Although the agreement was signed and executed, Elio said it would take a bit to arrange everything.
As a result, it would be a bit longer before I could escape the tutorial level of being an ordinary student. I did notice some interesting things though.
Roland and Marisa's relationship was progressing nicely.
Even without me intervening, the two had started hanging out and spending time together before and after class.
They were also giving me some space now... though maybe that was just because they were too busy spending time with each other and forgot about me.
Either way, a plus.
Evelyn had also eased up a bit too. She was still nice and friendly to me before and after class, and she still followed me to training if I let her. But she wasn't stalking me anymore or trying to meddle in my affairs.
Again, a plus. Not sure exactly why that happened, but if I had to guess, Elio probably had something to do with it.
Another interesting thing was that Isaac hadn't resorted to the rumor mill or underhanded tactics to ruin my life at the academy. Instead, the guy just went straight to the training grounds after classes, pointedly ignoring me.
Yet another plus.
But that was to be expected. After all, this was school. Even if extraordinary things happened, everyone here was still focusing on learning and preparing for the rest of their lives. And now that we were getting into the swing of things, we were starting to get assigned homework and study materials to review before class.
Especially in Magical Theory and Combat Theory.
Actually, maybe that was why they had stopped bothering me. After all, talent in fighting didn't translate to talent in theory.
Whatever the case, time went by without anything extraordinary occurring.
My stats managed to reach 20 after a few days of training, making me effectively a Rank 3 Mage and Warrior with my traits. Technically Rank 4 if I tapped into Diamond Mana Galaxy.
Like that, I had finally reached the baseline of the students here at Starlight Academy...
At least, that was what I would have liked to say.
But in truth, I was still lagging behind quite a bit. After all, while my effective power was higher, my base power was still low.
Considering how many things in this world existed that removed external aid and sealed granted power, it was still a fragile status that I had.
This was especially true considering that the Void Arbiters were already making moves this early in the story.
Those guys had the nasty ability of nullifying magical artifacts and suppressing mana with negative energy, so...
More preparations were needed.
Anyway, days passed by without hassle. And before I knew it, Friday had arrived.
Since it was the weekend I had planned to take another trip to Ouroboros and raid more of the casinos in the capital.
But par for the course, my plans were dashed.
===
[School Administration]
We hope that you students have had an enjoyable time adjusting to life here at Starlight.
This is an announcement that registrations for Student Organizations are now open. There will be a limit to ten organizations throughout your time here at Starlight.
Only the first ten organizations will be registered. In order to qualify, an organization must have at least three members and a faculty mentor.
Please make haste. The founding members of a Student Organization will receive many benefits.
===
"I forgot about this." I muttered while reading the message on my school phone.
The Student Organization scramble was a hectic event in the background of the story, but one that Roland wasn't really involved in. After all, he was more of the 'go home' club type of person than anything else. Of course, that would change in Year 2 after he realizes the benefits Student Organizations had beyond the school.
"Should I do something about this?" I muttered and reread the message again.
It was still early in the morning. Just 6 AM.
I had just gotten out of bed a few minutes ago when I got the text. Which meant that everyone else would have just gotten it too.
Student Organizations seemed innocuous on paper. But in truth they were the roots of the Hero Guilds that would emerge after graduation at Starlight. Many of the famous guilds and organizations that existed in the world started out as Student Organizations at Starlight.
At this point in the story though, it was just background text to explain how Evelyn started the
And if I had to guess-
*ding*
===
[Evelyn vi Eternia]
Apologies for disturbing you so early in the morning, Alexander. But I am seeking members for founding of new Student Organization in accordance with the latest announcement, and I thought you would be interested.
Would you kindly reply to this message your response? Or if you would rather, please meet me at the business quadrant for breakfast with your response.
Warm regards,
Evelyn vi Eternia
Imperial Princess
===
...Evelyn would be recruiting people right now. And of course she would ask me.
The problem was that the
Like I said, it was effectively the student council. That meant that it was filled with people who had the authority and connections to stand with Evelyn, the effective student council president.
That included Isaac, some conceited nobles who thought highly of their powers, and some others whose family had thrown lots in with the Crown Prince and were working towards the downfall of Evelyn.
I stared at Evelyn's message for a bit and then muttered, "Should I just do it?"
Joining would undoubtedly paint a giant target on my back. However, there definitely were enough benefits to weigh against that con. To begin with, the three founding members of a Student Organization had a lot of freedoms given to them. Because of the excuse of organizing student activities and the like, the members were given one free class skip each week. Not only that, but there was a stipend supplied for organizing student activities as well, as well as a personal salary.
But the biggest benefit for me joining Evelyn's student organization would be keeping an eye on the buzzards circling her.
There hadn't been a notification about it. But odds were likely that the Crown Prince and the Void Sovereign would accelerate their plans to corrupt Evelyn if they felt it necessary.
