our representative is now. If we don’t, we’ll waste a whole week instead of making progress on the magic battle. That said…”
Ella made a mature face and turned towards Julius.
“Could you stop bringing up all this stuff about factions?”
“Kuku, is it not natural to form factions when determining the leader of a group?”
“Surely you understand that, due to Modern Magecraft being normalized these days, the Modern School will always be at an advantage among the Apprentices.”
Julius’ mouth was smiling. Yet for some reason Tia felt like the rest of his face was not.
His snakelike eyes drifted towards Roswitha.
“… Even though the Classical School is expanding its influence among the upper echelons of the Wedge Tower?”
He spoke in a low voice so chilling it could send shivers down your spine.
But Ella did not falter. She clasped her hands in front of her chest and then turned to face Roswitha.
“And, Roswi.”
“W- What…?”
“Always attacking Julius over the treatment of spirits is a bad habit of yours and I think you should stop. Depending on the style, the Classical School controls spirits as well, don’t they?”
“Eugh.”
“While it is undoubtedly true that Modern Magecraft has many more techniques that rely on the power of spirits, and I’m sure you have complaints about that, I think it’s irresponsible to blame Julius for all of that.”
Roswitha, who always acted so proud, shrunk a little under the pressure. Like a little sister getting scolded by her big sister that almost never gets angry.
(Right, I forgot that Ella and Roswitha were roommates…)
She wasn’t sure how they usually interacted with each other in their room, but Tia at least got the sense that they didn’t hate each other.
Ella was a smart person. Her words were different from other arguments that relied too much on logic or emotion while lacking the other.
She took the other person’s feelings into consideration, and then introduced a reasoned argument on top of that. That was what allowed her words to dig deep into the other person’s heart.
When Roswitha dipped her head in defeat, Ella slowly raised her face and looked around the room.
Then, with her usual timid expression, she spoke in a reserved tone.
“… So, that said, I think we should try to discuss who are representative should be, starting from square one… is that… okay?”
“Indeed. In that case, may I make a suggestion?”
Sevil smiled like she was enjoying herself for some reason.
“S- sure, go ahead…” Once Ella left the floor to her, Sevil declared in a tremendous, booming voice.
“I nominate Ella Frank to be our representative!”
Ella’s eyes widened behind her glasses. “Eh!?” She shouted as she fell back into her chair. Her face was completely pale.
Tia asked with a chirp:
“Piyo? Sevil, didn’t you want to be representative?”
“I nominated her because I believe Ella would be better suited for the role.”
“… Sounds like a good idea to me.”
Rukiye muttered under her breath.
While Rukiye wanted nothing to do with discussions like this, her ‘good idea to me,’ sounded not like she was just trying to get it over with, but like she actually agreed.
“You need a certain amount of knowledge about magic to get through Julius or Roswitha’s thick skulls. And on top of that, someone who won’t keep making a fuss about factions. Think of it that way, and Ella’s the best choice.”
“I also think Ella is a good idea… Ella’s nice, and she doesn’t act tough…”
Sophie quietly mumbled her words of agreement, prompting Roswitha to glare at her.
“Are you saying I act tough?”
“Eek! ….Do- Don’t stare at me like that…”
Ella would become the Apprentices’ representative. Tia thought that wasn’t such a bad idea.
While she wasn’t reliable in the same way Sevil was, Ella was the kind of person who could say when something wasn’t allowed.
Oliver, Rose, Gerald, and Finn all gave off the impression that they thought Ella was a good choice as well.
However, the Ella in question sat there with all of the color drained from her face.
“I - I can’t!”
Ella’s eyes swirled behind her glasses.
Her eyebrows drew together and she looked like she was about to break out in tears.
“I can’t even use magic at all…… How am I supposed to be representative……”
“Huh? Why would that matter?”
Wren spoke in a light, casual tone.
At a time like this, Wren made sure not to stick with a light tone of voice to keep the atmosphere in the room from worsening.
“If we were supposed to pick the guy who’s the best at magic to be our representative, then Director Hegelich would have had us do a practical test ages ago. That’s just not what being a representative is about, though.”
Saying that, Wren closed one eye and tipped his shoulder.
