Sword, Magic and Academic Society

Two months had passed since the classes of the second half of the year began. Today was another typical weekend day.

I pushed my way through the woods growing tall in the Academy's premise, and peered at the magic car garage at the back.

Lil' Dui was tuning his magic cycle like usual, humming. In the end, Lil' Dui — Duid Moonlight — had established the magic car club.

In the evening of Fey and Jeu's sponsored buffet party, Lil' Dui came knocking at my door, a bit embarrassed. In his hands was a tattered magic car magazine, a sign that he had read it over and over again.

Apparently, he, along with Makite-san, was thoroughly questioned by Fey and Jeu after I left the party, though they managed to avoid the fate of sharing a dinner table with a Marquis.

After returning to the dormitory, he remained in dilemma for a while if he should visit my room or not, and it wasn't until after 10 p.m. did he finally muster up the courage to knock on my door.

"C'mon Lil' Dui. We're literal neighbours, and now classmates to boot, just come and hang out any time you want."

I replied casually. Lil' Dui took a deep breath, looked into my eyes, and… bowed his head.

"I'm sorry. Frankly, I was scared of you. And I know, that was just my 'awe' and 'jealousy' toward you. I ended up drowning in envy after seeing you in the limelight, thinking 'Isn't it unfair? Why only him when we both began from the same place'...... What a deplorable thought. Hah."

Lil' Dui chuckled in self-derision at the end.

......I guess, it was this quality of self-introspect that was the reason why someone from that damned rural village in the middle of nowhere clinched the chance to enter this Academy.

I honestly think that if anyone was commendable here, it was Lil' Dui himself. With my experience from Earth, I knew how many would rather go through hoops than admit their own complex in front of their classmates.

"Why did you decide to join this dorm, Lil' Dui? If money had been your problem, I think right now is the best time to move to a noble dorm. They would be more than happy to pay a hefty sum just to move in here with the current trend."

"Well… that was the problem at the beginning. As much as my father was bragging around, saying that my enrollment was a done deal, he really didn't think I would actually be accepted.

He was completely oblivious of the situation, like how this dorm was called the loser dog's kernel, or even if we needed to take out a loan. Ah, I was no different either."

Uh-huh, guess we truly were neighbors for a reason, eh? I chuckled. All this time, they had been urging us to take the exam, but they were completely blank when it came to teaching us the follow-up.

The kids on Earth just needed to hit the search button and all the details would be available to them in a jiffy. Meanwhile, despite our supposedly noble status in this world, the kids of the countryside had basically no means to acquire such information.

"Our title as noble is mere decoration. We hardly had enough money due to my many siblings, though I wasn't really disgruntled about joining this dorm. Besides, when I realized that the self-dependent lifestyle was a way to improve yourself, I was even more excited to be here.

I did receive many proposals to hand over my room in exchange for an exaggerated sum which I really couldn't wrap my head around, but...... I felt like I might really stay as a bottom rung character for the rest of my lifetime if I accepted it. Yeah, I know that sounds gibberish and maybe that's something foreign to you."

Lil' Dui said and chuckled. It looked a bit desolate.

Of course, I understood where he was coming from. I doubt I would have been able to resist temptation if I was in his shoes and was offered such a lavish sum.

But there was no point in delving into the past.

I quickly steered the topic to another. Yeah, we could catch up with other things later, but I was more impatient to ask about the magazine he was holding.

"Alright, let the past go! Anyway, what are you holding in your hands?"

Seeing my interest in the magazine, Lil' Dui's face turned red from embarrassment as he explained.

"T-This… is the latest edition of the magic car magazine which is sold once every half a year. It's actually my favorite publication ever since my father bought one from the Royal Capital as a souvenir when I was 9. Now, I can't catch a wink of sleep unless I read one every evening at least once.

I had to pester my father a lot for this year's latest edition to have it mailed to our hinterland. Well, he did make sure I gave my full attention to the exam preparation in exchange."

I listened to Lil' Dui's passionate talk as he excitedly showed off his favorite magic car design.

To be honest, Lil' Dui's talk about X manufacturer's X's model's X's feature was all like some cryptic chant to me. But it was interesting in itself to see him talking so much with such enthusiasm.

I just really liked to hear others talking about the subjects they were interested in.

I also informed him about my contract with the Elvert Magic Workshop over the collaborative research of a new magic car model— a two-wheeler. Of course, I excluded the flying model from our topic since it was under NDA, plus it didn't have anything to do with the magic car club.

"Did you say Elvert Magic Workshop?! The same workshop which was only a repair garage in the beginning but now has a multitude of magic car manufacturers investing a gazillion amount of money for their several important innovations, spearheaded by none other than <God Hand> Ashim Elvert!? I thought the trailblazer that led the magic car expansion had already retired?!"

G-God Hand......

