Three gold coins (3)
Lucy subjugation battle.
This is the largest scenario that marks the finale of Act 3, and is an event in which the Archmage Lucy Mayril, who is trying to single-handedly defeat all the apostles of the Telos Church and uproot it by its roots, is defeated.
Tailley and the others have no way of knowing about the darkness of the Telos Church. Lucy’s actions of simply trying to destroy all the apostles without even explaining the exact reason must have seemed crazy.
However, the person who prompted Lucy to do so was Clarice, a distrustful saint who became corrupted after losing Adele.
When I told Lucy about the darkness rooted in the Telos Church, Lucy didn’t think much about it and went to destroy the Telos Church.
As Adele’s spiritual power weakened, Lucy was also able to vaguely regain memories of the endless rewind of time. It wouldn’t have taken long to understand that everything Clarisse said was true.
… Sylvania Academy is Glokt’s legacy and treasure.
Moreover, Lucy has a promise to Glokt. If someday a crisis comes that this school cannot handle, I will definitely protect it.
In order to fulfill that promise, Lucy went to crush the church’s apostles without hesitation… .
Third parties who have no way of knowing the situation are blocking Lucy’s actions… That’s the content of the final battle in Chapter 3.
After defeating Lucy, Tailley, who belatedly realized the darkness of the Telos Church, defeated Archbishop Verdio and the remaining apostles… . In the process, the new sword mastery that can be obtained from Clarisse’s relics is the ‘Godslaughter Sword.’
It is also a technique used to kill the Act 4 boss, the evil god Mebula.
I explained it in detail, but now there is a problem.
The premise of all these scenarios has collapsed.
Saint Clarice was not corrupted. Finally, she decided to trust the Holy Emperor El Dain one more time and watch his moves.
Verdio had already been excommunicated and taken to sainthood. He can no longer live as a priest.
In other words, the battle to subdue Lucy… There was no reason to even get up at all.
“… … .”
It was a car used to strengthen the chimney on the roof of the hut.
I hit the groove of the support with the underside of the handle of a small hand axe. The parts of the wooden support were coming together neatly.
“I don’t think it’s something to just leave alone… .”
I mumbled to myself and tried to organize my thoughts.
The Lucy subjugation battle was also treated as a very important event.
First of all, regardless of the proportion or scale of the scenario, the skill proficiency, level experience, and various unique skills that can be obtained there are likely to be of great help in progressing through Act 4.
Above all, the fact that Tailly’s growth is greatly slowed down is a source of great concern.
You can’t hang on forever to a relationship that has already gone wrong, but Tailly’s growth serves as at least an insurance policy. No matter how distorted our history is, we must have at least a clue to resolve it when trials arise.
Is it really true that the battle to subdue Lucy will become a completely non-existent event?
The sense of debt that remained in Lucy’s mind. The last promise I made with Glokt has now been completely dissolved, and now I only have time to live freely.
I really want to meet Lucy in person to find out about those things, but… Lucy hasn’t shown up at camp for several days already.
Why has that girl, who was usually napping almost as if in the background, not been entering the camp lately?
Anyway, I was going to sleep in the Ofilis building, so I was thinking of calling Mr. Bell next time I see him.
“Are you Mr. Ed?”
I heard a voice calling me from below the cabin.
I am on top of the cabin, reinforcing the chimney and roof. I slipped down to the outskirts and checked down, and there was a man and a woman I had never seen before.
I sat down on the edge of the roof and looked at the two.
“Oh, you were on the roof.”
The man had a sinister look. He has a slim build and a smiling face, but he appears to be shrewd.
He was wearing a brown beret and holding a large wooden box in his hands.
And the woman had a fairly plain appearance.
Her fairly long black hair hangs neatly. It looks clean without any ornaments or accessories.
“Hello, Mr. Ed. My name is Dune. “This side is called Rienna.”
“Oh, hello. Bar, bar, nice to meet you.”
