Chapter 123
"Therefore, the Student Council is banned from drinking from now on!"
The booing gazes of the Student Council members poured in.
"What? Why are your reactions like that?"
Pastel declared confidently.
"If you have any complaints, say it with words!"
Melissa subtly raised a hand.
"Isn't that excessive meddling? No matter if it's you, Pastel, I think a prohibition on alcohol is too much. Looking through the history of the Empire, prohibition has been implemented a few times, but it was never effective. If wine is left out of Nobles' banquets, it becomes quite difficult due to banquet customs."
Ugh.
"Even you, Melissa!"
Pastel flailed both arms.
"Sense of betrayal! Sense of betrayal!"
These alcoholics!
Just how much wine have they been drinking instead of water since they were young to not have a single ounce of guilt!
Despair as the only good being here.
"It might be excessive, but I can see how you could feel it as a betrayal. However, as a friend, I have to say what needs to be said."
Melissa readily admitted and pointed at Alcier.
"Right now, Bellamont here doesn't experience the problems you're worried about. Semi-Knight Level isn't a light modifier, after all. Right, Bellamont?"
"Yeah."
"What did you say?"
Pfft~!
Having found an opening, Pastel smiled slyly.
"Did you guys know? During the auction banquet, Alcier drank a few glasses of wine, got drunk, and greeted a rolling Stone Friend?"
To greet an inanimate object!
So like an idiot!
Idiot, idiot!
Ahaha!
Melissa tilted her head.
"Bellamont, were you the type of person to do such things with a clear mind? I thought only unique people like Pastel did that."
"I was drunk. When savoring wine, you have to savor the natural process as well. There's no need to resist."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah."
Hearing the cute conversation between the children of Great Nobles, Pastel's Pink Eyes sparkled.
"Wait! Alcier just made a statement that sounds exactly like an alcohol addict!"
To openly confess a drinking preference that the good Pastel couldn't even imagine.
"Can you still say a drinking ban is unnecessary? There's an addict right in front of our noses! You can clearly see that the realm of mastery isn't what's important!"
The silver-haired girl looked bewildered.
"In The North, it's actually impolite if you don't get drunk. I don't know about here, though."
"That is true."
Melissa defended Alcier.
"I heard there's a culture like that because the Northern Mountains are barbaric. It's not that Bellamont has a hobby of drinking, but rather that barbarism is ingrained in her body under the name of manners."
Alcier stared blankly at Melissa.
At the intense gaze, Melissa felt puzzled.
"What's wrong?"
"Why do you think?"
"Is this a quiz?"
Pastel thought for a moment.
"There's a culture like that?"
Then she made an X shape with both arms.
"No! No! Still no! This is Pastel's Territory! If you come to my territory, follow my rules!"
"Since when was Sky Island Pastel's Territory?"
"Because Sky Island is mine now!"
The sole Person in Power!
Yeah, yeah!
"You're not even hiding your greed anymore."
Pfft, pfft.
"Anyone have complaints about this Pastel~!"
Pastel looked around at the Student Council personnel while Hopping.
"There's no one!"
Oh yeah!
"Anyway, Alcier's words just now were an incredible statement that rings the bell of alarm! We have to ban it before she evolves into a super ultra addict!"
Melissa thought for a moment.
"That is true. Bellamont's statement was a bit excessive. Then how about this? We only ban Bellamont."
"Huh?"
Alcier looked at Melissa again.
"Wouldn't it be good to take pinpoint measures only on the person with the problem so there's no backlash? If the effect is good, we can expand it further. I respect your will, Pastel, but sometimes it's also important not to rush."
"That's."
Pastel seemed somewhat persuaded.
"That might be right."
Melissa smiled softly.
"We have plenty of time. Let's take it step by step together, Senior Pastel."
Gasp.
The sweet-sounding Senior Pastel.
The 1st place in the Friend Ranking is abusing her ranking!
Somehow, a sense of responsibility to set an example was bursting out!
Pastel raised her chin and went Ahem! Ahem!
"Since you put it that way, it can't be helped! The drinking ban will only be implemented on Alcier! Let's decide gradually whether to increase the number of applied personnel after seeing the results!"
When the content Pastel abruptly declared while working came to a good conclusion, everyone scattered back to their seats.
"What about my opinion...?"
Alcier stood there blankly.
#
"Pastel, a moment."
Ellie approached and pointed to the Corridor.
"Huh?"
Pastel looked around at the kids working and quietly stood up. She followed Ellie out into the Corridor.
Moving to the Secret Room near the Student Council Room, Ellie meticulously closed the door mixed with a Magic Circle to create a special Soundproofing state.
Perhaps because the Student Council was just a pure student council, there was no usable Secret Room, so it was a space Pastel herself had prepared after the normalization of the Academy.
Pastel entered a state of 'Huh?'.
Huh?
Why come here.
"Did a Traitor appear among the Student Council Members?"
At that question, Ellie paused.
Her trembling eyes turned toward Pastel.
