HTACS 21

Chapter 21

Aila broke her own limit by twenty whole minutes.

I tried the coffee too—but it wasn’t as effective as I’d hoped.

“If you brew it really weak, it tastes similar to barley tea.”

It had such a mild stimulating effect that I thought it might be better to just chill it and drink it as a barley tea substitute.

“…No—maybe it just doesn’t work as well on my body. Then I’ll have to find another way.”

In other words—since it’s just Aila and me, the sample size is too small. Let’s run a clinical trial.

And the test subjects were already decided.

The ones most familiar with experimentation and who hate variables above all else—

The graduate students.

—

Since the new student welcome festival, one of my routines has been setting up shop in front of the Graduate Building a few times a week. I can’t do it every day—but whenever I have time, I go. Some of the graduate students who’ve come to recognize me even greet me or chat.

Early dawn.

I fry doughnuts, slice fish broth and radish into the water heater, finish prepping the dried pollack soup, and load everything onto the cart. Then I drag it clattering to the front of the Graduate Building—where the graduate students come out to meet me.

“Ughhh… ghraaa… ghghgh…”

“Hmm. 10,000 rin well received—take as much as you want.”

“Ghhhk. Y-yesss.”

The ones in terrible condition—that is, the perfectly “normal” graduate students—moisten their throats with moderately warm dried pollack soup.

“U-ughhhhh. I-I’m alive. The strength to live! My life! My existence!”

And after vitality returns to their bodies—they regain human speech, grab some candy, and head back to the lab.

Can those even be called human? Anyway—let’s stop mentioning them. They’re pitiful. It’s bad to bully graduate students, Wolfram. They just made the wrong choice.

Anyway—those in relatively better condition—sunken eyes, trembling hands, muttering to themselves—they look at me and ask for something else.

“Do you have it?”

“It, huh. Hmm. You know the price, right?”

“Of course I have money.”

I casually glanced at him—and he pulled out bills with sparkling eyes.

“Good. Of course I have it.”

“Heh. Hehehe. As expected of Your Highness—I believed in you. This is the prince we know.”

“A fallen prince. Flattery won’t get you anything.”

“No, no. To us, you’re a far greater savior than your little sister could ever be.”

“…Tch. Don’t say things you don’t mean. Just buy what you want and go back.”

“Yes. Of course. Hehe.”

What he wanted was a doughnut still slightly warm. That food packed with cream beans that would send his blood sugar soaring to the cosmos. He took it—his hands trembling.

“H-heh. This is it. This. A set is 50,000 rin, right?”

“Right.”

“Heheh—heh-heh-heh-HEH!! I bought it! Today I actually bought it! Completely—I, I-I actually bought doughnuts!! Today I’m the winner—hihih!!”

The graduate student clutching a set of five doughnuts and cackling was honestly terrifying—but the Imperial Bloodline skill never allows me to show panic in any situation.

“Hey—I have something to ask.”

“Yes, Your Highness. Hehe. Ask away. Anything—I’ll tell you anything. Do you want research results?”

“Recently, a lot of people have been coming for doughnuts—where did the word spread? I don’t have enough volume to sell openly—if I get swamped, it’ll be a problem.”

I also need beans for research—so moderation is key.

“Well, you see—one of my lab mates ran away during the new student welcome festival.”

“…?”

What does that have to do with anything?

“A foolish bastard said he wanted to go back seven years—so he escaped the lab to mingle with freshmen and enjoy the festival.”

Ah—what a sorrowful story.

“Wait—so you mean, one of the customers back then—”

“Yes. One graduate student tasted Your Highness’s doughnuts. And apparently they were heavenly. We’ve been secretly sharing information among ourselves, trying to keep it from spreading too far. The others got caught by the professor today, but I managed to slip out and buy some. Hehe—heh-heheh!!”

“I see. That’s good to know.”

“We were lucky, really. You’ve been coming here less often lately, Your Highness. It’s only thanks to heaven and earth that mere humans like us can survive.”

