Chapter 13

012. Pre-Festival (2)

In the main game.

After completing the common classes for first year and choosing the department for second year, if you choose the Knight Department, there is a character you will inevitably be involved with.

A senior who is upright and strong, who wields the sword of conviction without wavering or bending.

She is considerate of the protagonist, who is also a commoner, and greatly helps as a mentor in the Knight Department.

She is such a good character that people often wonder why she isn't a heroine.

In Jefrin, there is something called a title.

This is usually obtained with a certain level of achievement, honor, or uniqueness, and, of course, the characteristics of one's family are also quite important.

For example, Ayla, who, with her own efforts, used the family's unique magic, the Black Crystal, to a degree that stands out among all the Tryestar families, earned the title "Black Crystal."

The girl I'm talking about now, among the Knight Department, has obtained the most honorable title, "Sword of Conviction."

She is the pride and dignity of the second-year Knight Department, a knight recognized by all, and that is Nefterian.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to work, at my convenience store."

"Is that so."

And yet, this girl.

She followed a third-rate villain and pledged her loyalty for 10,000 rin an hour.

Is this really okay?

No,

Is this really okay?

***

Nefte, who followed me, entered the convenience store and looked around.

"Sit down."

"Yes, yes."

Thinking about it, she might be my first part-time worker in some sense.

This thought made me feel quite good. It even gave me a sense of being the boss.

"Would you like something to drink?"

"···Yes, I will."

I nodded and took out two glasses of water.

I could have taken out some shake beans, but they tasted best when cold, and our convenience store didn't have a refrigeration magic tool yet.

It was quite expensive.

Anyway, we started our conversation with a glass of water.

"Do you see the cooking tools over there?"

"Yes, I do."

The cooking tools, including the oven, were ordered in advance from Maestro, and we could buy them at a decent price because of the remaining stock of ready-made items.

"From now on, you will bake bread and cook according to my instructions. Understand?"

"···Yes?"

"Stand up. Let's start with making the bread dough."

"······."

She has experience working in a bakery, so she knows how to make dough.

Strong flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, sugar.

And milk and eggs.

"Now, knead the dough."

"······."

"I don't have the strength, so you have to knead it."

"O, okay."

Nefte nodded, looking at my thin arms.

After kneading the dough sufficiently, we started baking or frying the bread.

"···Ugh, ugh."

A good aroma spread, but the problem was with Nefte.

Saliva dripped from the corners of her mouth, and she reached for the fryer. Was she going to grab it with her bare hands? Is she crazy?

"If you get burned, I won't be responsible."

"···If I have an unyielding heart, boiling oil is not scary."

Don't use such a great line at a time like this.

But it seemed my advice worked, as Nefte just stared blankly at the fryer.

"Now, take them out. Use the tools, not your bare hands!"

"···Ah, I know!"

Nefte faithfully followed my instructions, and I placed the baked and fried donuts in front of her, instructing her to sprinkle sugar or coat them with sugar syrup.

Meanwhile, I went into the office, took out the beans, and started making the cream.

"···Huh, ugh. Ugh······. Huh."

From the hall, I could hear Nefte's sobs as she laid out the donuts and coated them with sugar syrup.

"Such a delicious sight, it must be delicious, but I can't eat it. Wulfram···. The worst villain this academy has produced. ···Huh, huh···."

No.

Excuse me.

"Since it's like this, let's bite it. I will personally eliminate this evil. Such a demon should not exist in this world."

As she laid out the donuts, Nefte muttered something strange and looked at the knife at her waist.

Her sobs echoed from just ten steps away, and I wondered if she might try to kill me.

Where is the Sword of Conviction I knew?

"If you draw your sword now, I won't pay you."

"No, no. I don't plan to kill. Really."

"Take your hand off the sword."

"Huh, huh!"

Nefte took her hand off the sword, but her draw was faster than my resistance.

"Tsk. Don't rush. Just watch for a moment."

"···Yes, yes?"

I pierced a hole in a donut with a skewer and started making cream-filled donuts by pushing the cream-filled piping bag into the hole.

One with strawberry, one with vanilla, one with chocolate.

The sugar-coated donuts were filled with cream, and I soon completed two of each.

Two baked donuts, two plain sugar donuts, and two strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate donuts. A total of five donuts per person were placed in front of us.

"Oh, oh···."

A small exclamation echoed.

"It's complete."

"It's beautiful. I can confidently say I've never seen a more beautiful work in my life. I know baked black bread, but to fry it with so much oil, it seems like a forbidden meal of luxury and indulgence."

"If it's forbidden, you won't eat it?"

"No. Sometimes the greatest virtue is called forbidden. I am witnessing the upheaval of the times with my body and feeling it with my soul. So, what is the name of this great bread?"

