Chapter 41
[I don't think a day will cut it. Hey, you need to train more.]
"I'm doing what I can. I only came back two months ago."
[Huh? It's only been two months?]
"I came back on March 17th, and today is May 18th. Exactly two months. For a lady who only used to hold a teaspoon, this is pretty fast."
[Ugh, whatever. Just get stronger faster! I'm so bored with you lying down! Boooored!]
"Shut up, be quiet. My head is pounding."
[Tch.]
Cadet Ekinesia Roaz ignored the Demon Sword's whining and rubbed her flushed cheeks with a towel. Then, using Mana, she pulled Nicole's Telegram from the back of the drawer.
-Visiting Ajenka with a VIP on a protection mission. Will tell you about the White Lion then.
"Who's the VIP, and when are they arriving? Even if Telegrams are expensive, how can you leave out the most important part, Nicole?"
Eki sighed and put down the Telegram. The paper, carried by Mana, fluttered back into the drawer.
The matter of the Demon Sword in the Imperial Family and the Roaz Count's household was something she couldn't solve by thinking about it alone.
She gave up thinking and burrowed into her blanket.
Just as she was drifting off to sleep, she sensed someone coming to her room. Two people.
Eki squinted and watched the door. Soon, a knock sounded.
"Cadet Ekinesia, are you in there? Can we come in?"
"Knocking when she might be asleep? How rude."
"Then, is it okay to go in without knocking? Isn't that ruder?"
"…That's true."
There was a small bickering sound outside the door. Familiar voices. Fatima and Alice. Eki sat up and propped herself up with pillows behind her back. Soon, the door opened, and Alice and Fatima entered the room, carrying a meal tray.
"Cadet Ekinesia! I heard you're sick!"
"Hello, Fatima. It's nothing serious."
As soon as Fatima saw Eki sitting up, she rushed over and sat on the bed. She touched her forehead to Eki's with both hands and shook her head.
"You shouldn't even think about getting out of bed today. Wait, I'll get you some good medicine!"
"You really don't have to…"
"I'm trying to score points, so just let me. I haven't given up on you yet!"
Fatima smiled brightly and disappeared out of the room in a flash. Alice approached with an apologetic expression and placed the tray in front of Eki.
"I'm sorry, Eki. Fatima asked why I came to eat alone and where you were."
"That's just like Fatima. But this…"
Alice opened the lid of the dish. It was a steaming, warm stew. A non-irritating cream stew with large but tender meat and vegetables.
It wasn't on the menu for this morning in the public dining hall, and it definitely looked like it was for a patient.
As Eki looked at the stew with a puzzled expression, Alice handed her a spoon and explained.
"You need to eat even when you're resting. I asked the kitchen to make it, so please eat."
"…I told you to go train, but instead, you went to the kitchen…"
"Eki will go train after she eats. Don't worry. If you're really worried, you can spar with her after she gets better."
Alice smiled. Eki, holding the spoon, lowered her head slightly.
"It's not that I'm worried… Thank you, Alice."
Her face was slightly red as she replied quietly. She's embarrassed. Alice held back a laugh.
Since that sparring match and the freshman Ranking match, Eki and Alice had generally stuck together, except during Monster subjugation.
Alice had come to realize that Ekinesia Roaz was surprisingly soft. More precisely, she was soft towards people who showed her kindness or acted weak.
She brushed off malice without a second thought but was embarrassed to receive or give kindness.
And yet, she was also honest when she was being honest, casually saying things like you're fit to be a Knight, or I'd be happy to share a sword with you.
Alice unknowingly watched Eki eat the stew with a content expression. For a while, only the clinking of the spoon could be heard. Then, the door burst open noisily. It was Fatima.
"Guys, I heard some amazing news on the way here!"
She said with an excited expression and scurried into the room. Then, she placed a small glass bottle she was holding on Eki's tray and continued.
"Oh, this is honey with medicinal herbs pickled in it. You can drink it like tea. It's a folk remedy passed down in my family. It's good for you, and it tastes good too. Anyway, it's really big news, big news!"
"What is it?"
Alice asked, puzzled. Fatima sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Eki and Alice with sparkling eyes.
"I'll tell you, but you have to come to our club."
"…"
"You said you'd both join the club together if you became friends!"
"I don't think I ever said that, Fatima."
"You're not going to budge. Tch."
Fatima pouted at Eki's reply. Eki looked back and forth between the glass bottle filled with honey and herbs and the almost empty bowl of stew. Her parched throat was warmed by the warm stew. Placing the stew bowl and the glass bottle side by side made her feel like her heart was melting.
