Chapter 198: Reaping What You Sow (1)
d7wDdIt was when we were waiting for the compulsory course to begin in the lecture room after the Advanced Herbal Studies course.w0O3WV
5pWDS“Huahm~.”ewKoN
iEB3gLark yawned several times on repeat and seemed very exhausted.UVxao
YGwtDQ“Did you not sleep well? You’ve been looking tired all day.”FZA
ldQq“I was studying for the exams… My major courses became a lot harder this year.”eKe
l5YAAs expected of a study freak, I suppose. I was about to advise him to sleep when necessary but Jaeger interjected with a grin.RcAVTU
YhL4“Procrastinating before a test means nothing. Exams are there to test you based on your everyday knowledge pool.”HupNu8
FkbyeJX“Okay, Mr. First-from-the-bottom. Mind your own business.”hzma
OHkf“I don’t care~. I’m just gonna become an adventurer after I graduate.”U8W
YGkiZpgLark clicked his tongue before turning towards me.RZdd
ELA“Korin. Are you studying these days?”gWeI
TcFYm“This is one of the few areas where I agree with Jaeger. Exams are supposed to measure what we know, not how much we study before them.”gA5Uj
FlzCaD“I thought your marks were okay though? If you are getting mid-to-high marks without studying, then I’m sure you would be getting much better marks if you did.”ORpt
hpL“We are going to forget them later anyway. Besides, having good marks doesn’t really matter to me.”sXPo8HR
whKVa0“I guess that’s true, for the future Unique Grade.”hVd
fHZDQCgEven if I were to fail the written exam, I could make up for it through the prac exam, which is why my grades were always in the upper spectrum.68L
q1DbSZI didn’t need better grades nor was I planning to head into research in the future like Lark, so there was no need for me to study for the exams.LdHZdnI
po9“That face you’re making is very annoying.”vfF
3RQ9ZDH“Kekekek…! If you don’t want to study, just become a Grade 1 guardian. Easy.”cPJte31
CHkyiJaeger giggled as well from the side. He also got promoted to Grade 2 knight last holiday, so neither of us really cared about doing well in the tests.ZWS31
NV9gTwo out of the three of us weren’t interested in the exams, so we naturally started talking about something else.21rkYw4
wyTT0C“The Autumn Harvest Festival is going to be held inside the Academy this year, right?”OzVIj
x3AuFy“I guess so. We had the Academy Festival last year, after all.”I3n
3ZVAutumn Harvest Festival.JNxuf0
UZ6e1JIt was a festive period that existed in every culture which commemorated the harvest of crops. Unlike the Academy Festival, the cultural exchange with other academies which happened once every two years, the Autumn Harvest Festival was held every year across the nation.jOJ
2PCUru8The Academy Festival wasn’t on this year, so it appeared that the Harvest Festival was going to be held inside the campus.YhetN
ugQpwq“Who do you think is going to be the Lady of Autumn this year?” asked Lark.4DP
B2sEST1Ah~ I remember something like that being a thing. Jaeger replied with a smirk of excitement.Klbx9v
BRTCmRv“Hehe, I’m looking forward to that. How does it even work here though?”vnk
YZxq88J“Hmm? Does it depend on the region?”wdK8
1xWRIsn’t it just a beauty contest?HYBsx3s
D1itmDb“Of course it does! In my city, it was given to the lady that gave birth to the most number of kids that year.”Tpd
A5bHn5L“Hoh… What about you, Lark?”cnN
8nJjg“It was like a vote for us. The candidates of the Lady of Autumn would travel across the city in a fancy carriage, and the winner was decided by the number of bouquets they received by the end.”cjDL
7Q1It seemed that every region had a different way of choosing their Lady of Autumn, but that was to be expected for a national event in a world without the internet.tTa3
cxU“It’s quite different for Merkarva, right?” I said, “It’s also like a vote but with a unique system involved.”JjL2Tv
3NBiz“Yeah yeah yeah. I remember hearing how Merkarva had an unusual way of choosing their Lady of Autumn.”sV7
XbS5DLark agreed and tried to remember where he heard it from, while Jaeger asked what the specifics were.Z6o4iq
