Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 292

Chapter 292: Get lost if you can't bake (2)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.”

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.