In the meantime, Fatima opened her mouth as if she couldn't help it.
"Fine, I'll just tell you. You know that the overall Ranking match is on May 30th, right? On that day…"
"Fatima."
"Yeah?"
"What kind of club is Wisdom?"
Fatima's sullen face lit up like a light bulb at Eki's question. She leaned forward, resting her hands on the bed.
"O-Our club is! A good club!"
"…So, how is it a good club?"
"Uh, um, well, it's autonomous! Uh, and, uh… Just a minute."
Fatima had been constantly telling them to join the club whenever she saw Eki, but she hadn't expected them to ask what kind of club it was, so she stammered for a moment. While she pondered and organized her thoughts, Alice asked Eki.
"Are you thinking of joining a club, Eki?"
"I don't know, I'm listening. What about you, Alice? Are you in a club?"
"No. I'm not really interested…"
"Why do you think clubs aren't good, you two?"
Fatima interjected abruptly. Alice tilted her head and replied.
"Most of the clubs now are more like social gatherings. They gather according to their origin and family, discuss matters of their home country, and invite Associate Knights or Knights from the same line to give lectures. I don't think that's a bad thing. But it's a bit different from what I want, so I'm not really thinking of joining one right now."
This was something Eki didn't know. She lived a life completely detached from the mainstream of the Academy. Her unusual attire was one thing, but she had also been appointed as a Squire from the first day of admission and received separate training from Baraha.
'Come to think of it, Baraha said there were clubs where guys like Bread, that bastard, gathered.'
She remembered thinking that it was absurd to have a club full of idiots when one idiot was already ridiculous enough.
Fatima nodded at Alice's words and then looked at Eki.
"Cadet Ekinesia? Why aren't you interested in clubs?"
"I just find group activities cumbersome. I don't want to be tied down."
"Hmm. I've heard you both out."
Fatima grinned. She puffed out her chest and declared.
"For you two, Wisdom is just perfect! Perfect! So, both of you come to our club!"
"What kind of club is Wisdom anyway? I've heard of most of the clubs, but I've never heard of Wisdom."
Alice asked with a slight frown, and Fatima replied quickly.
"That's because I'm the founding club leader of Wisdom, and there are currently no club members."
"…What?"
"I mean, I created the club. A small elite, autonomous action, pursuing wise Knights…"
"No, wait a minute, so you mean there hasn't been a single club member until now?"
Eki asked in an absurd tone. Fatima smiled sheepishly and avoided her eyes.
"If you guys join, there will be two members. Well, actually, I didn't find the kind of club I wanted at the Academy. So, as soon as I became a second-year student who could become a club leader, I founded the club."
"What kind of club did you want?"
"First of all, it's not a large-scale club like the current clubs with dozens of members. Club parties are annoying, and I don't want to consider the relationships between birthplaces or families when accepting club members. I don't plan to create any long-standing traditions either. I don't want to bring in politics either. I just want to train with talented people, like when clubs were first created at the Academy."
"…I see. Politics… That's what I felt uncomfortable about. The current clubs are too large and have strong political tendencies. Politics are important, but the club I want is a pure training group for Cadets. There aren't any clubs like that left. I completely agree with your purpose."
Alice nodded with a slightly surprised expression. Fatima rolled her eyes and continued.
"Our club will have a time to gather and spar together once a week. If you want to gather more often, you can make appointments with each other, and if you want to invite a teacher to give lectures, just tell me. I'll try to find someone."
"Is that all?"
"Yeah, everything else is autonomous. Everyone has a different training method that suits them, right? I'll help if you need it, but I don't want to do mandatory training like other clubs. I don't plan to increase the number of members to more than ten. I think six to eight people is the optimal number. That way, everyone can spar each time we meet."
The rules were much looser than Eki had expected. Since there were no club members other than Fatima anyway, it seemed like it would be okay to join Wisdom with Alice. There would be no need to be tied down by group activities.
She also liked that Fatima hadn't cared about the strange rumors from the beginning.
'If I join the club, I can help Fatima with her swordsmanship. I saw during the Monster subjugation that she could improve a lot with just a few corrections. It would be more natural to say that my swordsmanship improved thanks to the club rather than saying that I improved my skills alone. Hmm, not bad.'
Eki pondered and glanced at Alice. Alice, noticing her gaze, nodded slightly. Fatima's face brightened as she noticed the exchange between them.
"Are you joining? Huh?"
