“Can I perhaps get a few nun outfits?”
“…Excuse me?”
“I think about 3 sets should do.”
“……”
Helena tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
“Brother Yandel, you’re… a man, right? Shouldn’t you be asking for a priest’s outfit instead of a nun’s?”
“Oh, it’s not for me.”
“???”
Helena blinked her golden eyes, seemingly even more perplexed.
But I pressed for an answer.“Would it be alright, Priestess Helena?”
“It’s not impossible. However, since it’ll be taken outside, we’d have to remove our order’s symbol…”
“That’s not an issue. I just need them to look like nun outfits.”
“Could it be…?”
By this point, Helena might’ve guessed who I intended to use it for, as she subtly glanced at Carla.
And then, seeing Carla’s restless demeanor, Helena seemed to confirm her suspicions.
Helena’s expression turned icy cold.
The stark difference from the person who was praising me fervently just moments ago was palpable.
Still, she seemed unable to outright refuse and nodded hesitantly.
“Well… we have some spare nun outfits. I’ll send them to you after making appropriate adjustments…”
“Thank you.”
Even though our conversation continued, the ambiance had become awkward, and we didn’t have much of substance to discuss.
If I had to pinpoint, maybe it was the growing wariness of the Righteous Radiance towards the social party?
Their concerns seemed logical, considering they were no longer dealing with isolated incidents but leading actual battles.
This was fortunate for me.
Anyway, we briefly discussed the differences between the original H&A scenario and the current situation.
We ran out of topics, and it seemed like lunchtime. I asked if she wanted to have lunch together, but…
“I apologize. I have a prior engagement with priests from the main order regarding this issue…”
“Oh, no need to apologize. I think I’ve kept you for too long. Let’s meet up next time.”
“Indeed. Now that you’ve officially associated with us, we will surely meet often. I look forward to it.”
With that, I parted ways with Helena and headed to the central plaza.
Since I was out, it would be good to meet Faye before heading back to the dorms.
Unlike Class 1A, which was on break due to the raid, Faye from Class 2A probably had classes today. But…
It was lunchtime, so it should be fine.
“Phew… just because the academy is large doesn’t mean it’s always convenient. Moving around is a hassle.”
“You’re starting to see the academy for what it truly is. It looks great and has good facilities, but moving around is genuinely tiring.”
As Carla seemed to empathize, she whispered with a soft voice.
“By the way, Master, did you really want me to wear a nun outfit that much?”
“Of course. After almost dying once, everything I haven’t done suddenly feels very regrettable.”
“So… you’re saying that, on the brink of death, you thought of me in a nun outfit?”
“Does it come across that way…?”
As we chatted casually, I started to feel gazes from our surroundings.
A quick glance around showed students murmuring and staring in our direction.
I’d received various reactions when with Carla, but this one felt different.
It wasn’t the usual envious or disapproving looks, but a mix of admiration and disbelief.
I nudged Carla’s side and asked,
“Hey, Carla, these looks don’t seem normal. What do you think?”
“Considering the abnormal things you’ve done, isn’t this a natural reaction?”
“It’s been 3 days… No, 4 days since I was brought to the academy after collapsing. And rumors have already spread this far?”
“Well, it was an event that shook the academy. Plus, the details were so unbelievable. Do you know how shocked I was when I first heard of it?”
From Carla’s subsequent remarks, I realized why there was such a drastic shift in their reactions.
For me, having beaten Edmerek numerous times in H&A, it wasn’t a big deal, but for them, it must’ve been a major incident.
Defeating an Archbishop-level cultist, they couldn’t ignore me like before.
Of course, I didn’t defeat him on my own, and if it were any other Archbishop besides Edmerek, I wouldn’t have stood a chance.
If just Edmerek garnered this much attention, things might get interesting from here on.
With that thought, I moved towards Faye’s workshop, my next destination.
Due to Faye having no friends, she usually ate alone in her workshop, as per the setting.
Even if I was sponsoring her, that part likely hadn’t changed.
Knock knock knock.
-Underclassman…? You’re up! I’ve unlocked it. Just come in!
Upon knocking on the workshop’s door, I heard Faye’s voice emanating from a device I hadn’t noticed before.
Some kind of magical intercom, perhaps? There even seemed to be a remote lock mechanism.
Probably an installation from the gold I sponsored her with.
After all, she should now be attentive to security. She couldn’t afford it before, but now she can.
Opening the door with a sense of pride, the thick steel that was previously locked slid open with a noise.
Passing through the dimly lit hallway, we were greeted by Faye’s workshop.
Clutter scattered across the floor, unidentifiable metals, and glowing, suspicious-looking potions.
The disorganized state and dim ambiance were just as I remembered.
However, some changes were evident.
