chapter_0211

The announcement of the summer festival had sent the Academy into a frenzy of excitement. It was only natural. The word “festival” alone was appealing to most students, and the strong justification of an inter-academy exchange further fueled the enthusiasm. There was no way the atmosphere could be anything but upbeat.

Of course, there were some who opposed the idea. There were nobles who argued that it was inappropriate to hold a festival so soon after the undead incident, which had caused significant damage to the front lines. There were also nobles who objected to breaking with the traditions of Belium Academy.

Neither group persisted for long. When Rosalia announced that she had received a revelation that demons would not invade humanity for the time being, the first group immediately changed their tune and even offered to help. As for the traditionalists, they were summoned by the principal, who was the very embodiment of Belium Academy’s traditions, and given a stern talking-to. In the end, the graduates of Belium Academy, who were also nobles, had no choice but to bow their heads and accept the decision.

“With the Emperor’s decree in hand, there shouldn’t be any more dissenters. If there are, they’ll have to keep their mouths shut.”

Laura, who had obtained the Emperor’s decree, sealed the deal, ensuring that we would have two weeks of preparation time and one week of festival, with minimal classes during that period.

“It seems like there’s quite a competition going on over there as well.”

“What competition are you referring to?”

The festival fever wasn’t limited to Belium Academy.

“It’s a competition to be chosen as a partner for the exchange. While it’s undeniable that we are the Empire’s top academy, there’s a fierce battle for second and third place going on among the others. Being chosen as our partner for this inter-academy exchange and competition will essentially determine who takes those spots.”

I nodded in understanding, not particularly interested in the details. I didn’t know much about the other academies, as they were mostly used as a device in the original novel to emphasize Belium Academy’s superiority.

“The results should be out soon. Once it’s finalized, I’ll give you the profiles, so you can take a look. By the way, have you decided what you’ll be doing at the festival?”

“Not yet. I’ll have to ask around.”

Apart from the top ten students in practical skills from the first semester, who would be taking on the role of boss monsters, we also had to plan our club activities.

“Is there anything you’d like to do? Feel free to speak up, no pressure.”

The principal had allowed clubs to set up stalls and hold special demonstrations during the festival, and any profits made, barring exceptional circumstances, would belong entirely to the clubs.

This was a golden opportunity for students of commoner backgrounds, as they could potentially earn a substantial sum separate from their dignity maintenance funds. As for the nobles, they had their own reasons to strive for excellence. The principal had permitted them to use their family names for their clubs, which, combined with the fact that this was an unprecedented event in Belium Academy’s 130-year history and the nobles’ obsession with honor, fueled their competitive spirits.

It was all part of the principal’s plan to boost the festival’s atmosphere.

“The clubs with the highest overall evaluations will receive awards, up to third place, but since we’re not concerned about the prizes, let’s just do whatever we feel like. Any ideas?”

“Ah, I see. That explains why everyone’s so fired up. It’s a battle of egos.”

“A chance to legally mock our opponents.”

While the situation was a bit backwards, with the clubs being funded by the families rather than the other way around, it wasn’t a problem as long as the clubs spent their own money and didn’t come up with overly outrageous ideas—the student council would step in and reject any unreasonable proposals, as evidenced by the example they had posted: a suggestion from the monster research club to hold 1-on-1 duels with monsters as a gambling event.

“Priscilla, what about you? Has your family said anything?”

“They said they’d support me if I wanted to do something, but it’s fine if I don’t. They told me not to worry too much and just enjoy the festival.”

“Won’t they be coming themselves?”

“No, they have their positions to consider.”

Priscilla, however, didn’t seem too concerned about her family’s absence. The Duke would likely shed tears of blood if he knew his daughter’s attitude. And he’d probably blame me for turning her into this.

“Well, in any case, I asked if you had any ideas. If not, we can just take it easy and enjoy the festival. It’s totally fine to do nothing.”

I looked around the club room at Priscilla, Rosalia, Ciel, Laura, Leona, Latina, and Karna, who had returned to her student status after finishing her work at the Imperial Palace and ended up joining us on a whim.

‘With this lineup, we could do anything and be successful.’

Priscilla, the youngest daughter and future head of the Agnes ducal family. Rosalia, who had declared her alliance with the Emperor and was a saint. Laura, the crown prince and the next Emperor. Leona, chosen by the Goddess and wielding the holy sword as the Hero. Karna, the first disciple of the Sword Saint. And finally, Latina, the personal disciple of the Saint.

