Chapter 42

<041. The Aesthetics of the Villain>

Everyone has been waiting a lot, right? Then, let's start the story of Herr Wolfram.

Even without dwelling on the opening of that white, red, and occasionally black bastard who can't forget his ex-girlfriend even while flirting with a middle schooler because of her reincarnation, I had to start preparing my story.

You might wonder what I mean by preparing a story, but there's a reason for it.

In this competition, each category has its own 'status adjustment.'

Of course, in the Physical God Festival, the one with high strength and stamina wins, and in the Magic God Festival, the one with high magic power is the best.

Then, what about the Magic Craft category? Is it the one who has high skills and makes good items?

No, no.

D/Z SAGA is a very dog-like game that pays attention to details in odd places, enjoys putting Easter eggs and giggling at them, and loves setting up all sorts of branching points to lay down shit everywhere.

So, I love it. I absolutely love it.

Anyway, putting aside my game preferences, the Magic Craft category has a status adjustment that feels like the producer's 'villainy.' It's whether or not you have the 'Oratory Skill.'

The structure of the Magic Craft category is as follows: 'The student brings the submitted item to the podium,' 'There's a scene where they talk about it,' 'There's a scene showing the judges' reactions,' and 'The scoring results are announced.'

In other words, no matter how you think about it, you have to do the PR yourself. Considering the details, it makes sense that the oratory skill adjustment is applied.

[Well, this is... without oil... frying...]

[Please speak more clearly. I can't hear you well.]

[...T, that is. This...]

[Do you have nothing to say?]

[...I, I'm sorry.]

A student who looked like a third-year just went down, sobbing.

The item itself was probably made with great effort, but it was meaningless.

A hell where a 'nerd who only makes items in his room' has to 'introduce them himself.'

How can you do such a bad thing? You are a really bad kid.

The reason I found this out is simple.

I thought that in the Magic Craft category, there must be some kind of trick, and after a lot of thinking, I decided to try a crazy play: getting the 'Likeable Named' and 'Charisma Bracelet' skills from Kelthers and simultaneously courting Eve and Regina.

As a result of challenging the first-year Magic Craft category, I managed to beat Regina in the Magic Craft category when I was in the first year.

And the skill Wolfram has is 'Royal Bloodline.'

I used it when I completed Zolf, and I'll use it well this time too.

"Let's start Wolfram's story."

Phew.

So, the one thing I have to do now is:

"I am not a nerd. I can do proper PR. I have many friends. I am not scared."

Endlessly believing in myself and deciding how to unfold 'my story.'

"I am not scared. I can explain well. I am the best."

***

The Physical God Festival, the Magic God Festival, and the Magic Craft Festival.

Combined, the Jefrin Student Competition is held on the same day.

This is partly because organizing the event is no small feat, and partly due to the academic schedule.

This is the arena of the second magic department where the Magic God Festival takes place.

It's a building with a lecture hall structure that never collapses, no matter what magic is used, said to have been created by the first emperor.

While the Physical God Festival, which involves actual combat, is attended by students who want to see bloody battles, the Magic God Festival, which combines splendor and mystery, is mainly attended by students who want to see Jefrin's 'mystery.'

However, today's Magic God Festival was a bit different.

[The winner! Aila Tristar!]

[One-hit KO! One-hit KO!]

[Again, another noble lady from the Tristar family has done it!]

A third-year student's solo performance.

Of course, magic is a field where one genius can replace ten thousand ordinary mages, and Aila is already a magic power that surpasses the human realm.

Of course, mages who have reached a certain level and gained fame do not participate in the Magic God Festival.

This is because they can be accused of suppressing and oppressing other students with their talent.

However, it's a bit awkward to accuse the noble lady of the Tristar family, who has been the second in her grade from the first year and has never been the top.

At the same time, Aila Tristar doesn't care about such things at all.

However, her method of victory was not ordinary.

["Black Crystal: One-shot: Max Power"]

Smack!

One shot to the forehead.

Extremely precise magic control.

Just by firing a black crystal that wastes no power, many ordinary mages fall.

[Aila Tristar! Three consecutive wins!]

[She's on a roll. It's truly amazing.]

[However, what's even more amazing... Ha ha. She doesn't show any arrogance in her victory.]

[Yes. Her expression is as cold as her nickname 'Black Crystal,' but because of that, the audience is even noisier.]

However, she never smiles.

She doesn't show any arrogance in her victory.

"..."

Usually sociable, but the moment she enters a fight, Aila completely changes.

She doesn't evaluate her victory. She doesn't approach her opponent.

However, it can't be helped. This is Aila Tristar's personality.

Usually, she only smiles in front of people she acknowledges.

She only expresses her emotions in front of people who won't betray her.

This is the natural behavior of the eldest daughter of the Tristar family, the second-largest merchant family in the empire and one of the two great mountains of gold.

So, the person Aila Tristar has been smiling at and showing the most emotion to recently is...

"Wolfram must be doing well, I guess."

Thinking up to this point, Aila shrugged.

[Next is the 64th match!]

[The contestants look quite tired. I hope they do their best!]

Listening to the commentator's voice, Aila unknowingly smiled.

"Still, I didn't expect Wolfram's calculations to be so spot-on."

Wolfram, who picks up and raises chicks, had confidence in how to beat Kelthers and how to win in Magic Craft.

So, she casually asked.

[What do I need to do to win in the Magic God Festival?]

[Conserve your stamina.]

[What?]

[Think of ending the opponent in one hit. A series of magic battles drains your stamina more than your magic power.]

"Thinking about it, that's true."

Aila's stamina is 15.

It's definitely high for a mage, but considering the battles ahead, it needs to be used efficiently.

Now, the 64th match.

There are still five battles left.

