They suddenly wanted us to take the stage and leave a deep impression on them.
This is bewildering.
Every member of the Council of Elders wore a mask, so I could not see their faces, but their clothing and posture alone revealed their distinct personalities.
Satisfying those willful people won't be easy.
“All right, starting with the first applicant. Get up there.”
The applicant at the front stepped onto the makeshift stage.
“I…….”
Standing awkwardly, the applicant bit her lip.
“D-dancing. I'll dance.”
She called it a traditional dance from her region and began stepping about while shrugging her arms.
It was cute, but that was all.
Clase had been right.
The Ivory Tower was cold.
And the Elizabeth sisters were cold too.
(-_-)
(′O‵)
(-_-)
(u_u) Zzz…….
As she watched the applicant dance, Elizabeth yawned and began to doze off.
The applicant's movements gradually grew clumsy before finally going limp.
“That's all…….”
There was not even any applause.
One of the Elders seated behind the club president offered a brief assessment.
“How pathetic.”
The applicant had no choice but to lower her head and step down.
She was not the only one.
Unable to withstand the pressure, the applicants who took the stage resorted to all manner of desperate measures.
But Elizabeth III's expression did not budge.
In other words, every member of the Council of Elders was bored.
“This year's new students are no good.”
“I should have just gone to sleep.”
“Doesn't anyone have a special talent?”
“Let’s just have the club president double as Manager.”
“What's for dinner tonight?”
The pressure was steadily mounting.
The next person to step forward was the girl from Whale Class who had gone on about how remarkable the club president was.
She used magic.
“I will entertain the seniors of the Council of Elders with magic!”
Using magic isn't a particularly good choice.
By the time students reach their third or fourth year at the Ivory Tower, they are all tremendously skilled mages.
So in my opinion, using magic will only expose what she lacks.
But she went further than I expected.
“I dedicate this performance to the Club President.”
Using illusion magic, she staged a puppet show.
The story began with a girl hearing rumors about the Ivory Tower.
They were rumors about a wonderful boy at the Ivory Tower.
[The girl came to admire the wonderful boy at the Ivory Tower whom she had only heard about through rumors.]
The girl's grades had originally not been good enough to enter the Ivory Tower, but after grueling effort, she finally became one of its students.
And then she met the boy she had dreamed of.
Karl muttered,
“It's a magic puppet show. I haven't seen one in a while. I watched them a lot when I was little.”
Honestly, it came as quite a shock to me.
I already knew that magic could accomplish more than merely destroying and killing things.
But having lived through the bitter cold of the North, I had never seen magic used so extravagantly.
Yes, extravagantly.
I looked to the side.
The multicolored lights produced by the illusion glittered across Karl's corneas.
Beyond Karl's profile, the members of the Mystery Society watched the puppet show with expressions of interest or boredom.
But not one of them looked away.
Even if I regain my Attribute, someone born to Extinction like me will never be able to do something like that.
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Armand, what do you think of that puppet show?”
“Who knows?”
A magic puppet show like this is unfamiliar to me, but it's probably a common sight to people of the Empire.
The story itself isn't particularly exciting either.
A puppet show in which a girl reveals her admiration might be sweet in intent, but it isn't enough to move anyone deeply.
“She's not much of a threat.”
“Ooh, you sound confident?”
“Of course.”
“But brace yourself. I'm going to become the Mystery Society's Manager!”
I had never seen Karl look so sincere.
Does he want to become Manager that badly?
“I'm sorry, Karl.”
I apologized with equal sincerity.
“I didn't ask for this, but I always give my best to any role entrusted to me. So the Manager position will be mine.”
“For someone who didn't want it, you accepted as though you'd been waiting for the chance.”
“Who knows?”
I grinned and checked Elizabeth III.
(′∀｀)
It was the best expression she had shown so far, but she still did not seem particularly moved.
At last, the puppet show ended.
Catching her breath, the girl placed a hand over her chest and bowed gracefully.
The club president responded.
“That was a wonderful puppet show.”
That was all he said. He revealed no other personal feelings.
But that seemed to be enough for her.
“Thank you!”
She stepped down from the stage with a radiant expression.
In any case, she's probably in first place so far.
Next, an upperclassman with a shaved head put on a feat-of-strength show.
It was rather impressive.
┗(・o・)┓
Even I flinched when they swallowed an entire blade.
What a bizarre skill.
So far, the puppet show and the feat-of-strength act seem to have captured the Council of Elders' interest the most.
At last, it was Karl's turn, immediately before mine.
But Karl began a performance I had never expected.
“I'm Karl of Frog Class, newly admitted to the Ivory Tower. It's a pleasure to meet you.”
Standing on the stage, Karl bowed with simple composure.
At Karl's prior request, the clubroom went dark, leaving only a single light shining down on him.
“Now then, I'll begin.”
Karl raised a sound-amplifying artifact—a microphone.
[Ladies and gentlemen of the Mystery Society, seeing as you're all still here after class, you must have plenty of time and nothing to do. Excellent. You're exactly the kind of audience comedians love. Even if the jokes aren't funny, you're not diligent enough to complain! At most, that cute Elizabeth III over there will frown a little harder. In fact, Elizabeth III is looking at me with this exact expression right now. I imagine all of you are making the same face behind your masks, aren't you?]
