Fucked (2)
One hour before the incident with the hero. I was taking a brief rest in the private room I’d been assigned. Hmm… There’s nothing to do.
I had passed the exam and become an assistant. On top of that, I’d unexpectedly ended up as Elaine’s aide. After achieving my first objective and feeling a sense of accomplishment for the first time in years, I should have been satisfied. Yet the moment the goal was reached…
“There’s literally nothing to do.”
The tasks Elaine handed me were, of course, finished in under three hours. After handling the literal hellish workload of the Demon Lord’s army, this much was child’s play. The other assistants looked like they were turning into zombies, but that was their problem.
Well, since Elaine was new, she’d probably only passed a portion of the work to me. Either way—
“Trying to actually rest feels so fucking awkward.”
I’d desperately wanted rest, but now that I had it, I had no idea what to do with myself. I couldn’t just drink myself senseless like last time, either. That would only make the professors hate me more.
“Guess I’ll do some light training, then.”
I was already absurdly strong, but sitting around doing nothing felt worse. I slowly released my mana and began drawing the circuits.
Gravity
Curse of Misfortune
Normally, using two spells at once would demand immense concentration. But to me it was as natural as breathing.
The two words manifested in raw mana, then intertwined. I directed both effects toward myself.
The next instant, my body grew heavy. Still, this was a routine I’d performed daily in the past, so I took it in stride. Should I stack more? The thought flickered through my mind, but I shook my head. It was supposed to be a rest day. No reason to push myself.
Besides, the Curse of Misfortune already accelerated my growth rate every time misfortune struck me. Even at the first stage, it was more than enough. Strong is strong, no matter how you slice it.
“No, this is exactly the same as my normal routine.”
I’d finally gotten a day off, yet here I was training again. At this rate I’d become a genuine training addict.
“Maybe I should just go outside…”
Going out would be more productive than staying cooped up. In the end, I left the room with the spells still active on my body.
Even after stepping outside, I still had nothing to do. There were more people here than in Roheln, and the streets were far livelier. But aside from that, not much had changed. This world—unlike Earth—didn’t have a lot of entertainment to begin with.
They’re busy fighting the Demon Lord’s army. Who has time to invent proper leisure?
The only thing available was novels, but I couldn’t find any that looked particularly interesting. I strolled slowly down the street. Since I’d come out anyway, a walk wouldn’t hurt.
That was when I noticed it.
“Hmm?”
A long line of people. What was this? Why were they all queued up?
I turned my gaze and immediately understood. The reason was obvious.
Figures.
They were waiting to enter the most popular café in the royal capital—the same café that had appeared multiple times in Fantastic. Back then, players would crowd inside and spam chat until the server crashed. Apparently its popularity had carried over to reality.
Even without players, the place known as Twosome was packed. Since I was already here, I might as well try it once. I took my place at the very end of the line.
After dozens of minutes—
There really are a lot of people.
It was finally my turn. I scanned the menu. Exactly the same as in the game. I picked two items and spoke to the staff.
“One caramel macchiato and one fresh cream cake.”
“Would you like whipped cream added to the drink?”
“Yes, please.”
“Will that be to go, or for here?”
“For here.”
“Understood. Please take a seat at one of the empty tables over there.”
I moved to the spot the employee indicated. Murmurs of conversation washed over me. Students, wealthy mother-daughter pairs showing off their status, and a few couples. At a glance, the scene looked peaceful. None of them knew the Demon Lord’s army was scheming in the shadows.
Well, the future might have changed because of me, so who knows.
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
-Vrrr.
The crystal orb the staff had given me vibrated. My order was ready. I collected the items and was carrying the tray when I spotted her.
Huh?
Golden hair and golden eyes. Striking features and a figure that didn’t belong to some backwater village. The hero, Lucyd, was standing right there.
To think I’d run into the hero in a place like this.
I’d only come here because I was bored. I observed her for a moment. Why is she acting like that? She kept stealing glances at me with eyes full of expectation. I couldn’t figure out what was going through her head.
Should I say something?
