Club Trial Entry (1)

A few days later, news that the Saint had disappeared turned the entire academy upside down.

At the same time, journalists who had been covering stories in the Holy Nation returned to their home countries one after another, and as the Holy Nation half-closed its doors, an anxious atmosphere spread, especially among students from the Holy Nation.

Polaris Academy officially announced that the Saint had temporarily suspended her educational program, but there wasn’t a single student at Polaris stupid enough to not understand that she had effectively been expelled from the academy.

Numerous speculations and conspiracy theories sprouted and then disappeared.

Starting with outlandish stories like the Saint was actually dead, or that the Holy Nation had sent someone to assassinate her.

Speculations from students from the Holy Nation, such as the Saint would return to the Holy Nation and start a civil war, or the Holy Nation would return to the state before the 4th Saint’s Senate reform, or that the traitors of the Senate would all receive divine punishment and die.

Terrifying rumors that the entire continent would once again be engulfed in the flames of civil war began to circulate.

To be honest, it was frightening. Even knowing that most of these were absurd, it was too difficult for a person like me, with already shattered insides, to remain calm and not tremble while seeing and hearing newspapers and radio broadcasts that spouted conspiracy theories every day.

I surely wouldn’t have been able to endure it alone.

Human emotions are truly cruel things, as it has now become really difficult for me to recall the version of myself when Delphina and Oscar weren’t by my side.

Even though the few months I spent in the Kingdom after the war were longer than the recent months I’ve spent with them, past memories felt like momentary experiences from long ago.

But before long, the rumors subsided, and even the talk about the Cornelio incident that had shaken the academy and the disappeared Saint gradually died down.

Partly thanks to the passage of time sweeping away all the stories, but above all, the biggest reason was that the first exam period since the start of the new semester was approaching.

At the same time, Delphina could no longer stay by my side for long periods like before.

Since Polaris Academy students basically belong to only one department per person, it’s common to take only one test issued by their affiliated department to evaluate academic achievement.

However, as Delphina was completing a special training course for Holy Knights, she had to take exams from both the theology department and the knight department, so her study load was apparently twice that of other students.

In contrast, despite it being exam period, Oscar looked really carefree.

I guess his study load would be relatively less than Delphina’s, but still, seeing him wandering around without studying at all made me a bit worried.

Can he graduate like this?

Even if it’s because of me, if his grades drop because of it, wouldn’t that also be a debt I owe?

Whether he knew my thoughts or not. Oscar’s habit of visiting me at sunrise and leaving at sunset continued for several days, and unable to contain my curiosity, I asked.

‘I heard that the magic department has more study load compared to other departments, is it okay for you to be playing around like this?’

To my question, Oscar smiled and answered like this.

‘Don’t the exams only ask about what’s taught in class?’

‘…Well, that’s true.’

‘Right?’

‘….’

Oscar nodded as he said that.

So to paraphrase, it was self-praise meaning that he’s such a genius that he doesn’t need to study separately.

‘…Tsk.’

Somehow feeling irritated, I clicked my tongue and hit Oscar’s back hard. And quite sincerely at that.

For a mage, he has unnecessarily good endurance, so if I hit him lightly, he just smirks and asks if I’m going easy on him.

Deliberately ignoring the voice of the guy who was whining that I was being too harsh, I made my way to the kitchen.

I was thinking of brewing a cup of tea for Delphina, who would be studying hard.

I carefully placed tea leaves on the filter paper, fixed the paper, and poured hot boiled water.

The tea, dyed with a subtle and pretty color, dripped down below the paper.

Controlling the strength in my right hand also seems to have become easier recently, perhaps because my mind has stabilized a bit.

It was tea that Oscar, who was sprawled over there holding his back and groaning, had brought, and it had a very nice fragrance.

Initially, I was going to give it to Delphina to moisten her throat while studying, but as I was brewing the tea, I changed my mind.

Studying is good, but wouldn’t it also be good to advise her to take a short break and catch her breath?

Holding the tray very carefully in my right hand, I knocked on the door with my left and said,

“Delphina, can I come in?”

“Ah, no!”

There was a clattering sound from inside the door, and then Delphina opened the door slightly with disheveled hair.

“W-what is it…?”

“…Oh, no. I thought you might be struggling with studying. I brought something to drink…”

I said, peeking through the gap in the door.

