Healing at the Academy convenience store

Chapter 24

Breaking News! Eve Declares, ‘I’m Completely Uninformed About Kelters.’ Is She Abandoning the Heroine Role?

“Wait a moment. Are you truly unaware of Kelters?”

“Yes, I am.”

How did we reach this point?

Eve has undeniably been closely monitoring Kelters from the very beginning.

Why? Where did I misunderstand?

While it’s possible for Kelters not to pursue the path of magic, it’s unprecedented for Eve not to take notice of him.

“But isn’t he the representative of the first-year students?”

“Yes, I was a representative too. Isn’t that common?”

“But doesn’t he possess outstanding stats?”

Considering that Kelters’ stats hover around 15 according to Academy standards, that’s quite remarkable.

“Only 15. That’s insufficient to surpass the bar, isn’t it?”

“…”

She’s correct.

Talent is a ruthless concept. 15 denotes a talented individual, 16 stands out. 17 is known as the limit of an average human, and starting from 18, one gains the ability to transcend this limit.

The talent of Rudika, and the magic of Aila and Eve are considered prodigious from 19 onwards, as is Wolfram’s stamina 2, which is enough to wrestle with the eastern forest’s beetle.

Hence, Kelters’ initial stats of 15 were rather awkward.

It was understandable why Eve paid him no attention.

Nevertheless, Kelters managed to overcome his own limitations and eventually evolved into a genius capable of competing with Eve after countless adventures.

Upon further contemplation, it seems strange. Why did Eve, an advocate for meritocracy, have an interest in Kelters from the beginning?

He’s merely an ordinary boy with a modest stats of 15.

My question was swiftly answered.

“Imagine.”

“Hmm?”

“If a lad named Kelters were to demonstrate that he could breach Aila Tristar’s magic, which rates at 19, with his strength at 15, I might be astounded.”

“Ah…”

I comprehend. In the original narrative, during the educational duel, Eve sensed ‘something’ in Kelters.

And now…

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing. It’s shattered. Just nothing.

And the cause is…

It’s because Wolfram, who cautioned ‘Aila, be cautious of his charge,’ was present!

“Anyway, I’ll have the doughnut. Plus, given that I, the present student council president, have personally paid a visit, your guests should feel somewhat more at ease in the future. Do you understand?”

“Yes. Hmm.”

“It would be ideal if you recognized that this is the utmost consideration I can extend to you, individual who narrowly avoided expulsion due to poor grades and didn’t tarnish the royal family’s honor. Ahem. I’m implying that you should express gratitude. Do you get it?”

“Hmm.”

“Hey, Wolfram… Hello? Are you paying attention?”

“Huh? Yeah. Got it. Hmm. What did you say?”

“I said go eat dirt.”

I was lost in thought, and I vaguely responded to whatever Eve said next to me.

But what did she say?

She really knows how to express herself.

As Eve went her way, I sank back into my thoughts.

“How do you gauge how much things change when the original story deviates from the start?”

With these thoughts, the wistful smile of the red-haired boy flickered through my mind.

Kelters.

I apologize. It seems I messed up the magical path for you.

“I’m sure the progression of the original story will become more challenging… but what can we do about what’s already occurred?”

Honestly, I’m sorry.

I didn’t anticipate it would turn out like this either.

But you know what? So, therefore,

You simply have to endure it, even when it’s tough. What else can we do? Right?

***

The following morning, at dawn.

Despite it being the weekend, Nephti came to visit.

“What’s up? There’s no part-time job at the street stall today because it’s the weekend.”

“…Is that so? That’s a shame. Well, can I grab a meal here?”

The context doesn’t match, you rascal.

“All academies provide free meals to students, not just the Knight Department… If I recall correctly, they also serve meals on weekends. You can have breakfast there.”

“Yes, that’s true. But… well, I’m not entirely sure about the Magic Department, but the Knight Department is a bit different.”

This appears to be a different perspective compared to the game.

“Explain. Depending on your explanation, I might reward you with some donuts I made yesterday.”

“…I’ll do my best to explain. Firstly, the Knight Department does offer free meals. That’s correct. To be precise, lunch is free. For the other meals, you need to request one and it costs money.”

“So, you could wait until lunch, right?”

“But this ‘free’ doesn’t mean you can go there and eat as much as you want; they provide meal tickets. They give out the meals in precise portions once you hand over the ticket.”

“Meal tickets?”

“Think about it. If it were a buffet, there’s no telling how much the energetic knight trainees, who move around all day, would consume. So, it’s a specific quantity per meal ticket. They use a magical measuring scale to precisely determine the weight and serve it. That’s the knight trainees’ meal. But it tastes good. The portion is not that small either. So…”

“So?”

“Meal tickets are quite valuable among the knight trainees.”

“Are you saying you sold all of yours?”

“……I combine all of them and exchange them at the beginning of every month.”

Nephti hung her head in silence.

I can’t help but sigh.

“Help yourself to the leftover donuts and strawberry iced tea if you’d like.”

“I’ll definitely repay this favor!”

Yeah.

I wonder if you can tally all the favors you owe me?

***

While Nephti was indulging in the donuts and sipping the iced tea with a silly grin on her face, I was recollecting what I needed to do and immediately began working.

I tried writing on the wooden plate with a pencil, erased it, and wrote on the wooden plate again.

Watching the letters gradually become legible, I sometimes felt satisfied, but at other times, I wanted to snap the wooden plate in half because it didn’t feel right. As I continued this agonizing refinement process, Nephti approached and asked.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m practicing my skills and stats.”

