Chapter 161: Clown Union Club 8
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 161: Clown Union Club 8
Most people say they would have nothing left to wish for if only they had been born into a royal or imperial family.
Naturally, being born as royalty means living a life incomparable to that of a commoner. It is a life devoid of hunger. A life with a stunning fiancé and an endless parade of servants to cater to every whim.
Unlike commoners who spend their lives learning to farm or hunt, royalty receives a glamorous education in subjects like swordsmanship, horsemanship, and magic—luxuries a commoner could never hope to access. Then there is the special power that flows through their very blood. And finally, there is the eligibility to ascend to the highest seat in the nation.
Such vast differences in destiny arise simply because one was born in a different place.
However, being born into an imperial or royal family isn't always a blessing. The average lifespan of a royal is surprisingly short. There may be many princes and princesses, but there is only one throne. Naturally, those with succession rights often eliminate their rivals to reach that lonely peak. Thus, while royalty may live lives of abundance, they rarely live lives of peace.
One only needs to look at the neighboring Archen Kingdom to see this in action.
Rophri, who was once the most likely candidate for the next king, suffered a humiliating defeat against Loki in a duel where his expulsion was on the line. After being kicked out of the Academy and enduring a barrage of insults, he was eventually pushed aside by his younger brother. Since then, Rophri has lived a life where even his daily meals are monitored.
If a mere kingdom is like that, what about the Croa Empire—the strongest nation, which even a coalition of every other kingdom could not defeat?
One would expect assassinations and poisonings to eliminate siblings. Palace intrigue between mothers desperate to see their own child become Emperor. Schemes by nobles to place the royal they support on the throne.
To get straight to the point... none of that existed here.
Blood-soaked palace intrigue between mothers? The current Emperor has only one wife.
Usually, royals have their fiancés decided for them at a young age. However, the current Emperor had no fiancé. He was the child of a concubine, and because the former Emperor and the former Crown Prince were such disasters, he barely had the freedom to walk around, let alone get engaged.
Schemes by nobles to make their supported royal the Emperor? The succession is already practically set in stone for Lucas. Lucas is the eldest, he is male, and he has no particular flaws. Furthermore, Yerika has absolutely no desire to become the Empress.
Is there any way for Lucas not to become the Emperor? Honestly, Lucas would have to become a social pariah for that to happen.
Assassinations to eliminate siblings? Poisoning? It all ends at the level of petty bickering, just like normal siblings. Yerika had no ambition for the throne, and Lucas wasn't delusional enough to constantly suspect a sister who had zero interest in power.
In conclusion, unlike other royalty, Lucas didn't have to worry about power struggles. He could peacefully focus on what he wanted to do and what he needed to do.
Today, having finished his Imperial Studies and spear training, Lucas lay down in bed to sleep. If he ruined his condition by staying up late, he would spend more time with his eyes closed than open during tomorrow's Elicia raid.
‘To think I didn't have high expectations before entering the Academy.’
Honestly, he hadn't felt the need to attend the Academy. He had a separate master for his spear techniques, and he was confident he had no rivals among his peers. But because of one strange guy, the Academy had become interesting. And every single person in the Special Class was similar to him. It was quite a shock to Lucas, who had thought he was peerless among his age group.
“I should decide on a club soon.”
Should he just join the club Loki made? No, even so, the Clown Union Club was a bit much. It would be a lie to say he wasn't curious about what kind of club it was, but he didn't exactly want to join it either.
—SLAM!
The door to his bedchamber suddenly swung open with a bang. Lucas bolted upright and grabbed the spear he kept by his side. It was a perfect warrior's stance. His reaction was so flawless that even Professor Elicia would have praised him.
“What is it?”
Seeing the person who had intruded into his chambers in the middle of the night without a word, Lucas set his spear down and spoke bluntly.
“Hey!”
A sharp voice echoed through the Crown Prince's bedchamber. If a servant had behaved like that, their head would have rolled before they even stepped foot inside, but the intruder's neck remained perfectly intact. That was because the intruder was a member of the imperial family, just like Lucas.
Yerika Leonhart.
“I'll call for you again when I'm ready to sleep. Step out for a moment.”
With a wave of his hand, Lucas dismissed the guards who were sweating profusely and hovering helplessly beside Yerika.
“So, what's the matter? Unlike you, who has nothing to do, your Orabeoni has to go to the Academy tomorrow and needs to sleep, you know?”
When Lucas spoke with mock tenderness, Yerika’s expression soured.
“Save that tone for the other noble ladies. We're only a year apart, so stop with the 'Orabeoni' nonsense.”
“Phew, Loki really needs to see you like this.”