I jumped off the roof and barely landed on the dirt floor. As I stood upright, maintaining my balance, and shaking off my clothes, a man who introduced himself as Dune smiled and spoke.
“I am a stooge who acts under the orders of Deputy Lord Lortel. The official title is sales manager for the Sylvania branch of Elte Company, but… “It feels like it’s just a shiny business card.”
“Did Lortel send you here?”
“yes. That’s right. And this is Secretary Rienna. “Although I am the secretary directly to Assistant Manager Hoeju of Lortel, Assistant Manager Hoeju handles most of the work himself, so in reality, I am the person who only makes tea or cleans the house.”
“If you introduce yourself like that, my first impression will be ruined, Dune.”
“I’m saying let’s laugh~ Let’s laugh, let’s laugh.”
It’s not fun at all. Neither I nor Rienna laughed.
Dune, who was just giggling to herself, lifted the wooden box in her arms and spoke.
“The Deputy Manager of the House of Lords is planning to build a villa here, so I stopped by to do just a large basic survey. “I want to post it in the report.”
“that… Were you serious…? ?”
“He is someone who will do it if he does it. If it’s related to Mr. Ed, he’s especially quick to rush in, so shouldn’t we move quickly too? “You are an employee, right?”
He didn’t look that old, so I quickly stopped talking, but he didn’t seem to care.
Cleverness is built into it by default. Should I say that it is a sly look typical of merchants? It’s a pretty dirty way of dealing with things.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. Ed. Well, if you really want to meet, you can meet at any time, but basically, I want to see the acting manager of Lortel.”
“It’s more awkward to keep saying ‘sir’ or ‘sir’. “Is it really necessary to call them by such an uncomfortable title since they seem to be of the same age anyway?”
“The reason I’m messing around with money at this age is all because of my wits.”
After putting down the box, Dune took out various surveying tools and threw them at Rienna. Rienna frantically took Dune’s surveying tools and threw them at her.
“Anyway, Mr. Ed is someone my employer takes special care of, so it wouldn’t hurt to show him off. “I may seem too snobbish when I say this out loud.”
“… … .”
“Well, people can be a bit snobbish. Don’t you know everything, Mr. Ed? How can human relationships be completely divorced from interests? “Okay, just take this and go to the other side.”
Rienna, holding one end of the large tape measure, hurriedly walked backwards and made her way to the other side of the clearing.
As he was walking, he accidentally lost his footing and fell, causing quite a fuss, but Dune just watched while giggling.
“Well, even the acting owner of Lortel doesn’t like it when a company employee meets Mr. Ed directly like this. There’s nothing I can do about it today. “I happened to be the only one who had free hands.”
“Is there any reason to dislike it? “I said I’d meet some of the employees and we’d talk about how great things were.”
“I’m sure you know very well how insignificant Deputy Lortel seems when you meet Mr. Ed.”
Dune pulled the tape measure tight, checked the scale, and wrote down some numbers on the paper. And I shouted to Rienna to turn around horizontally.
“To put it bluntly, it is completely different from working at a commercial company. “He’s so cold-blooded that it makes you wonder if his veins are flowing with molten metal instead of blood.”
“You say you’re an employer and that you respect him, but he’s quite harsh in his words.”
“Oh, I meant this as a compliment… Among us, these words are secretly considered a compliment.”
“… … .”
I once got a glimpse of Lortel’s cold-blooded temperament at Laplace Bakery.
In fact, even if it wasn’t for that matter, it’s not like I didn’t know about Lortel’s usual appearance.
“You usually act so cool-headed, but in front of Mr. Ed, you calm down and sit like a flower shop girl… It may not be something that the employees of the commercial association would be proud of. “From my perspective, it’s a big deal.”
Dune took the end of a tape measure and walked around the edge of the clearing to measure horizontally.
As the distance grew, Dune’s voice became louder.
“What… ! “I heard you stopped by the camp yesterday for the first time in a while. Did you have any interesting conversations?”
“There was nothing special. I asked how you were… Also, are you saying that Elte Trading Company is up to something? “We talked about buying school supplies in advance.”
