HACS 93

The reason I became completely absorbed in D/Z SAGA was because of one character’s route. Actually, I wasn’t that into it until I saw that character’s ending, but anyway.

In between, I wandered quite a bit. I played all sorts of games. I revisited classic RPGs, and I played the games that were in the orphanage again.

As I mentioned before—the orphanage computers only had classic games installed, and we grew up playing those classics. Of course, there were online classic RPGs too, but most of them had monthly subscription fees that were hard to manage, or they had excessive cash shop demands.

In particular, the classic game M(mobile) series with catchphrases like **[Reinterpretation of a Classic Game!]** or **[Remember those memories?]** **[Long time no see. How have you been?]** really stuck in my memory.

So I had the chance to try one of those “Let’s smarten up the nostalgic RPG!” games… but in the end, I dropped all of them.

As I thought, I’m only about D/Z SAGA.

—

Of course, I’m not saying D/Z SAGA is a complete god-tier game.

There are complete god-tier games in this world, but they got their release delayed.

So set aside those unreleased god-tier games and let me talk a bit about D/Z SAGA.

There’s gathering party members, watching endings, raising stats, working on skills, collecting items, trying different growth routes, changing traits—there’s a lot, but among them, the most fun is the skill combination system.

For magic, it’s like **[Main Magic : Auxiliary Formula : Auxiliary Formula]** —depending on how many you combine, the “magic range,” “magic attack power,” and “auxiliary effects” change. **[Black Crystal : Single Shot : Max Enhancement]** is exactly that kind of feel.

And next is the combination of crafting skills, which is quite fun.

For example, just as using Shining Patissiel twice causes additive stacking of options, you can also combine “crafting skills” with “crafting skills.”

“To get blessing items, I’ll have to use skill combinations after all.”

Blessings are a fairly hidden option, and they’re hard to obtain through ordinary means.

The grand stories that span the entire world—where blessings are mentioned and curses are fought—belong to routes where you have to break through several flags and reach a completely new branching point. There are even special heroines that only appear in those routes.

So technically, it’s right for the Act 2 boss to come wielding an “unblockable curse,” but if you use a few tricks, it’s possible to prepare “blessing” items ahead of time.

The probability is a bit of a gamble, but there’s only one thing you need to do to raise those odds.

“Eve. Help me.”

“I’m absolutely swamped!”

It was to seek assistance through a courteous request to my bloodline mate.

—

“If you say anything useless, I’ll really shoot.”

“Is the standard for usefulness determined by you?”

“Of course.”

Looking at Eve, whose eyes were full of fatigue, I fell into thought for a moment.

Actually, getting help from Eve isn’t that difficult. If I say, “The Black Flag is targeting the academy’s celebrities. Help me,” she’d agree easily.

But the explanation afterward becomes incredibly annoying. Try getting questions like, “How do you know that?” or “What happened during your term?”—the answers get awkward.

I could say something like, “Don’t interfere. That darkness is mine. Darkness… that too is the mission of this Wolfram von Lohengrin.” But my twenty-nine-year-old soul won’t allow that.

So the way to coax Eve here is, after all, give and take.

What does Eve like, anyway?

Ah.

“I’ll give you candy.”

“…Excuse me? Wait. Do I really look like someone who’d be swayed by just one piece of candy?”

“It’s a special flavor candy. If you have a flavor you want, I can match it.”

“…Th-there’s no way I’d fall for that, right? Ha, honestly.”

“I’ll give you five packs.”

“…Th-there’s no way I’d fall for that much…”

“I’ll give you ten packs.”

At my words, Eve fell silent without a reply.

More than ten packs and I can’t be bothered to make them.

“…This is something that’ll be done within today, right?”

“Of course.”

Thank goodness.

My bloodline mate is the kind of girl who follows if you give her candy.

—

Arriving at the convenience store like that, the two of us stood in front of the signboard.

After hearing my brief explanation, Eve’s body began to tremble.

“…So what are you going to do?”

“Take down this signboard.”

“You… Do you remember who gave this to you?”

“You did.”

How could I forget.

It’s an Elwood signboard that Eve von Lohengrin gave to me as a gift.

“I, I even, broke, the savings, I’d been, putting aside, since I was, little, you know? With, one month, left, until, maturity?”

“Ah. Is that so.”

“I’ll kill you here and accept the punishment myself. See you in hell, Wolfram von Lohengrin.”

Hey, hey. Put away the light spear.

“There’s a reason for this. Listen carefully.”

“…Fine. Explain. If I’m not convinced, I’ll shoot you with this.”