“Well, that said, I can’t just not use magic — I don’t know a thing about it, and I’ve got the lowest mana, you know? I’m a pretty boy, though. Regardless, no one ever said a guy like that can’t be representative?”
Ella still seemed to be unsure.
At that point, Tia heard Wren whisper “Almost there, just one more push.”
(Wren is doing the smart pretty boy thing!)
Wren, acting as naturally as he could, looked at Sevil and winked at her.
(Oh, this must be the signal!)
“But you know, I was surprised. I didn’t think you’d back down on becoming representative like that, Sevil.”
Oh, so Wren was letting Sevil make the last push.
Sevil nodded to his suggestion.
“It’s simple, really. Neither Julius nor Roswitha would be willing to rely on me, would they? Nothing good comes of someone who can’t rely on others standing in a position of authority.”
Then Sevil pounded on her own chest.
“And therefore you should feel free to rely on me to your heart’s desire, Ella! I love being relied on!”
Ella’s expression softened somewhat.
Both Roswitha and Julius, who had been at each other’s throats, swallowed their gripes.
“Well, as long as it’s Ella….”
“Kuku, Very intriguing. I have no choice but to withdraw.”
Both Roswitha and Julius must have been thinking ‘It’s better than that person being representative.’
And just to hammer it home, Rose and Oliver added their input.
“Ella, we’re counting on you! I’m the oldest but I’m not good at getting people organized!”
“I’d prefer to focus on my own training. I don’t have time to do this job. So please, we’re counting on you.”
Counted on by Rose and Oliver, the oldest ones in the room, Ella’s expression became even more conflicted.
But without missing a beat, Rukiye cut in.
“With Ella as our representative, I’d like to make an additional suggestion. I think Wren should act as an assistant representative.”
“Me?”
With wide eyes, Wren pointed at himself. Rukiye spoke to him flatly.
“You’re always paying attention to everyone in the classroom, and whether they’re older or younger, you approach them without fear. You’re a good talker, and with you delivering messages to the boy’s dorm, Ella’s workload will decrease.”
Rukiye was right. The main job of the representative was to act as a messenger between the Instructors and the Apprentices.
If Wren took responsibility for delivering those messages to the boys, then Ella’s workload would decrease dramatically.
Gerald, silent as he was, muttered his thoughts.
“… I think it’s a good idea. I have no objections.”
“M- Me too…”
Gerald and Finn agreed with Rukiye’s suggestion.
Wren paused to look like he was thinking for a bit, then looked at Ella.
“I don’t mind, but… What’ll you do, Ella?”
Ella did not refuse it any more.
There was a lot about it that made her feel uncertain. Nevertheless, she swallowed her concerns.
“I’ll… do it. I’ll take it on, under those conditions. Wren, I’ll let you have the dessert privileges, so I’m counting on you to assist me.”
She’d let him have the dessert privileges. That one line prompted Wren to discretely pump his fist with a whispered “Hell yeah!”
“You’ve got a good eye. Alright, I’ll be the best pretty boy assistant you can imagine!”
Ella would be the representative, and Wren would be the assistant representative.
Neither of them could use any flashy magic, but they had a strange confidence about them that made the others feel like everything would work out with these two leading them.
Tia’s amber eyes scanned across her peers.
(Humans like to create roles for themselves…)
For Harpies, there were adults and children, males and females, Harpies and everything else. — And that was the extent of the categories they cared about.
However, humans made much more granular categories, and fit themselves and everyone else in them. Whether it was factions, ideologies, or places of birth… there surely were many, many more she hadn’t heard of yet.
While it all felt like a waste of time to Tia, it seemed to be something necessary for humans to understand who they were — where they belonged.
(…After all, humans want to be something.)
Wanting to be rich. To be powerful. To become a skilled mage. — Humans are never satisfied by their current selves, always wanting to be something else.
Now, Ella has become the Apprentices’ representative, and Wren has become her assistant.
They discussed as a group and chose people to be leaders or do jobs. And with that comes titles. — Perhaps it was the culmination of moments like these that make a human who they are.
The Harpy, watching the group decide a representative from one step away, thought quietly to herself.
(This must also have been one of Mr. Hütter’s assignments. After all, Mr. Hütter is listening in from the room next door.)
Tia had no trouble hearing the voice of a man suppressing his laughter from the other side of the wall.