“As expected, you are well aware of the internal circumstances of the Chamber of Commerce. “It’s only natural since you’re close with the person in charge.”
Dune said that and added with a cheerful expression.
“Well, in any case, if there is anything that is difficult to ask directly from the acting owner of Lortel regarding the business of the company, or if there is anything else you would like to talk about, please come to Dune at any time. “I’m telling you this because I think it would be convenient in many ways to get some points from Mr. Ed.”
“well… “I wonder if there is anything I can ask of you, leaving Lortel, who is in fact the final decision maker.”
“There’s no need to be so strict~ You don’t know how the world will work, right? “I thought it would be nice to see you, so I brought you a gift.”
Dune turned his head. When I looked in that direction, I saw a bundle of beautifully wrapped presents by the bonfire.
I left Dune doing the surveying and opened the package, and there was a bottle of alcohol that looked quite luxurious.
“This is a Clentru distilled spirit that only 500 bottles are produced a year in the County of Drex. You can also get it on the black market in the Old Deck area by paying 1 flan gold coin. “It is said to be a new liquor introduced using distillation methods from the Eastern Continent, but the alcohol content is quite strong, so be careful not to drink it if you are weak to alcohol.”
“… … .”
“If you are not immune to alcohol, you will be hit in one hit. “Lienna took a sip and she was hooked. She had the afternoon off.”
“Stop talking about cheating on others so casually, Dune! “After you fed it!”
Dune burst out in laughter, leaving Rienna fuming in the distance.
“This is a drink that even famous drinkers regret.”
“You’re overestimating me more than you need to.”
“Wow, that’s overrated.”
Dune, who was pulling the tape measure tightly, smiled and… He spoke while flipping through documents with one hand.
“I guess the teacher is underestimating himself.”
* * *
After sending Dune away and checking on Yenika’s condition, I went out to the living room.
Yenika has improved quite a bit and will soon be able to lead a normal life on her own. Seeing as she’s sitting alone in her hut, practicing conjuring up this or that lesser spirit, she’s about to get it.
As Lortel said, I headed to the general store to stock up on books and school supplies in advance.
Claven General Store, located in the very center of the main square of Seongdong-dong, is one of the stores as famous as Laplace Bakery, and is also a commercial facility with the largest building in Seongdong-dong.
Not only is it a prime location where you can see the fountain in the living-dong plaza right in front of you, but the building has as many as five floors.
There are only three buildings in the residential complex higher than five stories.
Maxeth Bridge Access Control Center, Elte Chamber of Commerce Sylvania Branch, and Claven General Store.
It is a store that occupies a large portion of the living area. Naturally, logistics is completely dependent on Elte Trading Company, so it cannot escape the influence of Elte Trading Company.
“Hmm… .”
You can buy books in bulk at the bookstore further inside, and I thought about purchasing some daily necessities at the general store.
Although it is a general store, it handles simple ingredients and even furniture.
If you go to the commercial city of Oldeck, you’ll find a variety of general stores of this size, but on remote Aken Island, this one is almost as good as a department store.
As the location is good, it is always crowded with students, faculty, and residents living in the residential area.
It’s still a little crowded at the entrance, but once you go inside, it’s quite relaxing.
I made my way through the crowd and entered the interior of the general store.
You can’t call it neat. The building is quite old, so there are some shabby parts here and there, and the wooden showcases where items are displayed also show signs of age.
Still, I feel grateful that they are able to maintain this level in a remote place like Aken Island.
I took a rope, a few crystal balls to use in the magic class, and some simple ink and parchment paper.
I had the dexterity to make quite a few things by hand, so most of them were school supplies or consumables.
I was wandering around the general store, going back and forth for a while.
“… … .”
“… … .”
In front of a display case lined with simple food ingredients, there was a girl with a book covering her face.
“… What are you doing… .”
“… … .”
By any chance, was it wise to not pretend to know anything here?
