Fragment (5)

"...Is this some kind of comedy?"

That was a brief thought about the scene where Layla was fleeing up the mountain, and Elise was desperately chasing after her.

"Hmm?"

In the echo of Layla and Elise's 'I saw it- come here- I saw it- come here-', something caught my eye, a blue crystal twinkling on the ground.

"What's this?"

Did Elise leave it behind?

I picked it up without thinking.

Whooosh-

It shimmered blue.

At the same time, from this fragment, some kind of touch… no, sensation.

No, some kind of 'skill' seemed to seep into me.

I frowned and gasped.

"Cooking?"

It was a fragmented memory about cooking. Chopping vegetables, grilling meat, boiling noodles…

"Hey!"

Suddenly, a finger appeared from behind me and snatched the fragment. I turned to look.

"It's dangerous. Don't look into it any further."

Long black hair down to the waist, and honestly, every time I faced them, those crimson pupils are piercing.

"What is it. Why are you here?"

It was Akane.

Akane Kedzen Meol.

"Did you come because of Soliette?"

Soliette and Akane must have some kind of relationship by now. I don't know if it's a mutual contract relationship like me, or a master and disciple.

"We met at the assessment test. You should have noticed that I have a relationship with the association."

"What association? The Magic Association, the College Association, or another association?"

At that, a deep wrinkle formed on Akane's forehead.

"...Is this a threat? You're audacious."

"You're getting defensive. Don't worry. If I was going to report, I would have done it a long time ago."

There are three major associations famous on the continent.

The Magic Association, the College Association, and the Monster Association.

The Magic Association and the College Association have always had tremendous authority. The Monster Association is, of course, a collection of trash. Still, if you consider its impact and influence, it can be said to be a remarkable association.

"Why did you take that?"

I'm dissatisfied.

That fragment, the 「Treasure Hunter」 radar is whirring.

"It's not yours. It's Elise's achievement point."

Akane carefully stored the fragment in a box that looked like a jewel box.

"What's so special about it?"

"It's a fragment. I thought at least one person would die because they were blinded by this."

"...That's a very irresponsible statement if it's from the association."

"Irresponsible? Dozens of people die every time at the college board. There are rumors that the association deliberately kills them. Being a college student itself means stepping into the real world."

Well, that's true.

From college students onwards, they are classified as a real power, and they can actually be the targets of assassination by other black companies or the underworld.

"Where are you going to take it and use it?"

"It's not something you can handle yet. I'll give it back in seven years."

Seven years?

I'm not even sure if I'll be alive by then.

Akane murmured as she carefully looked at the fragment.

"...Two hundred and seventy-five thousand eight hundred and sixty-four. Quite a lot has been collected."

"What's that?"

"The number of repeated days. But don't you earn achievement points?"

"I will earn them, but they'll find me instead, right?"

I pointed to the [Ascal Farm] with a smirk. Akane also turned to look in that direction.

"A farm?"

"Come by sometimes. Of course, it's not free."

"Why?"

"If you're hungry, come and eat. You're not a doll, you know."

"..."

Akane's expression hardened slightly.

I now know how to distinguish whether she is a doll or not.

It used to be difficult, but now it's easy.

The pupils.

Even though Akane is a doll that manifests even the complex and subtle iris of a human, there is a slight difference between the doll and the main body.

It's a distinction that only I can make, having cared for her main body and directly 'seen her eyes and remembered'.

"Come when you crave sweets too. We have all kinds of tropical fruits."

"..."

Akane stood still as if she was shocked, and I waved my hand and went into the farm.

Before I knew it, Gerkhen was squatting down.

He looked at the cultivated land and said a word.

"...It's growing."

"Yeah. The soil itself is good."

In addition to perfect geographical conditions, Grawl, who oversaw the production, is a monster of stone and earth. The performance and output of the farm will be far superior to any fertile land on the continent.

"The harvest cycle will come in three days."

"Three days..."

Gerkhen glanced at me.

Is it your Spectrum?

-He seemed to want to ask, but he never said it out loud. He knows better than anyone that it's rude.

"I'll give you 10% of what comes out of here. You won't have to worry about food on your own. Unless you eat like an elephant."

"...10%."

Gerkhen muttered quietly.

He had a face of self-doubt. A face that seemed to suggest he might eat like an elephant.

"If it exceeds 10%, you can buy it with achievement points."

"Is barter also possible?"

"Exchange? Sure. Bring something like meat."

"Here."

Gerkhen pushed the box he had put on the ground.

