Chapter: 80
The day I promised to go to Joy and Stophe’s shop arrived.
As I stepped outside, looking just like any other day, I couldn’t help but be taken aback the moment I saw Joy.
Did you put in too much effort?
She looked like she was wearing a simple black dress without any fancy decorations, but up close, the luxury and elegance were undeniable.
She was wearing high heels she usually never bothered with, and gloves in her hands.
Even a pin with a butterfly ornament in her hair.
If she went to the social circle right now, people would definitely say, “Wow, Lady Joy! You look fantastic!”
We’re just going to a dessert shop, so why put in so much effort?!
What does that make me when I just show up in my usual school uniform?!
“Hello, Lady Allen.”
Uh… Joy. Isn’t that a bit excessive?
“Foolish Young Lady. Are you going out on a date with someone else? Why so extravagant?”
“It’s Stophe’s shop. I can’t go there with a light heart.”
I sensed a seriousness that seemed to indicate that she wouldn’t change her outfit.
“Honestly, I’m more surprised by you, Lady Allen. Didn’t you used to like fancy things?”
When Joy mentioned “before,” it probably referred to the time before I possessed this body.
Back then, Lucy loved extravagant things.
She turned her room into a hell of frills and only wore clothes like those from a children’s magical girl anime.
But not anymore.
I definitely don’t want to wear those kinds of clothes.
If you asked me whether I’d choose to prance around in sheer clothing or face a Minotaur again, I’d choose the latter in a heartbeat.
Even if it meant facing death threats.
My tastes have changed.
“Sorry. I’m not a sloppy fool like Foolish Young Lady.”
“Oh, I see?”
Despite her sharp tone slightly revealing her annoyance, she didn’t express it openly.
Is she tolerating this because I’m the one taking her to Stophe?
Let’s go.
“Let’s go, Foolish Young Lady.”
Stophe’s dessert shop was one of the many shops located on the street of Soul Academy.
Users visiting the Soul Academy community commonly referred to it as the shop selling weak cakes.
Because starting from the moment you could accompany NPCs in the game, visiting that shop to eat cake together was the quickest way to increase favorability.
What’s in that cake that only eating it raises favorability?! That question led to a meme that was interpreted and distorted in various strange directions until it ended up branding Stophe’s dessert shop as a shady underworld establishment.
Well, that’s just something you’d hear in a bizarre context, but the last time I visited to take the entrance exam, it was just a normal dessert shop.
I tried the cakes and drinks they served, and they were nothing more than blandly tasty, with no effects whatsoever.
Upon entering Stophe’s shop, a staff member rushed over to greet us.
One was a Ducal Young Lady and the other a Countess, so it’s only natural for the reaction to be extravagant.
“Welcome! Lady Partlan, Lady Allen. Allow me to guide you to your seats.”
After bowing politely, when I showed him Stophe’s special ticket, the atmosphere changed in an instant.
He still had a smile on his face, but his eyes were different.
He scrutinized the ticket like someone appraising a precious gem before carefully tucking it inside his lapel and speaking up.
“Right this way.”
The staff member who guided us to a private room in Stophe’s shop left with a promise to return shortly.
“Oh my. The day I get to use Stophe’s private room has come.”
Joy…
“Foolish Young Lady. Why are you so worked up?”
“Can you blame me? Stophe’s private room is a place that only truly special guests get to visit!”
Seeing how excited she was, Joy had somewhat shed her villainess mask.
With her lips curling up as she peeked inside, she looked like just a grumpy high school girl.
If her smile dropped just a little, she’d look like a villainess searching for faults.
As I chatted with Joy, the door opened, and an elderly man dressed in a white baker’s uniform appeared.
His white hair and wrinkle-lined face hinted at his age, but his robust body told a different story.
Despite being old, his body appeared well-maintained and fit, showcasing his commitment to health.
“Hello, Lady Partlan, Lady Allen. I am Stophe, the owner of this shop and, undeservedly, referred to as a dessert artisan. I will strive to ensure you have an unforgettable experience during your time here.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the door opened, and waiters began to come in and set the table with dishes and bowls in front of us.
To be honest, I wasn’t that fond of desserts.
I don’t dislike them, but the ones I knew were usually so sweet they made my tongue tingle, so I could manage only one or two before getting sick of them.
So, when I heard about the dessert course, I had a lot of concerns.
Could I really enjoy all of it?
However, that was really unnecessary worry.
If Stophe’s desserts were that cheap, how could he be called the greatest artisan in the continent?