It looked like he was covering his face because he didn’t want to be seen as someone who knew him. I was a little resentful of myself for realizing it a beat late, but she had already pretended to know, so there was nothing I could do about it.
“anise… .”
“Oh my, Ed. Nice to meet you. “I guess you came here to buy something.”
Anis, who lifted her head with a swish, suddenly took a defensive stance, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. He appeared to be holding a simple paper bag with one arm.
But, suddenly you’re in a defensive posture… I have no intention of doing anything, but I feel like I am suddenly being treated with hostility, so this is a very strange feeling.
“I also came to buy something, but I didn’t expect to meet you in a place like this. You haven’t been to the lab often lately. Are you really busy?
I also heard about Yenika. When I heard it, he said it hurt a lot. Well, I was a little confused when they suddenly said they were going to live at a camp, but it seemed like they were adjusting well, but Ed suddenly got sick. You’re the only one suffering. Since I know the situation well, I explained your situation to Assistant Professor Claire.
Finish your busy work well. Anyway, Clevius and Onyx are good at their jobs, so there is no problem handling the work right now, and you should also get a scholarship, so your undergraduate life will be a little easier.
”
Both Yenika and Anis talk a lot when they are embarrassed.
If anyone can clearly see that Jenica is embarrassed by her stuttering, Anis is eerily accurate and business-like.
Well, the fact that you talk a lot is still the same. I don’t think we’re friends, but this part is similar.
Anyway, Anis belongs to the same Professor Claire’s lab and is one of the few classmate acquaintances.
I felt like I needed to greet them sincerely, even if not warmly.
“Okay, thank you. “Did you come to buy something too?”
As he said that, he glanced into the paper bag, making a fuss and hugging it tightly.
Wavy gray-brown hair hangs like a curtain, hiding the contents of the envelope.
“… … .”
I was speechless for a moment at the startled reaction.
“… Oh, I’m sorry.”
Once the apple popped out. It was an inevitable reaction.
Anise listened to the apology message while holding the envelope tightly, then shook her head with an embarrassed look on her face.
“No, my body, reflexively. Why am I saying this? What good is there in being seen well by you? Ugh. Uhuhu… .”
“… Are you okay?”
“It’s okay. You can look. “It doesn’t contain anything special.”
Then, with his hands shaking, he held out a paper bag. I try to take a relaxed attitude as if it doesn’t matter what I see, but my face is turning bright red for no reason, which makes me feel embarrassed.
I’m not curious enough to want to see it that way. But it’s hard to say that I’m not curious when they show such strong determination from the other side.
I eventually glanced at the inside of the paper bag.
“Seaweed… Why so many… Did you buy it… ?”
“Cheap… Because there is a lot… .”
“The peel of the fruit… Why is it in… Are you selling this too? ?”
“I got it from the greengrocer in the building next door… . Eating it raw, or something like watermelon peel… If you eat it seasoned… Because it’s worth eating… .”
“This baguette… Why is there only a shell… Oh, no… .”
I didn’t ask any more questions and just kept quiet.
Anise Heylan is famous for being the head teaching assistant that every professor drools over and wants to have in their lab.
In addition, because of his elegant behavior and appearance, wasn’t he a famous commoner who looked more like an aristocrat than a nobleman?
However, looking at the contents of the paper bag, it was so poor that on one side it was even filled with grass that looked like vegetables that had been picked up by oneself. It seemed like it would be cruel to ask more questions, so I stopped.
Anis’ family fell into ruin as soon as she entered school. Even though he covers his tuition fees while working as an undergraduate assistant, it was a mystery how he covers his daily living expenses… They were continuing their struggle for survival in their own way. It is so miserable that their eating habits are even worse than those of me who live in the camp.
Sylvania Academy is a place with a fairly aristocratic school culture. If you want to survive in a place like this while maintaining dignity and minimizing living expenses, you have to do these desperate things.
However, it would be quite embarrassing to see someone like this.
“thing… Even if you don’t show it… It didn’t really matter… No, isn’t it meaningless to say this now…? .”
