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It’s a sad thing, but the club I had been searching for in the academy did not exist.

The fact made us Violets feel a sense of sorrow about the situation at Aegis Academy.

“There’s no bomb-making club!”

“There’s no revolution club either.”

Thinking back, it’s only natural. In a prestigious academy like Aegis, there couldn’t possibly be any dangerous clubs.

I whined about this in front of Irene during lunch.

“The club options are so ordinary! Literature Society, Swordsmanship Club, Orchestra… what is this? It’s boring!”

Irene asked, “So, what kind of club are you hoping for?”

“A Democracy Club!”

“That can’t be a thing.”

I was left speechless by my friend’s firm response.

Unit 1681, deflated, stirred the bottom of the stew pot with a spoon.

“But why suddenly a democracy? What does it even mean?”

“Huh? No way… you don’t know what democracy is?”

A chill ran down my spine.

Thoughts about Kalia’s recent ignorance of communism flooded my mind.

Could it be that the word ‘democracy’ doesn’t even exist in Trist?

“Democracy! Like liberal democracy and social democracy. Haven’t you heard of terms like referendum and equal elections?”

“Oh… of course I know that. It was a political ideology that briefly became popular before the Great War. The essence is that the people vote for their leader.”

Hearing my friend’s answer, I let out a sigh of relief.

It seemed that the concept of democracy did exist in Trist.

“Phew, what a relief.”

However, the relief was short-lived, as we Violets couldn’t hide our shock at Irene’s next words.

“But in this day and age, talking about democracy, why suddenly? That’s an idealistic notion.”

“Huh? Why? Democracy is a good thing! Freedom, equality, friendship—don’t you know?”

A foreboding thought crossed the minds of the Violets. Was our friend a fascist?

But for a brief moment, our unease faded as we couldn’t help but accept Irene’s next statement.

“It doesn’t make sense for both Awakened and Non-Awakened to cast equal votes. It’s unrealistic.”

My friend’s words made me reflect on the layered society of Trist in Crimson Scholar.

“Individual differences exist, but the physical abilities and disease resistance of Awakened Ones are superior thanks to Ether. And their aging is slower. There’s even talk of higher Awakened Ones like Valefor being immortal. So how can everyone be granted equal political rights?”

That’s true. Even the lowest level Awakened Ones possess physical superiority compared to Non-Awakened.

“That’s a valid point.”

In a fantasy world, one can’t just give the same vote to goblins and dragons in the name of democracy.

Unless it’s a goblin that’s dragon-level strong.

“It might have been possible in the old days when there were no superhumans, but in modern society, elections and democracy are inefficient systems. It’s a story that could only happen in a fantasy.”

The Violets understood. They tried to understand.

Until the memories of 21st-century Earth’s democratic society poked at our sides.

“Wait a minute, Irene. It’s not just a story in a fantasy!”

“…?”

“Our Violets are committed direct liberal democrats. And inefficient? Democracy is an excellent system! Our Violets prove that in real-time!”

Free expressions of various individuals, guaranteed equal rights for all!

I passionately preached the virtues of democracy.

“Our power as Violets comes from cooperation and equality and freedom! Every clone can speak freely and equally!”

The driving force that allowed us to stand against Magnavis came from the collaboration of equal and free clones. This is an undeniable achievement.

Irene, having listened to our explanation, nodded as if she understood.

“…I’m not sure if that can be called democracy, but it’s not wrong. However, there’s one flaw.”

“What’s that?”

“Other people aren’t you… Hmm, as it happens, there’s a breaking news story that serves as a great example. Look closely.”

Irene pointed to the TV screen in the corner of the restaurant. News was flowing against the backdrop of the Federal Parliament.

[Parliament stalled due to confrontation between parties… Filibuster underway… Three lawmakers severely injured after intense clashes]

[Senator Lemar sets a record for 35 consecutive solo duels]

A man climbed onto the podium, shouting.

His blood-stained suit was a grotesque sight.

– A bill revision? Not a chance! Hah! Absolutely not!

As the victory declaration of the legislator echoed on-screen, the scene of injured individuals being carried away on stretchers unfolded.

“…Is that the parliament?”

Irene murmured with a sigh as she pointed at the news.

“Look at that mess. I can’t even imagine how much worse it would be if everyone had the right to vote. The people chosen through recommendations and evaluations have turned out like that.”