A box that can be carried on the shoulder with a strap like a cross bag.

"What's that?"

"It's a cooler I bought from a soul."

Thunk-

I opened the box. Inside, the meats were kept cold.

In this way, in [Planarium], the interaction between souls and humans are active. It means that not only simple conversations but also barter is possible.

"Good, but don't trade too often with the souls."

"Why?"

"...Well, it doesn't matter to you."

In fact, the reason why [Planarium] is sealed again in the future is because too many 'scammers' who are looking for a quick buck flock in.

Foolish guys who want to sell artifacts made by souls on the continent.

They don't even know that their mental strength is weakening every time they use the soul's stuff.

In that respect, Gerkhen doesn't need to worry. Because he has excellent mental strength.

"Leave that cooler here. I'll use it instead of a refrigerator. I'll count the price as fruits."

Gerkhen seemed to be reluctant to part with the box, but he nodded soon.

"Alright."

Thud- He put the cooler on the ground. In the corner, the name [Gerkhen] was written in small letters with a pen.

"What are you, a primary school student?"

I chuckled.

* * *

[Planarium Academy].

Three days have passed since the College Board resumed.

Many seniors are running breathlessly.

Not only Endex's named ones like Elise, Gerkhen, and Kain, but also other celebrities of the Magic High, such as Mel and Valerian, are frantically converting everything they catch – be it monsters or magical phenomena – into achievement points.

The achievement point transactions are not going smoothly either. It seems like everyone is still in the early stages, overflowing with ambition for their grades…

I'm taking it easy.

"Over there. See?"

This is the marsh of [Planarium].

You can see the monsters with achievement points on them in the distance.

"Yes. I see them. A group of Ashed Men."

Soliette responded.

Ashed Men. Four humanoid monsters that look as if they've been burned by fire.

They would be level 1 or 2 on the ground, but in [Planarium], they are level 3 or 4 .

According to the 'Monster Level Scaling' established by the Magic Association, the seniors of Magic High are on average level 3-4.

This means we have to face four seniors.

Soliette immediately drew her sword.

"I'll take the lead."

"Confirmed."

I also picked up my Ascal sword. The moment I did, Soliette charged. As soon as they detected the front, they raised their nails.

What we call nails are almost 2m long spears.

Soliette took on all four at the front, and I circled around to target the rear.

Clang- Clang- Clang-!

The resonance of the sword meeting the nails. In the midst of that, I easily slipped into the rear and charged at the one who seemed to be the leader.

Cha───!

The surprised creature hastily swung its arm towards me.

Index finger. Thumb. Ring finger. Three lines of nails came at me, but I immediately deployed my sword technique.

This was my first time using Eight Swords in real combat.

Chaeng───!

The Third Sword. After lightly blocking the incoming nails from the right by twisting my sword, I switched to the First Sword.

It's a strong strike that I swing down in a straight line, embedding 'Rotation' into the sword.

The creature tried to defend by crossing its nails above its head.

────!

My sword shattered the creature's nails and head in one go.

By the time I killed one, Soliette had dealt with the remaining three.

Situation over.

I wiped the ash off my sword blade. I put their 'cores' into a cloth.

Soliette glanced at me and said,

"You've become quite familiar with the Eight Swords."

"You saw?"

"Yes. It seems you've been practicing hard."

"Well. It's a versatile sword, isn't it?"

[Eight Swords] is the basic technique of Arkne, but its mastery difficulty is harder than most family's arcane swordsmanship.

"You certainly know. It's said that the [Eight Swords] at its peak is more powerful than the arcane sword of the main house."

"Ah, that's an exaggeration."

"No, it's not. The strongest ancestor in Arkne's history became the continent's greatest with just the [Eight Swords]."

Soliette said matter-of-factly.

"Well, whatever. As you said, I guess I have a talent for it."

I shrugged my shoulders.

Then Soliette took a small breath. Her chest slightly heaved.

"No. [Eight Swords] is not an easy sword to master with talent alone. Not only does it require talent for the sword, but the memorization itself is so extensive… effort is essential."

She said, wearing a gentle smile.

"You've been working very hard, haven't you, Shion?"

"…Huh?"

It seems like she's misunderstanding something.

In fact, the nickname for [Eight Swords] is [Laborious Sword], which is quite a famous joke.

Eight paths, with eight forms in each path.

There are a total of 64 initial forms, but the combinations of these can almost reach infinity.

"If the elders of the family see you, they will try to recruit you immediately. So don't get noticed by them. Never!"

Soliette suddenly hardened her gaze.

