Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 052
Chapter Title: Isn't This a Buggy Trash Game?
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The next day.
As expected, muscle soreness hit me hard.
I ended up resting for four whole days because of it.
Kill me...
"You've brought a massive haul."
"Mm."
"No praise for the one who dragged it all here?"
"Good work."
I gave Patrasche a casual pat on the head and stared intently at the ores he'd hauled in.
This was the real honey you could farm in Zone 1-4.
Since the boss was a golem, the drop items were naturally ores.
And these might even carry magical effects.
"Phew. Got some decent materials and a Tier 9 skill to boot. From here on out, no one's telling me what to do. I'm living for myself."
With that firm resolve burning in my chest, I got to work.
I quickly kneaded some dough, baked it, and activated Patissier.
Then, on the piping hot bread that came out, I triggered another skill.
Ping. A slight dizziness flashed before my eyes.
The Tier 9 skill I'd chosen was Item Appraisal.
It costs 1 mana to use and reveals an item's info.
"Excellent."
My head nodded on its own.
In the original D/Z SAGA, characters had inventory limits, and miscellaneous spell scrolls just cluttered things up without being useful, so the first one players ditched was always Identify.
This skill really shines during field farming, though.
Say there's a Stone Golem that always drops ore. Kill a hundred of them, and you've got a hundred ores.
But can you carry all hundred? No way. And if you return to town and re-enter, the day advances.
So the standard is to farm until your inventory's full, appraise with magic to check options, and toss the junk on the ground.
This farming method, dubbed the Appraisal Run, works all the way to Act 12. It's basic, but essential.
"This one's gonna see endless use. Super convenient, too."
That said, my mana being stuck at 3 is a serious problem.
"Let's see. Time to appraise these ores, then."
Aila had given me a good stock of mana potions, so even just appraising and picking out the useful ones would take all day.
"Hey, what should I do?"
"Standing around watching me..."
I paused at Patrasche's question, lost in thought.
No matter what, this guy had finally emerged after three hundred years. I'd been using him well as a cart horse up till now, so maybe give him a bit of freedom.
"On the condition you don't attack humans or cause trouble, you can wander nearby for a bit."
"...Really?"
"But if you cause any nuisance, I'll consult the Fairy Queen and swap you for another fairy. Keep that in mind."
"Heh heh. Got it! I will! See ya!"
With that, Patrasche zoomed out the door.
As I focused on appraising for a moment, footsteps approached from outside.
"Is Wolfram here?"
"...?"
I turned, and there was Aila, peering in cautiously.
Come on.
Stop coming.
I'm trying to live for myself here.
Second-year Magic Division dormitory.
With the current Student Council President in the Magic Division and being the same year, the second-years wielded influence that pierced the heavens.
Eve von Loengrin, the pinnacle of it all, occupied the entire top floor of the communal dorm—not by her request or privilege, but to protect her privacy as president and display her authority to every student.
Yet for a whole floor to herself, the interior was strikingly austere. More like a model home with only the essentials placed just so.
But a Student Council President ruled over Jefrin's hundred thousand students. Even if her dorm reflected her tidy personality, anyone invited there was inevitably dragged into massive schemes and plots befitting the position.
And today, another lamb had fallen into those schemes and been summoned to Eve's dorm.
"...Phew. Nepthelian, just relax and sit. What plot is this, anyway? I'd love to hear it myself."
"Y-Yes."
Eve soothed Nefti, who looked like she was bracing for exactly that, and got her to sit comfortably across from her. Nefti fidgeted but complied.
"Tea?"
"...I-I'm fine, truly."
"You seemed more at ease around Wolfram—er, the former president. Why so stiff with me? We're the same year."
"W-Well... Senior Wolfram doesn't have any power."
"......"
"N-No! I can be super casual with him."
"Isn't your title 'Conviction'?"
"I-It's lacking, but yes. Ehehe. Just call me Nefti, President!"
"Alright, Nefti."
"Ehen."
She grinned like an idiot.
Where's the conviction here?
Eve shook her head at the budding headache.
"Anyway, sorry for dragging you here out of the blue. I didn't want to invite you like this, but... I got a concerning report."
"...Yes."
