Chapter 166: Clown Union Club 13
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 166: Clown Union Club 13
Loki limped through the Academy, clutching his aching body.
It wasn't the first time Professor Elicia had knocked him unconscious, but the aftereffects felt particularly lingering today.
‘Man, even if Professor Elicia is a dragon, surely she didn’t hit me harder than usual just because I was being a little cheeky, right?’
Loki paused for a moment to consider the thought, but he quickly dismissed it as a ridiculous delusion. Chuckling to himself, he resumed his walk.
Normally, he’d be back in the Special Class by now, chatting with the other students who were also half-dead after their bouts with Elicia. However, he had a specific task to attend to, which was why he had ventured out.
It definitely wasn't because the glares from the other students were stinging his skin. Definitely not.
‘How does it make sense that magic exists, but elevators don't?’
Loki’s destination was the Student Council Room. Unlike the Special Class, which was tucked away in the basement, the council room was located in the upper reaches of the Academy.
His purpose: official club registration.
This morning, Kuran, Ren, and Frederick had finally signed on, bringing his total to five members—the minimum required to form a club.
Despite his throbbing body, he was going now rather than later because he was worried someone might steal the glorious name "Clown Union Club."
Again, it was absolutely not because the Special Class students were looking at him with daggers in their eyes.
Gathering five people didn't mean the club was automatically established. If it were that easy, there would probably be more clubs than students by now.
There were several procedures for founding a club, but the biggest hurdle was obtaining permission from the Student Council. Even if you gathered the members, if the Student Council said no, you weren't a "club"—you were just a "hobby group."
Students were desperate to form official clubs because of the perks: a hefty budget, Academy support, and the ability to skip classes for "fieldwork" with a professor’s approval.
Every year, many students approached the task with grim determination, but few ever succeeded.
But Loki?
He was confident.
When submitting a club application, you needed the club's name, the name of the president, a list of five members (including the president), and finally, a recommendation letter from an existing club president.
This was a rule established by the Student Council to filter out the sheer volume of applicants. Furthermore, not all recommendations were equal. The prestige of the recommender’s club and their personal grades directly influenced the credibility of the letter.
And the person who had provided Loki’s recommendation?
Johanna Freya.
The top student of the second year and the president of the Disciplinary Committee—a group students admired almost as much as the Student Council itself. Her recommendation was arguably the most credible one a student could get.
And the person reviewing the application?
Student Council President Joden Adelian.
This was the biggest reason for Loki’s confidence. Joden was the one who had helped him when he clashed with Prince Rophri, when he fought Darun of the Marquis household, and even when he risked his life against the necromancer Katsudo.
If Joden had helped him through all that without hesitation, surely a club application would be a breeze. Joden would undoubtedly say yes.
"Ah, I don't know if I should be taking it this easy. But what can I do? It’s all because I’m just too perfect."
Loki marched toward the Student Council Room with a swagger full of bravado.
He was already imagining getting the approval, heading back to the Special Class, and spreading out on his desk for a nap. But what awaited him was...
"I'm sorry, but establishing this club will be impossible."
* * *
The Student Council President of Croa Academy was, naturally, a student.
However, as the representative of the entire student body, they were far busier than the average student.
It was true that the council's authority had been significantly curtailed due to the "trolling" of the previous administration—which included embezzling club funds and turning a blind eye to bullying—but since Joden took over as president in his first year, the council's popularity had actually soared.
Between handling student complaints, drafting budget reports for professors, managing finances, scouting the next president, and keeping up with his own studies, Joden was not someone an average student could meet on a whim.
"You may enter."
"Thank you! Keep up the hard work."
Loki exchanged a brief greeting with the student guarding the door—who wore the golden badge of the council on his uniform—and stepped inside.
Loki and Joden had spoken several times in this room. Since Joden had given prior instructions, the council members let Loki in without a fuss.
Thus, Loki was able to meet Joden immediately without waiting.
Loki thrust the club application forward.
And he was rejected.
Joden explained the reason behind the denial.
Back when Joden was a first-year, there was a club called the Social Club. It was the largest non-combat club, ostensibly dedicated to networking.
However, the club had turned into a faction that systematically bullied commoners and lower-ranking nobles. They had even conspired with the previous Student Council to embezzle funds.
