The Villainess Who Was Dumped Got Married into My Family, a Mob Noble from the Frontier, and Turns Out, She's an Amazing Capable Wife? - Chapter 73: "The Bloody Student Council" and Other Nonsensical Things

Chapter 73: “The Bloody Student Council” and Other Nonsensical Things

At a nomination ceremony where Castor died embarrassingly in a duel, it had somehow become whispered among the students as the “Bloody Nomination Ceremony”.

Because of this, we are now called the “Bloody First Year Student Council”.

Why the term ‘bloody’ though, when there was no blood at all?

It’s puzzling.

In everyone’s memory, for some reason, it is believed that Castor was decapitated with a splash of blood, and his remaining body twitched and threw filth around.

But it was actually the spectators around him who scattered the mess. Did someone start this embarrassing rumor to overwrite what really happened?

The student council, instead of advocating to ban duels, announced that any future petitions would involve a duel overseen by the student council, as long as it was justified.

If it’s not justified and someone is being unreasonable, they must be prepared to risk death by challenging a duel.

“―Hey there, ‘Blood Hound’ and ‘Blood Progeny’.”

Edward said, wearing a mask as he greeted Mariana and me in the student council room after school.

“Please stop calling us that…”

“But it’s cool! And I am the ‘Blood Mask’.” 

Edward posed stylishly, to which Mariana sighed.

Despite previous jokes about his silliness, it seemed he was serious now. 

The reason for the mask was obvious—Mariana felt nauseous every time she saw Edward’s face. 

For Edward, Mariana was a lifesaver, so he wore the mask without hesitation. 

I wondered if that was really okay, but he seemed happy calling himself the “Blood Mask,” so I decided not to comment any further.

“The ‘Blood Mask’ is just a disguise, when I take it off, I am the ‘Blood Royalty’!”

“Yeah, yeah, very cool, isn’t it?”

Mariana replied casually, brushing it off smoothly.

Alicia was already there, sitting and sipping coffee while checking documents, so Mariana chose to ignore Edward’s antics and sat next to her.

“Alicia, what are you up to?”

“We’re starting the Sage’s Festival soon, so I’m allocating budgets for each class. We have to distribute funds based on the activities to avoid waste.”

Alicia explained, the very picture of seriousness beside Edward, who was still playing around with his mask and titles.

As expected of her.

Her own title, bestowed by Edward, is the “Blood Empress,” apparently because she tames the ‘Blood Hound’.

I don’t argue with Edward’s silly titles because it’s just easier to let him do his thing.

The ‘Blood Hound’ he refers to is me, and I’d supposedly turn into a “Blood Barbarian” if I take off the collar Alicia gave me last time—whatever that means.

“Ragna, the Sage’s Festival involves students competing in magic; are you participating? If you do, you’d probably win.”

“No, I’m not interested.”

For me, a student-run magic tournament isn’t worthwhile. 

It’s more fun to manage the food stalls under the guise of ‘supervision’ and swipe some snacks. 

Plus, it means free food and an opportunity to casually date Alicia around the campus—no time for battles, right?

“That’s right, ‘Empress’. The ‘Barbarian’ doesn’t really fit in with the student division.”

Edward smoothly joined the conversation.

“Shouldn’t he be called ‘Blood Hound’ when he wears the collar, Your Highness?”

“Here, I prefer ‘Mask’. I know the true identity behind ‘Hound’ is ‘Barbarian’, so it’s fine to call him that. And drop the formalities. Actually, in the hierarchy of our ‘Bloody Student Council’, the ‘Empress’ who commands the ‘Barbarian’ is at the top. I should be the one showing respect.”

“Alright, I get it, no formalities.”

Alicia said, ignoring Edward who was making a show of deference, and went back to her paperwork.

In a nutshell, Edward was being a pain.

He was really more of a ‘Silly Fool’ at this point.

A fool who happens to sit across Alicia.

“And ‘Empress’…”

“…”

“Alicia?”

“What is it?”

“The student division is just a game after all. I, the lowest in rank here, will participate in that. Let ‘Barbarian’ compete in the general division with royal court magicians and knights.”

What? He’s decided for me?

Not just suggesting but declaring I’m participating?

“Edward, can you not decide things on your own?”

“It’s not really on my own. I recommended you to the student council for this very reason.”

Edward spoke, sipping his tea gracefully.

“I was originally planned to compete in the general division. Including sophomores and seniors, I’m confident I’m among the strongest. I wanted to prove my skills and show that there are always greater powers, just as my father and mother have taught me!”

Edward stood up and let his cape flutter dramatically.

I don’t really know why he wears a cape, but he insists that a mask must come with a cape.

“But then! Why should I settle when there are stronger ones out there? I’ll take on the student division, and let ‘Barbarian’ scatter the weaker magicians in the general and make a name for himself in the capital!”

“…Hold on a minute.”

Alicia interrupted him as he spoke confidently.

“What do you mean by saying you recommended him to the student council?”

“Exactly, I recommended him! I owe him my life. I can’t let my name be tarnished by doing nothing in return.”

Edward puffed out his chest and said.

“Unfortunately, due to my past selfish acts, my place in the line of succession is at the very bottom, even below a baby. I can’t offer much in the way of thanks, but I can try to help change the tarnished image of the ‘Brave’ area!”

“Haa…”

Alicia sighed and rubbed her forehead, tired of his antics.

Honestly, it wasn’t because Edward forcefully recommended me that Castor got excluded. He simply had bad grades.

