Chapter 10: My life was a romance novel (3)

A week had passed since the start of the academy. The Swordsmanship Department was abuzz with the “Little Sword Emperor is weaker than expected” issue, but otherwise, things were proceeding as the intelligence department had predicted.

Except for one thing: the Flower Arranging Club.

“Prince Esid joined the Flower Arranging Club?”

“What kind of club is that? Flower arranging? Like, literally arranging flowers?”

“That can’t be the only reason. If it was just the prince, we could dismiss it as a whim. But the other members are no joke.”

“True. Including the prince, there’s royalty from Leon and Dale, major powers. And considering the other members…”

“It’s basically a secret gathering of the most influential first-years.”

I sat quietly, munching on a sandwich, blending in with the students while gathering information.

“Please, let them believe that.”

I silently prayed that these rumors about the Flower Arranging Club would spread. It was better for fewer people to know the truth – that influential first-years, including princes from the Empire and other powerful nations, had become rivals in a love triangle within a week. Of course, it didn’t matter if someone revealed the truth. Anyone with common sense would dismiss them as crazy.

“Is this really a ropan?”

The more I observed the Flower Arranging Club from afar, the more convinced I became. Like a typical ropan, Daisy was pure, the potential male leads were dense, and yet, the club somehow functioned. I hoped this was a ropan. It was better to believe that these events were unfolding according to a predetermined script. If this chaotic situation had developed naturally, then the genre of this world was cosmic horror, not romance.

“I hope I don’t have to join that club.”

The Commander and the intelligence department wanted me to join the Flower Arranging Club for better observation, but I refused. Officially, I argued that my presence might disrupt the delicate balance of relationships within the club. Personally, I didn’t want to get involved in the chaotic mess of potential male leads.

If, by some chance, Daisy fell for me, like in those “extra” ropan stories, I would become the man who NTR’d the first love of several important figures, including my own charge, and get dragged into every single one of the heroine’s dramatic escapades. I felt more dread than romantic interest when I saw Daisy, so I was definitely not cut out to be a male lead in a ropan.

“Is that even possible?”

Perhaps out of pity, or perhaps they found my arguments valid, the kingdom agreed to postpone my application to the club. But if anything happened, I knew I, the closest agent, would be the first one called in.

“If I can just hold out until next year, I’ll get some backup.”

There were knights assigned as Prince Ellen’s escort, but they couldn’t get involved in club activities. I needed at least one or two undercover agents from the intelligence department, posing as students, to operate effectively. Could I survive until then without incident?

“Should I prepare one in advance?”

I’d left my resignation letter, which no one would accept anyway, back in the kingdom. It seemed I’d be carrying a club application form instead.

“I never thought I’d be betrayed like this.”

I’d thought I could relax a bit at the academy. My plan to leave Prince Ellen to the Sword Emperor and the Little Sword Emperor while I enjoyed my youth backfired spectacularly when the prince decided to enjoy his youth instead. Thanks to that, I was now playing spy at the academy, utilizing the skills I’d learned from the intelligence department. I used to complain about those skills being useless, but they were proving invaluable now.

“It’s still a normal academy, though.”

With the addition of the Sword Emperor and the former Tower Master, students from various nations had gathered, not just from the Empire. Even the freshmen seemed to be focused on their studies, which was slightly unusual, but within expectations. The Flower Arranging Club, creating such a complicated dynamic in just a week, was the anomaly. There was nothing wrong with students studying diligently in an academy.

“In that sense, the club president is too suspicious.”

First, he had narrow eyes. That alone increased the probability of him being a key character by fifty percent.

A narrow-eyed character in a ropan academy setting… In the best-case scenario, he was a retired hero or an ally with a complicated past. Worst-case scenario, he was a mid-level boss of some organization plotting a terrorist attack, or even the final boss who betrays the protagonists in the end. I was suspicious because of his brown hair. If it had been pink, I would have launched a preemptive strike.

“I haven’t found any concrete evidence, though.”

Belian Erick, based on my observations, displayed the typical traits of a minor noble. I was almost fooled by his seemingly ordinary demeanor.

However, his very ordinariness made him suspicious. And as I investigated, I uncovered more and more oddities. He’d completed his graduation requirements last year, yet he was still taking a full course load this year? No sane person would do that. He was definitely up to something.

He’d taken an excessive number of courses in his third year, enough to fulfill his graduation requirements, which some fourth-years struggled to achieve. Yet, he had no close friends, no one even remembered him clearly? Even the most introverted person would leave some trace. This was a professional level of information concealment, on par with the intelligence department.

And the most decisive factor…

“-Is this how you do it?”

“-Not bad. But it’s too flashy overall. In this case, using these subtle flowers to highlight the main ones would create better focus.”