“Hmm. Good. This is embarrassing, but I lack mana. You know, right? My mana stat is only 3.”

“…Well, I know that.”

“But most skills require mana. So whenever I make something, I quickly run out of mana, and as a result… I end up drinking mana potions.”

“Yes.”

“But my stamina is also low. If I drink mana potions too often, my body can’t absorb them.”

“…[Light Spear : Storage : Release]”

“…Thank you.”

“No… I was the one lacking consideration. Continue talking. …I’ll listen.”

It’s good that she put away the light spear, but do you have to look at people with those pitying eyes?

The sympathetic gaze of someone with Mana 22 hurts so much. Just stab me with the light spear already.

“So it’s this signboard. I’m going to take it down.”

“…I don’t quite understand.”

“The material of this signboard is Elwood. What’s its characteristic?”

“It absorbs a small amount of ambient mana and uses it as an energy source. And it generates mana almost infinitely?”

“Yes. That’s why items made of Elwood have the advantage of being nearly semi-permanent even without mana stones. But have you ever thought of this?”

“What idea?”

“Concentrating the mana emitted by Elwood into a specific area to turn that area into a ‘field where mana recovers faster.’”

“…? Ah, hmm. That’s… not impossible. But how did you even think of that…?”

That too is one of the hidden options from the game.

When the material is the sacred wood Elwood, the mana recovery stat goes up by 1.

“Can you do it? With your mana, it should be simple, right? After all, you’re the one who made the signboard shine 24 hours a day. We’re just converting all of that into a mana field.”

“Yes. I can do it. But I’ll only do half.”

“Half?”

Saying that, Eve lightly snapped her fingers.

Afterward, the signboard floated into the air, and a magic circle sprang upward. Watching the circle composed of countless letters and solid lines, Eve moved her fingers lightly like a world-class pianist touching the keys, and in about the time it took to count to one minute, the signboard returned.

“I only did half.”

“Meaning?”

“From 6 AM to 6 PM, the signboard’s light will turn off and the mana field you wanted will activate. But at night, the signboard light will turn back on.”

“That’s reasonable. But why are you so angry?”

“Hmph. It’s your fault for completely negating something I made with effort.”

“I apologize for that. I was in a hurry too.”

“…Eh?”

Eve looked at me with wide eyes.

What’s with that surprise?

“What is it.”

“I didn’t expect you to apologize so honestly. …Wow. So you do have emotions left in you?”

Tch.

What do you take me for, exactly?

As I frowned, Eve—finding the sight quite amusing—lightly waved her hand with an uncharacteristically easy laugh.

“I’m joking. So, since you made me go through all that trouble, you’ll at least give me a free drink and show me what you’re going to do with this mana field, right?”

“Hmm. That’s not hard. Come in.”

—

As we entered the convenience store, a comfortable atmosphere washed over us. A pleasantness different from before.

Eve felt it too and opened her eyes wide.

“Wooooow…”

“As expected.”

Eve converts mana into stamina using the abysmally inefficient [Soul Change] skill.

After that, she’s subjected to the heavy workload of the student council, so it’s safe to say she’s always under the penalty of not being able to use her full 22 mana.

So if you want to invest something in Eve, mana recovery items are the standard.

Judging by her reaction, she seemed to feel a strange delight at having her mana recover the moment she arrived here.

“…Honestly, I’ll say this again. Wolfram.”

“What?”

“Thank, um. No. Well done. It’s a great place. I, Eve von Lohengrin, commend you in my name.”

Saying that, Eve sat down and leaned her body heavily against the table.

She looked exactly like Ayla when she says things like, “Today’s rebellion was a failure…”

“So this is the blessing of the sacred wood Elwood. …I never even thought of using it this way.”

“Didn’t you learn why the forest-dwelling elves are strong in the forest, and what battle methods our great ancestors chose when fighting against them?”

“…When fighting in the forest, they set it on fire, threatened to burn it if they didn’t surrender, and when that threat didn’t work, they dragged them out of the forest.”

“Correct. That’s why the elf race, along with the celestial and demon races, is recorded as a troublesome conquest target.”

“But the Siela family—one of the founding houses—brought elven intelligence as ‘companions.’ That’s why all elves eventually knelt.”

“That Siela family… now their impression has faded, but among elves, they’ve been called traitors.”

“As expected, you’re well-read. …Where on earth do you get that information?”

From the D/Z SAGA wiki that I wrote myself.

But saying that would be a bit…

“Anyway, back to the main topic—you said you wanted to see what I’m making, right? Watch while eating some candy.”

“…Yes. Ehehe. It’s delicious.”

