I Became the Second-in-Command in a Romance Fantasy Novel

"Didn't we agree to meet a week later?"
Through the communications tunnel, the face of the commander, looking gaunt, appeared.
A Swordmaster should be fine without sleep for a week.
But it had only been a single day, and he looked like that.
It was truly worrisome, but apparently, our prince was not the cause of it.

"I wanted to, too."
I didn't want to see the commander's face every day either, but there was no helping it.
He'd turned into such a state after hearing the news of Prince Ellen's first love—what would happen when he hears about his rivals?
I sighed softly at the future I was about to face.
"What now…"

Already, his voice sounded weak, but it was information that had to be shared.
Whether this world was a romance fantasy or not, something like this would happen with that combination.
"Well..."
I simply told him the facts as they were.
I didn’t add even a hint of suspicion that this world might be a romance fantasy, and I didn’t exaggerate—just what I had seen with my own eyes.

"Don't bullshit me..."
And yet, harsh words came out of the commander's mouth.
Since he became an instructor, I had never heard such words from him.
Even when Senior Lucia kept coming to me with resignation letters three times a week, claiming the important thing was an unyielding heart.
Even when I asked for a salary that was higher than a Swordmaster's, he would just laugh it off!
"I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

"Lies! Please tell me it's a lie!"
The commander shouted desperately, but that wouldn't change the facts.
"Giving up would be easier."

"Ughh!"
The commander cried out in anguish at Prince Ellen's first mistake, someone who had always been obedient and talented.
The sad part was, his lament and pain weren't his alone.
Once the news spread, it would reach the instructors and other personnel connected to the academy.
At the end, the intelligence department would get involved.
And then, as the news spread, it would eventually reach the commander.
And at the very end, I would be there.
Damn it, I should've retired when Prince Ellen beat Princess Heastia.
"...Here's the information we've gathered."

Just like that.
"Do I have to hear it?"
"Of course, you should."

In just one day, they finished gathering information on someone named Daisy from the far-off empire.
As expected, the intelligence department was efficient.
"She's just a baron's daughter from a remote village, barely known in the empire."
"Is that so?"
A classic romance fantasy heroine background.
The recent romance fantasies I remember often featured heroines from noble houses, like the daughter of a Duke.

"How she even got into the Empire's Academy is a mystery, given her background."
"Is that so?"
Another typical romance fantasy heroine background.
It's common for such heroines to have hidden backgrounds. Maybe she's not actually the baron's daughter, or she learned magic from a legendary sorcerer as a child.
Or perhaps after entering the academy, she awakens her own talents.

"She joined the flower arranging club because she just loves flowers. It's even the local specialty flower."
"How is it that the local specialty flower shares her name..."
"I know, right? But apparently, her family is quite harmonious. It doesn't seem like a name chosen randomly."

The rest of the information didn't seem very important.
However…
"Until recently, the club was just the head and Lady Daisy."
The commander sighed at the mention of "until yesterday," but there was something more important.

"There's a head of the club?"
For a moment, I thought the purple-haired girl, who looked like a romance fantasy heroine's friend, was the head.
But upon hearing the commander's next words, I couldn't help but frown.
"Yeah. The club president is a male fourth-year student who's about to graduate."

A man… again?
And he's in the senior position?
"Fortunately, he's an ordinary guy."
I couldn't afford to be complacent.
If this world really was a romance fantasy, the first man the heroine connects with is never ordinary.

"Can you give me more details about him?"
"There's not much to say."
The commander's rambling was truly inconsequential.
I even started to wonder if I was seeing everything as part of a romance fantasy.

"Ah, and I got a portrait."
"......"
This world is a romance fantasy after all!
I almost shouted out loud.

"He's squinting."
That guy… he’s a squinting character!
Empire Public Academy, Fourth-year Belian Erik.
He had finished his classes but was still stuck in the classroom.

"Why did it turn out like this?"
As the third son of the Erik family, he had gotten into the Empire's Academy thanks to his decent academic abilities.
Coming from a relatively ordinary baron family, getting into the Empire's Academy was a big deal.
He entered the academy with the expectations of his parents, older brothers, and younger siblings, but nothing significant ever happened in his life.
His grades were average. Other than his notes, he had no special talents.
He didn't stand out at home or at the academy, and as a result, his friendships were also unremarkable.

He just maintained a comfortable distance from others, keeping to a modest social circle.
Despite that, there were some people he was closer to, particularly the seniors in the flower arranging club.
It was a small club with fewer than ten members, always on the verge of being shut down.
And that was fine with him.
They’d meet casually, enjoy themselves, and yet there was a special bond between them.
With so few members and so little activity, the club had faced closure more than once, and each time it survived, the invisible ties between the members grew stronger.
"This is all because of the seniors."

