How Much Did You Look Into Before Coming? - 5
After seeing Bedler off, I slumped into the corner of the booth like a man collapsing. Luise approached with worry etched across her face, but I only shook my head to say it was nothing.
No—truth be told, it was a fucking enormous deal. There was no longer any need to wonder what a life with three stacks of divine punishment looked like. From now on, all I had to do was glance in a mirror.
That said, I could hardly turn to Luise and announce, "I got hit with divine punishment. Apparently it's a miracle I'm not dead yet." No matter how much a couple should keep no secrets, this one crossed every line.
Damn it.
If I kept my eyes open any longer, tears would spill, so I quietly shut them. Come to think of it, this was a world where gods actually existed and could intervene in human affairs. Enen, having secured a religious victory, seemed to have hit a wall after all that sweaty try-hard play and gone quiet—but the North was the one heathen zone where Enen's influence never reached. There was no guarantee that the god of that heathen zone would stay as quiet as Enen.
I had been a fool. Eternal Blue Sky was a divine being on the same level as Enen, yet I had treated her like nothing more than nomadic folk tradition and swept her aside.
"If a god is enraged, no human power can suppress it."
And so Bedler had shaken his head without the slightest hesitation. Murder of an apostle, desecration of a temple, insult to sacred relics—even the most merciful deity would have no choice but to rage. Honestly, I probably would have flipped out too. The apostle killing might have been self-defense, but burning the house down and defiling her treasured possessions was another matter entirely.
"Among the few remaining records of Eternal Blue Sky, it is said the first temple was raised over the grave of the first person to revere her. The place was built with eight pillars, and every other temple thereafter was limited to fewer than eight."
Even the temple I had burned had eight pillars. In the world I came from before possession, that would be the equivalent of torching St. Peter's Basilica. From Eternal Blue Sky's perspective, I had to be the single most irredeemable bastard alive. Even between enemy nations and heathens, holy sites were supposed to be off-limits—that was the universal rule.
"Fortunately, there is still hope."
Yet even in that insane situation, he claimed there was hope. For a second I wondered if Bedler was spinning a white lie just to comfort me, but his expression was dead serious.
"Frankly... the situation is bad enough that death would not have been strange. Yet seeing that you still live, Brother, it seems Eternal Blue Sky is avoiding any direct harm to a believer under Enen's watchful eye."
"So she's furious, but still has a shred of reason left?"
"Yes. With an apology and appropriate reparations, she would likely grant forgiveness."
I had gone on a rampage and made her see red, yet she had not lost enough reason to throw down with another god. Therefore: pay the settlement money and apologize. Even a god would forgive that.
It was an oddly capitalistic solution, which felt bizarre, but at least it was a straightforward one. If they had ordered me to trek to the holy land and perform a traditional nomad rite, I would have been in far deeper trouble.
"As one who follows the Lord's teachings, it is awkward for me to suggest offering prayers to another god... but we must keep you alive first, must we not?"
Even while saying that, Bedler managed to sound like a true priest. I made a silent vow: from now on I would donate to the Dawn Church with genuine sincerity. And I would offer prayers to Eternal Blue Sky three times a day as well.
Fuck.
Anyway—what kind of life was this? I had already been ground down by the Crown Prince and the ministers; now a god was grinding me too.
Still, I had to keep going. Kagan was already dead and the temple was ash; nothing could be done about that. But if I took good care of the sacred relics going forward, maybe she would cut me some slack?
The rest I'll settle with the party involved through prayer.
I'm sorry, Eternal Blue Sky. I'll pay any amount of reparations you want. I would even make donations if the temple still stood—except I was the one who burned it.
If the North ever stabilizes, I'll rebuild the burned temple too...
Aside from Bedler's bombshell announcement, the expo proceeded without incident. Last year's expo had run smoothly except for the third glory, and this year's newly added mage guests were all holding their breath waiting for the cookie auction, so nothing was likely to explode.
"I am told the guests from Ernesto Academy will arrive tomorrow morning."
"Ah, so the time has already come."
And now the final guests had arrived. The visit of Ernesto Academy, symbolizing the end of the long inter-academy rivalry. Thanks to that, the principal's face was lit with a gentle smile.
They could have come earlier, but the date of Ernesto Academy's visit had been agreed upon for mid-expo so the first-day crowds would not cause chaos. Honestly it looked more like a dominance display than crowd control, but what could you do? When the top dog said jump, the underdog jumped.
Besides, the underdog had not exactly been snubbed.
"They may have come a long way, but they will surely be delighted. Receiving instruction from the Magic Lord is an honor beyond measure."
I returned the principal's smile and nodded.
It might have been a dominance play, but aside from a slight bruise to pride, they would walk away with plenty of real benefits, so there was no real complaint. After all—if simply showing up at the expo meant personal instruction from the Magic Lord herself? You would crawl there on your knees if you had to.
"How lonely those children would feel if we simply sent them home after coming so far. Meeting them at least once will let everyone part on good terms."