Eve popped a piece of candy into her mouth, brought her right hand to her cheek, and wore a sickeningly sweet smile.

Ugh, disgusting.

Ignoring my bloodline mate’s repulsive gesture, I activated the skill.

First, Shining Patissiel.

**[Activating Shining Patissiel.]**

**[Making bread dough.]**

**[Undercooked bread is completed.]**

Now comes the truly important part.

I immediately activate Handy Worker.

**[Activating Handy Worker.]**

**[Making a paper slip with a blessing inscription.]**

If it stops here, it’s a heresy combination.

But it’s not complete yet.

With two skills activated, my mana drains rapidly.

Right now, my mana stat is 3, so just using these two already drained 2.5.

**[Holy power aids mana recovery.]**

The mana field created with Eve’s help.

At the moment my mana recovered, I activated the third skill.

**[Activating Accessory Crafting.]**

**[Crafting using [Undercooked Bread] and [Paper Slip with Blessing Inscription].]**

**[Accessory Crafting: Great Success!]**

**[Created a Fortune Cookie filled with divinity!]**

“…Hoo.”

Looking at the finished product, I nodded.

This is the combination of crafting skills. And it’s one of the few accessories that can grant the “blessing option” early on.

“…What did you just do? What is that?”

“I fused two recipes together. You know what a fortune cookie is?”

“…?”

“To put it simply, it’s a pastry containing a paper slip with a blessing written on it. When you crack open the cookie, the slip comes out. It’s made with the wish that the one who unfolds this slip may have infinite luck.”

“That’s a nice pastry.”

“The interesting thing is that this pastry is also treated as an accessory at the same time. It has two properties at once.”

“Is that even possible…?”

“Take it.”

Saying that, I handed Eve the fortune cookie.

Eve held the cookie for a moment and fell into thought.

Then, she smiled brighter than I’d ever seen her smile before.

“My chest feels warm. It feels like the hardships are washing away.”

“Is that so.”

“Yes. I’ve never felt this way before. A sensation you can’t get even from recovery magic… Ehehe.”

That’s only natural.

Blessings and curses apply regardless of mana stat.

This is quite significant for Eve von Lohengrin—because it means that either way, they pierce through her magic resistance.

Think about it. The “recovery magic” cast by others on Eve gets pushed back by her “magic resistance,” so the amount applied is very small.

And if Eve casts recovery magic on herself, she consumes mana instead of recovering stamina, so the effect ends up being mediocre.

Eve has never truly received a blessing of recovery or purification.

That’s why a blessing that pierces through mana affects her so deeply.

The reason Light Hero Kelterus became someone special to Eve also stems from this.

Of course, curses also afflict her painfully.

“Don’t eat it. It doesn’t taste good.”

“Oh my, even though it’s a pastry?”

“I made it to be used as a talisman.”

“I see. Are you going to use it, Wolfram? It’s a nice item.”

“No, I’m going to give it away.”

“Oh my. Since you made it with the wish for someone’s path ahead to be blessed, the recipient will be quite happy. Though I suppose it won’t be me.”

Hmm.

About that—I gave it some thought.

“No. That’s yours.”

“……………Excuse me?”

She’s so happy, and she also helped with making the signboard today.

Besides, Eve von Lohengrin is also on the Act 2 boss’s target list.

But why does she have that expression?

Is there a reason to be that stunned?

“You’re blessing… my path ahead? I’m the one who took your presidency, you know?”

“Of course. Thanks to you, I was freed from those duties. May blessings be upon the path of the student council president—a position rougher than anyone else’s.”

I said it with a hint of amusement.

Since I know how much Eve suffers from the heavy workload, she should be able to tell that this is half-teasing.

After a moment, Eve realized that, looked back and forth between me and the fortune cookie, and gave a wry, incredulous smile.

“You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”

“Took you long enough.”

“Do you even know why I’m suffering under this heavy workload? With your sloppy handover, you hole up in some corner making who-knows-what and turning the academy upside down!”

Eve started stamping her feet.

“It’s a bribe for that.”

“Watch your mouth! If you say that, people will think the corrupt former student council president and I have some financial connection!”

“Then let’s call it the former student council president’s final handover.”

At those words, Eve froze.

“Blessing the next term of Zefflin after mine. I’ll be expecting great things from you.”

“…Well, fine. I’ve received the handover. Former Student Council President.”

Immediately after, Eve, who had been fidgeting with the fortune cookie, suddenly stood up.

“You’re leaving?”

“Unlike the former student council president who retired and lives a leisurely creative life, I’m incredibly busy.”

“Go carefully.”

“…Hmph. I’ll come again next time. If I get the chance!”