Chapter 34: I’m Canceling My Club Membership.
Chapter 34 – I’m Canceling My Club Membership.
‘Frozen’
This club, which explores the ice element, has a long history that goes back to the founding of Merhen Academy.
Among the more than 200 clubs, it always ranks in the top 10 based on performance reports, so it was no wonder that Becky was very curious about it.
Thanks to that, we gathered at the mountain behind the academy today.
Although there are various advanced facilities inside the academy, freezing natural water is the basics.
‘That’s not a wrong way.’
Rather, it’s very close to the royal road.
Creating the non-existent ice element is a very high-dimensional area. It’s better to start by refining the water and ice that exist naturally.
“Last but not least… Becky?”
At the club leader’s call, Becky, who was far away, quietly raised her hand.
“There are no vacancies. I hope you all do well in the future!”
As Kenneth, the club leader, spoke cheerfully, applause erupted. The appearance of the male student, who was a third-grader and the leader of Frozen, was quite handsome.
If Martin had a face that looked like he would date girls by teasing them, this one had a face that would attract girls even if he just stayed still.
“Wow… The club leader is so handsome.” “I know, right? Does he have a girlfriend? Oh, he must have one.”
Sure enough, the other female students were already fired up by talking about Kenneth’s appearance.
Was he that handsome?
He was. There was no doubt about it.
But I felt a vague discomfort from Kenneth. Not something trivial like envy or jealousy, but something subtle.
Then, a very strong rose scent pricked my nose. I unconsciously grimaced.
Who the hell sprayed so much perfume like an idiot…
“Hey, Flan. You really came…?”
I could tell the cause right away. The owner of the strong scent was Becky.
Becky showed up in casual clothes, probably because the club activity allowed wearing them. However, her appearance was somewhat strange.
She had excessive accessories like hairpins, heavy makeup, strong perfume, and a short skirt.
If I had to put it bluntly, she looked like a girl who dressed up for the first time in her life.
“What’s with that outfit?”
“Why. Is it, weird? It’s our first time meeting in casual clothes. I put some effort into it.”
I wondered what to say for a moment.
“Don’t make a fuss.”
“What, all of a sudden?”
She shook her head vigorously. It was not something that could be solved by words.
“Frozen is an elemental club that boasts a long tradition… We explore the ice element, and if we’re popular, we can sell it for a very high price, so it’s beneficial in many ways…”
Kenneth was a kind man. His speech, filled with great affection for Frozen, continued for a while.
Meanwhile, Becky quietly called me.
“Hey, Flan.”
“What.”
“Don’t you have… something for me?”
Did I have something for Becky? I thought for a moment, but I had nothing to give her.
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean nothing! Think hard!”
“Hmm.”
No matter how hard I thought, I had nothing for her. But if she really wanted something, I could do that for her.
“Becky.”
“Yeah!”
Becky looked up at me with an expectant look. It was something worth looking forward to.
“I’ll transfer you the rental ticket for 『Destruction and Prejudice』 in the library’s C section. Read it and summarize the main points.”
“I’m sorry. I was wrong. I’m really sorry.”
She waved her hands with a pale face. I asked her one more thing.
“Becky.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know about the physical competition that will take place in two weeks?”
“Physical competition? I don’t know much. The first-grader representative for the combat event is Louis. That’s all I know.”
“Louis… Isn’t he the one that Hailey is following around?”
“Yeah, yeah. That’s right. She’s been bragging about him all over the place. Anyone would think she’s his girlfriend, you know?”
I rubbed my chin for a moment.
No matter how I think about it, I should be the representative for the physical competition.
“How did they select the representative?”
“Isn’t it the professors’ recommendation? I’m sure Louis was unanimous.”
“I wonder if the representative can be changed.”
“Um… If he was injured to the point where he couldn’t participate, or if he convinced the professors. I guess they would change it in that case?”
“Then I’ll go with convincing.”
I can’t beat Louis to the point where he can’t participate. Becky tilted her head at my words.
“What are you going to convince? Oh, but Flan! That’s not the important thing!”
