Chapter 186
Chapter 186
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 186
Chapter Title: Too Good to Refuse
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I shrugged as I glanced at Eve, who had timidly followed me inside.
I'd known for a while that she liked peach-flavored candy.
It was the ultimate cost-effective gift for winning her over.
“Wolfram. What happened? You're late getting back.”
“Nothing much. Nefti's new familiar stirred up some trouble, so I handled the paperwork.”
“Aha.”
Come to think of it, while the door was locked, had Eve and Aila been chatting?
Hmm.
Thinking about it, they made for a pretty odd pairing.
Not quite on Regina's level, but Eve had contributed to taking Aila down, so in a way, they had bad blood between them.
Whatever. The important thing was that Aila was now part of my party, and Eve... well, Eve was Eve. My part-timer.
More importantly, it was time to hand that over to Aila.
With Eve here, though, giving it right now should keep complaints to a minimum.
“Aila. Take a seat there.”
“Ah, sure. What's up, Wolfram?”
“I've got something for you. Perfect timing with Eve here, too.”
“......Perfect timing because Student Council President Eve is here? What is it?”
“It's important. Especially one that has to be given right in front of Eve.”
Aila tilted her head, while Eve cried out with a flushed face.
“W-wait just a second! Wolfram, what are you even thinking? Handing over something like that here?”
“Yeah?”
“Shouldn't you pay more attention to the mood?! Even if it's just the two of you alone, setting the atmosphere or whatever—do I need to be the witness?!”
“Hm? It's not that big a deal. And it doesn't have to be just the two of us, either.”
“W-what...? Even so...”
“Besides, I'll be handing them out to five more people down the line. One slot will rotate pretty often, though.”
“That makes no sense. You trash. You scum...!”
Suddenly hurling insults like that?
“So, Wolfram. What are you giving her?”
“W-wait a minute, Aila Trista. Not until you're alone—”
“This.”
Ignoring Eve's rambling, I held out the item in its neat square box.
“...Oh my. This is...”
“A gift for you.”
“Hehe. Thank you, Wolfram.”
I passed it to Aila, and Eve's eyes went wide as she jabbed her staff in accusation.
“...A staff?”
“That's right. The 【Twilight-Dyed Cornflower Staff】.”
“......You were going to give her a staff?”
“Yeah. Picked it up in the Loengrin Forest. You know about it, don't you?”
“I know, but... then why drag me in as a witness...?”
“If you're witnessing the change of ownership right now, no one can complain about it later.”
“......Makes sense.”
Eve clutched her pounding head, and I shrugged.
“So, what's this staff do? No magic amplification, no casting speed boost, no extra spells...”
Right. For all its fancy name, it looked like a plain staff with zero visible options.
But this 5T staff had a single, powerful effect. Not one of the big three magic amps people raved about, but something entirely different that still clocked in at 5T.
The item once dubbed the 'Regina-bound gear' for its single-option glory.
“It only has one skill: 【Magic Fixation】.”
“Magic Fixation? What's that?”
“If you cast a spell while holding it, you can ignore the opponent's magic control and fire it off fully.”
“......What? Something like that exists?”
“Hold on. You mean... something like that was a thing?”
Eve and Aila stared at me blankly.
“...In other words.”
“The Staff of Rebellion.”
“......Staff of Rebellion.”
“A tool to let 20 magic power crack a 21-power wall. Like it?”
“...Y-yes. Yes.”
Aila bowed her head deeply.
Yeah. War mage, battle mage, warlock—whatever. But every true mage dreams of overpowering foes in a pure magic duel.
Aila gripped the staff and nodded repeatedly.
“What... I ended up as the actual witness. I hate this...”
Eve shook her head, still muttering nonsense.
Why's she grumbling like that? Mad I didn't give her an item?
No, why would she need something like that? Pouting because I didn't grab one for her?
“Eve. Come grab some candy.”
“......Hold on. What do you take me for...!”
“Not gonna eat it?”
“......Hand it over.”
I tossed her a peach candy, and Eve's sullen expression melted away the instant she popped it in her mouth.
“Fine, whatever. One gets a staff, the other candy—kinda annoying, but I'll let it slide.”
“Didn't I just give you a staff?”
“......Urk. True, but... Hmph. I've got plenty of treasures like that. The student council vault alone...”
Beats me why she's sulking.
“Whatever. If the mood strikes, I'll hook you up with a few too.”
“......Huh?”
With the Black Flag stirring, hoarding a 22-magic-power Eve wasn't the smartest move.
By then, she'd need some proper gear too.
Of course.
“If you always show proper respect, gratitude, manners, etiquette, and decorum to your elders.”
“Funny joke. Bet everyone laughs at your humor when you take the throne.”
“Haha.”
“Hehe.”
We shared a laugh and flipped each other the bird.
I never abandon my party members.
To uphold that creed, I naturally kicked off maximum support for the midterms.
Aila got a new staff, plus lessons on how to use it. Nefti became a giant Pomeranian cavalry rider. Rudika... Rudika would handle herself—did she really need me worrying? Finally, Milmyu wanted her own trials, so no special aid there.
But my party wasn't done yet.
One more left. Temporary, sure, but a full-fledged member.
“...What is it, Wolfram von Loengrin?”
Sylphia Evergreen Grove realized her support was lacking.
“Pathetic.”