"It's such a shame that the flower arranging club is ending like this."
After the three seniors graduated last year, the flower arranging club was on its way to disbandment.
It couldn’t be helped.
Since Belian's time, no new students had joined the club, and despite the academy's relaxed stance on club activities, they wouldn't keep a club with only one member.
The regretful voice lingered, and Belian, feeling unusually bold, decided to speak up.
At the entrance of the auditorium where the freshmen were pouring out on the day of the entrance ceremony,
many clubs were advertising themselves, and Belian, summoning all the courage he didn’t usually have, put in the effort.

"Flower Arranging Club?"
"Ah, yes!"
And that was when he met her by chance.
Her name was Daisy. She came from the Parvan baron family, a small rural house.
For some reason, she seemed familiar.

Of course, it made sense.
She, along with the former flower arranging club members, was in a similar situation.
And, of course, she liked flowers, which felt like fate, guided by the goddess herself.
Even more so…
"Can I bring my friend too?"
Surprisingly, she had a childhood friend who was also entering the academy.
This allowed the club to meet the minimum requirement of three members.
Of course, it was the bare minimum.

With just three members, the club needed some activity, but it was already at the point of barely surviving.
Belian was confident.
At least until he graduated, he would keep the flower arranging club alive.
If he ever happened to meet the graduated seniors again, he could confidently say that he had kept it going until his graduation.
"Or am I being too greedy?"
That was fine.
Daisy and her childhood friend, Violet.
A man and two women.
Though he was the only man, Belian didn't mind, as he wanted to let them experience the life he had loved in the flower arranging club.
In the Empire Academy, where one could experience the four seasons and observe flowers rarely seen in other regions,
it was his hope that, amidst the pressure of high-ranking nobles and geniuses, they could also feel the simple joys of life.

"I’ll bring more members!"
And with Daisy showing enthusiasm, Belian smiled and said that it would be appreciated if she could.
He thought that someone like Daisy, with no special talents and from an unremarkable family, would only bring others who were similar.
He was wrong.
"New club member, Esid."

This year, there was someone named Esid among the new students?
No, could there be someone with white hair and red eyes?
When the prince of the Empire suddenly appeared, Belian almost collapsed on his knees.
And that’s when he received the prince’s club application.
After returning to the dorm, sleeping, waking up, attending classes, and not writing a single note, he half-listened to all the lessons.
Was this all just a dream?
‘No, it can’t be.’

Even though the chances of him inheriting the throne were slim, the next emperor hadn’t been decided yet.
There was no way that a busy prince would join a club like the flower arranging club.
But, when he entered the clubroom…
"These are the new club members!"
With Daisy smiling brightly, the entrance to the magical realm opened.
That was yesterday.

"Senior, the flower arranging club is now immortal."
Sitting in a classroom after everyone had left, Belian stared blankly at the blackboard and thought.
One prince of the Empire.
One prince of the knight’s kingdom.
One prince of the magic kingdom.
A border duke defending the magical realm, and his son.
A grandson of the sword master, known as the "Sword King."
The next heir of a massive trading company that controls the continent's economy.
And the head of the flower arranging club—himself.

At this point, he could fend off the entire student council.
No, he’d be fine on his own.
With this, the flower arranging club would survive at least for the next four years.
"Should I quit?"

But, the peace that the flower arranging club had given him was already gone.
It had died the moment the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) prince joined.
Even the imagined seniors of the club were already thinking, "Uh, this is…", running away.
"Right. I should graduate. I’ll just quit to focus on my studies."
At least, studying was the one thing he was good at, and he had already earned the required credits for graduation, though he could still add more.
After all, with no future in his family, his best path forward was to join the Empire’s civil service.

"Right, the president... I’ll just tell Daisy, and someone else will take over."
Of all the male members, the youngest, the grandson of the sword master, was the easiest to handle.
That was the kind of place the flower arranging club had become.
"Hello, senior?"
"Ah, yes?"

And then, as if waiting for this moment, a junior appeared.
"I have a lot of questions about the academy. Can you give me some advice?"
No.
He wanted to say that, but after everything that had happened recently, his instincts were sharp.
This wasn’t asking for advice.
It was the voice of a predator telling him to follow.

"Okay."
When he entered the academy, he would never have dared to follow a fourth-year student, but now, everything was different.
‘It’s not like before!’

With the sword master and the former mage tower head as professors, this year's freshmen marked the start of the Empire Academy’s golden age.
No need to look further—just remembering yesterday’s clubroom was enough.
So, in the academy’s small café, Belian watched the junior who brought two cups of tea with a tense expression.
"Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Adam Smith from the Leon Kingdom."
"......"
That name.
It was the same as the monster who easily defeated the "Sword King" on the first day of the sword master’s class.

"I don't like long speeches, so I'll get straight to the point. Our prince joined, right?"
"Y-yes."
"Just... please take care of him."
No, I’m quitting.
"The prince is a bit timid, so he might not get along with the other students. If someone like you, the president, could help him out..."

No, I’m really quitting!
"Ah, okay. Sure."
But the words that came out were far from his true feelings.

"Welcome, president!"
Like a cow being led to slaughter, Belian had no choice but to head toward the flower arranging club.