<211 - Hestia Has Few Friends>
The midterms were over at the academy.
With the grand event called midterms finished, the students gained their freedom.
And another battleground began.
“Hey, first-year! Want to join the Body Modification Club and do some body modifications?”
“Uh, that sounds a bit much.”
“If you join the Alchemy Club, you can learn to enjoy the taste of 1-point flavorless black bread through alchemy!”
“Wow, really?”
Like the Pied Piper, the winner led a bunch of clueless first-years into the club room, while the loser, tenderly caressing their throbbing biceps, headed toward the training room.
A ruthless world of competition unfolded in this club recruitment zone.
[Weekly Event - Club Promotion Week]
This was the season where the senior members were fully committed to marketing their clubs, entangled with students wanting to fill their shortcomings with the club’s help.
“What club are you planning to join, Oknodie?”
“Well, I don’t really have any shortcomings, so I’m not sure.”
“Can’t argue with that, even if it’s annoying.”
“How about Isabel?”
“I’m thinking of joining the Cooking Club.”
Isabel was starting to feel her limits.
“I know a lot of recipes and various cooking methods, but I can’t just keep improvising forever. I want to borrow the wisdom of the seniors.”
“Wow! That’s a really good idea.”
“You’re excited thinking about all the new dishes you’ll get to try, aren’t you?”
“Hehe.”
“…Well, fine. As annoying as it is, it’s true that I’m going in to feed you.”
“So which cooking club are you planning to join?”
“There’s more than one cooking club?”
Of course, that’s common sense. The Cooking Handbook is that important; there can’t just be one cooking club.
“There are three main cooking clubs. The first is [Bone Broth Cuisine], where you finish a type of dish every week. You need to cook a hundred dishes related to the main theme before you can move on to a different theme.”
“…Sounds boring?”
“Learning different methods to handle the same dish isn’t a bad choice, is it?”
“What else?”
“The [Gourmet Society] specializes in tackling rare recipes. They emphasize both taste and quality, but personally, I wouldn’t recommend it.”
“Why? It sounds good.”
“The club fee is 200 points every week!”
“…Is it a luxury for the rich? I’ll go somewhere else.”
“The last one is [Feast of Darkness], which I recommend!”
Isabel’s face clearly showed her reluctance.
“Even the name perfectly matches the mood of a dark chef class. What do they even do there?”
“It’s a desirable club that considers somewhat extreme choices for the sake of updating the Handbook. Like mixing pet food while cooking? Transforming inedible ingredients into edible ones?”
“…What’s the point of going that far?”
“There’s a severe lack of ingredients even more distant than the border region and hinterland villages, including the Demon Realm. We’re preparing for every possible meal in such places.”
“Surprisingly solid reasoning.”
“Right?”
“Oknodie would want me to join there, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes!”
“…Okay. Since it’s for feeding you, I’ll go to the good place.”
In the end, Isabel joined the [Feast of Darkness] club.
“So what about you, Oknodie? Cooking? Sword? Magic? Assassination? Gathering?”
“Um, I’m not joining, but I do want to observe Hestia’s club.”
“Why go there?”
“I’m somewhat concerned about Hestia.”
What she was worried about was the inadvertent activation of Hestia’s “unlucky trigger.”
– The identity of the friend who comforted my heart through all-night conversations… was a ghost trapped in the wall? And they didn’t truly share friendship but had the purpose of trapping me instead?
Realizing the true identity of her only friend shattered Hestia’s last sanctuary, turning her into a madwoman.
Since that ghost friend trapped in the wall was pulled out with a hat, it was clear why Hestia’s expression hadn’t been pleasant lately.
“That child must be feeling really heartbroken.”
The 2nd Hat genuinely worried for Hestia.
Now free from the wall, she no longer has ulterior motives to utilize her bond with Hestia.
She is simply worried as a friend who shared her innermost thoughts all night.
“Got it. Then let’s go meet Hestia!”
“Thank you…”
“No, thank you for playing with Hestia.”
“…You’re really a good kid.”
How embarrassing.
Feeling shy, she playfully flicked the brim of her hat.
Hestia belonged to a rather uniquely named club called [Paper Dungeon Expedition Team].
“What’s good about joining this club?”
“You can embark on adventures together with comrades!”
“Comrades…?”
“Seeing is believing. Come and see for yourself.”