That’s because I don’t have the endurance to do it every day.

“Good information—thanks. It seems the graduate students view me… positively.”

“We’re not naive enough to meddle in undergraduate politics. But we’re not adult enough to stand on our own either.”

“Hmm.”

Don’t say things that move me for no reason.

“So—I’ll stuff myself with this sugar that helps me stand on my own, and these fried breads, and these doughnuts that make even my brain happy—and write my thesis—heh-heheh!”

Give me back that emotion, you bastard.

Anyway—the reason I approached this graduate student was to get a review of a new product from someone other than Aila.

“…Anyway—take this, eat it with the doughnuts, and give me your thoughts by tomorrow.”

“What is it?”

“It’s something called coffee. A new drink. It has a mild stimulating effect and might make it harder to fall asleep at night… but the stimulating effect is real. It’s bitter, so you can add sugar, or rely on the sweetness of the doughnuts.”

“Hmm—understood. If Your Highness is giving it to me, I’ll try anything!”

With that, the graduate student took the doughnuts and disappeared.

“…Graduate school. I’ll never go there in my life.”

Why on earth did they make that choice?

I’ll never understand.

—

The review of the coffee-like substance came back sooner than expected.

“It was bitter. If the flavor had been richer, it might’ve been drinkable—but the stimulating effect was weak too.”

“As I thought.”

Since it wasn’t made from actual coffee beans, the beans I had could only produce something resembling “bitterness.” If I go deeper into the eastern forest, there are bitter beans—but until I can get those, I might have to put coffee on hold.

“Beans really do come in all sorts.”

From memory, there are easily hundreds of bean varieties—and each looks different. It’s only because I’ve memorized them all that I can manage—it’s no wonder this world hasn’t researched beans properly.

“The bitter-tasting beans are mostly for treating severe status conditions—can’t be helped.”

Tier 9 beans cure minor status effects. Tier 8 are for HP recovery or medium status effects. From Tier 7 onward, they’re buffs. Tier 6 and above have magical effects or can even be used offensively.

Of course, classifying and roasting them all would be exhausting—so let’s put the coffee obsession aside for now.

Thinking that, I walked through the Magic Quarter, pondering how to mix the generally sweet beans with Bubble or Aqua Beans and Energy Beans.

As I walked down the hallway, preparing for the next class and calculating bean effects—

I came face to face with *it*, leading a large entourage, striding confidently.

“Tch.”

“Tsk.”

The fact that we clicked our tongues the moment we made eye contact really proves we’re siblings, doesn’t it?

Don’t you agree, Eve?

“Clicking your tongue at someone’s face—isn’t that a bit narrow-minded for a student council president?”

“If you were really just an ordinary student, that is.”

“Of course I’m an ordinary student—thanks to your consideration, Madam President.”

“If you know it’s consideration, then please behave properly. Tch.”

“Where else would you find someone as proper as me? Tsk.”

We traded blows—and without anyone needing to go first, we both scowled.

During our exchange, Eve’s attendants kept their eyes down and pretended not to hear. Right—when Imperial family members are talking in Zeppelin, who would dare keep their heads up?

“So where are you going, ordinary student?”

“With that much interest in an ordinary student’s movements, Eve is truly cut out to be student council president for seven years straight after entering graduate school.”

“Seriously—how can you say things like that?! H-how, how can you!”

“The students are watching. Keep your composure.”

“Ugh…!”

From behind, I could hear the bowed students murmuring—”Did he just say she should be president even in grad school?” “He’s really harsh, damn”—but that’s just my imagination.

It must be.

Anyway—my conscience is pricked a little, but once I decide to land a hit, I go all the way.

“Hoo. Well—instead of wandering around everywhere, how about studying hard? Seriously. Why did I receive a report that an ordinary student was heading to the Sleeping Mountain Range? Do you know how shocked I was?”

“…Is that really such a big deal?”

The Sleeping Mountain Range is dangerous, sure.

But still—is she worried about family?

