HTACS 62

Chapter 62

Back in the old days, there was a series of games called the Demon Hunter series.

In each act of that game, there was a gambling NPC where buying items would randomly give you Magic, Rare, Unique, or Set grades. Naturally, higher grades meant lower probabilities.

Why am I telling this story? Because the Black Market is exactly that kind of place.

You never know what you’ll get until you crack open the item quality and use an identification scroll or Item Appraisal.

“Welcome. What are you looking for?”

“Do you carry status-effect fruits, including Explosive Fruits and Paralysis Fruits?”

“Of course we do! Take your pick!”

“Mhm.”

The merchant smiled confidently and nodded, and I stared intently at the fruits.

**【Item Check】**

**【Explosive Fruit. Paralysis Fruit. Illusion Fruit. Explosive Fruit (was). Paralysis Fruit (not).】**

…Ha. Look at this guy.

The ones with “(was)” or “(not)” attached are ‘unusable items.’ They look the same on the outside, but they’re trash that won’t even sell for 1 lin at a shop. Spoiled, or junk quality.

Yes. This is what the Black Market should be.

“Then this one, this one, and that one.”

“…You’re not buying the rest?”

“I only deal in high-quality goods.”

The merchant’s smile froze coldly, and soon he glared at me with a sour expression.

I smiled and looked at Eve—no, at Nephti—and she immediately stepped between me and the merchant, guarding me.

“Quick.”

“Competent guard. What are you going to do?”

“Tch. Fine. Wait a moment.”

The merchant deftly picked out the fruits and put them in a bag, and I watched closely to make sure he didn’t swap them out. He didn’t pull any tricks—conscientious.

As we walked through the market after the transaction, Nephti asked a question.

“Why didn’t you buy the rest?”

“…Why would I pay my own money to buy trash?”

“…Are you saying they’re fake?”

“Yes.”

“Shouldn’t we report them? In Zefflin, how can…”

“This is Zefflin, but it’s not Zefflin. The mindset of the sellers in the Black Market is this.”

“What is it?”

“The Black Market is a world where both sides are gambling. If you sell bad goods and someone buys them without knowing, the buyer is more at fault. That’s the logic.”

“…What a trashy mindset. This really is the Black Market.”

“Right. It is. It’s a truly trashy place. But there are items you can only get here. And what’s even more trashy than that is…”

“And?”

“No. Nothing.”

I glanced further into the Black Market.

This ‘commercial street’ at the entrance is a relatively cute place.

Just merchants running scams.

But the deeper part of that Black Market is filled with unimaginable filth.

“Nephti. Even if you have to come here in the future, never go deeper inside.”

“Yes. Y-yes…?”

“Never go inside.”

“Understood.”

I touched my face briefly and rubbed my throat.

**【Fake Face】** **【Fake Voice】**

Though their low tier means they break easily, these two horrifying 8-tier spells gave birth to the terrifying darkness within the Black Market.

I still feel the illusion that the darkness of ‘Kelterus’s Corruption Route’ automatically replays in my head.

“Oh my, I’m Eve von Lohengrin!’ ‘Step aside. I’m Ayla Trista. Who do you think I am?’ ‘Fufufu. My name is Regina Sierra. The Great Magic Merchant. Eldest daughter of the Sierra family!’ ‘The Light Hero Kelterus! Appearing here! Everyone’s been waiting, right? The hero is here!'”

What do the countless ‘expelled students’ and ‘failing students’ dream of?

It’s living a life like the ‘academy celebrities.’

And what came to them as salvation was ‘Fake Face’ and ‘Fake Voice.’

Inside that Black Market, countless people who’ve changed their faces to famous figures are swarming.

They call themselves Kelterus, Ayla, Eve, etc.

They play roles.

They do it sincerely.

I’m not joking—seriously.

Since there’s no spell to change the body itself, only face and voice change—but when a 198cm tall man with Rudika’s face says things like “I am Rudika. The Abyssal Assassin. You too shall sleep in the shadows”… it’s really…

*Gulp.*

“…Anyway, stay away from that darkness.”

“Huh? Yes. Anyway, I won’t have any reason to come here.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. I still want to earn money with a clear conscience!”

