When you’ve had a huge fight with a close friend and are asking to make up.
When you’re expressing affection to people dear to you.
Even aside from those situations, there were more times in life when you had to be sincere.
When a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came along, or when you truly wouldn’t be able to make money unless you gave it your all.
As the saying goes, “all things in the world,” if there are ten thousand matters, there must be ten thousand confessions.
My current situation was probably just one of them.
“You’d better answer properly while I’m still asking nicely. There are more ways to make someone tell the truth than you can imagine.”
“Wait, no matter what, I can’t just stand by and watch you hurt Jinu.”
“You think I want to hurt him? Everything depends on Gang Jinu.”
“Wait, time out. I’ll talk, so please put that hand down.”
Why were they all in such a hurry? It wasn’t like I could run away.
Wasn’t a strategic-weapon-class mage reaching a hand toward a civilian a serious violation of violent crime law?
For a good, innocent person like me who knew nothing but cooking, this was way too much pressure.
Ermia lowered her threatening hand and gave me a look that urged me to answer.
I’d been busily selling toast, then gone in and out of my status window, and now there was even a hearing being held, so I was beyond confused.
Fine. I would tell the truth, nothing but the truth.
If I lied to get out of the situation at a time like this, things might spiral into an even greater catastrophe.
I quietly took one breath and opened my mouth.
“First of all, I really am an ordinary chef. What is it that you want to know about me?”
“I suppose the question was vague. I’ll ask clearly. What trick did you pull with the food? What did you feed our students? It’s not some elixir, yet food increased their mana reserves. Do you think that makes sense?”
“No, and why wouldn’t it?”
Since time immemorial, a healthy body made for a healthy mind, and quality food was what made that healthy body.
Whether in the modern world or another world, people looked down on dietary therapy far too much.
If food was properly cooked with good ingredients, wasn’t it possible for mana to rise a little?
I spoke in a serious manner, but Ermia’s expression hardened.
“Are you joking with me? If words won’t work—”
“Wait, wait, wait! I don’t know either. How the amount of mana increases, I mean. It’s just toast.”
“What? If you don’t know, who does?”
“Well. In any case, I was an ordinary chef then, and I’m an ordinary chef now. Though a somewhat exceptional one.”
“Jinu, then… what about the ingredients? You definitely didn’t bring them from the mansion. It’s not as if a delivery came in the middle either.”
At my unimpressive answer, Ermia’s expression turned displeased.
As far as I was concerned, my answer had been nothing but the truth.
Because I truly didn’t know the principle behind “how” my food increased mana.
Only my status window, or the being who had given me that status window, would know that. I didn’t.
Once Ermia’s questions ended, Eilenna threw out one of her own.
That question was one I couldn’t cleverly slip out of.
This was… unavoidable. I had no choice but to break through head-on.
“I’m a man who has never learned anything called magic, but there is one spell I can use.”
“Is that magic related to the origin of the ingredients?”
“Yes. It will be faster to show you.”
In any case, all my mana had recovered, and I was in perfect condition.
I chose one apple from the [Mana Market] and immediately exchanged for it.
Swaaa—
A very faint amount of mana drained from my body.
Perhaps because it was only a single apple, the amount consumed was so small I might not have noticed it if I hadn’t been paying attention.
Soon, a plump, red apple appeared in my previously empty hand.
The two of them, who had been staring intently at my actions, cried out in shock.
“What?! What is this? Where did it suddenly appear from?”
“J-Jinu. How did you do that? That’s the magic you meant…?”
“Yes. By consuming mana, I can obtain the ingredients I want. Fascinating, isn’t it?”
“No, never mind fascinating. This is… impossible. Something like this can’t be called magic.”
When I first used the [Mana Market], I had been so shocked that I nearly jumped out of my skin too.
It seemed the impact wasn’t much different for them, as their eyes went round and they examined the apple from every angle.
Whether seen from above or from the side, the apple boasted itself as a plump red fruit.
Crunch—
I deliberately took a bite of the apple as if to show them.
Fresh, sweet juice coolly wetted my tongue, and the crisp flesh crunched pleasantly between my teeth.
With a grave expression, Ermia muttered various things to herself.
“It isn’t sleight of hand. I definitely felt the flow of mana. Neither the wind nor space showed any abnormalities… When did it happen?”
“I don’t know the principle either. I just suddenly became able to use it.”
“Demonic energy? No. There’s none of that distinctive ominous aura at all. If anything, the purity of spirits and elves is strong…”
“A-amazing. It’s an ability I’ve never heard of or seen before. Even the World Tree can only accelerate the growth of plants at best, but an ability that completely creates them…”
Ermia fell into deep thought, wondering what it was she had sensed.
Eilenna also offered a word after watching my demonstration of the [Mana Market].