“Say another word and you're dead.”
Lucas had once accidentally overheard Yerika talking to Loki on the phone, and he had nearly fainted from the shock. Recalling his sister's aegyo-filled voice on the call, Lucas couldn't suppress his biological revulsion and gagged.
“What are you doing? That's disgusting.”
Seeing this, Yerika furrowed her brows.
“Sigh... You were perfectly happy to be called 'Orabeoni' when I gave you that Loki doll the other day.”
Lucas let out a long yawn. He was getting sleepy, so he looked at Yerika and continued.
“So, what is it? I'm tired, so if it's not urgent, tell me tomorrow.”
“Oh, right! Hey, why didn't you tell me about that?”
“About what?”
Lucas asked back as if he didn't know, but internally, he broke into a cold sweat. Did she find out?
“Don't play dumb. I've heard everything. I heard the Clown created a club?”
She found out.
Whenever Lucas returned from the Academy, he would tell Yerika about the day's events. To be precise, he would tell her what a 'certain individual' had done.
“The Clown seems upset because he can't gather enough members. Tell him tomorrow that you'll join the club.”
This was exactly why he hadn't told her.
“Why should I? I don't want to.”
Lucas was not some abnormal human who blindly followed his sister's requests; he was an older brother with a healthy sense of spite, so he ignored Yerika's words.
“I'm going to sleep, so just get out.”
Yerika, however, had expected Lucas to refuse and had naturally prepared a countermeasure.
—WHOOSH!
As Yerika muttered an incantation, a large, glowing sphere of light rose into the air within Lucas's chamber. The dark room was suddenly transformed, becoming as bright as high noon. Naturally, it was impossible to sleep in such a state.
“What are you doing?”
Lucas stood up, intending to kick Yerika out by force if necessary. But as Yerika closed her eyes and clasped her hands, a pure white protective shield enveloped her. Lucas channeled mana into his fist and struck the shield, but it absorbed the impact completely, as if he were punching water.
“Tsk, fine. Let's see who wins, you or me. Let's go.”
To protect his pride as an older brother, Lucas pulled the blanket over his head. But Yerika didn't stop there; she began to chant scriptures just loud enough for Lucas to hear.
After five hours of this, Lucas finally raised the white flag.
* * *
'What is going on?'
Suddenly, Lucas approached with a zombie-like gait, signed the club application form with a hand that moved faster than the eye could see, and returned to his seat.
I looked at the Special Class students with eyes asking for an explanation, but they were looking back at me with the exact same expression.
“Do you see that? Even Lucas is trembling like that.”
“C-could it be that Loki d-did something?”
“But the opponent is the Crown Prince of the Empire. Surely he wouldn't have threatened him?”
“But even if the opponent is the Crown Prince, this is that Loki we're talking about.”
“It's possible.”
They were even coming up with strange misunderstandings. No, this is seriously unfair. I don't know what's going on either. Should I explain that I didn't do anything? No, there's no way they'd believe me even if I did. In times like this, Lucas needs to be the one to say I didn't do anything.
“Lucas, could you say a few wor—”
I couldn't finish my sentence. With an aura that screamed he would kill anyone who touched him, Lucas was slumped over his desk, fast asleep.
Just what on earth happened last night?
‘I'll have to ask Yerika tonight.’
Fortunately, after being hit a few times by Professor Elicia, Lucas managed to regain his senses.
* * *
After failing the Elicia raid again today.
Normally, everyone would have been resting in the classroom, but Loki and Lucas sat on a bench in the Academy courtyard and began to plot.
"Loki, your goal is to get everyone in the Special Class to join the club, right?"
"Yes! Honestly, since no one raised their hand yesterday, I was considering giving up, but thank you so much for coming forward, Lucas!"
It didn't matter why Lucas, who had said he didn't want to join yesterday because of the name, suddenly changed his mind. The important thing was that I only had to win over six more people.
Before lunch, Loki and Lucas had a long conversation, meticulously drawing up a plan.
“Then, as we just discussed, I’ll take charge of Gashurin, Ren, and Kuran.”
“Understood. I’ll leave them to you, Lucas, and I’ll try to win over Frederick, Clara, and Sepia.”
Having someone by my side to plan with was definitely better than agonizing over it alone; good ideas were flowing out one after another.
"By the way, Lucas, you're being surprisingly proactive, aren't you?"
"I've gained a goal of my own."
‘The minimum number of members to form a club is five, right? Then I’ll block the girls as much as possible. The Clown has finally distanced himself a bit from the Freya daughter; I can't let other girls stick to him now.’
It definitely won't go the way you want. If I just let things happen as my sister desires, I wouldn't be much of an older brother.