ehTVU“How are they different?”BDFVd
50Y1“The Lady of Autumn is decided on the final day of the festival, and there are ribbons that are given to the people that come 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the contests leading up to that. You have to give them to the Lady of Autumn candidates.”0Qye9LP
4qIstDoIt was one of the main quests of the game. If the player was a female, she would have to run a campaign to be chosen as the Lady of Autumn, and if the player was a male, he had to win at least one contest to give the ribbon as a gift to one of the heroines.inMN9x
j23“Hunting Contest, Cooking Contest, the Auction, Knight of the Year, Magic Exhibition, Cross-dressing Contest, the Tournament, Mock Trials…”3mjJ8p
ViHFH“Wow, that’s a lot.”mDvO
ItK2“There’s a limit to the contests that you can compete in based on your department though.”3JT
cDktdDQJaeger went through the contests that I mentioned before throwing a question.UmNIy
VBTT4UB“Are you joining the Tournament? Honestly, I swear you’re going to clean everyone up.”oBZq
hbjWAiM“That’s why I can’t.”m8boL
CQ2eB“Huh?”088mea
Ovi8SvThe Tournament was a competition where students gathered, whether they were a knight or a mage, to fight each other in a tournament format. It was a straightforward event where the winner of the grand final would obtain the prize, and was one of the events that the player could partake in during the game.VFmC
I71VI did participate in the last iteration but… this time, I was prohibited from even joining it.cfl
mn9PRight when I was about to explain the reason, someone walked up from behind.rknGAyi
EKev“Hello, Oppa.”YbLYr
h5yIt was Ran. She also greeted Jaeger and Lark after saying hello to me.lIsbp
fCtx“We were just talking about the rules of the Tournament.”CVZp8
fqbf“Ahh… Sorry about what Hua did.”8dtdWjQ
HgHpJaeger replied in curiosity after hearing that.0SOisA
88WvEw“What did Hua do?”VLmju
Uvu96RM“Don’t you remember Hua attending the Tournament in last year’s Academy Festival and wiping everyone up? There’s a new rule now that Unique Grades, whether official or not, are not allowed to join fighting competitions like the Tournament.”IIjXc
tbwHB9This was a background story that also existed back in the game.ZvLYE
ExUIjF“Are there any contests you are looking to join, Ran?” I asked.y5uOaEM
vE87“Hmm~. I’m thinking about cooking.”NHEf
EfCLP“Do you mean the Sales one? Or the Cooking one?”SDPq
OeA26HThe Food Sales Contest was about student stores that had to compete for revenue, whereas the Cooking Contest had judges who evaluated the dishes of the contestants.Bdob
5TTNkc2“The Cooking Contest! I think I can win because I practiced cooking a lot to eat with you, oppa!”PgG0z
NbVG“Kuhum…!”HHZl
93T2jg“I’m so damn jealous…”2ji
u2djLark and Jaeger each threw a comment after hearing Ran’s adorable sentence, but I ignored them.31QGgb
JrLVzzf“The Tournament though… It would be a shame to miss out on the prize.”H2XnAv
xOPI turned to Alicia, who was still sleeping right next to me. Just like me, she was another example of someone terrible at the written exams with great marks for the prac exam.v4qiI
m7qu5lB“Alicia. Quick. Wake up.”bxcX0Nj
Qnpac“Hmnya… Mr. Korin?”R1C9Ll7
FjNAlicia was drooling in her sleep so I wiped the drool off her lips and said to the sleep-deprived girl.J7U
srRqw“Can you join the Tournament?”Uhz3zTV
FEuAAqa“Why?”Qn1
UJcppVZ“I want the prize.”te5M
Oh6jgB“Mhmm… Alrighttt.”2oF
2sZsxShe barely nodded her heavy head.j3SBmFZ
qX6teUThis should be more than enough – after her enlightenment during the fight against the Sword Fiend, Alicia was at the very least semi-Unique Grade.jq6
hAqUnlike me, she wasn’t the type to interfere with other’s business more than necessary, which was why she was able to hide under the radar and stay as Grade 1 both officially and unofficially.AwazHSl
BSy2Victory was in the bag already.HHurQDm
