Chapter 36: The Spread of Red

After her mentally draining experience at the Cleansing Spring, Mia shambled out of the chamber to her waiting maid.

“Are you okay, milady?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine...”

“Um... All right. If you say so.”

Anne frowned but nevertheless got to work, drying Mia’s hair and dressing her in holy garments with characteristic efficiency. Once she was done, she stepped back, looked over her handiwork, and nodded with approval.

“You can do this, milady. Go out there and show them what you’re made of,” she said, giving her mistress a final pep talk.

Mia, meanwhile, was staring blankly out into space and barely processed what Anne was saying. The exchange with Rafina had scared her out of her wits, and she’d yet to retrieve enough of them to manage any semblance of focus.

“Oh, and just to remind you,” added Anne, “the veil is really light and falls easily. Try to be careful so it doesn’t slip off.”

“...Huh? Oh, uh, sure. Okay. Thanks, Anne,” Mia answered, snapping out of her glassy-eyed daze.

With her wits regathered, she finally took a proper look at her saintly attire. Her lips twisted into a jaded smile.

Even if defeat is all but guaranteed, a general must still ride to the battlefield. Well, let’s get this over with, then...

Election day consisted of two events: a solemn ritual, followed by the casting of votes. The proceedings took place in the cathedral, at the front of which was a long communion table. Sitting atop the table was a large silver chalice filled with red wine, representing the blood of saints. The elected candidate would symbolically take this “blood” into their body by drinking from the chalice, thereby swearing before God to conduct themselves in a just and upright manner as president.

Row after row of students filed into the cathedral, filling it entirely. The last to arrive were the candidates themselves, Mia and Rafina, whose appearance signaled the beginning of the pre-voting ritual. A number of hymns were sung in unison, after which it was time for the candidates to deliver their final speeches. The first to speak was Mia. She stepped up to the communion table and quietly scanned the room. As she did, a few isolated cheers from the crowd reached her ears.

“You got this, Princess Mia!”

“Go for it!”

“We believe in you!”

For Saint-Noel Academy, the student council election was a sacred rite. Verbal outbursts from the audience, no matter the reason, were of course prohibited. The priest presiding over the ceremony eyed them with disapproval and...

“All right, all right. Keep it down over there.”

...Mildly rebuked them for their offense. Presumably, the God of the Central Orthodox Church was a tolerant fellow, and the priest was simply adhering to the attitude of his deity.

Mia glanced in the direction of the cheers to find a group of students all wearing red armbands. They were, of course, the members of her faction.

I thought for sure they’d all given up already and gone off to do other things...

Hers was clearly a lost cause, it was plain as day. Despite that, not a single one of them had abandoned her. They’d followed her through thick and thin, staying staunchly by her side throughout the election period. She remembered the times they’d spent thinking, working, and laughing together — memories she’d shared with her unwavering supporters — and a quiet smile of nostalgia spread across her lips.

You know, now that I think about it, it was pretty fun.

Her previous life had never afforded her the chance to enjoy a school event like this. As she regarded her ragtag band of diehard believers, their loyalty in no way inferior to that of the imperial guardsmen who gave their lives for her past self, a deep sense of gratitude welled up within her, and she lowered her head in a deep bow.

Thank you. For your loyalty. You can be sure that I’ll repay you one day...

The gesture caused her veil to slip off her head. It floated briefly, riding a gentle current of air, before descending into the silver chalice.

“Ah...”

Within seconds, the pure white fabric of the veil soaked up the wine, turning blood red.

Ugh, nothing’s going right for me... It’s the final ceremony, and I still managed to mess up...

She was about to reach over and fish out the soggy veil when someone placed a new, unsullied veil over her head. Then, a pair of arms reached past her and pulled her veil out of the chalice. Slowly, she turned her head in the direction of the arms, only to freeze in shock upon discovering who they belonged to.

“M-Miss Rafina?”

After draping her own veil over Mia’s head, Rafina picked up the one in the chalice and wrung it out, paying no mind to the wine that splashed on her white garments. Then, she took the reddened strip of fabric, and wrapped it around her arm. She held it up, proudly displaying that unmistakable symbol for all to see — the deep red armband that signified the wearer’s support for Mia Luna Tearmoon.

“M-My Lady, this is...”

The priest gave Rafina an uncertain look. She gave a reassuring one in return before taking a step forward.

“To all those who supported me, I offer you my sincerest apologies. I, Rafina Orca Belluga, hereby withdraw my candidacy for the student council presidency. At the same time, I formally endorse my friend, Mia Luna Tearmoon, for the role,” she declared, her resonant voice infused with grace and gravity.

“L-Lady Rafina!”

The priest cried out in alarm at the unanticipated development. Never in the long history of Saint-Noel had such a thing ever occurred. A candidate backing out on the day of the election right before the final speech was preposterous enough, but for that candidate to be both the current president as well as the daughter of the Duke of Belluga... It was simply too much to reckon with at one time.

The students exploded into commotion. Amidst an ever-expanding ripple of confusion and excitement, Rafina stood like a statue of serenity. Only Mia caught a glimpse of the mischievous grin that flashed across her lips. Their eyes met for a second, and Rafina winked at her.

Wh-What in the moons... is going on?

Mia also stood like a statue; a completely bewildered statue. For a long while, she could manage nothing else.

Elections were considered sacred in Saint-Noel Academy. They were intended to be solemn affairs, carried out with the utmost respect before the watchful eyes of God. With that said, the God of the Central Orthodox Church was known to be a clement deity. Disruptive behavior, should it be committed in bad faith, would be punished accordingly. Intentional mischief during the proceedings could invalidate the legitimacy of the entire event, leading to all results being declared null and void. However, should it be done earnestly and with sincere motivations... No matter how unorthodox the behavior, it would be deemed permissible.

Indeed, even actions as unorthodox as badly fumbling a word during the Opening Mass speech... And, of course, a sudden withdrawal of candidacy right before the votes were cast.

Thus, a reborn Saint-Noel Academy witnessed the birth of a new student council. The induction of the Tearmoon Princess, Mia Luna Tearmoon, as its president was a pivotal moment that would have lasting effects on the rest of history. As for what those effects were... Well, those stories yet remain to be told.