Chapter 28: Club Recruitment - 2

"That covers the explanation. Now then, I’ll take questions."

"I’m fine."

I hadn’t been listening anyway.

Couldn’t you just end it here?

Judging by Angelica’s expression, she seemed to be thinking the same thing I was.

Even with an imperial princess sitting right here, I suddenly felt like I understood why this club had been walking the road to abolition.

At my saying I was fine, she smiled and nodded, then seemed to remember something and started fidgeting with her fingers, looking startled.

"Ah! Sorry. I talked so much about myself without even introducing myself first... My name is Eileen de Astoria. You probably already know that, but since this is the academy, there’s no need for formality... just call me Eileen, your senior."

"I’m Ian de Logres."

"Angelica de Olivier."

"Ian... Angelica... Ah! So you’re those two?"

Those two?

At her words, my face twisted before I knew it.

The imperial family bastards had a record already.

Were they putting out another clickbait piece of shit article...?

"I knew about Miss Angelica because she’s famous as the top freshman... and I heard about you from my younger brother. He said you were the one who helped that idiot come to his senses?"

Apparently not.

If she meant her younger brother, then she was talking about the second prince.

No, between the family head and that second prince, just how much had that bastard been running his mouth?

Eileen grinned and continued.

"I don’t know what kind of wind blew through him, but the kid suddenly started acting normal, so I thought maybe he was finally about to die..."

Eileen’s gaze changed as she looked at me.

"He said he came to his senses thanks to someone... and that someone was you, the one who beat up the heretics on the train, and the one who fought Miss Angelica here to a draw in a spar... right?"

The moment I met her eyes, a chill ran down my spine.

It was the gaze of a snake that could approach while hiding its true thoughts, then swallow you whole as if it were nothing.

It was only because that nerdy side of her stood out so much that I had forgotten.

The woman in front of me was, without question, a member of the imperial family.

But what was this...?

Did Eileen have some hidden backstory I didn’t know about?

As far as I remembered, the crown prince was already firmly established with overwhelming support, so unless the protagonist stirred things up, there wasn’t any palace-intrigue storyline, was there?

"The top freshman and his rival joining our Ancient Documents Club. I’d say the day our club rises again isn’t far off."

That was Eileen, declaring it with sparkling eyes.

What a letdown.

Looks like I was worrying for nothing.

She scared the hell out of me.

I thought this romance fantasy was about to switch genres into political intrigue.

"Anyway, thank you for coming. Thanks to you two, I managed to put out the urgent fire. All the other club members graduated... I was this close to having the club abolished."

The shine in her eyes had already faded, and with a bitter smile, Eileen looked down at the floor.

"It must be a very precious club to you?"

"Yes. It is."

At Angelica’s emotionless question, she nodded as if it were only natural.

In the game, Eileen had so little presence she was basically an extra, so I didn’t know the details of how she lived, but I did remember that after failing to stop the club from being abolished, she stayed depressed for quite a while and didn’t even look at any other clubs.

That probably meant the Ancient Documents Club really was that precious to her.

"It was only for one year, but the club activities I did with my seniors were genuinely fun. I didn’t want this club to disappear."

"Then if you used your authority as a princess..."

"That would be a little lacking in romance, wouldn’t it? And what meaning would there be in a club that only continues because people were forced into joining?"

She smiled as she went on.

"Now that we have three people, if we can gather just two more, the club can continue. And with the two of you, famous figures, having joined, isn’t it only a matter of time before people start flocking here?"

Well.

Eileen was a second-year right now.

Which meant that last year, she had been the only cadet to join this club.

And if all the other members had graduated, that meant before Eileen joined, it had been an unpopular club made up of nothing but fourth-years.

Besides, if it were someone like Isabella, maybe. But Angelica and I were both closer to loners than social butterflies, so there weren’t actually that many people who knew us.

And the club members were the first imperial princess, the illegitimate child of a grand ducal house, and Prince Charles’s attendant?

If anything, I felt like people would avoid joining because it was too intimidating...

I liked this place.

A niche among niches, somewhere Iris probably wouldn’t join, and somewhere an event to release Carnwennan’s seal seemed likely to happen.

This was the only club I could see that satisfied every condition I wanted.