"Why does the conclusion end up like that?"

"Because they are not good people."

"…Alright. Let's start heading back now. Souls come out in the evening."

In [Planarium], there are both good and evil souls.

The distinction is surprisingly easy.

Souls that look like humans are 99% neutral~good souls. Evil souls are dark or beast-like in shape, and it would be quite a problem if we encounter them.

Souls try to steal human bodies.

"Yes. Shion, you seem familiar with [Planarium]?"

"I've studied it."

I stayed here for quite a long time, a very long time ago. It was right after Soliette committed suicide. I was in a very unhinged state.

Trudge, trudge-

We were walking down the mountain path together when we reached a fork in the road.

To the right is [Ascal Farm], and to the left is [Planarium Academy].

"Let's eat at the farm before we go."

"No, it's okay. I have to do Bethune."

She shook her head, and I didn't say anything more.

"Alright then."

Public and private.

After that day, we each had a line that we respected.

"Take care."

"Yes. See you tomorrow."

I entered [Ascal Farm].

The inside of the greenhouse is growing amazingly day by day, and it seems like we could harvest right now without any problem.

"Grawl. Can we harvest this?"

─Hmm~ I think we can~

Grawl popped out from my shoulder.

"Then just do the ripe ones."

─Yes~

Grawl straightened his neck.

Then the grains of rice and wheat were peeled off in an instant, and they came rushing in like a wind.

"When did you learn telekinesis?"

─It's easy to move things related to soil with Magic Spells~

Anyway, about a pot each of rice and wheat.

Not only that. Cabbage, lettuce, onions, garlic, and even the sweet fruits that Gerkhen likes….

I harvested everything and sorted them by type.

"It's abundant."

─Knock knock knock.

Just then, there was a knocking sound from outside.

─Please open the door! Please open the door! Please open the door!

The following is Layla's voice. I would understand even if she said it once.

I opened the door.

Beyond it were Layla, Kain, Asher, and… Soliette?

I smirked at her.

"What's up? You said you were leaving."

"…I was caught on my way down."

Soliette let out a forced laugh.

Before she knew it, Layla had her in a tight grip, almost to the point of wrinkling her sleeve.

"What are you doing?"

"…What do you mean! We're customers."

Layla grinned mischievously.

"Shion, are you~ selling food here? Like last time~"

She must be referring to the roast pig from before.

I do have all the ingredients on hand.

"…Well, yes."

I looked at Kain and Asher. They were standing awkwardly.

Asher mumbled with a pout.

"Hey. I didn't know Shion was doing this."

"Hey, the name itself is Ascal Farm."

"..."

No response.

They probably don't even know that my surname is Ascal.

"Then you guys should leave! You can't even grill meat!"

Layla turned to look at me again, feigning sadness.

"Shion… We can't do anything… We can't even prepare the boar we caught… The meat still had fur on it, I almost threw up eating it...."

"…Is that so."

Looking at them, it seemed like Layla, Kain, and Asher had all lost a fair amount of weight.

Especially Kain, his cheeks were hollow.

"But it's expensive here, you know? It's 300 achievement points per person."

"What!!!"

Layla let out a loud exclamation, and Kain and Asher's eyes widened.

"300 points is a bit over the top."

"But in return, I'll give you enough to eat for a whole day. Think of it as a chef's choice meal."

For reference, the four Ashed Men I caught today are worth 80 points. If we assume that the seniors catch about 200 achievement points on average per day, it means they have to invest almost 1.5 days' worth to afford a single serving.

"You can leave if it's too expensive."

Selling it cheaply doesn't make sense. I don't want too many people coming either.

"But, you won't regret it?"

I clenched and unclenched my fist.

I haven't cooked much, but strangely, my hands are full of sensation now. Even a certain desire keeps rising.

The desire to cook.

Somehow, I have a strong feeling that I'll do great.

It's probably because of that [Fragment] I touched last time.

"Well, how about a 10% discount-"

"There are absolutely no discounts. I've heard rumors that you guys are rich."

Elise received 30,000 achievement points from Akane, and supposedly distributed 2,000 each to her team.

"…Fine! Alright! We'll splurge!"

"Ah. Everyone. I'm fine-"

Layla grabbed Soliette who was trying to leave belatedly.

"Soliette, I'll pay for you! I got achievement points from Elly~~"

"What? Layla, did you get more? We all only got 2,000 each."

Asher blinked his eyes.

"No~ Well~ There were a few things~~ Now! Shion! Show your student ID!"