To be exact, it wasn’t an ability that created things.
From the time Iseria warned me about the ability until just now, I too had thought it was an ability that created ingredients.
However, the vast ingredient warehouse I had seen in my dream just now, the [Mana Market].
Having witnessed that, I could definitively say my ability was not creation, but exchange.
“This is closer to an exchange than creation.”
“What are you basing that on? If it’s an exchange, then there should be a place this item started from, but there was no sign of such movement at all.”
“It’s just… a feeling. My instincts are telling me so.”
I had no choice but to gloss it over to Ermia as a subjective feeling.
I said I would tell the truth, but I never said I would say everything.
In any case, whether they would believe the scene I saw in a dream was uncertain, and if I mentioned the [Mana Market], I would eventually have to talk about the status window too.
I wanted to keep silent about the status window.
Because I had a feeling that the moment I spoke of it, the way people looked at me would change.
Right now, even if my appearance was a little different, they simply accepted that I must have come from the East. But if they found out this black-haired guy was seeing strange hallucinations on top of that?
I was sure they would misunderstand me as a mental patient, or at least as someone not entirely sound of mind.
“Hmm, a feeling. If you say so, then that must be it. I understand.”
“Pardon? I’m not sure I should say this myself, but… isn’t that suspicious?”
“In academics, objective facts are important, but in actual practice, that isn’t the case. There’s nothing that has as much influence on magic or swordsmanship as the caster’s subjectivity.”
Perhaps the title of academy principal wasn’t just for show, because Ermia offered a fairly reasonable argument.
If she was going to think of it that way, it was convenient for me.
Had my sincerity gotten through? A faint smile appeared on Ermia’s face.
It seemed I had passed the biggest hurdle of suspicion.
“The ability you showed is closer to a miracle than magic… but I don’t think you’ll be accused of heresy. Right, elf?”
“Right. Anyone who can sense mana will recognize Jinu’s pure mana.”
I wasn’t sure whether my mana was pure.
After all, I couldn’t sense magical power or anything else at all.
Still, I had heard that often in Nuardel too, and if both an elf and an archmage said it was pure, then I supposed it was.
In the somewhat softened atmosphere, Ermia pointed at my apple.
“And that apple. May I have a bite too?”
“Pardon? Ah, yes. Here you go.”
Had she gotten hungry since some time had passed after eating the toast?
Without much hesitation, I handed her the apple.
Munch, munch—
Ermia nibbled at the apple with her dainty mouth, then gave a small laugh.
“Haha, so that’s what it was after all.”
“Pardon? What was?”
“Yes… so that was it. Interesting. Very interesting.”
“No, I’m asking what was it?”
“Hehe, I see you in a new light, Gang Jinu. I’ve learned something from you.”
“Ugh, if only you weren’t really an archmage…”
Could someone do something about that damned meaningful way of talking?
A kid who didn’t even reach my chest was acting like some mastermind with information only she knew, going, “I see, so that was it…” It was frustrating enough to drive me mad.
If it was about me, at least tell the person involved too.
Whether I felt that way or not, Ermia seemed to have resolved all her questions and walked toward the infirmary door.
“I’ll keep this matter a secret. That would be better for you too, wouldn’t it?”
“Yes… it would. Thank you.”
“Not at all. I’m the one more grateful for your devotion. Thanks to you, I feel as if my eyes have been opened. Thank you.”
“Pardon? All of a sudden?”
“Rest as much as you like before you return. I’ll speak to the school nurse.”
Creeak, thud—
And with that, Ermia left the infirmary.
Leaving behind strange words that only she could understand.
My devotion? Her eyes had been opened thanks to me?
Eilenna too was looking at her like she was a strange person, as if thinking, “What’s gotten into her all of a sudden?”
It was so odd that I didn’t really know what was what, but for now, the situation had been resolved.
“Shall we go back home, Lady Eilenna?”
“Yes. It’s been a hectic day. By the way, don’t use that ability too much. What will you do if you collapse again?”
“That’s true. Let’s go buy ingredients on the way, in advance.”
“Hehe, sure!”
Thankfully, Eilenna said she had closed up the stall properly.
And so we left the academy without incident, went grocery shopping, and returned to the mansion.
It would be hard to carry ingredients for business ourselves, so we placed a delivery order for tomorrow morning.
As expected, whether in the Middle Ages or modern times, the more money you had, the more convenient life became.
I had recovered to perfect condition, but I also had to prepare for tomorrow’s business, so I forced myself to lie down in bed.
It had been the first day of business, filled with confusion in all sorts of ways.
***
The setting sun, slowly sinking toward the horizon, dyed Belegrad beautifully.
It was the time when ordinary people finished all of today’s work and returned home.
However, Edman, the academy’s head of finance… was still waiting at the academy, dressed in his work suit.