It probably wasn’t the answer Eileen wanted to hear.

Still, whatever the case, that was why I intended to join this club.

But even if we filled the minimum of three, all that did was buy us a grace period. If we didn’t reach five, the minimum number required to maintain the club, it would all amount to nothing.

To keep the club alive, we needed to drag in two cadets who could fill that gap.

But... if she was the first imperial princess, didn’t that mean her network should be pretty wide?

"Do you perhaps... not intend to use your connections?"

"W-well, the thing is, aside from club activities, I didn’t really pay much attention to student life during my first year... so I don’t have any close friends."

No wonder her role had been extra-level.

Who would’ve thought she was a voluntary loner?

A gathering of nationally recognized loners.

That was us.

Though these people were only loners in name.

Anyway, after talking with Eileen a bit more about the club and various other things, we left the club room.

So we needed to bring in two more people, huh.

In Angelica’s case, the only person she really knew was probably Prince Charles, and that guy would be busy chasing Iris around, so pass.

Should I try asking Dolnesia and Isabella?

No, leave Isabella out.

I couldn’t imagine that lady coming to a shabby place like this.

She was probably already in several clubs anyway.

Thinking that,

"I’m going to come at you hard from the start. That’s fine, right?"

I got beaten to hell.

#

Seriously, she’s so damn ruthless. How can someone hit that hard?

On a bench in the moonlit garden,

the person talking mad shit about my rival was me.

My whole body still ached.

[Dragon Strength] had definitely boosted my regeneration like crazy, but pain was pain, apparently.

That was just what sparring with Angelica was like, I guess.

Or did she know I had [Dragon Strength] and feel free to hit me without holding back?

This time too, it ended with both our wooden swords getting smashed to pieces.

And because the wooden swords had shattered, we got chewed out by a professor who happened to be on duty at the time.

For now, it had ended with just a scolding.

The problem was that a lot more wooden swords were probably going to get destroyed for a while, and I could only feel deeply sorry for my future self.

"Ian."

A woman appeared in front of me while I was sitting there in the middle of my self-pity.

Brilliant silver hair and blue eyes like sapphires.

It was Dolnesia.

"Dolnesia."

"What are you doing here?"

"Just lamenting my lot in life for a bit..."

I felt like I had some things to think about regarding my damned miserable life.

I was looking up at the stars in the night sky.

Still, I’d gained a level, so let’s take comfort in that.

"By the way, I heard you decided to join a club this time?"

Wow, I didn’t know where she’d heard it, but news traveled fast.

I nodded.

"Have you decided yet?"

"Not yet. And I don’t really feel any need to join a club."

That was a relief.

This would make things easier.

I had been planning to try inviting her once, after all.

"Then do you want to join the club I’m in?"

"I don’t know. I’m not really thinking about joining a club right now."

Really?

That was too bad.

"Then I guess it can’t be helped."

"But Ian."

Dolnesia suddenly put on a warm smile, narrowed her eyes, and looked at me.

Eyes that seemed to say she wouldn’t accept lies.

A face that was smiling, but eyes that weren’t.

Yes, exactly like the look she had shown when she faced Isabella at the banquet.

Looking into those eyes, I swallowed dryly without meaning to.

"...What?"

"I’m suddenly curious. Could you at least tell me who’s in the club you joined?"

Was she asking about the members?

I had no idea why she was suddenly running a background check on me, but without thinking much of it, I started listing the club members’ names.

"First, Her Highness Eileen de Astoria, the first imperial princess."

At the name Eileen, her eyes twitched as if reacting to it.

What was that? Had I just said something wrong?

"And next?"

"After that... Angelica. Those two are all for now."

Her eyes twitched again.

Even more than before.

Her face darkened too, as if a shadow had fallen over it.

Dolnesia was still smiling.

But her eyes still weren’t smiling at all.

"So, in other words, the club Ian is in has Princess Eileen and Lady Angelica in it? And the only man there is you, Ian?"

"...W-well, yes?"

"Ah, I see..."

Dolnesia suddenly leaned her face close.

Angelica had done this to me once already, but I still wasn’t used to this sort of thing.

We were so close that if either of us moved even a little, our noses might bump, and her breath was close enough to touch my skin directly.