BI3When I lifted my head back up, I realized that my peers who had been listening to our conversation, including Jaeger and Lark, were giving me a funny look.fadm
hXqdoS1-What a freaking player.sDER
krKd-Gold-digger.kOGJIy
T1hCdVhI had long decided to bear with such gazes.0IPD
YqjiAXIt was then.tZnH
Wdmk“Koriin~. I’ve got some snacks!”SXacLwf
67RPxK6The one who appeared through the front door of the lecture room was none other than Marie. Carrying a basket of boiled potatoes as always, she greeted everyone on the way but headed straight towards me.HWxQ
tnXK“Senior. Do you have sugar?”7YPo
dkauUnV“Of course! Just wait!”dmf
xVjXdShe placed the basket down and started taking out boiled potatoes, mashed potatoes, and potato chips. Lastly, she took out sugar and ketchup, marking an end to the potato setup.XWsjH
FjsqUm“You guys should have some too! The potatoes are looking very good today! Here’s some juice in case you need something to drink!”7fKylw
8Dp““Thank you!!””7ApKo
JS2Gdm8It was quite common for Marie to visit with a bunch of potatoes so none of our peers inside the room were surprised by it. The room was filled with the smell of potatoes as everyone each carried one including Alicia, who woke up from her sleep after sniffing the boiled potatoes.ZsHZ8QT
Tmml3“Oh. Ms. Senior Marie. Are you competing for the Lady of Autumn this year?”vQP
aErB“Nn?”VYY
l940VtMarie tilted her head and scratched her cheeks after that question from one of our peers.D8SwB0
yf4“Not really. I’m always busy during the Harvest Festival, and I was more interested in other contests when I was in my 1st year, so I’ve never really done it either.”0Q3hUC
4uzmThat made sense because the foundation of the Harvest Festival was in celebrating the harvest of crops. As a lady of the Dunareff Family which was in charge of the continent’s lifeline, she probably had more important things to do than worry about being the Lady of Autumn.FetCUpx
GXqnv“Actually… Before coming to the Academy when I was in the South, I was chosen as the Lady of Autumn every year…!”3z8
Hwe“Hoh…”LnQIn
tJkw0iHonestly, it was hard to find another candidate than Marie from the south but… let’s not discuss the fairness of the voting system. In any case, as for Merkarva’s Lady of Autumn this year, it was hard to predict who it would be since we didn’t even have a proper ‘player’. Normally it would be the heroines but…Ku9
RNEbbi“Korin-dongsaeeeenggg!”KYn
buCSIt was then.dXka
Ej9YuThe Saintess who could change the atmosphere simply through her presence appeared from the door.Hol
TQWG“Saintess…”R13M4
kl4“Call me ‘Noona’!”VLR
hu27wWithout caring about the eyes of other students, she ran up and wrapped her arms around me.DtaZ
fkNDxV9“People are watching…”6Ac
N33cc“Who cares? Were you bored without me? Do you want to play together after the lessons today?”NFDraw
rwg8KH9“Do you have nothing to do?”v0Xl
DqjrO“I just returned after all! And everyone feels uncomfortable around me.”tzOxFJj
VKvtbSSIt was true that normal students would consider returning students, who were therefore much older, to be frightening but it was probably a different story for Estelle. Who could possibly treat with ease the princess and saintess of our kingdom?37Y
NmbNcQQ“Oh right, Dongsaeng! See this!?”AJygFsa
KuaXShe suddenly showed me a piece of paper, the content of which made me a little surprised.Trz55aA
Y3WQQ“Are you competing for the Lady of Autumn? In Merkarva?”o0ee0UW
6q52I“Yep! It’s going to be a sweeping victory!”x1g5l4u
dUtXhG“…Like, don’t you have to go back to the Chapel during the Harvest Festival?”9LYV
COstiEstelle was the Saintess. Of course, she was no longer a pure saintess of the New Faith, but that was still her official position.lYoSxIf
8tDVk0bDidn’t she have to show her face in events as the Saintess and bless all the believers who had to travel a long way to get to the Chapel just to see her? I would assume her role became even more important after doing something as crazy as cleaning up half of the higher-ups of the Order.FgR
