Chapter 160: Clown Union Club 7
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 160: Clown Union Club 7
Break time at the Academy.
While other students were heading to the restroom or chatting and laughing with friends—living out their own heart-fluttering youth dramas—I was busy tinkering with cold, hard machinery in Professor Idra’s lab.
It wasn’t that I’d committed some grave sin and been sentenced to the life of a grad student; I just happened to be deeply in Professor Idra’s debt.
It all started when I went to return the golems I’d borrowed to deal with Katsudo.
“I heard you were rough on rentals, Student Loki, but this is worse than I expected! Out of fifteen, only five are even salvageable. The rest have to be scrapped!”
“I’m so sorry! But I really put those golems to good use. Of course, I’ll pay for the ones that were destroyed.”
“Well, I’d feel a bit bad taking money from a student. How about you help me out during your breaks instead?”
“Working every break is a bit... Can’t I just pay you back with cash?”
“You want to? I’ve never sold a golem before, but let’s see... calculating the material costs and the labor hours it took to build them... it comes to roughly this much.”
“So, where do I start?”
And so, my life as a temporary (this part is important) teaching assistant began.
Most of the time, I help with magic tool-related tasks in the lab like I am now, but occasionally, I help prepare for her lectures.
While I was inspecting a magic tool for her, Professor Idra spoke up.
“Come to think of it, I believe the club recruitment period ends today. How is that club you’re forming coming along, Student Loki?”
Since I’d already told her everything when I asked her to be our faculty advisor, Professor Idra knew my goal was to get everyone in the Special Class to join.
“I was just about to tell you! Actually, I spoke to the Special Class students this morning. I told them I was starting a club and asked anyone who wanted to join to raise their hand.”
“And how many raised their hands?”
“...Not a single one.”
“Pffft! Ahahaha!”
Professor Idra clutched her stomach and burst into laughter. I failed to see what was so funny.
“This isn’t a laughing matter! Do you have any idea how shocked I was? After everything I’ve done for them! Let’s see if they can live well after abandoning their loyal companion!”
“Ahaha! Stop, kuh! If I hear any more, I think I’m going to cry. And I don’t know about being a ‘loyal companion,’ but the professors all know you’re constantly playing pranks on the other students.”
Idra wiped a tear from her eye with her finger, still giggling.
“You know, back when you were constantly coming in and out of my lab? A rumor spread that Student Loki was actually a professor in disguise.”
“The funny thing about that is, when a senior asked why I kept coming into your lab, I just said, ‘It’s a secret,’ and cracked a joke. By the next day, it had spread through the entire Academy.”
This is why you can’t trust rumors.
Of course, when people asked me directly, I neither confirmed nor denied it.
I still remember the Special Class kids' reactions back then.
Even the ones who didn’t believe it at first—when I dropped a few cryptic lines, they’d sneak up to me and ask, ‘Are you really a professor?’ Their reactions were priceless.
Eventually, one of the students asked the other professors and I was caught, though.
“I thought it would be hard for you to get the whole Special Class to join, but I didn’t think you’d fail to recruit even one person. Isn’t there a specific reason? Like, for example, Student Loki playing too many pranks?”
The reason the Special Class students didn’t want to join my club...
I voiced the complaint they all had in common.
“They say they hate the name. Honestly! I just don’t understand the tastes of kids these days. To think they can’t recognize the true value of the name ‘Clown Union Club.’ Surely a brilliant and wise person like you, Professor Idra, recognizes its worth?”
“Eek! That club name was real? I naturally assumed it was a joke.”
“I am always sincere. Don’t I radiate an aura of seriousness, prudence, and politeness?”
“You, Student Loki?”
“Yes, me.”
“It seems the definitions of those words have changed significantly while I wasn't looking.”
“Time does fly, after all.”
The fact that I am serious, prudent, and rarely play pranks is something even the neighborhood clown knows.
“Anyway, that’s strange.”
“What is? My good looks? That’s not particularly strange.”
“Not that. Didn’t you tell me before? That you were going to lure the Special Class students by telling them you’d get them into the Academy’s top 10 rankings. Do they not believe you?”
“I was going to say that, but a problem arose.”
“Why?”
“It looks like they’ll get there on their own in about two months, so I couldn’t even bring it up.”
“Already?”
There are eight students in the Special Class, including myself.