Angelica too, but why did everyone keep shoving their faces this close to other people’s?

"The name."

"What?"

"The name. The name of the club Ian joined."

Had she suddenly become interested?

Out of nowhere, she asked for the club’s name.

But was there even a point in that conversation that would’ve caught Dolnesia’s interest?

"Ancient Documents Club."

"Ancient Documents Club..."

Dolnesia rolled the club’s name around in her mouth for a moment, then said,

"That offer still stands, right?"

"Huh?"

"I’m suddenly interested."

For whatever wind had blown through her, she said she wanted to join.

"You don’t have to force yourself to join. It’s not exactly a very fun club."

"No, I think it will be fun. And..."

She stepped back again, then smiled once more.

But maybe because she was looking down at me,

with that shadow over her face, something about it felt deeply chilling.

"After all, I think it’s best if you keep what’s yours under your own care. Isn’t it more reassuring to keep it somewhere you can see it yourself?"

The shadow across her face and those unsmiling eyes magnified the atmosphere even more.

How should I put it? That sounded incredibly yandere.

Or maybe villainess-like?

"It’s not as if I can put a leash on it, after all."

I had no idea why Dolnesia had suddenly become so vicious...

The affection in her tone was so heavy that for a moment I almost mistook myself for the target of it.

But this was a romance fantasy.

I’d seen families be obsessive, sure, but I’d never seen a heroine obsess over her own family, so I knew that target wasn’t me.

And really, who would like this face anyway?

Then who was it?

Had she found someone in the Department of Magic Studies?

If not, then could it be...

Did this girl perhaps like Angelica?

At the banquet, and now too.

I didn’t know if it was coincidence, but she always seemed to get angry whenever Angelica was involved.

There might not have been an incest ending in the game, but it wasn’t like there were no girls’ love endings, so honestly this seemed even more plausible.

Yes, Dolnesia.

Even if your tastes run that way and you’re a lesbian, I support you.

Fight on!

#

The path to the dormitory was quiet.

It was already late, and everyone else had probably finished classes, unpacked their things, and gone inside the dorms.

I had originally planned to unpack after visiting the club, but Angelica dragged me off to the sparring grounds saying it would get late, so I hadn’t had the chance.

When I arrived in front of the bulletin board by the entrance on the first floor of the dormitory, the densely written room assignment chart caught my eye.

"Third floor, Room 307."

That was the room number written next to my name.

Following the assignment, I went up to the third floor, walked down the hall looking for 307, and before long arrived at a door marked 307.

I turned the handle to open it, but it wouldn’t budge, apparently because it was locked.

They’d said it would be open at first, but it looked like my roommate had locked it.

To let my roommate know I was here, I gave a light knock,

then pulled the academy dormitory keycard from my chest pocket.

I had no idea why a medieval fantasy setting used keycards instead of keys, but the person who gave it to me had said it was made with magitech.

Still, no matter how you looked at it, this was just a hotel keycard.

Of course, the time to object had probably long since passed, so I didn’t bother saying anything.

When I held it up to the doorknob, a small magic circle appeared on the door, and the locked door opened.

When I stepped inside, what I saw was a modest but neatly arranged double room.

The wooden furniture and floors had a charm of their own.

And then—

"So you’re my roommate. Nice to meet you."

A person stood in the middle of the room with a hand held out.

A man with black hair and black eyes tinged faintly with gray.

His slightly androgynous features stood out, and yet the refined prettiness that matched them made it seem as if he were declaring himself one of the protagonists of this romance fantasy.

"I’m Dante de Astoria. Just call me Dante."

"I’m Ian de Logres."

Dante de Astoria.

The third imperial prince of the Astoria Empire, and one of the male leads of Dawnstar Academia.

And there was one more thing that set this guy apart from the other male leads.

He was the protagonist of a DLC storyline that ended in ruin because there was no heroine.

The only playable character among the male leads.

That was Dante de Astoria.

No, at the banquet I got tangled up with Kyle.

Then I went looking for a dying club, and its president turned out to be the first imperial princess, Eileen.

And now my dorm roommate is the third imperial prince, Dante?

No, why do I keep getting tangled up with the imperial family?

At this point, don’t I seriously have some kind of fate with them?

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