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Club registration period. As the name suggests, this was the time when freshmen chose the club they’d be involved with for the next three years and applied to join. Last year’s registration period was marked by Louise’s relentless struggle to find an advisor for the pastry club. I couldn’t forget it, either—it was the same time I had to process applications from two princes and a future saint.

I prepared for this year’s registration period with the chaos of last year fresh in my mind. The foreign students who enrolled to build connections with the royals were left to Sir Villar and the Mage Duchess, while Lather took care of the flood of mages. But, as we all knew, there were always those students with unstoppable energy and eccentricity who found a way to slip through the cracks no matter how much control we exercised.

—Or so I thought.

Why isn’t anyone coming?

No one. It was already the third day of the registration period, and yet not a single student had submitted an application. Well, except for Sarah, who had already confirmed her spot even before the semester started. In short, no one new had applied at all.

This didn’t make sense. There was always at least one oddball in every batch of five students, so how could there be no crazy ones this time? The world wasn’t supposed to be this simple and beautiful.

But despite how strange it seemed, the results were undeniable.

What is going on?

I was confused. Did another pastry club appear without my knowledge?

“Oh, I directed anyone interested in joining the pastry club to the debate club. It’s an opportunity for them to discuss topics while learning baking.”

So there really was a new club.

I was brooding over this when Lather came in, but Tannian spoke up instead before I could ask him. His words were so unexpected that I could only stare at him, dumbfounded.

“I thought it might be a headache for you, so I handled it myself. I meant to tell you, but it slipped my mind.”

Tannian laughed awkwardly at my gaze, but his laugh only left me feeling even more dazed.

The debate club, with its full name being ‘A Comparative Study of the Old and New Testaments and Contemporary Society,’ was a deeply religious club. There was absolutely no reason why students seeking royal connections or obsessed with magic would want to join.

But Tannian had successfully steered students wanting to join the pastry club into this debate group. His reasoning? ‘It’s strange for students who can’t bake to join a pastry club.’

…Is this a promotion system?

The thought came to me instinctively. Overnight, the debate club had become the second league, while the pastry club had risen to the first league, an elite space where no one could enter without first ‘proving’ themselves in the second. In fact, it seemed that no one would be able to join the pastry club until I finished my term here.

Wow.

It was amazing. I had been so focused on blocking the freshmen from joining, but Tannian had taken it a step further. He realized it was impossible to stop everyone completely, so he focused on protecting the pastry club’s exclusivity.

Was this… the mark of a future saint? Did people have to possess this level of mental agility to become a symbol of the continent’s dominant religion?

“I don’t bet on the odds. I just pay money to enjoy the fleeting hope of making a fortune at once and the excitement during the game.”

My heart swelled with admiration. Was this the same Tannian who used to talk about the thrill of gambling? If so, then why was he so carefree the rest of the time?

No, I get it now. He really knew how to get things done when it mattered, which was why he could afford to play hard too. Now that I think about it, he played a key role in our victory during the Twilight Cult purge. Sure, he was a little frustrating when he was infatuated with Louise, but there was never an issue with his intelligence or character.

“Did I overstep?”

Tannian asked carefully, noticing my long silence as I struggled to process the culture shock and my shattered preconceptions.

“No, not at all. You did great.”

I hurriedly reassured him because there was nothing wrong with his actions—quite the opposite, in fact. If all meddling were like this, I’d welcome it anytime.

Honestly, I was touched. I was already thrilled when Lather volunteered to be the third member of my manpower, but to learn that Tannian had silently taken up the fourth spot on his own initiative? That was a pleasant surprise.

You really reap what you sow.

Last year, I ran myself ragged looking after these kids. Thinking about how all that hardship and suffering was finally paying off now brought tears to my eyes.

My precious troublemakers… at least they knew how to show gratitude. From now on, I should call them my little pups instead.

“It won’t last long, though.”

Rutis’s voice broke the emotional moment, but I couldn’t argue with him. He wasn’t wrong, after all.

It’s just a temporary fix.

Tannian’s brilliant move had created a temporary holding pen, but the reason it worked was because there was hope—hope that those stuck in the second league (the debate club) could one day make it to the first league (the pastry club). However, once they realize that their efforts wouldn’t bring them any closer to what they wanted, they’d revert to their wild ways again.

Still, a temporary solution was better than nothing. At least we’ve bought ourselves some time, and in that time, I could work on coming up with a permanent solution—

“Aren’t there a few there from Armein? Maybe I should show my face now and then.”

Wait, what?

“Would you really? I feel bad for asking, but I’d be grateful.”

“They came all the way to the Empire just to meet me, so I should at least show my face.”

Rutis laughed heartily as always, but for some reason, he seemed to glow with an almost divine aura today.

“That’s quite thoughtful of you. Yes, it’s a leader’s duty to care for their loyal followers, especially those who’ve traveled far to serve.”

“Haha! You flatter me.”

Even the Mage Duchess, who had been quietly watching Louise bake cookies, seemed impressed by Rutis’s unexpected offer.

“Well then, I suppose I can’t just stand by.”

It was just one sentence, but we all understood its meaning.

