books44 Chapter 149: Fragment (5)
Chapter 149: Fragment (5)
Fragment (5)
“......Is this some kind of comedy?”
That was a brief thought about the scene where Layla was fleeing up the mountain, and Elise was desperately chasing after her.
“Hmm?”
In the echo of Layla and Elise’s ‘I saw it- come here- I saw it- come here-‘, something caught my eye, a blue crystal twinkling on the ground.
“What’s this?”
Did Elise leave it behind?
I picked it up without thinking.
Whooosh-
It shimmered blue.
At the same time, from this fragment, some kind of touch... no, sensation.
No, some kind of ‘skill’ seemed to seep into me.
I frowned and gasped.
“Cooking?”
It was a fragmented memory about cooking. Chopping vegetables, grilling meat, boiling noodles...
“Hey!”
Suddenly, a finger appeared from behind me and snatched the fragment. I turned to look. The most uptodate novels are published on n0velbj)n((.))co/m
“It’s dangerous. Don’t look into it any further.”
Long black hair down to the waist, and honestly, every time I faced them, those crimson pupils are piercing.
“What is it. Why are you here?”
It was Akane.
Akane Kedzen Meol.
“Did you come because of Soliette?”
Soliette and Akane must have some kind of relationship by now. I don’t know if it’s a mutual contract relationship like me, or a master and disciple.
“We met at the assessment test. You should have noticed that I have a relationship with the association.”
“What association? The Magic Association, the College Association, or another association?”
At that, a deep wrinkle formed on Akane’s forehead.
“......Is this a threat? You’re audacious.”
“You’re getting defensive. Don’t worry. If I was going to report, I would have done it a long time ago.”
There are three major associations famous on the continent.
The Magic Association, the College Association, and the Monster Association.
The Magic Association and the College Association have always had tremendous authority. The Monster Association is, of course, a collection of trash. Still, if you consider its impact and influence, it can be said to be a remarkable association.
“Why did you take that?”
I’m dissatisfied.
That fragment, the 「Treasure Hunter」 radar is whirring.
“It’s not yours. It’s Elise’s achievement point.”
Akane carefully stored the fragment in a box that looked like a jewel box.
“What’s so special about it?”
“It’s a fragment. I thought at least one person would die because they were blinded by this.”
“......That’s a very irresponsible statement if it’s from the association.”
“Irresponsible? Dozens of people die every time at the college board. There are rumors that the association deliberately kills them. Being a college student itself means stepping into the real world.”
Well, that’s true.
From college students onwards, they are classified as a real power, and they can actually be the targets of assassination by other black companies or the underworld.
“Where are you going to take it and use it?”
“It’s not something you can handle yet. I’ll give it back in seven years.”
Seven years?
I’m not even sure if I’ll be alive by then.
Akane murmured as she carefully looked at the fragment.
“......Two hundred and seventy-five thousand eight hundred and sixty-four. Quite a lot has been collected.”
“What’s that?”
“The number of repeated days. But don’t you earn achievement points?”
“I will earn them, but they’ll find me instead, right?”
I pointed to the [Ascal Farm] with a smirk. Akane also turned to look in that direction.
“A farm?”
“Come by sometimes. Of course, it’s not free.”
“Why?”
“If you’re hungry, come and eat. You’re not a doll, you know.”
“......”
Akane’s expression hardened slightly.
I now know how to distinguish whether she is a doll or not.
It used to be difficult, but now it’s easy.
The pupils.
Even though Akane is a doll that manifests even the complex and subtle iris of a human, there is a slight difference between the doll and the main body.
It’s a distinction that only I can make, having cared for her main body and directly ‘seen her eyes and remembered’.
“Come when you crave sweets too. We have all kinds of tropical fruits.”
“......”
Akane stood still as if she was shocked, and I waved my hand and went into the farm.
Before I knew it, Gerkhen was squatting down.
He looked at the cultivated land and said a word.
“......It’s growing.”
“Yeah. The soil itself is good.”
In addition to perfect geographical conditions, Grawl, who oversaw the production, is a monster of stone and earth. The performance and output of the farm will be far superior to any fertile land on the continent.
