HTACS 88

Chapter 88

Rudika smiled brightly.

“Rudika’s suffocation was because her view was too narrow. The world is vast. People, and this sea, are vast.”

“Zefflin is vast. If you spend your time with a narrow perspective, you’ll only suffer.”

I don’t really know why she was suffering.

That’s the nature of Rudika Hassan Shadow’s character.

You can take her as a companion.

But even the moment Kelterus enrolls, Rudika is already a third-year.

After fourth year, no matter what route you take, she graduates.

An assassin who cuts down Kelterus if he takes the wrong path early on.

And with overwhelming stats, she carries you through first and second year.

As I said before, Rudika—【limited to surprise attacks】—can even take down Eve von Lohengrin in one blow. Of course, if you give Eve even a single day to prepare for an ambush, it’s Rudika who loses.

Anyway, you fall for her overwhelming performance! This feeling—it’s undoubtedly love! Even if you shout that, she’ll disappear in third year regardless.

There were quite a few people who said, “Professor, thank you for the bus ride!” I also rode that bus heavily in the early game.

But even if you pour all your resources into Rudika, she graduates and leaves. The void left by that professor is immense.

Because of those reasons, not a few people worshipped Rudika, but officially, what kind of heart Rudika Hassan Shadow lived with, and what kind of person she was, was never properly revealed.

Even reading the setting book, it only says “Assassin of the southern Hassan Shadow family.”

So I don’t know why she was suffering.

I don’t even know what kind of life she’ll live after graduating next year.

What is certain is that she’ll be at Zefflin for another two years—so there’s only one thing I can say.

“You should spend the next two years without regrets in your school life.”

“…Yeah. I will.”

Rudika and I watched the sea for a while.

“……Thank you, Wolfram.”

“Don’t mention it. A good store owner sometimes listens to their regulars’ troubles.”

“Ahaha…”

After that, we didn’t speak with words anymore.

I clenched my fist and trembled slightly.

This is really, truly like a youth drama. No joke.

I’ve lived a life far removed from youth, so I’ve always admired this kind of thing.

“HIIIYAAAAAHOOOOO!!”

There was one human dolphin swimming in the distance making sounds like “WOOOHOOO!” but we didn’t look that way—we didn’t want to ruin this warm, sentimental pubescent vibe.

That damn Nephti.

Then again, isn’t that also its own kind of youth?

—

Two hours later, at high noon, Nephti walked out of the sea.

Soaked to the bone, with clinging clothes that didn’t seem to bother her at all, she beamed.

“I had so much fun swimming!”

“Did you encounter any sea monsters?”

“Yes, but I beat them all!”

I see, beat them all.

“Hmm. Good work.”

“Yes!”

Come to think of it, I could see the corpses of Sword Horn Fish and Purple Octopus behind Nephti.

“It was a truly great combat swim!”

“Hmm.”

Is that what combat swimming is?

“It’s nice and warm!”

Watching Nephti dry her clothes by the bonfire, I finally remembered something.

“Nephti, do you have spare uniforms?”

“Yes, one set.”

“If you go into the sea and immediately dry your clothes by the fire, the fabric wears out easily. Make sure to wash them as soon as you get back.”

“Yes, Senior! But right now, I’m enjoying this warmth! To lose this moment just to worry about clothes would be too much of a waste! Enjoying the sea! Fighting and winning against seafood! Drying myself off! This is the most fun right now!”

With that, Nephti hummed a tune in front of the bonfire Patrasche had lit.

She must be really enjoying herself.

And the mindset of not losing the present to worries about the future was very Nephti-like.

“So, are we just gathering ingredients and heading back today?”

“Hmm. Today I plan to try something a little different.”

“What is it?”

“Here, we have ingredients gathered on the way, captured beasts, the seafood Nephti won in battle, and seasonings scattered on the ground.”

“Ah, so we’re eating here?”

“Hmm.”

“Good idea. The scenery is nice and the breeze is pleasant—perfect for a meal.”

Rudika nodded as she said that.

A fairly ordinary reaction. But what if I bring this out?

“Among the ingredients we’ve obtained… there’s something that suits both your taste and mine, Rudika.”