There was a mountain of budget documents that needed approval today, but the principal, Ermia, had not returned.
From what he had heard, the chef who made the hardtack, Gang Jinu, had collapsed while running his stall, and she was waiting for him to wake up.
With Edman’s knowledge and experience, he couldn’t understand it.
She had only signed a contract with that chef, and they were meeting for the first time, so why was she spending so much time on him?
It was unfortunate and regrettable that he had fainted, but what mattered right now was not nursing the chef.
The various problems that had arisen from cutting off the supply of ingredients from the noble family merchant companies.
They had to review the report documenting them as quickly as possible and devise solutions.
The sharply rising unit prices following the change in ingredient suppliers, the state of the commercial district within the academy that had died in an instant, and the decrease in rental income.
And… as retaliation for cutting off supply, the donations sent by the noble families had been drastically reduced.
The reorganization of the operating budget following the reduction in donations also had to be urgently reported, so work was quite literally piled up like a mountain.
Edman waited endlessly for Ermia, rubbing the dark circles around his eyes.
At that moment, a familiar sound of shoes came from the hallway in front of the principal’s office.
Click—! Click—!
A person who, despite being small and complaining that shoes were heavy and uncomfortable, stubbornly wore them for the sake of authority.
A person whose shoes were looser than others’, making the clicking sound much louder.
“Hm, Head of Finance? Why haven’t you gone home?”
“Grrgh… Lady Ermia. I’ve been waiting for you.”
It was the principal of Arcadia Academy, Ermia Belfast.
Edman barely suppressed the urge to flick her on the forehead and naturally entered the principal’s office with her.
Thud, thud, thud—!
Then he set a pile of reports down on Ermia’s desk.
“This is the unit price report following the change in ingredient suppliers. This is the report on the commercial district’s downturn and the decrease in rental income. And this is…”
“Ah, hold on, Head of Finance. Listen to me first.”
“Pardon? What is it?”
Ermia plopped down into a chair larger than herself and casually gestured for him to stop talking.
Even if he received approval right now and sorted out the minor details, it would already be late at night by the time he left work.
What on earth could be more urgent than this?
As Edman was sending her a displeased look, Ermia spoke.
“Did you go outside during lunch today?”
“Yes. Kang Jinu’s stall was packed with people. It did feel lively for the first time in a while.”
“Right. Exactly. A place where young students gather ought to have that kind of atmosphere... I really didn’t know a thing.”
Ermia let out a faint, self-mocking laugh.
It was not the arrogant laugh of an archmage who had always stood above others, but the wry smile of a human being reproaching herself.
Edman’s eyes, dulled with exhaustion, opened a little wider.
What wind had suddenly blown for Ermia, of all people, to act like this?
“To be honest, I think I was too hasty. Cutting off the distribution of ingredients.”
“Yes. Frankly, it was an absurd overreaction.”
After all, the reason they were still here past quitting time was to deal with the aftermath of that.
Edman answered without the slightest pretense.
But Ermia did not take offense at his reply.
“The mood among the students had been sunken for some time, and Kang Jinu managed to make them laugh with just the two of them. Even to the point of collapsing from mana exhaustion himself.”
“Yes. And?”
“Don’t you think that’s truly a ‘miraculous’ ability? Huhu.”
Ermia’s tone, oddly emphasizing the word miracle, bothered him, but Edman was more concerned with where this meaningful conversation was headed.
“So my conclusion is that I’m going to allow ingredient distribution again. Only, I’ll revise the contract terms so they can’t fight over interests.”
“What? If you do that all of a sudden— No. Actually, that is the fundamental solution, but...”
“Right? Then I’ll leave it to you.”
Ermia wore a dignified expression, as though she had corrected her mistake.
Certainly, if they resumed ingredient distribution through the merchant groups of noble houses, most of the problems he had brought today would be resolved.
But then... what became of all the effort the Finance Department had put into creating this?
With Ermia changing her mind as easily as flipping her palm, the Finance Department’s hard work through all-night shifts until yesterday had gone up in smoke.
Whether she knew of that labor or not, Ermia muttered to herself, “Did we overcome the Monster Wave thanks to that miracle too?” and “Perhaps I should recruit him as a nutritionist altogether...”
Thus, in the end, Finance Director Edman could not hold back.
Thwack—!
“Ow!! What are you doing all of a sudden?!”
“That is my line!!!”
The karma of the wicked headmistress, piled up and pressed down over time.
That karma had now burst forth.
Edman was not even aware that he had flicked the forehead of the empire’s greatest archmage.
He was simply too busy pouring out his accumulated grievances until the sun had fully set and the moon had risen.
The vitality Kang Jinu had launched into that day.
Because of it, the Finance Department had to endure tremendous suffering...
In any case, liveliness returned to the academy.