episode_0044

A week had passed since I dueled that pest.

Naturally, many things had happened in the week since the duel ended.

First, the academy became noisy after the duel.

Many students came to watch the duel, but not all students came.

“No, I’m serious! That guy toyed with Ropri!”

“Nah~ He probably just won by chance.”

Of course, it also got noisy outside the academy.

That was because it wasn’t just two ordinary students fighting; the Prince of the Arsheon Kingdom had fought with his expulsion on the line and lost.

This story spread across the entire continent, making the pest a laughingstock.

Naturally, the pest was expelled from the academy.

The rumor was that he trembled at the mere sight of a sword.

He wouldn’t be able to live as a Swordsman anymore.

Naturally, the Arsheon Kingdom protested to the academy.

That was because the kingdom’s prince had returned as a cripple.

Of course, everyone at the dueling ground had seen the pest try to kill me even after the duel ended, so the academy ignored the Arsheon Kingdom’s protest.

“Hii!”

As I was walking through the academy grounds to go to the special class, a student saw me, startled, and ran off in the opposite direction.

The man who had just seen me and run away was one of the pest’s subordinates.

Whenever they ran into me at the academy, they kept running away from me.

The academy grounds, which were always clean and tidy, were cluttered today with various banners.

[History Club: Witnessing the History of the Continent]

[Cooking Club: Making Dishes from Various Countries]

“Come visit the Board Game Club where you can make memories with your friends!!!”

“Come and try out the Dungeon Exploration Department where you can learn about the mysterious world of dungeons!!”

Students who appeared to be academy seniors were loudly promoting their clubs.

‘Is it already club promotion season?’

Unless it was a famous club like the Swordsmanship Club or the Magic Club, all clubs promoted themselves like that.

“You, which club are you going to join?”

“I haven’t really decided yet.”

“How about the Disciplinary Committee? I heard all the seniors there are pretty.”

“The Disciplinary Committee or the Student Council aren’t places you can just join because you want to. You can only get in if the club itself invites you directly.”

The first-year students talked about which clubs they wanted to join.

“You’re a first-year, right? You don’t have to join the club, but come and try it out at least once.”

“Our club is much more beneficial than that club over there, so come to ours.”

“What did you say?!”

The students who came out to promote their clubs even fought with each other to lure in the first-years.

“Hey! That guy already agreed to join our club!”

“What are you talking about? It’s not even the day to choose clubs yet. Aren’t you just getting ahead of yourself?”

“Seniors, please don’t fight because of me…”

““Hey! Him? Or me??””

I sat on a nearby bench and watched them fight.

It was interesting, like watching a melodramatic drama.

‘But why is no one talking to me?’

For other first-year students, club members would talk to them just for passing by.

But no seniors talked to me.

Even when they approached me, if they realized it was me, they would change direction.

“Hogu, what are you doing here?”

Someone spoke to me as I sat on the bench.

There was only one person who called me by that nickname.

“Sepia-ssi.”

Sepia naturally sat next to me.

“I was just watching. Are you on your way to class, Sepia-ssi?”

“Yeah. When are you going in?”

“I’m thinking of watching a bit longer. Shall we go together in a little while?”

“Suit yourself.”

“Squeak, squeak.”

The spirits that were on Sepia’s shoulder clung to me.

“I’m telling you, that guy is definitely for our club!”

“Ha! How long has it been since you saw him?”

I stroked the clinging spirits while watching the people who were still fighting.

“Sepia-ssi, did you also receive club offers?”

“The presidents of the Spirit Club and the Merchant Club came and offered.”

Even if the Spirit Club made an offer because Sepia’s talent was unprecedented,

was the Merchant Club’s offer because her family was Leviathan?

“Hogu, which club are you thinking of joining?”

I raised my index finger and placed it to my lips.

““That’s a secret.””

My words and Sepia’s words overlapped.

Sepia sighed and opened her mouth.

“Oh, I knew you’d say that.”

Sepia predicted what I would say by looking at my actions.

She looked at me and smiled.

“Why? Did you think I wouldn’t be able to predict even that?”

. . . .

I, no, we were fighting with Professor Alicia again today.

Bang!

“Kuran, you still can’t fully control your body 100%.”

Everything was different from when we first fought Professor Alicia.

Bang! Bang! Boom!