Nephti’s words were filled with conviction.

Well then.

That’s a relief.

—

Back at the convenience store, I began preparing for work.

I was running low on stamina after going out for the first time in a while, but Nephti quickly helped me get ready.

“Everything’s ready.”

“…Mhm.”

Various beans for the Mix Beans.

Flasks and basic reagents for potion crafting. Ores. Fruits.

Even the crafting kit for Handy Worker was neatly set up—I nodded approvingly.

“Clean work.”

“Thank you.”

“This is why your work never dries up. Truly befitting the ace of the Knight Department’s second year.”

“Wow… It’s been a while since I heard that.”

“Been a while?”

“Yes. Lately, I don’t get called by that name much. I feel like I get called ‘Nep’ more often.”

Nephti brought her index finger to her chin, pondered for a moment, then went *heheh* and laughed.

This girl.

So bland.

“Then, since I might interfere with your work, I’ll be going now!”

“Mhm. Aren’t you curious what I’m making?”

“I am, but I have a night shift at the site now!”

“Hardworking.”

“I need a lot of money!”

Wearing an armband that read “Safety First” and pulling her gloves back on, Nephti prepared to leave the convenience store. Watching her back—her excited back that genuinely seemed to enjoy labor—what I felt was curiosity.

In the original, Nephti had a setting of being poor, but she wasn’t a character who was this desperate for money.

“Nephti. Why are you so obsessed with money? Are you that strapped for cash?”

“Huh? Ah. Hmm.”

At my question, Nephti fell into thought for a moment, then smiled brightly as if it was nothing.

“Well, actually, Senior… you see…”

“Speak freely. I asked, after all.”

“Y-yes. If I were just supporting myself, I probably wouldn’t need to send any more money home. My mother also started a small business, she said. Ehe. I do have three younger siblings, though. They’re all really cute!”

“But?”

“My siblings said they want to come to Zefflin. Setting aside whether they can get in or not, the entrance exam fees alone are no joke. So I have to work hard.”

“……”

She’s earning money for her siblings.

That’s not her usual blunt tone.

In front of her siblings, she becomes that kind of older sister.

“And personally, I’d like my siblings to come to Zefflin too.”

“Wouldn’t that make things harder for you, having to cover their tuition too?”

“That’s true, but… Zefflin is a really great place. There are people like Senior Wolfram here, aren’t there? If they can just get in, I think things will work out somehow.”

“I see.”

Tch.

If you say things like that to an uncle like me, my tear ducts are weak—I might start crying.

“…Nephti. Take this.”

“H-huh? …A potion?”

“A health recovery potion with a 【Vitality Boost】 option added. Mhm. The flavor is probably strawberry.”

It was a triple-layered potion: potion crafting + Handy Work + Mix Sweets.

“…An enchanted potion?! Wouldn’t this sell for at least 40,000 lin?! And it even tastes good?”

“That much, I suppose.”

“Th-then if I sell this, I can get meal tickets…”

“It’s an instruction from the giver. Drink it when you’re exhausted.”

“……Ugh.”

Tch.

Kid.

Listen to your uncle.

“When your siblings come later—if your stamina ends up like mine, they’d be thrilled.”

“…That’s true.”

Nephti went *heheh* and tucked the potion into her chest.

Then just before leaving, she tilted her head, looked at me, and asked innocently:

“But Senior.”

“What.”

“How can I lower my stamina to your level?”

“……”

Hey.

Give that potion back.

I’ll just drink it and die.

—

And the next day.

I gathered the items I’d made and headed to the student council room.

“Ah, Wolfram-san. Long time no see.”

“Long time no see.”

“We received a lot of help from you on the last expedition. Thank you.”

“Mhm. Keep supporting that girl well from now on.”

“Y-yes!”

“Ah, Wolfram-san, hello!”

“Good work.”

Most of the greetings directed at me were filled with goodwill.

Most of them were executives who had been on the expedition together, and as I lightly returned their greetings, I headed to the student council room where Eve was.

When you do good deeds, people recognize you—it seems the encouragement from the last expedition helped quite a bit.

“…Tch. Why are you here?”

“……”

“Answer me! Wolfram von Lohengrin!”

