Chapter 143
Chapter 143
Preparations for the festival went very smoothly.
When I called the trading company, someone even came all the way to the livestock shed.
Since it was a merchant group under the Dedenkman family’s domain, they treated me with utmost respect.
“Ah, young master! It’s an honor to be called by you. Have you been well?”
“Yeah, good to see you. It’s nothing big. Just get me the ingredients listed here.”
“Is this a food supply estimate? ……Y-young master? I’m sorry, but the conditions seem a little tricky, so delivery might be difficult……”
“I’ll pay in advance, so don’t worry. I’ll also speak well of your company to my father.”
“Ah, yes! In the name of our trading company, we’ll make sure to get the best quality at the best price as quickly as possible!”
……That’s how things were handled so neatly.
‘Yeah, being a noble’s son sure has its perks.’
Is this how people end up getting drunk on power?
If this world managed to stay peaceful, I might’ve lived my life clinging to my family’s name.
Honestly, part of me wanted that.
‘But I can’t just leave the future of this world entirely in Elined’s or Ren’s hands, huh.’
In the end, the only person I could truly trust was myself.
Thinking about the hardships ahead left a bitter taste, but what choice did I have? To survive in this world, I had to struggle relentlessly.
I thought about what only I could do—something no one else could accomplish in this world.
And for now, I decided that collecting items related to the Goddess or the Great Sage was the most important task.
Because I was the only one who could recognize the true value of those items.
‘So, that gem-embedded trophy said to be blessed by the Goddess… I’ll make sure to get my hands on it.’
Fueled by my determination to take first place, I scribbled fiercely in my notebook.
Know your enemy, and you’ll never lose a hundred battles.
‘There were about three strong contenders for this tournament, if I recall correctly.’
The Cooking Experiment Club, the Marine Research Society, and the Delicia Department.
The Cooking Experiment Club was a group that loved creating eccentric dishes, but around this time of year, they somehow always managed to come up with something both unique and delicious, gaining massive popularity.
The Marine Research Society pulled in impressive sales through all sorts of seafood dishes.
Delicia was a culinary department of sorts. Unlike the Cooking Experiment Club, they specialized in classic recipes and pursued the pinnacle of gourmet cuisine. It was where the academy’s best cooks gathered.
‘Out of those three, Delicia probably has the highest chance of taking first place.’
Even in the game, Delicia had the highest win rate in most of the sales tournaments. Even players who had heavily invested in cooking skills struggled to beat them.
Besides, all three teams were located close to the Main Building, giving them a geographical advantage. Their booths were also larger.
Unlike mine, they started off with an advantage from the very beginning.
‘The festival’s expected visitors are around thirty to sixty thousand.’
That meant about ten to twenty thousand per day.
There was no way to predict the exact number—visitor count was a random factor in the game too.
Among those visitors, a large portion were academy applicants.
‘The more the player or their peers stood out, the more applicants there were.’
「Because of the ‘Hero of the Academy,’ the Black Knight? Next term’s cadet applicants expected to skyrocket!」
That was what I’d read back at Haze’s Student Newspaper office.
‘Guess we might see quite a turnout this time too.’
……Well, whatever the case, the more visitors, the better for me.
The more customers there were, the stronger my certainty of victory became.
‘Yeah. With more guests, I can try a wider variety of things.’
Last festival, I’d only sold desserts, but this time, I planned to try full-course dishes too.
Thanks to cooking for Lapin every day at the livestock shed, my cooking skills had become quite decent. It would be a waste not to put them to use.
‘Karin will handle the serving, and Lapin will be in charge of promotion.’
And my booth’s key feature—the giveaway strategy—was perfect.
Still, there was something that bothered me.
‘It’d be great if I had three or four more helpers for serving or assisting…….’
The academy only allowed hiring a single staff member.
‘Outsiders are forbidden from running stalls, so I can’t use workers. And bribing students with money…… well, my reputation isn’t exactly great.’
Aside from Karin and Lapin, there wasn’t anyone I could count on.
