The Clubroom Is For Whom #4

The mainland. In other words, in the kingdom, Enio was a princess. It wasn’t just a figure of speech—she was literally a princess. The Blackstar family, to which Enio belonged, was one of only two ducal houses remaining on the mainland. If anyone deserved to be called a princess as a descendant of the ancient king Gilgamesh, it was her. Of course, there was Victorica and her older sister, but let’s set that aside.

What Enio was recalling now was her own childhood. Before enrolling in this barren prison academy. Back when life on the mainland had been full of abundance and plenty. Everything had felt satisfying then. The food. The clothes. The sleep. The play.

But at some point, Enio’s life had stopped being that way.

The Arclight family had two daughters, but the one her father spoke of was that particular girl. Victorica Arclight. The same age as Enio. A rival she had been compared to since birth. If that girl somehow obtained the hidden crown of Ludens and sat upon the empty throne… then Enio would probably carry the label of loser until the day she died.

That was why Enio had boarded the ship bound for Ludens, the heavenly island said to be a place of harsh trials. Even though Victorica had beaten her to the punch in running for the student council. Even so, Enio had worked hard and risen to the position of delegate, keeping the council in check.

But sometimes, she couldn’t help but wonder.

What am I even doing here?

Whenever the warmth and comfort she had left behind on the mainland came to mind, she would deliberately turn away from those thoughts. She buried them deep inside her heart, like shadows lurking in the depths.

Yet why were those feelings now bubbling up like foam rising from the bottom of the sea?

Of course, Enio was clever enough to find the answer herself.

“This candy has a sweetness that feels like something you’d only taste back on the mainland.”

“Does it?”

“No, that was a lie. Even on the mainland, I’ve never eaten anything this sweet. This candy is a bit… too sweet for my taste.”

The life at Ludens that had begun to feel somewhat monotonous. This was far too sweet to call it mere boredom relief.

To think that Victor could produce a flavor like this.

She had thought of him as a man who was nothing but rigid. Like the candy melting in her mouth. But lately, she had come to realize that this man named Victor had a softer, warmer side than she had imagined.

Even though he said it was for me, he personally dealt with that beehive that was troubling the female students. And he’s not even an enforcer anymore.

A righteous person. In Ludens, where everyone was a potential rival, Enio had believed there was no one she could trust except the triplets. Yet little by little, cracks were beginning to form in that belief.

At first it was only to mess with Victorica. But now that I’ve tasted this flavor… I might actually start wanting it for real.

Victor was certainly outstanding, but in the end he was a commoner of unknown origin. He fell far short of the qualifications needed to be Enio’s match.

However.

He’s the man the Arclight family once tried to take in as a son-in-law. There must be some special latent potential in him.

She had heard the rumors about the head of the Arclight family. Cain Arclight was a man who wore the face of a rigid Sword Star yet would never be satisfied until he obtained exactly what he desired. A cunning hypocrite. If such a man had chosen Victor as a son-in-law, there had to be a valid reason.

That naïve Victorica probably had no idea. She doesn’t even know what her own father is up to.

She would have to look into it. Enio had both the ability and the means to do so. She could simply ask Tisiphone, the eldest of the triplets.

“Victor, thank you for the meal.”

“I’m glad.”

“However, something urgent has come up, so I must take my leave. Still, I will definitely repay you for this wonderful treat.”

“There is no need. This was my return for you securing the clubroom. If I receive another favor, I will only fall into an endless cycle of reciprocation.”

Other people would have been desperate to receive goodwill from Enio, yet this man casually turned it down.

“Hmph, I see.”

Enio left the clubroom.

First, I should help him regain the ability to wield a sword again.

The single strike he had swung to save her had been truly magnificent, like something out of a hero’s tale.

Enio had left the clubroom. She had barged in, chattered away, and then left just as she pleased.

“She really does whatever she wants,” I muttered.

On one hand, I was a little envious. Maybe living life like that was the way to go. Should I try striving for that kind of freedom too?

Watching Enio eat the candy had given me an idea. Ludens Island was severely lacking in things that could be enjoyed as desserts. Even Enio—a public princess who received support from her home country and held the position of delegate—felt that way, so there was no need to mention the average students.

With that in mind, I began thinking up a new menu. But most dessert recipes required rare Tier 2 to Tier 1 ingredients, so they were all things I couldn’t make right away. Even the Bashkir honeycomb had been obtained through a one-time sub-quest, making it difficult to acquire on a continuous basis.

“Steady sellers like soup or Bomb Sauce that can be sold consistently are what matter.”

There was one idea that immediately came to mind, but the problem was that the ingredients were in a place I couldn’t go alone. A party usually needed four members. I could count on Nike to help me, but where would I find the other two?

Asking Enio or Victorica would create too deep a debt of gratitude to repay later, which felt awkward. That was what I was pondering during the afternoon.

The person who came looking for me arrived around evening, when the sunset was beginning to tint the sky. A person with reddish-blond hair as voluminous as a cloak arrived at the clubroom. She was barely tall enough to reach my chest. Her face looked like that of a middle schooler. But what stood out most were her ears. Slightly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠triangular and pointed, they peeked out from between her reddish hair.

A different race? Was there someone like this at Ludens?

“Ordinary student Victor, it is time for you to reveal yourself before this great Arnoi…!”

It was a bizarre way of speaking. It wasn’t unusual for game characters to have unique and distinctive speech patterns, but even after having played D&A and read every line of dialogue from every NPC, this manner of speech felt completely unfamiliar to me. I felt like I had heard it somewhere before, though.

“Who are you?”

