Chapter 32
Chapter 32
Opening of the Canteen
When lunchtime arrived, the students headed toward the dining hall.
Students from the Notos Dormitory openly took out items and began selling them.
“There’s raspberry jam. Just a little spread on bread that’s usually too dry to swallow will make it go down smoothly.”
“This is a special seasoning made by blending Milan mountain herb salt and sugar. If you add it to soup, even something like a broth that tastes like rotten vegetable water pooled at the bottom of a cart hauling vegetables will at least become somewhat edible.”
Surprisingly, they were selling these goods to the students for money.
The prices were several times higher than those in the actual market, but the students who had been tormented by the meager meals—especially the wealthy Zephyrus Dormitory students—bought them without hesitation, not caring about the cost.
Unable to watch any longer, students from the Boreas Dormitory reported the matter to Gibles.
However, Gibles, though displeased, allowed it to continue.
“Since the rules don’t explicitly forbid it….”
In response, the smugglers from Notos returned their own triumphant smiles.
“Don’t get so worked up. Earlier, when the northerners rose up refusing points, we were all impressed. As expected of northerners….”
At that moment, a fist slammed into his face.
A northern student who could not contain his anger had struck him.
“Ughk!”
“What, what is this? What are you doing?”
“You’re insulting us?!”
“No, we’re not insulting you, we’re sincerely praising you!”
“Then why are you laughing like that?!”
“This is just an awkward smile!”
“Enough! Take them down! We’ll receive plenty of penalty points anyway, so we’ll only use four of us too!”
Four students from the northern Boreas Dormitory stepped forward and charged at the Notos students.
“What? Just four of you?!”
The Notos students sneered at the sight of only four Boreas students rushing at them.
But then…
-Thud!
-Thump!
-Crack!
“….”
As expected, the ferocity of northerners was not to be underestimated. Sounds like those rang out as they struck people. The tall northern youths—each a head taller than other students—had cast protective magic and charged in, and the southern students were no match.
In particular, those beating them were the retainers of Karl Gustav, essentially future royal guard knights of the Grand Duke.
“Ma-magic arrow!”
A southern dorm student, flustered, attempted to cast a spell, but it failed.
A tall northern youth grabbed the arm holding the wand, stretching it out.
That alone made the arm creak as the body bent unnaturally like a shrimp.
“Agh… it hurts… Aaaah!”
“You probably succeeded easily in magic class, but when enemies rush at you right in front of your face, panic makes it difficult, doesn’t it? You pampered southern weaklings!”
“No… we’ve had our share of hardships too….”
“Shut up. I’ll bite your tongue off.”
-Thwack!
With the sound of a punch, he was sent flying backward and collapsed toward Idnia.
If left as is, his head would slam into the ground and crack open. Startled, Idnia rushed forward, caught him, and supported his head with her hand to prevent it from hitting the floor.
‘This was an event in the original game too, but the alliance really fell apart instantly. The rift between them is only going to deepen at this rate….’
At that moment, moving suits of armor rushed in from all directions and quickly lined up in the center of the dining hall, splitting the students into two sides.
“What are you all doing?!”
Unable to stand it any longer, Gibles appeared. At that moment, the other students erupted in cheers. Never in Gibles’ life had he been welcomed so warmly.
The four individuals who had caused the incident—Erik, Rivard, Olsengard, and Durbin, retainers of Karl Gustav—apparently felt they had beaten the Notos students enough and surrendered the moment Gibles appeared.
Bound by the moving armors and forced to kneel on the ground, they looked almost dignified.
They had already accomplished their goal of beating up those they intended to.
Meanwhile…
“Ugh… ouch….”
“These barbarians!”
The Notos dorm students lay sprawled in a defeated state.
At the scene, Gibles looked around helplessly, holding the warden’s lantern.
Then Professor Deneuve and Baroness Willem appeared.
“What in the world happened here?”
“Assistants!”
At Baroness Willem’s command, assistants appeared and began casting healing magic.