Uncommon-looking materials neatly arranged on shelves, a modernized furnace, and several new intriguing tools. Above all, there was no foul smell.
She probably installed some magical odor neutralizer.
Realizing this, Carla took a relieved deep breath and loosened her tense expression.
“Phew… it’s still messy, but it’s changed a lot!”
“Well, it should. Think about how much gold I sponsored.”
Due to some misunderstandings, I ended up sponsoring her with 1,000 gold a month… but once that was cleared up, we adjusted the amount.
Still, 500 gold a month was considerably more than the initially proposed 300 gold.
As Faye noticed our presence, she put down a test tube she was handling and approached us.
“Ah, tea. Here.”
Though she hopped over the scattered items on the floor with her bulky steps, her overly voluptuous chest bouncing was unmistakable, even beyond her baggy researcher’s robe.
Even Carla was staring at the sight with a dumbfounded expression.
However, Faye, seemingly entirely at ease with us, simply smiled warmly.
“Oh, you’re here? Wait a moment. I prepared something beneficial for you. Let’s see… It should be around here…”
As Faye crouched down, searching the floor,
“Ah? Uh…?”
Her ample bosom prevented her from reaching forward properly, given her short dwarf-like arms.
For heaven’s sake, how could that be possible?
Carla and I gazed down at Faye with astonishment, but she calmly changed her posture, crawling on all fours to grab the potion bottle.
Just as she was about to stand up,
“Ah.”
Our eyes met, and Faye suddenly shrunk back.
It seemed she had only just realized the scene she’d made. Handing over the potion with a visibly shrunken demeanor, Faye said,
“This… drink it now. It’s good for your body.”
“Oh? What is it that it’s so beneficial?”
“Umm? It’s just good for the body… How should I explain this…?”
Faye tried to explain hesitantly, but like last time, I couldn’t fully understand her due to her poor articulation.
But from what I could gather, it seemed to be a kind of tonic.
Although the purple color was a bit unsettling… I doubt it was something fatal.
I uncapped it and drank it in one gulp, immediately hearing a familiar notification sound.
Ding!
You've consumed an unnamed potion.
For the next 24 hours, your recovery rate will increase by 150%.
Feels like it'll be good for your digestion.
“What is this…?”
This wasn’t just a tonic, it was a buff potion?
Though the effect was on the weaker side, its duration was insane.
“Uh, how is it…? You don’t feel suddenly stronger, do you?”
“Yes, I do feel a bit energized. Thank you, Senior.”
“Hehe… Do you know how shocked I was when I heard you almost died? I thought I was going to lose my only sponsor.”
“That’s why I came to reassure you as soon as I woke up.”
Seeing me shrug, Faye let out a sigh of relief.
“For now, sit and rest. I’ll finish up here, and we can leave. It’ll just be a moment.”
“Okay.”
As Carla and I chatted and waited, it didn’t take long before Faye returned, holding a test tube.
“Senior? That’s…”
“This? This is!”
Seemingly pleased that I inquired, Faye enthusiastically began to explain something.
However, she cut her long explanation short this time and nodded confidently.
“It’s better to show than to tell! Watch this.”
With that, she took out a piece of bread.
The bread had a dark brown, rough surface. From its hardness, it seemed like a cheap, low-wheat content black bread.
“Now, if I do this…”
She sprinkled the contents of the test tube onto the bread. The pink liquid was absorbed entirely by the bread.
The reaction was immediate.
The hard bread became visibly soft.
With a satisfied expression, Faye proudly presented the transformed bread.
“Ta-da! The hard black bread is now soft and chewy!”
She then took a big bite, showing off the pink-infused cross-section.
“It’s also strawberry-flavored, so you don’t need to spread jam!”
“Wow, that’s truly amazing.”
“Hehe… Right?! It’s cheap to produce, so we can make lots of it. No more soaking hard bread in water to eat!”
She looked overly proud of herself. I was a bit perplexed and asked,
“What did you eat for lunch today?”
“What I’m eating now.”
“…What about the 500 gold I sponsored?”
“I spent it all on alchemy tools and ingredients I wanted! …Wait, why that look? Isn’t it good?”
“……”
Who wouldn’t be annoyed, having sponsored 500 gold only to find out she couldn’t even afford proper meals?
Of course, if she sold this bread-softening potion properly, it could be very profitable… but this still wasn’t right.
“Come here, Senior.”
“Why, why are you like this…? I’m starting to get scared…”
“Shush! Come here and explain where you spent the 500 gold I gave you!”
“Eek! You said there would be no financial audit! You said!”
“Starting from today, there will be! Stop running and come here!”
I grabbed Faye by the ankle, trying to flee, and hoisted her upside down.
Her face turned pale.
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