Hestia didn’t resist as she was pulled along by a senior who was weaker than her.
Though she had gained strength, she lost all relationships worthy of being called comrades in return.
She was secretly hoping for a chance to ease the lament of being a Berserker who earned distrust even from allies.
“Alright, today’s theme for the Paper Dungeon is ‘Carriage Bandits’. Those who don’t think they can handle it, step aside.”
“Tsk, unlucky.”
“I’ll just watch.”
“Me too.”
“Newbie, you come watch too.”
A few challengers stepped forward to the senior holding a book, placing their hands on the book, and with a bright light, the seniors’ figures were swallowed into the pages.
As Hestia jumped up in surprise, the senior who brought her calmed her down.
“Relax. That’s a Paper Dungeon.”
“Is it okay for people to be sucked in like that?”
“That book forcibly ejects anyone inside if it receives external shocks. So you don’t have to worry about getting hurt if the book gets damaged.”
The Paper Dungeon was a truly fascinating game for Hestia, who had experienced various adventures.
“Now, once you cross the guard post, there will be five orcs. What will you do?”
The senior with the book narrated the situation, and the seniors inside the book responded accordingly.
This was truly the story of the Paper Dungeon and its expedition team pushing through it!
Even the books on the shelves came in various genres.
Romance.
Action Thriller.
Mythical Fantasy.
Political Fantasy.
19+ Adult Fairy Tales.
All sorts of genres were all available.
‘Orcs aren’t that kind of monster.’
‘The dungeon lore is all messed up.’
‘The clients don’t offer that much reward.’
To Hestia, a former mercenary, the messed-up lore and overly optimistic adventures felt disconnected from reality, but that was exactly why she found it enjoyable.
“How about it, newbie? Want to join in?”
“I’ll join.”
“Good choice! You’d be a great tank!”
“That’s unfair. You’ve already got another newbie in your party.”
“Hehe. If you’re jealous, bring your own newbies!”
“Newbies! That guy looks really petty despite his appearance, so if he seems lacking, join our party later, okay?!”
“I can hear everything!?”
A false world with false adventures, yet they share real joy from the same trials and tribulations.
The pleasure of building bonds was real joy that couldn’t be found in reality.
Hestia enjoyed this time enough to attend the [Paper Dungeon Expedition Team] every week without fail.
“Hestia, what’s with your expression? Did you fail the test?”
“I haven’t talked much with my friend lately.”
From 9 AM to 9 PM, for 12 hours a day, they drew a line and conversed, but whenever she initiated the conversation, her friend beyond the wall would always respond.
But now, that friend hadn’t said a word in days, keeping silent, which only heightened her feelings of anxiety and impatience.
“Cheer up, friend. The gallant shield bearer Skull is here! Let’s enjoy an exciting adventure today!”
The second-year senior, Skull.
He had decent enough skills to be considered among the intermediate class.
His personality wasn’t bad either, but he wasn’t a classmate.
He attended lectures, worked on assignments, and spent most of the week apart, only to meet in the club room on the leisurely weekends as a fellow in the Paper Dungeon.
“Sorry, senior. I’m not feeling it today.”
“What? I was really looking forward to it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Okay. Just let me know if you feel better later.”
A true friend would have taken a day off from adventure and listened to her, but Skull quickly found a new team, chatting with other seniors.
Fwhoosh!
As he vanished off to another party accompanied by a brilliant light, Hestia forced a wry smile.
Somehow, she expected it to turn out this way.
The seniors didn’t prioritize their bonds with her.
They simply wanted to enjoy a sense of adventure alongside capable companions, valuing her mercenary background and extensive real-world experience.
There was no such thing as a true relationship.
‘Should I just quit the club?’
Her spirits sank.
It felt like reverting back to the time she first began at the academy.
She was alone, both before enrolling and right after.
Until she met her friend beyond the wall, Oknodie.
Yeah, Oknodie might view her just like how Skull saw the others.
Someone to talk to only when they needed to, someone who alleviated their loneliness.
A superficial person.
‘No, I’m different.’
I’ll go find Oknodie.
And ask what is going on.
As she opened the door to the club room, an unexpected figure appeared before her.
“Hello, Hestia!”
“Oknodie…?”
“I came to observe. Can you hang out with me?”
“Of course, I can.”
Hestia quickly grabbed their hand and entered.
