[It won't be enough in just one day. You should train more.]
"I'm doing my best. It's only been two months since I came back."
[Huh? Only two months?]
"I returned on March 17th, and today is May 18th. Exactly two months. Given that this body used to struggle with lifting a teacup, this is already fast progress."
[Whatever. Just get stronger faster! I'm bored lying around like this! Booored!]
"Quiet. My head is ringing."
[Tch.]
Echi ignored the whining and wiped her flushed cheeks with a towel.
Then she used mana to slide Nicole's telegram out from the back of the drawer.
[Visiting Azenka on escort duty with a VIP. We'll discuss the white lion then.]
"Who's the VIP, and when are you arriving? Telegram fees are expensive, but how could you leave out the most important part, Nicole?"
She set the telegram down with a sigh. The mana-infused paper floated gently and drifted back into the drawer.
The matters surrounding the imperial family, the Roaz estate, and the cursed sword weren't things she could solve alone. She decided to stop thinking about it and burrowed back under the blankets.
Just as she was drifting off, she sensed two presences approaching.
She cracked open one eye and watched the door. A knock came.
"Cadet Echinacea, are you in? May we enter?"
"She might be sleeping, knocking could disturb her."
"Then should we walk in without knocking? Wouldn't that be worse?"
"…That's true, but still."
Quiet bickering from outside. Voices she recognized: Fatima and Alice.
Echi sat up and propped a pillow behind her. The door opened and they came in, carrying a meal tray.
"Cadet Echinacea! I heard you were sick!"
"Hello, Senior Fatima. It's nothing serious."
The moment Fatima saw her sitting up, she rushed over and sat on the edge of the bed. She pressed a hand to her own forehead and then to Echi's, and shook her head.
"You're not getting out of bed today. Wait here. I'll bring you something good for you!"
"You really don't need to"
"I need to earn some goodwill, so just let me. I'm not giving up on you yet!"
With a bright grin, Fatima disappeared out the door instantly. Alice approached with an apologetic look and set the tray down in front of Echi.
"Sorry, Echi. Senior Fatima noticed I was eating alone and asked where you were."
"That sounds exactly like her. But this is?"
Alice lifted the lid to reveal a steaming bowl of stew. Thick and creamy, with tender pieces of meat and vegetables - mild and nourishing. It wasn't on this morning's communal dining menu. It was clearly food prepared for someone who was ill.
Echi stared at it, and Alice handed her a spoon.
"You still need to eat, even if you're resting. I asked the kitchen to make this, so please have some."
"…I told you to go train, and you went to the kitchen instead?"
"I'll go train once you finish eating. And if you're still worried, you can spar with me once you've recovered."
Alice smiled slightly. Echi lowered her head a little.
"That's... that's not what I was worried about. Thank you, Alice."
The quiet reply came with a faint blush. Alice held back a smile.
Since the sparring session in the forest and the freshman ranking competition, the two of them had been together more often than not, setting aside the monster subjugation.
Spending that time with her, Alice had realized: Echinacea Roaz was unexpectedly soft-hearted. She was impervious to hostility. She could brush off cruelty without a second thought but she was embarrassed by kindness, both receiving it and giving it.
And yet she was also capable of startling honesty. Things like you're suited to be a knight, or I think I'd enjoy sparring with you said without a moment's hesitation.
Alice, quietly pleased, watched her eat. For a while, the only sound in the room was the clink of a spoon. Then the door burst open noisily.
"Guys, I just heard incredible news on my way here!"
Fatima rushed in excitedly and set a small glass jar on the tray before launching straight into it.
"Oh, this? Honey infused with medicinal herbs. You can mix it into tea, it's a family recipe, good for your body and it tastes wonderful too. Anyway, the news! This is huge!"
"What is it?" Alice asked.
Fatima perched on the edge of the bed and looked between Echi and Alice with sparkling eyes.
"I'll tell you but only if you both join my club."
"..."
"You two agreed to join together once you became closer, remember?"
"I don't recall agreeing to that, Senior Fatima."
"Tch, you won't budge."
Fatima pouted.