Thanks to their healing, the Notos students gradually stood up one by one.
However, their eyes were filled with fear.
More than ten men had been rhythmically beaten down by just four northerners. If not for the screams, one might have mistaken the sound for drums rather than people being hit.
Lorenz, the Notos dormitory leader whose face remained unscathed, stepped forward to testify.
“Students from the Boreas Dormitory suddenly attacked us.”
“For what reason?”
“They claimed we had insulted them.”
“Is that true, Student Karl?”
Professor Deneuve called Karl.
He had not directly participated in the incident, but it was clear to anyone that it had occurred under his command.
Karl did not make excuses.
“They merely made it known to those who claim peace on the surface while plotting behind the scenes that their bodies were within striking distance.
It was harsh, but you could call it a northern-style greeting.”
“I see. All students apprehended in the act will receive 5 penalty points and be sent to the punishment room immediately. Student Karl, as the ringleader, you will also be sent to the punishment room. Do you have any objections?”
“None.”
Karl and his four retainers—five northerners in total—accepted their punishment without hesitation.
Thus, 25 penalty points were assigned, placing Boreas high in the penalty rankings, but the Notos students strongly protested the ruling.
“What do you mean only 5 penalty points?! That’s absurd! They should be expelled!”
“They attacked us fully aware they’d receive penalties! If this is how it’s handled… their behavior will only get worse!”
“Hm. It seems you lack awareness that you are mages of the Sacred Eldar Empire.”
“Pardon?”
“Since the curriculum has not progressed enough to permit duels, disputes between mages are to be resolved through dueling.”
To everyone’s surprise, Professor Deneuve endorsed dueling.
Conflicts between students were anticipated from the beginning.
Realizing this, the Notos students ceased their objections.
Amid the chaotic dining hall, Idnia, Crown Prince Rudolf, and Lord Lorenzo Medici Mazdari sat together at a table.
Lorenzo suddenly made a proposal.
“Since the Boreas Dormitory broke the alliance first, let’s exclude them and form a separate alliance among the three of us.”
“Ah, you mean we should cut off the Boreas Dormitory?”
“Yes. We agreed at the start that anyone who breaks the alliance and initiates an attack would be excluded. What Boreas and Karl did clearly counts as an attack, does it not?”
At Lorenzo’s request, Idnia and Rudolf exchanged awkward smiles.
‘He doesn’t seem to think that monopolizing the smuggling routes and buying up all the general stores in the affiliated town counts as an attack… This could become troublesome if I don’t say something.’
Thinking so, Idnia spoke up.
“Hmm, Lord Lorenzo. May I say something?”
“Please do.”
“During Professor Magram’s class, if you had stood up like I did and refused the points, they wouldn’t have been so angry. By returning even a single point—well, it would have been withdrawn anyway, so it didn’t matter—but even just showing sincerity without points might have defused the situation….”
Idnia pointed out that the conflict did not begin with the black-market dispute alone, but from an earlier misstep by Notos.
“You’re saying I should have stood up for them?”
“If Crown Prince Rudolf stood up, and I, as the Euros dormitory leader, stood up, then if you alone had stood up as well, this could have been resolved. We could only demonstrate by example; words or gestures would have had less effect. I assumed you would naturally follow suit, but I’m disappointed.
While you were buying up shops in the affiliated town and conducting smuggling through your subordinates and servants, you failed to grasp something so simple.”
“Ah….”
Lorenzo looked flustered at her words.
“Perhaps… I truly did harbor resentment toward the northerners. When Karl and his men openly insulted us in front of our faces, I pretended to remain composed, but inside, my anger smoldered like a hidden ember, and it seems that led to this incident. I apologize.”
Lorenzo offered a sincere apology.
“In that regard, Lord Karl was also clearly at fault. And they did beat us more severely, after all….
However, continuing this conflict would only divide the school as they intend, and I would prefer to avoid that as much as possible. I understand your grievances, but perhaps it would be best to reconcile.”
“However… if I bow my head to Karl now, they will only look down on me and the southerners even more.
