Cæ dove into the material immediately, thoroughly familiarizing himself with all the protocols of the student council's operations and administration. From making reports, records, to other important management protocols.
He had to admit. This level of operational detail far exceeded that of anything he had worked with. In comparison to the student council, any operational experience he had gotten from Selvig's Ristorante was nothing in comparison.
It was worth it to understand what it was like to run such an enormous enterprise, such as the Elendir Institute of Magic.
What was interesting was that while the student council did indeed have an enormous amount of power, there were failsafes in place to ensure that the worst didn't happen. For one, the Headmistress possessed the power to veto the student council's decisions.
There was a council of advisors that helped the young magelings navigate through tricky situations when it came to important decision-making. There was also a seasoned staff that was accustomed to the way things ran, which also helped with the new student council members and leaders with their new responsibilities.
He spent much of the day after his meeting with President Mileila diving into the reading materials, ingesting all the relevant information.
By the next day, he had rolled around and was ready.
After classes were over, he immediately headed over to the Student Council Headquarters.
CLACK
The sheer volume and the grandness of the scope were something that Cæ felt like he would never get over. A towering working platform for the Student Council that oversaw a vast array of staff and employees employed under the Student Council.
It projected power upon anybody who entered the student council.
"You must be the newbie."
Cæ's gaze shifted to his side, glancing at the man who had addressed him.
He had a muscular build that was visible despite the elaborate three-piece male student uniform.
A domineering physicality that created an unbreachable air around him.
A fancy scimitar hung around his waist.
Perks of being a member of the student council.
His sharp red eyes pierced into Cæ's stoic gray eyes as the man sized him up then and there.
"…You don't seem like much."
Cæ simply stared at him with a composed gaze. "My name is Cæ. I was told that I was to be officially inducted into the student council today."
The man grunted. "This way."
He turned around, gesturing at Cæ to follow.
Cæ studied the man as he followed the man up the stairs to the elevated floor that housed the actual student council. An array of seats at a large table that oversaw the entirety of the executive wing of the Elendir Institute of Magic.
He noted that Mileila's seat was empty.
"Where is President Mileila?" He raised an eyebrow.
The man snorted. "Far too busy to be dealing with the likes of you."
Further behind was a large conference hall with dozens of seats around a table, its walls were plastered with charts detailing important information that the student council used on a frequent basis.
On the table was a contract with a pen beside it.
A contract featuring his name.
The man gestured to the contract with a nod. "Read. Sign."
Cæ's gaze lingered upon his unfriendly eyes for longer than he intended, before heaving a sigh and directing a glance at the contract.
Thankfully, it was only several pages long.
He swiftly read through it.
A non-disclosure clause.
A payment clause.
The benefits that President Mileila promised.
The duties that she had listed.
Cæ nodded after ten minutes before quickly signing it.
"Took you long enough," the man snorted, tossing Cæ a badge. "Don't lose that."
CLASP
He caught it, turning it to read what it read.
[Student Council Member Cæ]
"Let's go," the man growled. "Your training starts with me. Should I find you lacking, I can have you dismissed, got it?"
Cæ simply stared at the man.
"You haven't introduced yourself."
The man smiled with arrogance as he swept his glossy golden hair.
"I am Narrend Glaystone."
He emphasized the last name with a smug tone.
Cæ fell into thought as he stroked his chin.
"I've never heard of that family."
It was not an insult.
No purposeful.
Cæ had genuinely never heard of this family.
Unfortunately, that was the wrong way.
The man's expression crumbled with a hint of anger. "Are you insulting the honor of my family, which has produced countless magic swordsmen who are adept at the Swimming Saber Style?!"
Cæ tilted his head.
"Which style?"
The man gritted his teeth.
His hand moved to the hilt of his sword.
All but ready to draw the saber.
Cæ's eyes grew chilling.
One moment, the atmosphere was merely a little cold.
The very next day, it had already grown chilly.
"Enough."
The powerful voice of President Mileila was unyielding.
She stood at the door, behind her were several more members of the student council, gazing at the situation with raised eyebrows.
"What is the meaning of this?" President Mileila's golden eyes pierced into his faltering red eyes.
All of Narrend's previous defiance melted into a slop. "P-President…!"
Her body language grew intense.
"Narrend."
The young man flinched at her fierce tone.
"I thought I told you…" her tone was chilling. "I thought I told you to have him sign the contract and begin basic introduction, did I not?"
"…Yes, Miss President."
"Then why don't you care to tell me why you were just about to draw your blade at him?"
Narrend gritted his teeth.
"He insulted my family!"
President Mileila frowned, turning to Cæ. "Do you deny that accusation?"
Cæ heaved a sigh. "I simply told him that I have not heard of his family name or its swordsmanship style."
She turned back to Narrend with a dubious expression.
"T-That's obviously a lie meant to insult me," Narrend fumbled with his words. "After all, who hasn't heard of my family!"
They simply stared at him with a judging expression.