……A shame, but it couldn’t be helped.
—Moo!
At the sound of a cow’s bellow, I put down my pen and grabbed my suspenders and boots.
Day two of the Department Experience Program.
Only the top thirty students were allowed to participate in the Hawkeye, Finders, and Alkymia departments.
Each of the three had their own independent building instead of regular classrooms.
Ren and the Princess were just leaving the Finders building.
“……After today’s class, I’ve made up my mind about my future path.”
Right then and there, Ren wrote Finders as his first choice on his department preference form.
“Remi, will you also be joining Finders?”
“Yes. The reason I came to the academy was to learn. I want to understand this world better.”
“Then I’ll be counting on you again next year, Remi.”
The two smiled at each other warmly.
……And at that moment, someone caught Arlhardt’s eyes.
A long silver-haired woman with a sword at her waist was walking somewhere.
Arlhardt’s eyes widened, and as if possessed, she quickly followed after her.
“Ren, I’m sorry, but could you wait here for a moment?”
“Ah, yes, Remi. Go ahead.”
Seeing that the Princess seemed in a hurry, Ren didn’t ask why.
Arlhardt hastened her steps and caught the silver-haired girl by the hand.
“Linne.”
Karlus von Linne.
Their eyes met.
“……Not here. Let’s talk privately.”
When Linne spoke, the two headed toward an isolated spot.
They reached a quiet balcony nearby, where Linne bowed her head to the Princess.
“Karlus von Linne greets Your Highness.”
“Linne, please, don’t do that. It’s just us here.”
“Yes, Remi.”
They both smiled softly.
The Princess and Linne shared a very close bond.
Linne was one of the few precious friends who had grown up with her in the imperial palace.
“Linne, I’ll be entering Finders too. That means you’ll be my senior now. I suppose we’ll be seeing each other often next year.”
“Finders? Why would you choose that……? Hawkeye would suit you much better, Remi. You’re destined to be the Emperor, after all.”
“Come on, don’t say things like that. I have no desire for the throne. Besides, my brother, Termi, has priority in succession.”
“……”
Linne spoke with a faint smile.
“Remi, I hate to say this, but Finders is very dangerous. You’ll have to be prepared.”
“That makes me even more interested. Linne, I’m not that crybaby anymore. I’ve become strong enough to believe in myself now.”
“Really? If you cry again, I’m going to tease you.”
Linne and the Princess giggled together.
“Come to think of it, Remi, there are quite a few high-ranking nobles among this year’s first-years. Sir Heidel of the Finjer Family joined Finders. Lady Elined is in Hawkeye. ……And there’s also Dedenkman.”
“……”
The Princess silently nodded at Linne’s words.
The moment “Dedenkman” was mentioned, her smile faded slightly.
Sensing it, Linne carefully gauged the Princess’s expression before speaking again.
“Even though he’s a noble of high status like the others, the Dedenkman family’s second son seems rather incompetent.”
“No, he’s not incompetent.”
The Princess answered that without thinking—and immediately surprised herself. She didn’t even need to defend him like that.
After a brief pause, she spoke again.
“……Honestly, I don’t know. I really don’t. That person… I don’t understand him.”
The Princess walked toward the balcony railing, gazing at the scenery beyond.
“But I’ve been watching him for a long time. I may not know much, but… he’s definitely not someone who deserves to be looked down on.”
“……”
Linne narrowed her eyes slightly, lost in thought.
That day of the auction came to mind—
She remembered Villed at the Dorados Gambling Hall.
Villed, who had cast magic within the Crovanium magic-nullifying field.
It had been shocking enough to burn itself into her memory.
That situation had made no sense at all.
Simply put, it was like lighting a fire inside solid ice.
It defied the entire foundation of magical theory—something utterly beyond common sense.
Linne still couldn’t forget that sight.
……But she never told anyone about it.
She had no intention of doing so either—not even to the Princess, her dearest friend.
“But Linne, why are you so curious about Villed?”