They will think we submitted out of fear of their fists.
If they already look down on southerners as frivolous, yielding after being struck will only reinforce that perception.”
As expected, the divide between northerners and southerners ran deep.
Karl had openly mocked and insulted Lorenzo, so such a damaged relationship could not be repaired without drastic intervention.
“When the time comes, I will mediate. For now, Lord Lorenzo, it would be best to finish your meal and prepare for the next class.”
Crown Prince Rudolf made that promise and returned to his table where the Zephyrus students and Isolde were waiting.
“Thank you, Lady Idnia. Thanks to you, I’ve calmed down.”
Lorenzo expressed his gratitude to Rudolf, who had prevented the situation from escalating, and to Idnia, who had restrained him at the right moment.
“Not at all. By the way, Professor Magram kept you behind earlier, didn’t he? Would you tell me what he said?”
Idnia asked casually.
It was something not present in the original game, so she was simply curious.
But Lorenzo’s expression darkened.
“I’m sorry. I cannot tell you that.”
“…Pardon? Ah, I was just asking casually. There’s no need to apologize.”
Still, the fact that he refused to tell her surprised Idnia.
‘What in the world did Professor Magram say to Lord Lorenzo? Hmm. Now I’m curious. But if he doesn’t want to say it, I can’t force him.’
Idnia decided to set aside that curiosity for the time being.
The rations had been sharply reduced.
Due to the brawl between Boreas and Notos in the dining hall, pots of stew were overturned and bread was trampled, resulting in a disaster.
The meals were already poor to begin with, but with growing youths gathered here, their portions being reduced caused an uproar of hunger.
Idnia also had to fill her stomach with the small amount of bread and soup she received.
Of course, she usually stored leftover bread after meals, so she wouldn’t suffer from hunger—but her memories of playing “Awakening Girl Concert” were already hinting at what was to come.
‘It’s about to begin.’
Indeed, Magram’s voice echoed through the moving armors.
[Now then, students. I understand many of you are complaining about being hungry due to the reduced rations. However, from now on, the rations will be gradually reduced even further.]
“Eek?”
“W-What? Are they trying to starve the students to death?”
Everyone panicked and raised their voices.
[Please listen to the end. Among the facilities you can unlock with points are dormitory-exclusive dining halls. Do you understand what this means? This isn’t the first time students have been unable to eat due to conflicts among themselves. Hoho.]
At those words, everyone was stunned.
“You’re the ones who made us fight!”
“Damn it! Are you treating us like fools?”
[These dormitory-exclusive dining halls include kitchens. What I recommend is purchasing a garden first, cultivating crops there, then acquiring the dormitory dining hall to supplement your food through self-sufficiency. Since rations will continue to be reduced, today’s reduction due to the brawl is practice for the future. Think of it that way and do your best. Now then, that is all.]
The students had complained about food shortages, and Magram’s response left them all speechless.
“Are they telling us to farm ourselves?”
“I’ve never lifted anything heavier than a teaspoon!”
At that moment, another announcement came through the moving armors.
This time, it was Professor Deneuve’s voice.
“Ah, students. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the canteen shop will begin operations starting today. The shop will be located in the dining hall building and may be used freely during your free time.”
Hearing this, all the students were shocked and rushed toward the dining hall in a hurry.
“Ah… I should go take a look as well.”
Idnia also headed toward the dining hall to check out the shop.
A wooden stall had been set up on top of a dining table.
A makeshift street vendor-style counter had been placed on the table, complete with price tags.
There were gugelhupf topped with pecans, sweet rolls drizzled with sugar icing, long licorice jelly, and honeycombs topped with assorted berries—an array of sweet foods.
And not only that…
“……”
Idnia’s gaze froze.
Beside the sweets stall, another stall displayed something unexpected: chocolate almond bars, cup ramen, and canned goods.
Packaged snacks and items labeled in Earth’s language, bearing recognizable corporate logos from Earth, were neatly displayed.
“Wait… why are these here?!”
