Chapter 114

Chapter 114

The third day of military training also marked the customary start of the Department Chief elections.

In fact, the selection of Department Chiefs was the first major event at the beginning of each semester. Almost as soon as students completed registration, the elections would immediately commence, ensuring that Chiefs and their Vice Chiefs were ready before other semester affairs began.

Freshmen, by tradition, arrived a few days earlier than upperclassmen. By the time they reached their third day of training, upperclassmen would also be returning to campus, allowing for fair competition in the Department Chief elections.

After the last group of students finished target practice, Instructor Lin recorded their scores and bonus points before putting away the roster and asking, "Don't you have Department Chief elections tonight?"

"Reporting, Instructor, yes," a student standing nearby replied promptly.

After two days of interaction, although the instructor’s training methods were notoriously intense, she was actually pretty nice, approachable, and lively. Most students, even if they were pushed to their limits, were happy to engage with her. "The Department Chief elections last two days, and there’s a live stream. However, only current students can access it on the campus forum. If you’d like to watch, Instructor, you’ll have to go in person."

"Why would I go watch? Don't forget, I'm a First Empire Academy graduate too—I've seen enough over four years, and it's nothing that interesting," the instructor snorted. "But if you need to participate in the Department Chief elections tonight, I can let you out an hour early."

"!!!"

The students stared at her in shock.

"Did I hear that right? Our instructor actually said we can finish early!"

"Oh my god, is this the same devil instructor who made us run 50 kilometers on the first day? How did she suddenly become so kind?"

"There must be a trick here," a male student stepped forward, saying resolutely, "I bet the instructor is setting us up. Everyone, stay alert—don't agree too easily!"

The next second, the instructor’s roster smacked him upside the head.

Instructor Lin glared coldly. "Setting you up, huh? Fine. Everyone else is dismissed. You stay."

A wave of sympathetic murmurs swept through the group. Out of camaraderie, Mecha Department students patted the guy’s shoulder as they passed, muttering things like "Hang tough, man" or "Taking one for the team," before promptly forgetting their suffering comrade and happily slinging their bags over their shoulders to leave.

Eve wasn't petty enough to gloat over a fellow student’s misfortune. Still, as she picked up her bag, her aqua-blue eyes shifted subtly, quietly memorizing the face of the guy who had been held back.

The Weapons Department and Melee Department on either side also packed up their things, preparing to leave. It seemed the early dismissal wasn’t out of Instructor Lin’s kindness but likely a school requirement.

In the Weapons Department lineup, Grace gave her a barely noticeable nod before leaving with another silver-haired student—a request from the Medici Patriarch. He insisted that in crowded public settings, all members of the Medici family maintain a certain distance from Eve, at least outwardly showing distance to uphold the family’s image of neutrality. Even the heir was no exception.

Eve withdrew her gaze, disinterested, when an arm suddenly draped over her shoulder.

"What are you looking at?"

Jessica, who wore a different butterfly hair ribbon every day, hooked her arm around Eve's neck. The delicate gold-butterfly ornament on her ribbon fluttered with her movement. Jessica followed Eve’s gaze—under the sunlight, the Medici family’s signature silver hair shone like a walking beacon.

She asked curiously, "Are those people from your family? Why do they act like they don’t know you? Do you not get along?"

"......" Eve really didn’t want to answer such a naive question. She twisted the thorn-shaped silver ring on her middle finger and changed the subject. "Did you come here just to pry into my personal relationships?"

Jessica, as expected, was diverted. "Of course not! I don’t care about your business. I’m here to declare war on you!"

"?"

"Just you wait—tonight, I will defeat you and become the Mecha Department Chief!"

"......"

Jessica’s emerald eyes widened proudly as she stared at Eve. "Don’t you have anything to say to me?"

"Of course," Eve nodded solemnly. "Break a leg."

Such a dismissive response.

"Hey!!"

Before Jessica could fully blow up, Eve deftly pivoted, slipping out of Jessica’s grasp.

She raised her left hand—the one without the bag—and waved casually behind her back.

"See you tonight~"

-

The Department Chief elections at First Empire Academy were remarkably free—almost excessively so.

They employed a tournament system. Of course, the content of the competitions varied by specialty: the Command Department used sandbox exercises and comprehensive simulated battles; the Melee and Mecha Departments held straight-up challenge matches; the Weapons, Medical, and Investigation Departments posed specific challenges judged by teacher-judges.

At the start of the elections, the current Department Chief served as the reigning champion. Any student could challenge the champion. To ensure fairness given the champion’s limited energy, the academy stipulated that the first challenger could face the champion directly. If they won, they became the new champion; if they lost, they became a "gatekeeper"—the next challenger would have to defeat the previous loser before challenging the champion.

The elections spanned two nights, with challenges accepted from 6 PM to midnight. The tournament concluded at midnight on the second night, at which point the champion of each department would become the new Department Chief, and the last defeated challenger would become the Vice Chief. This system ensured that Department Chiefs were truly the most capable students, selected through absolute strength. Thus, despite their significant power, First Empire’s Department Chiefs rarely faced accusations of unfairness among the student body.

