Chapter 60

<059. False Prophet>

"I will conclude my presentation here."

Regina Sierra presented the 'Scroll Kit' in the practical exam for the development of magic and society.

A set of five 9th-tier skills: 'Light', 'Fire Bolt', 'Ice Bolt', 'Emergency Treatment', and 'Poison Resistance'.

"Hmm."

Originally, it was supposed to start selling in Act 3, but to have it reach the Scroll Kit stage, that's skipping a step.

The efficiency is... well, it's quite expensive to sell five 9th-tier magic scrolls bundled together. The price will only go up as it gets improved.

"Student Regina Sierra, your presentation was well-received. We will take a short break before the next presentation by Student Wolfram von Loeningen."

Professor Isilrote adjusted her horn-rimmed glasses and said this, and Regina, who had returned to my side, smiled at me.

"I hope Prince Wolfram von Loeningen will find my presentation satisfactory."

"I don't."

"......Can I, dare I, ask why?"

"The purpose is unclear. Who are you going to sell this to?"

"The lords of regions where monsters frequently appear."

"That's what I mean by unclear."

"I lack the insight and understanding. Could you explain it to me?"

She made a slightly pouting face.

Sigh. Just this once?

"If I were to do it, I would focus on protection, attack, or support, and sell them in three separate parts."

"......What?"

"9th-tier 4-element bolts as an 'Attack Magic Set'. Light, Shield, Signal Flare, and Exploration as a 'Support Magic Set'. Poison, Sleep, Paralysis, and Emergency Treatment as an 'Emergency Kit Set'. Selling them this way would be much more efficient. It's a rather ambiguous arrangement, something a novice with no practical experience would come up with."

"......Ugh."

"You're still young, the young lady of the Sierra family."

Regina Sierra glared at me, gritting her teeth.

"How can you think so far ahead of me?"

"That's the gap between you and me."

How, you ask?

Well, if you start selling them in separate parts after Act 4, you'll see.

Sorry, I just pretended to know a lot about what you were selling.

What are you going to do about it? If you're annoyed, you can become Wolfram in my place. Haha.

"......Prince Wolfram von Loeningen...... You."

"......Forget it."

"How can I forget?"

"I said, forget it."

"I will look forward to your presentation."

No.

Don't.

Don't look at me with those pink-tinged eyes, ready to fight.

Please.

"You......"

And don't say that line.

Stop the route violence!

***

Regina Sierra's fandom, commonly known as the Regina Corps, was a very unique group among the users of D/Z SAGA.

The characteristic of the Regina Corps was their extreme inference of the character's psychology, and the character they interpreted was, of course, Regina Sierra.

These people have a different concept of strategy.

For example, when a typical user is strategizing for the common route, they might think about how many phases it takes to safely use the tanking strategy of rolling up an immunity item and throwing it into the middle of the enemy's formation to take down the Lady of Treason, Ayla, in Act 3.

This is a very obvious strategy, the pattern of how users tackle bosses. In such cases, thinking about how to speed run is considered a deeper strategy.

However, the discussions of the Regina Corps are different.

In Act 3, there is a scene where Regina Sierra says, "......You," to Kelthers.

This leads to a heated debate.

"Can you kill me? Or not?"

"No. Isn't that a bit too fast emotionally? Are you different from others? Or not?"

"But Regina might have felt that way when she first saw Kelthers, right?"

"LOL, your interpretation is way off. Do you even have eyes? LOL"

"LOL, you must be a Regina noob. LOL, you should call her Miss Sierra. LOL"

"What, noob? Are you serious?"

"LOL, the noob is the one who calls her Miss Sierra, not Regina. LOL"

"LOL, I'll call her now. LOL"

This led to a flame war. They actually met up and fought.

Of course, they also live-streamed it on the community.

It was legendary. About 8,000 people watched it live.

After it ended, they went out for pork cutlet rice and called each other Regina.

They later became known as the pork cutlet rice fans and became legendary.

Anyway, they are serious. The Regina Corps has a bit of a collective madness or mental illness.

There is a group chat, and the condition to join is to combine the first letters of the most sincere words Regina said in each act. Crazy people.

Of course, I had no intention of joining. Why would I?

Anyway, the route that created such fanatics, the Regina Sierra route, is unlocked by defeating her.

Regardless of whether I empathize with the character Regina Sierra, I have a pretty clear understanding of how she lives.

So, in fact, it might be good not to win here.

Regina pays attention to those who defeat her, and being noticed by her is a hassle.

Losing is better. I should lose here.

Eve said, "Just get good grades for me," not "Be the best."

Ayla would also say, "Are you hiding this time?" even if I lost.

But......

Is losing the right thing to do?

Wolfram von Loeningen, ask yourself. Answer honestly.

