Chapter 35: The Fan

Volume Two

Chapter 35: The Fan

The next day.

After undergoing his final full-body examination, Mu En was promptly discharged from the ward.

The bald, middle-aged doctor, a bachelor, seemed particularly displeased by Mu En’s continuous conversations with several beautiful girls in the ward the previous day. He was remarkably eager to see Mu En leave.

It was still morning when he departed. His senior had classes, and Celia was unlikely to visit him twice in a row.

Consequently, no one was there to greet him. Mu En walked alone towards the dormitory building.

Fortunately, his hands were empty, making the solitary walk feel lighter.

The weather remained pleasant.

However, as soon as he stepped onto the forest path leading to the dormitories, Mu En was stopped by an unfamiliar female student who appeared to have been waiting for him.

“Mu En Campbell.”

“Hmm? And you are?”

He looked at the girl who had suddenly appeared before him. She was quite attractive—though not quite on par with his senior or Celia, she would still score at least a seven out of ten in his estimation. Mu En’s heart involuntarily began to pound.

Her aggressive demeanor suggested that perhaps this was a consequence of the original owner’s misdeeds—a scorned ex-girlfriend, perhaps, coming to settle accounts.

His gaze flickered around. This small grove indeed seemed like an ideal spot to stab a scoundrel to death and dispose of the body.

Yet, Mu En searched his memories and found no recollection of the girl standing before him.

“Fanny, third year,” the girl introduced herself.

“Oh, so it’s Senior Fanny.” Mu En let out a sigh of relief. Her self-introduction confirmed she wasn’t someone Mu En knew well, let alone an ex-girlfriend.

“Is there something you need, Senior Fanny?”

“I’ll be direct.”

Senior Fanny seemed to possess a straightforward personality, wasting no time on pleasantries. She looked directly into Mu En’s eyes and asked earnestly, “Mu En Campbell, will you—join our Arcane Art Society?”

“Arcane Art Society?”

Arcane Art Society?

What kind of arcane art?

Mu En was momentarily stunned.

Then, he realized.

The so-called Arcane Art Society was essentially the Art Club. It simply adopted a very ‘magical’ name, befitting its presence within a magic academy.

The club’s activities primarily revolved around the study of art. Given that the academy had many nobles, normal artistic pursuits were bound to exist.

This meant… Senior Fanny was inviting him to join a club?

“Why?”

Mu En couldn’t help but ask, “My reputation… it should have a negative impact on the club, shouldn’t it?”

For a club, having a member with a terrible reputation could deter new recruits.

This was why Mu En felt such surprise at her invitation.

“Student Mu En’s reputation is indeed a bit unsavory, but after what happened recently, we all feel there might have been some misunderstanding.”

Senior Fanny stated seriously, “It would truly be a shame for someone as handsome and well-built as Student Mu En not to join our Arcane Art Society.”

Handsome and well-built…

‘It sounds less like they’re recruiting for a club and more like they’re looking for a nude model,’ Mu En thought to himself.

Still, he felt a little pleased.

Since someone was inviting him to join a club, it meant that, as his senior had said, his image in the eyes of outsiders had indeed changed somewhat.

At the very least…

He wouldn’t be shunned like a plague by other girls as he had been before.

This was a very good start.

It was exhilarating.

However…

“I’m very sorry, Senior Fanny, but someone has already invited me to join a club,” Mu En politely declined with an apologetic tone.

“Oh?”

Fanny looked somewhat surprised. “Someone was faster than me? Which club is it?”

“The Ancient Potions Society.”

Mu En replied, adding, “It’s a very niche club.”

“The Ancient Potions Society… isn’t that Anna Cablin’s club?”

Fanny frowned slightly, as if recalling something. She said, “Student Mu En, while I have no right to dictate your choices, I must warn you that Senior Anna’s reputation among the upperclassmen doesn’t seem to be very good.”

“Not very good… what do you mean?” Mu En’s eyes narrowed slightly, a hint of coldness flashing within them.

“I’m not entirely sure of the specifics. I only overheard a couple of remarks from upperclassmen in my own club.”

“Is that so?”

Mu En considered this, then smiled. “Thank you for the warning, Senior Fanny. However, I know better than anyone how unreliable rumors can be. Therefore, I generally don’t believe such talk until I’ve witnessed it firsthand.”

“I see.”

Senior Fanny didn’t elaborate further. She politely nodded to Mu En. “I’ve taken up your time, Mu En Campbell.”

“Not at all. I’m very happy to have been invited.”

“Then, goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

****

After Mu En left.

Several small heads suddenly popped out from the bushes behind Fanny.

They were all first-year girls, their faces still bearing the characteristic innocence of new students.

“Well, Senior Fanny, did he agree?” As soon as Mu En was out of sight, the girls eagerly chirped their questions.

“No, he seems to have already joined a club.”

“Huh? How can that be?”

A freckled girl lamented, “Didn’t they say he was hated by all the girls in the academy? How could someone be faster than us?”

“Exactly, exactly…”

Another girl with a slightly chubby face chided, “Did Senior not make it clear enough to him? Our Arcane Art Society has many pretty girls.”

“I didn’t mention that specifically, but…”

Fanny recalled their brief conversation. “I don’t think someone who gets angry when a certain girl is slandered would be easily attracted to other girls right now.”

“Didn’t they say that Mu En Campbell was a scoundrel?”

The last girl, with pigtails, huffed. “So, it really was just some gossipy girls spouting nonsense, wasn’t it? My family runs a publishing house, so I know how unreliable those newspapers are. I knew it the first day I saw him in the cafeteria when I enrolled. This Mu En will definitely be a good man.”

“What ‘good man’? You’re just a looks-fanatic; you’re clearly only interested in his appearance!” the freckled girl beside her snapped.

“And his background!” the chubby-faced girl added.

“Duchess’s son, sounds good, doesn’t it…”

“But there’s a rumor that Mu En Campbell might be gay.”

“Isn’t being gay even better? Ah, my nose is bleeding…”

“What a shame we didn’t succeed in inviting him. If only we could appreciate his body freely under the guise of painting… Hehe, oh no, my nose is bleeding too.”

“…” Fanny watched the playful girls in front of her, feeling rather helpless.

These few young girls were quite eccentric within the entire Arcane Art Society. Of all people to idolize, they had to choose Mu En Campbell, whose reputation was notoriously bad.

While his heroic leap had indeed captivated many, he was, after all, someone who dared to appear naked in front of the entire school. Coupled with the previous rumors, no one could truly say whether he was genuinely a pervert. Recently, some new theories had emerged suggesting Mu En Campbell was actually a good person. However, Fanny herself was hesitant to draw conclusions prematurely and remained in a wait-and-see stage.

Her decision to invite him was partly because she couldn’t refuse these junior girls, and partly because the Arcane Art Society was a large club with many older students. They wouldn’t fear Mu En Campbell causing trouble.

“However…”

Fanny recalled the brief exchange she had with Mu En earlier and said with a slight nod of agreement, “He really is quite different from what the rumors suggest.”