“……”

If not for that silver-haired ear-puller—

No, the 【Spirit Knight】 Silphia Evergreen Grove.

“I… see.”

What now.

“That time. I said this: I’d rather die than accept your help! And… and I ended up accepting your help. I see, have you come to take my life?”

“……”

“Yes. If you’re going to take it, cleanly—take my neck here. Grant me a death without shame!”

In front of the student council room, the former student council president is going to behead the current student council president’s right-hand?

Even Ayla would say Wolfram’s gone crazy—that’s the level of this idea.

Does she have a sewage system that spews delusions instead of a brain? Is her brain pickled in something?

“Move aside. I have something to say to Eve.”

“You’re not going to take my neck?”

“Yeah. I have no intention of doing that. Today, I’m here for a review regarding the sports festival.”

“…I-is that so. Hm. Understood. I’ll properly fill out the paperwork here and… follow me.”

Guided by the Spirit Knight—no, Delusion Knight—I was able to have a private audience with Eve.

Now then.

This is the real battleground.

—

As expected, Eve read the documents I handed over seriously, then let out a deep sigh.

“Wolfram. Wolfram von Lohengrin.”

“What is it, Eve von Lohengrin.”

“The documents you submitted. Here it says ‘Support potion packages and assorted snacks for parents.'”

“Mhm. That’s right. Parents might inhale a lot of dust or suffer from heatstroke, after all.”

“There’s no other trick, is there?”

Oh my, how could you say such mean things?

What are the kids these days learning?

“…T-trick? Heup. What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, you’re not selling some suspicious junk, are you! You’re famous for making weird things, and these ‘potions’ you’re talking about are suspicious!”

“Hm.”

Oh my, oh my—look at her. Eyes wide open like that—are you trying to make me join the student council?

And what kind of tricks do you think I’m pulling that you’re widening your eyes like that? Goodness, I’m appalled.

Just a little. Just a tiny bit—

“It’s a potion that makes you feel good.”

“Are you crazy?!”

“Hm. Don’t get angry, put the light spear away, straighten your chest, steady your breathing. Eve von Lohengrin. Listen carefully.”

“…Hoo. Hoo. Fine. Say it. Make sure I don’t have to stick this light spear between your eyebrows.”

“Good. You know about how potions work, right? Simply put, there are two main types. One is 【Enchanted Potions】—they can restore even someone without mana in one dose. The other is 【Regular Potions】—they rapidly promote bodily functions.”

“That’s right.”

“However, 【Enchanted Potions】 carry the risk of mana contamination, so basically only people with mana aptitude are supposed to take them. But the parents are ordinary people. Enchanted potions are dangerous.”

“……So?”

“But this regular potion promotes various bodily functions while causing a slight rebound effect. If you recover quickly from wounds, you get a bit dizzy; if you raise your resistance, your body gets a bit warm… but as long as you follow the dosage, it’s safe for ordinary people. Right?”

“Th-that’s right…?”

“Then isn’t it inevitable to dilute it to prevent mana contamination, raise resistance, and clear away dust—and as a result, there’s a slight rebound effect? That can’t be helped, right?”

“……Isn’t that just intoxication?”

“For intoxication, alcohol components would have to be detected. Does this potion contain alcohol? Look at the ingredient analysis.”

“……There… isn’t any…?”

“Then what is it? Is this a potion or alcohol?”

“Uh, what?”

“Is it alcohol or not?”

“…It’s not… alcohol…?”

“Right.”

“…Th-then, um. I can approve it, right?”

“Right. And what did it say? It says ‘for sale to parents’—so can you call it drinking when adults follow the dosage and consume potions?”

“Uh, no… not really?”

“Right.”

“…And there are no bad effects either. The unsteadiness from the rebound of recovery. But in the long run, it’s unconditionally a stat-boosting effect.”

“It’s a potion, after all. Think about it again. Is this alcohol?”

“Al-alcohol? No… I don’t think so.”

“**【It is not.**】”

“It’s not.”

“Mhm.”

“Fine. I’ll grant the sales permit.”

“Mhm.”

With her eyes spinning in circles, Eve eventually pressed the student council seal firmly onto my application form.

See.

Even the Student Council President says it’s not alcohol.