A Mountain of Cola
Serina knew that even if she drank cola for the rest of her life, the sheer quantity before her would still leave plenty behind. Just then, the Second Prince and the next Magic Tower Master, who had been hovering in the corner, slunk toward her.
“Hmm… Serina. Those colas… you might want to be careful with them.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Haven’t you heard? These days there are people who spike women’s drinks. Better safe than sorry. I’ll take all that cola off your hands and pay you for it, so…”
“No thank you!”
Serina was kind-hearted, but she was not naïve. Working at a market where she dealt with hundreds of people every single day, how could she possibly lack discernment? She already knew both men harbored feelings for her. She had politely turned them down again and again, explaining that she was not on their level and had no interest in dating either of them. Yet the pair—who had never once experienced rejection in their lives—refused to give up and continued to trail after her. After all, throwing tantrums had always gotten them whatever they wanted before.
Serina had half given up on driving them away and simply resigned herself to their presence. She would occasionally toss them snacks or force a laugh at their dull jokes. Having grown thoroughly tired of the two men, she thought nothing could anger her anymore. But when she heard the prince’s words, fury surged through her.
“No… why… when I’m offering you money.”
“Are you suggesting that Hendel put something strange in the cola?”
“A man might resort to wicked tricks when the woman he desires is as beautiful as you.”
“Do not insult my friend!”
The Second Prince recoiled as if struck. Friend? He had courted her for an entire year and never once heard that word from her lips. Yet she was calling some boy who had enrolled less than a month ago her friend. Jealousy flared wildly inside the prince’s chest.
“In any case, you won’t be able to drink all of it yourself, will you?”
The next Blue Magic Tower Master took the baton with a kindly smile.
“So let me buy every last bottle. You can take the money and purchase more cola to enjoy—”
“Be quiet.”
“…”
Serina finally understood why they were so desperate to buy her cola. Any reasonable person would realize it was impossible to have drugged such an enormous quantity. The only explanation was jealousy. These men who viewed her as their possession could not tolerate her forming bonds with others or accepting gifts from them. What had once been mere annoyance now curdled into genuine disgust.
Even someone with her self-control could endure no more.
“Please disappear from my sight. I beg you.”
“…”
The two men stared in open shock, clearly never expecting such blunt rejection. Surprisingly, they withdrew without argument.
“See you tomorrow.”
“I’ll visit again once your mood improves.”
“…”
So my feelings don’t matter at all. They’re the type to swing an axe a thousand times at a tree that won’t fall after a hundred strokes. A heavy gloom settled over Serina.
The crowd that had gathered to gawk at the cola tower began drifting away. She remembered the merchants who had pestered her to sell it. No matter how badly she needed money, how could she sell a friend’s gift? Giving it away for free would be far better.
Serina gathered mana in her throat and shouted.
“Free cola giveaway! Take as much as you want!”
“What?”
The spectators who had been leaving turned back at once.
“Is she serious?”
“How many can we take?”
“As long as you don’t collapse the tower, take however many you like.”
“Kyaa, thank you!”
At the word “free,” people swarmed forward.
“How are we supposed to carry those down?”
“We’ll have to start from the top, but how do we even climb it?”
They were stumped at first, but greed quickly sharpened their wits.
“Magic Department! Magic Department! Come out!”
“Yes?”
“Make us some ice stairs over here!”
“That’ll consume an enormous amount of mana…”
“There are plenty of mages here. It’s totally doable.”
“Knight Department! Knight Department!”
“Here!”
“Hold the cola pillar steady!”
“Let’s go, everyone!”
The Magic and Knight Departments, eyes glazed with freebie fever, set aside their usual grudges and cooperated. Knight students braced the base of the tower with raw strength while mages chanted.
“Ice!”
“Stone!”
Spiraling stairs of ice and stone wrapped around the towering cola pile.
“Good heavens…”
The dorm supervisor, who had been fretting over what to do with the mountain of cola, stood frozen with her mouth agape.
“Hey, that side’s shaking!”
“Hold it steady!”
Because the upper section had been disturbed during construction, the cola pile wobbled dangerously. Knight students who had somehow procured eight-meter-long pikes—originally designed to stop charging cavalry—now used them to prop up the trembling tower.
“That’s a limited edition! Fifty silver per bottle! If it breaks we’re screwed!”
Limited edition?
