“Do you like novels, by any chance? Want to join the Mystery Novel Club?”
“I've already joined another club.”
“Our club allows multiple memberships…….”
“I'm sorry.”
“Come find us anytime you change your mind!”
Upperclassmen wearing blue epaulettes roamed around inviting students to join their clubs.
Clubs were the main topic of conversation in the Frog Class classroom as well.
Lulusha asked me,
“Armand, do you want to join the faith club?”
She had seemed like a devout believer, and in the end, she had joined the faith club.
“No.”
“They give you lots of tasty food there. And lots of gifts.”
Does she take me for a beggar……?
But I am a beggar.
“What kind of gifts?”
“Religious books, rosaries, Eye of Darkness accessories, and what else was there?”
“I'm not going.”
Apparently, praying together once at the temple had made her think I was one of her kind, but I was not that sort of person.
“Why?”
“My faith isn't that deep.”
“Armand, you looked really serious when you were praying.”
“That's because I always give everything my best effort.”
“Is that it?”
Lulusha nodded with an expression that suggested she half understood and half did not.
In truth, joining the faith club would not be such a bad choice.
A group united by faith was bound to help one another in all sorts of ways, so it would probably aid my long-term struggle for first place.
But I had too many urgent matters to deal with right now.
“Armand, Lulusha, are you talking about clubs?”
Marco, who happened to be passing by, joined the conversation.
“Which clubs did you join? Want to join the same one as me?”
“No.”
I had absolutely no desire to do that.
That aside, I was curious which club Marco had joined.
“I joined the Rose Order.”
“Did your friends join with you?”
“Yeah, that's right. We all joined together. The more friends, the better, right? Don't you agree?”
Marco grinned.
The absurd thing about the Ivory Tower's club system was that most students gathered for purposes entirely different from the clubs' ostensible subjects.
Marco himself majored in the Knightly Path, yet he had joined the Rose Order, a magic research club.
It was all thoroughly political.
Then again, that was why the Vice Headmaster had given me such a mission.
“Armand, do you want to join the Rose Order too?”
“I've already joined the Mystery Society.”
“The Mystery Society? That's unexpected.”
“What do you mean, unexpected?”
“Armand, you seem like you'd prefer something a little more…….”
Marco searched for the right words.
“A club with more influence. The Mystery Society has a lot of members, but it isn't exactly well organized, is it?”
It was not as though I were choosing some back-alley gang.
“Why did you join the Mystery Society?”
“I love freedom.”
“Oh, really? That's why?”
“Yes.”
“Ahahahaha…….”
Marco burst out laughing.
Tell me what is so funny, you creepy squinty-eyed bastard.
But Karl, who never stayed out of conversations like this, was quiet.
For once, Karl was scribbling something in a notebook.
Looking closer, I saw this nonsense.
[How to Become the Mystery Society's Manager]
Earn respect.
Gain popularity.
Win people's favor.
How?
Make people laugh with brilliant humor.
Demonstrate leadership.
Practice a charming smile like Marco's.
I can't watch any more of this…….
As I turned my head away, my eyes met Marco's. He wore an uncomfortable expression.
He seemed to feel the same way I did.
“It looks like Karl wants to become the Mystery Society's Manager.”
“So it seems.”
“I don't think the Manager of the Mystery Society has that much power…….”
Karl, who had been writing as though possessed, raised his head.
“That's not true! Don't look down on the Mystery Society's Manager! The Manager is the only focal point capable of gathering the freely wandering members of the Mystery Society into one! You could call the Manager the Mystery Society's true ruler!”
“Doesn't it have a club president?”
“Exactly! The Mystery Society's club president is president in name only and does nothing, so the Manager is practically equal to the president—or even above him!”
“I see.”
But neither Marco nor I paid much attention to Karl's words.
Karl lamented, “You two have no hunger for power, so you don't understand how important the Mystery Society's Manager is. Ah, am I the only ambitious man here……?”
Marco is probably the most power-hungry bastard here.
Of course, I was also after the position of the Mystery Society's Manager.
Only then could I tell that crazy skeleton I had brought the Mystery Society under my control.
But apparently, the procedure for selecting the Mystery Society's Manager changed every time.
Absurdly enough, that was what the club rules stipulated.
To become the Mystery Society's Manager, one had to earn the approval of the third- and fourth-year Elders, but the method of earning that approval changed according to whatever they decided each time.
The Mystery Society's Elders were hardly likely to assign an ordinary task, so preparing in advance would probably be meaningless.
But I was not worried.
I was rather good at thinking on my feet.
Ever since I was driven out of Winter Castle, I had weathered all manner of hardships and realized one thing.
Like an awl that inevitably pierces through a pocket, my wit always shone, no matter where or when.