Echi glanced between the jar of herb honey and her nearly empty bowl. Her dry throat had been warmed by the stew. Having both of them lined up on the tray gave her a strange, settled feeling.
Fatima sighed in defeat.
"Fine. So...May 30th is the full academy ranking tournament, right? On that day..."
"Senior Fatima."
"Hm?"
"What kind of club is Wisdom, exactly?"
Fatima's sullen expression lit up instantly. She leaned forward, bracing against the bed.
"Our club is a great club!"
"…In what way, specifically?"
"Well, um, first: it's autonomous! And... hang on."
Even though Fatima had been persistently recruiting Echi, she apparently hadn't anticipated being asked to describe the club itself. Caught off guard, she fumbled for words.
As Fatima struggled to organize her thoughts, Alice turned to Echi.
"Are you thinking of joining a club?"
"I'm not sure yet. Just listening. What about you, Alice? Are you in any club?"
"No. None of them appeal to me."
"Why don't either of you like clubs?"
Fatima broke in.
Alice tilted her head and answered thoughtfully.
"Most clubs nowadays function more like social circles, members gathered by origin and family background, discussing their homeland's affairs, inviting knights of matching lineage for training. That's not necessarily wrong. It's simply not what I want, so I haven't felt drawn to any of them."
This was news to Echi. She had been living in the academy almost entirely detached from its mainstream activities. Her attire alone set her apart, but the first-day squire designation and private training with Baraha had isolated her further.
'Come to think of it, Senior Baraha mentioned there was a club full of people like Brad, that idiot.'
She recalled how absurd that had sounded.
Fatima nodded at Alice's explanation, then turned to Echi.
"What about you, Cadet Echinacea? Why aren't you interested in clubs?"
"I find group activities troublesome. I don't like being tied down."
"Hmm. Got it."
Fatima straightened up with sudden confidence.
"That makes Wisdom perfect for you two! Seriously, it's exactly the right fit. So join!"
"What kind of club is Wisdom, exactly? I've heard of most clubs, but I've never come across this one."
Alice frowned slightly as she asked. Fatima replied quickly.
"No wonder. I'm the founding president of Wisdom, and right now there are no other members."
"…What?"
"I created the club. It's a small, elite, self-governing club focused on training wise knights."
"Wait! So you're saying it's had zero members this whole time?"
Echi asked incredulously. Fatima averted her gaze, grinning sheepishly.
"Well, if you two join, there'll be two members! Honestly, I looked around and couldn't find a club that fit what I wanted. So as soon as I was eligible, meaning second year, old enough to be club leader, I started my own."
"What kind of club did you want?"
"For one thing, not a massive club with dozens of members. Club gatherings are a hassle, and I don't want to select members based on region or family background. I don't care about establishing long traditions. I definitely don't want politics involved. I just… want to train alongside genuinely talented people, the way clubs were originally meant to work when the academy first established them."
"I see. Politics...that explains the unease I've felt about most clubs. They're too large, too entangled. I understand that political connections matter. But I wanted a club where cadets could simply train together. Such clubs don't exist anymore. I find myself agreeing with what you're describing."
Alice gave a small nod, sounding faintly surprised by her own response.
Fatima's eyes darted around before continuing.
"Our club will have one group sparring session per week. If anyone wants to meet more often, they can arrange that on their own. If anyone wants guidance on their training, they can ask me and I'll try to set something up."
"…Is that all?"
"Yes! Everything else is self-paced. Everyone has different training methods that work for them. I'll help when it's needed, but there are no mandatory sessions. And I'm not planning to expand beyond ten members. Six to eight is ideal, so everyone can spar in a single session."
It was a looser structure than Echi had expected.
Since there were currently no other members, joining alongside Alice didn't seem bad at all. No forced group activities. And Fatima had never once been swayed by the rumors about Echi, which Echi appreciated.
'If I join, I can help Senior Fatima improve her swordsmanship too. She showed real potential during the subjugation. And if my skills appear to develop while I'm in a club, I can attribute the improvement to club training rather than to natural genius. Hmm… not bad.'
Echi hesitated and glanced at Alice.
Noticing the look, Alice gave a small nod.
Fatima caught their silent exchange and beamed.
"You're joining? Huh? Huh?"