“why me? Is poverty wrong? Why don’t you show me this desperate side? Do you really need me to like you? Is it okay to have a relationship between a man and a woman? Is it okay to just show your feelings openly? Is there anything to be ashamed of? huh?”
“… … .”
After talking up to that point, there was only an uncomfortable silence between us.
Anise had a proud face for a moment, but then slowly began to blush from the tips of her ears.
In the end, he collapses, groping his face, and commits suicide.
“I want to die… .”
There was nothing else to say to comfort me.
* * *
“Already, due to lack of manpower, the operation of the school was almost on the verge of collapse. “I think we’ll finally be properly staffed starting next week.”
“okay?”
“huh. The people hired this time were quite high-quality people. So it took time to recruit new talent. In particular, people like Professor Glast have a long career and a lot of roles, so there are almost no talented people to replace them.”
The location was a bench next to the fountain in the central square of the living building.
Anis and I sat side by side and bought some snacks to eat.
Anise said she had an annual membership to Laplace Bakery that she shared with Clara, so she quickly bought some snacks.
The fact that I share it with Clara is information that doesn’t need to be revealed… For some reason, the tip of my nose was twitching.
“I heard that Professor Kalide, Professor Glast’s successor, will start working next week. Since he is replacing Professor Glast, he will naturally also serve as Assistant Professor Claire’s advisor.”
“Then again, Assistant Professor Claire goes back to being the youngest. Although he was originally the youngest.”
“huh. Right, whatever. And from what I heard, Professor Carl Reid has a really bad personality… . Assistant Professor Claire will probably have a harder time… . What can I do… .”
Professor Kalide, Professor Glast’s undergraduate classmate.
I don’t know the details of his inner life as he doesn’t have much importance, but I do know that he is a weirdo who scolds people whenever he gets the chance and gets angry and kills people.
Still, he is the best person for a middle management position because he is sure to get things done and has a sense of responsibility. Of course, people like this have a hard time with their subordinates.
We sent a moment of silence to Assistant Professor Claire.
“By the way, Ed, you’re a big deal. Since most things are handmade, I bought quite a lot… ?”
“hmm… It’s nothing special, I heard a rumor that the price of school supplies will rise soon. “I bought all the supplies in advance.”
The direct source of the rumor was not revealed. There was nothing good about Lortel.
“is it… ? Certainly, the prices of goods at general stores fluctuate unusually these days. I check it every day, and as of a month ago, I think it has jumped by almost 10%. It smells a bit artificial, but… Well, it’s because I have a heartache.”
“You check the prices of goods every day… .”
“… … .”
It almost brought tears to my eyes as I could easily picture Anis memorizing the price of apples every day and desperately trying to buy them at least a copper coin cheaper.
As if she had sensed my thoughts, Anise dropped her shoulders with a completely red face.
“Eh, Ed… Hey. “There’s no reason to tell anyone that I live like this, right?”
“okay… I also have a sense of humor… “Don’t worry.”
“It’s a strange feeling to be cared for like this. “I didn’t commit a crime.”
It’s not a sin, but it’s necessary.
As I said, Sylvania’s academics have a strangely aristocratic school atmosphere. Most students are financially well-off, so having to live alone is bound to break down.
Isn’t it the same for me too? I didn’t care about anything and lived in the camp and worked hard to get by, but the payoff was that I was alone in my bachelor’s degree and had almost no friends in my class.
If you think that your network is also part of your assets, there is no reason to do something that stands out.
“It’s a strange story, but I think we are quite similar. anise.”
“… … .”
“… “Did I say something strange?”
“no.”
Anise’s shoulders trembled and she lowered her head.
Because of his thick hair, his facial expressions were hard to see.
“Actually, I thought that too when I first met you.”
Anis looked up at the general store building blankly, looking vaguely vague.
Not only is there a tall general store building, but if you go into the professor building, there are buildings that are much grander than mine.
It must have felt like I was an abandoned dog walking between skyscrapers, struggling to survive alone in a neighborhood where strangers lived.
