SWNOVELXO chapter 208
Chapter 208 – Side Story: Summer Festival – 1
Since the summer festival was announced, the atmosphere at the Academy has been sky-high.
It was natural. The word festival alone would not have a bad connotation for most students, but with the strong justification of an academy exchange meeting, the atmosphere could not have been worse.
Of course, there were some opposing opinions.
Some nobles opposed the festival, saying that it was out of place to hold the festival at a time when the front lines had suffered severe damage from the recent undead invasion, while others opposed it, saying that the traditions of Bellium Academy should be maintained.
Neither of them lasted long. The former immediately agreed when Rosaria told him that she had received a revelation that the Demons would not be able to invade humans for the time being, and in return, expressed her intention to support them.
The latter was called in by the chairman, who was the very essence of Bellium Academy’s tradition, and personally scolded. In the end, the nobles who were graduates of Bellium Academy were left speechless and bowed down.
“Now that we have obtained the Emperor’s edict, there will be no more discontented people. Even if there are, they will have to hide like dead mice.”
Laura, who finally obtained the emperor’s edict, put a stop to the current atmosphere. With the two weeks of preparation and one week of the festival, they were able to prepare for the festival for a total of three weeks with only the bare minimum of lectures.
“The competition there is fierce in its own way, too.”
“What kind of competition are you talking about?”
The excitement of the festival did not end with simply coloring Bellium Academy.
“It’s a competition to be chosen as an exchange partner. The fact that we are the best academy in the empire is unchangeable, but isn’t the battle for pride under that quite fierce? If you are chosen as our academy’s partner in this exchange and competition, you know that it will be no different from deciding the 2nd and 3rd place.”
I thought so and nodded my head and moved on. That was because I didn’t really know anything about other academies.
In the original novel, the other academies were just used as devices to show that this was the best in the empire.
“I think the results will come out soon. Once everything is decided, I’ll give the child a profile, so check it out. By the way, have you decided what you’re going to do at the festival?”
“No, not yet. I have to ask now.”
Aside from the fact that the top 10 students in the first semester, including me, were given the role of boss monsters, we also had something to do.
“Is there anything you want to say? If there is, don’t be afraid to tell me.”
It was a club activity.
The chairman allowed the clubs to set up stalls and hold special demonstrations during the festival, and he also allowed them to take all the money they earned unless there were special circumstances.
Thanks to this, students who entered as commoners were in a good mood. If they did well, they could earn a lot of money, separate from the cost of maintaining their dignity.
And the nobles had a reason to exert all their efforts. The chairman had allowed each club to put their family name forward.
This was the first time in the 130-year history of Bellium Academy that something like this had happened, and with the nobles’ obsession with honor, everyone was trying their best to show something.
Of course I did it on purpose. It was literally my first time at a festival like this, so I had to somehow liven up the atmosphere.
“They say that clubs that receive high evaluations overall get awards up to 3rd place, but we’re not going to worry about awards, right? So let’s just do whatever we feel like doing.”
“Oh, somehow. I wondered why you all were walking around with such bright eyes. It became a battle of pride, huh?”
“Because it’s an opportunity to legally tease your opponent.”
It’s a situation where the roles are reversed, where he’s using his family’s money for the club, but he’s also using his own money, and it doesn’t matter since the chairman and student council will cut off any plans that are too far-fetched anyway.
For example, there was a gambling proposal for a one-on-one duel with a monster submitted by the Monster Research Club. It was so absurd that the student council even put it up as an example, saying, “If you submit something like this, it will be rejected.”
“What about you, Priscilla? Has there been any word from your family?”
“He said that if you want to do something, he’ll support you, so tell him. But he said that you don’t have to do anything, so don’t worry too much and just have fun and live a long life.”
“Aren’t you coming in person?”
“Yeah. Because you have a position.”
But Priscilla didn’t seem to care whether I came or not. If the Duke found out, he would probably cry tears of blood. And he would probably ask me if I was the one who made his daughter like that.
“Well, anyway. Like I said before, is there anything you want to say? You can say anything, really. If there’s nothing, we can all just rest together.”
After saying that, I looked around the club room.
Priscilla, Rosaria, Ciel, Laura, Leona, Latina, and even Karna, who returned to being a student after finishing his work at the palace and ended up joining by chance.
‘It’s a combination that would be impossible if we just put the name on it… … .’
The youngest daughter and future head of the Agnes family, the saint who declared an alliance with the emperor, the crown prince who was confirmed as the next emperor, the warrior who was chosen by the goddess and holds the holy sword, and lastly, the first disciple of the sword master.
