HTACS 52

Chapter 52

The next day.

Naturally, muscle soreness arrived.

I ended up resting for four days because of the muscle soreness.

Kill me…

—

“You brought back an insane amount.”

“Mhm.”

“No praise for me, who hauled it all here?”

“Good work.”

I gave Patrasche some token praise and stared intently at the ores we’d brought back.

This is the real honey you can farm in the 1-4 area.

Since the boss is a golem, the drop items are naturally ores.

Additionally, these were ores that might have magical effects.

“Hoo. I’ve got decent materials, and I’ve obtained a 9-tier skill too. Now, no matter what anyone tells me to do, I won’t do it. I’ll live for myself.”

With that firm resolve in my heart, I began working.

“**【Magical Patissier】**”

I lightly kneaded and baked some bread dough, then activated Patissier.

Afterward, I activated the skill on the freshly baked bread.

“**【Item Appraisal】**”

**【Freshly Baked Bread (Buff)】**

**【Bread that was just baked. Eating it restores a small amount of HP. It is also enchanted with magic.】**

**【Magic Effect】**

**【Slightly increases physical strength for a certain period.**】

Ping. I felt a slight dizziness before my eyes.

What I obtained with the 9-tier skill selection ticket was the Item Appraisal skill.

When used, it consumes 1 MP and allows you to obtain information about an item.

“Excellent.”

I nodded involuntarily.

In the original D/Z SAGA, there was an inventory limit per character, and among them, miscellaneous identification scrolls not only tangled up the inventory but also made it messy, so the first scroll you had to remove was the identification scroll.

Especially, this skill truly shines when you need to farm inside the field.

For example, let’s say there’s a Stone Golem that always drops an ore every time you kill one.

Then if you kill a hundred of them, naturally a hundred ores will drop.

Then can you carry all hundred of them around? There’s no way that’s possible. But if you return and re-enter, days pass.

So normally, you farm items up to the inventory limit, use identification magic to check the options, and throw the garbage ones on the ground.

This farming method, called “Appraisal Run,” is the most basic but truly essential farming method that works all the way up to Act 12.

“This skill will serve me well for a long time. It’s convenient too.”

The only thing that seriously concerns me is that my MP is 3.

“Let’s see. So now it’s time for ore analysis, is it?”

Ayla had given me a considerable amount of Mana Potions, so even if I spent the whole day appraising them and only analyzing useful items, today wouldn’t be enough.

“Hey. What should I do?”

“Just waiting here and watching…”

I fell into thought for a moment at Patrasche’s question.

Even so, I’d been using the guy who finally appeared after 300 years as a cart horse, so giving him a bit of freedom wouldn’t hurt.

“Under the condition that you don’t attack humans or cause trouble, you can wander around nearby for a bit.”

“…Oh. Really?”

“However, if you do cause trouble, I’ll consult the Fairy Queen and replace you with another fairy, so keep that in mind.”

“Kihihi. Got it. I got it! Then I’ll be off!”

With that, Patrasche whooshed out the door.

As I focused on appraising for a while, I heard footsteps outside the door.

“Wolfram, are you there?”

“…?”

I turned my gaze and there was Ayla, cautiously looking this way.

Could you.

Stop coming already.

Let me live for myself, please.

—

Second Year Magic Department Dormitory.

Since the current student council president is from the Magic Department, and also in the same grade, the prestige of the second-year Magic Department students could be said to pierce the heavens.

Especially Eve von Lohengrin, who could be called the pinnacle, uses the entire top floor of the public dormitory—this was not Eve’s request or privilege, but rather to protect the student council president’s privacy and to show her authority to all students.

However, for someone using an entire floor, the interior design was excessively simple. To be precise, it felt like looking at a well-made model house with only the necessary items placed.

But the student council president is the ruler of Zefflin’s hundred thousand. Although the dormitory itself is clean, reflecting the president’s own temperament, those invited to the dormitory are always bound to be caught up in immense schemes and conspiracies befitting her position.

And today, another lamb was caught in that scheme and invited to Eve’s dormitory.

“…Hoo. Miss Nepheterian. Just sit comfortably. What exactly is this scheme? I’d like to hear it too.”

“Y-yes.”

Eve, as if soothing Nephti who seemed to be thinking that way, sat down comfortably, and Nephti, though fidgeting, sat across from Eve.

“Would you like some tea?”

“…I-I’m sorry. I’m really fine.”

“You seemed much more relaxed when dealing with Wolfram—I mean, the former student council president. Why are you so stiff with me? We’re the same grade, aren’t we?”

“W-well, that’s because… Senior Wolfram doesn’t have any power.”

“…”

“Ah, no. Because I can be really comfortable with him.”

“Wasn’t Miss Nepheterian’s title ‘Faith’?”

“It’s lacking, but I do have that title. Ehehe. Ah, please call me Nephti comfortably, President!”

“I see. Miss Nephti.”

“Eheh.”

Saying that, she laughs foolishly.

Where exactly is the faith in that?

Eve shook her slightly throbbing head.

“Anyway, I’m sorry for suddenly abducting you, Miss Nephti. I didn’t want to make this kind of invitation, but… a concerning report came in.”

“…Yes.”