dmeNow that the pope and many of the cardinals had their heads beaten in, Estelle was fundamentally the only religious leader of the New Faith and therefore had a very important role.a2Dw7
2YX0w“So I’ll come back around the middle of the festival! I can spend the first 4 days at the Chapel and make it back by the last day for the Lady of Autumn selection!”X1kY
AvMYYL“Do you think that’s physically possi— Did you get Lady Josephine to help you?”qtcV
e78HDDa“We’re super good friends!”IBnvc
62BGavOThat would certainly be possible. Estelle was going to play a very important role in our upcoming strategies in the future, and that seemed to be why Lady Josephine was very willing to help her in any way possible.k1Gq
upCct“Anyway… Congratulations, I guess? Honestly, I think it’s a little bit unfair for a Saintess like yourself to attend though.”8J0
bXQAWasn’t the winner already decided then? Since she was both the princess and the saintess?efbDY
eOy4Z“Korin-dongsaeng. Will you give me a ribbon?”xKC7pUI
ciVOMy“Umm… But I need to attend a contest if I want to get a ribbon.”PrXn
d9zBI also had to be top three to get a ribbon.F5zDnNp
wqPXeJ“Yeah. So you should just win one of the contests and give me a golden ribbon.”yQi
VDci“I can’t be bothered though…”P7VoJo
k9ssKkVMy plan for this Harvest Festival was to do nothing but eat and play. There was something I had to do with Master on the last day as well.3Baht6
1Up“Ah! Please! Pleaaase~! I’d be very sad if you didn’t!”R6T0TQm
IsWVb“Uahk! Saintess! Noonim! We are in front! We are in front of others! This will be a scandal!”ybe4d
qKAjCa“Then take responsibility and marry me!”ikN
srRQA-T, t, t, that bastard.gii2sN
ezL5gcS-Even the Saintess??Tugt6p
ev1ZH9U-I want to kill him so bad. O please, God! Grant me the power to punish that wicked man!Nq3SGn
SRXBilAt this rate, it would be difficult to expect the public evaluation of me to get any better until graduation…gwQYaBR
tlDODSA“Saintess.”afSS
LlXew7“Un? Junior Marie?”XWWr
7oQtWMmThey were in the same grade, but Estelle started the Academy before her, which was why she was calling Marie her junior.Ljp
9G0“Korin is not liking it.”olv61PC
jQ4CBfGOhh. Yes, Marie. Go. Only the imperial princess of the Potato Empire can say a few words to the saintess and Princess Estelle!DGY
ctov“I don’t think so? He doesn’t hate it? Right~ Korin-dongsaeng?”ZmUU
Qeb2B“Well, I don’t necessarily—”BsjFoZ
3VZDs“Korin. You have to be clear-cut with this,” Marie said with a serious face, “Higher-ups will always be stubborn until you clearly tell them the truth.”SrGzek7
e2pyAr“Uhh…”U9Jmty
xOgFor some reason, Marie’s eyes looked very cold. It seemed like her eyes were telling me that there was only one possible answer I could give and that she would not tolerate anything else.v3bkQd
f95yl9“Hmm~”jxK81yX
fsIHoEstelle and Marie turned to each other. Surprisingly, the two of them had similar lights in their eyes.5IjHF
2YSrTheir lips were curved up but their eyes were frighteningly still!F5rY
MDjqFOMarie broke that icy silence.kDI0L2
PZYAcnb“Korin. I’m competing for the Lady of Autumn as well.”wV7z
ealSZp“Huh? I thought you weren’t interested in…”6MMgxH
3eJB2i“Of course, you’re giving me the ribbon, right?”43Z9
FqpHS9…Wait.tSwq
ZbMuIt wasn’t just me – everyone in the vicinity was shocked since she was clearly throwing a letter of challenge at the Saintess.W6mc
dd3Z“Korin-oppa.”kpRpBr
YwMAnd.kwGD
PXA“Mr. Korin.”fnJCd
EqTY2HHThere were more.lR3PGIl
mYi“I’m competing too.”KuK
ObzYk7p“I will apply for it later today.”8N8WTRM
fH3VThere was more than one contestant.vCJZC
SviJ“Huh?”BsoGU
qA9ZhThis was bad.MSbQ8
stN2aThe silence inside the room felt like the calm before the storm.NCEv
VBDwQFR“Oppa. You are giving it to me, right?”o7pA
TC7s“Mr. Korin. I will be looking forward to it.”bfi
FTWBHuhhh?4Db6OX
ZRpyT, this is not what I expected!uUU
k2sv“Ehew. I knew this was coming.”zF3vu0
iDhG“This was bound to happen one day.”bUN
2j5xJaeger and Lark shook their heads and looked at me like I was reaping what I sowed.PMP8L
