Some time passed after I scared shitless the girl in the dusty club room. Most of the classes for today ended and the time for club activities has come.
"Haap!"
Taking a deep breath, I calmed down my nerves and looked at the shabby door. The action to open the door was no different than straw picking. The door was going to break into pieces today or tomorrow but I didn't want to be the one breaking it. An unlucky one was needed to sacrifice for my pay– the greater good!
Sadly, the corridors were empty, students were gone. There was no one to use.
'Fuck.'
Gathering courage, I grabbed the handle and opened the door.
Creak!
I released a sigh of relief as the door didn't break—
Snap!
Splintering!
And, the door shattered. The handle stood in my hand while pieces of wood crumbled onto my feet.
'Fuck.'
Throwing the handle to the side with a nonchalant expression, I coughed into my hand and stepped inside.
Cough!
Instantly, six pairs of eyes directed at me and scanned every part of me. Some of them held curiosity and interest, some of them annoyance and arrogance, while the remaining ones held familiarity, fear, or indifference.
Seven people were present inside a comparatively clean room than before, sitting on a long table.
Four of the club members were already a group. Elyas Sevuri, Nedrak Albus, and Gabriel Celestia — the princes of Sevuri, Albus, and Celestia kingdoms and empire respectively. These important personages were gathered around the green-haired and eyed princess Sera Dalinnor like moths flying around the fire.
'Fuck... She is the "maid"' I internally cursed as I saw the princess Sera Dalinnor. She was the one I scared shitles just a few hours ago.
And, like how I noticed her, she also noticed me and hid her gaze from me with an embarrassed expression.
Suppressing the shame that was rushing to my face, I took a deep breath.
Then, my gaze slid to three different places. Yes, the other three members were strangely sitting alone instead of creating a group like the princes and princess group.
One of them was a platinum blonde-haired girl with amethyst eyes, my dear sister Seraphina.
'I wonder why she joined this club. I should stop putting off reading her mind. Even the surface thoughts will be enough.'
The second one was unsurprisingly Estrid. I already knew she joined this club and expected her to be alone. She was a depressed teenager. Expecting her to become friends with others was too much.
Lastly, the third one was someone I knew pretty well.
'Lars Lighrbringer. What is he doing here? And why is he sleeping leisurely in front of royals?'
Yes, the bastard who knew my mind-reading ability was sleeping even after a damn door broke.
[It is certainly convenient to have a mage on my side. If she didn't put the hero to sleep, I might have killed him accidentally.]
'Oh, they put him to sleep. Though why she called him a hero and who did it? Was it Princess Sera Dalinnor or Seraphina?' I wondered after hearing Estrid's thoughts.
[I didn't see her at all before. It was a known fact that she died when she was 13. So, why is she alive now? A variable? Why did this variable occur when I didn't do anything different than before? Should I kill her?]
My nerves tensed a little with Estrid's thoughts about killing this 'variable'.
Yet, no other thoughts passed through the black-haired depressed teenager's mind. She only managed to make me both curious and angry in an instant.
Cough!
I coughed to divert my attention and decided to introduce myself.
"Hello, from today onwards, I am the advisor of this club, Caelum Achard." I greeted the club members before fully introducing myself. "As some of you already know, I am also Chief Manager of the Ministery of Inspection of this empire and eldest son of Duke Achard. It is a pleasure to meet you. Let's have calm and peaceful academy days suitable for the leader candidates of various kingdoms or households."
My demeanor wasn't overly submissive or dominant, but it was like I was seeing them as my equals.
You can now ask, "Aren't you arrogant to see yourself equal to princes and princesses?" but it was a simple fact.
Even though they were princes and princesses, they didn't have much power other than their status. They didn't have lands or didn't have any soldiers that could help them take their respective thrones. They had just a few competent guards and abundant money. Nothing more, maybe less.
Though, there was a chance that they were secretly creating a force for themselves but it wasn't official. Hence, it wasn't that important on this occasion.
So, I, who was the sole son of Duke Achard and was also one step away from being Minister of Inspection, could be somewhat equal to them. Plus, I was a noble of the empire while they were the kingdoms'.
'I think I am in a higher position than most of them.'
The club members digested my words and nodded as if all of them thought something similar.
"..."
"..."
But contrary to my expectations, they stood silent.
'Strange.'
"If you have anything to say, say it comfortably," I said as my eyes caught a table and chair in the corner of the club room.
While I was making my way toward the chair, I heard:
[No, killing her would cause the Executioner to kill me. He seems like a sis-con. The risk isn't greater than the gains.]
'Crazy bitch. What sis-con?' I thought while lowering myself to the chair. 'Everyone would go mad if you kill their siblings. Is she even sane? She is even worse than the managers.'
Creak!
The chair under me shattered as I gave a little bit of my weight.
I didn't fall.
My senses and legs were too strong for me to fall because of an old chair.
"Pff!"
"Hahaha!"
"..."
Casualty standing back to my feet, I turned to the club members, who were smiling lightly or outright laughing at my bad luck.
A smile, albeit a slightly twisted one, found its place on my face.
"Now that the mood has gotten lighter, shall we have a good conversation?"