“The harvest cycle will come in three days.”
“Three days......”
Gerkhen glanced at me.
Is it your Spectrum?
-He seemed to want to ask, but he never said it out loud. He knows better than anyone that it’s rude.
“I’ll give you 10% of what comes out of here. You won’t have to worry about food on your own. Unless you eat like an elephant.”
“......10%.”
Gerkhen muttered quietly.
He had a face of self-doubt. A face that seemed to suggest he might eat like an elephant.
“If it exceeds 10%, you can buy it with achievement points.”
“Is barter also possible?”
“Exchange? Sure. Bring something like meat.”
“Here.”
Gerkhen pushed the box he had put on the ground.
A box that can be carried on the shoulder with a strap like a cross bag.
“What’s that?”
“It’s a cooler I bought from a soul.”
Thunk-
I opened the box. Inside, the meats were kept cold.
In this way, in [Planarium], the interaction between souls and humans are active. It means that not only simple conversations but also barter is possible.
“Good, but don’t trade too often with the souls.”
“Why?”
“......Well, it doesn’t matter to you.”
In fact, the reason why [Planarium] is sealed again in the future is because too many ‘scammers’ who are looking for a quick buck flock in.
Foolish guys who want to sell artifacts made by souls on the continent.
They don’t even know that their mental strength is weakening every time they use the soul’s stuff.
In that respect, Gerkhen doesn’t need to worry. Because he has excellent mental strength.
“Leave that cooler here. I’ll use it instead of a refrigerator. I’ll count the price as fruits.”
Gerkhen seemed to be reluctant to part with the box, but he nodded soon.
“Alright.”
Thud- He put the cooler on the ground. In the corner, the name [Gerkhen] was written in small letters with a pen.
“What are you, a primary school student?”
I chuckled.
* * *
[Planarium Academy].
Three days have passed since the College Board resumed.
Many seniors are running breathlessly.
Not only Endex’s named ones like Elise, Gerkhen, and Kain, but also other celebrities of the Magic High, such as Mel and Valerian, are frantically converting everything they catch – be it monsters or magical phenomena – into achievement points.
The achievement point transactions are not going smoothly either. It seems like everyone is still in the early stages, overflowing with ambition for their grades...
I’m taking it easy.
“Over there. See?”
This is the marsh of [Planarium].
You can see the monsters with achievement points on them in the distance.
“Yes. I see them. A group of Ashed Men.”
Soliette responded.
Ashed Men. Four humanoid monsters that look as if they’ve been burned by fire.
They would be level 1 or 2 on the ground, but in [Planarium], they are level 3 or 4 .
Selling it cheaply doesn’t make sense. I don’t want too many people coming either.
“But, you won’t regret it?”
I clenched and unclenched my fist.
I haven’t cooked much, but strangely, my hands are full of sensation now. Even a certain desire keeps rising.
The desire to cook.
Somehow, I have a strong feeling that I’ll do great.
It’s probably because of that [Fragment] I touched last time.
“Well, how about a 10% discount-”
“There are absolutely no discounts. I’ve heard rumors that you guys are rich.”
Elise received 30,000 achievement points from Akane, and supposedly distributed 2,000 each to her team.
“...Fine! Alright! We’ll splurge!”
“Ah. Everyone. I’m fine-”
Layla grabbed Soliette who was trying to leave belatedly.
“Soliette, I’ll pay for you! I got achievement points from Elly~~”
“What? Layla, did you get more? We all only got 2,000 each.”
Asher blinked his eyes.
“No~ Well~ There were a few things~~ Now! Shion! Show your student ID!”
In [Planarium], the student ID serves as a card, ID, and wallet.
I tagged cards with Layla, Kain, Asher, and Soliette in turn.
[+300 AP]
[+300 AP]
[+300 AP]
[+300 AP]
1,200 AP.
What other seniors would have to work their bones off for six days to earn, I got in just one day.
“Okay. Come in and wait. Sit down.”
I swung open the farm gate.
The chair and the long table had just been set up, just like a real Chef’s Choice restaurant.
Grawl, who had been eavesdropping on our conversation, had quickly prepared it.
