Chapter 31: Favorability Works

The preliminary round of the Magic Tournament has come to an end.
As expected, I emerged victorious.

Though it’s just a preliminary win, winning the prelims is essential to secure a free pass to the quarterfinals.
And more importantly…

“Phfft.”

The look on that prince’s face—it was pretty hilarious.

Well, to be fair, I didn’t bury him purely for my own amusement.
Given his personality, the only way to reduce his inferiority complex is to piss him off as much as possible.
I acted solely with the grand purpose in mind.

“Is that him?”
“Yeah, that’s the guy who buried the prince.”
“Don’t look at him. You might get dragged into something.”
“I heard he’s a member of the Disciplinary Committee.”

Thanks to that, I’ve now been branded as the ultimate psycho.

The crazy guy who buried the prince alive.
The delinquent of the legendary Disciplinary Committee.
The eccentric from the notorious School of the Abnormal.

All sorts of ridiculous rumors are flying around.

And that’s not all. Even my personal information got completely exposed.

But it’s not really a big deal.
It’s not like I need to be popular or well-regarded anyway.

“Luke, what exactly did you do during the prelims?”

Aisha whispered to me from the side.
Walking through the academy’s flower-strewn courtyard, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Exactly what you just heard.”
“…You mean it’s true?”
“Yeah. It just happened.”

Aisha’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Then, a familiar sharp voice piped up from her shoulder.

[ Ehh! Your hand movements have gotten slower! ]

It was the high-ranking spirit, Zelus.
Perched on Aisha’s shoulder, it arrogantly stuck out its chin and growled.

[ Right there! Scratch a bit harder! ]

Aisha’s nimble fingers gently scratched Zelus’s chin.
Grrr—
Clearly in a good mood, Zelus purred with satisfaction.
That spirit sure has it good.

“Are you sure it’s really okay?”
Aisha’s voice was trembling slightly.
Was it really that shocking?

“Don’t worry. It just looked flashy, that’s all.”

I didn’t even touch his precious royal body.
I literally just buried him underground to put him in a combat-incapacitated state.

By now, he’s probably walking around perfectly fine without a scratch.
Though I’m sure he’s grinding his teeth thinking about me.

So what if I get known as a crazy guy?
Just putting on a thick skin will do the trick.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go get some crepes over there.”
“Y-yes!”

I walked past the courtyard toward the entrance of the plaza.
Aisha followed behind, with Zelus perched on her right shoulder.

The plaza was bustling, filled with people moving about.
We passed by various festival booths and headed to one decorated in a cute pink theme.

“Wow…!”
Her lips parted slightly, and her eyes widened in delight.
I knew she’d like it.

“Welcome, freshmen! What’ll you have?”
“Just a moment.”

There’s a reason I brought Aisha here.
In the game, I always spent time here with her to increase her favorability.

“What do you want to eat?”
“Um…”

Aisha scanned the menu with a careful gaze.
I already knew the answer, but watching her ponder over it was too adorable to interrupt.

After a long struggle with the menu, Aisha finally managed to make a decision.

“I’ll have the Snow Fresh Strawberry Crepe!”
“I’ll take the same.”

Honestly, I’m a bit curious too.
In the game, it was always described in such grand terms—how does it actually taste in reality?

The girl behind the counter took our order and started cooking right away.
As expected of a fantasy world, the cooking utensils floated in the air, and the batter was made mid-air.

“Oh.”

The bright yellow batter spun gracefully in the air, and then a burst of flames passed over it, cooking it to a perfect golden brown.
The neatly folded crepe slid into a cup, followed by fresh strawberries and whipped cream floating down on top.

“Here you go! That’ll be 500 gold each, a total of 1,000 gold!”

1,000 gold? For just two crepes?
It’s like the ridiculous price you’d find on a remote island in Korea.

But now, I can afford to spend a thousand gold without worry.
I’ve got cash from squeezing money out of the prince and profits from the auction.

“Here’s 1,000 gold.”
“Thanks! Enjoy the festival~”

Aisha and I left the booth, crepes in hand.
I didn’t bother paying attention to the people whispering as we walked past.

My only concern was the taste of the crepe.
Did it live up to the hype that Aisha gave it in the game?

Gulp—
When I glanced at Aisha, I saw her throat move as she swallowed.

She must be craving sweets but is too self-conscious to eat in public.
To put her at ease, I took a bite first.

“…!!”

Fresh strawberry juice, sweet whipped cream, crispy dough, and rich chocolate syrup.
The combination of flavors burst like fireworks, harmonizing in perfect balance.