Becky lifted her legs and whispered excitedly.
“Today’s club activity is in pairs. It’s perfect, right? We’re in the same group, so we can stick together.”
She even wrapped her arms around me later.
“This might spread rumors soon. The seniors are all here, too… Hehe.”
I checked the time. I had already planned how to spend the most efficient day today.
“Becky.”
“Yeah!”
“I don’t like this club. I’m canceling my membership.”
“What…?”
“Stay away from that club leader, too.”
“No, no, no, Flan. What are you talking about? Canceling your membership…?”
That’s what I meant.
I didn’t like the club leader’s vibe. It wasn’t a matter of preference, but a feeling of looking at an unpleasant valley.
That was the reason why I canceled my club membership.
‘Rather…’
The place where I was standing was near the Tir Lake.
To prepare for the physical competition in two weeks, it would be much more beneficial to get the artifact faster.
There was no reason to be tied up with the club activity anymore since I canceled my membership.
“Hey… You’re too much…”
Becky started to sob.
The sight of her sobbing in her strange outfit didn’t suit my taste. My assistant’s face was my face, after all…
I can’t stand it. I have to do something about this outfit.
“Let’s go shopping for clothes next time. Of course, you have no choice.”
“Huh, really?!”
“I’ll ignore and exclude your poor taste. Just remember that.”
“Uh, okay.”
She looked happy for some reason. I left her behind.
I turned back and added one more thing.
“And don’t forget to summarize Destruction and Prejudice.”
?
Merhen Academy doesn’t have a rule that prevents students from entering the dungeon.
However, it is stated that it is their own responsibility in case of an incident.
It’s one of the rules that I personally like. The choice and the result are entirely up to them.
[＊Are you going to leave it at the bottom of the lake? When are you going to get it?] [＊I’ll stall as much as possible and get it. Don’t let them catch on.]
Around the time when such conversations were going on among the nameless ones, I arrived at the dungeon in the form of a cave located at the foot of the mountain.
The Tir Lake is at the end of this dungeon.
“…It’s unpleasant.”
That was my first impression.
The humidity was extremely high. I could understand why they chose this place to hide something.
I eventually put a thin layer of mana on the surface of my clothes.
I couldn’t help it because the water droplets falling from the ceiling were seriously annoying.
There was another problem. The dungeon was bigger than I expected.
‘Maybe I should just remember the location for now.’
While calculating the best course of action considering various conditions. Suddenly, a blue light appeared from the inside pocket of my jacket.
I had turned off the notifications of Trivia… but I took it out of my pocket and opened it.
[ ? Kenneth, the club president ] [ ? It’s the first time you contacted me since we exchanged codes ] [ ? Today’s club activity will be over in about three hours ] [ ? Can we talk for a while after that? ] [ ? It’s a very important story. ]
“This is…”
It’s not my Trivia. It’s Becky’s Trivia.
Come to think of it, I didn’t pay any attention to the Trivia that Becky handed me, asking me to exchange codes.
?Don’t you have something for me?
Was that what Becky meant? I realized that what she said was Trivia.
I closed the Trivia first. It’s not a healthy thing to peek at someone else’s Trivia. I have to return it as soon as I get out of the dungeon.
But I got some good information by accident. Even if it’s a deep dungeon, three hours is enough to explore.
Brushing off the water droplets that were falling on my body, I started to head deeper.
Kieeeeek!
Then a few Kodomo beasts noticed me and rushed at me. The Molegols, who had lizard heads but human bodies, were quite disgusting.
These guys, who love high humidity, have almost no resistance to fire.
I raised one hand.
The speed of the guys running at full speed was not slow, but my magic use was faster.
Hwaaak!
As I flicked my finger, the guys burned without any scream. The mana consumption was not large because they died even with a weak flame.
To begin with, the guys who hid the stuff had cleared the way of this dungeon once. Thanks to that, I was able to move on without encountering any strong enemies.
After walking for about 30 minutes more, I finally saw the lake.