Q. Is it okay to lose to Regina Sierra?

A. Go suck a lemon.

"Even if that hassle makes me more of a hassle, I don't want to lose."

If it becomes a hassle, I'll deal with it then.

Even if someone will be a hassle in the future, I want to win right now!

"Alright. That's settled."

My mind was made up.

I'll think about it after I win!

***

"Next, the presentation by Student Wolfram von Loeningen."

After Professor Isilrote called my name, I stood in front of the podium.

To be honest, I hardly attended this class. I just knew a little based on the one written exam question a while ago. It's all bluff and cheap talk.

I just brought out a craft item I made using the Handy Worker at a convenience store.

Honestly, it was a bluff.

Think about it, I just got back from the 2-1 expedition a while ago, and then there was the midterm. Not only the written exam but also the practical exam.

How could the strength 2 Wolfram, who was suffering from muscle pain, prepare anything? It's a miracle I made this.

"I will now talk about a delusion."

It was worth a try.

No, I will present it using the hellish wind and mouth technique.

"What I am about to present is something that is hard to realize. Even as a member of the royal family, I am not sure if I should bring up such a thing. So, consider this just a whimsical thought of the student Wolfram von Loeningen, not the prince."

At my words, the students who had been staring at the floor and showing no interest in others' presentations glanced at me.

"For this, the first thing that needs to be addressed is the stabilization of supply. Specifically, the price stabilization of the most basic daily necessities must come first. [Black Bread]. [Water]. [Clothing]. [Herbs that monsters dislike]. [Basic medical tools]."

The professor's applause punctuated my words. It was good.

"To achieve this, the most important issue is the limited supply routes. Warp portals require high-quality magic stones proportional to the weight of the items. The further away from the capital, the more expensive it gets."

Some students nodded at my words. They must be from the countryside.

"With this, I want to discuss a childish delusion. However, even knowing it's impossible, it's a story about a future that must be realized."

I said this and placed it on the podium.

It was a small train model and track, about the size of a palm.

A toy made from a 100,000 rin magic stone that emits 0.3 mana per hour, the lowest grade that can be made with the Handy Worker.

I pressed the button, and the train started moving with a 'beep beep' sound.

Swallow.

While everyone was focused on this toy, I drank the mana potion Ayla had prepared and replenished my mana.

"By laying this 'railway' worldwide and running cargo trains, [we can deliver the most precious items to the farthest places and the most needed items to the places that need them the most]. [From the capital of the Loeningen Empire to the easternmost forest, the southernmost desert, the northernmost snowfield, and the westernmost mountain range, connecting the world]. Isn't it an interesting delusion?"

"......Is that possible with that toy?"

The professor's question came in. The professor, moved, asked me with tears in her eyes.

"I placed a stone, much heavier than the train, on top of it."

However, the iron horse continued to circle the oval track without stopping.

"This train, even carrying something heavier than itself, never stops. I believe it is possible."

At my words, the students let out an 'Oh' and the professor's applause beautifully harmonized with it.

"......If this were to exist, it would really......"

I shook my head at the professor's words.

"It's a delusion."

"......What?"

"Don't get your hopes up too much. As I said, everything is a dream and an illusion. How will you deal with the monsters on the tracks? How will you handle attacks during transportation? Additional taxes will be needed for the budget, and the laying of tracks will become a matter of vested interests, starting with the territories that pay taxes first. It's a fantasy and a delusion. An impossible realm. A dream."

I stopped speaking and paused. When the professor's face was sufficiently filled with despair, I picked up the microphone and turned on the skill.

"Isn't [turning this dream into reality] the essence of the social development and magic subject?"

"......Ah!"

"That's why we, who are taking this class, must dream. We must talk about fantasies. We must discuss delusions. [The dream of safely traveling from the capital to the easternmost forest]. [The delusion of children in the westernmost impoverished mountains drinking water freely]. [The fantasy of clothes produced in the northern snowfields keeping the southern desert nights warm]. [This is what I believe is the essence of this subject and this exam]."

I paused, turned off the skill, and looked around the room before continuing.

"That concludes my presentation. Thank you for listening to the dreams of a regular student."

Thunderous applause erupted. The sound was so loud that even Wolfram, with his strength 2, flinched.

The children's eyes were sparkling, and the professor was tearing up. Truly, there is nothing more joyful than this.

The annoying blonde in the distance, clapping and crying, is a bit unsettling.

Anyway, whatever.

It worked.

A huge gain.

***

Regina Sierra's fandom, commonly known as the Regina Corps, was a very unique group among the users of D/Z SAGA.

The characteristic of the Regina Corps was their extreme inference of the character's psychology, and the character they interpreted was, of course, Regina Sierra.

These people have a different concept of strategy.