The taste itself wasn’t all that different from a regular crepe, but…
What’s the secret behind this explosive flavor?

“It’s… delicious…!”

Aisha’s cheeks flushed slightly as she exclaimed.
Like a rabbit nibbling, she took small, hesitant bites of the crepe.

“If you want more, you can have mine too.”
“N-no need!”

Geez.
She’s really enjoying that.

Aisha and I spent quite a while wandering the plaza, enjoying the festival.
I lost count of how many crepes we ate.

Honestly, they were good, but eating so many made me feel a bit sick.

“Luke, about that crepe earlier…”

Seeing her shyly mentioning crepes with that face, how could I possibly refuse?
But I seriously can’t handle any more.

“Do you even know how many crepes we’ve had so far?”
“Uh…!”
“Do you really like sweets that much?”
“L-liking sweets? That’s not…! Definitely not!”

As expected, Aisha is hands down the best heroine when it comes to teasing.
Laughing, I continued walking, playfully bantering with her.

The reason I’ve been spending the entire festival with Aisha…

“It should be around here somewhere…”
“Where exactly are we going?”

In the game, it was just a matter of selecting the destination, but finding the place in real life was a whole other challenge.

After wandering around for a while, I finally spotted a familiar sign.

“Vintage Shop?”

The reason I came here is simple.
It’s to introduce Aisha to Monica, the world’s best inventor and replica maker.

I already established a connection with Monica when I commissioned her to make the Necronomicon replica.
But I still haven’t fully raised her favorability level.

Monica is an essential heroine for defeating the field boss later on.
However, she’s so unpredictable that without a reliable patron, she could do anything.

She’s not someone you can just keep by your side with conventional methods.

That’s why the correct strategy is to establish a clear power dynamic with her.

The absolute requirement for that?
Overwhelming wealth.

‘Favorability can be raised even through coercion.’

Given Monica’s obsession with money, just mentioning that Aisha is the daughter of the Rustichel family will make her eyes light up as she tries to make a sale.

And if I reveal Monica’s secret to Aisha right here?
Monica would probably be devastated.
She’d lose the richest client on the continent forever.

“Alright, let’s head in.”
“Are you sure there’s something worth buying here…?”

Aisha’s voice was tinged with doubt.
But once she sees Monica’s skills, her opinion will definitely change.

Fwoosh—
I pushed aside the large cloth that was covering the booth.

Soft, orange lighting filled the space.
Vintage items were arranged meticulously throughout the room.
On the shelves to the left and right, Monica’s special potions and inventions were neatly displayed.

Aisha’s eyes gleamed with curiosity as she looked around the booth.

“Welcome—”

As soon as Monica spotted me, her welcoming expression twisted.

“Luke Richter…!”

Not only did her face scrunch up in displeasure, but she even clicked her tongue.
I didn’t expect such an extreme reaction.

“Good to see you, Monica-senpai.”
“Ugh…!”
“Have you been well?”
“I would’ve been, if it weren’t for someone.”

Pure hostility.
But that’s fine.
Her feelings are as fickle as a reed, easily swayed.

“Aisha, do you see anything you like?”
“Yes, the craftsmanship here is quite impressive.”

Aisha was absorbed in looking at the items.
Perhaps because she was with me, Monica still displayed clear hostility.

“Just pick anything you want. Doesn’t the Rustichel family send you a monthly allowance anyway?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”

I deliberately mentioned “Rustichel” right in front of Monica.
If it’s Monica, there’s no way she wouldn’t pick up on that name.

And just as expected.

Monica’s body visibly flinched at the mention of Rustichel.

Now’s the time.

“Seems like this place isn’t really trying to do business. No customer service, no explanations…”

Flinch—!!
Monica’s body trembled again.

“Aisha, maybe we should just check out another place?”

Screech—!
Monica abruptly stood up, her chair scraping backward.
When I looked back, there was Monica with a full-on business smile.

“Nice to meet you! You’re Aisha, right?”
“Ah, yes.”

Is this really the Monica I know?
Her sudden change in attitude never ceases to amaze me.

“My name is Monica. I’ve heard a lot about the famous Rustichel family. It’s an honor to meet you, Aisha.”
“Nice to meet you, Monica.”

Monica plastered on a fake smile, ready to make a sale.
From here, my task is simple.

Instill a sense of crisis.
Use that to force a favorable impression from her.

“Aisha, did you know? Monica actually makes rep—”
“Lu-Luke Richter!! A-about that previous commission, were you satisfied with it?”

Monica’s voice quivered with panic.

Grin—
Success. The favorability manipulation worked.