It was a beautiful lake. The lake, which contained dense mana, shone in the dark cave and acted as a blue lamp.
I examined the lake closely.
And a moment later, I muttered in disbelief.
“…Are you kidding me?”
It’s shallow. The lake was very shallow.
I lost my words at the depth where the bottom was clearly visible. Moreover, I could already see a red box with my naked eye.
How can you hide this?
Maybe they stored it like this because it was a low-quality item. Maybe they were just petty thieves…
“Sigh.”
I sighed deeply and reached out. Now that I’ve come this far, I have to check it out to make it worthwhile.
I used psychokinesis to pull the box out of the water. This red box had no simple barrier to protect itself from interference magic.
If it’s an important item, you can’t treat it like this.
I felt bad for wasting time. I slammed the box into the ground with a bang.
And at that moment.
“…Ow.”
A young girl’s voice tickled my ears.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at the red box. Inside the gap, there was a white glove.
“Huaham… What is it, who are you. Who are you… Why are you touching me while I’m sleeping…”
And the glove, which was clearly the owner of this voice.
“An artifact of the spirit(英靈).”
Why did they hide the item in the shallow lake, why was there no barrier magic, and why did they cherish it…
All the questions were solved at once. It could be an artifact of the spirit.
The spirit only performs when it is with the owner it chooses.
Therefore, the spirit that dwells in the artifact itself plays the role of a great barrier. This is because the spirit chooses its own owner.
Anyone can use this glove as a normal glove. Touching, wearing… All of that is easy.
But to use it as an ‘artifact’, you have to go through the ‘spirit’ barrier.
Depending on what kind of spirit it is, the abilities it possesses are also different. Anyway, it’s a valuable item.
“Uh…? What, do you want me too? Haham…”
I picked up the glove and looked at it. There were countless circuits intertwined inside the very thin white cotton.
Glove… Or should I call her she. She yawned and muttered.
“Just let go… I’m numb. I gave up on finding an owner who would satisfy me. I just want to sleep for the rest of my life…”
She seemed to have a good reason for her boredom.
The difficulty of the mana circuits that were tangled up was considerable. It would be hard for her to be chosen by anyone other than a very high-level magician.
The guys who stole this must have been just carriers. They couldn’t handle it themselves, so they hid it first and thought about how to deal with it.
I parted my lips softly.
“Tell me your name, abilities, and previous owners without fail.”
“I’ve never had a magician who satisfied me. Just give up… Auuu, sleepy.”
“Command is only twice.”
But there was no answer after that.
I put the glove to my ear and heard a faint snoring. She fell asleep.
“She’s out of her mind.”
I admit that the effect of the spirit artifact is very great. In fact, great spirits can raise the rank of ordinary magicians by several levels.
But they are just spirits that dwell in artifacts. How dare a tool like that ignore the magician.
“I said command is only twice.”
It doesn’t matter how many magicians she has driven to despair. What matters is, now, at this moment, she met me.
I will pour out the remaining mana.
I lifted the glove on my palm. The sharp mana rose up with a good momentum.
“…You’re rude.”
I clenched my fist with all my strength, and stabbed the sharp mana like a sword.
“Uh, ueek?”
She immediately spat out a strange sound.
“St… stop! That’s a very se, se, sen, sensitive part, you know?”
The calculation was perfect and there was no error.
I intend to crush the ‘numbness’ that she talked about so arrogantly.
“Answer the question.”
It’s not ‘understanding’ that reads the circuit gently. I slammed the sharp mana into her circuit.
“Fi, first time being touched! St, stop! What are you doing!”
I wrapped each of the deeply embedded mana strands around her circuit. I adjusted my breathing so that I could tighten it at any time.
She cried out in pain.
“Le, let’s talk. The feeling is too weird… I’ve never experienced this before…!”
She shook her head. She still doesn’t answer.
“Answer.”
I took a breath and tightened the circuit wrapped around her. Tight enough to block the mana.
“Hya, hyaaaah?!”
A sharp scream burst out and it was about a second later.
“He, Hera! Hera is my name!”
She finally started to talk.
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