For example, when a typical user is strategizing for the common route, they might think about how many phases it takes to safely use the tanking strategy of rolling up an immunity item and throwing it into the middle of the enemy's formation to take down the Lady of Treason, Ayla, in Act 3.

This is a very obvious strategy, the pattern of how users tackle bosses. In such cases, thinking about how to speed run is considered a deeper strategy.

However, the discussions of the Regina Corps are different.

In Act 3, there is a scene where Regina Sierra says, "......You," to Kelthers.

This leads to a heated debate.

"Can you kill me? Or not?"

"No. Isn't that a bit too fast emotionally? Are you different from others? Or not?"

"But Regina might have felt that way when she first saw Kelthers, right?"

"LOL, your interpretation is way off. Do you even have eyes? LOL"

"LOL, you must be a Regina noob. LOL, you should call her Miss Sierra. LOL"

"What, noob? Are you serious?"

"LOL, the noob is the one who calls her Miss Sierra, not Regina. LOL"

"LOL, I'll call her now. LOL"

This led to a flame war. They actually met up and fought.

Of course, they also live-streamed it on the community.

It was legendary. About 8,000 people watched it live.

After it ended, they went out for pork cutlet rice and called each other Regina.

They later became known as the pork cutlet rice fans and became legendary.

Anyway, they are serious. The Regina Corps has a bit of a collective madness or mental illness.

There is a group chat, and the condition to join is to combine the first letters of the most sincere words Regina said in each act. Crazy people.

Of course, I had no intention of joining. Why would I?

Anyway, the route that created such fanatics, the Regina Sierra route, is unlocked by defeating her.

Regardless of whether I empathize with the character Regina Sierra, I have a pretty clear understanding of how she lives.

So, in fact, it might be good not to win here.

Regina pays attention to those who defeat her, and being noticed by her is a hassle.

Losing is better. I should lose here.

Eve said, "Just get good grades for me," not "Be the best."

Ayla would also say, "Are you hiding this time?" even if I lost.

But......

Is losing the right thing to do?

Wolfram von Loeningen, ask yourself. Answer honestly.

Q. Is it okay to lose to Regina Sierra?

A. Go suck a lemon.

"Even if that hassle makes me more of a hassle, I don't want to lose."

If it becomes a hassle, I'll deal with it then.

Even if someone will be a hassle in the future, I want to win right now!

"Alright. That's settled."

My mind was made up.

I'll think about it after I win!

***

"Next, the presentation by Student Wolfram von Loeningen."

After Professor Isilrote called my name, I stood in front of the podium.

To be honest, I hardly attended this class. I just knew a little based on the one written exam question a while ago. It's all bluff and cheap talk.

I just brought out a craft item I made using the Handy Worker at a convenience store.

Honestly, it was a bluff.

Think about it, I just got back from the 2-1 expedition a while ago, and then there was the midterm. Not only the written exam but also the practical exam.

How could the strength 2 Wolfram, who was suffering from muscle pain, prepare anything? It's a miracle I made this.

"I will now talk about a delusion."

It was worth a try.

No, I will present it using the hellish wind and mouth technique.

"What I am about to present is something that is hard to realize. Even as a member of the royal family, I am not sure if I should bring up such a thing. So, consider this just a whimsical thought of the student Wolfram von Loeningen, not the prince."

At my words, the students who had been staring at the floor and showing no interest in others' presentations glanced at me.

"For this, the first thing that needs to be addressed is the stabilization of supply. Specifically, the price stabilization of the most basic daily necessities must come first. [Black Bread]. [Water]. [Clothing]. [Herbs that monsters dislike]. [Basic medical tools]."

The professor's applause punctuated my words. It was good.

"To achieve this, the most important issue is the limited supply routes. Warp portals require high-quality magic stones proportional to the weight of the items. The further away from the capital, the more expensive it gets."

Some students nodded at my words. They must be from the countryside.

"With this, I want to discuss a childish delusion. However, even knowing it's impossible, it's a story about a future that must be realized."

I said this and placed it on the podium.

It was a small train model and track, about the size of a palm.

A toy made from a 100,000 rin magic stone that emits 0.3 mana per hour, the lowest grade that can be made with the Handy Worker.

I pressed the button, and the train started moving with a 'beep beep' sound.

Swallow.

While everyone was focused on this toy, I drank the mana potion Ayla had prepared and replenished my mana.

"By laying this 'railway' worldwide and running cargo trains, [we can deliver the most precious items to the farthest places and the most needed items to the places that need them the most]. [From the capital of the Loeningen Empire to the easternmost forest, the southernmost desert, the northernmost snowfields, and the westernmost mountain range, connecting the world]. Isn't it an interesting delusion?"

"......Is that possible with that toy?"