The thought passed through my mind, but we were going to meet properly in a few days anyway. Working under Elaine meant we’d be seeing each other constantly. There was no need to force an encounter today.
I turned to leave.
“Whoa?!”
By some absurd coincidence, I tripped over my own foot. I had never made such a clumsy mistake before. The tray flew from my hands.
-Splat!
The cake landed squarely on someone’s face. I already knew who it was before I even looked. Golden hair shining in the sunlight. No way.
I desperately tried to deny reality as I approached. When I peeled the cream aside, Lucyd’s face came into view.
“We’re fucked.”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. But there was no helping it. I needed to build a good relationship with the hero, yet I’d just smashed cake into her face.
Why the hell is this bad luck hitting me… Ah.
The moment I felt wronged, one particular curse flashed through my mind. The Curse of Misfortune. I had cast it on myself right before leaving. But—
It’s only the first stage?!
Even at the lowest level, it had managed to plant a cake on the hero’s face. I froze for a second, then quickly covered her face with cream again while I thought.
-Swipe!
Lucyd wiped the cream off and immediately shouted.
“Hey! Why are you covering it again?!”
I flinched. Forcing an awkward laugh, I answered, “Ahahaha. Are you speaking to me?”
“Yes! Who else would I be talking to?!”
“Ahahaha… Right, of course.”
Shit. What now? The first impression was a complete disaster. If things continued like this, our relationship might be ruined from the start.
Hoo. Calm down. It’s a little embarrassing, but still…
We’d already met. A few months ago this wouldn’t even register as a crisis. Compared to the things I dealt with in the Demon Lord’s army, this was nothing.
The hero was supposed to be short on money, right?
All I had to do was compensate her and offer a small reward. That would also create an excuse to meet again later. Once my thoughts were in order, I pulled a money pouch and a communication orb from my subspace ring.
“I’m sorry. I’m in a hurry and this is all I have on me right now. I’ll deliver the reward later, so please contact me through this orb.”
I tried to leave immediately, but—
“Hey! You need to clean this up…!”
The staff pointed at the mess. I snapped my fingers. The word Absorption appeared before me.
Target: Cake and beverage residue
Effect: Complete vacuum removal
-Vrrrr.
The scattered cake and drink vanished as if sucked into a vacuum. The floor was spotless. While the staff and customers stared in shock, I spoke calmly.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
I escaped the café without hesitation.
Lucyd was speechless at the scene before her. The man who had suddenly dumped a cake on her face had simply left a pouch of money and fled.
What the…
No matter how much money he left, running away without a proper apology was insane. How was she supposed to interpret this?
And how is this supposed to be a fated meeting?!
She cursed the gods inwardly while wiping cream from her face. Ugh. The entrance ceremony is tomorrow…
Her uniform was now a mess of cake and beverage. An alchemist specializing in laundry could clean it in ten minutes, but it would cost more than she could usually afford.
Looks like the entire pouch is full of gold coins…
She swallowed hard. One gold coin was worth a thousand bronze. There were easily a hundred inside. Why is he giving me this much?!
No matter how sorry he was, this was far too much. She couldn’t accept it. A sincere apology would have been better than this burdensome amount of money.
“Ugh… No. I have to return this.”
The pouch seemed to whisper temptations, but her conscience wouldn’t allow it. Still… Maybe I can take one coin for the laundry fee.
After some mental gymnastics, Lucyd took a single gold coin. At the same time, she resolved to contact him later and demand a proper, sincere apology.
At the same time, I sat on a bench after fleeing the café and let out a deep sigh.
“Hoo…”
How the hell had I run into the hero there? It felt like someone had orchestrated the whole thing. Surely no one actually intervened, right?
As I entertained that ridiculous thought—
-Vrrr!
The communication orb suddenly vibrated. Had Lucyd already contacted me? I took it out, but the caller was someone else entirely.
It was Kyle, the senior assistant who always looked at me with disapproval. Normally I would have ignored him, but as a new hire it was better to answer.
Assistant Kim Taegi.
Come to the conference room immediately. An urgent matter has come up.
It was a one-sided command. It seemed an unexpected variable had occurred.