“Last weekend’s morning. Third-year Magic Department Wolfram. Magic Department Rudika Hassan Shadow. Knight Department Nepheterian. And a giant red wolf headed toward the Eastern Forest area. There was a report.”

“Yes. That’s correct. …We went and came back.”

“I see. Then can you report in detail what kind of adventure you had there?”

“…”

Nephti flinched, then began trembling.

“D-do I have to tell you everything?”

“Of course. Shall I invoke the student council president’s decree?”

“Ugh, b-but I’m sorry. I-I can’t sell out my companions. I-I’d be grateful if you’d just end it with my life…”

“Oh my.”

Judging by the attitude she showed just moments ago, I thought she’d sell out her companions to save her own skin, but her eyes were teary yet shining.

Eve can essentially tell whether a person is good or bad, and because of that, she can form preconceptions. And right now, her intuition was telling her that it would be difficult to extract anything from Nephti through threats.

She let out a small sigh. So there are people like this jewel beside Wolfram—she felt a slight pang of jealousy.

“It’s not a threat.”

“Y-yes?”

“Mhm. First, let me briefly explain about the student council handover between Wolfram and me.”

However, Eve von Lohengrin.

Despite her young age, she is a prodigy evaluated as second only to the First Emperor in magic.

Having built and cultivated her own faction even amid the imperial court’s political struggles, she knew all too well how to guide someone with a upright and pure personality like Nephti’s.

“It’s for Wolfram.”

“For Wolfram-sama?”

“Yes. Because there are too many eyes watching him right now. Can you tell me?”

“Mhm. Well then, first I have one thing I’d like to ask too.”

“Oh my, I don’t really like having a question answered with a question… Fine. Go ahead.”

If she could get information from Nephti, she was prepared to exchange fairly important information in return.

Eventually, Nephti caught her breath and whispered cautiously into Eve’s ear.

“Um, are the great First Emperor’s relics really all managed by the imperial family?”

“?”

“If one were to acquire one, would the imperial family secretly buy it?”

“Pardon?”

Eve, still smiling, floated a question mark above her head.

—

Ayla barged in, spread out her books and notes, and started studying.

“This is a place to sell things, not a place to study.”

“I won’t disturb you. I came here because I was disturbed too.”

“I won’t say there are many customers, but for studying, there are better places…”

“Just get me about a hundred thousand lin worth of drinks and snacks, please.”

“Do you need a lap blanket?”

At my words, Ayla smiled brightly.

Ah, if you’re paying a hundred thousand lin to study, I can even throw in some freshly made madeleines as service.

So for a while, only the whirring sound of my appraisal skill activation and Ayla’s rustling filled the convenience store.

“…Oh.”

The peculiar silence was broken by my small cheer.

**【Scorching Ore】**

**【9T】**

**【An ore that radiates heat. The user can control the temperature with their mana amount.】**

**【Additional Effect】**

**【When carried, applies a faint mental protection effect.**】

A pretty decent option rolled out. Magically enchanted ores like this aren’t easy to come by.

“Did you get a good additional effect?”

“Mhm. Not bad.”

“I see. Congratulations.”

“How’s the studying going?”

“Ugh… It’s not rebellious.”

“Not rebellious.”

“Yes. It’s really not rebellious studying.”

Translating Ayla-speak, it probably means something like “I don’t like it” or “it’s rigid studying.”

But if I let her off here, she won’t be able to beat Regina.

“Even so, you have to see it through. That’s how rebellion succeeds.”

“Right. Rebellion…”

“You have to rebel.”

“…Yes. I have to rebel.”

I placed the Scorching Ore next to Ayla with a thud.

“…What is it? Scorching Ore? It’s warm, though. …And, hmm. …Hmmmm.”

Ayla basked in the heat of the Scorching Ore and melted languidly.

Like brown sugar melting, not black crystal.

“The appraisal result says it has a faint mental protection effect.”

“…Thank you.”

Come to think of it, she’s a little pink too.

You know, that system that shows heroines’ affection levels.

Come to think of it, seeing it this way doesn’t necessarily mean it’s [Romantic Affection].

If their mood worsens or you choose the wrong option, it can turn back to white, or reverse course to blue, or even crash and burn to black.

It was the same when playing the main story from Kelterus’s perspective.

You could raise affection with non-heroine characters too, and of course, since there was no route for those characters, it just raised the bond level and ended.

So I can’t classify what kind of feelings Ayla, Nephti, and Rudika hold toward me.

Trust. Favor. Affection. I can’t fully tell which category they fall into.

So I decided to test this affection system.

Is this romantic affection? Or not?

“Ayla.”

“Yes?”

“Rebellion.”

“Wow!”

It turned a little more pink.

……

“Rebellion.”

“As expected!”

Once again, it turned pink.

“You have to pull off the rebellion.”

“Of course!”

Once again, it turned pink.

“……Rebellion.”

“Yes!”

So it can become even more pink than this.

Watching Ayla’s transformation, I shrugged my shoulders.

What is this.

It’s definitely a bug.

She raised “Romantic Affection” just by hearing the word rebellion?

Haha, where in the world would such a crazy person exist?

“Hoo. I knew this would happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. It’s about rebellion.”

“…Ehehe”

Romantic affection? Heroines? Routes?

There’s no way such things exist for Wolfram.

Isn’t this a buggy trash game?