"It's a donut."

Nefte repeated "donut, donut" and nodded.

Could there be no donuts in this world?

Well, given her background as a commoner and the lack of infrastructure, it's possible she had never seen a donut before.

"It's a pleasure to be able to participate in this great work, but it's a shame I can't have a bite. Ah, you said you would provide a meal today. Perhaps, no, if possible, it's fine. Just one bite. I can't eat such an expensive thing, can I? Can you give it to me? Please."

She spoke in a broken, incomprehensible manner, like a broken machine.

Her brain must have been overwhelmed by desire and restraint.

"Then, let's taste it and leave a review."

"···Yes?"

"What are you doing? Try one."

"···Yes, yes!"

Nefte said, "I'll eat well!" and immediately reached for a donut.

Nefte's hand was faster than my eyes.

***

By the time I finished one and sighed at the sweetness, Nefte had already finished everything in front of her and glanced at me.

Is she asking for more? Meeting her gaze and nodding, a bright smile appeared on her face.

"I might have misunderstood you. No, I did. Wulfram von Loeningen. You are a good person who considers others. The world must have misunderstood your true worth and falsely accused you. If I had a knighthood, I might have sworn to be your sword and shield."

"Stop talking nonsense and quickly taste it and leave a review."

"Yes, I will."

If a misunderstanding about a student council president who indulges in luxury and embezzlement can be resolved with a cream-filled donut, then in court, donuts would replace the law books, and the cream would read the verdict.

Anyway, that's not the important part.

"So, how was the baked donut?"

"It was a bit less sweet but delicious."

"I see."

I wrote in the evaluation section: "Less sweet but delicious."

"How about the sugar donut?"

"It was sweet and delicious, even though there was nothing inside."

"Is that so."

I wrote in the evaluation section: "Nothing inside but delicious."

"How about the strawberry cream donut?"

"It was delicious because it had strawberry cream inside."

"······."

I stopped writing in the evaluation section.

"Then, how about the cream donut?"

"It was delicious because it had cream inside."

"How about the chocolate cream?"

"It was delicious because it had chocolate cream inside."

"······."

I narrowed my eyes and glared at her, but she just tilted her head.

"Is there no other review?"

"They were all delicious!"

"······Thank you very much. Really, thank you."

"You're welcome!"

She said, straightened her chest, and laughed, "Ahem."

"But is there no more technical or intellectual feedback? Something you want to change."

"Yes, there is."

"Oh? What is it? Speak freely."

"I would be grateful if you could bake one more!"

"Other than that."

"·········No."

Nefte looked disappointed, and I felt a headache coming on.

Thinking about it, I had given a donut to someone who could eat anything without hesitation, so it was no wonder I didn't get a proper review.

What can I do? I wanted to choose one as the signature item for the new student, but now I have no idea which one would be the most competitive. As I was thinking, Nefte spoke up.

"So, why did you give me such a high-end meal? Are we going to catch a snowman in the deep northern snowfield? Fine, if you give it to me, I will definitely cut off its head···."

"I don't plan to give you such a task. This is a snack for the new student welcome party."

"Oh, it's a tasting for a new product to be sold."

"Right."

"Hmm. They were all delicious, and I really enjoyed it. I think they will sell well."

"You're talking as if it's someone else's business, but you will help on that day."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. Why do you think I'm paying you 10,000 rin an hour?"

"···Hmm, that's true. Then, should I support the stand and bake bread on the day?"

"Yes, and you will also help with sales. I don't have the strength."

"Understood."

Nefte nodded, seeming to fully understand her role.

"Your review was no help at all. I might need to adjust the strategy for the day."

"I am a commoner and poor, but they are really excellent. The nobles will surely like them too."

"What's the point if only the nobles eat them?"

"Me?"

Tsk. She knows nothing.

"Didn't I say the stand will be set up on the day? You must have experienced the new student welcome party, right?"

"Ah···. Commoner area restriction."

"Right. The stand can only operate in the third zone, where commoner freshmen come and go. I've already submitted the application and received the business permit."

It would be problematic if only the nobles came to this convenience store. Convenience stores don't do that kind of marketing.

Anyone can come, pick up something casually, buy it, and leave.

A place where more people can visit.

A place where you can get a meal with just 5,000 won in your wallet.

A place that exists solely for the convenience of the customers. That's the identity of a convenience store.

"How much do you think one donut should cost?"

"···Yes?"

"Imagine a commoner student who has taken a carriage from a village in each kingdom, paid for the warp gate, and finally arrived in Jefrin. To make them happy by eating one donut at the new student welcome party, considering their financial situation, how much do you think one donut should cost?"

"······."

"Answer. You experienced the new student welcome party last