Chapter 23: Last Man Standing (1)

I threw Aily to the familiar protestors and focused on the contract with the Magic Tower.

Since the airing of the last episode, there had been requests for reruns from the Muscle and Bone School.

These requests mainly came from people who missed the broadcast, those who wanted to watch it again, and viewers who wanted to start from that episode and binge-watch the series.

The reason people were excited about the appearance of the character Scapul was simple.

The actor playing Scapul was a ranked fighter in Wrestle Kingdom, where he ranked fifth in popularity.

His ring name was Jogernote.

His real name was Drull Stardom.

He was an orc.

His professional wrestling style was that of a wrestler who crushed his opponents with overwhelming resilience and magnificent strength.

Rather than defeating opponents with superior technique, he won purely through his weight class, which stimulated the romantic notions and primal instincts of masculinity.

Allen also thought it was unexpected when he applied to Magical Mari.

Unlike other newcomers, he didn’t feel the need to promote himself.

In reality, Drull’s purpose was not promotion.

People thought I couldn’t use techniques because I hadn’t truly learned anything from what I showed in the ring.

Instead, his goal was to change his image.

After all, orcs were not generally known for their intellect, and the stereotype was that they only fought based on their weight class.

However, it was unfair for Drull because he was an elite actor among orcs, having mastered various techniques to enter the Sanctuary.

For an actor, image was directly linked to the range of roles they could take on, so Allen understood Drull’s feelings.

What Allen hoped for by accepting Drull was to get about five percent of Wrestle Kingdom viewers to also watch Magical Mari.

But contrary to his expectations, the number of viewers starting to watch Mari reached twenty percent of Wrestle Kingdom’s audience.

The Muscle and Bone School was currently screaming in joy over securing a solid source of income after Wrestle Kingdom.

Allen bit the pen as he looked over the schedule and contract presented by the Muscle and Bone School.

“Hmm… Is this right?”

The number one show in the Muscle and Bone School’s viewership was Wrestle Kingdom.

And the second, which was recently catching up fiercely, was Magical Mari.

Due to the enthusiastic requests for reruns, Wrestle Kingdom was airing five days a week.

If he accepted their contract, Magical Mari would end up like that too.

Wouldn’t this be like the golden age of wrestling?

He had a fleeting thought like that, but he quickly dismissed it.

‘What can I do when the viewers want it?’

Allen moved the pen and signed the contract.

With this, Magical Mari’s expected revenue would soar to several times its previous amount.

With this money, he would have many options.

He could remodel the club room, or try out a new business venture.

If Allen had bad intentions, he could even use the club funds for personal desires.

And Allen was someone honest about his desires.

‘I’ll have more money to use for the next episode.’

The problem was that those desires were focused on reinvestment.

Thus, in Allen’s mind, Magical Mari was gradually becoming something beyond just a magical girl.

Meanwhile, the door to the club room suddenly burst open, snapping Allen out of his thoughts.

“Hyung, I think we’re really in trouble this time.”

“Why? Is the protestors holding a campfire or something?”

“It’s not that…”

“Not that?”

“The student council has come.”

What do those guys want now?

“Your company has depicted the student council of Hetairo Academy as incompetent in episode 9 of the magical girl series, Magical Mari, which aired on the 17th.

The dignity and authority of the student council are directly linked to the security and order of Hetairo Academy, and we are concerned about the potential impact of the video on the academy.

We ask that you, the representative of Bon voyage Studio, respond promptly to this complaint and either halt or edit the broadcast.”

As the girl barged into the club room and read the complaint right in front of me, I thought,

What is this?

There’s a saying that even the king gets cursed when he’s not around.

This was a phrase commonly used in most democratic societies, but it didn’t apply in dictatorial states.

So, what about a medieval monarchy where there isn’t even a hint of democracy?

Surprisingly, most monarchies were relatively lenient about cursing the king.

In a dictatorship, cursing the king undermines the political legitimacy of the dictator, but if a monarch’s position is guaranteed by bloodline, then unless they are insecure enough to be swayed by such curses, it would be pointless to touch on that topic.

In other words, in this world, as long as you don’t outright curse in front of the emperor, most people would let it slide.

In fact, the emperor himself often enjoyed watching satirical performances.

Last time, an actor invited to the palace openly performed black comedy in front of the emperor.

And until now, there had never been a case where the royal insult law was applied because of it.

Then a question arises.

What kind of group is the Student Council that they react this way over just one video, even in a world where they can insult the emperor and get away with it?

Well, I’m curious too.

So I intend to find out now.

After politely sending off the Student Council member who read the protest letter, I picked up the crystal.

So, is this the consensus of the Student Council, or is it an individual act of deviation?

That was the abrupt question I asked upon contacting the head of the Student Council.

Previously, I had taught Leon how to compare things to wolf-like animals or the dragon, a symbol of the empire, but I didn’t use any rhetorical expressions.

Words are something you twist around when it’s tiring to handle them.