Just as Rutis would check in on the students seeking royal connections through the debate club, the Mage Duchess was announcing that she, too, would make occasional appearances for the students who wanted to learn from her.

“It’ll be good for the kids.”

The Mage Duchess smiled warmly at me, and I almost felt like crying.

Me of last year, can you see this? The me who was crawling through the academy, barely getting by, was now being surrounded by what felt like two of the Five Tiger Generals.

Yes, this was how a proper deployment should go. This was what real work looked like.

“Thank you. The students will be thrilled.”

I expressed my gratitude sincerely. The mages would be more than satisfied if the Mage Duchess showed up even once a week or every other week at the debate club. In fact, they’d probably start taking the promotion system seriously and work hard to make it to the first league.

Not that anyone would actually make it to the first league, of course.

“And thanks to you as well. The presence of royalty will give the foreign students a sense of security.”

“It’s no big deal. I of all people would know how tough it is to live abroad.”

I thanked Rutis, the one who had set everything in motion, and he responded with a perfectly normal answer. At this point, I was starting to wonder if the Rutis of last year and this year were two completely different people. It was like in those sports games where a player’s stats changed from one season to the next.

Come to think of it, it was 78-season Rutis who crushed the 5th Empire, wasn’t it? I guess he really was a different person now.

***In the end, the only person who submitted an application during the club registration period was Sarah. Thanks to the unified efforts of the pastry club members, we managed to protect our beloved club.

“The pastry club has one new member… confirmed.”

Even the Vice Principal was pleased with this victory.

He had probably been worried that strange new members would join the pastry club and cause chaos in the academy by mixing with the current members. I could only imagine how much stress he had been under given how his complexion had paled over the past few days.

However, his face lit up after seeing the list of members I submitted. There was just one new member, and she was a perfectly normal young noblewoman who was a close acquaintance of both me and Erich. For the Vice Principal, who had been expecting the worst, this result must have felt like a miracle.

“A club entirely made up of second-years, huh? It could be disbanded once the current members graduate.”

The Vice Principal, who had been reviewing the list of club members with a relaxed expression, spoke in a somewhat relieved tone.

It was true—if the pastry club consisted only of second-year students, its future was uncertain. To put it bluntly, it had become a stagnant group with no new members. Well, technically, we didn’t just stop new recruits from joining—we actively blocked them.

Anyway, as the Vice Principal hinted, if this trend continued, the pastry club would eventually head towards disbandment. I suspect the Vice Principal wouldn’t mind that at all. After all, the club had been the source of much of his stress. How happy would he be if that nightmare could quietly disappear on its own?

“Louise seemed a bit disappointed, though. She’s considering accepting new members next year.”

But unfortunately for him, the chances of the pastry club disbanding quietly were slim. Louise, the club’s founder, wanted to keep it going.

“Is that so? That’s good to hear. It would be a shame for a club full of students’ memories to disappear.”

At my words, the Vice Principal’s attitude shifted immediately.

The truth was, he probably wouldn’t care much about what happened to the pastry club after its current members graduated. Sure, the club might still stir up some unpleasant memories for him, but it would just be another club among many others once the royals and nobles were gone.

Of course, unless another batch of royals or nobles happened to enroll after the current members graduated—which was highly unlikely. And even then, the odds of them joining the pastry club were even slimmer.

“Yes, the members are quite attached to the club. They’ll look back on their school days fondly even after graduation, so it’s important for the club to remain.”

“Haha, you’re absolutely right.”

The Vice Principal’s expression changed at my straightforward yet obvious comment about the attachment to the club and the nostalgia of school days.

Imagine that a high-ranking individual who had fond memories of their time at the academy discovered that the club they were part of was still standing strong. Wouldn’t they feel compelled to donate generously while hoping that their juniors would thrive in the same environment?

It would be a situation where the royals they disliked while in school returned after graduation only to donate money. The academy would be very pleased with that outcome, wouldn’t they?

Money itself isn’t evil.

It was just people that were the problem.

***Several days had passed since I joined the pastry club, all thanks to Carl oppa’s thoughtfulness.

It would be a lie to say I wasn’t scared of this unfamiliar environment, but with Erich by my side and the other members being so kind, it wasn’t too hard to adjust. Even Louise, the club president, was incredibly friendly.

However, there was still one thing I couldn’t quite wrap my head around—

A pastry club?

No matter how I looked at it, this didn’t feel like a pastry club.

I watched, somewhat bewildered, as His Highness Rutis and His Highness Lather played chess absentmindedly. They continued their game, completely ignoring Louise as she worked on her dough. Yet, no one seemed to question this. In fact, everyone acted as though this was completely normal, which only left me more confused.

“Here, I’ll switch this one to a bishop.”

“…A fourth bishop?”

“Yup. Pretty clever, huh?”

I thought I heard His Highness Lather muttered something that sounded like a curse under his breath, but I must’ve misheard.

“Looks like Lather is going to lose again.”

The voice filled with boredom made me turn my head slightly.

Ah.

Seeing even Erich’s unbothered expression as he watched the scene made me realize something. This was normal here.

…I guess I have to adjust as well.