Karl forced his eyes and mouth into straight lines and made a ridiculous face.
That bastard, don't tell me…….
[But I'm not worried. You see, my friend over there is the hooligan who smashed Elizabeth III's grandmother at the entrance ceremony! If she gets cranky, we can just smash her too!]
The threat to smash Elizabeth III drew boos.
The senior in the cat mask, in particular, furiously thrust their thumb downward.
Karl shrugged as though he found the reaction delightful.
[Was that a little too much? Oh dear, it seems I crossed the line. A comedian's talent lies in knowing where the line is, after all. Much like how my friend failed to respect the line and smashed Elizabeth III's grandmother to pieces……. Ah, never mind. Pretend you didn't hear that. This chilly atmosphere feels just like the entrance ceremony. I thought only my friend and Ms. Clase could create an atmosphere like this. Right? You've all had it easy, haven't you? Right?]
“Pfft…….”
“Ahahaha…….”
“That's funny!”
The sudden impersonation made the Council of Elders burst out laughing.
Karl, that bastard. He was attempting stand-up comedy.
He said he wanted to become popular. Had he been locking himself in his room to study this nonsense?
Karl's manner was so cheerful that even his trivial jokes began drawing laughter.
[Speaking of Ms. Clase suddenly reminds me of my memories from the Magic Practice Chamber. Let me tell you a secret! I secretly drank alcohol not long ago. In the Magic Practice Chamber, no less! A new student drinking on campus—bold, isn't it? Anyway, one of the friends who drank with me claims to be an aesthete and is addicted to chocolate. He got thoroughly drunk that day, and then…….]
Karl even exploited the story about drinking Chepin’s whiskey.
[I shouted, “Hey! Don't throw up!” But it was too late. Then he wiped his mouth with his sleeve and calmly drank more whiskey. After that, he said, “Hmm, where did you buy this chocolate? Milk Hall?” So I told him, “No, that's the whiskey bonbon you just made…….”]
That never happened. Was he trying to get laughs with a fabricated story?
But truth doesn't matter in comedy.
The members kept bursting into laughter.
o(≧▽≦)o
Elizabeth III was already delighted by Karl's performance.
[Now that I've brought it up, I suppose I should tell you how we ended up drinking. Everyone, you know this year's Ivory Tower freshmen are enormous troublemakers, right? My friend actually had a one-on-one fight with someone from the class next door. His opponent majored in the Knightly Path, while my friend majored in the Arcane Path. Anyone could see that he was at a disadvantage! But my friend won! How did he do it?]
Selling out Lumin was not enough, so now he was selling me out too—all for a laugh.
[First, this is how the Knightly Path student fought. He was quite skilled!]
Karl swung the microphone around flamboyantly, imitating swordsmanship.
He was so skilled that it was entertaining just to watch.
[But my friend simply did this.]
Karl stood blankly with both arms hanging at his sides, then clumsily kicked at waist height.
The baffled members soon understood what it meant and burst into laughter.
[He did that, and the skilled Knightly Path student fell over. Easy, right?]
Karl demonstrated the kick several more times as though performing an encore.
More laughter erupted.
[So that drinking session wasn't actually a celebration. It was a consolation drink for the opponent who had lost something precious. I've decided never to practice swordsmanship again. It turns out there's something stronger than a sword! Ever since then, the first-year Knightly Path course has stopped being a swordsmanship class and become a kicking class instead. You'd be amazed if you saw it!]
Another wave of laughter broke out.
Karl delivered several more light jokes before moving into his conclusion.
[That's all for my story. I was going to call my friend up here if the response was poor, but Elizabeth III knows how to read the room. If you'd kept frowning, you would've met your grandmother!]
⼂(*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ
By then, everyone in the clubroom was laughing.
Even Draco's Eye was enjoying itself.
[Blessing of the Laughter Fairy]
Everyone has days like this. Every time you open your mouth, the room erupts! You have truly received the blessing of the Laughter Fairy! Wit increased! Showmanship increased! What an entertaining performance!
And so Karl stepped down from the stage to everyone's applause.
“Armand, how was it?”
“Not bad.”
“Thanks!”
Karl grinned and held out his fist. I bumped it with mine.
I had no choice but to acknowledge him.
Karl deserved to be recognized as an honorable opponent today.
The members, still unable to shake off the lingering excitement of his performance, whispered and chuckled among themselves.
Everyone was in high spirits.
“Now, the next one is the last. Armand?”
“Yes.”
“That last performance will be hard to follow. Are you confident? You can give up if you're not.”
“Of course not.”
I stepped onto the stage.
Looking down from it, I saw that the Council of Elders had stopped laughing. With their arms crossed, they stared at me from behind expressionless masks.
I could feel the pressure.
Karl had overcome the weight of this position and made everyone laugh.
No wonder he possessed the Lionheart trait.
But I was also skilled at handling pressure.
I slowly looked over the Council of Elders and the members of the Mystery Society.