Serina, who had never tasted cola before, had assumed she was giving away ordinary bottles. The shout revealed that every one of them was a limited edition worth fifty silver.
Then… how many gold is the whole tower worth?
The sum was staggering enough to make even Serina waver. She squeezed her eyes shut and fought down temptation.
Still… I can’t sell a gift from my friend!
In truth Hendel had sent the cola hoping she would sell it, but unaware of his intention, Serina chose to give it all away.
“Wow… it really is free?”
Word had already spread, and students poured in without end. Among them was Carden, whose eyes had turned positively feral at the mention of free cola.
“Excuse me, coming through.”
Carden pushed through the crowd until she stood before the tower.
“Wow… it looks delicious.”
She licked her lips.
“I’ll handle it…”
The mages were still struggling to create stairs sturdy enough to support so many people. Growing impatient, Carden shoved them aside and released the power she had been suppressing.
Twitch.
Blinded by cola lust, she drew on her demonic strength. Tiny horns sprouted from her head. Covering them with one hand, she cast her spell.
“Ice.”
A tremendous gust of freezing wind howled around the cola tower. In an instant she completed stairs that dozens of mages had failed to finish.
“Whoa, Leni’s the best!”
“Waaaaah!”
The students cheered wildly. Carden scratched her head, embarrassed.
“H-hurry up and take them!”
The knight students’ arms were already trembling from the strain. Students scrambled up the stairs and formed a human chain.
“Pass it along!”
“We’ve got this!”
They handed bottles down from the very top, one by one.
“Here, it’s your cola so you should drink the first one!”
The very first bottle taken from the tower found its way back to Serina.
“Th-this is cola…”
Thanks to Carden’s freezing wind, the bottle was refreshingly cold, tiny ice crystals clinging to the glass. Forgetting all about the annoying prince and tower master, Serina focused only on the long-awaited drink. She swallowed nervously.
Gulp.
Pssshht.
She popped the cap. The black liquid looked ominous. Bubbles seethed like lava from the Demon Realm. Despite the questionable appearance, she closed her eyes and drank deeply. Her eyes flew open.
“How can something taste this good!”
From that day forward, Serina became a slave to cola and a fervent believer in Hendel, the man who had created it.
“Haha! I managed to grab five bottles!”
“You greedy bastard.”
By eight o’clock that evening the towering cola pile had shrunk dramatically. Only two stories remained, and fewer people were still coming to collect bottles. Staring at the considerable amount still left, Serina fell into thought.
What should I do with the rest?
She had already claimed several hundred bottles for herself and filled her dormitory room to bursting. No more students were showing up for the giveaway. She decided to ask the only person still happily drinking beside the tower.
“Senior Leni, do you have any good ideas for what to do with the remaining cola?”
Carden—who had only managed to snag a few dozen bottles due to the crowd—felt her brain kick into overdrive.
I barely have any food budget left. If I could get all that cola, I wouldn’t have to worry about meals for at least two months.
She fidgeted anxiously.
How can I make sure I get every last bottle?
Watching Carden rack her brains so earnestly, Serina was deeply moved.
It’s my problem, yet she’s thinking so hard for my sake!
Oblivious to Serina’s gratitude, Carden’s eyes suddenly sparkled.
“You said all this cola came from Hendel, right?”
“Yes! Hendel is a genius sent from heaven! To create a drink like this—it’s practically the nectar of the gods! I wouldn’t be surprised if the ambrosia from myths was actually cola!”
Serina’s passionate praise made Carden’s eyes gleam.
“Let’s hold a tournament.”
“A tournament?”
“Since it’s a gift from Hendel, we’ll host a competition in his name and offer cola as the prize.”
Serina’s eyes widened as the idea sank in.
“That’s a brilliant plan!”
They could clear out the remaining cola, raise Hendel’s reputation, and the academy would have no reason to object to students organizing their own event and providing the prizes themselves.
The following Monday, a large poster appeared on the academy’s public bulletin board.
Grand Prize: Limited Edition Lime Cola — approximately 10,000 bottles
Sponsor: Hendel Edgar
Date: October 2nd – 3rd
Additional Sponsors: Carde Magic Tower, Academy Student Council, Market Merchants’ Association
Registration: Serina, 2nd Year, Knight Department
“Fuck… what the hell is this?”
Hendel, who had been casually checking the bulletin board as usual, stared in utter disbelief.