"Last weekend morning. Third-year Magic Division: Wolfram. Magic Division: Rudika Hassan Shadow. Knight Division: Nepthelian. And a massive red wolf headed to the Eastern Forest. That's the report."
"Yes. That's right... We went."
"Good. So, care to report in detail on the adventure?"
"......"
Nefti flinched, then started trembling.
"D-Do I have to tell everything?"
"Of course. Should I invoke Student Council orders?"
"E-Eek, b-but I'm sorry. I can't betray my comrades. P-Please just take my life..."
"My."
Up until a second ago, she'd seemed the type to sell out allies for her own skin, but her eyes were welling up with shining resolve.
Eve could inherently sense if someone was good or bad, forming prejudices accordingly. And her intuition now screamed that threats wouldn't work on Nefti.
She let out a small sigh. Wolfram has a gem like this by his side. A twinge of jealousy stirred.
"Not a threat."
"Eh? Ehhh?"
"Mm. First, a quick rundown on Wolfram, me, and the student council handover."
But Eve von Loengrin.
Even at her young age, a prodigy rated second only to the founding emperor in magic.
Amid imperial political intrigue, she'd built her own faction from scratch. She knew exactly how to steer upright, pure souls like Nefti's.
"It's for Wolfram."
"For Lord Wolfram?"
"Yes. Too many eyes on him right now. Can you tell me?"
"Mm. But first, one question for me."
"Oh? I don't love question-for-question, but... go ahead."
If she could get info from Nefti, she'd trade even vital intelligence.
Nefti steadied her breath and whispered carefully into Eve's ear.
"Th-The founding emperor's great relics... does the imperial family really manage them all?"
"?"
"If someone got one, would the palace secretly buy it off?"
"Pardon?"
Eve's smile froze as a question mark popped over her head.
Aila barged in, spread out her books and notes, and started studying.
"This is a place to sell things, not study."
"I won't bother you. I came here because I was being bothered."
"Not saying there aren't customers, but for studying, there are better spots..."
"Just ring up about ten-man-rin worth of drinks and some snacks."
"Need a lap blanket?"
Aila flashed a grin at my words.
Ah, drop ten-man-rin on drinks to study? I can toss in some fresh-made madeleines as service, no prob.
For a moment, the convenience store hummed only with my whirring appraisal skill and Aila's rustling pages.
"...Oh."
The odd silence broke with my quiet cheer.
Nice options. Enchanted ores like this are rare.
"Hit a good bonus effect?"
"Mm. Not bad."
"Congrats."
"Studying going well?"
"Ugh... It's not rebellious enough."
"Not rebellious."
"Yes. Totally not rebellious studying."
Translating Aila-speak: she doesn't like it, or it's too textbook.
But skipping it means no beating Regina.
"You still gotta finish it. That's how rebellions succeed."
"True. Rebellion..."
"Gotta rebel."
"...Y-Yeah. Gotta rebel."
I plopped the Scorching Ore next to Aila.
"...What's this? Scorching Ore? It is warm... And, mm... Mmm."
Aila melted lazily in its heat.
Like molten black sugar, not Black Crystal.
"Appraisal said it has minor mental protection."
"...Thanks."
Come to think of it, hers was a light pink too.
That system showing heroine affection levels.
But seeing it didn't always mean [romantic feelings].
Mess up the mood or pick wrong, and it fades to white, backslides to blue, or crashes to black.
Kelters saw it that way in the main story too.
You could raise affinity with non-heroines, but no route meant it just leveled as "connection" and stopped.
So I couldn't classify what Aila, Nefti, or Rudika felt for me.
Trust. Goodwill. Affection. No clue.
Time to test this affinity system.
Is it romance? Or...?
"Aila."
"Yes?"
"Rebellion."
"Wah!"
A deeper pink.
......
"Rebellion."
"Yes!"
Pink again.
"Gotta pull off the rebellion."
"Of course!"
Pink once more.
"......Rebellion."
"Yes!"
Couldn't get pinker than that.
I shrugged, watching her change.
What the hell.
It's bugged.
Affinity rises on "rebellion"?
Haha, who'd be crazy enough to fall for that?
"Phew. Knew it."
"Knew what?"
"Nah. Just talk of rebellion."
"...Ehehe."
Romance? Heroine? Route?
No way Wolfram has that.
This a buggy trash game?