Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Cult Leader
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"And with that, my presentation concludes."
Regina Cielra's presentation in Magic and Social Development Practice had been on the "Scroll Kit."
A bundle of five 9-tier skills: Light, Fire Bolt, Ice Bolt, Emergency Treatment, and Poison Resistance.
"Hmm."
It was originally supposed to start selling from Act 3, but here it was in the bootleg version, jumping straight to the Scroll Kit. Skipped a step.
Efficiency... well. Bundling five 9-tier magic scrolls and selling them like that? Surprisingly pricey. And the more you improve it, the pricier it gets.
"I've reviewed Regina Cielra's presentation thoroughly. We'll take a short break before the next one. Wolfram von Loengrin, your presentation."
Professor Isillote adjusted her horn-rimmed glasses as she spoke, and Regina slid back to the seat beside me with a sly smile.
"I hope Prince Wolfram von Loengrin's presentation meets with your approval."
"It doesn't."
"...May I, presume to ask... why?"
"Unclear use case. Who exactly are you selling that to?"
"To the lords of regions plagued by frequent monster outbreaks."
"That's exactly what's unclear."
"My shallow insight must be the issue. Could you elaborate?"
She was pouting a little.
Sigh. Just this once?
"If it were me, protection for protection. Attack for attack. Support for support. Sell them in three distinct bundles, one skill each."
"...Huh?"
"9-tier four-element bolts in an 'Attack Magic Bundle.' Light, shield, signal flare, detection in a 'Support Magic Bundle.' Poison, sleep, paralysis, emergency treatment in an 'Emergency Kit Bundle.' Way more efficient to sell them like that. This setup is hopelessly vague. Made by some greenhorn with zero real combat experience."
"...Ugh."
"You're young. Lady of the Cielra house."
Regina Cielra stared daggers at me, grinding her teeth.
"H-how can you think so far ahead of me?"
"The gap between you and me."
How, you ask?
Because after Act 4, you start selling them split up like that?
Sorry, just pretending I knew from what you sell.
So what if you're pissed? If you're that mad, become Wolfram instead of me. Haha.
"...Prince Wolfram von Loengrin... you..."
"...Forget it."
"How could I ever forget?"
"I said forget it."
"I'll be looking forward to your presentation, Your Highness."
No.
Don't.
Don't look at me like that, all pink and loaded for bear.
Please.
"You..."
And don't say that line either.
Violence route, stop!
Regina Cielra's fandom, dubbed the Regina Squad, was one of the most unique groups among D/Z SAGA players.
Their hallmark was taking character psychology analysis to absurd extremes, and naturally, the character in question was Regina Cielra.
They had a totally different concept of strategy.
For example, take a typical player tackling the common route.
In Act 3, when taking down the Rebel Lady Aila. You wrap Kelters in immunity items and tank him right in the enemy camp. The safe phase to use Kel-Tank on is the standard strategy debate.
Obvious stuff. Boss patterns for players. Advanced strategy is pondering speedruns here.
But not the Regina Squad.
In Act 3, there's a moment where Regina Cielra looks at Kelters and says, "...You."
That's what starts the fight.
'Does it mean "Can you kill me?" Or not?'
'Nah, that jumps the emotional beat too fast. "Are you different from the others?" Maybe?'
'But couldn't Regina have felt that the first time she saw Kelters?'
'Lmao, interpretation meltdown. You blind? Kekeke.'
'Noob doesn't even know Regina. Dumbass, call her Lady Cielra kekeke.'
'Wtf kid? Wanna take it outside?'
'Okok loser calls her Regina instead of Lady Cielra.'
'Ok let's go rn kekeke.'
IRL fight broke out. They actually met up and brawled.
Of course, they live-streamed it on the community boards.
Legendary. Eight thousand live viewers.
Afterward, they went for pork stir-fry rice bowls, calling each other Regina the whole time.
That's how they got the pork rice affinity nickname and became legends.
Anyway, these guys are for real. The Regina Squad has some collective madness? Group psychosis? Something like that.
They even have a group chat, but entry requires combining the first letters of Regina's most heartfelt lines from each act. Lunatics.
Obviously, I had zero intention of joining. Why the hell would I?
Anyway, the Regina Cielra route that spawned these zealots unlocks by beating her.
Separate from empathizing with Regina Cielra as a character, I knew pretty clearly what mindset she lived with.
So honestly, not winning here might be fine.
Regina fixates on whoever beats her, and that attention gets annoying.
Better to lose. Gotta lose here.
Eve said, "Just get good grades for me." Didn't say first place.
Aila would say something like, "Hiding your strength this time?" even if I lost.
But...
Is losing really the right call?
Wolfram von Loengrin. Ask yourself. Answer honestly.
