HTACS 41

Chapter 41

Everyone’s been waiting a long time, right? Then shall we begin Wolfram-nim’s story?

Without bothering to recall the opening of that white, red, and sometimes black bastard who, as a middle schooler, couldn’t forget his ex-girlfriend because she was her reincarnation—it was about time I prepared my own story.

“What do you mean by preparing a story?” you might ask—but there’s a reason.

This competition has various ‘stat bonuses’ attached.

Naturally, the Divine Sword Tournament goes to those with high strength and stamina, and the Divine Magic Tournament goes to those with high mana.

So what about the Magic Craft category? Does it go to whoever has high dexterity and makes good stuff?

No—that’s not it.

D/Z SAGA is a real bastard of a game that pays attention to detail in odd places, loves sneaking in Easter eggs and giggling among themselves, enjoys lore-building, and scatters crap everywhere under the excuse of “branching points.”

So it’s great. Absolutely great.

Anyway—setting aside my game preferences for a moment—Magic Craft has a bonus that reeks of the developers’ ‘malice.’ That bonus is whether you have ‘Speech’ skills.

Looking at the structure of the Magic Craft category: ‘student goes up on stage with their submitted item’ → ‘shows some kind of presentation’ → ‘the judges react’ → ‘scoring results come out.’ That’s the order.

In other words, no matter how you look at it, it’s a structure where you have to do your own PR. Considering the details, it’s only natural that Speech skill bonuses apply.

[U-um, so this is… without oil… frying…]

[Please speak more clearly. I can’t hear you well.]

[…W-well, this is…]

[Do you have anything to say?]

[…I-I’m sorry.]

Even now, a third-year-looking student is sniffling as they walk off.

They probably worked hard on the item itself—but it means nothing.

The hellish stage where ‘a shut-in who only makes items in their room’ has to ‘introduce it themselves.’

How could they do something so cruel? You’re such a bad person.

How did I figure this out? Simple.

No matter how I thought about it, the Magic Craft category probably had some kind of trick built in—but I couldn’t figure out what it was. After agonizing over it for a while, I tried a crazy play as Kelterus: acquiring the skills ‘Likable Named Character’ and ‘Charisma Armband,’ then attempting to romance both Eve and Regina simultaneously. As a result, I challenged the first-year Magic Craft category and actually beat Regina in it during first year.

And the skill Wolfram has is—’Imperial Bloodline.’

I used it to help Zolf find peace, and this time I’ll use it well too.

“Now. Let’s begin Wolfram’s story.”

*Phew.*

So what I need to do now is just one thing.

“I am not a loner. I can do proper PR. I have many friends. I’m not scared.”

I endlessly believe in myself—and decide ‘how to unfold my story.’

“I am not scared. I can explain well. I am the best.”

—

Divine Sword Tournament. Divine Magic Tournament. Magic Craft.

All together—the Zephrin Student Competition holds all categories on the same day.

There’s the reason that running an event is no small matter, and there are also academic schedule reasons.

Here is the 2nd Magic District Training Ground, where the Divine Magic Tournament is held.

A building with an auditorium structure, protected by a barrier said to have been created by the First Emperor—no matter what magic is used, it will never collapse.

Unlike the blood-soaked Divine Sword Tournament, the Divine Magic Tournament—where splendor and mystery coexist—is mainly attended and watched by students who want to see Zephrin’s ‘mystery’ rather than violent combat.

But today’s Divine Magic Tournament was a little different.

[Winner! Aila Triesta!]

[In a single blow! Just a single blow!]

[Again—the Triesta family’s young lady has done it!]

A third-year student’s solo run.

Of course, magic is a field where one genius can replace a hundred thousand ordinary mages, and Aila’s mana had already surpassed human limits.

Naturally, mages who have reached a certain level and made a name for themselves don’t participate in the Divine Magic Tournament.

Because they could be tarnished with the reputation of using their talent to suppress and oppress other students.

But since the Triesta family’s young lady—who had been second place every year from first year and had never once been top—was participating, it was also awkward to pin such a stigma on her.

At the same time, Aila Triesta didn’t care about that at all.