It was indeed because of Edward’s recommendation that I got involved in this mess, but what’s done is done.

“Can you please stop making decisions on your own? Also, I refuse to participate in the general division. Since students from other countries will be coming, our job as the student council is to make sure there are no issues.”

“Aw, but I wanted to show off our ‘Barbarian’s’ strength…”

“There’s a hierarchy in your so-called ‘Bloody Student Council’, right?”

“Yes! I claim to be at the bottom when I wear the mask, and at the top when I take it off!”

“Then follow my lead as the ‘Empress’.”

“As you wish…” 

Edward quickly agreed when hierarchy was mentioned. 

He was a handful, but it seemed playing along with his role-play made him easier to manage.

“For now, go and issue an immediate disband order for all the gatherings listed on this paper. That’s your first task as ‘Mask’.”

“Understood! Hmm, this daily tea party is getting way too much money, way beyond what students should be spending. People should be paying for their private fun out of their own pockets… I’ll put an end to it in the name of the ‘Bloody’!”

With that, Edward left the student council room, his cape flying behind him.

“Alicia, what’s a tea party?”

“A tea party is where nobles gather to enjoy tea, usually after school. They chat and hang out together– that’s what it is.”

“Fuee! And the school pays for it?”

Mariana was surprised.

Honestly, if I weren’t a noble, I would have thought this was a strange world too.

But in noble society, it’s important to make connections from when you’re a student, so it’s not necessarily a bad thing. The real issue is how the money is spent.

Thanks to Vorsea’s arrangements, both the regular class nobles and anyone else can easily host tea parties because the school pays for the tea and snacks. However, the special class gets about a hundred times more funds than the general class.

“It’s important to maintain a lavish image to keep up appearances, and it’s okay to do what you want, but it’s not good that the regular class is losing out.”

Edward is right that you should pay for such things with your own money instead of being stingy.

In the game, target characters would give gifts to the protagonist who didn’t have much money, but surely not with the school’s funds.

The main character was the type who didn’t like accepting expensive gifts probably because they were thrifty by nature. Mariana was generally a saver too, which fits her character, though just barely.

“Why is it like this…?”

“Power works that way. Even if the headmaster tries to ensure equality among students, it doesn’t mean much. Teachers can be influenced to do almost anything. Also Ragna, look at this.”

Alicia handed over a piece of paper.

It listed where the tea and snacks were bought from.

“Every purchase goes through companies influenced by the Ignite and Pentagram families. The money spent is supposed to be public funds, but this is just too blatant.”

“Uwaa.”

It was like they were sucking the public funds dry.

“The Ignite family’s son went to study abroad right after it became clear that Castor couldn’t join the student council before summer. Maybe they realized they couldn’t hide it anymore? Well, it doesn’t matter now since both aren’t here anyway.”

Alicia finished talking as she sipped her coffee.

It really seemed like Castor had tried everything to cover up a mess– even risking his life. 

Solving such backdoor financial issues was supposed to be part of Castor’s storyline, but things in this world have changed a lot from the game, so it’s hard to say now. Unfortunately, Castor is no longer here to tell us the truth.

“Alicia, if the quality of the tea parties suddenly changes, won’t we face opposition from the nobles?”

“For those types, we have that silly ‘Mask’. I don’t know what game he’s playing, but if he listens to us, he can be a big help. He’s no longer the crown prince, but to those nobles who just want to enjoy the perks without thinking, he’ll still be influential.”

“Fuhee, you’ve thought this through, Alicia, impressive!”

“Of course! Alicia is currently the fastest at paperwork in the Brave family, if you don’t count Sebas!”

“There’s no such ranking in the Brave family. Whoever can, does the work.”

“That’s true.”

Alicia really gets it.

“If anyone really tries to cause trouble, I can handle them, so no worries.”

“It’s my job to make sure it doesn’t get to that point… really… So, Ragna, back to our discussion, what about participating in the general division?”

“Huh? Aren’t I not participating?”

“I refused because I don’t want Edward doing as he pleases, but if you really want to participate, I think it’s fine.”

“Hmm, can I even participate?”

“That, I don’t know.”

I don’t remember any of my family who have passed away ever participating in such events. 

Maybe the Brave family isn’t really meant to be in these kinds of events?

Edward has been saying a lot, but realistically, it’s unlikely that the higher-ups would allow it.

“Let’s just ignore the nonsense spouted by the foolish baldy.”

I mean, if he insists, he’d probably end up getting thrashed anyway.

He’s strong, sure, but I doubt he can win against those who can use magic without chanting.

“Alicia, what should we do with the extra money?”

“We’ll just distribute it evenly…? Mariana, you can’t just decide to start offering coffee on campus with the extra funds. Just use the supplies we bring from home.”

“But, I really want to have a quick drink during break time…”

“That’s not a good reason; just avoid it.”

I think bringing iced coffee in a flask might work, but it would still stand out because of the smell, so it wouldn’t really solve the problem.

“But but but, I think coffee is perfect for staying focused on studies! One cup in the morning, one at noon, and a sweet milk coffee for a tired evening!”

“If that’s the case, it would be better to make all students run laps around the school after class to tire them out. Even the headmaster would be happier turning all students into soldiers for the magic academy.”

“You guys, seriously, that would be overstepping our bounds.”

TLN:
Their titles should be something like “Bloody” or “Blood-stained,” but I prefer to go with just “Blood.”

Also, Ragna’s other title is actually “Brave Barbarian,” but it didn’t fit well with the rest, so for now, just “Barbarian.”