WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B

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Chapter 72: 12. Academy Festival Common Sense (2)

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* * *

His mealtimes had recently come under threat.

He did not eat at fixed hours. A meal was ultimately an energy replenishment, and supplying the appropriate number of calories based on his activity level was something he could do at any time.

He did not eat because he was hungry or had an appetite in the first place. To put it bluntly, it was like fueling a machine. He lacked energy, so he refueled.

So he roughly cut off a piece of nutrient bar, put it in his mouth, and chewed. After softening it with saliva, he wrapped mana around his molars and crunched down. Crack. Then he swallowed.

His meal was finished in precisely fifteen seconds.

That was why having his mealtime threatened meant this.

"Wow! The more I eat this... mm. The more I eat it, the tastier it gets, Uncle! You're really good at cooking!"

Aesidis shed a single tear as she diligently chewed and swallowed the nutrient bar.

Nutrient bars were complete foods made with an early hardtack process and a suitable pemmican-style arrangement. They were nutritionally perfect, but sadly, their texture could not be perfect as well.

Hardtack had not originally been made to chew. It was a convenient meal meant to be soaked in water, boiled, and eaten as porridge. Looking like a biscuit did not mean it could be crunched like one.

The miraculous power that solved this inconvenience was mana, the all-purpose resource. If she wrapped mana around her molars and bit down, this was nothing. It drastically strengthened the jaw power of humans, who were already sturdy for their size.

"Ughhh... ngh... gulp."

"You don't need to force yourself."

"Force myself?! I... I've never lied once in my life! Don't you know Aesidis the Truthful?"

"I didn't."

"Well, you do now! Right? Everything I say is true."

Aesidis forced a smile as another tear rolled down her cheek.

It had failed....

This strategy had failed....

She chewed on her regret, along with the nutrient bar, and lamented. It had been a perfect plan.... It was a plan that bitch Isabelle would not have even dared attempt...!

* * *

Droan was a barren land.

Its summers were cool and dry, its winters horribly cold and long, and spring and autumn barely dipped a toe in before vanishing.

That was right. It was the familiar sort of climate that would make a twenty-first-century Korean repeatedly cry, "This weather is fucking awful!"

On top of that, Droan had rugged mountain ranges and vast, useless pastures unsuitable for farming.

No matter what was planted, the harvest was always the same. It was better to let sheep loose and raise them instead.

Naturally, food culture could not develop in such circumstances. There was no need to compare it to Kallion. It was not even as good as Krasilov's, let alone Tilles's. This was truly serious.

So, having been born and raised in that country, she was naturally accustomed to terrible food. Dry grilled mutton seasoned with salt was a luxury. Most of the time, she ate nothing but boiled potatoes, salt-cured ham, and fermented herring.

That meant the bizarre chunk of wood Ivan usually munched on so readily was likely still within Aesidis's range of tolerance.

Wasn't sharing the same food the quickest way to grow close to someone?

It was a challenge frail Isabelle, accustomed to Tilles's gourmet cuisine, could never even dream of. Aesidis was used to boiling tree roots and eating them. She was a princess of Droan. Explaining Droan's food culture any further would not be cool.

'Even so, there are limits!!'

Her happiest memory in Krasilov was the first time she had spread fresh cream over butter bread. That soft sweetness had been incredible.

Droan warriors only used the concept of "sweet" for honey wine, mead. In truth, mead was not sweet. To Aesidis, who had been born and raised in such a world and had done little outside it except follow her father around battlefields, this sort of food culture was a precious memory.

Yet she was now eating a bizarre convenience meal with the texture of stone, sticky pig fat, and some unknown sour dried fruit that crumbled dryly in the middle. Tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Should I... mm. Should I cook something for you?"

"Cook?"

"Yes. At least, um... this evening? How about dinner tonight? Let's eat something really delicious."

This poor man sadly seemed never to have felt the joy of eating in his life. Judging by his habits, he might as well have been a warrior from some backwater village in Droan rather than Krasilov.

He even kept a thick beard like the men of Droan....

"I'm busy this evening."

"Huh? Wait a second. I know this pattern. Are you planning to say you're busy every time I ask when you're free?!"

"...? That isn't it."

Ivan was an honest person, so there was no reason for him to make excuses about being busy even on days when he was not.

Sadly, sincerity was one of those values that could never truly be conveyed to another person. Aesidis watched Ivan suspiciously for a while, then nodded.

"What are you doing during the festival?"

"Spending it as usual."