The sight of the academic assistant walking between the teaching buildings every day carrying a bunch of books is like a lost puppy.
“To me, this school is a forest and a jungle.”
If you get sick right away, you will not be able to work as a scholarship student, and all tuition and dormitory fees will be cut off.
Because you have become accustomed to a life of walking on thin ice every day, there must have been quite a few times when you walked out with a sore body.
“I’m jealous of you, Ed.”
“I?”
“He is good with his hands and has great abilities, so he eats well and lives well in the camp alone.”
“I also learned it by going all the way to the ground. “There’s still a lot of hard work to do.”
“is it. Well, that comment seemed to be too dismissive of your efforts. Sorry.”
Anise stood up, dusted off her clothes, and gathered up the remaining snacks.
“Anyway, I should quickly buy the school supplies I need before the prices rise further. There will be some bleeding, but it will be much better than living later. “Thank you for the good information.”
“okay.”
“I’ll just go. Anyway, it’s a bit strange. “If it is possible to move the market on this scale, the person behind it is probably Elte Trading Company, so why go to the trouble of doing something like this?”
As a senior assistant, I am analyzing whatever phenomenon appears in front of me.
“If you do something like this, the academic department or student council won’t stand by. If we just stay still, we could take up all the logistics market share in the living area and make a steady profit. “I don’t know why there’s a need to be confrontational.”
After talking up to that point, Anise quickly shook her head.
“Well, it all makes sense. The stock agent, Lortel Kecheln, is probably a much smarter and more thoughtful person than me. “Still, I’m curious about the intention.”
Anise said goodbye and left.
I’m curious about Lortel’s intentions… I too am curious.
There are many ways to find out the intention.
Well, the most certain and accurate method has been determined.
* * *
“Clentru distilled liquor would not be a good gift.”
That is to ask yourself directly.
There was no need to go looking for it.
After finishing the day’s work to some extent, I returned to camp with a lot of luggage and looking at the moon… There was Lortel sitting on a tree stump, rolling a bottle of liquor.
As it is the time just before vacation, it seems that work at the business has become more leisurely than expected.
“Dune too… If they embezzled logistics costs to bring in alcohol, they would have to bring in wine… . “Just because it’s expensive doesn’t mean it’s always a good drink.”
“It’s the alcohol I received, so who cares?”
“well. “In a way, it is a gift from me.”
I put my luggage down on the nearby workbench and sat down next to him.
“To put it bluntly, it’s my drink. Dune arbitrarily embezzles logistics costs and brings in other goods for private use. “It’s a pity, they think I don’t know.”
“… “Why are you pretending not to know?”
“So you can catch me off guard when I climb up.”
I understood Dune’s comment that Lortel was cold-blooded.
In case Dune changed her mind, a chain was left to strangle Dune.
The reason the crime was made public was when Lortel felt like it.
“Do you tend to drink a little?”
“No, he doesn’t drink.”
“Oh my, that’s too bad.”
Lortel, sitting on a tree stump and raising his eyebrows in the moonlight… He quietly placed the spirit in his hand on the rock.
“It’s my bad habit. No matter who it is, if you want to give them trust, you have to shackle them. Just like this drink.”
“That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad habit.”
“I’m glad you say that.”
Lortel, smiling, looks oddly lonely. It’s not even a day or two… .
“Do you know that senior Ed is the only person who doesn’t hold his life on the line like this?”
“… … .”
“It’s a strange expression to call it special treatment. In fact, if I try to sway Ed, senior Ed will try to swing me first. “Because we know each other to that extent, maybe we can be on equal footing like this.”
The moonlight shines beyond the drink I put down. The penetrating moonlight becomes hazy and colors a corner of the stone.
“Well, it’s not that bad.”
So we looked up at the moon side by side for a while.
How much time has passed?
Only then did Lortel put aside his sentimental words and get straight to the point.
“It looks like you have something you want to ask me. “I’m really quick-witted, right?”
Her fox-like smile was as bewitching as always.
