Bang, bang, bang-!
Fireworks went off here and there.
On a day when people laughed heartily and pure white doves flew frantically in the sky.
Today was the club fair.
Victoria sat at the fair operation headquarters set up in the center of the park, observing the situation.
Although the club fair was held every semester, this year it seemed to be 1.5 times larger than usual.
She didn’t forget to remind the student council members and club managers to be cautious to prevent any accidents.
“Executive Commissioner Skadi.”
“Why are you calling, Victoria?”
“The remnants of Fimblevet might be watching the fair. We need to thoroughly check everywhere from the outskirts to the alleys with the disciplinary committee.”
“I’ll do it even if you don’t tell me.”
Even though they wore the same executor badge, Victor and Skadi handled tasks differently.
While Victor preferred meticulous and flawless work, Skadi’s performance varied with her mood, leading to inconsistency in her work.
‘Now that Victor is no longer an executor, I have no choice but to rely fully on Skadi.’
Victoria felt slightly anxious. Knowing the existence of the secret organization 「Fimblevet」 operating somewhere in the academy, she couldn’t afford to relax.
Moreover, today was the day that ‘Orca Arkwright’ from the mainland was coming.
Her brother and the former student council president, a highly famous figure in Ludens.
And the very person who hid from everyone that he had made some sort of contract with 「Fimblevet」.
‘Will I be able to manage my expression when I meet Orca….’
At that moment, the voice of the student council secretary, Shadi, came from the speakers installed everywhere.
“With thousands of clubs…! Please freely visit and use the booths of the clubs in Ludens…!”
The slightly nervous voice of the accounting department’s Milone followed.
“We will total the Rene you used at the club booths to select the best club. Students, family, friends, and residents of Ludens, we ask for your support…!”
Early in the morning. The start of the club fair.
“Dearmid, let’s go to the armor club street over there! I’m excited to see what kind of armor our wild fang leather has turned into!”
“I’m more interested in weapons than armor. Since we’ve earned a lot of Rene this time, I want to replace my weapon first. Isn’t it standard to replace weapons before armor?”
“Sure, do as you please. Haha, we did earn a lot of Rene. What is Victor planning to do with so many snow lilies…?”
Students from various places began to busily walk through the streets.
“200-year tradition, Ludens Newspaper Club! Selling the fair special edition! You can’t buy it later! If you buy now, we’ll give you photos of wildlings taken all around Ludens as a bonus…!”
“Tabula, your voice is too soft! We have to sell over a thousand copies each today!”
Watching the clubs’ enthusiastic promotions to draw people to their booths was also entertaining.
Among them, the place that attracted the most attention this year was undoubtedly the booths in Row A, located in the busiest part of the park.
“Look over there. It’s the Swordsmanship Club. Aren’t those hunting badges hanging there?”
“Other than the Swordsmanship Club, there aren’t many places in Ludens that can complete 1-tier requests, right?”
“Still, I’ve heard that a cooking club recently defeated a 1-tier monster.”
“Come on, how can a cooking club defeat a 1-tier monster? Speaking of cooking clubs, I remember the Ludens Gourmet Society that came in second last year. I wonder what they’re selling this year.”
On the day of the fair, many civilians also came from various places.
Various ships from the mainland came to this heavenly island of Ludens, unloading crowds of people.
“Look at that, it’s a merchant ship from the Chessman family.”
“And there’s the Marquis of Pansy from the west.”
“This is Bishop Chessman. It’s been decades since I graduated and visited Ludens. The unchanged scent of this strange island. This peculiar warmth. Marquis Pansy, let me guide you as a graduate.”
“Viscount Chessman, you seem eager to visit Ludric Chessman’s club. Did you say it was the Ludens Gourmet Society? I’ve heard it’s even bigger and grander this year.”
Many people mentioned the name of the Ludens Gourmet Society.
Last year’s winning 「Swordsmanship Club」.
And the Ludens Gourmet Society, which narrowly missed the win, naturally had people’s expectations.
In reality, the Ludens Gourmet Society did not disappoint people’s expectations.
No, they exceeded those expectations with a grand setup.
“Viscount Chessman, this is too much effort, isn’t it? It looks more like a high-end restaurant in the flower city of the mainland than a student club booth. How much support did you provide?”
“Well, I didn’t expect them to set up such a big store….”
Even the nobles from the mainland were impressed by the sophisticated store.
When Victoria Arkwright peeked inside, she saw round tables covered with white napkins.
Soon, a student dressed as a maid came out.
“Guests from the mainland, please come inside,” she said with a gentle smile, and the nobles, saying, “We can’t not go in,” patted their wallets.
The big-spending noble guests were the ones who had brought victory to the clubs at this Ludens fair.
They didn’t hesitate to spend lavishly to show off their wealth at Ludens.
In fact, even though the Ludens Gourmet Society’s restaurant charged over 500,000 Rene for a single menu item, it was already packed with noble guests.
“Oh my, Miss Victoria. Are you here for a meal?”
At that voice, Victoria, who was peeking into the luxurious restaurant, flinched. Turning her head, she saw curly blonde hair.
“Miss De Winter.”
“Please call me Rebekah. After all, we are going to be ‘family’ soon. But even if we’re to be family, I can’t advance your reservation. The place is completely full….”
Her laughter somehow reminded Victoria of her sister, Flora.
Of course, Flora’s laughter was cute and innocent, but Rebekah’s had a certain dark undertone.
‘Bright on the outside but dark inside, she’s a perfect match for my brother.’
Pushing that thought aside, Victoria said, “I’m just here to check as a fair staff member, so don’t mind me….”
