I Became the Second-in-Command in a Romance Fantasy Novel - Chapter 50

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Mordor

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◈ I Became the Second-in-Command in a Romance Fantasy Novel ◈

Chapter 50: Negotiation (2)

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With one week left until the Imperial Founding Festival, I joined a club.

“A club at a time like this? That’s unusual.”

As Prince Ellen said, this was normally a time when joining or transferring clubs was impossible.

The only things allowed were founding a club or quitting one.

Apparently, people used to be free to move between clubs, but some side effects had led to the rule being changed...

Honestly, it seemed like a setting created solely for the Flower Arrangement Club.

After the club application period ended, princes from various countries, including an Imperial Prince, suddenly joined the club.

Then a female student nobody thought much of suddenly awakened as the Saintess...

If joining clubs were allowed at any time, plenty of moths would’ve rushed toward the Flower Arrangement Club’s flame.

That would’ve caused problems for the romance-fantasy plot.

Or maybe it was a system designed to wait until the mastermind, no, the narrow-eyed senior graduated and the romance-fantasy group took complete control of the Flower Arrangement Club.

That was my suspicion.

“I started a club with some like-minded people.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Everyone involved shared the same desire to take care of troublesome kids.

“You wouldn’t join the Flower Arrangement Club, though.”

At the beginning of the Academy term, I hadn’t joined the Flower Arrangement Club despite Prince Ellen’s strong invitation.

Now I was joining a newly created club, so Prince Ellen couldn’t hide his disappointment.

“Should I join now and work even harder at playing Daisy’s boyfriend?”

“Too bad, but that ship has sailed!”

His immediate change in attitude was exactly what I expected from someone already worthy of being a romance-fantasy male lead.

“I’m joking. It’s not even the club application period.”

“That’s true.”

If Uncle Aryn made a move, I could easily join the Flower Arrangement Club through the Academy Director.

Still, I was already entangled with the romance-fantasy heroine. I had no intention of overlapping with her activities too, so I decided to stop after teasing Prince Ellen a little.

“Anyway, what kind of club is it?”

The name was apparently still under debate, but to summarize its purpose...

“It’s a club where we eat dessert after school.”

The ASDC for short.

* * *

The Shadows’ club, which still had no settled name and was alternately called the After-School Dessert Club or the Restaurant-Hopping Club, didn’t do anything particularly special.

It just did the same things we normally did whenever we gathered.

The difference now that we were officially recognized as a club was...

“We can legally milk the Empire.”

“Ooh...”

The Empire had money.

The huge merchant houses counted among the continent’s major merchant houses all used the Empire as their base, and the resources from its vast territory were enough to make even powerful nations like Leon and Dale gape.

So there was no need to hesitate over a little luxury.

The Academy would cover it all as club expenses.

“Coffee in the morning really hits the spot.”

“Why are you pouring coffee brewed from such good beans over ice water?!”

Ignoring the Flame-Slinger, whose scream could’ve rivaled Munch’s The Scream, I sipped Korean soul food through a straw.

The iced Americano sold in the Academy store area was decent enough.

Still, it couldn’t overcome the difference in ingredients.

“Damn, why are coffee beans this expensive...?”

Beside me, Uncle Aryn was clutching his head as he negotiated club expenses with the Academy Director. In exchange for advance notice of what was coming, this was cheap.

“Just enjoy it, Uncle Aryn.”

“When I think about how much the Director is going to raise hell, I can’t get it down.”

“Really? The desserts are good too.”

I answered while putting one of the extremely high-end desserts, which cost one gold coin each, into my mouth.

“Does your kingdom not even cover its agents’ meal expenses?”

Uncle Aryn let out a deep sigh and finally picked up a dessert.

If he left them alone, everyone else would eat them all. He at least wanted to eat some himself so he’d feel less cheated.

“They’ll give us money if we ask, but it’s better to receive meal expenses as cash, isn’t it?”

Of course, I held a position of some importance within the Leon royal family.

If I really wanted to, I was in a position where I could partake of food provided under the name of club activities. Still, since my salary from the kingdom was already rather high, I had to watch myself to some extent.

By comparison, the money we used as club expenses was all Imperial money.

And since we kept solving problems happening in the Empire, I could spend it with a perfectly clear conscience.

“Oh, that one’s good, right?”

“It’s disgustingly good.”

Uncle Aryn chewed on a cookie, his eyes narrowed while his mouth curled into a smile. Seeing that strange expression, I decided it was time to begin our club activities.

We had to work enough to earn what we ate.

“First, a terrorist group is planning to attack the Academy during the Founding Festival. The best outcome would be for the Empire to eliminate all of them in advance, but... honestly, I don’t trust that’ll happen.”

Everyone except the Imperial natives nodded at my words.

“We’ll stop them! We’ll really stop them this time!”

Uncle Aryn, the Empire’s representative, shouted with a red face.

“I think you said that last time too.”

“You said that the time before last as well.”

The moment the Flame-Slinger and I said that while sipping our iced Americano and espresso, Uncle Aryn sank into silence.

“Assuming enemies infiltrate the Academy, we’ll patrol the grounds.”

Well, we called it patrolling, but it would also involve looking around the festival.

Spending club funds freely was a bonus.

“That’s as far as we agreed for club activities, but... you all know, right? I have to go on dates with Daisy for two days.”