“Sit and wait.”
“Wow, everything is already set up~”
They took their seats.
I marinated the pig that Gerkhen had caught with black pepper and salt, cooked some rice, and served a mushroom soup as an appetizer.
“This is the appetizer. Eat.”
Layla, who had taken a spoonful, widened her eyes.
“Wow, this is delicious!”
“...I used 300AP, it better be delicious.”
“Asher, shut up!!”
“.......”
Anyway, the frying pan is ready.
A special [Stone Plate] made by Grawl himself.
I put the marinated pork on the sizzling hot plate, mixed in asparagus, green and white onions, and grilled the steak.
“This is the main course. Eat.”
Pork steak and rice. The meat is incredibly large, and there is a lot of rice.
They are all big eaters, after all.
“”””.......” ”””
The four of them stared blankly and then took a bite. They put the steak in their mouths.
Suddenly, their faces melted like cotton candy.
Each of them bowed their heads, making different expressions.
“It’s delicious.”
Everyone turned to look at the one who had exclaimed.
It wasn’t Kain, Layla, or Asher, but Soliette.
I asked blankly.
“...You think it’s delicious?”
“Yes.”
A faint smile bloomed on her face.
It was the first time for me.
To see her truly enjoying something.
“Maybe it’s because it’s high-end~ Soliette has always eaten expensive food!”
Layla said, clutching her fork.
“...Ah, that could be possible.”
“Eat a lot. There’s dessert too.”
I laughed to myself.
A sense of inexplicable pride, a sense of accomplishment.
I thought I would never hear those words in my life, but I heard them so suddenly.
Layla laughed heartily.
“Shion~ This is really delicious! But there’s no periwinkle soup~?”
“You can catch it yourself and cook it.”
Layla was chattering away, but Asher and Kain were silent. They were just repeatedly cutting their meat, as if they were in a trance.
While they were eating the main course, I made sherbet with melon.
And so, as the meal was coming to an end.
“Now, dessert. Eat.”
The sherbet I served as the final dessert.
The four of them, already quite full, took a bite.
“”””.......” ”””
They all closed their mouths tightly again.
Silence.
All of them just quietly scraped and ate the sherbet.
“It’s worth... the money.”
Kain muttered. His voice was a little choked.
No, he was actually crying.
“...Sniff.”
The sight of him wiping his tears with his arm was a bit disgusting, but well.
Even though Kain looks like a bandit, he’s actually a very precious young master who’s been raised delicately. He probably has never cooked, let alone butchered.
He’s a rich young master who’s far from self-sufficiency.
“Why are you crying and making a fuss- sniff.”
Asher, who was next to him, tried to comfort Kain but ended up bowing his head.
Layla looked at the two of them with disbelief and snorted.
“...These guys are crazy!”
Quietly, I watched Soliette savoring the sherbet.
“Hmm. Hmm......”
Her enjoyment of the food was genuinely different from Layla’s. Perhaps it’s because she’s a real aristocrat.
“Considering it’s a high-end restaurant, come by occasionally. Don’t come too often, though, as it’s bothersome for me.”
I said this as I wiped my hands.
Knock, knock-
Then, the knock on the door sounded again.
“Excuse me-”
The person who cautiously opened the door and spoke was Elise.
“......Perhaps-”
Elise glanced around the room.
She first looked at Soliette and me, then found Layla.
“Ho ho~ Elly’s here too~ I wonder what brings her here~”
“It’s nothing?!”
She snapped back, quickly turning around.
“Shion. Are you going to log into [Bethune Dungeon] today?”
Soliette asked just then.
“......!”
Elise, who was about to run out, froze in her tracks.
Her ears perked up.
I replied briefly.
“Yeah. I should. Elise, why are you here?”
“......It’s nothing.”
With her lips pouting, Elise left the ranch.
“Hehe...... I wonder what’s going on...... Elly came to see Shion...... I wonder what it could be......”
Layla alternately looked at the firmly closed door and me, murmuring with a smirk.
“Sniff- Sniff-”
“Sniff- Sniff-”
“......Why on earth are you two crying?”
I shook my head at Asher and Kain, who were crying dramatically.