Even as she spoke, nobles continued to flood into the Ludens Gourmet Society. Victoria felt an inexplicable sense of anxiety.
Then she wondered.
‘Why am I feeling anxious…?’
Victoria tried to find the reason for her anxiety and finally found one.
‘Rebekah De Winter is connected to Orca. I don’t know what Orca is planning, but if De Winter’s Gourmet Society scores well, it will only strengthen Orca’s position.’
She couldn’t allow her brother, whose intentions were unknown, to gain more power. Victoria concluded that this was why she felt anxious.
The only club that could counter such a gourmet society was another cooking club with similar attributes.
‘Victor, are you doing well now? You boasted you could handle Orca. You broke off our engagement with that determination. Just try to fall here.’
So what were they doing now?
Victoria wanted to go check in person, but from afar, she heard her close friend Shadi calling, “Victoria, Milone is calling you!” and had to move her heavy steps.
* * *
There were a lot of people.
Saying it was crowded was an understatement today.
And having many people meant a lot of money was being spent.
“Arnoy, take the orders!”
“Eek…! This Arnoy is so dizzy from so many orders…! But I must endure today for the promised 1% share increase…. I will do my best…!”
“Arnoy, I’ll help you!”
“No, Nike, you should help Enio with the ingredient prep in the kitchen. The kitchen is running nonstop!”
They were so busy that they couldn’t rest even for a moment.
In the makeshift outdoor kitchen, Enio grumbled.
“I thought there wouldn’t be many customers since we’re in a corner. What’s this? It’s so busy. And to think, using the noble Blackstar’s daughter as a head chef. Victor is really extravagant…!”
“This conversation is the real extravagance. Enio, keep working…!”
Of course, I was also making food without stopping.
Whether it was because of the hot fire or the spicy ingredients being used, even my back, which rarely sweats, was drenched.
“Today is really hot. It feels twice as hot as usual.”
Domina, the female instructor holding a chart, responded to my comment.
“The fair is held on the best day of spring. Today is the sunniest day. It might get scorching in the afternoon.”
“That’s a good sign. By the way, Domina, I’m not asking for help, but go check the sales of each club.”
“That’s asking for help. Really, making an elder and a teacher work. Just for today, okay?”
A large display board was set up in the center of the park.
It showed how many Renes were spent at each club booth, and the fair’s winner was determined by these rankings.
Domina, who had disappeared, returned with a serious expression.
“Victor, Ludens Gourmet Society is in first place. They made ten million Rene in the first hour since the opening. For reference, we are at 3.8 million Rene….”
Nike, who was diligently peeling fruit, opened her mouth wide in shock.
“Ten million in an hour! How much will they make in a day….”
Nike, an earth mage, seemed so shocked by the ten million in an hour that she couldn’t think straight.
It was indeed a lot of money.
However, I was confident there was no need to be intimidated.
“High-end restaurants have a limited number of patrons. And each table occupies the space for a long time, so their turnover rate isn’t good.”
I used to play a game that had the nickname ‘Gourmet Restaurant.’
It had a small user base, resulting in long matchmaking times and low popularity.
That game lost to a game nicknamed ‘Snack Bar.’
It was incredibly frustrating back then.
But now, I’m the owner of the snack bar.
“Enio, in the afternoon, we’re going to sell that.”
“You mean that? Do you think it will really sell well?”
Enio was wiping the sweat off her forehead.
“It was hard to find you in this corner. But I must commend you for attracting customers even in a non-A area.”
Someone approached us with the sound of high heels clicking. Enio froze.
“Miss De Winter.”
“Enio, don’t stop. Orders are piling up.”
Rebekah covered her mouth with her palm and laughed.
“To think that the noble princess of Blackstar is working hard in the kitchen making food that seems fit for commoners. Your father would be saddened to see this, Miss Enio.”
Daring to attack Enio’s mental state.
She’s our deputy head chef.
I decided to shut Rebekah up before she could say more.
“Are you here to play? Must be bored with no customers at your place.”
“It’s our break time. We ran out of the ingredients we prepared for the morning. Our sales for the morning alone were already 20 million Rene. And you are….”
Rebekah’s eyes slowly scanned us.
“After a whole day’s hard work, you might barely make 10 million Renes. That’s the reality. Quality is more important than the quantity of labor. But I’ll give you credit for your effort.”
She’s right.
There are jobs where the earnings are different even if you work the same hours.
“People are born with different starting points.”
The life of a noble and that of a commoner could be just that.
The 200 million debt that I struggled with in my youth.
For someone else, it could be an amount spent on leisure in less than a year, maybe even less.
Then it happened.
“We, we won’t lose to you…!”
Someone shouted. It was Nike, who was peeling fruit.
Nike spoke in a trembling voice, as if she were squeezing out the courage buried deep within her.
“It’s not over until it’s over! The one who laughs last wins!”
Indeed, that’s true.
However, Rebekah scoffed, “Sometimes, you can tell the outcome without needing to see the end.”
Her arrogance matched her high self-esteem.
I wanted to crush it.
“Let’s have a competition, Rebekah. Let’s make a bet.”
“A bet on a competition we’ve already clearly won. What do we stand to gain from you?”
Rebekah’s blue eyes, as she spoke arrogantly, glanced at the trembling Nike Mokemoke.
“Come to think of it, you’re from the Leshgad Forest, right? I happen to be looking for something there. I want your help with that. And your club will be disbanded.”
“On the other hand, if we win, we’ll take your sign. Your Ludens Gourmet Society will be renamed by us, and we’ll take over its management.”
I won’t disband you.
You have a role to play.