<32> Opening of the Canteen
When lunchtime arrived, the students headed toward the dining hall.
Students from the Notos Dormitory openly took out items and began selling them.
“There’s raspberry jam. Just a little spread on bread that’s usually too dry to swallow will make it go down smoothly.”
“This is a special seasoning made by blending Milan mountain herb salt and sugar. If you add it to soup, even something like a broth that tastes like rotten vegetable water pooled at the bottom of a cart hauling vegetables will at least become somewhat edible.”
Surprisingly, they were selling these goods to the students for money.
The prices were several times higher than those in the actual market, but the students who had been tormented by the meager meals—especially the wealthy Zephyrus Dormitory students—bought them without hesitation, not caring about the cost.
Unable to watch any longer, students from the Boreas Dormitory reported the matter to Gibles.
However, Gibles, though displeased, allowed it to continue.
“Since the rules don’t explicitly forbid it….”
In response, the smugglers from Notos returned their own triumphant smiles.
“Don’t get so worked up. Earlier, when the northerners rose up refusing points, we were all impressed. As expected of northerners….”
At that moment, a fist slammed into his face.
A northern student who could not contain his anger had struck him.
“Ughk!”
“What, what is this? What are you doing?”
“You’re insulting us?!”
“No, we’re not insulting you, we’re sincerely praising you!”
“Then why are you laughing like that?!”
“This is just an awkward smile!”
“Enough! Take them down! We’ll receive plenty of penalty points anyway, so we’ll only use four of us too!”
Four students from the northern Boreas Dormitory stepped forward and charged at the Notos students.
“What? Just four of you?!”
The Notos students sneered at the sight of only four Boreas students rushing at them.
But then…
-Thud!
-Thump!
-Crack!
“….”
As expected, the ferocity of northerners was not to be underestimated. Sounds like those rang out as they struck people. The tall northern youths—each a head taller than other students—had cast protective magic and charged in, and the southern students were no match.
In particular, those beating them were the retainers of Karl Gustav, essentially future royal guard knights of the Grand Duke.
“Ma-magic arrow!”
A southern dorm student, flustered, attempted to cast a spell, but it failed.
A tall northern youth grabbed the arm holding the wand, stretching it out.
That alone made the arm creak as the body bent unnaturally like a shrimp.
“Agh… it hurts… Aaaah!”
“You probably succeeded easily in magic class, but when enemies rush at you right in front of your face, panic makes it difficult, doesn’t it? You pampered southern weaklings!”
“No… we’ve had our share of hardships too….”
“Shut up. I’ll bite your tongue off.”
-Thwack!
With the sound of a punch, he was sent flying backward and collapsed toward Idnia.
If left as is, his head would slam into the ground and crack open. Startled, Idnia rushed forward, caught him, and supported his head with her hand to prevent it from hitting the floor.
‘This was an event in the original game too, but the alliance really fell apart instantly. The rift between them is only going to deepen at this rate….’
At that moment, moving suits of armor rushed in from all directions and quickly lined up in the center of the dining hall, splitting the students into two sides.
“What are you all doing?!”
Unable to stand it any longer, Gibles appeared. At that moment, the other students erupted in cheers. Never in Gibles’ life had he been welcomed so warmly.
The four individuals who had caused the incident—Erik, Rivard, Olsengard, and Durbin, retainers of Karl Gustav—apparently felt they had beaten the Notos students enough and surrendered the moment Gibles appeared.
Bound by the moving armors and forced to kneel on the ground, they looked almost dignified.
They had already accomplished their goal of beating up those they intended to.
Meanwhile…
“Ugh… ouch….”
“These barbarians!”
The Notos dorm students lay sprawled in a defeated state.
At the scene, Gibles looked around helplessly, holding the warden’s lantern.
Then Professor Deneuve and Baroness Willem appeared.
“What in the world happened here?”
“Assistants!”
At Baroness Willem’s command, assistants appeared and began casting healing magic.
Thanks to their healing, the Notos students gradually stood up one by one.