Excluding Ciel, whose identity could not be revealed, and Latina, who was nominally a direct nun under Rosaria, all of them held positions that would not be outdone no matter where they were given.
With this combination, even if you do something crazy like put 3 ice cubes in a cup and charge 50 silver coins for vegan ice cream, wouldn’t it be impossible to sell it because it’s out of stock?
“But Mira, didn’t you say you were going to participate in the exchange meeting as a boss monster? And do club activities together?”
“It’s like a main event, so it doesn’t last long. Maybe three or four hours out of a week at most?”
It’s not a test, and it’s just for showing people, so there’s no reason to take too long.
“Umm… …Can’t we just sell food too? Like other clubs.”
Priscilla raised her hand first. Most clubs that were nothing special, or temporary clubs made up of a few people who were greedy for money, chose food.
The student council will filter out overlapping menus, and since it is a subject that requires little brain work, it is only a little physically demanding.
“It doesn’t matter. I’ll just write down the recipe… … But is that okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“Cooking. You guys are going to do it yourself. People will flock here just for the name value.”
The problem is, the name value of the combination is too high for us to do that.
“I think it’ll be at least 10,000 people during the festival. Do you think it’ll be possible? I’ll be there too, so it’s not impossible, but it’ll be very difficult.”
“… … .”
Priscilla shivered, as if she could have easily predicted what would happen next. Rosaria and Leona had similar reactions.
“Anyone have any other opinions?”
“How about an artificial dungeon?”
Leona quickly raised her hand.
“An average club wouldn’t even try. It would require a lot of things to create one.”
“It’s an artificial dungeon, so it looks okay. If we just have the right materials, it shouldn’t be bad.”
“I think we have more than enough materials, don’t you?”
That’s true. Even if it’s just what’s spread across the Earth right now, it’s a gate. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll feel a little guilty, but I can take it from the Earth game.
“Well, that’s true. But Laura, weren’t you the student council president? Are you allowed to stay here?”
Although she has multiple memberships in our club, Laura is clearly the student council president. I heard that the student council is currently being divided up in preparation for the festival, so I wonder if she got kicked out.
“I’ve already finished my share of work for today. I’m still struggling to hold on to only half of what I’ve done. The subordinates must be processing too slowly.”
It was indeed a slap in the face. It was just a legal slap in the face. I gave a brief, silent condolences to the student council members who were struggling without Laura.
After that, several more opinions were expressed. However, they all had their own problems, and the trend was to narrow down opinions towards artificial dungeons.
“Let’s consider it as an artificial dungeon for now, but you can change the content as much as you want up until a week before it starts, so if you think of anything else, let me know.”
Originally, I had to apply to the student council and get approval, but since it was certain that it would be done anyway, I decided to skip it. The student council president is here, so what kind of approval is that?
“I’m going to see Professor Jayna. Do you want to come with me?”
“Oh, yeah!”
When I suggested this to Karna, he followed me with a smile. The six of us who realized my intention gathered among ourselves. Since I left Karna out, I wanted to decide on a theme using the knowledge of Earth.
The door closed. The chattering noise disappeared in an instant.
“What about Geumseong? You couldn’t find it?”
“Yeah. Could it be that you have gone to the Demon World… … .”
It was natural that I couldn’t find it. How could I find someone who disappeared even after going back in time?
“It’s okay. He must be somewhere. He’s the Black Sword.”
“Yeah. Since you’re my teacher, I’m sure you’ll be okay.”
Karna nodded brightly.
After that, while chatting about this and that, I asked Karna a question, and he said that he had never had a dream that was as vivid as reality. Now, it seemed like I could completely put my worries to rest.
“… … I want to create an artificial dungeon, so you want me to clear the Bellium Forest?”
When I went to Professor Jayna and told her my plan, her voice came back louder. The professor’s clones buried in the piles of papers collectively turned to look at me.
“Yes. Was that not possible?”
“It’s not that it’s not possible. There were other people who used the Bellium Forest besides you guys… … Phew. I’m sorry. I thought bad memories came to mind when I said you, Bellium Forest, and the artificial dungeon.”
Professor Jayna shook her head and touched her forehead.
When I first started practicing in the dungeon, the Maker suddenly appeared and caused a huge uproar. As someone who even wrote a report at the time, it was only natural that I would remember it.
“Anyway, you can use whatever you want in the empty spaces. Just know that it’s better not to use places that are too deep because people might have a hard time finding them.”
“All right.”
“An artificial dungeon? How did you come up with the idea of doing something like that? Even among the people who use the Bellium Forest, not a single one of them said they wanted to make a dungeon. Do you have a theme in mind?”