“Then why even establish a parliament? It’s not like they were elected through voting anyway.”

In fact, the process of electing members of the Federal Parliament is a mess.

They are chosen based on recommendations and support from powerful families, large clans, and military generals.

Unless they possess exceptional skills, even outstanding hunters find it hard to enter politics.

“Well, I’m not quite sure. Politics involve old noble families and the military, so the internal affairs are not well-known to commoners. Maybe Chairwoman Adela knows more about it?”

Irene shook her head. On the screen, sword energy and magic were exchanged in the parliament.

“Ugh, Violet. Sorry, but let’s stop talking about politics.”

“Okay, got it!”

Ignoring the news, we returned our focus to our meal. Debates continued in our minds.

“That’s not democracy! Not a parliament either!”

“I miss the Earth’s legislators…”

The Violets pondered. They thought the monster invasion distorted Trist.

Before the Great War, the world ruled by kings, nobles, and capitalists was thrown into chaos by the invasion of monsters.

Freedom was suppressed under the pretext of crisis, and the foundation of equality crumbled into the hands of the Awakened.

Interestingly, there were no official noble classes or kings in the Federation. It was a contradictory state where only a parliament was established.

“How strange.”

We Violets didn’t want to clumsily shout democracy like high school students hit by a truck and dropped into another world.

There are laws unique to each world.

Those should be respected.

“But there are poor kids being kidnapped and undergoing brain surgeries!”

“Why should we respect that? Let’s change the world’s laws!”

“We need freedom and liberation in our world!”

I don’t want to lose faith that true freedom and happiness will someday dwell in this planet.

From our friends’ perspective, it’s only natural to be pessimistic. Growing up in this immature, unreasonable world where social ideologies can’t emerge, and there’s no liberalism is a different landscape.

However, we Violets are different.

We have seen the prosperity of democracy in another world, and gained experience of directly defeating evil with the power of democracy.

“One day, true freedom will come to Trist!”

As I dipped the remaining stew into the bread, I thought.

“This world that doesn’t recognize the greatness of freedom and democracy is pitiful.”

**

After finishing lunch, I decided to look for another club since I still had some time left.

I was slightly bored, but I also wanted to try out a new hobby.

“I have a great idea!”

A sudden flash of inspiration struck me.

“What is it?”

“I’m going to look for a club related to food production!”

Violets are beings that eat.

Maybe through club activities, I could improve my cooking skills, save on food costs, and eat delicious meals every day.

“Then we can eat a lot of tasty food!”

“Exactly! It’s a win-win.”

Without hesitation, we immediately made our decision.

“Okay, let’s start looking for cooking-related clubs!”

Ideally, it would be a club that makes snacks like bread or cookies.

How happy would it be to bake sweet and delicious treats every day?

While we thoroughly examined the school bulletin board and promotional flyers, a perfect opportunity caught our eye.

[The Dessert Club is recruiting new members! Let’s make various desserts together like cookies, cakes, and macarons!]

“Isn’t there more?”

We continued searching for other cooking-related clubs as well.

From BBQ to tea ceremonies, there was even a club claiming to research cooking monsters.

“But we can’t eat monsters, right?”

We thought it was a new and creative approach, and after gathering various materials, we returned to the dormitory.

“I’m back~”

When I walked in, Daphne was again sitting at her desk, diligently reading a book. She seemed busy studying.

“Daphne, are you interested in club activities?”

“Club activities? That doesn’t sound bad. But for now, I’ve only skimmed what’s available. I have more responsibilities to take care of by the end of this month than I expected.”

“Responsibilities? The exams are still a little ways off. Daphne, take it easy with the studying!”

As I chuckled while saying this, Daphne muttered with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean, exams? What are you talking about? The experiential learning is coming up soon.”

“Experiential learning?”

“You didn’t see the announcements again, did you?”

After hearing her teasing explanation, we realized that it wasn’t the club activities that were the problem.

“Ugh! There’s really not much time left.”

I heard that we’ll be going to a dungeon again this time. Although it seems we’re not taking a test to create separate party members.

“This time, it must be fine, right?”

Daphne’s expression slightly hardened, as if recalling the catastrophe of the jungle dungeon last time.

“…Maybe?”

Right, it’s a good academy, so it should be fine. It has to be.