Chapter 177
Chapter 177
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: Wolfram Crew
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Wolfram von Loengrin was gearing up to stir up trouble once again.
This rumor spread quietly among Jefrin's upperclassmen... the third- and fourth-years, in other words.
But no one could stand up to that overwhelming force of evil.
If they could have, Eve von Loengrin wouldn't have needed the imperial decree to usurp Wolfram's throne.
A sheep is a sheep from the moment it's born.
And the Loengrins, guardians of the Mid realm that protects this continent, are predators from the instant they're born—no matter how wicked they might be.
How could mere sheep escape the fangs of that utterly ruthless wolf?
All they could do was hope another wolf would appear to protect them.
And then, at dawn, Eve von Loengrin raised her banner like a ray of light... and it seemed Wolfram von Loengrin's history was about to be buried in darkness.
But in this cycle of despair and salvation, the sheep had accomplished nothing on their own.
That's why they had no way to stop Wolfram von Loengrin... or that force of evil... from reclaiming its throne.
Sheep who couldn't rise from despair on their own, forever waiting for miracles from others, never learned to save themselves.
They could only console themselves that their own graduation was at most a year and a half away... and hope their juniors, who would endure longer years at Jefrin, stayed vigilant and avoided the wolf as much as possible.
And hope that Eve, now in power, would crush Wolfram once more.
Even now, in this very place, one Knight Division student was desperately warning a junior about how dangerous Wolfram von Loengrin truly was.
First-years knew nothing.
They had enrolled during Eve von Loengrin's reign and never personally witnessed Wolfram von Loengrin's misdeeds.
"Got it? Don't get anywhere near that imperial prince. This is the best advice we... your seniors... can give you."
"...Yes, Senior."
"You guys are lucky, seriously. Do you have any idea how dangerous Jefrin was when Wolfram was Student Council President? ...Things are running smoothly now because Eve's in charge. If not... whew..."
"......Is Eve really that amazing?"
"Of course! She ousted that Wolfram from the Student Council President's seat, and despite her overwhelming magic power, she never abuses it. Do you know how peaceful and livable Jefrin has been in the six months since she took over?"
"......I see."
The first-year nodded at his senior's words, but doubts lingered.
If so,
then why was the former Student Council President still lingering at Jefrin?
Why was the former Student Council President pulling a cart from six in the morning, providing drinks to everyone?
Why did the former Student Council President... so casually, so offhandedly, yet so warmly... encourage and cheer them on?
"...Yes. Understood, Senior."
And why did they all... deep in their hearts... feel such fervor for the man cloaked as Wolfram von Loengrin?
The first-year simply nodded obediently to his sky-high seniors' instructions.
But in his heart, he stayed true to what he'd seen, heard, and felt for himself.
At least for anyone who'd visited Wolfram von Loengrin's cart even once... he wasn't an enemy. He was closer to an idol.
It was an autumn afternoon.
Even after negotiating my rent down with Aila, my rented convenience store was still divided into three main areas: the main hall stocked with goods, a rest space for meals, and deep inside, the boss's office.
With the cheaper rent freeing up space, I'd impulsively rented the most secluded vacant room to use as a storeroom.
And now...
...it was on the verge of exploding.
"...Huh. How did it come to this...?"
I muttered it aloud, then poked at my lips in surprise at my own words.
Normally, my Imperial Bloodline skill clamped down on any whining like that, but even Wolfram couldn't keep quiet! Pretty shocking. What was with all this stuff?
Thinking back, I'd leveled up my production skills by churning out all sorts of things, then shoved the rotting ingredients into storage haphazardly, and boom—it burst.
This is why inventory management is a must, but why doesn't real life have an auto-sort button? Is this a trash game or what?
"Time to sort the stock."
No helping it.
My Dexterity was up to 16 now, and I had mountains of things to make and do ahead.
Time to empty this storeroom as much as possible.
Right now, that was the only answer.
So, how to go about clearing it out?
As I pondered that, Milmyu sidled up beside me.
"Senior? What are you doing in the storeroom?"
"Sorting inventory."
"...Ah. It has piled up a bit. Hehe. I was thinking it needed a cleanup too."
"You think so too, Milmyu?"
"So, how are you planning to do it? It'd be a shame to just discard everything, right?"
"No discarding. I'd love to blow it all out at cost... but finding buyers is the issue."
The cart had limited space, and while I could push the Student Council for a bulk buy and let Eve handle it, she'd probably stab me in the gut over budget issues.
Selling to Trista felt off, and strong-arming grad students? Nah, not my style.
Begging Yggdrasil or Maestro for a buyout? Our history with them wasn't great.
"Especially these useless brooches—they're a real headache."
"...Ah, those."
"Yeah. And there's way too much metal piled up in general. For a convenience store, no less. Tricky."
Right. The brooches and metal scraps I'd handed out to the kids before, plus hundreds—thousands?—of accessory frames I'd noob-grinded out back then. That was the big problem. (Not the Golden Wolf ones I just gave out recently.)
"Senior. Could you... reshape these easily? Just tweak the appearance a bit."
"...Huh? Yeah, possible."
"...I see. In that case, mind if I lend a hand?"
"You, Milmyu?"
"Yes. Hehe. Don't underestimate me—I'm top of my year, you know?"
With that, Milmyu looked up at me with bright, clear eyes and smiled.
