Healing at the Academy convenience store

Aila Tristar stared at Wolfram with wide eyes as he spoke softly and then departed.

“……”

Wolfram von Roengreen.

Her fiancé. Selected by her family.

Her initial impression of him was quite unfavorable.

Although it was an engagement, it was accompanied by political agreements.

Even though they had known each other since childhood, reason took precedence over emotion between the two.

The lower-ranked prince was being married off to a influential family, thereby ensuring loyalty to the royal family.

Wolfram and Aila may have been childhood friends, but the contract was established before any affection could develop.

She felt greatly disappointed when his younger sister betrayed him, causing him to lose his position as the student council president.

She even thought that he had failed to fulfill the contract.

He was supposed to marry her and rise up through rebellion. So, why was he so despondent?

When he came to find her, the disappointment persisted, but Wolfram explained that he had a new strategy.

A fallen prince making a comeback.

She wanted to witness that.

However, somewhere deep in her heart, she may have considered that:

[Wolfram von Roengreen needs Aila Tristar’s support.]

Of course.

Wolfram was currently in a vulnerable position, as evidenced by the fact that he was even paying rent in her building.

So, deep down, she might have underestimated Wolfram’s moves a bit.

But not anymore.

Wolfram von Roengreen calmly declared his intent to defeat Regina Ciel.

It wasn’t arrogance, overconfidence, or hubris.

He simply stated the plain truth.

He believed that Regina Ciel, whom she had never defeated, wasn’t even a match for him.

Could that really be possible?

Could he easily defeat someone whom Aila Tristar had never bested?

‘···I’m curious. Truly, I’m eager to find out.’

Direct and inquisitive, Aila Tristar then went to her building, where Wolfram’s convenience store was located.

Peering from outside, she widened her eyes at what she witnessed.

[Next, try this one. Have a taste.]

[Ugh, I’m full, senior…]

A student with pink hair and an innocent look. Judging by the tie, probably a freshman.

Wolfram was handing her an assortment of snacks.

‘What, what are you doing?’

Wasn’t he supposed to be devising a strategy to defeat Regina Ciel? Why was he fooling around with an underclassman?

‘This, this is unethical!’

Not even understanding why she was upset, Aila was about to kick open the convenience store door.

However, she halted upon hearing a voice.

[We’re short on time. Hurry.]

[Whimper.]

[You can have a little. It’s for buff testing, after all.]

[Okay, okay.]

Was this the method to defeat Regina Ciel?

Aila stopped herself from opening the door and observed him closely once more.

Upon closer examination, it wasn’t a pink aura surrounding the girl but something else.

“Buffing?”

It was a surprisingly accurate description.

***

If I claim that I’m going to win, then I must follow through.

Honestly, I was merely bluffing to get rid of the bothersome Regina, and it worked like a charm.

The abilities of the royal bloodline are remarkable. Even when I fib, they take it as gospel.

Anyhow, as I returned to the convenience store, I held a snack I had whipped up in the past 24 hours and gazed at the Mille-feuille.

“How about this one?”

“Um, well, it seems like I could handle the Wind Arrow quite well!”

“Resistant to wind-speed projectiles, huh.”

Although I’m using the Mille-feuille like an in-game item to check its attributes, there’s no probability manipulation in this D/Z SAGA.

“Number 15. Resistant to wind-speed projectiles. Still a novice, I see. Here’s the 16th.”

“Uh, uhuh.”

“Doesn’t it taste good?”

“No, it’s delicious. But if I keep eating like this, I’ll gain weight.”

“If it’s delicious, it won’t make you gain weight.”

“Really? Is that true?”

“Yes.”

As I nodded, Mille-feuille’s eyes sparkled.

My apologies.

And so, we’ve reached the 19th snack.

The maximum amount of magical power I can infuse in a day is 24. I can also create a total of 24 snacks.

I hope to see some changes in the next five attempts.

“Um…”

“What’s on your mind?”

“This one… it’s a bit different.”

“Can you explain how it’s different?”

“Sure, I think I can reliably dodge all melee… yes, all melee attacks.”

Finally.