Even if we sold ice cream with three ice cubes per cup and charged 50 silver coins, people would still line up to buy it, just because of our names.

“By the way, Mira, I heard you’ll be participating as a boss monster during the exchange. Will you still be able to join us for the club activities?”

“It’s not a big deal. It’s just a main event, and it won’t take long. Probably a few hours out of the entire week.”

Since it was more of a showcase for the audience than an exam, there was no need to drag it out.

“Hmm… What about selling food like the other clubs?”

Priscilla was the first to raise her hand. Many clubs, either lacking a unique idea or motivated by profit, had chosen to sell food.

The student council would handle any menu overlaps, and while it would be physically demanding, it didn’t require much brainpower.

“That’s fine. Let’s write it down as an option, but are you sure about this? You know we’ll be swamped with customers because of our names.”

“What do you mean?”

“The cooking. Are you sure you’ll be able to handle the volume? I estimate we’ll need to prepare at least 10,000 servings during the festival. It’s doable if we all pitch in, but it will be quite a lot of work.”

Priscilla shuddered, likely imagining the amount of work involved. Rosalia and Leona had similar reactions.

“Any other suggestions?”

“How about an artificial dungeon?”

Leona quickly raised her hand.

“Most clubs won’t be able to pull it off. It requires a lot of resources and preparation.”

“An artificial dungeon, huh? That sounds good. As long as we have the right materials, it should be fine.”

“Materials shouldn’t be a problem. We have more than enough, thanks to the Gate.”

Even if we didn’t want to resort to that, we could always bring something from Earth’, though it would prick our conscience a bit.

“Well, that’s true. But Laura, aren’t you the student council president? Shouldn’t you be with them?”

Laura was also a member of our club, but as the student council president, she had responsibilities during the festival preparations. I wondered if she was skipping out on her duties.

“I’ve already finished my share of work for today. My subordinates are still struggling with half the amount I did, so their processing speed is too slow.”

It was indeed a legal skip. I silently offered my condolences to the student council members who were working without their president.

A few more ideas were suggested, but each had its own issues, and the consensus seemed to be leaning towards the artificial dungeon.

“Let’s consider it settled for now. We can change the details up to a week before the festival, so feel free to speak up if you have any other ideas.”

Normally, we would have to submit an application to the student council and wait for their approval, but with the student council president among us, we could safely skip that step.

“I’m going to see Professor Jaina. Anyone want to come with me?”

“Ah, yes!”

Karna eagerly joined me when I hinted at it. The other six gathered together, having guessed my intention to leave with Karna alone so that they could use their knowledge of Earth to come up with a theme.

I closed the door, and the murmur of voices abruptly ceased.

“What about the Sword Saint? Haven’t you found her yet?”

“No. I wonder if she crossed over to the Demon World…”

It was to be expected that we couldn’t find her. How could we locate someone who had traveled back in time?

“It’s fine. She must be somewhere. She’s the Sword Saint, after all.”

“Yeah. She’s our master. I’m sure she’s doing well.”

Karna nodded brightly.

After chatting about various things, I casually asked if she had ever experienced a dream as vivid as reality, and she said no. With that, my worries were completely put to rest.

“…… You want to create an artificial dungeon, so you’re asking to borrow the Belium Forest?”

Professor Jaina’s voice rose in surprise as I explained our plan. The professor’s clones, buried under piles of paperwork, all turned to look at us.

“Yes. Is that a problem?”

“It’s not impossible. There are other clubs that want to use the Belium Forest, but… Well, I’m sorry. When I heard about the Belium Forest and artificial dungeon, it brought back some unpleasant memories.”

Professor Jaina shook her head and rubbed her forehead.

During our first dungeon practice, a Maker had suddenly appeared, causing quite a commotion. The professor had even had to write a report about it, so it was understandable that the memory would resurface.

“Anyway, feel free to choose any unoccupied area. Just keep in mind that if it’s too deep, people will have a hard time reaching it, and it might as well be the same as not doing it.”

“Understood.”

“An artificial dungeon? How did you come up with such an idea? None of the clubs that wanted to use the Belium Forest mentioned creating a dungeon. Do you have a theme in mind?”