President Mileila heaved a sigh, before glaring at him.
"I'm officially issuing a warning to you as President."
Narrend's eyes widened with shock.
She turned towards Cæ with an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry about that, Mr. Cæ. I will reassign you to another member of the student council. Let's see…"
She turned around as her eyes swept past them.
"I would like to volunteer."
The man beside her remarked with a measured tone.
Cæ's gaze shifted down to his badge.
[Vice-President Kiln Minur]
The man was lean and thin.
His smile was perfunctory while his eyes glinted with a knowing look.
Instinctively, Cæ already didn't like him.
And yet, his body language lacked the refined control that he had come to recognize in those of the wealthy class.
He was a commoner.
President Mileila had not lied when she said that there was a diverse background of students in her council.
She nodded at him. "Then I'll leave it to you, Vice-President Minur."
She turned to Narrend with a knitted brow. "For now, leave."
The man gritted his teeth, turning towards Cæ with an angered expression, before departing silently.
President Mileila heaved a sigh, turning towards Cæ with an apologetic expression.
"I'm truly sorry on his behalf."
The student council members behind her stiffened as she bowed her head lightly.
Cæ simply walked up to her with nonchalance, nodding simply. "No need to apologize. Thank you for intervening… Mileila."
Another wave of surprise washed over the members standing behind her as their eyes widened.
Cæ froze as he realized he might have stepped on an even bigger landmine. 'Shit, was I not supposed to call by her name? But she asked me to goddammit.'
He hated etiquette.
He didn't even know about the concept until after he moved out of the slums, and he had never gotten a full understanding of social cues. And yet, the genuine smile that emerged on her face at hearing her name come out of his mouth paused any attempt to apologize and correct his name.
"You're welcome, Cæ!"
The student council members seemed befuddled at her ecstatic response.
"Well then, Miss President," Vice President Kiln smiled at her perfunctorily. "I'll start showing the newbie around. We shouldn't delay this any longer after all."
"Ah, yes. Please do."
The two men departed from the student council conference room, heading down the staircase.
The man's body language was measured and careful.
He didn't make any unnecessary movements.
He was constantly aware of his surroundings.
It was only when they left the headquarters that he relaxed a bit.
He turned towards Cæ with a pointed gaze.
"You're too incautious."
Cæ raised an eyebrow.
A hint of disapproval appeared on Vice-President Kiln's face. "Within the span of five minutes, you made two big mistakes. The first was not being able to avoid pissing off a powerful person. The second is that you did something unnecessarily imprudent."
"…Which was?"
The man narrowed his eyes. "Calling the heir of one of the ten great families by her first name in an informal manner. Are you trying to get yourself targeted?"
"…By who?"
The man grew frustrated. "By her family. And other families who are interested in arranging a marriage with her. You have no idea what they will do and what they can get away with. What if one of them decides to kill you in an accident so that there won't be any chance that you will get in their way?"
Cæ stared at him with a flummoxed expression.
"I just called her by her name. At her own request. Is that such a big deal?"
The Vice-President heaved a tired sigh. "In upper class society, there is deep significance in how you address someone. You can't just call her by her given name, that too without a 'lady' attached before it."
Cæ stared at him with such incredulous sincerity in his eyes that anybody would have come to doubt themselves.
"And you on the other hand…" the man massaged his forehead as he felt a headache coming on. "Why don't you have a last name that she could have addressed you with? She was forced to call you by your first name because you don't have a last name!"
"I don't have a family," Cæ replied straightforwardly. "I don't have a last name to inherit. My mother died immediately after I was born and my father was never there to begin with."
"…"
The air grew more awkward than Kiln had anticipated.
He heaved a sigh. "I'm sorry. That was a distasteful comment, I had forgotten about your background momentarily. However, you should keep I said in mind. Now, let's get started with the guide. I hope you have gone through the reading materials you were given."
He certainly had.
And it reflected.
"This is the—"
"Scheduling division," Cæ remarked from memory. "Is in charge with managing and arranging the timeline of operations of different departments of the magicademy to ensure that there are no clashes. Keeps the entire institute running smoothly and on time. They rely on a system of—"
He stirred. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you."
"…No, it's good you know that off of the top of your head."
That wasn't all.
Vice President Kiln's eyes widened with a stunned expression as Cæ displayed perfect recall and a thorough broader grasp of the student council structure, chain of command, various divisions and departments flawlessly.
"You even know how to operate the magital mainframe system…" the Vice President murmured with a profoundly stunned expression. "Is this actually your first time?"
"There was an entire guide on the mainframe system," Cæ replied nonchalantly. "One with very detailed instructions."
"…You read that in one day?"
"Well, yes."
"…I see, well. Anybody can do that. Don't get ahead of yourself."
Cæ simply stared at him with dubious eyes for a moment, before heaving a sigh. "Well, now that we have completed our business. Please leave me alone, I have some personal business to attend to."
It was time to find what he was looking for.