Episode 721
Episode 721
"Come to think of it, Angrago. I told you not to show interest in the festival, but you insisted on participating."
'Oh no.' Angrago realized he'd put his foot in his mouth again and cursed himself.
Perhaps his intelligence had dropped since the start of the semester due to the terrible food they'd been eating.
"This way..."
"It requires more mana than expected."
"That's how it is. I'll help recharge it whenever I get the chance."
"It'll take quite some time, but that's fine."
Salko refused Lee Han's offer.
Just from the explanation alone, the process of recharging the artifact with mana seemed more labor-intensive than expected.
Having the already busy Wardanaz assist with each task would be a waste of time.
"No. I meant I'd recharge it with my own mana."
"...I see."
After temporarily recharging everyone's paper bundle artifacts, Lee Han asked:
"So... what do you think? About gathering periodically?"
"I agree. Though Moradi might not."
"I agree too. Of course, the Tutanta might not understand the current situation and could cause internal strife."
Lee Han made a fed-up expression.
Dijiling, who had been listening from the front, nodded her head.
"Look at you both. Even Priestess Dijiling looks fed up."
"...I agreed to the gathering."
"Ah. I see. Right. I'll take that as agreement."
"Cooperation is always welcome, Lord Wardanaz."
"Indeed. Joining forces to burn the seniors doesn't sound bad either."
At Nigisor's words, the other students pretended not to hear and averted their gazes.
Though there were some extreme opinions, the second-years needed to unite now.
The illusion of meeting reliable and dependable seniors for advice had long since vanished.
More difficult and complex lectures, greater responsibilities than their first year, seniors who only thought about exploiting their juniors...
The only way to endure this situation was through unity.
"By the way, Wardanaz. Did you bring in a lot of food?"
Giselle suddenly asked with curiosity.
As before, Wardanaz had been speaking as if he'd secured quite a bit of food.
Surely there hadn't been an opportunity to smuggle anything in during enrollment?
"Somewhat."
"How?"
"Well. It's time for class. Let's all meet again next time. Hang in there, everyone."
At Lee Han's words, not only Giselle but everyone else reflexively responded with "Yeah, hang in there too."
Only after Lee Han had completely disappeared did Giselle realize it was nighttime.
"Wait. It's nighttime right now."
"...Amazing. Even though it's clearly night, it didn't sound strange at all when he said he was going to class."
When morning came, Lee Han visited the 7th floor and headed to the Kitchen Club.
Before classes started, he wanted to confirm the stories he'd heard yesterday.
"Wahaha, Wardanaz!"
Falkrius, who had been tending to a cauldron as large as himself since dawn while preparing ingredients, beamed upon seeing Lee Han.
As the junior he'd marked as a future leader of the Kitchen Club, his appearance was always welcome.
"Welcome, welcome! Have you come to help with our Soup Club's work?"
"Yes, Senior Falkrius."
"Pfft. But there's nothing to help with. One of our Soup Club's rules is 'You stir your own cauldron.'"
Falkrius stretched out his hand to stop Lee Han when he tried to help.
The Kitchen Club was often misunderstood as having ironclad discipline.
Though the club's membership conditions were strict, they strictly managed club-owned buildings and grounds, and members moved in perfect unison during meal times, giving that impression—but in reality, the inside was quite free.
Selling food to Einrogard students in the club's dining hall was entirely up to individual freedom.
If you procured your own ingredients, cooked them, and sold them, that was all there was to it.
The club merely existed to assist its members.
"So the rumor about one gold coin per dish isn't false?"
"That one's true."
"......"
"Uahaha! That's the tradition and identity of our <Iactus Soup Club>—we can't lower it any further. Sorry, but you'll have to understand."
"I wasn't asking if you could raise it—I was wondering if lowering it was possible."
"???"
Falkrius was taken aback by the completely unexpected question.
No junior or senior had ever asked such a thing before.
There were plenty who wanted to raise prices, but someone wanting to lower them?
"You're asking if we can lower it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Uh... just curious?"
"Junior. Have you ever wondered why there are no dance halls near Einrogard?"
Normally, imperial schools had not just social clubs but also dance halls and banquet halls nearby where club members could dance or drink.
Fundamentally, students were creatures who loved to have fun, and those who enrolled in boarding schools usually came from wealthy families.
Naturally, the townspeople near the schools welcomed these students as walking purses.
But Einrogard had none of that. Outings themselves were rare, and you had to travel far to reach the nearest village.
"I haven't particularly wondered about it, but..."
"Think about it. Why do you suppose that is?"
"Because the students don't go out, and it wouldn't make sense to operate for the villagers, right?"
"Pfft, exactly! You're sharp. It's obvious when you think about it. That's why no one bothers asking."
"??"
"To me, your question about lowering prices sounds exactly the same as that!"
"......"
Watching his senior burst into laughter, Lee Han wore a bemused expression.
It wasn't that funny of a question, was it?
After laughing for a while and wiping tears from his eyes, Falkrius apologized.
"Sorry. It's a fair question! Did I laugh too much?"
"So, is it possible?"
"Hmm! Probably not. The other members would take a loss."
