Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: The Fantastical Sixth Member
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So, me.
Strictly speaking, not the me after becoming Wolfram von Loengrin, but the story from my Yi Young-jin days.
D/Z SAGA cafe master. Back when I was Super Young-jin. People threw all sorts of questions my way.
There were the tear-jerkers I couldn't possibly help with, like "Wah, I saw Nefti's route in D/Z SAGA and now I'm gonna die," and posts like "I wanna go to grad school with Isolde. Need a way into D/Z SAGA."
I... um. I think I shared pretty much all the info there was.
Of course, bug exploits were off-limits. I couldn't do anything about the hacks floating around online, but I never revealed the real ones only I knew. That was my ultimate sincerity toward this D/Z SAGA.
And I answered most questions as earnestly as I could. Even I thought I was a top-notch master.
Share guides. Show real gameplay footage. Drop pro tips. Block excessive chit-chat. I wasn't into small talk myself, and I moderated trolls while hanging out in the cafe.
As a result, most comments were like "Commencing lifelong praise for the permanent badge holder" or "Gonna wear that badge forever, right?" ...That's praise, yeah?
Anyway.
My playtime blew past 20,000 hours, and since it wasn't just leaving the game on while sleeping—that is, statue mode—most of it was active play, you can imagine how much time I poured into this game and how rotten I got at it.
Even so, there was one thing I could never wrap my head around.
Something in this game that flat-out refused understanding.
"Oh my, Your Highness. Hehe..."
"Hm."
"The meal last time was truly impressive."
A red-eyed blonde elf who used to look completely corpse-like before, but now just a bit pale, bowing her head toward me.
Regina Cielra.
"Are your midterm preparations going well?"
"......"
For 20,000 hours, a character I couldn't understand—and didn't want to.
Well, my impression of the real Regina Cielra... on the surface, she was someone I could talk to.
Surface-level only.
Once you even slightly enter her story and pick a few choices, she flips her eyes back, binds you in a swamp with knives out, and goes, "Ahh... My very own Kelters. Do you see? We're one forever now," fusing her magic with the swamp and light mana until they tangle together and...
Whew. Anyway.
It's better than when I thought conversation was impossible.
I hadn't met the route entry condition of beating her in a magic duel three times, so Regina Cielra and I were on completely parallel lines right now. No deep ties binding us.
Of course, it's not entirely that simple... I've heard she once pressured me with her magic due to a "slight favorability increase" buff, and filled her stomach with my bento when food wouldn't go down her throat.
Hm.
Still, nothing major will happen, right? It won't. Unless the game glitches hard, there's no way I've unlocked the Regina route.
Wonder what brought her here, though.
It's 10 a.m. on a weekday. No employees, no customers, and Patrasche took the Black King Tiger out.
And yet, for some reason, Regina Cielra shows up at this convenience store.
Hm.
I see.
She plans to kill me? Ha. Perfect timing to strike.
If you spare me, I'll do anything. Our secret base is in the north!
...That's what I thought, but if Regina hits me with her magic power 21 right here... Countering even one shot would be questionable. Not impossible, but I'd have to brace for a lethal blow.
"Quite early for a visit. What brings you?"
"...To pay my debt."
"Debt?"
"Yes. I've eaten Your Highness's meals three times now. Hehe. Doesn't my complexion look a bit better since?"
"Sure, but... Debt? I got paid plenty."
"No. You sustained this Regina Cielra's life, and... hehe, gave me reason to live. Debts like that can't be settled with a few coins."
What.
This is scary as hell.
Don't do this.
Ahem. So.
"Whatever value you put on my cooking, that's just your whim. As the owner of this establishment, I follow strict guidelines in business. Don't encroach further. Ingredients cost 2,800 rin, plus my labor makes it 6,500 rin."
"...Hehe. You're truly impenetrable."
"I just stick to my principles."
Taking anything from her would just invite more hassle.
"Then let's drop the money talk. But it's true your kindness saved me, so I can't back down either. Three times... your cooking nourished my soul and body, reshaping my very being?"
"Hm."
On the surface, I nodded like "Hm. I see. Makes sense. Knew it." But my hands were trembling.
Stop.