Professor Alicia shattered the incoming rocks with her fists.

When we first fought Professor Alicia, Sepia’s spirits were scared and couldn’t attack, but now they attacked Professor Alicia without hesitation.

“Sepia, like Clara, you also need to be able to deal with opponents who fight at close range to some extent.”

Quite some time had passed since we started fighting Professor Alicia, but none of us had managed to land a proper attack.

All the other special class students had collapsed, and the only ones left were Lucas and I.

“Loki, about the magic tools you used when fighting Prince Ropri. Can’t you use them now?”

I didn’t use flashbangs or landmines when fighting Professor Alicia.

“All the magic tools I used then have a large range, so they aren’t helpful when fighting together.”

More precisely, it would be correct to say I couldn’t use them. Whether flashbangs or landmines, there’s a high chance they would attack the special class students fighting alongside me instead.

“Hooo. Are you relaxed enough to have a conversation?”

Professor Alicia charged at Lucas.

“Cough!”

Professor Alicia’s fist struck Lucas in the solar plexus.

Lucas, struck by the punch, flopped down and collapsed.

“Now, only you, Loki, remain.”

Professor Alicia slowly approached me and spoke.

I knew what Professor Alicia would answer, but I asked just in case.

“By any chance, if I surrender, will you accept it?”

I knew Professor Alicia’s answer by looking at her foot, which was lodged in my solar plexus.

. . .

“Rest for a while, then go get school lunch.”

Professor Alicia, not having shed a single drop of sweat, left the classroom after saying that.

“Kuran, you have an excellent physique today as well.”

“Hahahahaha, you also have an excellent physique for a priest!”

After some time passed, the students started talking amongst themselves even without me initiating conversation.

At first, I worried if the timid Frederic would be able to blend in well, but I didn’t need to worry anymore.

““Frederic, let’s go exercise together.””

“Huh?”

That was because Kuran and the muscular priest took Frederic with them when they went to exercise during lunchtime.

Those three became close enough to even go eat together after school.

“Loki, what are you going to do?”

“I have plans today, so I don’t think I can go.”

I also sometimes exercised with those three.

It was also amusing to watch them teach Frederic how to exercise from both sides.

Among the special class students, there were two students who still didn’t interact much with the other students.

They were Clara and Sepia.

Since they were the only two girls in the special class, it seemed like it would be good if they became friends, but unfortunately, neither of them was the type to initiate conversation.

“Clara-ssi!”

I approached Clara, who was reading again today, and spoke to her.

Clara looked at me as if to say, ‘State your business.’

“Clara-ssi, which club are you going to join?”

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“I thought Clara-ssi would definitely join the Magic Club, you know.”

“The person who said they were the president of the Magic Club told me to join earlier, but I don’t really intend to.”

“Why not?”

Usually, mages aim to join the Magic Club.

That’s because they can further develop their magic there.

“Because I don’t think being there would be helpful to me.”

If someone else had said that, it would have felt arrogant or obnoxious, but when Clara said it, I didn’t really feel that way.

“Hooo. I see. It’s perfect that you haven’t decided on a club yet.”

Clara, who heard my words, seemed to sense something ominous and asked me.

“What is?”

“It’s nothing. Please continue reading.”

Of course, I left without answering.

“Which club are you all going to join?”

I asked the other special class students as well.

““Bare-Handed Combat Club.””

Kuran and the muscular priest said it first.

Can a priest even join such a place?

“I intend to join the Swordsmanship Club and learn about the sword arts of this continent.”

The Swordsman from the East said.

It seemed he intended to stop fixating solely on Eastern sword arts after hearing Professor Alicia’s advice last time.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

Frederic hadn’t decided which club to join yet.

“Oh! Then how about joining the Bare-Handed Combat Club with me!”

Upon hearing that Frederic hadn’t decided on a club, Kuran patted Frederic’s shoulders with both hands and said.

But Frederic probably wouldn’t be able to join the Bare-Handed Combat Club.

“Lucas-ssi, which club are you going to join?”

“I haven’t decided yet, like Frederic.”

“Hmm, I see.”

I racked my brain as much as I could.

To create a club, at least five members were needed.

And my goal was to get all the special class students into the club I created.

I had already decided on the club name.

‘Clown Alliance Club.’

When the other students heard the club name, they would surely be satisfied.