She’s—

“If by any chance you’ve organized some dark cult there, think about how much manpower I’d need to purge it…”

“……”

I think I’m going to have to settle things with her someday.

“I know. Anyway—since you’re really an ordinary student now, your test scores will be treated like everyone else’s. You know there are no special privileges, right?”

“I know.”

“Good. You do know that the upcoming mini-test is the first formal evaluation, right?”

“I know.”

“Fine. Then study hard. That’s all.”

With that, Eve let out a “Hmph” and walked past me.

Watching her back, I recalled her last words and tilted my head.

Wait—could it be—

“Was that girl… worried about me?”

No way.

Really?

—

After class, I returned to the convenience store and sat deep in thought.

As Eve said—from the mini-test onward, it’s formal exams that will be reflected in grades.

Even in the original D/Z SAGA, there were exams. They were more like mini-games, but they gathered information that appeared in passing and turned them into test questions. For example—”Which combination recipe for Mixed Beans deals the most damage to a Blue Goblin when combining Fire Beans and Wind Beans?”—that sort of thing.

Essentially a mini-game.

But this Zeppelin is my reality—and the lecture content is quite different too. So I need to study even more thoroughly.

But this garbage endurance doesn’t support it—and the coffee-like stuff I made isn’t helpful at all.

“Still—there was a harvest.”

After much deliberation, I realized why the coffee-like substance had no effect.

“Energy Beans inflict Rage, a low-tier status effect—but the other beans boost resistance. The two effects cancel each other out.”

What method would work best? As I pondered for a long time, the convenience store door opened and someone entered.

“Wolfram—are you busy?”

It was Aila.

“No, not busy. Shouldn’t you be busy studying?”

“Yes—so I came to see if I could get more of that drink that helped me surpass my limits yesterday.”

“…Just to gain a mere thirty more minutes?”

“Even a mere thirty minutes adds up to tremendous effect.”

“…The mini-test is only a week away. You’d gain just over two hours.”

“Ugh… Ah, right. Then I’ll drink one every thirty minutes!”

“What?”

“So if I drink twenty cups a day, I gain six hours! In a week, that’s a whole forty hours!”

“Don’t do that.”

“Why not?”

Why?

You might die sixty years early just to gain six hours.

Coffee is still an incomplete drink.

After hearing my explanation, Aila sighed in resignation.

“Can’t be helped. Then since I’m here—let’s study together.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yes. Rather than walking back blankly, since I’m here anyway, let’s study together. A study group—just like the ones I’ve only heard about!”

“Only heard about?”

“……”

“Don’t tell me—you never had anyone to form a study group with?”

“………Ugh.”

I see—Aila has no friends, so she’s never formed a study group before.

Come to think of it, even in Act 3, she had many subordinates and retainers—but perhaps no one she could call a friend.

Is her towering pride the problem?

“I-I have plenty of friends! A lot—like, tons!”

“Fine—I get it.”

“Just wait—sit right there. I’ll explain right now just how many friends I have.”

“Let me get you a drink. Sweet enough?”

“…Ugh. I’ll let it slide this time. But make it really sweet!”

I chuckled and stood up.

“Let’s see.”

A sweet drink—Sugar Beans or Strawberry Beans as a base? Orange Beans would work too. And since we’re having a study group, let’s add Energy Beans. And just being sweet would be a bit lacking, so mix in Bubble Beans…

“Uh?”

A curious combination recipe came to mind.

I immediately put on my gloves, set my Dexterity to 10, and started mixing the Mixed Beans.

【First-time combination of four beans.】

【Energy Beans, Aqua Beans, Bubble Beans, Orange Beans.】

【Combination Success!】

Energy Beans inflict Rage and activate Concentration Improvement.

Aqua Beans prepare it to be a drink.

Bubble Beans add a carbonated effect.

Orange Beans add color, flavor, and aroma.

I took a sip—and nodded at the crisp orange scent and the slowly rising concentration.

This—is it.

“Is this an energy drink?”

It’s more effective than coffee—and a far more dangerous creation.