However, if I can’t handle it, I won’t bring it up, and if I can, I’ll go straight to the point.

It’s better this way than to twist my words and create misunderstandings.

In other words, I was prepared to confront the Student Council for the sake of my work.

Every attempt to censor my work was a challenge against me.

The head of the Student Council seemed to sense something from my attitude and chose their words carefully in response.

[No matter how wide the eagle’s vision is, can it examine every single falling feather?]

“It would be better to be precise with your words. I’m not cultured, so I’m not good with rhetorical expressions.”

[… That is an individual deviation of a new member.]

“How far can I go?”

[The Student Council will send an official statement saying it has nothing to do with that student. However, the enthusiastic new members’ rampages happen every year, so I ask for a bit of leniency.]

“I’ll try to think positively.”

After ending the call, I picked up the protest letter left behind by those enthusiastic new members.

“Indeed.”

At the end of the protest letter, there was a note that read ‘From the Student Council Members.’

At first glance, it seemed like the consensus of the Student Council, but if that were the case, they would have used expressions like ‘on behalf of the Student Council’ or ‘from all members of the Student Council.’

It seemed they wanted to borrow the Student Council’s authority, but they thought it would be troublesome to use the names of the seniors directly, so they resorted to this petty method.

If the other party gets intimidated just hearing the name of the Student Council, that’s a great success, and if they thoughtlessly antagonize the entire Student Council, then that’s half a success too.

The worst-case scenario would be if the other side figured out the trick, but there was likely a calculation that a mere film club couldn’t do anything to the Student Council.

‘These young ones are already playing games.’

Ironically, what they didn’t calculate was that I wasn’t the kind of person who moved based on logic.

I threw their protest letter into the shredder and pulled out a new form from the drawer.

< Duel Application >

It was time to return to my roots as the rascal of the Price family after a long time.

“Another duel?”

“Why do the new students like dueling so much this year?”

“They say it’s just one person.”

“Is it another rascal from the Price family?”

“Why does that one never have a peaceful day?”

The students spoke like this, but their steps were directed toward the duel arena.

Isn’t it said that the most entertaining things in the world are watching a fire and watching a fight?

There was no reason for them not to watch.

“What’s the opponent?”

“They say it’s the Student Council members.”

“Not just one?”

“They say first-year Student Council members and a senior will participate.”

“Should we call this courage, or should we call it arrogance?”

“Arrogance. No matter what, how can one win alone?”

“Really? Then are you betting on Allen’s defeat?”

“Huh? Who… Oh, Your Highness!”

The two students, who were critiquing the rascal of the Price family, turned around in shock.

There was Leon, smiling kindly and looking down at them, having bent over beside them.

Coincidentally, the two were from the Political Science Department and were acquaintances of Leon.

“That… that’s not it…”

The fact that Allen was Leon’s best friend and sworn brother was already famous at the academy.

Would they think I was belittling my sworn brother?

Feeling the imminent crisis of their political lives, the two scrambled to smooth things over.

Leon only looked at them with warm eyes.

“Don’t worry. I don’t know how you think of me, but that kind of thing won’t bring you any disadvantages.”

“However…”

“Or do you think I’m the kind of petty person who would hold that against you?”

“Not at all! Your Highness!”

Leon, who had settled beside them with a wry smile, was soon followed by the filming crew from the Bon Boyaji Studio.

The two, who suddenly found themselves watching the match next to a prince, were as restless as could be.

Although Leon had said he wouldn’t hold it against them, how could social life be that simple?

Seeing the two youths on the verge of death, Leon chuckled and called over a passing vendor.

“Care for some lemonade? While you’re at it, introduce yourselves.”

– I really don’t care.

Only then did the two relax and take the drinks Leon handed them.

Listening to their introductions, Leon murmured with a bitter smile.

“Ah, noble folks…”

Though he was at the very top tier of the nobility, Leon still found the words of the aristocrats inefficient in many ways.

When they spoke, they were so preoccupied with deciphering the hidden intentions within their words that even light conversation often led to misunderstandings.

Of course, this was the result of a highly developed civilized society, but for someone like him, who had lived his whole life observing this, it was understandable that he would feel fatigued.

In that sense, Allen was a great friend to Leon.

He was the only friend with whom there would never be any misunderstandings, and Leon could be honest without reservation.

At least as long as Allen was by his side, it seemed unlikely that Leon would fall into distrust of humanity.

With that thought in mind, he refocused on the nobles beside him.

As Leon engaged with them without any gaps, they seemed to relax and began to speak fluently.

While he couldn’t gauge their abilities as bureaucrats just by listening, their skills as jesters were certainly apparent.

And inside the palace, wit was also one of the means of power struggle.

Whether they would become insignificant gossipmongers or the emperor’s secret mouth and ears remained to be seen, but for now, he kept his assessment of them positive.

Then, they asked Leon their first question.

“Your Highness, may I ask why you attended this match?”