wUq5fAm I… fucked?48E0
G5p***o6Lc
lxTBJluIn the staff meeting discussing the upcoming Autumn Harvest Festival which had everyone ranging from Senior Professor Josephine and Chairman Erin down to assistant professors, Erin was blank-minded, not really hearing what was being thrown around the room.4Uav1
f8Qvl『You know the last day of the Harvest Festival.』B5k
l8PoPHer mind was filled with the still-vivid memory of her disciple’s face – that splendid night when her dearest handsome disciple stroked her neck and placed a necklace around it.DZcRm9
5RdYL『Can you stay with me that night?』kWrdOYo
xxww6He wanted her to stay with him. Why?RqTGb5
1guvnWhy specifically the midnight of the last day? Why that particular day with rumors that a couple spending that time together would get married?ivPjzf
w1AjMgbI, is it a proposal?TCb
tSTN, no! I’m the master and you’re the disciple!RyRbx8q
xdnHgZ-Chair…R13qURn
NvNl2ABut if her disciple confessed his love to her and she were to turn him down, wouldn’t he become very sad?KyMOUb9
0qv9s4-Cha… man…!6F4
kh0UUThat wouldn’t do. It terribly ached her heart to just think about that boy becoming heartbroken and looking sad.SAnYW
oZrWas she supposed to accept it then?Rq1c
m6EHowever, she had lived for thousands of years already. How could she possibly get married to a young man around the age of 20…df9t6n
Zu8“Chairman!”9yLKBZ
EfT4“Huh?! Clara? Ah. W, what is it?”ejxN0md
YgRvErin flinched when Josephine tapped her and mumbled random words in the midst of her confusion.qnU
01Duo“I know you are tired from overworking yourself, but please focus on the meeting.”yQjhyI
gj7Tpr“Y, yes… Alright, Senior Professor Josephine.”wwtgj2f
i6eqgShe was scolded.Fsorw
fmqnFjQJosephine was looking at her with rebuking eyes. She appeared to have sensed the reason why and was silently telling her to stop daydreaming, and Erin shrunk like a deflated leather ball.hN3F
HjDESPp“By the way, isn’t it about time for us to choose a person?”4aeyGnH
ttFrProfessor Orgen from the Knight Department changed the topic, which was agreed upon by the counselor of the Magic Department, Professor Edgar.G1rO2wK
JbV1“It is about time for one of our female staff to think about it. What about you, Professor Lulara?”DiImXxL
BIZD“I joined 4 years ago and won~. And it isn’t nice for a previous winner to join again.”0RJFc
QtDZS“I see. Under that same logic, I suppose Senior Professor Josephine won’t be able to do it either. From here…”Sgw06
fJbEdgar turned towards Professor Deina, who immediately shook her head frantically in denial.g3R
TAIg“Not me! I have so much to prepare for the Magic Exhibition this year! We have to report our research projects, and if I can’t find a sponsor again…!”Hlw6
PvhProfessor Deina was desperate to escape her life of poverty ever since the King of Iron Mountain incident took place.LDsXU5g
Ni2uIfUnable to follow the discussion, Erin was about to ask Josephine but it was then.kHY
qBCn0o“How about you participate in it, Chairman?”pGQZT
4ru9uT8Surprisingly, the one saying that was Old Man Haman Welsch. The old muscular professor was looking at Erin.9rlnx5b
8Hv4g“Hmm? Me?”DMk0FS
fe5n2“Yes. I believe you are one of the only staff that can join the ‘Lady of Autumn’ contest this year.”TlDM5X
ynEQProfessor Orgen agreed to Old Man Haman’s words, followed by Professor Edgar.XLvY
DjDTag“Ohh. That sounds like a great idea!”F00WqX
eKTC9“Indeed… The Chairman would have a high chance of becoming this year’s Lady of Autumn.”3RxTVR
z65kowThe meeting was progressing rapidly and before Erin could say anything else about it, she became the staff member participating in this year’s Lady of Autumn contest.6giwQYm
LzWK0“Umm… I will try my best.”QEzBj
61vYnyAlthough she was pushed into the post, Erin was somewhat looking forward to it.P1VT
ALOpyZh‘Would… Korin give me a ribbon?’rzh
vyuThe start of a fiesta was fast approaching.XMsk8b
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HaydenZeMan
VIP Qi RefinementThis is what you deserve Korin