Heh, the father of Furi-senpai was also famous for his technical expertise in magic cars, aside from being the inventor of the magic propulsion engine.

"I just happened to cross paths with them. Anyway, so are you going to lead the Magic Car Club as its president, Lil' Dui?"

Lil' Dui froze as if he had heard something ridiculous when I asked, showing a conflicted expression on his face before he shook his head.

"You really meant that?! I really want to enter the club though. I was really happy when you talked about it. But I don't think I'm fit to lead the club you're establishing."

'Why?' I asked directly since I had no idea.

"Why...... I mean, I’m just a first-year and from Class E to boot. I don't think I would be able to upgrade my class rank in next year's class advancement.

It's an insane chance to work with the Elvert Workshop, so I don't want to douse cold water on your club activities. There would only be crickets in the club if I became the leader. Nope, I don't have enough qualifications.

I can already see many people ready to point fingers at me for being a parasite who leeches off Lil' Allen just because we happened to share the same hometown."

Ah, the power play. It was indeed a bit of a tricky matter.

I personally believed a person wouldn't be able to lead their life the way they wanted to if they kept worrying about class differences, what others were saying, and public opinion in general.

But I couldn't dismiss Lil' Dui's apprehension completely. After all, humans were social creatures.

For me, the only qualification one needed to have was 'passion'. Humans being human, they probably wouldn't look at Lil' Dui with impartiality just because I was nominating him.

Plus, he was a complete amateur about magic cars, and he also didn't have much confidence in himself. A forceful push was bound to create a crack in human relationships.

Maybe, the best way would be to display the charm of the club activities and let the members who truly liked magic club gather naturally, pulled by Lil' Dui's enthusiasm.

It was a roundabout way, but that was better than putting the cart before the horse. What was important was we needed to have fun. And haste was the devil's work, or so the saying went.

"I know where you're coming from, Lil' Dui. You're right, I probably shouldn't take the stage here. Let's do it this way, Lil' Dui. Why don't you create the club yourself?

I’ll enter the club as just another member when everyone comes to accept your abilities and take my sweet time enjoying the ride then. Of course, I’ll help out with essential support."

Lil' Dui's face turned pale at my words.

"Are you sane?! It’s not an everyday thing to actually collaborate with that Elvert Workshop. It's your chance to start big. Hell, it's possible to get them as sponsors as well. I’m sure you would be able to take the world by surprise if you manage to gather talented individuals from the Academy and—"

I interrupted Lil' Dui's words abruptly.

"— A thing you can devote yourself truly to. You have no idea how valuable it is to have one such aspect about yourself. Trust me and have more faith in yourself, Lil' Dui."

As I spoke in a stronger tone with a firm gaze, Lil' Dui swallowed his words.

"The sole reason I want to create this club is that I find it interesting and am excited about sharing the same feelings with others. That’s it. I’m just following my feelings. And what qualifications? Do you really need someone's permission to follow your passion?"

Lil' Dui was at a loss for words after my speech though I wasn't finished just yet.

"I don't want it because I want to make it big. Neither is it to earn fame nor to create some big faction. I simply enjoy doing it and want everyone to feel the same too.

The youth that you can only feel in this Academy, the new possibilities brought about by the two-wheeler magic car. The club activities aren't there for some special reason, and it’s the same for the other clubs too."

I had been a lump of regret in my past life.

A youth full of attending school and then going to the cram school right after. What kind of sick joke was that? Besides, this academy offered the best of things, and the people here had their own varying but interesting personalities.

I believed that as long as there was passion, it should be possible to create an interesting organization which was infinitely better than a cram school-like situation that only sought results no matter the cost.

Lil' Dui looked astonished as I continued to explain about my philosophy over club activities.

"So… you're saying you want to create the club just to play around and to have a place where you can completely focus on your hobbies for no other apparent reason or anything at all? It's like saying you're creating the clubs in this Royal Academy for no particular purpose......”

Oh-ho. He sure was fast to capture the meaning in my words!

I unwittingly chuckled.

"Yes, that's all I want to do. I just want to create a place where we can do what we truly like. It's my ultimate goal, and maybe you can say the only outcome I seek from them is for students to experience everything. Well, the objective is basically a formality since it's totally nothing more than playing around.

It's not about developing another engine, reforming an engine, researching the underlying technology, or even improving driving skills. My desire doesn't lie in any of that. Alright, that's enough from me. I want to hear your words now! "

I said everything I wanted to, leaving behind the other aspects that would just be counterproductive, and stared straight into Lil' Dui's eyes for his decision.

......Except, the look on his face explains everything I wanted to know even without hearing his words.

E/N - Quite a lofty goal the MC has though one that I agree to and respect. Kids should be able to experience everything life has to offer before they are forced to decide on what to do for the rest of their lives.