If they ever learned that the surprise lesson had been volunteered by the Magic Lord herself, they might actually cry from emotion.
"That is fortunate. It will be a perfect chance to show just how outstanding the Imperial Academy is."
"Haha, quite right."
I slipped in a quiet congratulations on the victory, and the principal's smile deepened further.
Every time I saw him smile like this, I felt warm. His twilight years had been utterly ruined by the mass enrollment of key figures from foreign nations; now they were recovering. When he finally retired, he would remember this year's inter-academy triumph rather than last year's disaster. A good ending made everything good.
After laughing for quite a while, the principal gave a small cough and continued.
"Come to think of it, Audit Department Chief—how many cookies have been made?"
The sudden change of topic was jarring, but the content was important enough that I straightened my posture.
The fact that cookies counted as a serious matter between the Academy principal and the Audit Department Chief was already funny, yet unfortunately they really were that important. The Academy's survival might well hinge on cookie inventory. After all, they were essentially elixirs shaped like cookies.
"About five hundred twenty have been made. Since Your Grace is personally storing them, there is no need for concern."
The principal's expression turned puzzled. Five hundred twenty was not a small number, but cookies were a food that could be mass-produced. The decision to auction the Magic Lord's cookies had been made days ago—still only five hundred twenty? He had every right to find it strange.
But the premise of mass production was already wrong. The Magic Lord only baked when she felt like it, and most of what she did bake she stuffed straight into my mouth.
Not like I can shrink my stomach.
Thanks to that, I had been eating cookies for entire meals lately. From the perspective of someone force-fed that many, it was actually miraculous that we had managed to secure five hundred twenty at all. I wished the principal understood my suffering.
"Please do not worry. It does not take that long to make them. If the number seems too low, we can simply hurry a little, can we not?"
Of course, for the sake of my stomach and the Academy's peace, I had no intention of continuing this mass consumption. Even limited editions had their limits. If supply was too low relative to demand, how would we handle the aftermath?
If we sold them one by one we could reach hundreds of people, but handing a single cookie to someone who had traveled a great distance was simply not right. Do that and people would call you heartless. The Academy was holding the auction not for profit but for peace; we had to choose the method that left the least room for complaint afterward.
Not too many, not too few—that delicate middle ground. For a civil servant, it was familiar territory.
"With the Audit Department Chief handling it, how could I possibly worry?"
The principal did not seem especially concerned either; he simply nodded lightly at my answer and moved on.
Right—no matter how seriously we discussed it, they were just cookies. Not some mythical ginseng or thousand-year-old root. The Magic Lord's hands could whip them up with ease; there was no real need to fret.
Compared to last year the number of guests had clearly swollen, and sales had skyrocketed along with them.
Yet production volume had barely changed from last year, so every club member was working together with all their might. All except exactly two people.
"I am sorry. As a teacher I ought to be helping my disciple."
Our teacher, who had essentially become an honorary club member. Her confectionery skills had long since reached full competence, yet for various reasons the sweets she made could not actually be sold.
"It's fine. Moving the ingredients for us is already a huge help, isn't it?"
It truly did not matter. Thanks to her magic we saved enormous time on material transport. She might not be able to contribute to production volume itself, but her contribution to time efficiency was massive.
"I'm sorry... the newcomer only holds everyone back..."
Sera, the sole new member this year. Physical work was still unfamiliar to her, so her baking skill remained clumsy, yet I could see how hard she was trying; I had no desire to scold her.
Besides, unlike our teacher who could not be involved in production at all, Sera could help with various small tasks. In her own way she was faithfully fulfilling her role.
"Newcomers are supposed to be clumsy. I was the same at first, so don't get discouraged."
So I gently encouraged the dejected Sera. At an expo meant for fun, I could not stand seeing a club member looking sad.
I patted her shoulder with that thought in mind, and the faint moisture in Sera's eyes gradually settled—
"Could I get the cheese cake? Two slices today."
—only to turn razor-sharp in an instant.
The gentle lamb had transformed into a fighting cock; I instinctively stepped backward. Naturally my gaze shifted toward the source of the voice, and there stood exactly the person I expected.
A woman offering Erich a smiling eye-greeting right at the sales counter. A close older sister figure to Erich, and by any measure a woman with clear feelings for him.
Countess Horpfelt.
Today's regular customer once again. Yet strangely I did not feel particularly glad to see her. If Sera had not been present I could have welcomed her warmly, but as things stood...
"Two slices? You usually take one."
"One is for you. You've been working hard; you need to fill your stomach."
"As expected, only you, Noona."
Hearing that warm, affectionate exchange, I felt a cold sweat break out.
That idiot.
A faint resentment rose at the sight of Erich cheerfully packing the cake with a smile.
From Erich's perspective she was a precious friend, so the fondness was inevitable—but could he at least refrain from saying "only you, Noona"? Sera was standing right there listening.
—*Grind.*
I thought I heard the sound of teeth grinding beside me, but I did not hear it.
I don't know. I truly do not know.