Chapter 328: Karma (XLVI)

I was indeed surprised, but my expression didn’t change at all, except for the little surprise in my eyes, which told her: ’Why are you asking me this?’.

I met her gaze directly, the faint shimmer of golden light in her pupils betraying that her Authority was still active.

“…No,” I said simply.

The moment it passed between us, the room rippled faintly with divine energy as her Authority confirmed it as truth.

Themis blinked once, clearly caught off guard by how easily the verification settled.

Then she exhaled softly, relaxing her shoulders.

“…Alright,” she murmured.

“I had to ask. It’s part of the protocol.”

I tilted my head slightly, feigning curiosity.

“Protocol?”

She nodded, her expression growing serious again.

“The Headmistress personally ordered us to question every single applicant for the Student Council,” she explained.

Her fingers tapped lightly on the polished desk, each sound echoing through the quiet room.

“She believes the Fallen God is hiding among the students. Somewhere within the academy.”

I stayed silent, letting my brows furrow just slightly, enough to look thoughtful, not suspicious.

“The Fallen God?” I repeated in a low tone.

“That’s… quite serious.”

“Yes,” Themis leaned forward again, her eyes narrowing faintly.

“You must understand that this academy isn’t just a school. It’s one of the pillars of divine society. If the Fallen God truly has slipped inside, then he’s planning something disastrous.”

I nodded calmly.

“I see… So that’s why you’re recruiting new council members.”

“Exactly.” She seemed relieved that I understood.

“The Student Council isn’t just about managing student life or organizing tournaments. We’re the internal watchtower of the academy—tasked with maintaining balance, enforcing divine law, and protecting this place from hidden threats.”

Hidden threats.

I nearly smiled.

That sounded exactly like me.

She continued, unaware of my thoughts.

“You have to understand, Aestrea… this isn’t a normal position. If you join, you’ll be standing at the very center of power in the academy. That means direct contact with the Headmistress, other divine departments, and all the factions tied to the gods themselves.”

Her tone softened slightly. “That’s why I needed to confirm it. I can’t risk letting the wrong person into this circle.”

I leaned back, resting one arm on the chair’s side.

“Makes sense. I’d have done the same in your position.”

A faint smile touched her lips again.

“You’re surprisingly calm for someone who just got interrogated by the Goddess of Truth.”

“I’ve been through worse,” I replied with a half-smirk.

That made her chuckle lightly… something she hadn’t done so far.

“Well then, Aestrea…” She straightened in her seat, the faint divine glow in her eyes finally fading.

“You’ve passed the truth screening. From this moment on, you’re officially a candidate for the Student Council.”

I gave a polite nod, standing up as she extended her hand.

“Welcome to the upper circle of Gloria Academy,” she said.

I looked at her, her calm composure, her clear eyes that believed she had just confirmed my innocence, and smiled faintly.

“Thank you, Vice President,” I said quietly.

Inside, though, I was already laughing.

Because she was right about one thing…

The Fallen God was inside the academy.

And he had just joined the Student Council.

…

After saying my goodbyes, I left the Student Council Office with a small smile, and it seemed that Themis had a good view of me.

After discussing a few more things about my position and things like that, we had a brief chat, and Themis seemed truly excited, as if she had finally found someone who could match her ideals.

I almost felt bad for her.

Almost.

Because the position she gave me… was probably the one I wanted the least.

The President’s Secretary.

Of all things.

Sure, it was a position that gave direct access to the core of the Council—the documents, the meetings, the private reports.

I’d practically be sitting next to the President himself, which meant information, which meant control.

But it also meant I’d be right in the middle of danger. Every pair of eyes would be watching me.

Still… if I wanted to infiltrate the high circles, this was the perfect start.

I exhaled softly as I walked down the marble corridor, the faint scent of incense still clinging to my clothes from the Student Council’s Office.

Then, I glanced at the small slip of paper Themis had given me before I left. Her handwriting was neat and elegant.

[Meeting with the Student Council President — 2:00 PM, Tomorrow]

Lunara, huh?

…If she finds out that I’m… ’dating’ her sister, she’ll probably try to kill me.

But Luna wouldn’t disclose that fact right now, she knows my plan to kill Chronos and the other Main Gods… and she, too, had experienced the reincarnations…

“Yo, Aestrea!”

A voice called out to me.

“Lorin?”

I looked to the side just to see a blue-haired guy with blue eyes. He was also the midfielder of my team during the match against the Seraphims.

“Did you already apply to the Student Council?” he asked me curiously, now walking beside him with a faint smile.