Gulp.

Everyone swallowed dryly and stared at me.

A date with Daisy.

They knew exactly what that meant.

“It’d be great if you could keep your respective masters in check.”

A romance-fantasy, no, a subculture trope:

When the male or female lead went on a date with someone else, the harem members were supposed to follow them.

A terrorist attack was already planned, and the romance-fantasy male leads would be tailing me while I dated the romance-fantasy heroine at the center of it all.

Something was guaranteed to happen.

“If you can’t keep them under control, I’ll put them to use.”

“For what?”

“You’ll find out when the time comes.”

I was already sure they wouldn’t be able to control them, so I kindly gave them advance notice that I would use them.

* * *

The Founding Festival finally began.

It was a two-week event, with one week before and after Imperial Founding Day.

The first week was the real festival, though, while the following week was more like cleanup. So the Academy would only open and hold events during the first week.

And on that historic first day, my job was...

“Hmm, it’s been a while.”

“Yes. Have your touching reunion with your younger sibling over there.”

“Hey!”

Hmph.

I handed the fidgeting Princess Hestia, who had snorted in disdain, over to Prince Ellen.

“I’m busy with work.”

“What are you busy with?!”

“Look at this. I’m event staff.”

“Why are you event staff at an Imperial event?!”

Princess Hestia stared at me like I was ridiculous... and she had a point.

A student from another country would never become event staff unless they were part of the student council.

“It’s for club activities.”

But given the nature of our club members, having event-staff status that allowed us to move freely during the Founding Festival was not optional. It was essential.

“You said you didn’t do clubs.”

“I joined after the second semester began.”

“The Swordsmanship Club?”

“The Restaurant-Hopping Club.”

“Why?!”

“Um. Because I wanted to eat delicious food?”

“You haven’t even been training properly lately. Have you gotten soft?”

“I could still beat Your Highness, though...”

“Come at me!”

The way she immediately tried to draw her sword after I provoked her a little was just like Princess Hestia.

“I told you, I’m busy.”

“Are you running because you’re scared?”

Her attempt to provoke me was clumsy, but I had expected it all.

“I’m really busy. Beat him first, then I’ll consider it.”

“Ellen?”

“Even I can’t beat Prince Ellen. How could Your Highness possibly beat him?”

“I used to beat him...”

Princess Hestia made a tearful face as she remembered her past glory. I called over the people I had prepared in advance.

“Huh...?”

At the sight of them, even Princess Hestia stood there with her mouth hanging open.

“Sword Emperor?”

A Leon princess had led Academy students to the Founding Festival, the Empire’s largest festival, under the pretext of the Academy Exchange Program.

That gave the Empire more than enough reason to send the Sword Emperor.

Of course, if the Sword Emperor refused, it would’ve been difficult even for the Empire to make him move.

Still, I had diligently served as a sandbag and gradually raised his favorability, so he agreed to meet the Leon Kingdom students at my request.

And as an extra...

“Your opponent isn’t the Sword Emperor. It’s the person beside him.”

“W-Who is that?”

“The Little Sword Emperor.”

I managed to dump one more romance-fantasy male lead on someone else.

* * *

I dumped Prince Ellen on Senior Lucia.

Then I dumped Princess Hestia and the Leon Academy students on the Sword Emperor and Little Sword Emperor.

That took two romance-fantasy male leads out of the picture.

The Imperial figures, including Prince Essid, would also be getting dragged around like dogs on the Academy’s first festival day.

The remaining magic-slinger had a date planned with the Flame-Slinger.

“Let’s start our date already.”

So I decided to begin my date with Daisy.

“...On the very first day?”

I nodded at Daisy’s hollow-eyed question.

According to Violet, she had prepared from dawn and been dragged into the opening ceremony.

I felt sorry for her, but Daisy was the one who had given me priority for the first day of our dates.

“It’s just a practice round anyway. Let’s enjoy it lightly and get it over with.”

The first date was only a practice game.

The real thing was the date after the Pope arrived, when Daisy had priority.

“Haah. My first-ever boyfriend is so unromantic.”

Daisy knew that too, so she sighed deeply, but she still held out her hand.

“Will you hold my hand?”

“It’s a date. We should at least do this much.”

At Daisy’s words that we needed to practice, I sighed and took her hand.

“That’s surprising.”

“What is?”

“For someone who used a slash that split the Holy Kingdom in half... you don’t have any calluses or anything.”

“...I’ve never done anything like that?!”

They were hands worthy of a romance-fantasy heroine, but the Daisy in my mind was someone who could split mountains with a sword and beat the Demon King to death with her fists, so I was genuinely surprised.

“Stop talking nonsense and hurry up. You prepared a date plan, right?”

“Of course.”

Just as Daisy expected, I had prepared a truly perfect date plan.

“This is delicious.”

“Try this too.”

“This is unexpected. I heard nobles don’t usually eat things like this. Adam, you’re from a noble family too.”

“You say that as if you aren’t.”

“I’m from a rural baron’s family. That’s different from you, Adam. You’re from a count’s family.”

We walked down the street eating chicken skewers and tanghulu, foods I had no idea why existed in a medieval fantasy world.

“Wow! That’s amazing!”

We watched the small events happening throughout the grounds.

“Ah! To purify the Holy Kingdom’s fallen light! Saintess Daisy shall...”