“-Wow!”

I wasn’t directly observing the club activities, but even through eavesdropping, I could tell. This guy was serious about flower arranging.

It wasn’t good to stereotype based on gender, but a male noble, enrolled in the academy, being genuinely passionate about flower arranging in this medieval fantasy setting… It was more plausible to believe he was acting.

“-Alright, that’s all for today.”

As soon as the club activity ended, I cut off the eavesdropping device and headed to the training grounds. I hadn’t joined the Flower Arranging Club, using personal training as an excuse, so I had to actually train. Otherwise, Prince Ellen would drag me to the club.

“Well, it’s not even an excuse, though.”

I wanted to train. It was just that Prince Ellen’s first love was interfering with my training. That damn, sneaky bastard. It was already hard enough to keep up; now he was hindering my efforts to do so.

“Adam!”

Prince Ellen, his face flushed, ran towards me. Even knowing this wasn’t a BL scenario, seeing a guy act like that made me frown.

“Did Daisy confess to you?”

“N-No!”

He stammered, then cautiously pulled something out.

“Oh, did someone else confess to you?”

I tilted my head, looking at the letter in Prince Ellen’s hand. Was he already receiving confessions from other girls to make the heroine jealous? Our prince hadn’t progressed that far with Daisy, had he? Well, considering his looks, it wasn’t impossible. My mind, warped by the ropan lens, jumped to conclusions.

“This isn’t mine. It’s for you, Adam.”

I almost swung my training sword at the sudden BL development.

“Violet asked me to give it to you.”

Violet. Daisy’s childhood friend, the purple-haired girl I’d seen in the clubroom.

“I see.”

And then it clicked.

“This is… a duel challenge.”

“No way, isn’t it a love letter?”

Prince Ellen looked at me incredulously, but I was certain.

“Definitely a challenge.”

I wasn’t ugly, but Prince Ellen was right next to me. And this girl was surrounded by people as attractive as, or even more so than, the prince. Of course, those people were only interested in her friend, but at this age, girls often challenged the impossible, even if they knew it was futile.

And think about it. Who were the men around Daisy?

Even in a fantasy world where polygamy was acceptable if you were attractive and powerful enough, the only one with a social standing low enough to be considered a “backup” option was the Flower Arranging Club president. If Daisy chose one, what would happen to the others? Wouldn’t they naturally try to woo other potential partners?

“Hmm.”

“Ah!”

As I pulled out the letter, Prince Ellen flinched and backed away, as if realizing I was about to read it.

“W-Well, she did say to read it right away.”

“Indeed.”

The contents were short and simple:

-Tonight, 7 PM.
-Rooftop of the old school building.

It seemed urgent. She wanted to meet today.

“Definitely a duel challenge.”

“N-No, it can’t be…”

Yes, it could. Who would write a love letter with just the time and location? This was a classic duel challenge format. According to the information I had, Violet was a fairly skilled mage.

“That presumptuous magic-wielding…”

She was challenging me, the second strongest swordsman in the first-year class. How absurd. Shouldn’t she defeat the third strongest, the Little Sword Emperor, first? I guess I seemed like an easier target than the Sword Emperor’s grandson.

“M-Magic-wielding what?!”

He looked like he was about to scold me for using such language, but when I told him I’d learned the term from Princess Hestia, he blushed and lowered his head.

“Are you ashamed of the princess?”

“A little.”

“Uh…”

Well, I’d be embarrassed too if she were my older sister. Anyway…

“I’ll win.”

If I lost, Prince Ellen would be next. I couldn’t lose this battle of pride between the Swordsmanship and Magic Departments. I was wary of the mage choosing the location, but a true swordsman should be able to overcome such a handicap.

“W-Well… okay. Be careful.”

With a hesitant farewell from Prince Ellen, I headed to the rooftop of the old school building.

****

Creak.

I opened the metal door and stepped onto the rooftop. The purple-haired girl was already there.

“You came.”

Her voice trembled slightly, her gaze uncertain. Her expression, filled with resolve, momentarily shook my conviction.

What the… Was this really a confession, like Prince Ellen suggested? Then, a powerful blow, capable of shattering my sanity, emerged from her lips.

“Do you know… Like a Flower Blooming on Barren Land?”

What the hell. Did this world have “Do You Know” memes too? And what was “Like a Flower Blooming on Barren Land”? It sounded like a ropan title.

“Do you know… kimchi?”

The following “Do You Know” questions left me speechless. Wait, what? Was there kimchi in this world too?

“Do you know Co… Oh, . You’re from South Korea, aren’t you?”

At my dumbfounded expression, her face lit up with realization, and I could only nod.