"Why are you suddenly asking that? Are you investigating someone again?"
"No! I was just asking."
I was wondering what kind of massive issue it was that we had to come all the way to a Secret Room.
A suspicious gaze came my way.
Pastel was on the verge of feeling wronged.
What did I even do!
Ellie looked at her in a Complex and Subtle manner before opening the bag she brought. A fishy smell wafted out softly.
Something with a fishy smell being taken out in a Secret Room?
A bloody scene flowed through my mind.
Uh-oh.
These kinds of matters are the Hormone Friend's specialty.
More than that, just how gruesome of a thing did Ellie bring that she's taking it out in a place where others can't see?
Pastel's face stiffened even before looking. She gulped dry saliva.
Ellie put both hands into the bag and took out the contents.
Something with a blue back and a streamlined body.
It was a mackerel.
Flap, flap.
Pastel blanked out.
Why a mackerel.
Ellie untied a small note tied to the Sky Mackerel's body. The information brought by the messenger fish unfolded.
"As expected, it's bad news. With the Railroad Construction Rights that the Demon Realm rightfully should own falling into Kraft's hands, the backlash within our Faction is quite significant. Even if I say I'll take responsibility, perhaps because I'm not in the Demon Realm, the persuasion isn't working well."
Pastel met the gaze of the fish's eyes. The mackerel stared and then gaped its mouth.
Gape, gape.
It smelled fishy.
Eww.
"Why a mackerel? Ellie, you might not know, but it's been a long time since I became sworn enemies with the Mackerel Clan! The bad mackerels that hit me every time we met! Until they all go into my stomach, there's no such thing as reconciliation!"
Tonight's dinner is mackerel pie!
"I suppose so."
Ellie muttered with a somewhat dark complexion.
Gasp.
Pastel snapped out of her own world. She retraced her steps to see if she had made some line-crossing remark, but was relieved to find it didn't seem to be at the level of crossing the line.
"I'm talking about the mackerel! The mackerel! Sorry if you misunderstood! By the way, is the opposition from the Moderate Faction worse than expected? Enough to ignore the Princess's will?"
Ellie looked troubled.
"Even if I'm a Princess, it's just a status. Considering the Demon King tradition that doesn't care about bloodlines, I don't really have legitimacy either."
That would be true.
Regardless of bloodline, isn't it a structure where all power is taken by a Demon King who suddenly appears?
"Still, there are many who respect me, but it can't be helped that my voice weakens when I'm not in the Demon Realm. The symbolism of Kraft is too strong."
"Then it can't be helped! You don't have to worry! Pastel is a business genius! I can handle it on my own even without the Moderate Faction's agreement!"
Ellie looked puzzled.
"How will you do that? The various fields essential for Railway Construction are already occupied by our Moderate Faction. Without our agreement, even with the construction rights, you can't construct the railway. After constructing the railway is also a problem. Originally, we planned to operate it as the United Kingdom's Military Railroad to earn profits, but that won't work either."
Gasp.
Now that I hear it, it's a problem the idiot-idiot Pastel can't solve.
"Uwaaah!"
Pastel grabbed her head.
"Ancestors! Why did you live like that!"
Just how many Misdeeds did you commit that the Princess can't even persuade the Moderate Faction!
"Tell me about it. They should have lived a bit more like humans."
Ellie said bluntly and then pondered.
"Isn't there something, something. If the Railway Project is halted like this, only the Radical Faction's voice will grow stronger."
Radical Faction.
Terrorism boom boom.
"That won't do!"
Pastel pondered together with her.
The Sky Mackerel flapped.
Fishy smell.
Ellie muttered.
"It would be easy if we could at least find the Next Demon King. No matter how much Kraft is involved, there wouldn't be any Demonkind who wouldn't respect the Demon King's first directive."
Pastel paused.
She subtly looked at Ellie. It seemed Ellie was also turning her gaze, so their eyes met.
Ellie's eyes shone with a strange light.
"Come to think of it, if you cooperate, we can search more extensively now. They weren't in the Academy, but perhaps they might be on Sky Island. What do you think?"
"Well."
Pastel put on an ambiguous expression.
"True, the possibility is small. The Empire must have thoroughly checked within the Empire's territory. The Prophesied Demon King might have died during the Infant Massacre."
Ellie let out a small sigh.
"Well, still, I suppose it's better than the conspiracy theory that the Empire has already found the Demon King, put them in Confinement, and is preparing a scheme for the Manipulation of the Demon Realm. Sometimes the Culprit in that theory is Kraft instead of the Empire, but it's a bit funny to actually say it in front of you."
Pastel still had an ambiguous expression.
Ellie paused.
Silence flowed.
The Demonkind girl's eyes gradually trembled.
Pastel smiled softly.
"I do already know."
Doesn't the Manipulation of the Demon Realm sound fun?
"Ah?"
Ellie blanked out.
And then her body trembled as she unconsciously checked for an Escape route.
But this is a Secret Room.