“You are studying, right…?”

“O-of course!”

Delphina took the tray from me almost as if snatching it, and smiled awkwardly.

“Ahaha, well then. I’m busy.”

-Click.

The door closed carefully, and from inside, I could faintly hear Delphina letting out a sigh.

It was a sigh of relief, but why?

…She is studying, right?

“It’s finally overrr…”

The flow of time, when looking back after it’s passed, is surprisingly fast.

Things like the Cornelio incident disappeared to the far side of memory, and after Polaris Academy’s first semester’s first exam period had already ended.

Delphina was sprawled on the sofa like a water-soaked towel hanging on a chair.

I stroked Delphina’s head and said,

“Good job.”

“Mmhmm.”

Delphina cleared her throat in a somewhat awkward tone and awkwardly turned her gaze away from me.

“Y-you too, Princess, good job with the exams. Your practical test in the knight department was perfect.”

“That’s just a piece of cake.”

I nodded with a quite rarely seen proud expression, though I’m a bit embarrassed to say so myself.

The knight department exams at the new student level are just a piece of cake!

To think that the exam content was sparring between students.

Setting aside the fact that the students who sparred with me all received high bonus points, perhaps in consideration of the level difference… they must have had their spirits quite crushed, no doubt.

Thinking about it makes me feel a bit sorry, but that’s all part of trials and hardships.

You have to overcome those to become an excellent knight.

“Good job, Lady Conwald.”

Oscar said with a kind smile.

“You didn’t study at all.”

At my jibe, Oscar answered with a silent laugh instead of words.

While I was lifting my foot to kick his joint in response to his annoying reaction:

“By the way, Princess.”

Delphina, who was half-sprawled on the sofa, raised her head and said in a weak voice,

“Princess, are you not interested in academy circles or anything like that?”

“Circles?”

What’s this? The word oddly sounds provincial.

“Are you talking about clubs?”

“Well, they’re called that too.”

Delphina nodded.

“Young people these days call them circles, they say.”

“Young people these days…”

At her choice of words that was difficult to describe, Oscar, who had been rubbing his shin, opened his mouth with a smile.

“Young people these days, what an interesting expression. It’s like hearing what the maids in our imperial palace say.”

“Maids?”

At Oscar’s strange words, I tilted my head.

“What do you mean by that? Aren’t maids all young girls?”

“Young maids?”

But to my question, Oscar rather tilted his head.

“All the maids in our imperial palace are only elderly ladies.”

“Eh?”

“How could young and inexperienced maids work in the imperial palace? They’re all experienced and skilled veterans in maid work.”

“…I, I see.”

It makes sense that maids employed in places like the imperial palace wouldn’t be young and pretty newcomers.

It’s not unreasonable, and rather quite natural, when you think about it, that they would all be older veterans.

It felt like one of the few fantasies left in my heart had been shattered.

“Hmm, why do you have such a gloomy expression?”

The tactless Oscar asked.

“Perhaps your expectations were diffe—argh!”

Leaving Oscar trembling after being kicked in the shin, I asked Delphina,

“So, what about that club… or circle or whatever?”

“Ah…”

Delphina glanced at Oscar with a worried expression and said,

“If you do such circle activities, you might make friends, you know.”

“…Friends.”

“Since you said gatherings like the last tea party weren’t your thing… I thought about it. Of course, circle activities aren’t mandatory, but still… I thought it might help you make friends.”

“Isn’t it a good idea?”

As if his pain had already subsided, Oscar added a word in a composed tone.

“The exams have just ended, and circle activities will gradually start to become lively again. Even students at Polaris Academy aren’t just study-obsessed nerds who only know how to study.”

Oscar said, tapping the armchair with his fingers.

“Rather, because there was such a major incident at the beginning of the semester, due to the unsettled atmosphere, they couldn’t fully enjoy it then… so even if belatedly, circle activities might become more heated.”

Hearing Oscar’s speculation, Delphina also seemed to gain more courage and spoke in an enthusiastic voice.

“That’s right, you won’t regret it even if you just look around for the experience!”

Circle… in other words, club.

Actually, the problem is just that the name sounds cheap, but listening to the explanation, it seems similar to modern club activities or hobby groups.

I muttered without much thought,

“Then maybe I’ll try a trial entry or something.”

…Daring to say in hindsight, I should not have done that.