I am Armand Draco.
I am good at everything.
Except magic, for now.
“Right, Karl. Work hard.”
“When I become Manager, I'll make Armand the Deputy Manager! That position doesn't exist, but I'll create it once I become Manager!”
“I'm rooting for you, Karl.”
While Karl, Marco, and I sat together, each dreaming a different dream, Marco's group called to him from the back door of the classroom.
“Hey, Marco! Let's go!”
Marco patted Karl and me on the shoulders.
“I should get going first. I'm after a position in the Rose Order myself.”
“Oh, Marco! Let's meet at the top! The two of us will stand shoulder to shoulder at club meetings! Let's take over the Ivory Tower!”
“Sure, sure.”
“Karl and Marco will rule the Ivory Tower!”
“Sure, sure.”
Even Marco, who always grinned and pretended to be sociable, was starting to give Karl halfhearted answers.
Stripping away that bastard's facade is quite a feat, Karl.
Marco was about to leave the classroom with his group when it happened.
“Stop blocking the way. Move.”
“Out of the way.”
A group of unfamiliar students suddenly entered through the back door.
Marco's group, who had been occupying the doorway, was shoved aside.
“What the hell?”
“W-who are…….”
Marco's group started to get angry, then saw the blue epaulettes on the newcomers' shoulders and fell silent.
They were second-year upperclassmen.
“Pardon us, kids.”
“Everyone, sit down.”
One of them stood at each of the front and back doors and locked them shut.
“None of you leave for a moment. Wait here.”
The second-years gathered in front of the lectern. Then an upperclassman with short brown hair stepped forward.
I recognized her.
She was the upperclassman who had stopped the clash between the Frog Class and Eagle Class when I beat Obern not long ago.
“Sorry for taking up your time. We're from the Glory Society. We set aside some time because we wanted to tell you about the Glory Society, so please listen for a moment.”
So this was club advertising time.
Even so, moving this boldly was just what I would expect from the Glory Society.
“The Glory Society is a gathering of students who love the Empire's Age of Glory. It was founded to bring together those who wish to preserve the Age of Glory for a long time and develop it even further.”
Her gaze briefly touched me, then moved away.
“So any student who loves the Empire and hopes for a better future for it is welcome. We also participate in various social activities outside the Ivory Tower. We help rebuild villages attacked by monsters, for example, or volunteer to assist with dungeon expeditions.”
She was not an exceptional orator, but her calm voice was pleasant to listen to.
“The Glory Society is open to every student. Your seniors will help you, so do not hesitate to visit us. You all know about the Ivory Tower's mentor system, right? The Glory Society encourages senior and junior members within the club to form mentoring relationships. It will be a great help during your life at the Ivory Tower.”
The upperclassman standing by the back door with his hands in his pockets cut in.
“Don't you want a cool senior as your mentor? Last year, several mentor pairs even became couples, you know?”
“Enough.”
The upperclassman with short brown hair cut him off.
“We did not come here to entice you with things like that. I wanted to let you know that the Glory Society is more relaxed than you think and that it is a club founded on good intentions. I received a lot of help myself when I was a new student. So do not feel pressured. Come find us anytime.”
From what I had heard here and there, the Glory Society had a reputation for being difficult to approach.
People thought it seemed selective about whom it accepted.
She appeared to want to dispel that preconception.
“That's all for the explanation. Thank you for listening. If you have any questions, you can come ask me more.”
Once she finished speaking, the upperclassmen blocking the doors stepped aside.
Some students crowded around the lectern and began asking about the Glory Society.
Since the front of the classroom was packed, Karl and I headed for the back door.
But the upperclassman guarding it spoke to me.
“Hey, you.”
I looked at him.
“Are you speaking to me?”
“Yeah. Any interest in joining the Glory Society?”
“No.”
“Really?”
He stared at me for a moment before speaking again.
“Well, is life at the Ivory Tower treating you all right?”
“Yes.”
“I see…….”
He studied my face, then nodded.
“You can go.”
“Thank you.”
They said the competition between clubs was fierce. Had word of an outstanding new student already spread?
It could not be helped.
***
When I arrived at the Mystery Society's clubroom, the atmosphere was unexpectedly tense.
I asked the sleepy-eyed senior who had guided me at the entrance yesterday, “Excuse me, Senior. What's going on?”
The drowsing senior opened her eyes with a start, stared blankly at me, then cleaned her lenses with the hem of her robe.
Without her glasses, her eyes were unexpectedly sharp.
“Mm, the club president is here.”
Karl's eyes widened.
“The club president himself is here?”
“Unusual, isn't it? Anyway, the president showed up, so everyone's tense.”
“Is the club president frightening?”
“Not at all.”
