episode_0032

“So that’s it. This is the holy sword….”

Sophia nodded her head.

She seemed completely unaware of the ordinary form of the holy sword that had lost its power.

“I can definitely feel traces of divine power in the sword. It seems like it was overflowing with tremendous divine power just a moment ago.”

Artoria murmured.

“It’s in a state where all the power has drained away. That’s what Lucifer said.”

“Yeah. I tried to charge it with my divine power and awaken it, but it didn’t work.”

Sophia received the holy sword from Vess and inspected it here and there.

“Sophia, how did I charge this sword in the previous episode?”

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“The Vess from the previous episode never charged the holy sword separately. I’ve never even heard of the concept of the holy sword running out of power before.”

“I see….”

Vess, who had fought alongside the knight Sophia, felt even more disappointed because he had hoped that she would know how to use the holy sword.

“Um… Sir Knight. Shall I try infusing my power into it once?”

Artoria approached Vess, who had bowed his head, and whispered.

To the knight, Vess was an unfamiliar figure from a world she didn’t know. Above all, it was something related to this barbaric woman that she didn’t particularly want to help with.

But seeing the disappointed knight, she wanted to do something to help her.

“May I ask, Artoria?”

“Yes!”

“Hoo….”

Artoria, who received the holy sword from Vess, took a deep breath for a moment.

“Then let’s begin.”

Paaat

A bright light poured out from her hand.

A mysterious power that made one feel devout just by looking at it.

It was Artoria’s divine power.

“Huff….”

Artoria poured her power onto the holy sword in front of her.

Wuu wuu

As a result, the holy sword began to tremble.

“Huh?”

The surface of the trembling holy sword quietly began to transform back into its splendid appearance as before.

“Is it done…?”

“Artoria!”

Excited, Vess embraced Artoria.

“I, Sir Knight…!”

Arthoria blushed unexpectedly at Versus’s reaction.

“……Hehe.”

“Hmph. I’ll let it go this time.”

Sophia crossed her arms as if she were annoyed.

Well, it did help Versus after all.

“You’re back again!”

Versus received the Holy Sword from Arthoria.

The Holy Sword was once again in his grasp.

But an immense amount of power did not flow into him from the Holy Sword.

“Huh?”

Woo…

The brilliant light of the Holy Sword gradually faded away.

“Why?”

The appearance of the Holy Sword had suddenly returned to that of an old sword.

“This method won’t work.”

There probably isn’t anyone on the continent who possesses more sacred power than Arthoria. Therefore, it seems impossible to recharge the Holy Sword using this method.

Then how did I, a mere knight, use the Holy Sword?

“Don’t be too disappointed, Versus. If you keep dreaming, you might find out how you used the Holy Sword in the previous round.”

“Y-Yes! Cheer up! Our lord always finds the answer even in the face of danger!”

“Thank you both.”

Yeah.

I never thought I could just wing everything.

It’s a shame, but as I continue to search for my memories as a knight, I’ll be able to wield the Holy Sword.

Versus pushed the Holy Sword into its sheath.

“More importantly, they said today marks the beginning of the club recruitment week.”

Sophia spoke up to lighten the mood.

“Club recruitment week…”

The first week of the semester at Lichten Academy is designated for orientation for classes, and the second week is set aside for club recruitment, specifically for new students.

During this week, seniors appeal their clubs to freshmen, encouraging them to join, fostering interaction between juniors and seniors.

However, it wasn’t just a simple period for promoting clubs;

The academy itself was a complex and delicate time, as it was on the extension of the continent’s politics, so the power struggles continued, entwined with human relationships and factions.

“The clubs’ persuasion towards Vissus last week was no joke.”

“Yeah. It’s probably because he’s the Crown Prince, but I never thought all the clubs would gather like that to recruit him.”

Following Robina, Vissus received numerous club handshake requests.

The position of being the illegitimate daughter of a saint or the president of a republic seemed impossibly high to recruit into a club, but due to their close relationship and the exceptional martial arts skills of the Marquis, it seemed possible.

“Oh, I see.”

Vissus remembered the seniors who had gathered around him to propose club recruitment, making him shudder.

“Isn’t there a way to stop these annoying things?”

He didn’t want to get involved in such a crowd again.

“It is possible to block such annoying matters at the source, Vissus.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. The first method is to join another club. In the last meeting, Vissus, you were a member of the academy’s leadership.”

“Leadership… Right, I remember that.”

Vissus recalled himself as a member of the leadership in his dream.

“If I join a club, other seniors probably won’t bother me, but… If I join the leadership, wouldn’t I have to deal with those kinds of annoying tasks?”

Being entangled in such trivial leadership tasks from the position of blocking ‘organizations’ was not ideal.

Especially when there were various connections to be made at the academy.

Of course, using the position as a member of the leadership would make it easier to approach, but on the other hand, freedom would be restricted.

As the members of the leadership were weak-willed academy students joining to find a livelihood after graduation, it was a situation where they were exploited as cheap labor within the academy.

Due to this, the leading members often had to be called and dispatched even during their free time to resolve various incidents that occurred within the academy.

“But if Nanggun were to join the leading group, it would be difficult for us to spend time with him.”

“Right. That’s not the recommendation I’m making. Moreover, joining an existing club would not be a good direction as it would affect the balance of power within the current academy factions.”

The club that the daughter of the Saintess and the Chancellor is joining.

Just hearing about it will cause a stir.

“The second method is for us to create a club.”

“Us?”

“Yes. Normally, first-year students at the academy don’t create clubs. Above all, the club system itself continues the factions that have existed from the beginning. There’s no reason for new students to create a club in order to be included in the existing order. Even if they do create one, they should consider themselves lucky if they manage to survive among the existing clubs. But our situation is different.”

“That’s a good idea!”

Artoria clapped her hands together.

“If this woman representing the Holy Kingdom and I representing the Republic create a club, there will be plenty left even after creating it!”

“Yes. Who would dare to meddle with the club we create together?”

“…Our club.”

That sounds good, doesn’t it?

If the three of us create a club together, there won’t be any interference from others, and we’ll have freedom in our actions.

Not only that.

We could secure a club room and obtain our own base.

“Let’s do it right now.”

* * *

Clack

The door to the Student Council President’s office opened.

“Good morning, President!”

“President! Good morning!”

As they saw Diavel, the Student Council President, walking in, all the students affiliated with the student council stood up from their seats.

“Hello, everyone.”

Diavel smiled broadly at them.

Seeing her smile, the male and female students blushed.

Diavel slowly walked to her seat and sat down.

“Did everyone have a good weekend?”

“Yes!”

“Starting today, it’s club recruitment week.”

“Yes! Currently, all clubs that have submitted recruitment-related applications to the academy… ”

The student council secretary stood straight and began the report to Diavel.

The first operation of ‘the Organization’ begins this week.

Originally, they planned to wait about four days before executing the operation.

A strange pain is felt in Diavel’s chest.

It must be because of what he saw in the restroom the day before.

“I think we should execute it tomorrow.”

Secretary Grangnion.

He had no interest and didn’t know who the Marquis was.

Diavel couldn’t help but be concerned about him.