"I see. Then when do we take the oath?"
"What oath?"
"The oath not to sell cheaply..."
"Ah. Did you hear that from someone outside the club? Uahaha! Half the rumors about Einrogard are nonsense. Who'd go so far as to swear an oath like that? What fool would sell cheaply anyway?"
It was just a verbal agreement—the Kitchen Club wasn't wealthy enough to waste expensive reagents and materials on an oath to "not sell cheaply."
"Pfft. Don't believe every rumor. I once heard there was an invincible warrior at Einrogard. Searched for over a year but never found them."
"That's..."
"Senior. We're here."
With tired voices, other club members appeared from behind.
Despite it being morning, exhaustion was evident on their faces.
Glancing down, Lee Han saw one hand holding a Bronze Goose and the other clutching baskets filled to the brim with Screaming Mushrooms.
"Wardanaz? You're Wardanaz, right?"
"Hello."
"Nice to meet you! I've really been wanting to meet you."
"We had to make some concessions because of interference from other clubs, but you'll find our club the most appealing too."
The seniors smiled brightly.
Thud!
Then one of them collapsed sideways. Lee Han shouted in alarm.
"Are you alright!?"
"Ah. It's fine. Don't worry. Just heard too many screams at the farm."
The screams emitted by the Screaming Mushrooms were toxic—even mages could faint or get seriously hurt if exposed too much.
"We wanted to pick some Crescent Honey Fruits, but there were too many monsters there today."
"We really need to hire more mercenaries. At this rate, we'll have to abandon the eastern part of the farm."
"...Wait. Senior."
"Oh? What? Something else you're curious about?"
"Why do monsters appear in the club's farms or pastures?"
"Hmm? Well, obviously monsters appear in farms and pastures..."
The senior who was tilting his head suddenly paused.
"...Come to think of it, don't farms and pastures outside rarely have monsters?"
"That tends to be the case. Unless it's the occasional stray that wandered in from outside."
"Oh. Right. My bad."
The senior apologized and continued explaining.
The pastures and farms managed by the Kitchen Club operated on a slightly different concept from those outside.
How does one efficiently procure food at Einrogard?
Normally, one would farm and raise livestock, but busy students could hardly secure the necessary quantities through such labor-intensive methods.
However, magic occasionally works miracles.
Places saturated with mana often undergo unpredictable changes and phenomena, among which included the accelerated growth of crops and livestock.
A miraculous land where crops and livestock flourished abundantly even if left unattended.
The Kitchen Club students had identified several such locations and repurposed them as farms and pastures.
'This feels familiar...'
As Lee Han listened to the seniors, he fell into thought.
Now that he considered it, he had experienced something similar.
Hadn't the crops in Professor Thunderstep's garden grown far more abundantly than expected?
He had suspected it was due to the staff gifted by the tree spirit, but hearing the seniors' explanation made him realize his own mana had likely contributed significantly as well.
"But where mana gathers, monsters inevitably follow. It's unavoidable."
"You get used to it. Haha."
Given the concentration of mana, the Kitchen Club's farms and pastures were essentially monster dens.
Whenever members needed to secure ingredients, they formed parties, prepared thoroughly for combat, and ventured in.
'I got my hopes up for nothing again.'
Lee Han, who had expected functional farms and pastures, squeezed his eyes shut.
Once again, his expectations had been misplaced.
Glancing back, he saw the senior who had collapsed from the Screaming Mushroom's toxins was still unconscious.
"You're late! Did you guys go by yourselves?!"
"Yeah. You lazy bum."
"S-sorry. Can't you share just for today?"
A late-arriving senior, spotting the ingredients the others had brought, pleaded desperately.
But the members remained unmoved. Falkrius burst into laughter and shouted,
"Uhahaha! Good joke!"
"Sen-senior. Please help me just this once."
"I'll help with the cooking prep!"
"I have no ingredients! If you'd just lend me some..."
"Aren't there ingredients right there?"
Falkrius pointed. The latecomer turned his head.
There was a single pebble on the ground.
"Just toss it in and boil it!"
"...Who'd eat that?!"
"Then you should've woken up early to gather ingredients. Pfft. Why do you think your friends got attacked by Bronze Geese at dawn or knocked out by Screaming Mushrooms?!"
Falkrius laughed heartily and clapped the latecomer on the back.
"If you don't earn today, there's always tomorrow. Pffhahaha."
"But I have equipment to buy today! Senior! Then lend me some money!"
"Uhahaha!"
"Senior!"
"Uhahahaha!"
Realizing further pleas were pointless, the latecomer hung his head dejectedly.
"Hehe. One less competitor."
"Today, the dining hall is mine."
Watching the seniors mutter with fiery determination, Lee Han, puzzled, asked,
"Is there a reason to compete?"
"Of course there is, junior. We all sell food for a single gold coin. So which would students buy—delicious, hearty meals or watery pebble soup? If you prepare poorly, you won't earn a single penny."
"...!"
As the seniors fueled their competitive spirits and prepared, Lee Han came to a realization.
The Kitchen Club was no warm, friendly social club.
It was a fierce battlefield—as cutthroat as Einrogard itself!