Chapter 183
Chapter 183
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Air Purifier
-----------------------------------------------------------------
We parted ways there—Nefti heading off to the dormitory her way, and me to the convenience store my way... or not.
"Got it, Nefti? Do exactly as I told you. You can give Ranian that much instruction, right?"
"Yes, Senior! Of course. Ranian?"
Woof!
Ranian let out a big bark, as if begging her to trust him, and Nefti stroked his neck like he was just the cutest thing ever.
A normal dog might take a bit longer to obey commands, but Ranian was smart enough that he seemed to fully grasp the intent.
...Right?
"He really understands what we're saying, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, he should. And if he doesn't listen... well, we'll deal with that when it happens."
Nefti smiled casually, while Ranian shuddered lightly.
It wasn't so much good training as pure survival instinct kicking in—the law of the jungle.
This was Nefti's animal affinity... or rather, her wild instincts, honed from growing up in a forest village...
"By the way, I never thought I'd end up as a spirit beast rider. 【Foema Rider】—sounds like a pretty cool title!"
Yeah. Great.
I'm just terrified that from now on, there'll be mocking chants like, "Wolfram von Loengrin's royal guard rides a fluffy white puppy, and all his enemies tremble before its cuteness."
But hey, even as a mid-event-stage boss, its performance should be solid enough.
"Alright, then. We're heading to the student council room to report in."
"Yes, Senior!"
Now then.
Time to face Eve and spin our tale.
Eve von Loengrin was not pleased with this situation where Wolfram von Loengrin had the audacity to summon her.
He'd barged into the student council room out of nowhere, declaring, "I got the item, but not the specified one—something else instead. Come out and check it yourself," before coolly turning on his heel and leaving. She was tempted to smash a few holy spears into the back of his head to knock him out, but since he'd at least followed protocol by reporting first, she gritted her teeth and stepped out with heroic patience.
And then Eve von Loengrin learned... the real reason why Wolfram hadn't brought it inside the student council room to report.
Because if he'd dragged out a dog bigger than himself, its head would've scraped the ceiling.
It was downright dizzying. The mana radiating from it felt upper-mid tier... maybe around level 18? 17? Something like that.
Definitely in the realm of spirit beasts or phantom beasts.
"You never mentioned bringing out something like this."
"Nope."
"So... what is this? It wasn't on the exhibit list. Care to explain?"
"I took it for my own benefit. So yeah, I grabbed one item on my terms."
With that, I pulled out the 【Twilight-Dyed Cornflower Wand】.
"Yes, that's exactly as listed. Still don't get why you'd pick that, but whatever. What I want to know is..."
"And this one came to us on its own, wanting to leave. That's another sin of the Loengrins."
"...What?"
"?"
Woof?
Nefti, Ranian, and Eve all shot us looks that said: Really? Did it? Is that so?
Okay, Eve aside, you two—we rehearsed this.
I glanced at Ranian and Nefti, and they both went, "Ah," before averting their eyes.
"Came on its own? What do you mean?"
Eve pressed.
"A hundred and thirty years ago, the student council abandoned it in the Loengrin Forest, forcing it to survive alone ever since."
"...Tell me more."
I spun the tale from the setting docs, adding just a touch of flair.
A puppy separated from its pack falls into noble hands, becomes a novelty gift, and the student council president of the time treats it as mere merchandise.
Losing its family, never finding a new master. For 130 years, it lived alone in that forest.
"Is that something a Loengrin should do? Treating a life as a gift—fine, maybe. How you raise owned animals is up to the owner. I'm not arguing that. But... couldn't they have shown just a little compassion?"
"..."
"Why not? If I'm wrong, refute me. Eve von Loengrin."
"...So what? Whose fault is it now, 130 years later?"
"Ours. If something's wrong, we fix it now. Otherwise, we're no longer the guardians of the mid-realm... no longer Loengrins."
Eve clenched her fist at my words.
"...Fine. The dog—Ranian, right? I get swapping for him."
"Knew you'd understand."
"And the other one's the 【Twilight-Dyed Cornflower Wand】. That was the deal."
"Correct."
"...Then why'd you bring out three?"
Eve enunciated each syllable deliberately.
Hmm.
"Busted?"
"I swear, I could kill you!"
"Think about it. The spirit beast came on its own to right our wrongs—no ulterior motive from me. I just upheld justice."
"How does that justify an extra one?!"
"Didn't I say up to two were my choice?"
"Wolfram von Loengrin!!!"
Man.
Good things are good, right?
"...Fine. Whew. Three it is. I'll allow it."
"Thanks for understanding. Sorry."
"Why apologize?"
Because.
It wasn't three.
If two might lead to grabbing a third, then three could turn into four. And hey, five might sneak in while you're at it.