Ivan's usual life involved guarding the Hero Party's children. Since he had agreed to spend it with Isabelle, it would be as usual.

Aesidis beamed at that answer.

"Then let's go eat something delicious together! The seniors said lots of food stalls open during the festival! It's the biggest festival in Pritchenkaya!"

"All right."

It was his usual schedule. Watching these kids eat and keeping their nutrition balanced was nothing special.

Ivan nodded and rose from his seat.

It was three in the afternoon, time to answer the Princess's summons.

* * *

"Ah, Vanka. You've come. Take a seat."

Elizaveta smiled warmly and gestured toward the sofa.

Elphihara sat across from the broad wooden table in the Chancellor's office, her head modestly lowered.

Was she ill?

Ivan quickly scanned her physical signs, then shook his head. Elves were frail, so it could not be helped if they easily fell out of condition.

Beolgreen also had a chronic illness that worsened whenever he saw a human.

"You summoned me, Your Highness."

"Hehe, Vanka. I told you to call me Chancellor. Ah, you know Miss Grikenkos already. I heard you carried out the last operation together, and it seems Miss Grikenkos thinks quite highly of you."

Elizaveta smiled as she sat in the seat of honor on the sofa.

At her words, Elphihara blushed and glanced at Ivan before lowering her head again.

"I am ashamed, Your Highness...."

"...? What has gotten into you all of a sudden?"

"Have I perhaps committed some offense that displeased Your Highness...?"

"That's alarming."

Elizaveta slowly shook her head. Still, she could understand Elphihara's behavior.

Just look at Ivan. That dependable great warrior of Krasilov was intimidating at a glance.

Recently, his beard had begun to look strangely well groomed and smooth in texture, but it was still long and bristling.

That alone hid more than half of his impression. Knowing his past, Elizaveta found it regrettable, but she could not break that stubbornness.

Then there were his impassive eyes, sharp gaze, and unkempt hair jutting out in every direction.

No, she could not understand it.

He seemed to put something on his beard, so why was his hair still such a mess?

Elizaveta swallowed the sudden surge of irritation and recovered her composure.

In any case, he was a somewhat excessive stimulus for a young girl. With his solid, well-muscled frame and appearance, combined with the pressure and sharpness he had built up through years of real combat, it was only natural for a child who had just turned twenty to find it difficult even to meet his eyes.

Besides, that girl had witnessed Vanka's skills firsthand.

She had apparently hunted monsters in the ruins with him. If she had seen even a fragment of what Vanka could do in that process, then it was understandable that she would be so frightened.

'As the adult here, at twenty-seven, I ought to be understanding.'

Elizaveta smiled warmly at Ivan.

"You know the festival is coming soon."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"I hear several countries plan to send delegations to coincide with it. I understand why. If something is happening at the school their children attend, there is no better excuse."

University festivals at this time were not simply for students.

With so many foreign dignitaries enrolled at Saint Yansk University, it was a perfect chance for them to wield influence over one another that transcended their status as students.

High-ranking nobles were beasts of politics. Naturally, such opportunities encouraged discreet diplomacy beneath the surface, the kind they could not conduct in their own homelands.

Using their children as an excuse was pathetic, but what else could they do?

Elizaveta was the Princess of this country, the master of the East Court, the only member of the royal bloodline who could wield political influence, and even the Chancellor of Saint Yansk University.

This first event since she took office had to end safely and successfully.

"When I mentioned providing Miss Grikenkos with personal protection, she named you right away. That is elven discernment for you. She chose the safest protector in this country."

"You flatter me."

"What are you saying? I would entrust my own life to you. Too much modesty is rude. Do you think just anyone could serve in the Royal Guard?"

"..."

Elizaveta regretted her words when she saw Ivan's expression turn cold and rigid. Ah. That had struck a nerve.

"Ahem, in any case. May I ask you to do this? If you have other plans during the festival, feel free to say so. The Counterintelligence Command will be stationed throughout the university grounds during that period anyway."

"I have nothing else planned."

Checking on the Hero Party children's diets and moving around with them for a while was part of his usual schedule.

There was no reason adding Elphihara to the group would cause a problem.

He was that rational a person.

"P-please take care of me, Sir Petrovich."

"Mm."

She had been calling him this and that only a few days ago. She really did seem unwell.

Ivan gave a short nod and left.

Three days before the festival began, the fact that he had made plans with three women on the same day was not an important issue. Ivan handled his overdue orphanage work, then rested.

Footnotes:

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