CHAPTER 812: CHAPTER 125 - ODD PAIR TO ODD TRIO (4)

"H-Hey, what the hell is this...?" I whispered under my breath, my voice catching in surprise.

I couldn’t help but stare, my eyes wide and blinking like an idiot. Out of nowhere, there was suddenly this whole crowd gathered around Gabrielle’s speech. What the heck was even happening?

Just yesterday, she’d been talking to thin air with her practically arguing with the wind. And now? Now there were people actually standing there, nodding along, listening to every word she said.

The confusion kept scratching at the back of my mind like an itch I couldn’t ignore, so I stepped forward, weaving between people until I got close enough to tap someone on the shoulder.

"Hey, what’s going on here?" I asked, trying to keep my voice casual even though my heart was racing with curiosity.

"Oh... well, it seems this woman is talking about her vision if she wins as president. And honestly, it’s kind of interesting to hear..." the cadet answered, her tone light but sincere, eyes fixed on Gabrielle.

I blinked, caught off guard. Interesting? Gabrielle?

What the hell could she have said to make people actually want to stand here and listen?

When Gabrielle finally finished speaking, she stepped back, and the small crowd started to break apart, murmuring among themselves. I still had absolutely no clue what words had pulled them in, so I had to go find out for myself.

"H-Hey... what did you do?" I blurted out as I walked over to her, my voice sharper than I meant it to be.

"Huh? What did I do?" Gabrielle turned to me, blinking like she genuinely didn’t understand why I was asking.

"I mean... why do you suddenly have so many listeners? Just yesterday you barely had anyone," I pressed, my brows knit together. "Naturally, I couldn’t help but ask what exactly you said to get them to actually stop and listen."

Gabrielle tilted her head slightly, her glasses catching the light. "Why? Well, I suppose it’s simply because I was making a great point," she said, her voice calm and almost dismissive.

"T-That doesn’t bother you, though?" I shot back. "I mean, you were literally talking to no one before, and now you’ve got an actual group. I can’t help but wonder what you said for them to want to hear more."

To me, it was weird. Her vision always seemed so strict and almost suffocating, so the fact that people suddenly liked it? It just didn’t make sense.

She paused for a second, then let out a soft sigh. "I don’t know, for the love of gods, I really have no idea," she said, her tone slightly sharper now. "Maybe you’re underestimating me and thinking I can’t convince people when I actually decide to try."

"No, that’s not what I’m saying," I corrected quickly, shaking my head. "What I mean is, it’s strange seeing people actually support your ideas, considering how strict they sounded before. That’s why I’m asking—did you really not change anything?"

"Well," she admitted after a breath, "I did mention something about making life a little bit easier for the classes below Gold. Like giving them the same opportunities as those in Gold, and improving how they live... but that’s about it."

What she said... honestly wasn’t bad at all.

Actually, it was kind of surprising coming from her. It was a vision where students from lower classes had a real chance to rise up.

"I mean," she continued, pushing her glasses up her nose, "I think the system in this academy is somewhat corrupted. Because there are fewer opportunities for the lower classes, they can’t catch up to the Gold class, let alone move up. That’s why I want to fix that system as well as to give them the same chance to get promoted."

Listening to her, it actually started to click. Promotions to higher classes were insanely rare and almost like winning the lottery.

Sure, there were weird exceptions, like Rose, who somehow pulled it off—but most cadets never had a real chance.

It felt like, for the first time, Gabrielle’s vision wasn’t just strict rules and cold logic and it had something that actually made sense. And thinking about it, it wasn’t hard to see why the lower-class cadets would start to rally behind her.

Of course, her draconian vision still sounded scary—but if I ended up next to her as vice president, maybe I could help soften it as well as guide her into becoming the kind of leader the council actually needed.

After that day, the atmosphere around the academy felt like it shifted. It was like watching a slow-burning cold war. Both of them kept pushing, day after day, gathering more and more followers on their side.

It was honestly fascinating.

It felt like I was living inside a real-life drama, one that played out right in front of my eyes. Two completely different people fighting for the same spot—and they were both so damn strange in their own way.

One had a vision that felt strict enough to choke the academy dry, while the other was running for no better reason than seeing the first as a rival.

And I couldn’t help it—I was kind of hooked.

Days blurred into weeks, then into months.

And being around them so much, I started noticing little things about them I hadn’t seen before.

Gabrielle, for one, didn’t have parents. She lived somewhere near a Principality and was taken care of by someone who seemed to mean a lot to her.

Rose, on the other hand, turned out to be the daughter of a noble family—but she had this unexpected side to her. She actually loved romance books, and sometimes even squealed over theater adaptations.

They were both weirdly special. And even though I still wasn’t completely sure how I felt about them, I realized I was starting to feel... warmer toward them.

Then, finally, the day of the election arrived.

There were four candidates total.

But, of course, only one could come out on top.

The votes were counted, tension heavy enough to taste in the air. Both of them kept glancing around, trying to hide how nervous they really were.

They’d spent so long building up to this moment—and finally, it was here.

But it was too bad.

Because when the final results came out... neither of them won.