Chapter 79
Chapter 79
You Shine Like a Shooting Star
Of course, it wasn’t as if the Southern Alliance, the Vikrant Empire, or the Papal State were obsessed with sugar alone—but even from Idnia’s subtle hint, it was clear she was not an opponent to be taken lightly.
“But she’s a saint candidate, isn’t she on our side?
I heard she even met with envoys while out overnight and exchanged good words.”
A foolish subordinate asked.
“That may be true, but we can’t let our guard down.
If she were just some ignorant country girl, maybe. But even if she’s been designated as a saint, do you really think the Betelgeuse duke’s daughter would abandon all her loyalty to the Empire and devote herself entirely to the Church?
From what we’ve seen so far, she doesn’t seem particularly interested in religious fervor.”
“But it’s also true that the Empire has neglected the Betelgeuse ducal family, hasn’t it?”
“Exactly. That’s why she’s feeding us these turnips and subtly sending a message.
Look over there—at Crown Prince Rudolf’s side.”
When the Notos students turned toward the western Zephyros group, their eyes met briefly.
They exchanged silent glances, then quickly looked away.
“I don’t understand. I thought I had tasted every delicacy in the world… but this sweetness…”
Even Crown Prince Rudolf could not comprehend the sweetness in the turnip salad.
It was sweet like sugar, yet strangely clean in taste.
The salt seemed to have been added to draw out the juices of the turnip and allow the sweetness to permeate, while the natural sugars of the turnip combined with something Idnia had added to create a complex sweetness.
To someone accustomed to refined cuisine like Rudolf, the combination of vegetable flavor and sweetness might seem simple. But after being tormented by the academy’s terrible food, this turnip salad felt like an exquisite dish.
“To be honest, I had never eaten turnips before. But compared to what we’ve been eating at the academy… this feels like heaven. It’s truly delicious.”
“The problem is… we don’t know what this sweetness is. You understand, don’t you? Some things that produce sweetness can be poisonous or addictive. You must be especially careful, Brother.”
Isolde warned him.
“That seems excessive.”
“Please don’t forget that His Majesty the Emperor has slighted Duke Betelgeuse, Brother….”
Isolde spoke with a painful weight in her heart.
‘In the past, even if Duke Betelgeuse was treated poorly, we thought the duchy had no power to resist.
When the Church named Lady Idnia as a saint candidate, and the duchy accepted it, taking in the Church’s resources, it seemed like a desperate attempt to survive.
But if they actually possess this kind of capability….’
Though Isolde admired Rudolf, she had to speak the truth as his advisor.
‘Breaking off the engagement with Lady Idnia was a grave mistake.
Even if she was the one who brought it up first, we should have refused… ah….’
She burned with unspoken feelings for Rudolf—feelings complicated by their difference in status, and perhaps even the possibility that they shared the same father.
And at the same time, she envied Idnia.
That duke’s daughter who, despite having the perfect status to stand beside Rudolf, cast aside the position of his fiancée without hesitation—a position Isolde herself would have given anything for.
She envied her, revered her, resented her, and blamed her.
And yet…
When she saw Idnia standing tall, facing the storms of the world without bending—like a lone reef against crashing waves, like a symbol of unwavering will—
Her resentment gradually gave way to admiration.
Meanwhile, Idnia…
‘Hehe. My alchemy magic is quite useful.’
She wasn’t thinking much at all.
Lady Idnia Betelgeuse, lavishly using expensive sugar just to make something as simple as turnips taste good, subtly flaunting her capabilities!
The students of Zephyros and Notos—belonging to the Holy Eldar Empire and the Southern Alliance respectively—felt a sense of fear at her bold actions.
Did she possess a sugar trade route unknown to the Empire?
Or did she have some substitute capable of replacing sugar entirely, threatening the Southern Alliance’s sugar trade?
What exactly was she planning?
And yet, in truth, she wasn’t thinking that deeply.
Of course, Idnia wasn’t handing out food purely out of kindness.
But rather than trying to subtly display her abilities to Rudolf and Lorenzo, she simply had a different goal in mind.
‘It took a lot of preparation to get this far.
Still, achieving results like this feels rewarding.
And now that I’ve secured Buremhyde’s field, the road ahead looks smooth.’