After all, their positions were earned blow by blow under the public eye.

So even though the elections had already begun, Eve was taking her time. She was confident that no temporary victor would affect the final outcome. Thus, she was still leisurely changing her clothes and double-checking that the collapsible mask was securely fastened to her wrist.

Wanting to compete for Department Chief didn’t mean she intended to stand guard over the arena for two nights, waiting passively for challengers. The best solution was to pick a competent Vice Chief to act as a buffer.

The Wall-Imprisoned Serpent coiled its slender body around a long-necked vase by the door, its head topped with a large, plump purple bud that resembled a precious pearl. Its green eyes watched the girl adjusting her collar with silent curiosity. Eve glanced at it, then scooped it up and tucked it into her sleeve.

"Don’t move around," she warned, pinching the snake’s head through the fabric.

A cool sensation tingled at her wrist, accompanied by slight squirming. Eve ignored it.

The current Mecha Department Chief was a third-year student. In recent years, the Mecha Department had become less competitive, so even Eve, who had done her homework, couldn’t immediately recall any particularly outstanding figures in the department.

By the time she arrived at the Mecha training field where the elections were held, Jessica was already waiting in the front of the challenge line, arms crossed. Jessica wore an extravagantly stylish flight suit—snow-white base embroidered with pink roses—bold but not gaudy. Her red hair was tied to one side as she leaned against the railing, looking somewhat bored.

Eve overheard two students whispering nearby.

"Isn’t that suit custom-made? The style is so distinct—must be Madame Jeanne’s work."

"Well, she is a princess, after all."

"So wealthy..."

The two soon passed by Eve. Meanwhile, Jessica, alerted by her attendant, finally noticed Eve strolling over unhurriedly.

"Hey, over here," she waved, puzzled. "Why are you heading up there?"

The skill levels in the Mecha Department were pretty even. The upside was less intense competition and smaller gaps between students; the downside was that in situations like this, the innate competitiveness of mecha pilots awakened.

Eve turned back, silently taking in the never-ending line before genuinely wondering, "You’re just going to stand here dumbly in line?"

"Of course not! I’m just standing here to... get a better view of the arena. I’m a princess—I’d never do something as foolish as waiting in line."

Jessica cleared her throat and raised an eyebrow. Her attendant promptly pulled out a sleek, elegantly dark black credit card from her handbag, making Eve’s eye twitch in recognition. It was an unlimited credit black card issued by the Empire Bank, accessible only to high-ranking nobility.

Eve recognized it only because Qin Mengde also had one, kept at the princess’s residence for her use.

The petite brunette held her right elbow with her left hand, her right hand held in an elegant pose, the limited-edition black card (one of only twenty in the entire empire) pinched between her index and middle fingers. She strode ahead of Jessica, making a path with her head held high.

If even the Buddha relies on golden adornments, how much more do mere mortals?

Holding that tiny card, the sidekick's whole attitude changed. She arrogantly tapped the person in front of Jessica on the shoulder. Before the person could even turn around and speak, she lifted her chin high and said impatiently, "Our princess is here to challenge the Department Chief. You're in the way. If you know what's good for ya, step aside for Her Highness."

The person in front immediately grew angry. "The rule is first come, first served. You—"

"I can give you fifty thousand star coins."

"......"

The person's expression changed instantly.

Ten seconds later, Jessica smoothly moved up one spot. Soon, she advanced another.

The unethical dealings behind them quickly caused a stir in the whole line, but Jessica merely crossed her arms indifferently, using the training ground's bright lights to inspect her neatly trimmed nails. Only when she glanced at Eve did she let out a half-smirk and a snort, as if mocking the foolishness of Eve's earlier assumption that she would obediently wait in line.

Eve, watching from the side: "......"

What was this? Money talks?

Watching Jessica move further ahead, she sighed helplessly and followed.

"Excuse me, could you let me cut in line?"

The student, who had just been happily counting the newly deposited money on his terminal, was startled when someone tapped his shoulder. Instinctively, he guiltily tucked the terminal into his sleeve.

Fortunately, it was just another girl with pretty features tapping his shoulder. Her tied-up silver hair was particularly eye-catching. Before this student not from the capital planet could think too much about it, he heard Eve's voice with a lilting tone: "Sorry, but I’m really in a bit of a hurry."

"What’s the rush?"

Before he could finish his sentence, Eve’s hand was already on his shoulder—a hand with distinct knuckles that seemed to reach into his very soul in that instant. Even the sounds around him grew distant, leaving only a faint echo lingering in his mind.

Eve smiled. "It’s girl stuff. Why ask so many details?"

A faint, blurry glow settled on Eve’s shoulder. Under the bright as daylight lights of the training ground, it was nearly imperceptible unless one looked closely.

Like a puppet on strings, the student stepped back in a daze, allowing Eve to naturally take the spot he had vacated. She then tapped the shoulder of the person in front of her: "Hey, mind if I cut?"