“……Ah.”
Linne blinked, pulled back into reality by the Princess’s question.
Shaking her head, she answered,
“It’s nothing. I was just wondering whether he’s someone suitable for the Nobles’ Assembly. I’ll be taking the position of president next year.”
That made sense.
Despite being of imperial nobility, Villed was the only one who didn’t participate in the academy’s Nobles’ Assembly.
“How admirable, President Linne.”
Linne made an awkward face at the Princess’s playful remark.
Time passed quickly after that…… and a messenger came to call for Linne. Their conversation ended there.
“Remi, then I’ll see you next year.”
“Yes. I’ll be in your care, Senior Linne!”
“……”
Linne just bowed slightly, smiling faintly.
……Meanwhile.
Ren, who had been waiting for the Princess, leaned against the building wall, resting his eyes for a bit.
Step, step……
Footsteps echoed. It wasn’t the Princess—the person was wearing leather shoes, and she hadn’t worn any today.
……The footsteps stopped right in front of Ren.
Then, a man’s voice spoke.
“Hey, first-year?”
Ren raised his head toward the sound.
The man had dark brown hair that reached his shoulders.
He was tall, though not by much—maybe a year or two older at best.
A deep navy double-breasted coat draped smoothly along his shoulders, paired with neatly pressed striped trousers.
From his polished leather gloves to his shoes, everything about him exuded noble dignity.
……Yet, despite his refined appearance, his face gave off a strangely airheaded impression.
“Do you happen to know the Count Dedenkman family’s son? He should be a first-year like you……”
Ren nodded and replied.
“Yes, of course I know him.”
“Ah, good. That makes things easier. I heard he moved out of the dorm—do you know where he’s staying now?”
“……Who are you, and why are you looking for Sir Villed?”
Ren’s cautious tone made the man scratch his head sheepishly.
“I just wanted to meet him since it’s been a while since I last came to the academy. Oh, are you curious who I am? I’m…… hmm, will this be enough?”
When he pulled something out of his pocket, Ren’s eyes widened as he looked between the man’s face and that thing.
It was during the time I was finishing up my extra work at the livestock shed.
Lapin, who was helping me, suddenly froze.
“Someone’s coming.”
At her words, I glanced around.
……No one was there.
“It’s probably Karin or Keirin.”
“……No.”
Lapin closed her eyes, focusing on her sense of smell.
“It’s a scent I’ve never smelled before.”
She stood still for a while, wary, before suddenly flinching.
Then she darted into the storage room. When I followed her inside, she was hiding behind a pile of hay in the corner.
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ll stay here.”
“……Do what you want.”
For some reason, she seemed unusually tense.
Who on earth was coming?
I stepped outside to keep watch and waited.
After a while, I finally saw someone approaching in the distance.
……Sure enough, just as Lapin said, someone was walking toward me.
It was still too far to see clearly.
Maybe he saw me too—he suddenly raised his hand high and waved.
‘……What the hell?’
The distance closed, and soon, I could make out his face.
A man with long, dark brown hair.
He was a bit shorter than me—so still quite tall.
He looked about my age, but he wasn’t wearing a uniform.
Had the livestock manager already been assigned?
‘No, that can’t be. Just from his clothes, he’s clearly a noble.’
And it wasn’t even festival season yet.
Why would an outsider come all the way out here? I wondered—
Then he spoke first.
“Sir Riz Villed Dedenkman Ludwig.”
……He suddenly called out my full name.
It was the first time I’d ever heard someone say my entire name aloud in this world.
‘Who the hell is this guy?’
At first, I didn’t recognize him.
‘……Wait a second.’
When I finally realized who he was, my eyes widened in shock.
His appearance was slightly different from how he’d first shown up in the game—that’s why I hadn’t recognized him right away.
A chill ran down my spine.
‘……Why is he here?’
Danger.
That was the only thought filling my mind.
“Ah, Villed.”
But then, something completely unexpected came out of his mouth.
“I’ve wanted to see you—my only friend.”