In [Planarium], the student ID serves as a card, ID, and wallet.

I tagged cards with Layla, Kain, Asher, and Soliette in turn.

[+300 AP]

[+300 AP]

[+300 AP]

[+300 AP]

1,200 AP.

What other seniors would have to work their bones off for six days to earn, I got in just one day.

"Okay. Come in and wait. Sit down."

I swung open the farm gate.

The chair and the long table had just been set up, just like a real Chef's Choice restaurant.

Grawl, who had been eavesdropping on our conversation, had quickly prepared it.

"Sit and wait."

"Wow, everything is already set up~"

They took their seats.

I marinated the pig that Gerkhen had caught with black pepper and salt, cooked some rice, and served a mushroom soup as an appetizer.

"This is the appetizer. Eat."

Layla, who had taken a spoonful, widened her eyes.

"Wow, this is delicious!"

"…I used 300AP, it better be delicious."

"Asher, shut up!!"

"...."

Anyway, the frying pan is ready.

A special [Stone Plate] made by Grawl himself.

I put the marinated pork on the sizzling hot plate, mixed in asparagus, green and white onions, and grilled the steak.

"This is the main course. Eat."

Pork steak and rice. The meat is incredibly large, and there is a lot of rice.

They are all big eaters, after all.

""""...." """

The four of them stared blankly and then took a bite. They put the steak in their mouths.

Suddenly, their faces melted like cotton candy.

Each of them bowed their heads, making different expressions.

"It's delicious."

Everyone turned to look at the one who had exclaimed.

It wasn't Kain, Layla, or Asher, but Soliette.

I asked blankly.

"…You think it's delicious?"

"Yes."

A faint smile bloomed on her face.

It was the first time for me.

To see her truly enjoying something.

"Maybe it's because it's high-end~ Soliette has always eaten expensive food!"

Layla said, clutching her fork.

"…Ah, that could be possible."

"Eat a lot. There's dessert too."

I laughed to myself.

A sense of inexplicable pride, a sense of accomplishment.

I thought I would never hear those words in my life, but I heard them so suddenly.

Layla laughed heartily.

"Shion~ This is really delicious! But there's no periwinkle soup~?"

"You can catch it yourself and cook it."

Layla was chattering away, but Asher and Kain were silent. They were just repeatedly cutting their meat, as if they were in a trance.

While they were eating the main course, I made sherbet with melon.

And so, as the meal was coming to an end.

"Now, dessert. Eat."

The sherbet I served as the final dessert.

The four of them, already quite full, took a bite.

""""...." """

They all closed their mouths tightly again.

Silence.

All of them just quietly scraped and ate the sherbet.

"It's worth… the money."

Kain muttered. His voice was a little choked.

No, he was actually crying.

"…Sniff."

The sight of him wiping his tears with his arm was a bit disgusting, but well.

Even though Kain looks like a bandit, he's actually a very precious young master who's been raised delicately. He probably has never cooked, let alone butchered.

He's a rich young master who's far from self-sufficiency.

"Why are you crying and making a fuss- sniff."

Asher, who was next to him, tried to comfort Kain but ended up bowing his head.

Layla looked at the two of them with disbelief and snorted.

"…These guys are crazy!"

Quietly, I watched Soliette savoring the sherbet.

"Hmm. Hmm..."

Her enjoyment of the food was genuinely different from Layla's. Perhaps it's because she's a real aristocrat.

"Considering it's a high-end restaurant, come by occasionally. Don't come too often, though, as it's bothersome for me."

I said this as I wiped my hands.

Knock, knock-

Then, the knock on the door sounded again.

"Excuse me-"

The person who cautiously opened the door and spoke was Elise.

"...Perhaps-"

Elise glanced around the room.

She first looked at Soliette and me, then found Layla.

"Ho ho~ Elly's here too~ I wonder what brings her here~"

"It's nothing?!"

She snapped back, quickly turning around.

"Shion. Are you going to log into [Bethune Dungeon] today?"

Soliette asked just then.

"...!"

Elise, who was about to run out, froze in her tracks.

Her ears perked up.

I replied briefly.

"Yeah. I should. Elise, why are you here?"

"...It's nothing."

With her lips pouting, Elise left the ranch.

"Hehe... I wonder what's going on... Elly came to see Shion... I wonder what it could be..."

Layla alternately looked at the firmly closed door and me, murmuring with a smirk.

"Sniff- Sniff-"

"Sniff- Sniff-"

"...Why on earth are you two crying?"

I shook my head at Asher and Kain, who were crying dramatically.