“Yeah,” I said, slipping the paper into my pocket.

“And apparently, I got accepted.”

“Really?” his eyes widened in surprise.

“No way,” he blinked. “You? That fast? Themis actually picked you? She’s one of the toughest to impress, after all, she can literally see lies!”

I chuckled softly.

“Guess I passed the test.”

Lorin tilted his head, still walking beside me.

“So… what position did you get?”

“…The President’s Secretary.”

He nodded slowly, like he was trying to process it.

“I see… the President’s Secretary, huh…”

But then, he suddenly stopped.

“Wait— THE PRESIDENT’S SECRETARY?!”

His eyes widened in complete horror as he walked up to me and shook my shoulders frantically.

I blinked in surprise.

“Yeah?”

…This gives me a sense of deja vu, somehow…

“Bro, you’re done for!” he shouted, shaking me like I’d just signed my death warrant.

“Lunara’s a fucking lunatic! She once killed a god during a council meeting because he was breathing! You have to quit before she kills you!”

I stared at him, a little smile tugging at my lips.

“Relax.”

“I’m serious!” he said, his voice cracking.

“She doesn’t forgive. She doesn’t even blink when she’s angry. You can’t just—”

“—Don’t worry about it,” I interrupted him, slapping his hands off.

“I’ve got this.”

I shrugged off Lorin’s frantic warnings and turned the corner, only to hear raised voices echoing down the courtyard.

“—I’m telling you! We didn’t even think about touching her!” Kael shouted, flailing his arms as he backed up a step.

“Stop! I said Stop!” Tyrian added, his voice cracking slightly as he blocked the approach of two other guys.

The two men weren’t listening.

Their eyes were wild, clouded with some sort of obsession, probably from whatever taste of Selindra’s attention they’d gotten before.

They lunged again, their faces twisted in infatuation.

Kael gritted his teeth, glaring at them.

“I don’t care how much you think you ’know’ her! She’s playing around, okay?”

Tyrian nodded in agreement, his usual teasing smirk replaced with a serious glare. “Seriously, we wouldn’t dare touch her.”

The two men stumbled back for a moment, but their longing didn’t waver. They whispered something inaudible, and their eyes only got more clouded.

From the edge of the balcony, Selindra sat on a marble bench, her long hair flowing over her shoulders.

“Slurp~” She sipped some kind of drink lightly and smiled faintly, her eyes glinting as she watched the chaos unfold.

“Disgusting…” I muttered under my breath, shaking my head.

I pushed through the crowd and approached Kael and Tyrian, who were standing back-to-back, keeping the obsessed men at bay.

“You two okay?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kael exhaled, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead. “Yeah… just Selindra being Selindra. She’s… having fun.”

“Fun? Dude, they’re idiots. They literally can’t even think straight.” Tyrian just groaned.

I glanced toward Selindra again. She caught my eye for a brief moment and gave a small, teasing wink, as if daring anyone to get in her way.

I let out a dry laugh, shaking my head.

“Unbelievable…”

“Welcome to her world, new guy. Don’t even try understanding it,” Kael let out a deep sigh.

“Or you’ll end up like them—completely useless and staring at her like a fool,” Tyrian added with a faint smirk.

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help a faint smirk.

“Noted.”

But just as I said that…

FWOOP!

Two punches were thrown at my face.

“Motherfu—!”

I quickly sidestepped to the right, avoiding both of them in one go.

“Fucking hell… are they that infatuated?” I looked at Kael, who was now basically pinning down one of the guys on their back.

“Y-yeah… fucking stay down!” he groaned slighly, increasing his grip strength.

On the other side, Tyrian had already put the other to sleep.

“That fucking woman always does this and makes us deal with it,” he sighed, rubbing his wrists slighly, glancing at Selindra with hate in his eyes.

Hearing his words, I raised an eyebrow.

“Then why are you even hanging out with her?”

Tyrian’s eyes widened at my words before he looked at Kael, who had also knocked the other down.

Both of them approached me, putting one of their hands on my shoulders before speaking.

“…Her group within the school is one of the strongest.”

“Huh? How?”

Kael turned around, scratching his head with Tyrian whistled slighly. But then, Lorin, who was also watching the fun behind me, spoke.

“Because… she literally seduced half of the guys in the academy,” he declared, causing my eyes to widen slighly.

“…And honestly, that also includes us…”

Lorin averted his gaze slighly.

Soo…

That joke about taking the whole dining hall to her bed… wasn’t actually a joke?

Oh my fucking god.

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