Q. Is it okay to lose to that Regina Cielra?
A. Eat shit.
"Even if that annoyance bugs me even more, I don't want to lose."
If she gets annoying, deal with it then.
Even if some future where someone annoys me awaits. Right now, in this moment, I want to win!
"Yeah. That's all it takes."
Mind made up.
Think after winning!
"Next up is Wolfram von Loengrin's presentation."
After Professor Isillote called my name, I took the podium.
Honestly, I barely attended this class. Just patched together what I knew from that one note-taking lecture question recently. All bullshit, smoke and mirrors, hot air.
Just brought a handicraft I made with Handy Worker at the convenience store 'cause I had nothing better to do.
Truth is, I winged it.
Think about it. Just back from that 2-1 expedition with those guys, and bam, midterms. Not just written, but practical too.
Muscle soreness wrecked my already low-stamina Level 2 Wolfram body. Prep? Bullshit. Even making this was a miracle.
"From now on, I'll talk about a delusion."
But it was worth a shot.
Nah. Time to bullshit my way through hell.
"What I'm presenting today is something hard to realize. Even as a royal, I'm not sure if I should bring it up. So think of this not as Prince Wolfram von Loengrin speaking, but just an ordinary student sharing a wild idea."
At my words, students who had been staring at the floor, ignoring others' presentations, glanced my way.
"Interpretations may differ, but this is how I saw this semester's lesson: 'Minimal Equality.' Yes. The capital thrives, the royals prosper, but at the empire's eastern edge, it's just forests and monsters—no decent meals, not even guaranteed sleep. I know this."
Clap clap. Professor's applause punctuates. Nice.
"To achieve that, the first priority is stabilizing supply lines. Specifically, price stability for the most basic daily necessities. 【Black Bread】. 【Water】. 【Clothing】. 【Monster-repelling herbs】. 【Basic medical tools】."
With the skill active, my voice built intensity, and as mana hit zero, I spat out one final line strong.
"【Supplying everything that lets the people of the Loengrin Empire truly feel the royal shadow's protection.】"
Pause here. Abruptly.
Then. Three. Two. One. Skill off.
"The biggest hurdle? Supply routes are too limited. Warp portals demand top-grade mana stones proportional to weight. The farther from the capital, the more it costs."
A few students nodded. Rural kids, probably.
"So, I'll indulge a childish delusion with a toy. But it's a tale of the future we must tell, even knowing it's impossible."
I said that and plunked it down on the podium.
A palm-sized train model and rails.
A toy made with a 100,000 rin mana stone outputting 0.3 mana per hour.
The lowest-grade "Train Model and Rail" set craftable with Handy Worker.
Press the button—beep boop—and the train chugs along.
Gulp.
As everyone fixated on the toy, I downed the mana potion Aila prepared and refilled my mana.
"Lay these 'railways' across the world, run trains loaded with cargo: 【Deliver the most precious goods to the farthest reaches, the most needed goods to the most needy places.】【Connect the Loengrin royal capital to the eastern forest's end, southern desert's edge, northern tundra's brink, western mountains' limit. Link the world.】 Fun delusion, right?"
"...With that toy? Possible?"
Professor chimed in, eyes misty with emotion.
I didn't answer with words. Picked up a palm-sized rock—heavier than the train itself—and loaded it on.
Yet the iron horse kept circling the loop without stopping.
"This train carries loads heavier than itself without halting. I believe it's possible."
Oooohs from the students, professor's claps in perfect harmony.
"If this existed, truly..."
I shook my head at the professor's words.
"A delusion."
"Y-yes?"
"Don't expect too much. As I said, it's all a dream, a fantasy. What about monsters on the tracks? Mid-transport raids? Budget means tax hikes, and laying rails first for high-tax regions sparks turf wars. Pipe dream. Delusion. Impossible. A dream."
Stopped breathing there. As despair washed over the professor's face, effect landed, I gripped the mic again. Skill on.
"【Isn't turning this dream into reality what social development and magic are for?】"
"...Ugh!"
"That's why we in this class must dream. Discuss fantasies. Debate delusions. 【Dream of safely traveling from the capital to the eastern forest's end.】 【Delusion of western mountain kids drinking water freely.】 【Fantasy of northern tundra clothes enduring southern desert nights.】 【That's the essence of this subject, this exam, as I see it.】"
Breath held, skill off, scan the room. Then continued.
"Presentation over. Sorry for making you endure a regular student's dream."
Thunderous applause erupted. Even Wolfram's Level 2 body flinched from the roar battering my ears.
Kids' eyes sparkling, professor tearing up—nothing better.
Though that annoying blonde sobbing and clapping way over there was kinda worrying.
Anyway.
It landed.
Jackpot.