“……What do you mean?”

There are several ways to raise your stats in Jephryn, no, in D/Z SAGA. The most prominent one is gaining bonus stats when you acquire ‘superior skills.’ The next one is wearing items like my balance gloves. Then there’s completing achievements. And… repetitive actions.

One’s stats can be very slightly affected by endlessly repeating a single action. It’s akin to grinding, and its impact is hardly noticeable, but it does indeed increase.

“Ah, stats increase through repetitive actions… Yes, I believe that exists.”

“Yes, that’s it.”

I’m working towards improving specific stats by writing ‘beautifully’ on the wooden plate. Naturally, talent takes precedence, followed by the determination to achieve a satisfactory level of beautiful writing. Lastly, it involves the physical strength needed to grip a pencil and write.

“···Does it genuinely enhance physical strength?”

“Humph.”

It does, doesn’t it?

It should, right?

Or maybe I’m just in a lot of pain.

That alone offers a threefold effect. However, I’ve added one more aspect to the plan.

“So what are you writing?”

“I’m working on the lettering for the sign.”

“A sign?”

“Yes, the sign for this convenience store. The donuts and snacks are incredibly delicious, but the reason customers aren’t coming is probably because they don’t know what this place is. It makes sense.”

“That’s true.”

“That’s why I’m refining the lettering for the sign’s design to be as eye-catching and neat as possible.”

“But it won’t change the location.”

Nephti’s words may seem blunt at first glance, but they’re quite accurate.

However…

“Does that mean I shouldn’t explore better methods? Do everything you can. Complain afterward.”

“···That’s a valid point. Honestly, I’m impressed. So, it was a misunderstanding that Wolfram, the embodiment of embezzlement and trickery, almost ruined the academy as the student council president?”

“No, that’s exactly what I did.”

“······.”

What can I do? Now I am Wolfram, and I must accept that.

“Anyway, if you have nothing to do, go back and do some polishing. Or at least find some edible grass.”

“Hmm. It’s indeed a practical and efficient way to spend the weekend, but I’ll assist.”

“Help?”

“Yes, I’m referring to creating the sign. My skill level is 14. It’s fairly impressive. I have good stamina, so I might be useful when we actually create the sign. Today, I can do it for free, of course.”

It’s a generous offer and one to be appreciated…

“It’s my duty.”

“Hmm. If you don’t trust my skills, how about subcontracting?”

“One must do what they can on their own. Even if my strength wanes and the letters become distorted, it’s all part of my growth. By crafting better letters, I might elevate my skills to the level of official documents, and with greater precision, I might create more intricate accessories.”

“…You’ll handle it on your own.”

“It’s challenging to do it alone. Effort is demanding, but it’s also difficult to come by opportunities to make an effort.”

That was Lee Young-jin’s life. I was an orphan from birth, with no opportunities for education.

What’s gained is valuable, and effort is noble… but not everyone is presented with the chance to exert themselves.

“So this is my opportunity. Do you understand, Nephti?”

“Haha. Yes, I do. I comprehend. I nearly robbed you of your chance to strive, Wolfram. That wasn’t very knightly.”

“If you understand, step aside, I’m occupied.”

“Can I observe from the sidelines?”

“Don’t you have anything else to do?”

“Watching someone put in effort can be quite an intriguing thing.”

“Do as you please.”

“Yes, I’ll do as I wish.”

With that, Nephti sat beside me, lightly chuckling.

And she simply observed my repetitive action of meticulously crafting more orderly characters on the wooden plate.

She wore a faint smile on her face.

Is my writing that amusing?

***

This is how the addition of sign writing to my daily tasks came about, and it didn’t take long.

On a day when there were no afternoon lectures, I pushed the cart after having lunch and headed to the front of the first-year general school.

The first-year students began to appear in front of the cart more frequently, perhaps because the real Eve had visited once.

But these young students were a bit cheeky; they started addressing me in an unusual manner.

“Ah, it’s Donut senior. Hey there!”

“Donut senior, hello! You’re here today!”

“…Where did that nickname come from?”

The students exchanged glances, blinked their eyes, and began chatting.

“President Eve said it’s okay to address you informally.”

“Yes, just like any regular student, you can treat him as an approachable senior.”

“Except for the student council president, everyone at Jephryn is on equal footing. But it’s also a bit… weird to call him by his first name or last name.”

So, am I Donut senior now?

I suppose I’ll have to challenge Eve someday.

Very well. A member of the royal family daring to pick a fight?

“Do… Do we not have to address you that way?”

“Wolfram von Roengreen…”

“Just call me informally. So, what can I get you?”

“Yes, yes! I’d like one with strawberry and fresh cream…”

That’s how the first-year students began buying donuts and chatting.

Fortunately, they didn’t run away as they had before. Instead, they ate right in front of the cart and chatted, so even just listening brought in information about the first grade of the academy.

And among all that chatter, there was also some information I was interested in.

“By the way, has that appeared in the dormitory?”

“That? …Ah, you mean the ghost?”

“Yeah. Have any of you seen it?”

“Eh, where’s a ghost? It was written in the pamphlet, ‘Jephryn, where all the mysteries gather! Want to elevate your life’s mysteries?'”

That was written in the pamphlet. It’s the end of the world.

“But… if all the mysteries gather, wouldn’t there be a ghost?”

“……I guess you’re right. There could be one.”

Hmm, a ghost.

The word “ghost” was a real concept, but at the same time, it held a nostalgic quality for me.

‘Is this finally the beginning of Act 1, Chapter 1?’

The commotion about the dormitory ghost.