CHAPTER 816: CHAPTER 126 - FRIENDS (3)

Now that she’d mentioned it, I had to admit—she was right.

Back at the start, my rank was actually pretty solid. Top twenty, even. I remember seeing my name sitting at rank fourteen on the first list posted outside the main hall, feeling my chest swell with pride. It felt like proof that all those late nights, bruises, and sore muscles had meant something.

But now? Well... now I was all the way down to rank fifty-six. And yeah, sometimes it would bounce up a bit, but it wasn’t like some huge comeback and more like a half-hearted hop. And every time I slipped again, it felt like I dropped even lower than before.

It reminded me of trying to jump on sand, where the harder you pushed, the deeper you sank. No matter how hard I tried to force myself higher, the ground kept shifting, sliding away under my feet, leaving me stuck in the same place—or worse, falling further back.

"Well, it’s not really that bad, is it?" I said, scratching the back of my neck and trying to laugh it off. "I mean, I’m still doing okay, I guess. But maybe I’m just the type that even if I keep pushing myself, I can’t completely stop my rank from slipping down a bit. Still, I don’t think I’d fall so far that I’d get kicked out of Gold Class. Rank fifty-six isn’t exactly the bottom, right?"

It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t terrible either. Being fifty-six out of a hundred or so cadets wasn’t something to brag about, but it wasn’t disaster territory. And hey, I was still ahead of Rose, who sat stubbornly around rank seventy-nine. If she wasn’t panicking, why should I?

"I think you should still be worried," Gabrielle pressed, her voice low and steady, eyes narrowing a little as she fixed them on me. "Especially now that we’re about to start our fourth year. I’ve seen a lot of Silver Class cadets coming up strong lately—and with the changes I helped set up with the president, giving everyone equal chances to improve, some of them could break into Gold Class sooner than you think. Even if there’s only a year left, that’s enough time for someone hungry enough to climb past you."

Her words hit heavier than I expected, sinking into my chest like a stone.

I could tell she wasn’t just throwing out random warnings—she’d been watching, noticing, and probably thinking about it for a while.

And yeah, maybe it looked like I wasn’t taking things seriously. But deep down? I was. Really. Even if it didn’t show on paper, I had been grinding away and pushing myself every day. It just hadn’t turned into the kind of jump in rank Gabrielle wanted to see.

From the way she was staring at me, I could tell she saw it as a real risk. Something that could mess everything up if I ignored it.

But inside, I still felt like... it wasn’t quite that bad.

"You don’t have to worry," I told her, forcing a smile even though a tiny part of me wondered if I should worry. "I think I’ll be able to manage somehow." Then I let out a breath and tried to steer us back to something lighter. "Anyway, feels like we’re getting way too serious for tonight. Why don’t we just keep drinking?"

It worked. Sort of. The air shifted, and the heavy feeling loosened up a bit—but I caught the flicker in Gabrielle’s eyes, the tiny crease in her brow, like she wasn’t fully satisfied dropping it there.

But really, there wasn’t anything she could do to fix my slipping rank.

That was on me. And even if it meant staying stuck at the same rank until graduation, all I could do was keep pushing, one foot in front of the other.

***

Time seemed to blur a little, and before we knew it, election day had come.

The great hall felt charged, like the air itself was humming. All the cadets gathered, their conversations dropping to whispers as Gabrielle stepped up to the podium.

She stood tall, shoulders square, chin lifted with her nerves hidden under that iron composure of hers. A soft glow pulsed at her throat where a spell crystal hung, catching the light and carrying her voice across the hall.

And then she spoke.

At first, I braced myself for something strict, something that would sound cold and harsh. Because that was the Gabrielle I’d gotten used to. She was a bit too rigid and a bit too sharp-edged.

But as she kept talking... it shifted.

She started laying out plans—not just for us in Gold Class, but for everyone. Plans that would open training grounds to all classes, not just the top ranks. Ideas to improve living conditions, like finally giving Bronze Class their own bathrooms so they wouldn’t have to trek across campus at night.

The hall got so quiet it felt like the air itself was holding its breath. Even the usual restless cadets at the back had gone still, leaning forward to catch every word.

"And I would also like to propose," she continued, her voice ringing clear and steady, "a stronger push for equal opportunity across all cadets, regardless of class. To make training fairer and more effective—not just for Gold Class, but for every single student here. For too long, the system favored the top, while the lower classes were left to stagnate. I promise, if you vote for me, I’ll change that. I’ll see it through—not just as a council member, but as your president."

The words weren’t fancy. They weren’t sugar‑coated. But somehow, maybe because it came from her, they felt real. Heavy, in fact. Like something that could actually happen.

When she stepped back, silence hung in the air for a breath, then slowly the hall stirred again.

Other candidates came up after her, but it was obvious no one was really paying attention anymore. You could see it in the way people’s eyes drifted, whispers picking up around the room. It was like the decision had already been made the moment she stepped down.

And then, the voting started.

It didn’t take long before the results came back—and it wasn’t even close. A landslide. Gabrielle had won over almost everyone.

And just like that, she became the next council president.