At last, we’ve entered the realm of ‘buffs that can be practically used in battle.’

This means that the proficiency of my Magical Patissier skill has reached an intermediate level.

“True Physical Evasion.”

“True Physical Evasion? Isn’t that a skill from the magic department?”

“Yes, it’s an 8-tier buff skill. Now, we have a genuine asset for the battlefield, don’t we?”

“Getting an 8-tier buff from a snack is quite something…”

Mille-feuille shivers.

Among the first-years, except for the exceptionally talented ones, they’re barely reaching 9-tier. An 8-tier buff would undoubtedly be a significant advantage in this situation.

“Yes, you gain an 8-tier buff just by consuming it. Truly a ‘buff-type snack.'”

“Magical Sweet.”

“Why are you so fixated on the name?”

“I don’t like the idea of eating snacks with weird names.”

Is that so?

The name isn’t the crucial factor.

“Right. Magical Sweet. When it was 9-tier, it only provided a low-level buff, but at 8-tier, we have a real shot.”

“Yes, it seems that way!”

“Let’s try the rest.”

“I’m already full.”

Saying that, the chick began pecking at the crumbs, and among the remaining 5 snacks, one was an 8-tier buff. Since I don’t know when I reached the intermediate level, I can’t accurately gauge the odds, but having two of them is promising.

Shall we try using it?

“Mille-feuille, can you manage one more?”

“…Ugh. Yes, I’ll give it a try.”

“In return, I’ll show you something special.”

“What?”

“Pay close attention. It’s a technique that’s not easy to come by.”

As I’ve been saying, ‘Magical Patissier’ is a pretty decent buff skill.

But consider this – I’ve played this game until it got old.

For someone like me to call it ‘decent’ means it’s not your run-of-the-mill skill.

Magical Patissier.

It’s a fun and decent skill in the early stages.

“The name of the snack is open to interpretation.”

“…??”

The first item on the agenda is a Chiffon Cake.

[Commencing Magical Patissier!]

[A touch of magic infuses the treat!]

[Magic has been imbued into the Chiffon Cake!]

Once the Chiffon Cake cools down, use mixed beans to adorn it with cream.

Now, what should we call this creation?

[Commencing Magical Patissier!]

[A touch of magic infuses the treat!]

[Magic has been infused into the Cream Cake!]

“As expected.”

“?”

The system I was familiar with didn’t let me down.

This is the true delight of being a Magical Patissier.

Mixweet.

[Calculating applied magic.]

[Two magics subtly shimmer in silver.]

I nodded as I read the system’s description.

“…It’s not a complete success.”

“What’s happening, senior…?”

“Just give it a taste.”

I sliced a portion of the chiffon, or rather, the cream cake, and handed it to Mille-feuille.

“Something feels different than usual… Huh? What?”

“How’s the magical effect?”

“It’s the same as before. True Physical Evasion. But, but…”

“Go on.”

“I believe I can also evade fire magic.”

“Just as I suspected. One side was at a beginner’s level. It’s a combined calculation.”

“Uh, um. This has never happened before… huh?”

Mille-feuille chirped while I was lost in thought.

This is why Magical Patissier is enjoyable.

For instance, I just made a chiffon cake and enchanted it.

If I then adorn that chiffon cake with cream once more, is it still a chiffon cake?

No. It should be called a whipped cream cake.

In essence, the more layers you add in Magical Patissier, the greater the effect you can achieve.

In theory, as long as there’s enough magical power available, it’s a skill you can have fun with. Wolfram’s maximum magical power is 3, so until now, only one layer was possible. One for two pastries. One for Mixweet. Quite limited.

“Wow, wow. You’re really… impressive, senior! You could win the Magic Craft competition! Truly!”

The chick looks at me with gleaming eyes.

“No, this is only half the success.”

“…There’s more?”

“Yes. The original 7-tier has Shining Patissier, and the 6-tier has Miracle Patissier. Being satisfied with just an 8-tier Magical would be the end.”

“Wow, you’re different from me…”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t even attempt such challenges. You’re, you’re dazzling.”

“Why can’t you attempt them?”

