Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 038
Chapter Title: Tsunbe von Loengrin: This Concludes the Free Sample
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Jeffrin First-Year Dormitory.
One graduate student had gone on a rampage, and two imperial royals had intervened to stop him. The aftermath had left the dormitory hall in an absurd state of collapse.
While the first-year students were off at classes, Jeffrin had contracted a construction firm to repair the dorm. The firm, connected to Maestro, subcontracted the work, and that subcontractor passed it on yet again.
The prime contractor had billed 300,000 rin per worker, but no one knew how much they skimmed—the on-site laborers were paid a measly 70,000 rin a day.
Still, they worked hard.
Sweating buckets, they poured their efforts into fixing things up for the first-year students.
And they finished every assigned task right on the tight deadline.
One day, when these workers returned to Jeffrin, they could proudly say, "I fixed up that first-year dorm building."
That's how much they put into it.
The construction was done.
Now the outside crew had to leave.
And those who remained had to return to daily life.
Ppokulrom. Jjolkulra. Yapgaemnon. Jjularien.
The workers from afar sensed it was time for goodbyes.
They'd shown up together in the mornings for a sip of water, shared lunches, ground cement, plastered walls, even papered them—bonded through thick and thin on site.
"Good work out there. Ne ssi."
"You too, Biburaen. Worked your tails off."
"...Thanks."
Ppokulrom. Jjolkulra. Yapgaemnon. Jjularien. Workers who could hold their heads high anywhere.
Biburaen, the tough woman leading them, smiled at Nefti's words.
It was a smile that stood out with her frizzy hair and thick lips.
"Ne ssi..."
"Why the tears, Biburaen? Ruins that pretty face of yours."
"...Hic."
Biburaen, the staffing office manager, eyed Nefti closely.
A heaven-sent powerhouse who did three times a grown man's work and hefted two H-beams like it was nothing.
At first, they thought she was slacking with her cheerful vibe, but no—she never took it easy on the job. A walking heavy machine.
That was Ne ssi.
Biburaen wanted to recruit her.
But she was still far too young to join a "crew."
"No need for thanks. We're... a crew at heart, aren't we?"
"...Right. One crew. Sabuten's Wolves, yeah?"
"Yep. We'll meet again someday. And we'll still be a crew then, right?"
Biburaen fought back tears and flashed a bright grin.
"Of course!"
"Yeah. That's what matters."
The two shook hands firmly.
Just before leaving, Biburaen looked at Nefti.
"Ne ssi, take this."
With that, she handed Nefti something.
"...This is."
"My gift."
Yellow with black letters reading "Safety Manager" in neat print.
It was the armband symbolizing Biburaen's authority—the only one on site with the safety certification.
"...You'll take it?"
"Yeah, Biburaen! I'll think of it as the soul of Sabuten's Wolves crew!"
"Heh. Don't get fancy words. But got it."
With those words and hearts left behind, Sabuten's Wolves departed Jeffrin.
Seeing them off, Nefti gripped the armband tight.
Then a voice came from behind.
"Goodbyes over?"
"Yes."
Aila Trista.
Nefti's new employer.
"Then it's time for my part-time gig."
"Yes, miss. Ready whenever."
"Good attitude. But... what's that?"
Aila tilted her head at the armband in Nefti's hand.
"...A token of our reunion promise."
"Is it? No clue."
"...Biburaen. Ppokulrom. Jjolkulra. Yapgaemnon. Jjularien... We'll meet again for sure. By then, this Ne ssi will be a quiet, hard worker."
Whether that reunion would ever happen, though—no one knew.
Sabuten's Wolves were all illegal immigrants, after all.
Milmyu hit the convenience store right after class the next day too, sampling snacks.
A few more Mix Sweets successes followed, including a grand success amid them.
"How's this one?"
"Still no overlap with the previous."
Mix Sweet grand successes had one flaw: buffs wouldn't stack.
The system worked that way originally. Magical Patissier basic buffs or Mix Sweet additions allowed up to two. But Mix Sweet multiplication—grand success—was just one.
Alternating them might work, someone could think, but each buff had its own cooldown, so against Kelters, only one could be used.
"Then Half Berserk it is."
"Yeah, that seems best."
They nodded in unison. Safest bet.
This was pre-discussed too.
"Aila's distance from close combat worries me. Rinder if you can prep countermeasures for that."
"Oh. She said she's fetching an instructor."
Instructor?
Friendless Aila fetching an instructor?
Who the heck was she bringing? As I pondered the lineup, the convenience store door burst open.
"Chick here?"
"Y-Yes! Senpai!"
"Great. Come on! Got your instructor!"
"Huh? What?"
At that, I eyed the girl beside Aila, the instructor.
A girl with a yellow "Safety Manager" armband on her arm.
The Knight of Conviction. Reliable senior.
Nefti was there.