“What? That means…”

“Incomparable to the red pepper from the Sleeping Mountain Range.”

“……”

“Crazy Hot Chili Peppers—with up to five times the spiciness.”

I smiled brightly, and Rudika smiled back, clasping my hand.

“…Please exclude me. I have no confidence in putting that crazy stuff on top.”

Nephti, drying her clothes, looked at me in horror.

She just doesn’t understand good flavor.

—

The Crazy Hot Chili Pepper sauce made at Heavenly Altitude received great praise from Rudika.

“It’s spicy! Truly spicy! Rudika likes it!”

“Hmm.”

By my standards, it’s slightly lacking—but Rudika seems satisfied with this much.

It’s not at the Buldak level—more like the “this place does spicy well” level of gochujang stir-fried pork. A little disappointing.

Anyway, the meal went quite pleasantly. The cooking method was nothing more than lightly salting thoroughly washed ingredients and grilling them.

Literally just a beach barbecue, but having a meal with close friends is always enjoyable.

“Come to think of it, Senior Rudika, can you really not taste anything except spiciness?”

“Due to training, I’ve lost most of my senses except for pain. To be precise, they’ve been sealed away.”

“Sealed?”

“Hmm. All Shadows undergo training to seal away their senses one by one. Not just me, but Cecil and everyone else. …I can’t say more than this—it’s the Hassan Shadow family’s secret art. Please understand.”

“Ah, I apologize. It was purely out of curiosity. Please forget it.”

“It’s fine. Rudika and Nephti are friends!”

“Ahaha, that’s right!”

Oh, so that’s the setting. I should make a note.

So it’s not that senses were deleted, but that they were sealed?

Rudika’s setting book entry was short, so there’s fun in discovering things gradually.

Rudika stared at the seasoning, then nodded with an “Mhm.”

As if she’d made a decision, as if she’d shaken something off.

“Wolfram, could you pack some of this spicy sauce for me? Ah, could I ask for a generous amount?”

“It’s not a difficult request.”

“Thank you.”

With that, we finished our meal and returned as if nothing had happened.

We encountered monsters a few times on the way back, but nothing major.

However, Nephti said something strange.

“Senior, I’ve decided.”

“Decided what?”

“About the Royal Guard.”

“Ah, that.”

“Yes. Honestly, I’m still not sure whether I want to be a Royal Guard or the Gluco Village guard captain. But…”

“But?”

“Apparently, if I apply for the Royal Guard, the Knight Department will arrange special classes for me. They say I’ll also learn etiquette befitting an imperial family’s personal guard.”

“Ah… I remember those classes. They also offered scholarships.”

“Yes! …The scholarship isn’t the main thing, though. Well, it is important. But anyway.”

It was a class you had to take in Eve’s route. Still, it helped with stat growth, so it didn’t feel like a loss.

“To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was suited for the Royal Guard. But today, seeing the sea, swimming, and experiencing so many new things, I realized something.”

“What?”

“That there’s no reason to hesitate when it comes to learning something new. I don’t want to miss the chance to learn about a new world.”

“I see.”

“And if I really want to walk the path of the Royal Guard… Senior, then…”

Nephti hesitated and looked at me.

If I wanted to walk the path of the Royal Guard? Hmm?

Ah, that’s what it is.

“The recommendation letter is still open. And you’re still the top candidate.”

“……Ah. So I’m still number one… Hehe.”

“However, I have no intention of recommending someone who doesn’t meet the standards.”

“Yes! I’ll strive to learn!”

Strive to learn.

It’s an odd phrase, but very Nephti-like.

“Then I’ll go apply for the classes! Ah, but first, laundry!”

With that, Nephti dashed toward the academy district as soon as we exited the portal.

Her face seemed oddly flushed.

“Nephti is amazing. That drive to challenge and improve—I think it’s her greatest strength.”

“Hmm.”

Her vocabulary is getting complex again, Rudika-nim.

“Rudika should also learn a little.”

“Learn what?”

“I’m not sure. First, I’ll try inviting my sister to have lunch together tomorrow. She’ll probably accept that much.”

With that, Rudika left with a look of determination.

I don’t know the details, but it seems everyone’s worries have been resolved.