A few days after Wolfram and Milmyu's secret meeting.
A subtle rumor began circulating among the first-years.
There was a way to obtain an item symbolizing the Golden Wolf.
The Golden Wolf.
It was slang among first-years for the man who sparked curiosity, admiration, fervor... and sometimes even faith.
They couldn't call him by name or former title outright—seniors would notice—so they'd settled on this nickname.
He'd stepped down from the throne, but that only made him more enigmatic.
Wolfram von Loengrin, by name.
The name came from the fact that all his followers—the Four Guardian Beasts of the Golden Wolf... sometimes called the Black Four Seats... or the Four Heavenly Kings—wore golden wolf badges on their uniform chests.
Just the lineup of those wearing them:
Aila Trista, the beautiful, mysterious, and utterly ethereal "Black Crystal" who shone like obsidian.
Nepthelian, the "Knight of Trust" who always led everyone like the brightest star in the sky.
Rudika Hassan Shadow, the "Abyss Dagger" who swung the coldest blade from the darkest shadows.
Milmyu von Sabre, the strongest of the East feathers, untouchable "Iron Fist."
And Sylphia Evergreengrove, the Student Council's most loyal sword and the current president's right hand, the "Spirit Knight."
Not a single one could be left out—they were the ultimate celebrities of the era.
Especially since he'd stolen the current president's right hand—the one who'd dragged him down—and made her his subordinate. That destructive move alone was enough to draw gasps of awe from everyone.
In modern terms from Wolfram's old life, it was like the "ultra-cool max edition badge."
For first-years secretly idolizing him, it was something they burned with desire to own, eyes blazing.
If they couldn't snag an official one, they'd pool orders in groups... but if they got caught, they might get killed on the spot. Still, they wanted it bad!
But now, a way to get one? How?
"I want it... I want one too..."
As one student sobbed those words, a business card with a wolf emblem dropped in front of her.
The back simply read: "7 PM. On the way to Magic Division Classroom 8."
"...What's this?"
But there was no mistaking it.
It was unmistakably... an invitation from the wolf.
Wow.
It's selling.
No, really—it's flying off the shelves at a terrifying pace.
Does this even make sense?
We'd set up a bit away from the convenience store, displaying the goods for sale.
Reading Milmyu's intent as a bazaar vibe, I'd suggested spreading everything out to sell, but she insisted on details and set up proper display stands and a sales spot as a package deal.
The result: top-tier game shop counters, stocked with storeroom overflow. All the clearance items polished to shine... an outdoor bazaar.
And what was I doing?
【No magic stones for activating Throne of the Summoned Emperor. Skill failed to activate.】
【Cape of Ice Essence's Charisma activates!】
I'd pulled out the Throne of the Summoned Emperor, lounging arrogantly while watching first-years pick items.
Just watching.
One glance, and they'd flinch, grabbing one or two more items.
Not that prices were high—no financial burden—but it felt like pressure, so I fixed my gaze on empty air.
Patrasche handled checkout. In his usual suit, polite as ever. Students startled at first, then stared in wonder.
Anyway, first-year chicks would grab stuff, pay, then approach me.
Legs trembling, voices shaking even more, they'd say...
"S-Senior..."
Something like that, all apologetic. I'd grunt "Hm."
Then hand over the neatly packaged fake party badge to the first-year.
"Ah...... Aaaah...... Finally, me too!"
They'd clutch it more preciously than their purchases and retreat.
Big spenders even got a metal plate stamped with a wolf emblem—like a membership card—and straight-up sobbed.
No POS system, no points... Why, though?
Anyway, just like that, poof.
All the problem stock was gone.
Not that it was expired or anything—zero issues there.
The real headaches were the badges, metal plates, excess pens and notebooks, small accessories.
If I had to pick food, candy maybe? But everyone loves candy, right?
"Hehe. Now we can refill the storeroom fresh."
After wrapping up sales, Milmyu stretched with a beaming smile.
"What kind of magic did you work here?"
"Oh... nothing major. Wolf-designed school supplies are trending among the kids lately. I figured centering sales around that would work. That's all."
"......"
"Plus, the other seniors are waging their opinion wars. I got a little revenge in my own small way? Hehe. You'll forgive me, right?"
She tried to play it off cutely like a kid caught misbehaving, and since I had zero clue what "revenge" she meant, I just nodded.
Honestly, sales exploded beyond comprehension, stuff sold out, so whatever. But thinking back, a tiny regret lingered.
"That said, knowing it'd go like this, maybe setting up in front of the store would've been better."
"Huh?"
"It's a trek from the convenience store, after all. Could've advertised the shop too."
"......Ah. Hehe. True. But I like this setup."
"Hm?"
"Fewer customers means more time with you, Senior."
Milmyu's smile was spotless, utterly radiant.
"More importantly, Senior. I think I helped a ton with clearing this inventory... right?"
"This was all you."
"Then... could I ask for a bonus?"
"Short on part-time cash? Got it. Special bonus, then..."
"Hehe. I have enough money... that's not it, Senior."
"What then? Whatever you need, just say it. I'll do my best."
Milmyu covered her mouth with her hand, took a few deep breaths, then slowly spoke as if she'd chosen her words.
"...I want to go on an expedition with you too, Senior."
"Like with Aila before?"
"......No."
"Then?"
"Just the two of us... Could we... do that?"
Milmyu's eyes gleamed like a hawk's.