After all, the foundations for that corruption had already begun before the story started. The 'seed' that turned Evelyn into a Demon was already embedded in her body. It was only a matter of her storing enough negative energy to sustain the Demon transformation as well as a strong enough shock to trigger the transformation.
And obviously the transformation of the Imperial Princess into a Demon and her subsequent death would throw the Eternal Empire into disarray.
"...Yeah. Let's do it."
The goal here was to live a happy and peaceful life.
Ensuring that Evelyn was safe was an essential factor in that goal. Moreover...
The author was the one who had the final say in what happened in their story.
It was about time I started being proactive instead of just reacting to everything that Rob was throwing at me.
If that guy wanted to see revisions...
I'd give him revisions. We'd see who'd be complaining to who about the story in the end when the dust settled.
> Wow! There's the spark of my favorite author! I'm looking forward to the new story as a fan then! ^_^
...This son of a-
No. Calm down.
I took a deep breath and then sent a quick reply to Evelyn saying I'd meet her for breakfast. And the moment I did-
===
[Evelyn vi Eternia]
I have received your message. I will reserve a table for us in the business district at the Lion's Head Cafe for 7 AM.
Warm regards,
Evelyn vi Eternia
Imperial Princess
===
After reading the prompt reply, I scratched the back of my head and said, "Did I come on too strong in that first impression?"
At this point, it was impossible to play dense.
I might not be a guy with a lot of romance under my belt, but you'd have to be blind, deaf, and dense as lead in order to miss the cues here. "Hah... Well." I slipped my school phone into my pocket and grabbed my other one before heading out. "Let's just play this by ear for now."
Evelyn wasn't a blind idiot.
After she got to know what I was really like, we should just stay as good friends. Like Mari, who immediately rejected me from her list of potential suitors because of my face. Hopefully.
===
"Thank you so much for accepting my invitation, Alexander. It means a great deal to me, truly."
I stared at Evelyn's brilliant smile and shining silver eyes, unable to say a word in response.
It looked like I misjudged her character by quite a bit.
I sipped on a cup of coffee and said, "Don't take this the wrong way, Princess. I just wanted to have an opportunity to clear the air between us properly. I still haven't completely decided to join just yet."
Evelyn laughed and said, "Of course. But I'm simply happy you accepted my offer for breakfast." She let out a warm smile and said, "I was beginning to think you would go back to avoiding me again."
I shifted my gaze to the other students sitting nearby who were clearly trying to eavesdrop. After that, I shifted my gaze back to Evelyn and said, "I considered it. You are quite the trouble magnet to an ordinary person like myself, Princess."
Setting the eavesdropping students aside, there were a few Imperial Shadows peering at us from somewhere nearby as well.
Considering recent events, I guess that Sophia must have allowed them. But it was still a bit nerve-wracking.
Evelyn furrowed her brow and said, "I believe that you undersell your capabilities, Alexander. Though you indeed come from humble beginnings, your efforts are no less than extraordinary."
"...You overestimate me. I'm simply a man who got lucky by betting my life and winning."
"Luck, too, is a skill." Evelyn smiled. "And if you've drawn the attention of Uncle, then you've validated such skill, no?"
...For a Trait like
I resisted the urge to let out a sigh. And I also decided to give up on revising Evelyn's opinion on me. At this point, I had a feeling that if I announced I was actually a spy for the Crown Prince, she'd just excuse it somehow.
Subjectively, it felt pretty good. Having the interest of a beautiful and competent woman was always nice.
Objectively, I'd need to start marking up a whiteboard with how much this was going to shift things around in the near future...
Evelyn sipped on a cup of tea and said, "Since you wished to clear the air... shall we begin with proper reintroductions?" She smiled and said, "Our first was quite hectic."
I sipped on my coffee and nodded. "That'd be good."
"Then I will begin." Evelyn smiled and said, "My name is Evelyn. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and music. My favorite color is blue, like the clear skies, and my favorite food is iced cream."
...
Screw it, we ball.
I smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Evelyn. You can call me Alex. I don't have much spare time, but when I do, I enjoy some good food. My favorite color is pink, and my favorite food is steak with a nice dry wine."
Evelyn's eyes widened in surprise. But then she let out a bright smile. "It's a pleasure to properly meet you then, Alex."
"Same to you, Evelyn."
"...Is your favorite color truly pink, however?"
I nodded. "It's a nostalgic color that I don't see too often anymore, but it cheers me up when I do see it."
"Thank you for sharing. I appreciate it, truly."
"It's fine. I was quite rude to you at the start, after all." Mostly because I wanted to avoid trouble, but since trouble found me, screw it.
Evelyn gave me an apologetic smile. "I understand. Having my attention can be a bit burdensome..."
I waved my hand. "Don't worry about it. Now... While we wait for our food, sell me on your organization."
"Of course. My plan is to create an organization called the Eternal Knights, similar to the Imperial Guard that my father possesses. Of course, this will be open to more than just hand-selected candidates. I wish to have open trials every week to welcome new members. And of those who join..."