[The next match is between Black Crystal Aila Tristar and Baldur!]

[It's a very exciting match.]

"Let's see if I can end the next battle in one hit too."

As Aila left the waiting room, the face of her fiancé, who was probably spreading the wings of rebellion alone, flashed through her mind.

***

In the Magic Craft category, about 40 works were competing, excluding those who withdrew voluntarily and those who failed the preliminary review.

Actually, there wasn't much to see. That's what Magic Craft is like.

Usually, it's about setting up a stage for Regina, and then Kelthers wins, causing a new wave.

And now, just after the 38th product introduction, the final boss who would crush everything stood on the podium.

It's always like this. Just before the end, they grab attention.

[Next is Regina Siella's Magic Craft product.]

[What is your product this time, Miss Regina?]

Her long blonde hair ascended the podium, and she grabbed the magical engineering microphone. Immediately after, a cart carrying the magical engineering product came up with a rolling sound.

[The product I will introduce today is this. It's a wristwatch.]

[A wristwatch. I don't see anything special just by looking at it.]

[Unlike conventional wristwatches, as you can see, it has no hour or minute hands. Not even a second hand.]

[Then, how does it show the time?]

[We adopted a method where magical ink creates and erases numbers. Look!]

[Wow! The time is displayed in numbers!]

[That's right. And at night, when you press a button, it has a light-up function. Moreover, it has a beautiful design that kids will love. Most importantly, our own tests show that it has a 30m waterproof function!]

"Ah, that's the one being announced now."

Sitting in the waiting room, I nodded as I listened to the presentation.

This watch will be added to the Jefrin snack stand from Act 2.

It was quite well used. The function of this item is to display the remaining time in seconds for 'time-limited quests.'

The problem is that it... breaks down very often. No, it's a consumable accessory from the start.

It's consumed one by one for each mission. Oh...

Something specific came to mind.

"Is it that one?"

The 5,000 won wristwatch sold in front of Nonsan.

An imitation of a famous luxury brand. A knockoff.

"Junk."

Does he know that he might get his route tangled up if he supplies this to the royal family?

***

[Yes, I heard it well. The last Magic Craft presentation is by none other than Wolfram von Loeningen!]

[He has prepared something very special.]

"Hmm."

"Oh."

As I left the waiting room, I met Regina.

"Did you see the item?"

"It looked good. But, is the performance stabilized?"

"......Yes?"

"Sure enough. A typical watch is a product whose demand decreases once bought, so you probably intentionally lowered its durability."

"I don't want to hear such nitpicking."

"Whether it's nitpicking or not, ask your heart as a merchant. If you're going to supply it to the royal family, improve the performance."

"......Thank you for the advice. I'll be going now."

I stopped Regina, who was about to leave.

"Aren't you going to see my introduction?"

"......"

"Forget it. Collect your 2 million rin later."

"You're confident of victory, aren't you?"

Well, what can I say.

If I lose in this situation, it wouldn't make sense.

***

Then, I went up to the podium and received the item.

[Wolfram von Loeningen's item is quite unique.]

[It's a snack with a magical function that he devised himself. It's said to grant beneficial effects.]

[So, is it a buff-type snack?]

[No. The registered name is Magical Sweet. It's a pretty name.]

[It's a good name. Let's hear the introduction.]

"Before I introduce it, let me first explain what functions this snack has. Look at the snacks in front of you."

Holding the microphone and clenching my trembling heart, I began the explanation. This is the start.

"Your language is a bit rough."

"That's right. Ahem. We are the judges. Could you express it a bit more...?"

Oh, these people really talk a lot.

Activating the 'Royal Bloodline' skill, I glared at them.

[First, eat it.]

"......"

"Shall we try the taste?"

"Yes. I'm curious about the effects."

And the moment they took a bite of the snack I made, they all stopped talking.

During that time, I took a sip of the magic potion Aila prepared and activated the skill again.

[The smallest chocolate ball grants 9th-tier resistance to wind-based projectiles. The stick-shaped cookie grants 9th-tier physical evasion. And the main dish, the cake, grants an 8th-tier half-berserk buff.]

Then, I immediately drank the magic potion.

To be honest,

8th-tier is quite ambiguous to use in a battlefield.

This Magical Sweet is also a very subtle skill.

But what I want to do is bold.

It's not about performance, but about presenting a new concept.

Aila said, [Who would want to go outside this world?]

Eve said, [We don't know how much money it would cost to organize an expedition to the sleeping mountain range.]

Yes.

The characteristic of the D/Z SAGA that has become reality is that no one wants to go on adventures 'outside the world.'

Of course, because everyone values their lives. They wouldn't want to go out.

Thanks to this, magic has flourished, the quality of battles has decreased, and there are no fights.

I don't deny that life is important.

The price of swords to protect life has skyrocketed tenfold, and the difficulty of obtaining materials has made the concept of desserts faint.

[After humans were confined to the residential areas with the development of magic, don't you think humans have been living rather boringly?]

So, to these people,

I want to try to deceive them a bit in this Magic Craft competition.

[Think about it. A snack that instantly grants an 8th-tier buff without consuming mana. It takes only 5 seconds to eat.]

Why is the villain's speech in the game so charming?

Because they sell romance and adventure to ordinary people and propose ideals.

They are delusional fraudsters, but they captivate someone.

[I want to call this snack a ticket.]

[A ticket to explore every corner of Jefrin, which has become stagnant and no one thinks about exploring outside.]

[A ticket to step out the door after 300 years.]

[I want to propose this opportunity to our generation, to this era.]

So what if it's a cheap deception of the masses.

Isn't that more fitting for a third-rate villain?

[Follow me. I'll take you.]

Five minutes.

It was enough time for a third-rate villain to deceive ordinary people.