“What the hell are you on about?!”
“Truly pathetic.”
“Say one more word... and I'll take it as an insult!”
“I'm merely stating facts.”
“Wolfram...! Y-you...!!”
“Your gear is utterly pathetic.”
“......? My gear?”
Sylphia's rage cooled in an instant.
What? Wasn't she mad about the gear critique? Or did she just accept reality?
“Sylphia Evergreen Grove. One question: Eve's backing falling short?”
“What nonsense. Every piece of my gear is top-tier!”
“Lies. Even Nefti has better stuff equipped. No familiar, either.”
“I heard the rumors, but... you're really riding a familiar...? Urk. Here to mock my gear?!”
“No. We're going to get you better equipment. Follow me.”
“Uh, um... A-alright.”
With that, Sylphia trailed after me obediently.
Good listener.
Sylphia, who'd followed me to the convenience store, glanced around nervously before sitting at my direction.
“Not like it's your first or second time. Why the fidgeting?”
“...Tch. Shut up! Who's saying I'm nervous just because we're alone?!”
“Fine, calm down and stay put. First, let's check your gear list. Write down your items and abilities here.”
“...Planning to steal my personal info?”
“Ha. Some tight security. What would I even do with it? It's for balance. Be honest.”
“...Fine.”
Sylphia listed her current gear one by one.
Hmm.
As expected.
“The sword itself... academy-rare quality. Heirloom?”
“Yes.”
“A fine blade.”
Honestly, a bit surprised.
The longsword she had on was solid enough for Act 4 of the original story.
Meaning her sword game was on par with the story's curve.
The 【Spirit Longsword】 boosted spirit affinity and made enchanting easier.
But...
This game wasn't rin on weapons alone.
Stats first, then build path and skills.
Just as crucial: weapons and armor.
Thinking armor's only for defense? Amateur hour.
This game let you deal damage with armor sometimes!
Like most RPGs, armor had damage amps, magic attack boosts, set bonuses galore.
Milmyu's battle gauntlets counted as weapons despite being armor; the accessory I gave Aila had the big three magic options; even my cloak boosted stats.
Sylphia's armor, though? Pitiful, even to me. Sure, light armor for a spirit swordsman, but still...
“No other gear worth mentioning. Sword alone ain't enough.”
“......Urk.”
“Guess we'll fix that with some armor.”
“Know how much a single suit costs? I can't afford that.”
“Don't worry. Just wait.”
“Uh, um. Got it.”
First, magic ore from the corner, mana-infused fabric, beast hide... metal from the Trista house... good.
“...What're you doing?”
“Making armor.”
“...You're making my armor? Custom-fit to my... body?”
“Problem? I have cloth and leather armor crafting skills.”
“......No, that's not... F-fine.”
Sylphia stood, face beet red, and spread her arms wide in front of me.
That pose—like those flying squirrel memes online back home, 'Hug me!' vibes...
Why's her face so red?
“What're you doing?”
“Y-you need measurements, right? H-hurry up!”
Ah.
“Nah, no need.”
“What...?”
“It's magic-infused cloth or leather, so it auto-adjusts. Quit messing around and sit.”
“M-messing...? Do you know what resolve it took... W-Wolfram...!”
“Quiet. You're distracting. Sit.”
Sylphia grumbled but sat, hugging her knees and mumbling 'Embarrassing. Wanna die. So humiliating.'
Pubescent kid much? ...Well, she is that age.
“Hm. Triple swordsman with wind spirits. Heavy metal's pricey, so limit's mana-cloth with quality-tanned leather. Freebie, so no big complaints.”
“......No complaints.”
Pouting, curt tone, but content's fine, apparently.
“At least Royal Guard special uniform level.”
“What?”
Not much to brag about, really.
More a job symbol than practical.
Self-repair and minor defense boosts, that's it.
“But lighter and better than your current junk, so don't sweat it.”
“......R-right. Got it.”
“One thing, since it's for you.”
“...Say it. What?”
“Want wind energy infused. Ask Lapis Lazuli to concentrate spirit power here.”
“Easy.”
Sylphia nodded and quieted; I focused on crafting.
Magic thimble on, daily success up buff, cloak dexterity boost, max concentration, armor crafting skill active.
Oho.
Low-tier attribute armor dropped. Nostalgic. Used to grind with full resistance sets.
Great pickup for this stage.
I explained the stats, and Sylphia's jaw dropped.
“Nice piece. Take it.”
“Wh-what's your angle? I can't accept this!”
“Really? Won't? Think you can beat Isolde without it?”
“...Of course! Obviously...!”
I dangled the armor in front of her eyes; her head swayed toward it.
“Obviously what?”
“I neeeed it...”
“Mouth says no, eyes say yes.”
“Urk... B-but taking it for free stains my honor—Lady Eve's honor...!”
“Who said free?”
“......R-right? How much? What's your price?”
“No cash.”
“...Huh?”
“Instead, declare at the Grand Festival: 'This armor was made by Wolfram von Loengrin, and that's why I claimed victory.'”
“Treason! You want me to betray Lady Eve? Buy me off with armor?!”
“Too good an armor to refuse, no?”
“......”
“Plus, you're my temporary comrade till then. Where's the treason?”
“Urk.”
“Well?”
Sylphia stayed silent.
But she didn't let go of the dress armor.
What a dishonest girl.