The sleepy-eyed senior put her glasses back on and shook her head.
“Absolutely not. But he isn't exactly easy to deal with, either.”
“Where is he?”
“Over there.”
The clubroom looked different from yesterday.
The sofas that had been strewn about were pushed into the corners, and ceremonial chairs of unknown origin had been arranged in rows.
Upperclassmen wearing red and white epaulettes sat in them.
“Those seniors are the Council of Elders.”
Strangely, every member of the Council of Elders had hidden their face behind a different animal mask.
“And as it happens, someone who wants to join showed up too.”
“So two things happened at once.”
“Mm.”
With the Council of Elders watching, the Mystery Society's members surrounded a first-year student.
“This is the Mystery Society's admission procedure. The Council of Elders is watching today, so we'd better do it properly.”
“Go on, start. Don't mumble, or you'll be in trouble.”
As the Mystic Music Box played, the first-year began the customary ideological screening in a trembling voice.
“Th-the Headmaster's a fucking bastard.”
Having already gone through it ourselves, Karl and I judged him as though we were seasoned veterans.
“What do you think, Armand?”
“A textbook example of an insult delivered because someone else ordered him to say it.”
“No new student could ever curse the Headmaster as sincerely and boldly as you did.”
“I wasn't particularly sincere.”
“You were that intense without meaning it? Then what would your insults sound like if you truly meant them?”
“You're better off not knowing.”
Urged on by the seniors, the first-year continued.
“Th-the Vice Headmaster's a fucking bastard…….”
This time, his voice sank even lower.
That made sense. Compared to an elf, a skeleton who had gone mad for magic and shed his skin would naturally seem more frightening.
If the former seemed likely to forgive an insult, the latter seemed likely to burn you in hellfire on the spot.
“Hmm, that's ambiguous.”
“But it's still playing.”
The volume had dropped, but the Mystic Music Box continued to play.
At the very end, the first-year clenched both fists and shouted, “L-long live the Mystery Society!”
CLICK.
The Mystic Music Box stopped.
Every member fell silent as though frozen.
The once-noisy clubroom sank into an eerie stillness.
“Is-is something wrong?”
The first-year stammered, but no one answered.
The sleepy-eyed senior stepped forward and stood in front of Karl and me.
“Both of you, cover your ears.”
“Excuse me?”
GRRREEEEEEK…….
The Mystic Music Box made the sound of gears grinding out of alignment.
The sleepy-eyed senior drew a wand from her sleeve and spread a protective barrier.
SKRIEEEEEEEEEEE—!
The Mystic Music Box spun and unleashed an unearthly shriek.
This is insane.
HNNGH... HNNH-HNNGH... HNNGH…….
Then the Mystic Music Box began to sob grotesquely.
I mustn't listen too closely.
If I keep listening, my brain will burn out.
They've been using that insane artifact as the admission procedure for new members?
They're out of their minds.
Karl and I protected our bodies from within with the Knightly Path, and the sleepy-eyed senior's barrier helped us endure it, but the other members clutched their ears in pain.
“D-damn it!”
“Someone turn it off!”
“My ears are going to tear apart!”
“It hurts too much!”
HNNGH... HNNH-HNNGH... HNNGH... HNNNNGH…….
The Mystic Music Box sobbed louder and louder.
Some of the members were driven to the verge of fainting.
Then—
“Enough.”
A clear voice rang out, and at the same moment, the Mystic Music Box stopped crying.
A boy wearing a stag mask stood among the Council of Elders.
“You can stop now.”
The Mystic Music Box sniffled softly for a moment, then stopped moving altogether.
I asked the sleepy-eyed senior, “Who is that?”
“The club president.”
“That person…….”
The Mystery Society's club president was a slender boy wearing a red epaulette.
He approached the Mystic Music Box, closed the wooden box, then asked the panting first-year,
“Where did you come from?”
“E-excuse me?”
Mischief seeped into his voice.
“You’ll be in trouble if you don’t tell me, you know?”
“I do not know what you mean…….”
“You do, don't you?”
He stroked the first-year's head.
“Trying to infiltrate us at a time like this…… I think I can guess where you're from.”
“I-I truly came because I wanted to join the Mystery Society.”
“Really? So that's your story? Let's see…….”
The club president looked around, then suddenly met my eyes.
It felt as though he smiled behind the mask.
“You.”
I looked around, and he pointed at me.
“Yes, you. The cute little kid over there.”
I'm not short enough to be called a little kid.
For now, I nodded.
“Yes.”
“You're a new student, right?”
“That is correct.”
“New student, interrogate this spy and find out which club sent them.”
The moment he finished speaking, the entire club turned to stare at me.
An interrogation without any warning…….
The corners of my mouth rose.
“Understood.”
This is far too easy.