He served an appetizer that teased the palate with a light sourness.
Then he offered cold dishes first to awaken our taste buds.
Finally, warm dishes followed, melting both our tongues and bodies away.
The meticulously built-up course was nothing short of breathtaking.
What I had eaten until now was merely a shadow of dessert.
With only those cheap things, it was no wonder I formed a prejudice against desserts.
If all desserts were like this, wouldn’t all my teeth have turned black by now?
Considering how I used to think desserts were just okay, what about Joy, who genuinely loved them?
Caught in the illusion of Stophe’s desserts, she looked like she was in a trance.
With a gentle smile, she moved her spoon like a machine, so captivated that she hardly seemed to hear my voice.
Seeing her so delighted made me feel like coming here was worth it.
Well, if she was that happy, it was no wonder I could quickly increase her favorability.
Thinking about it, I wonder how high her favorability is right now?
I can say for sure it started below 40.
Combining that with the last time I saved her life, she must be over 60 now, right?
No, considering being called Foolish Young Lady and the pitiful prince incident, it might be lower than that.
But even so, Joy is definitely the person I know with a favorability closest to 70.
Since we decided to raid a dungeon together this time, I can easily spend time with her as an excuse, and I should be able to get her favorability to hit 70 before the final exam.
Does this mean I’ve secured one person to clear that useless lord’s quest?
The other one will be easy too once Alsatine brings back that necklace, so I can say I’m safely on my way to clearing the quest.
Hahaha. Did you see that! Sloppy useless lord?!
No matter how much you try to nag at me, I can clear the quest with ease!
If you want to torment me more…
No, no. Never mind.
It’s nothing, Lord Armadi.
You don’t need to worry about it.
This is all thanks to your protection, Lord Armadi.
I’ve never forgotten my gratitude.
Something feels off.
Did Stophe’s dessert have alcohol in it?
Why am I suddenly saying things I never intended to?
Anyway, now that the quest given by our noble and revered Lord Armadi no longer worries me, I need to prepare for other matters.
It’s about time the main story of Soul Academy starts unfolding.
I wonder who will become the Apostle of Evil God this time.
*
Two days passed since eating Stophe’s dessert, yet Joy couldn’t forget that moment.
Entering Stophe’s private room, a place she wasn’t supposed to enter unless royalty from another country came to invite her.
And meeting Stophe, who usually didn’t come out.
The countless fantastic desserts he presented as he welcomed us.
The happiness that filled her mouth with every movement of her spoon.
That day was certainly one of the happiest experiences Joy had in her many years of life.
However, as stellar as that day’s memory was, the burden resting on her shoulders grew heavier.
The promise to enter the Academy Dungeon together on the day it reopened tightened around Joy with each passing day.
Will another accident happen?
Will some error occur during the professors’ work?
With each day, Joy hoped for luck to delay the opening, but unfortunately, the Academy professors were competent.
So today, on the day the Academy Dungeon was set to open as scheduled.
Joy held the staff she received as a gift from her father upon enrolling, making her way to the entrance of the Academy Dungeon.
Huh. Why did I fall for materialism and make such a reckless promise?
Should I just tell them I can’t do it right now?
That I’ll help out in other ways?
But is it even possible for me to reward them appropriately for a special ticket?
“Foolish Young Lady.”
As my mind spiraled, my pace slowed, and I turned my head toward the voice calling me.
It was Lucy Allen.
Dressed in iron armor just like she’d looked during the entrance exam.
With her mace and shield in hand.
Her hairstyle.
Her confident and somewhat obnoxious demeanor.
“What’s this? Your eyes look like a raccoon’s. Were you so scared to enter the dungeon that you couldn’t sleep? Cowardly Young Lady?”
Joy unconsciously almost nodded but quickly caught herself, putting on an awkward smile.
“I had a rough night, is all.”
“Really? No worries. Even if you’re a sloppy Foolish Young Lady, I’m here, you know?”
As Lucy confidently strode ahead, Joy stared blankly at her before following her lead.
Thus, half voluntarily, half unwillingly, they arrived at the point where the Academy Dungeon lay.
In that moment, she remembered.
Those thousands of eyes that had gazed at her.
The witch’s disturbing laughter echoing in her mind.
The ominous voice heard from afar.
The endless abyss she saw at that moment.
“Foolish Young Lady.”
It was only when she heard Lucy’s voice that Joy returned to reality, realizing she was sitting on the ground.
Ah.
This is…
Meaning…
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