However, their eyes were filled with fear.
More than ten men had been rhythmically beaten down by just four northerners. If not for the screams, one might have mistaken the sound for drums rather than people being hit.
Lorenz, the Notos dormitory leader whose face remained unscathed, stepped forward to testify.
“Students from the Boreas Dormitory suddenly attacked us.”
“For what reason?”
“They claimed we had insulted them.”
“Is that true, Student Karl?”
Professor Deneuve called Karl.
He had not directly participated in the incident, but it was clear to anyone that it had occurred under his command.
Karl did not make excuses.
“They merely made it known to those who claim peace on the surface while plotting behind the scenes that their bodies were within striking distance.
It was harsh, but you could call it a northern-style greeting.”
“I see. All students apprehended in the act will receive 5 penalty points and be sent to the punishment room immediately. Student Karl, as the ringleader, you will also be sent to the punishment room. Do you have any objections?”
“None.”
Karl and his four retainers—five northerners in total—accepted their punishment without hesitation.
Thus, 25 penalty points were assigned, placing Boreas high in the penalty rankings, but the Notos students strongly protested the ruling.
“What do you mean only 5 penalty points?! That’s absurd! They should be expelled!”
“They attacked us fully aware they’d receive penalties! If this is how it’s handled… their behavior will only get worse!”
“Hm. It seems you lack awareness that you are mages of the Sacred Eldar Empire.”
“Pardon?”
“Since the curriculum has not progressed enough to permit duels, disputes between mages are to be resolved through dueling.”
To everyone’s surprise, Professor Deneuve endorsed dueling.
Conflicts between students were anticipated from the beginning.
Realizing this, the Notos students ceased their objections.
Amid the chaotic dining hall, Idnia, Crown Prince Rudolf, and Lord Lorenzo Medici Mazdari sat together at a table.
Lorenzo suddenly made a proposal.
“Since the Boreas Dormitory broke the alliance first, let’s exclude them and form a separate alliance among the three of us.”
“Ah, you mean we should cut off the Boreas Dormitory?”
“Yes. We agreed at the start that anyone who breaks the alliance and initiates an attack would be excluded. What Boreas and Karl did clearly counts as an attack, does it not?”
At Lorenzo’s request, Idnia and Rudolf exchanged awkward smiles.
‘He doesn’t seem to think that monopolizing the smuggling routes and buying up all the general stores in the affiliated town counts as an attack… This could become troublesome if I don’t say something.’
Thinking so, Idnia spoke up.
“Hmm, Lord Lorenzo. May I say something?”
“Please do.”
“During Professor Magram’s class, if you had stood up like I did and refused the points, they wouldn’t have been so angry. By returning even a single point—well, it would have been withdrawn anyway, so it didn’t matter—but even just showing sincerity without points might have defused the situation….”
Idnia pointed out that the conflict did not begin with the black-market dispute alone, but from an earlier misstep by Notos.
“You’re saying I should have stood up for them?”
“If Crown Prince Rudolf stood up, and I, as the Euros dormitory leader, stood up, then if you alone had stood up as well, this could have been resolved. We could only demonstrate by example; words or gestures would have had less effect. I assumed you would naturally follow suit, but I’m disappointed.
While you were buying up shops in the affiliated town and conducting smuggling through your subordinates and servants, you failed to grasp something so simple.”
“Ah….”
Lorenzo looked flustered at her words.
“Perhaps… I truly did harbor resentment toward the northerners. When Karl and his men openly insulted us in front of our faces, I pretended to remain composed, but inside, my anger smoldered like a hidden ember, and it seems that led to this incident. I apologize.”
Lorenzo offered a sincere apology.
“In that regard, Lord Karl was also clearly at fault. And they did beat us more severely, after all….
However, continuing this conflict would only divide the school as they intend, and I would prefer to avoid that as much as possible. I understand your grievances, but perhaps it would be best to reconcile.”
“However… if I bow my head to Karl now, they will only look down on me and the southerners even more.