It’s not that there aren’t strong people in the second and third years, but currently, the only ones who could definitely beat the Special Class would be Johanna and Joden.
“So, Professor. I think I need to come up with a new strategy. Do you have any good ideas to lure them in?”
“No wonder you were working so hard today. So that was the reason.”
“Ahahaha.”
“But if you just changed the club name, wouldn’t one or two join immediately?”
“I can’t do that.”
If only to have my naming sense recognized, I will protect the club’s name at all costs.
* * *
‘Maybe I should just change the name.’
I’d talked to the kids I shared afternoon classes with, and I’d brought it up again when the Special Class gathered after all the lessons were over, but no one said they’d join the Clown Union Club.
I definitely have to get Clara to join.
The reason I want to get the others into the Clown Union Club is to use club time to help them grow even faster.
Since they possess talent on a completely different level than someone like me, the difficulty of crushing the Necromancer will change drastically if they just grow.
[...own?]
To be honest, even without club time, there are countless ways to help them grow as long as we’re in the same Special Class.
[...Mr. Clown?]
Still, it would be such a shame to miss out on the club-related events.
Originally, I planned to use club activities as an excuse to go outside and then, under the guise of coincidence, feed them various fortuitous encounters.
[Mr. Clown!]
“Yes?!”
[Honestly! What on earth were you so distracted by that you didn't answer even though I kept calling you?]
Ah, right. I was on a call with Yerika.
“Hahaha...”
[If you think you can just laugh it off, it won’t work on me.]
“I’m sorry.”
[Is it because of the club?]
There was worry in Yerika’s voice as she asked.
I thought about pretending everything was fine, but I figured she’d see through me anyway, so I told her the truth.
“Yeah. That’s right. My head is all over the place because of it.”
[If only I were attending the Academy right now, I would have joined your club no matter what. It’s a shame.]
“Thank you for saying that. I think it would be fun to attend the Academy with you too, Yerika.”
I wasn't just being polite; I meant it.
What would it be like if Yerika were at the Academy now?
Would she always be cleaning up after my messes and scolding me?
No, knowing how eccentric Yerika can be sometimes, maybe she’d be running around causing trouble with me and laughing.
[I’m not just saying it, you know? Mr. Clown, please wait until next year. As soon as I enroll next year, I’ll join your club.]
“I’d love to wait for you, Yerika, but at this rate, I won’t even be able to form the club because I can’t meet the minimum member count.”
[Hmm...]
“Yerika?”
[Mmm...]
What was it?
Did I make her worry too much?
Before I could say something to reassure her, Yerika spoke first.
[Mr. Clown! I just remembered something urgent I have to do, so I’ll head in now.]
“Huh? Oh, okay.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Yerika ended the call.
I lay down on my bed to get ready for sleep.
Right, let’s do our best for Yerika’s sake.
Today is almost over, so there are 6 days left, and 7 people to convince.
Should I skip tomorrow morning’s classes and go find some artifacts that would suit the Special Class students?
‘Let’s just sleep and think about it tomorrow.’
And so, I fell asleep.
Without even imagining what was happening in the Imperial Palace at that very moment.
* * *
The Special Class, located in the Academy basement—a place other students were reluctant to even enter.
BAM!
Today, the classroom door was flung open with enough force to nearly shatter it.
CRACK.
Actually, the door finally broke.
“Good morning to all you mean people who rejected the club I worked so hard to build! Did everyone sleep well? I didn't sleep a wink thanks to you all!”
Normally, this would be the point where the other students would look at the door rolling on the floor and say, ‘You broke it again?’ but right now, the Special Class students were looking somewhere other than Loki.
Noticing their unusual reaction, Loki looked in the direction of their gaze.
Standing where their eyes were fixed was a handsome man with blonde hair and golden eyes.
Lucas Leonhart.
The Crown Prince of the Croa Empire.
‘Lucas? Is something wrong? His face looks different than usual.’
Being the Crown Prince, Lucas usually maintained great skin through constant care.
But now, it looked as if he hadn't slept in days. He had dark circles so deep he could use them as jump ropes.
“Mr. Lucas?”
With hollow eyes, Lucas trudged toward Loki.
This was actually getting a bit scary.
Loki backed away slowly, but as Lucas’s stride lengthened, he was quickly caught.
“I’ll join that Clown-whatever club. No—please, let me join!”
...What?