By now, I had learned a fair amount about the Mystery Society.
The Ivory Tower had many clubs.
The Glory Society and the Rose Order were elite clubs, needless to say.
There were also clubs large and small where students could exchange information or share profits.
Yet these people had deliberately gathered in the Mystery Society.
A club that championed freedom, conducted no proper activities, and had swollen in size merely by gathering outsiders.
Why?
“Everyone.”
The answer was simple.
They claimed merely to pursue fun, but…….
They were kind people. Foolish, in a way.
They had come here without calculating the gains and losses, simply for fun and friendship.
Just look at how much they enjoyed Karl's clumsy stand-up comedy.
Yes, they were simply good people.
And there was something that worked particularly well on good people like them.
“I do not have many talents worth displaying onstage, so instead, I will tell you a story.”
Of course, that was a lie. I had countless talents.
I had even sung in the temple choir as a child, so I could perform an excellent song.
Or I could show them a true dance of the North, unlike the clumsy one from earlier.
But I decided to give them something more powerful.
A story.
“It is the story of a boy.”
A sad story.
“The story of how that boy came to enter the Ivory Tower.”
A tearjerker.
Emotional pandering.
A story impossible to hear without tears…….
My story.
***
“And so, the boy finally entered the Ivory Tower.”
The story was nearing its end.
My voice remained calm.
I did not mix emotion into it. Nor did I use an exaggerated tone. I merely told the story plainly.
“The Empire was warm and prosperous. The boy met good friends at the Ivory Tower. Even so, he would sometimes recall the cruel winters of the North.”
I stared at Elizabeth III and fell silent for a moment before continuing.
“He remembered the soldiers injured while defending against the monsters beyond the wall, and the days when we gathered residents shivering in the bitter cold and served them hot stew at the temple. We were poor compared to the Empire, yet everyone still smiled. As though to comfort our exhausted hearts, the priest would play the organ for us. I can no longer see those days, so I must send them away into the past, but sometimes, I still remember them. Cruel, isn't it? If only being told to forget were enough to make memories fade, yet instead, they grow even clearer. That is the nature of memory.”
I smiled at the Council of Elders and the members of the Mystery Society.
“Even so, the boy believes that good days will come again. Because it seems he has met good people at the Ivory Tower.”
I bowed my head.
“That is all.”
The clubroom sank into silence.
My account of the past had been heavily dramatized, but I had made sure not to omit several elements.
A house that fulfilled its noblesse oblige.
The Empire's unjust ambition.
The betrayal of the northern nobles.
Territory torn to pieces.
Ruin.
An arduous journey beyond the border.
The death of his father.
A boy who entered the Ivory Tower to fulfill his father's dying wish.
Perhaps sorrow was the most powerful human emotion.
In particular, they had just indulged in laughter through Karl's stand-up comedy, so they were probably experiencing an even greater emotional plunge.
The proof was—
o(TOT)o;;;;
Elizabeth III was sobbing uncontrollably.
“Hngh…….”
And ultimately, Elizabeth III was merely a tool that compiled the Council of Elders' emotions.
“Damn it…….”
“Why am I crying……?”
Every member of the Council of Elders was shedding hot tears beneath their masks.
Even the Manager applicants waiting below the stage were sniffling.
“Waaagh!”
Karl wailed.
“Armand, you……!”
I shook my head with a bitter smile.
“Everyone, I never said it was my story. It is merely the story of a nameless boy I invented. So there is no need to comfort me. Look. Unlike that boy, am I not smiling?”
“Waaaaah…….”
The Mystery Society could not escape the tearjerker I had unleashed upon them.
Was it really that sad?
Then again, the story of House Draco cannot be heard without tears.
Even before its fall, the house's very existence had been pitiful.
Despite inheriting the most exalted bloodline of the Arcane Path, rather than enjoying prosperity, they had been buried in the frozen lands of the North.
Amid the sobbing all around us, the club president, who had been sitting with his arms crossed, raised a hand.
“Armand.”
His voice was damp with emotion as well.
“There is no room for debate. You are the Manager.”
“Thank you.”
After humiliating myself by exposing my past for a tearjerker, this was the least I deserved.
Even Karl, who had competed against me, sniffled as he acknowledged me.
“Armand, I'm glad you're the Manager. I'll treat you well…….”
“Me too!”
“Armand!”
I told you it was the story of an invented, nameless boy—not me.
The members rushed over, embraced me from every direction, and congratulated me.
“Thank you, everyone. I will work hard.”
In any case, I had become the Manager.
Does this mean I've overcome yet another crisis?
But then events began moving in a direction I had not anticipated.
“Those northern traitors!”
One of the second-year seniors shouted.
“They're in the Glory Society!”
What was that supposed to mean?
But the other second-year seniors agreed.
“That's right. Those bastards are in the Glory Society.”
“Those bastards betrayed the North!”
“They broke their oath!”
Unable to understand what was happening, I blinked.
The sleepy-eyed senior, who still had her arms wrapped around me, shouted,
“You must not know, but the heir of House Puar—the house that now occupies Winter Castle—is at the Ivory Tower!”