That's human nature, isn't it?
In truth, the expedition haul was probably listed as three items officially.
As for the other two? Wild growths from that forest.
Say there's a gem infused with "wind" mana.
Magic records would call it a "Wind Gem."
But if a purification spirit beast loves it, chews on it daily, and infuses it with "purification" mana too? Now it's "Wind and Purification."
The records might still say Wind Gem, or vaguely note it... outcome's random.
But you can tell what's "glitch-free" to snag—no alarms. The original game had events griping about record discrepancies.
Anyway, that's how I got it.
What? As I explained— a "Wind and Purification" gem.
I installed it and took a deep breath—a smile crept across my face naturally.
"Master, is that gem infused with a spirit?"
"More precisely, a mana stone with a spirit beast's soul."
"Ho. Quite rare. So, what're you making? A magic sword?"
"A magic sword, huh."
"Wind and purification mana—perfect for wide-area cleansing, like holy magic. Hmm... top-tier stuff. Even Harc would grunt, 'Not bad.' Sword? Axe? Spear? Staff? Armor maybe?"
Why's he mumbling to himself like that?
"Nah. An air purifier."
"...?"
"Doesn't the store air feel fresher already?"
"That gem... for air purification? What's air even mean?"
"Everything we suck in when we breathe."
"I see... But why purify when breathing?"
"Obviously. Raises quality of life."
"A gem like that... for easier breathing... seriously..."
Patrasche glanced at me and shook his head.
What? Why?
I just wanted an air purifier too, y'know.
This air purifier appeared in the original game too—an installable item.
A "room decor item," basically.
Its description:
See?
Utterly broken item.
A "mana growth rate up" option, no less.
Sure, no one ever raised mana by even 1 from it in 20,000 hours—probably just totem fodder or tooltip bug. But it's written there.
Normally, mana growth past 20 is impossible without max gear (except magic-focused Kelters). It's another league of difficulty. Even skillbooks say "already at limit."
But regardless, the air really feels purified.
And not placebo—the first reaction came.
"The store feels different today."
"You noticed?"
"Yeah. Fresher somehow... Hehe. Feels great."
Milmyu beamed as she started her shift.
Next reaction: today's customer.
"Wolfram! I'm here!"
"Hey."
Aila burst in energetically, smiling brightly as she flung open the convenience store door.
The difference today: a light purple coat over her uniform.
"Cold enough for that?"
"The west is basically always hot, so I don't adapt well to cold."
"Got it."
"You handling the cold okay, Wolfram? Don't catch a cold."
"Overkill worry. If you're that sensitive, worry about yourself first."
"It's natural. You're not 'others' to me."
...
Can't argue with that.
"I'll brew some hot tea."
"Thanks. Hehe."
Aila straightened her clothes, sat down, and warmed her hands on the hot tea. She sipped, breathed out a puff of white steam, and giggled at it.
Weather wasn't that cold—it was just the hot tea making her breath visible.
So cute, seriously.
"Oh yeah, Wolfram."
"What?"
"The store feels different today. Hmm... like..."
"Oh? How so?"
"Probably just me. Don't think I'm weird? I mean, it sounds crazy."
Aila tapped her chin with a finger, pondering, refining her words, then finally tilted her head.
"The mana flowing into me feels purer. ...Which shouldn't be possible."
"..."
"Hehe. Right? Where would you even get something like that?"
"..."
This girl.
Sharper than I thought.
Mana at 20?
"Mana compression magic circles are obsolete tech anyway. You know the first emperor scrapped them? Said super-strong mages become strategic weapons and disrupt nature's flow. Those artifacts cost billions of rin each. El Wood's the poster child. So something I'd notice? Price tag's unimaginable."
"I see."
"So, total placebo. If mana growth was even remotely possible, who'd... Hey, Wolfram. Why so quiet? Say something to refute me. ...Wait. Seriously?"
"Yeah. Keep it secret from outsiders."
Aila's hands trembled at my words.
"No way, for real? Wait—no, I trust you. Wow... actual mana boost... Wolfram, where'd you... Nah, doesn't matter where. Trista family motto: face reality head-on and think how to use it... So, um, Wolfram?"
"Done mumbling solo? What now?"
"...I won't ask questions. Can I come hang out and just breathe a lot?"
"Do what you want."
Aila's eyes sparkled, then she shot up from her seat.
"...Yes! I'll be right back—gonna grab some stuff quick!"
"Grab what?"
"Bedding."
"What?"
"Something to cuddle while sleeping would be nice. Okay? No bed needed—I sleep fine on the floor."
No.
What?
"Go home. Only come during business hours. No homeless shelter here."
"Eek."
What's with the "eek," you rascal.