Now the convenience store won’t have a gloomy atmosphere anymore.

“Let’s go back, Patrasche.”

—

I returned to the convenience store.

The next day, as expected, was muscle soreness.

Ah, really.

Enough.

—

The day after that, my body felt surprisingly fine.

So I decided to start working right away.

I took out the fruits, flour, butter, and milk stored in the magic stone refrigerator, and also brought out a scale.

These ingredients from Heavenly Altitude have incredibly high freshness.

Partly because they’re farmed ingredients rather than store-bought, but also because this map wasn’t designed to be cleared early on—that also plays a big role.

Though Emily Hymelody’s route is one that flies into space, it’s still a legitimate route, and the map opened through its bonus couldn’t possibly be an early-game map.

Of course, the downside is that we only farmed the outskirts of Heavenly Altitude.

Still, it’s comparable to ingredients from around mid-Act 4. Of course, if you go toward the center of the island, they become almost Act 9-level. I’ll definitely have to go farming there later.

Anyway, with these ingredients, I activated Magical Patissier.

“Wow. Senior, are you making sweets?”

“Oh my, Wolfram. Are you making sweets after so long?”

At that moment, Mille-feuille—who had been consulting Ayla about how to change her alias from 【Iron Fist】 to something like 【Magical Puncher】 because she hated it—returned.

Naturally, Ayla was with her.

“Hmm. I wanted to raise my proficiency.”

I said that as I washed fruits and made dough, recalling what was needed for Magical Patissier proficiency grinding.

In short:

[Make more sweets]

[Make higher-quality sweets]

[Make more magical sweets]

[Make higher-quality magical sweets]

The further down the list, the faster proficiency rises—and high-quality magical sweets require good ingredients.

So today, I decided to go all the way.

You shouldn’t make easy sweets with good ingredients. Instead, you have to make something truly difficult.

Let’s see—how about a shortcake topped with mixed strawberry chips? What should I use for decoration?

**【Magical Patissier activated.】**

**【MIX WEET!】**

**【Sunlight Great Success!】**

**【The blessing of the Goddess of Sweets descends!】**

**【Two sturdy protective spells are bestowed upon the sweets!】**

I activated Mix Weet—combining sweets together—and a different message appeared than before.

Normally, “Dreamlight Great Success” is standard, but “Sunlight” appeared instead.

And “Sunlight” isn’t a Magical Patissier message.

In other words—

Finally, it’s here.

**【Skill proficiency met—Skill rank up!】**

**【8T Magical Patissier has evolved into 7T Shining Patissier!】**

**【Buffs of up to 6-tier can now be applied to sweets!】**

Magical Patissier had finally evolved into 7-tier Shining Patissier, surpassing its proficiency limit.

A light feeling of omnipotence made me tremble.

Something is developing. I’m moving forward—that realization filled my chest.

“Would you like to taste it?”

At my offer, the two simply nodded quietly.

I sliced the shortcake—the first completed work of Shining Patissier—and handed it to them. They took their forks, cut small pieces, and put them in their mouths simultaneously.

“Th-this taste—light cream gently wrapping over fluffy sponge. The cream, not too sweet, brings out the strawberry flavor on top!”

“I don’t have the eloquence to give a detailed review, but it’s a taste that warms you. Simple yet deep, and kind. A taste that fills the heart.”

“Truly a rebellious taste!”

“A taste that makes you want to be together.”

What’s this.

Why are they suddenly reacting like judges from a cooking manga?

Reactions?

Ah, aah, right.

“Come to think of it, there was that setting.”

From Shining Patissier onward, tasting triggers reactions.

This is a feature that exists even in the official game.

“I see. This is Wolfram’s current full-effort skill. Truly excellent. This sweet can surely achieve rebellion.”

“I may not have tasted your sweets the most, Senior, but the sweets I’ve tasted the most are yours. So I can say for certain… Right now, you’ve spread your wings further than the place I knew.”

So from now on, every time I make a dessert, I have to hear that kind of praise?

“……I just worked hard.”

Why do I have to endure such embarrassment?

I glanced at the shortcake—the fruit of my effort.

It felt as if the sunlit shortcake was smiling brightly at me.