“Ah—! Could it be that you have forgotten this great delegate Arnoi…? After I went out of my way to come here at Miss Enio’s request…! This is humiliating…!”

Delegate Arnoi? I knew the names of all six delegates who appeared in the game. But the name Delegate Arnoi had never existed in Ha Seungri’s memories. Which meant only one thing. This must be the seventh and final delegate who had never been implemented.

“So this is what she was like.”

“What does that mean…? For some reason it feels insulting…!”

More importantly, did they mess up the Korean localization in a rush? The speech pattern was strange. Or maybe this was the intended concept from the start… It felt a bit too forced.

While I was feeling a slight sense of curiosity, the girl who had entered the clubroom without permission glanced around before plopping down on the mat and saying,

“The clubroom is practically a storage shed…! It suits an ordinary commoner, ordinary student, and ordinary human perfectly…!”

“That’s because it used to be a storage shed.”

“I see… So that’s how it is…! Well, that doesn’t really matter, so please bring out the honey candy that Miss Enio was so busy praising…!”

I roughly understood why this girl named Arnoi had come to the clubroom at this hour when the sun was setting. It must have been Enio’s recommendation. To obtain a weapon permit, I needed the approval of at least four delegates. So she had sent this Delegate Arnoi to me.

That Enio, doing things I never even asked for. It was a bit annoying, but strictly speaking, it wasn’t a bad thing for me.

“Arnoi, was it? Unfortunately, I cannot make the honey candy right now. All the ingredients have been used ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up.”

“T-that can’t be… To think I cannot immediately taste that magical thing that melts in the mouth… This is truly nymph-phobic behavior…”

What a strange girl. She didn’t seem like a bad person, though.

“However, if it’s something similar, I might be able to make it for you by tonight or tomorrow even if it takes a little time.”

“Ah…! Indeed…! In that case, please bring it to this Arnoi’s luxurious and splendid private dormitory…!”

After saying that, the girl who called herself Delegate Arnoi quickly disappeared somewhere. Watching the setting sun, the whole encounter felt so surreal that it almost made me laugh.

“What the hell was that?”

“Arnoi?”

Nike, who had returned to the clubroom after the day ended, tilted her head.

“I know her. She’s a really famous person, right? She’s from the nymph race. They say there aren’t many nymphs even at Ludens.”

“A nymph, huh.”

“I heard they’ve been with the gods since the time the deities resided at Ludens. Victor, you’re not very interested in that kind of thing? I am! Myths and legends and all that!”

It was the first time I had heard this setting. It might have been a newly added race in the recently released DLC. I couldn’t think of any other explanation. Nike continued, as if the story wasn’t over yet, and dropped another surprising fact.

“And I heard she’s in her eighth year! Isn’t that amazing!”

“But Ludens only goes up to third year, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠doesn’t it?”

“That’s why an eighth-year like Arnoi is so impressive!”

She really was impressive. To attend a school that should only take three years and still be in her eighth year without graduating. What on earth? And they sent someone like that to me. Did I do something to make a bad impression on Enio?

I was seriously considering that possibility when Nike spotted the collection box in the corner and let out a startled cry.

“What is this! Isn’t this a queen bee?”

“You recognize it.”

“I used to see them sometimes in the Reshguard Forest! But I’ve never seen these striped patterns before.”

“It’s a Bashkir bee.”

“…A Bashkir bee!? I heard those are incredibly fierce! Everyone was complaining because there was a beehive in the girls’ dormitory!”

Unlike the dry and expressionless Victor, Nike reacted strongly to everything. It made talking with her enjoyable. Something suddenly occurred to me, so I decided to ask Nike about it.

“Nike, you said you were actually an Earth Mage, right?”

“I’m a Druid. Of course, that’s a secret to others…”

Nike glanced ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around nervously. She seemed a bit downcast, so I decided to reassure her.

“I’m not blaming you for that. I asked because I was wondering if you might be able to tame this queen bee.”

It was my first time seeing a druid heroine, but in many games, druids raised bears, wolves, birds, and even insects. Maybe Nike could do the same?

“My father would be able to do it well. Hmm, I’m not sure… But okay! I’ll give it a try! I am Nike Mokemoke of the Reshguard Forest, after all!”

Nike showed more confidence than I had expected. If she really succeeded in taming the Bashkir queen bee, it would be an incredible benefit. We would be able to obtain high-quality Tier 1 honey on a regular basis. If it didn’t work out, then there was nothing we could do.

“Then, Victor. You’re sleeping here tonight, right? Are there enough blankets and pillows?”

“I received the surplus stock from the student council. Starting tomorrow, I’ll be bringing in various pieces of furniture. I’ll also add kitchen tools and a brazier.”

“Hehe, that sounds fun.”

“I’m also planning to add new menu items. Which brings me to this—Nike, do you have time tonight? We need to go to a dungeon.”

I had to make the dessert that the eighth-year Arnoi had requested. Even without that request, I had been thinking of creating at least one dessert menu. To gather the ingredients, I would need to enter a dungeon that required a party of four or more.

“A dungeon…? Isn’t that dangerous…?”

Nike looked worried. I simply answered lightly.

“Even though it’s a dungeon, we won’t be leaving the academy grounds. It won’t be particularly dangerous either. It should be easier than when we caught the Spring Wildling last time.”

“Hmmm… I understand that, but I really don’t have time tonight. I have to learn all the dormitory rules from the dorm supervisor…”

So that was the situation. Then where could I find three more people? As long as I filled the headcount, I could handle the rest myself. Of course, after such a long playtime, it wasn’t as if there weren’t a few people who came to mind.