They will think we submitted out of fear of their fists.
If they already look down on southerners as frivolous, yielding after being struck will only reinforce that perception.”
As expected, the divide between northerners and southerners ran deep.
Karl had openly mocked and insulted Lorenzo, so such a damaged relationship could not be repaired without drastic intervention.
“When the time comes, I will mediate. For now, Lord Lorenzo, it would be best to finish your meal and prepare for the next class.”
Crown Prince Rudolf made that promise and returned to his table where the Zephyrus students and Isolde were waiting.
“Thank you, Lady Idnia. Thanks to you, I’ve calmed down.”
Lorenzo expressed his gratitude to Rudolf, who had prevented the situation from escalating, and to Idnia, who had restrained him at the right moment.
“Not at all. By the way, Professor Magram kept you behind earlier, didn’t he? Would you tell me what he said?”
Idnia asked casually.
It was something not present in the original game, so she was simply curious.
But Lorenzo’s expression darkened.
“I’m sorry. I cannot tell you that.”
“…Pardon? Ah, I was just asking casually. There’s no need to apologize.”
Still, the fact that he refused to tell her surprised Idnia.
‘What in the world did Professor Magram say to Lord Lorenzo? Hmm. Now I’m curious. But if he doesn’t want to say it, I can’t force him.’
Idnia decided to set aside that curiosity for the time being.
The rations had been sharply reduced.
Due to the brawl between Boreas and Notos in the dining hall, pots of stew were overturned and bread was trampled, resulting in a disaster.
The meals were already poor to begin with, but with growing youths gathered here, their portions being reduced caused an uproar of hunger.
Idnia also had to fill her stomach with the small amount of bread and soup she received.
Of course, she usually stored leftover bread after meals, so she wouldn’t suffer from hunger—but her memories of playing “Awakening Girl Concert” were already hinting at what was to come.
‘It’s about to begin.’
Indeed, Magram’s voice echoed through the moving armors.
[Now then, students. I understand many of you are complaining about being hungry due to the reduced rations. However, from now on, the rations will be gradually reduced even further.]
“Eek?”
“W-What? Are they trying to starve the students to death?”
Everyone panicked and raised their voices.
[Please listen to the end. Among the facilities you can unlock with points are dormitory-exclusive dining halls. Do you understand what this means? This isn’t the first time students have been unable to eat due to conflicts among themselves. Hoho.]
At those words, everyone was stunned.
“You’re the ones who made us fight!”
“Damn it! Are you treating us like fools?”
[These dormitory-exclusive dining halls include kitchens. What I recommend is purchasing a garden first, cultivating crops there, then acquiring the dormitory dining hall to supplement your food through self-sufficiency. Since rations will continue to be reduced, today’s reduction due to the brawl is practice for the future. Think of it that way and do your best. Now then, that is all.]
The students had complained about food shortages, and Magram’s response left them all speechless.
“Are they telling us to farm ourselves?”
“I’ve never lifted anything heavier than a teaspoon!”
At that moment, another announcement came through the moving armors.
This time, it was Professor Deneuve’s voice.
“Ah, students. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the canteen shop will begin operations starting today. The shop will be located in the dining hall building and may be used freely during your free time.”
Hearing this, all the students were shocked and rushed toward the dining hall in a hurry.
“Ah… I should go take a look as well.”
Idnia also headed toward the dining hall to check out the shop.
A wooden stall had been set up on top of a dining table.
A makeshift street vendor-style counter had been placed on the table, complete with price tags.
There were gugelhupf topped with pecans, sweet rolls drizzled with sugar icing, long licorice jelly, and honeycombs topped with assorted berries—an array of sweet foods.
And not only that…
“……”
Idnia’s gaze froze.
Beside the sweets stall, another stall displayed something unexpected: chocolate almond bars, cup ramen, and canned goods.
Packaged snacks and items labeled in Earth’s language, bearing recognizable corporate logos from Earth, were neatly displayed.
“Wait… why are these here?!”