But her method of victory was far from ordinary.

“【Black Crystal: Single Shot: Maximum Enhancement】”

*Fwaash!*

A single shot to the forehead.

Extremely precisely operated mana.

Just by firing a Black Crystal Spear with absolutely no waste, countless ordinary mages fell.

[Aila Triesta! Three consecutive wins!]

[An unstoppable momentum. Truly astonishing.]

[But what’s even more astonishing than that… Haha. She shows absolutely no arrogance in victory.]

[Yes—true to her epithet ‘Black Crystal,’ her expression is ice-cold, which only makes the audience even louder.]

But she never smiles.

She doesn’t become arrogant in victory.

“……”

She usually has a sociable personality, but the moment she enters combat, Aila completely transforms.

She doesn’t evaluate her victory. She doesn’t approach her opponent.

But it can’t be helped. This is Aila Triesta’s nature.

Even when she does show a smile, it’s only in front of people she acknowledges.

She can only express her emotions in front of those who won’t betray her.

That is the proper conduct for the eldest daughter of the Triesta family—the Empire’s second-ranking merchant house, one of the two golden mountain ranges.

So the person Aila Triesta has smiled at most recently, and shown the most emotion to, is—

“I wonder if Wolfram is doing well.”

Having thought that far, Aila shrugged.

[Next is the round of 64!]

[The contestants look quite tired. We hope they fight well!]

Hearing the commentator’s voice, Aila found herself smiling.

“By the way—I never expected Wolfram’s calculations to be this accurate.”

Wolfram, who had taken in and raised the fledgling, had confidence in how to beat Kelterus and how he himself would win in Magic Craft.

So she had asked casually:

[How should I win in the Divine Magic Tournament?]

[Conserve your stamina.]

[Huh?]

[Always aim to finish your opponent in one blow. Extended magic battles wear down stamina before mana.]

“Come to think of it, that’s right.”

Aila’s stamina is 15.

That’s certainly high for a mage, but considering the battles ahead, she needs to use it efficiently.

This is the round of 64.

There are still five more fights ahead.

[Next match: Black Crystal Aila Triesta vs. Hwachang Balder!]

[This should be an exciting match.]

“Alright. Let’s end this next fight in one blow too.”

As Aila left the waiting room, what crossed her mind wasn’t information about her opponent—

But the face of her fiancé, who was now spreading the wings of rebellion alone.

—

In the Magic Craft category—excluding those who withdrew voluntarily or failed the preliminary screening—about 40 works were competing against each other.

To be honest, there wasn’t much to see. That’s just how Magic Craft is.

Usually, it’s a stage set for Regina, and the big twist happens when Kelterus beats her.

And now—just after the 38th product introduction ended, the final boss who would crush everything took the stage.

It’s always like this. They position themselves just before the end and draw all attention.

[Next is Regina Ciella’s Magic Craft entry.]

[Miss Ciella, what’s this year’s product?]

The flowing blonde stepped onto the stage and took the magical engineering microphone.

Immediately after, with a rumbling sound, the magical engineering product was brought in on a cart.

[Today, the product I’ll be introducing is this—a wristwatch.]

[A wristwatch. Just from that, I can’t tell what’s special about it.]

[As you can see, unlike conventional wristwatches, there are no hour hands, minute hands, or even second hands.]

[Then how is the time displayed?]

[We’ve adopted a system using magical ink where characters are created and erased. Please take a look!]

[Wow! The time is displayed in numbers!]

[That’s right. And at night, pressing the button activates a luminescent function. Not only that—it also has a stylish design that children will love. Above all, our testing shows it’s water-resistant up to 30 meters!]

“Ah, so that’s being presented now.”

Sitting in the waiting room, I nodded while listening to that presentation.

That watch is among the items added to Zephrin’s store from Act 2 onward.

I used it quite effectively. Its function is to display the remaining time in seconds for ‘time-limited quests.’

The problem is—that thing breaks extremely often. Actually, it’s a consumable accessory from the start.

One gets consumed per mission, ugh…

Then something came to mind clearly.

“…That’s it.”

The 5,000-won wristwatch sold in front of Nonsan.