Idnia reflected on the past.
From the very first day of the entrance ceremony, Idnia knew that the most important thing in academy life would be food.
As she had predicted, when the academy revealed its true nature and began serving rock-hard, tasteless bread, Idnia started collecting it.
She stored away the delicious scones and snacks from the ceremony banquet and gathered up all the inedible bread that other students left behind.
“Lady Idnia? Don’t tell me you’re planning to eat that?”
When Idnia even brought a sack to collect the bread, her roommate Marie asked in surprise.
“No. I have a use for it.”
“Ah… well, it would be a waste to throw it away just because it’s hard and tasteless.
Back in my hometown, we used to make bread porridge.
But there’s no place to cook in the dormitory.”
“I’m not planning to eat it. There’s too much for me alone anyway.”
“Th-that’s true… then what are you planning?”
“I’m going to make alcohol.”
“…Pardon?”
Marie was startled.
‘In prison, people make illicit alcohol from bread. Alcohol and vinegar are very important solvents and reagents in organic chemistry. Better I take it than let it go to waste.’
That was her reasoning.
However, as the academy continued serving such meals, students began eating even the terrible bread out of hunger.
Still, since it tasted so bad, no one overeats, leaving leftovers—and each time, Idnia gathered what she could.
The problem was space.
Her dorm room was too small. At this rate, even her bed would be filled with bread.
And the bread was so hard it would feel like sleeping on stones.
Even though Idnia could sleep anywhere thanks to her toughness, hoarding food in a dorm wasn’t hygienic.
So she carried the sacks of bread outside.
“Lady Idnia?”
“I’ll be back shortly. Go ahead and sleep first.”
“But… outside is dangerous.”
“It’s not like this is my first time going out.”
“Ah… that’s true.”
Since they became roommates, Idnia had been sneaking out every night to explore the academy and carry out necessary tasks.
Marie already knew this.
Since nothing had happened so far, it should be fine.
After reassuring her, Idnia stepped outside with the sacks.
The outside was covered in thick fog.
Climbing up the dorm wall to the rooftop, Idnia surveyed her surroundings.
‘Hmm. I can only move between rooftops that are visible.
There must be more buildings, but only a few are visible from here.
This place must be connected through complex dimensional pathways.
Unless I unlock facilities through the shop, I won’t solve this.
But I just need a bit of space… perhaps I can reach the nearby forest.’
She pushed through the fog and headed toward the forest.
There, she found a natural clearing formed by fallen trees.
‘This should be usable. No one else is around.’
She released the power she had been suppressing.
Vitality surged through her body, and the aura of a ruler returned.
She picked up fallen trees to clear the area.
At that moment, something stirred in the fog.
Spectral figures began to emerge.
“Grrr…?”
“Huh?”
“Uh…?”
The spirits approached boldly at first, but when they met Idnia’s gaze in her overwhelming state, they hesitated.
Though already dead, they were overwhelmed by her presence.
“Oh my. Excuse me. Can we talk? If you possess reason, there’s no need to fight.”
She spoke politely, but…
“Grrr…!”
The spirits, after hesitating, transformed into grotesque forms and charged.
“Sigh. I suppose it comes to this.”
Idnia grabbed a massive tree.
Her fingers dug into the bark like iron spikes, crushing it into her grip.
Her aura wrapped around it, turning it into a weapon.
“Excuse me!”
She swung the massive tree.
A powerful gale erupted, clearing the fog momentarily and revealing the clear night sky.
With a single swing, she wiped out everything in the clearing.
Standing under the moonlight, her long hair fluttering, she looked like a sovereign.
“Indeed, without unlocking facilities, monsters appear.
But that also means… if I can handle them, I can use the space anyway.”
She hurled the tree into the fog.
The spirits charging toward her were crushed as it tore through them.
“Alright. Space is secured. Now I just need tools.
To hydrolyze this bread, I’ll need something like a large cauldron…”
She gathered stones and piled them up, then clenched her fist.
“It’s been a while. I wonder if this will work.”
She leapt into the air.
Her body shot upward like a dragon piercing through the fog.
Then—
She reversed midair and descended.
“Meteorite!”
The ground exploded as if struck by a falling meteor.
A thunderous roar shook the forest.