“I’m just average in everything… My stats are low too… My physical and muscular strength are insufficient for the knight school, and I have high mana sensitivity or high magic power for the magic school…”

Hmm. I see.

So you probably have low physical, muscular, and magical power.

“Why this sudden confession?”

“What if I eat this but still can’t win because I’m weak?”

…

That’s a more practical concern than I initially thought.

Kelters probably has stats ranging from 15 to 16. He missed some early classes, so he might even have multiple stats at 14.

But what’s more pressing right now is that Mille-feuille won’t eat the pastry.

Taking a job meant for a mole while being a chick?

It seems like some senior-level mental education is needed here.

Even I, who was exempted from labor as an orphan, volunteered for manual labor to increase my daily wage. Where did you acquire such a lousy mentality?

Huh?

“Mille-feuille Phonsabre. Share your stats.”

“Y-yes. Health 9. Strength 8. Magical Power 11. Talent is 6.”

“I see. So that’s how it is. Haha. Indeed.”

“Haha. Quite low, right? Honestly, I don’t know how I got into Jephryn.”

“My health is 2.”

“…………..”

CLANG.

She drops the fork she was holding and raises an eyebrow. Then she tilts her head as if she misheard.

“Ah, you mean 20…”

“2.”

“…… How, how is that possible?”

“Ha. You’re wondering how I got admitted? It goes like this…”

“How are you still functioning?”

Oh. Direct hit.

“S-sorry…”

“Don’t be. My magical power is 3.”

“……..”

“My rival in the Magic Craft competition has a magical power of 20. It’s Regina Ciel.”

“The senior merchant mage?”

“Exactly. So let’s not talk nonsense.”

“…Yes, understood.”

Hmm.

The atmosphere still seems skeptical.

Let’s give it a try with an interesting story.

Let’s see. A story, a story.

Does a chick become a chicken if it works hard? So what?

Does an old partridge pluck its feathers and talons? That’s just a myth.

A story that fits the situation…

Ah.

Yes, there was something called Mille-feuille.

“‘Mille-feuille.'”

“Yes, yes?”

“There’s a snack named Mille-feuille.”

“Does it have the same name as me?”

I nodded. Her attention piqued. What could be the story behind a snack sharing her name?

Now begins the type of motivational essay that Lee Young-jin had grown weary of reading.

“This snack is unique. To make Mille-feuille, you fold the dough thinly, then fold it again and again. And when you finally unfold it, the dough has a staggering 2,187 layers.”

“Wow, really? That’s impressive!”

“Um.”

Mille-feuille looks at me with shining eyes. She seems to expect something profound.

What should I say next?

Something profound that suits a senior… so um…

“One layer of Mille-feuille might seem fragile.”

“!”

“But if it is, break it courageously. And then do it again. When this is repeated thousands of times, Mille-feuille finally reveals itself to the world.”

“Wow, wow…wow!”

It’s a somewhat old-fashioned and childlike philosophy, but well, anyway.

“So what I’m saying is, work hard.”

“Yes! I will work hard!”

“Yes! Work really hard!”

“Yess!”

It may be a cliché ending, but the chick’s eyes are shining with enthusiasm.

Is it okay to be so inspired by this simple perseverance theory?

Is this truly okay?

“Two thousand layers. Mille-feuille. Effort. Even if you break, stand up again, and after breaking thousands of times, you become a complete Mille-feuille!”

She seems to have made a resolution all on her own.

Her face is oddly flushed. Is this really okay?

“Thank you, Senior. I’ve been called useless and lazy back in my hometown, and I didn’t even know how I ended up here at Jephryn.”

“···I see.”

“I’ve never heard such encouragement before. Especially from someone from the royal family… Thank you. Really.”

“Um?”

“Being royal has nothing to do with it.”

“Huh?”

“These are just my own words.”

“·········.”

Mille-feuille blinked and then smiled with his flushed face.

“Yes. I’ll try harder! I’ll do my best.”

“Um.”

Is it really okay to be so compliant?

I’m concerned as a senior.

“Give me some snacks!”

“Go home for today. I’m out of energy.”

“Ah.”