An imitation that copies a famous luxury brand. A counterfeit.

“Cheap knockoff.”

That bastard of a product.

Does she even know that if she delivers that to the Imperial family, her route gets screwed?

—

[Yes, we’ve heard you well. Next is the final Magic Craft entry. The presenter is none other than Wolfram von Lohengrin!]

[They say he’s prepared a very special item.]

“Hmm.”

“Oh my.”

As I left the waiting room, I ran into Regina.

“Did you see my item?”

“It looked decent. But—have you stabilized its performance?”

“…Huh?”

“As expected. A watch is a product that naturally reduces demand after one purchase, so you deliberately lowered its durability.”

“That’s not a criticism I care to hear.”

“Whether it’s criticism or not—ask your own conscience as a merchant. If you’re going to supply to the Imperial family, you might want to improve the performance a bit.”

“…Thank you for the advice. I’ll be going.”

As she tried to leave, I called out.

“Aren’t you going to watch my presentation?”

“……”

“Never mind. Make sure to collect your 2 million rin prize money later.”

“You’re confident in victory.”

Well, of course.

If I lost with my experience, that would be a joke.

—

And then—I went up on stage and received my item.

[Wolfram von Lohengrin’s item is quite unique.]

[Yes—he says it’s a snack with a self-devised magical function. It’s said to bestow beneficial effects.]

[So the name is Buff-type Snack?]

[No. The registered name is Magical Sweets. It’s a pretty name.]

[The name is nice. Well then, let’s hear the presentation.]

“Before the introduction, let me first explain what function this snack has. First—look at the snacks before you.”

I grabbed the microphone, clutched my trembling heart, and began my explanation. Now—it starts.

“…That’s a rough way to speak.”

“Indeed. Ahem. We are the judges. Could you use a bit more refined expression…”

Ah, these people sure talk a lot.

I activated Imperial Bloodline and shot them a look.

【First—eat.】

“……”

“Well then, shall we taste it?”

“Yes. I’m curious about what effect it might have.”

And the moment they took a bite of the snacks I made—they all fell silent.

In that moment—I took a sip of the mana potion Aila had prepared, and activated the skill once more.

【The smallest chocolate ball has 9T wind-element projectile resistance. The stick-type cookie next to it has 9T physical evasion. And the main dish—the cake—has an 8T Half-Berserk buff.】

I immediately drank the mana potion afterward.

To be honest—

8T is extremely awkward to use on the battlefield.

These Magical Sweets are also an incredibly subtle skill.

But what I’m aiming for is breakthrough.

Not performance—but the presentation of a new concept.

Aila said: [Who would want to go outside this world?]

Eve said: [I don’t even know how much money it would cost to organize an expedition to the Sleeping Mountain Range.]

Yes.

The characteristic of D/Z SAGA—now become reality—is that no one wants to venture ‘outside the world.’

Of course—because everyone’s life is precious. They don’t want to go out.

Thanks to that, magic has deteriorated, combat quality has declined, and there are no fights.

I don’t deny that life is important.

But the price of swords to protect life has jumped tenfold, and because material supply is difficult, the very concept of desserts is faint.

【After magic developed and humans shut themselves inside residential zones—don’t you think humans have been living quite boring lives?】

So I intend to—in this Magic Craft competition—pull off a bit of a scam.

【Think about it—a snack that instantly applies an 8T buff with zero mana consumption. It takes only 5 seconds to eat.】

Why is a villain’s speech so captivating?

Because they sell romance and adventure to ordinary people, and present ideals.

They’re hollow con artists—but they seduce others.

【I’d like to call this pastry a ticket.】

【A ticket to explore every corner of Zephrin—which has stagnated to the point where people don’t even think of venturing outside.】

【A ticket to open the door and step outside for the first time in 300 years.】

【I want to propose that opportunity—to our generation, to this era.】

So what if it’s cheap idealistic demagoguery?

That’s more fitting for a third-rate villain, isn’t it?

【Follow me. I’ll take you there.**

The time limit: five minutes.

That was more than enough time for a third-rate villain to scam ordinary people.