Joden and Simon, the Newspaper Club President, had eventually dismantled the Social Club and the corrupt council, but the incident had sent shockwaves through the Academy.
To prevent a recurrence, the Academy had restricted the council's power and tightened the rules regarding clubs.
One of those rules was: The club's name must be explicit.
Hand-to-Hand Combat Club? They do hand-to-hand combat.
Board Game Club? They play board games.
Magic Research Club? They research magic.
Swordsmanship Club? They practice swordsmanship.
But who, upon hearing the name "Clown Union Club," would ever guess it was a place for finding ways to defeat Professor Elicia, collecting hidden pieces, and gobbling up fated encounters?
To be honest, this was one of those fine-print conditions the Academy had tossed in to prevent another "Social Club" incident. Even some professors would have reacted with, "Wait, we had a rule like that?"
But just as a small pebble can be a landslide to someone else, this minor Academy regulation had become a massive wall for Loki.
"How can this be..."
Loki was devastated.
"Even if I were to approve this application, the Academy administration would surely reject it," Joden said.
Joden added that since Johanna was the recommender and he was the president, he could help Loki get the club established quickly if he just changed the name. But his words didn't reach Loki’s ears. Loki had come up with the name before even entering the Academy; he had been feeling proud of it and waiting for this very day.
* * *
Creeeeak—
"I'm back."
The door opened, and Loki trudged into the Special Class.
The students, most of whom were sprawled out half-dead, looked at Loki with startled eyes.
Loki had opened the door, and it had made a creak instead of a thud? Usually, he swung the door open so hard you’d think he had a personal vendetta against the hinges.
"Ugh! Since you're all asking so insistently, I'll tell you why I'm so sad!"
For the record, not a single student in the Special Class had opened their mouth.
Regardless, Loki began his tale.
His story was riddled with useless tangents, like praises for his own face and the deep, philosophical meaning behind the club's name. Lucas, who was already well-acquainted with Loki’s antics, summarized the long-winded rant.
"So, you're saying you can't start the club because of the name?"
"Yes! Exactly! Mr. Lucas, you're quite good at summarizing."
Loki had spent thirty minutes blathering about something Lucas condensed into five seconds.
The Special Class students found Loki—who could talk for thirty minutes about something so simple—more fascinating than Lucas’s summary skills.
"But you said you were going to start a club, and you didn't even look up the rules? You were acting so confident that I thought you had some brilliant strategy up your sleeve."
As the gazes of the members—Frederick, Lucas, Ren, and Kuran—and the non-member, Gashurin, fell upon him, Loki let out a dry cough.
"Ahem! O-Of course I knew! It’s just that Professor Elicia hit me so hard that I had a very minor lapse in memory."
‘He didn't know.’
‘Definitely.’
"Ugh! To think the club name I spent so long crafting is unusable..."
The students actually felt like comforting him. Not because they felt bad for him, but because they knew he’d be too noisy if they just left him like that.
As Ren started to approach Loki, Lucas grabbed his shoulder.
Ren realized it too. The two quickly exchanged glances.
‘Wait, if things stay like this, doesn't that mean we don't have to use a weird name like "Clown Union Club" anymore?’
‘This is actually better, isn't it?’
* * *
Lunchtime.
"Lunch is on me today."
As Lucas watched Loki walk out of the classroom, he whispered to Gashurin next to him.
"Gashurin."
"Why dost thou call?"
"How should I feel when someone offers to 'treat' me to a meal at a cafeteria that's already free?"
"Look at the man who spoke. Is it not Loki? Hast thou not yet realized that the moment thou triest to understand him, thou hast already lost?"
"Sigh... I know. I know. But I can't stand it. To think he's our club president..."
"Endure. If thou provokest him now, the club name might change into something even more bizarre."
"Can it really get any worse than this?"
"Sir Loki truly believes the name 'Clown Union Club' is excellent. Therefore, even if he tries to pick a 'normal' name, it will likely be much of the same."
"...Loki, thanks for the lunch. I'll get the next one."
Having assessed the situation, Lucas quickly caught up to Loki.
Watching him, Gashurin thought that Lucas was starting to resemble Loki more and more.
‘Wait, did Sir Lucas not just naturally refer to it as "our club"?’